A welcomed addition for this reputable company.

It's been a while since I posted, but I'm still around, spending less time playing games and more time reading about them. I did just receive an interesting press release stating that Crutchfield has added gaming-related items to its other offerings. Usually I wouldn't be that excited about an announcement such as this, but considering the quality of Crutchfield (Consumer Reports has repeatedly given it the top nod for consumer electronics), this is good news.

The company is known for customer service, so if you're looking for answers to technical questions, you'll be able to get them answered properly, as opposed to the many, many times I've been flat out lied to by big box electronic stores just to try and get the sale. The fact that you can complete the home theater experience while picking up a PlayStation 3 is a definite plus.

NIS releases its latest PSP RPG and we’ve got videos of the game in action.

Developed by HitMaker and published by NIS America, Dragoneer’s Aria is a tale of dragons, their protectors, and the struggle to save the world. In this PSP RPG, the balance of peace comes from six elemental dragons, worshiped by all, especially Dragoneers, elite knights who train and live to protect them.

Valen, a young academy graduate, is the hero who must fight a powerful black dragon set on destroying the world. Dragoneer’s Aria features item customization, timing-based mechanics, chain combos, dragon orbs that can be combined with weapons, and strategic turn-based combat. Besides the single-player adventure, there is also a team mode where up to 4 players can take on enemies together.

Check out the videos below for a look at some of the combat elements to Dragoneer’s Aria.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya9APFQkPP8

Summoning Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkjJoyys1v4

Dragon Skills Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYn0c5jLY5A

Guarding Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYgPzaKmIKA

Dead or Alive sticks everywhere rejoice, you're still the only option for Xbox 360 owners.

It looks like those wishing to profit from their Dead or Alive sticks will have another month until any competition arrives. The Hori-produced limited edition Virtua Fighter 5 stick has been delayed until early September. The stick cannot be pre-ordered from EB/Gamestop stores (according to 2 stores that I called), so you have to order it online.

With the Capcom remakes, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, as well as Virtua Fighter 5 and LIVE games such as Streets of Rage 2 (Yay!) on the way, let's hope the date won't slip any further. A lot of us prefer to use arcade sticks for much more than just fighting games, especially considering how horrible the 360 d-pad is.

I powered on my Xbox 360 last night, only to find that it wasn't a happy camper. I was hankering for some Bomberman Live. I had to settle for my PlayStation 2 instead… I've had it since Christmas and treated it well. It froze a couple times (Lost Planet caused it several problems), but otherwise has worked just fine. I hadn't fired it up in a while, so it was surprising that it went from fine to dead without being used.

So I packed it up, took it to Best Buy and attempted to exchange it. But the little trickster decided to work fine there. So maybe I didn't do something right. Got it home and it booted up once, froze, crashed, made strange noises, and then it was back to the 3 blinking lights (the ones that mean hardware failure). So tonight, it goes in for good, because I have games to review and this is just not cutting it.

The moral of this story? None really, since I always treat my equipment well. Technology just doesn't always work, so it's nice to know that a company such as Microsoft is covering its users. Sure I have the extended warranty with Best Buy, but for those who don't, a 3 year warranty against the dreaded blinking lights problem is a fine way to handle things (and a needed acknowledge of a serious problem). I'm glad I don't have to send it in, simply because I've got lots to play on it over the next month.

I've killed very few consoles in my 20+ years of gaming, a couple Dreamcasts, a Sega CD model 2 (the model 1 is still chugging along), my original Xbox, and that poor original Gameboy I dropped down the stairs the same freaking day I got it (it worked for a while after, but had lines on both sides). Guess I can add one more to the list. Let's just hope there's nothing wrong with the harddrive… Hopefully tonight, I'll get to play some Bomberman!!!

It’s been a long time coming, but Xbox LIVE for the Xbox 360 is about to get the ultimate multiplayer game: Bomberman Live. Yie Ar Kung Fu rounds out the double whammy set for this Wednesday, July 18.

As an all-new entry in Hudson’s long running series, Bomberman Live gets the hi-def treatment and features 4-player local and 8-player online battles. A new addition to the classic grid-based game of bomb first, ask questions later: players can customize their bomber with thousands of options.

With 8 locations and 16 pick-up options (Jelly bombs? Detonators? Can’t wait to see what classics will show up and if there’s anything new in store!), it will be hard to find a better way to kill time on any console.

Not content to let the little bomber get all the glory, Konami offers its classic fighter Yie Ar Kung Fu. With a premise right out of a Chang Cheh kung fu classic, it's hero Oolong versus masters of the chain, bo, and more. The original arcade version is available as well as an enhanced version with hand-painted models and new backgrounds.