Is there anything that PopCap Games creates that ISN'T addicting?  Seriously.  We must've sat around for hours on end playing the holy hell out of Bejeweled 3 and mastering every bounce we possibly could out of Peggle.  But that's not enough, is it?  No, we have to unleash a full-scale war between plant life and the undead with the incredible strategy game Plants vs. Zombies.  Damn you, PopCap, I had stuff to do today!  But anyway, if you're not drawn in enough with the versions that are out there, they're releasing one that you can take anywhere with you on your PS Vita later this month.

It's a novel idea that's really catching on in the App Store -- re-releasing old-school arcade games as part of a collection, then offering potential buyers the option to choose what games they want to keep.  Capcom's done it, Atari has done it, and Farsight is working on it with its Pinball Arcade (which we previewed).  But we're surprised that Namco has taken so long to warm up to the idea, especially with its countless Museum releases.  Well, it finally came through with Namco Arcade, a game that has the "try before you buy" method with a few of its offerings.  So why does it feel like it wasn't fully thought out?

When SoulCalibur IV came out a few years ago for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, some players were disappointed by the series' jump to next-gen, even with the addition of nifty Star Wars characters.  (C'mon, Darth Vader versus Mitsurugi was pretty damn epic.)  But luckily, Namco realizes that some better balancing was needed, and SoulCalibur V brings it in spades, between some great new characters and the kind of multiplayer that will keep you addicted for some time.  It's just a shame that the single player content couldn't really keep up...

Before the New York Giants defeat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI (at least according to the Madden NFL 12 simulation), EA Sports is throwing its annual videogame bash at the Bud Light Hotel. NFL legends past and current will mingle with celebrities. And in addition to the 3-on-3 videogame tournament format, which was introduced last year to incorporate online team play into the mix, there will also be concerts featuring Nas and The Roots. New York’s other quarterback, the Jets’ Jeff Garcia, is a Madden Bowl regular and talks gaming in this exclusive video interview below.

Brandon Marshall set a Pro Bowl record with four touchdown receptions, covering 74, 29, 47 and 3 yards, in the annual Honolulu, Hawaii football contest. Marshall’s 47 yard catch is one for the highlight reel as he kicked the ball to himself while falling into the end zone. The Miami Dolphin receiver finished with six catches for 176 yards. He caught one touchdown pass apiece from Ben Roethlisberger and Phillip Rivers and two from Andy Dalton. Marshall is a big gamer and a regular attendee of EA Sports Madden Bowl before the Super Bowl. He talks gaming off the gridiron in this exclusive video interview below.

First off, for the record, I personally wanted a Ravens vs. 49ers Super Bowl.  No offense against the teams that are in there now, but we've seen that match-up before, y'know?  Regardless, the Patriots and Giants will be meeting up for Super Bowl glory this Sunday.  However, EA Sports has already provided its own take on the big game, thanks to Madden NFL 12.  So...who wins?

Well over a year after its release on the market, the Kinect motion device is really growing into its own for Xbox 360 users, not only with a few family-related efforts (Kinect Sports, Dance Central) but also a decent amount of games dedicated to the "hardcore" crowd (Child of Eden, Rise of Nightmares).  But there's not too much of a market for downloadable Kinect games as of yet, though Fruit Ninja Kinect is doing fairly well.  Maybe that'll change once people see how good the haunted house adventure game Haunt is.  Maybe.