_{[Best of the Network is a look at some of the hottest articles that came out of all the Modern Method Web sites this past week.]}

Now that we've gotten a taste of Left 4 Dead 2, some questions about the survivors from the first Left 4 Dead were raised. Are they secretly infected? Are they carrying the deadly virus that causes the zombie threat?

On Destructoid, find out how to connect the PSPgo with a PS3 controller. On Japanator, see what the top 25 most popular anime characters are voted by Jtor readers. And on Tomopop, the Technodrome Might Mugg custom is pretty neat!

DESTRUCTOID

• Why the Left 4 Dead survivors may secretly be infected
• Video: Connecting a PS3 controller to the PSPgo, on TV
• Attention, everyone buying L4D2: I have dibs on Nick
• Attention, everyone buying L4D2: I have dibs on Coach
• Contest:  Reminder: We're giving away six copies of Magnacarta 2! + We're giving away an Xbox 360, Modern Warfare 2 & more!

JAPANATOR

• JapanaTen: The top ten anime girls I wish were real
• Japanator's Top 25 most popular anime characters
• Why Haruhi Suzumiya should be over
• Confession 6: Sebastian Michaelis
• Idol of the Week: Aki Hoshino

TOMOPOP

• Tomopop Review: Kotobukiya's Isoroku Yamamoto from Sengoku Rance
• This Technodrome is the most insane custom Mighty Mugg you'll ever see
• Product previews from the Bandai Collectors Division
• So Yoko thinks she can rock? Only if you help build her
• Justin Whitlock's Mini Arcade Cabinets are a lot of awesome in a tiny package

Did you know that decorating Home Depot aprons was a thing? I did not. Shoes I get. Home Depot aprons, not as much. However, when they have a rendition of the first level of Super Mario Bros. painted across them it's still awesome. If I saw a person in Home Depot wearing the above apron by Last LAugh INk I would be far more likely to procure things from their establishment in order to better my home with said things. I don't have a lawn, but that apron would convince me to possibly buy a lawnmower.

I'm not sure how or why Last LAugh INk's Dan Murphy started painting on Home Depot aprons, but he seems to really dig it. Aside from the Mario rendition above he's done Star Wars, Marvel superheroes and Family Guy to name a few. Pretty unique hobby as far as hobbies go, don't you think? Maybe he can make us a Mr. Destructoid apron that says "You can do it. Also, cocks."

[Via Kotaku]

Modern Warfare 2 may be one of the biggest, most mainstream games ever to be released, but it's also been the most controversial. Aside from the whole PC debacle, Infinity Ward has also generated much debate over the infamous "airport scene," in which players get to shoot unarmed civilians in an airport. Unsurprisingly, game-hating Germany has a problem with this, and so will be getting its own censored version.

In the German version of Modern Warfare 2, you will not be allowed to kill the civilians without punishment. You can certainly shoot at them, but doing so will grant you a game over screen. While other versions will give players the option to play this controversial scene however they want, the German edition makes the decision for you.

I'm actually surprised the scene was allowed to stand in the first place, so I suppose a gimped version is better than no version at all. There's no word on whether that other game-unfriendly country, Australia, will get the same treatment, so we'll just have to wait and see.

I think it's a shame that Germany is so afraid of videogames tackling subjects like these, and that what could be one of the most unique and raw scenes in gaming history has been altered in such a way. What do you think of this? Is Germany on the right track in forcing Infinity Ward's hand here? Should our morality be decided for us in all versions of the game? Does it even matter?

We hear about these situations far too much, where a publisher is accused of attempting to broker a guaranteed favorable review from a press outlet. The latest to face such allegations is Ubisoft, having been named and shamed by German magazine Computer Bild Spiele for demanding a high score for Assassin's Creed 2. SCANDAL!

"Our reviews are tough, but fair. We will not give up our independent scores for the sake of a timely review," explains the magazine in its latest issue. "This holds true for Assassin’s Creed 2. The publisher asked us to guarantee the score 'sehr gut,' otherwise we would not receive a review copy, thus we will publish our review in next month’s issue. We’d be more than glad to give the game a ’sehr gut’, but only if it deserves it."

Sehr Gut is essentially Computer Bild Spiele's version of an A-grade, meaning that Ubisoft was only willing to trade a game copy for an incredibly positive review. Of course, asking an outlet to guarantee something like that before they've played the game is asking them to trade in every ounce of integrity they've worked to build, and if these allegations are true, it's a shame that Ubisoft felt the need to barter against someone's self respect like that.

In any case, Computer Bild Spiele has probably ensured that it won't be getting any more games from Ubisoft. Good for them, and let shame rain down on any writer that actually agreed to such shenanigans.

While people have vastly varying opinions on the overall quality of Gran Turismo's ability to simulate actual driving, the general opinion around the water cooler is that it's the closet thing you'll ever get to real racing unless you actually participate in some real racing. Its closest competitor in the world of popular racing console games is Forza, and the Forza guys have been talking some smack on GT ever since the recently released Forza III was announced.

Now that Forza III has been released and the competition has been able to check it out, what does legendary GT developer Kazunori Yamauchi think of it? Well, it's not quite a racing simulator, but it ain't bad. A few guys around the GT office, including Yamauchi himself, have played the competing racer and he came away with this, "I was watching the guys at our company trying it out in the office. I tried it a little bit. It's very similar in a lot of aspects to Gran Turismo. Some base components of the game are very different from Gran Turismo. It's a little bit different from what a simulator is. You can feel it when you drive it."

I'd say that he was being viciously backhanded, but there was nothing backhanded about that. He came out and said that Forza III isn't a simulator. Upfront and to the point that Yamauchi is. Nice to see they're checking out the competition, though. Anything in Forza III you wish would show up in GT5 when it lands in March of next year?

[Via CVG]

It's good news/bad news time again. Good news first- Cave Story Wii has been resubmitted to Nintendo for approval. The game was supposed to be out months ago, but for reasons unknown, Nintendo has been holding it back. I played a very final-feeling version of the game at E3 this year, which makes me think that the game has been done for a while. The word on the street was that the game's translation needed changing before it could be releases, but I'm guessing that there's more to it than that.

Which brings us to the bad news.

Some mysterious changes have been made to Quote, the game's main character. His iconic red hat and pants have now been replaced with a yellow and brown ensemble that's much less flattering. Happier people than myself are guessing this change signifies DLC palate swaps for Quote, or even better, a new 2-player co-op mode. My guess is that Nintendo thought that the original Quote looked too much like Ash Ketchum, and wouldn't let the game come out until the character was changed. You can see the original Quote sprite, the initial WiiWare revision, and the latest yellowed-up sprite all in the gallery.

So what do you think?  Am I being paranoid, or did Nintendo just force Quote to start dressing like Devo circa 1978?

[via Gonintendo]

During his comments following the release of Nintendo's recent financials, company President Satoru Iwata laid out the connectivity rates for the Wii and DS in Japan. According to Nintendo's numbers 30 percent of Wii owners are currently connecting their Wii to the internet and only 20 percent of DS owners are doing it. The numbers spike whenever a big online game is released for either system or whenever new online functions are released, but Iwata says that the company must take more aggressive action or those numbers will drop.

Despite Iwata's claim that Nintendo is truly interested in its system's online functionality (and their work to sponsor wireless hot spots in places like McDonald's) Iwata does not think that digital distribution of games will be playing a big role in the gaming market for quite some time. He reinforced his opinion that while he does see digital distribution as a means to provide additional internet-driven software features he does not see it as a dominant delivery method for games any time soon.

""In 20 years or so, I might say it will have probably changed," Iwata said while discussing the possible shift to digital distribution. "But in 5 years or so, I do not totally agree. ...Habits of life do not change [so] radically and quickly."

He is, of course, right. Even I, a technologically advanced person of a young age, am having trouble letting go of physical retail. Imagine what a member of Nintendo's new "expanded audience" feels when they're offered a game without a box or disc.

Nursery-room appropriate music? Check. Japanese guy saying "Ackushun Addvenchu-aaahhh"? Check. Gamecube quality graphics. That's an affirmative. Put them all together, and you know what we've got; another PokePark Wii trailer.

Don't assume that when I say "Gamecube quality" graphics, that I mean it in a bad way. On the whole, I'd rather look at graphics from five years ago than the dermatologically handicapped dudes often found on the HD-consoles. Sometimes detailed graphics just aren't important, and I see nothing about PokePark Wii that warrants more detailed visuals. Watching Pikachu headbutt squirrels in the ass and periodically get his mime on is a guaranteed good time, regardless of the resolution.

I'm comfortable enough with my manhood to say that PokePark Wii looks promising. Taking real-time Pokemon combat and combining it with the type of mini-games found in Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2 is a fine idea. The game is set for pre-order in Japan right now, and if NoA passes on it like they have so many other NoJ games, I'll probably import it.

How about you? You feeling this low-res, Pokemon head-to-ass butting thing?

[via Gonintendo]

Despite the fact that Miyamoto himself has said that Nintendo is shooting for a 2010 release of the new Zelda teased at E3 behind closed doors, we find it very hard to believe that it will actually come out then. Zelda games are notorious for their epic development time and constant delays and we're already getting one on the DS this year. On top of this Nintendo is really trying to not set a release year that this game will come out. That's not a release date, or a release month, but an a release year.

In a recent interview with GameTrailers TV Nintendo of America's Reggie Fils-Aime sounded a bit shocked that they'd even suggest a 2010 release for the game and then went on to confirm absolutely nothing by saying, "We haven't committed to Zelda in 2010." Bummer.

Despite my disappointment with this fact I can understand it. Hopefully Nintendo will play it smart and not announce a release date until the game is absolutely and completely done because there is nothing more depressing than marking your calendar for a new game and then having that date pushed back again and again.

Bit.Trip VOID is a game that you can play with your family, where you compete to see who can get fatter the fastest. Thanksgiving (link NSFW) is a holiday where families do the same thing, except with more awkward silences and passive aggressive bickering. One is a charming allegory about the dangers of selfishness, the other can give you an ulcer and case of mud-butt.

The choice is clear, people; skip eating this year and play Bit.Trip VOID on Thanksgiving instead. If you don't want to choose, that's actually OK too. The game is set for release on November 23rd, which will give you four days to play before the actual celebration of excess and obesity begins.

Just don't come crying to me when the mud-butt comes-a-calling.

Kyozo Kicks returns! The guy who brings us awesome Zelda and Phoenix Wright shoes that we can never wear because he only makes one pair of them has brought us another pair of shoes we can never wear. This time he hand painted a pair of Converse for his girlfriend's birthday from with Patapon. It's quite awesome.

I think this might be my favorite pair of these shoes just because they are so subtle. The tiny little images around the sole wouldn't be noticed by most, but you'd have an instant connection with anyone who recognized them. Mr. Kyozo I am a size 12-13 shoe. Please contact me for my mailing address. It appears you do take custom requests. I can pay in love or blog posts.

Let's get the "I'll buy that for a dollar" quote out of the way. Right, now we can get on with the actual story.

Did you know that the classic arcade game Smash TV was in line for a remake? It was going to be a top-down shooter, just like the old days, but given a coat of modern paint with 3D graphics. Original Smash TV programmer Mark Turmell confirmed that the game was in development, but then it "hit the fan" with Midway and the project had to be scrapped.

Fear not, though, Smash TV fans. While Turmell did not state that the new game was still in the works, he voiced confidence that it "will rise again," thanks to Warner Brothers., the company that now owns Midway's soul. WB has the right, the means and, we hope, the desire to do it, so watch this space. Big money and big prizes may be yours to enjoy once again in the near future.

There have been plenty of stories over the years that Captain Obvious has posted, but I feel this might be his greatest achievement. Yes, the power to state the obvious has been granted to Activison and they've used it with great skill. Hold on to your hats, because here it comes: next year will have more Guitar Hero and Call of Duty games. Activision stated as much during a recent earnings call. We can only imagine that the announcement was followed by a slow clap building into a roaring applause as all the participants realised they were in the presence of the most obvious statement ever.

Also announced in this cavalcade of obvious was a new Spider-Man game and a new Shrek game. The latter of which is most likely based on next year's new Shrek film. We don't know much else at all about any of the games other than their impending release in the next year, but it's pretty clear that the new Call of Duty will move away from WWII and into a new time period with awesome music.

So far, one of the main things we've known about From Software's 3D Dot Game Heroes is that it's a PS3 exclusive. From even confirmed as such a few weeks ago, explicitly stating that it was only for the Big Black Box o' Blu-ray. However, it seems the actual development studio, Silicon Studios, is open to the idea of a 360 version.

"We can do it. Our libraries are multiplatform, so it would be possible to make it for 360," states Hiroyuki Misawa. "It's up to From. We're a developer, so if there's a call to make it, I believe we can do it."

Misawa was also asked about the whole Zelda thing, although he seemed to be ducking the question. He did confirm that the studio has in no way tried to get Nintendo's blessing, and that 3D Dot Game Heroes is "something like" an homage. He also denied that the created character data being shared with customers is Link, stating that "It probably looks like it, but it's not."

Oh, you rascal!

_{[Weekend Destructainment is a collection of funny videos brought together from all across the Internet to bring you entertainment on these slow and boring weekends.]}

ScrewAttack gives us an analysis of the launch trailer for Modern Warfare 2. Sadly or awesomely, we're going to be hearing a lot of what ScrewAttack said during multiplayer matches.

Weekend D is smaller this week, but it's still full of entertainment! After the break, check out the Left 4 Dead 2 Easter Egg. Then remember how awful the Mega Man cartoon was. Next up, the Totally Rad Show guys play Ju-On. Followed by some rejected Mortal Kombat Fatalities. The Destructainment ends with an old Dig Dug sketch by Mega 64.

We've teamed up with Namco Bandai to giveaway some great Magnacarta 2 prizes. Over on the official page for Magnacarta 2, you can win an art book, battle atlas and a Magnacarta 2 Xbox 360 themed faceplate. Over here on Destructoid, we're giving away six copies of the game away for the Xbox 360.

All you need to do to win the game is create a funny image with a photo editing program using one or all of the pictures from the gallery below. Whatever you create, try to keep it safe for work and post it in the comments below. The funniest and/or most creative image creation will win Magnacarta 2.

You have until November 8 to submit a photo and this contest is open to US residents only. Good luck!

[Update! The Magnacarta 2 contest on the official site is now live! Just register on the site and you'll get entered in the contest where you can win one of ten prize sets made up of an art book, battle atlas and Xbox 360 themed faceplate.]

Videogames are a constantly and rapidly evolving medium. While this means that amazing advances in gameplay and graphics consistently surprise us, it also means that those very same advances are destined to look rustic, quaint or simply atrocious in the short space of a few years. Just take the PlayStation era. The move from sprite-based gaming to 3D was hailed as a masterpiece, yet most of the PSOne "classics" of the day are regarded as rather sub-par now. Many of today's great-looking games run the risk of a similar fate.

To stand the test of time is a rare and special feat in the games industry. Some games have remained ageless due to impressive gameplay that nobody before or since has attempted, a simple graphical style that relies more on artistic beauty than graphical horsepower, or simply being damn good at what they do in ways that modern games can't even match.

That said, there are a fair few games looked back on fondly today that have not aged as well as everybody believes they have. They may have been groundbreaking, brilliant titles in their era, but going back to them now reveals a shockingly poor experience that one's rose-tinted specs have attempted to deny. These are the games we shall name and shame in this feature, so come with me as we look at a number of "classic" games that did not age well.

It's tough to be blind or visually impaired. I think we can all agree that that is a true enough statement. You probably miss out on a lot of great things. Playing videogames would be one of those things that completely blind people miss out on (unless they've mastered echolocation), but what about those who are only visually impaired and want to play games? Shouldn't they be considered when game designers make games? A new lawsuit filed against Sony thinks as much.

Disabled gamer Alexander Stern filed suit against Sony, Sony Online Entertainment, and Sony Computer Entertainment America in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He alleges that Sony is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by not implementing any features that make their games accessible to visually impaired gamers. The suit claims that despite repeated requests via e-mail and snail mail Sony has completely denied the idea of making reasonable modifications to their games in order to make them more friendly to those with "disability impaired visual processing."

No specific games are mentioned, but the general gist of the suit seems to be leaning towards MMO and Sony's lack of visual cues in the game. It also points to other games that do help the visually impaired, like World of Warcraft, which allows the use of third-party mods and thus has many mods that help the visually impaired play the game.

Even more shocking is the lawsuit's contention that Sony's lack of support for the visually impaired has cost the visually impaired community money. Since Sony runs an official auction site where gamers can sell all of their in-game loot for real money those who cannot fully participate in the games, like the visually impaired, cannot make money. The suit says that Stern's inability to do this has cost him money. 

Sony doesn't comment on pending litigation, but aside from the monetary loss I'm pretty inclined to agree with Mr. Stern. Seems to me that many of his issues could have been fixed with a simple patch, and I think anyone who played Lost Odyssey on a standard definition screen would agree that being able to properly see and interact with your games is highly important.