Man, our job sucks sometimes. Here we are, sitting on a brand new Onyx DS Lite, a copy of Blue Dragon Plus, a Blue Dragon card game starter pack and game mat, and one Brady Games strategy guide, and we can't even enjoy it all. No, we're not allowed to keep these things. But, where there is misery for us, there is possible pleasure for you. You can win our prize pack! All you have to do is follow the steps below and you can be the one lucky winner:

• Leave a comment telling us whether Hironobu Sakaguchi (the creator of this game) should shave his mustache or not
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec)
• Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day
• This entry period ends at 11:59 am ET on Tuesday, March 24. We'll randomly select 1 winner at that time to receive a brand new Onyx DS Lite (ARV: $130), a copy of Blue Dragon Plus (ARV: $30), a Blue Dragon card game starter pack and game mat (ARV: $10), and one Brady Games strategy guide (ARV: $18)
• For a list of complete rules, click here

We're not stopping here, as Joystiq Nintendo is also giving away two copies of Blue Dragon Plus. So, after you're done entering this giveaway, feel free to also try your luck here.Permalink | Email this | Comments

High Voltage has been mentioning some kind of deep conspiracy in its trailers for The Conduit, which suggests that there's more going on here than just some soldier or secret agent or whoever shooting at guys in bad-guy uniforms. So what is The Conduit about? IGN spoke to High Voltage's Eric Nofsinger and Josh Olson, and found that the concept is basically "all kinds of horrible stuff is happening." Nofsinger sets up some of the backstory: "In D.C. specifically, there's a virus, linked to the contaminated water supply, that's been attacking people's immune systems. Missing persons reports have increased dramatically. Domestic terrorist attacks - including an attack on the Washington monument - have caused rioting and panic. Martial law has been declared." How do you shoot at a virus? Oh, and then there's a full-scale alien invasion. As Agent Ford, a Secret Service agent recruited by an even more secret organization called The Trust, you are called in to deal with all of that. Guided by your Trust contact, "John Adams," Ford must help defend Washington D.C. from the aliens while also dealing with a possible rogue Trust agent. We've also got new screens courtesy Sega Europe. We trust you will enjoy them.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

As of right now, according to aggregate Metacritic scores, Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is the best game on the Nintendo DS. There are currently four 100-percent review scores on the list. It looks like Rockstar may have done the right thing by treating this as a real game and not just simply outsourcing a cheap spinoff. After all, it's one of the most popular game series ever, on what is by far the most popular platform this generation. There is a bit of sales potential here. We'll include just one of the 100s here, from Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell.

• Eurogamer (10/10): "Those hoping for another gritty, complex narrative spine bound in the flesh of an openworld action-adventure may be disappointed by the rather more frivolous and silly antics of the Chinatown Wars cast, but even cynics should be converted by the huge, densely packed action playground we've been given instead."
• IGN (95/100): "Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is tried-and-true GTA design. Rockstar Leeds took nearly every aspect of the console design and jammed it into a Nintendo DS cartridge, tweaking the presentation to fit the restrictions and limitations of the Nintendo hardware."
• 1UP (A-): "In bringing GTA to the DS, Rockstar Leeds makes an installment that's less about exploration and more about the actual, structured game that's underneath. On the surface, it's not so different: pull up to a location, get a new mission, and do the job (be it shooting down some rival gang members, following someone to a secret spot, or just racing cars for respect). And it helps that missions in GTA games have always been generally bite-size, so it translates well to Chinatown Wars -- pick the game up, clear a few missions, then come back to it later."
• GameSpy (4.5/5): "When we think of GTA, we think of blockbusters built to massive specifications. Chinatown Wars proves that much of the stuff that really draws us to these games can be realized without expending millions of dollars and man-hours."

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From the "ridiculous level of customization" department: a new device from EMS that removes one small deficiency in the Wii Classic Controller's capabilities: the ability to use it on GameCube games. EMS's Classic Linker allows users to plug a Classic Controller into the GameCube controller slot, allowing it to be used as a GameCube controller. As an added bonus, it also allows the use of PlayStation or PS2 controllers! The Wii angle is nice, but where we see this being most useful is in an actual GameCube. The Classic Controller's button layout makes it superior even to the Hori Digital Pad for use in the Game Boy Player.It had better have a longer cord than most controller adapters, because the Classic Controller's little cord doesn't exactly span a room. This accessory is available through Play-Asia for $16.90.[Thanks, dreganfyre!]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments