"Throughout the history of games, companies have released sequel after sequel following similar formats that feature the same style of gameplay which worked in the original. But every now and then a company thinks it's a good idea to take a popular franchise and branch it off into a new direction. We're looking at five of the worst spin-offs in the history of gaming. You may not agree with some of them; heck you may not agree with any. But the fact is the titles we've listed here don't come cl..."

"While everyone is getting excited about Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver, we're moving away from the main series to look at your favourite Pokémon spin off games. 
For fans, the main RPG series has always been the big deal but over the years, Pokémon have branched out and starred in everything from puzzlers to pinball games and adventures. We asked Pokémon fans on our forum to vote for their favourite Pokémon spin off games on our website and here are the results."

"Lopunny poses like a Playboy bunny in a centerfold spread. Or a prostitute working the sidewalk. Either way, it's sexually suggestive. It also grabs its chest area like it's trying to keep you from seeing the goods. And is it just me or do Lopunny's elbows look like a pair of drooping...boobs? There's so much subconscious sexual imagery going on with Lopunny - if I saw one standing like that at a bar, I might just have to take it home with me."

A great graduation speech about trying to be the best, like no one ever was, traveling across the land, searching far and wide, evolving and training to achieve your goals.


Oh and Pokemon

"#10 Happiny

It's not like Happiny isn't cute. We would love to pick it up and squish it. It's just that Happiny looks like Kirby in drag, and although Nintendo's pink puffball loves dressing up, we just never envisioned him prancing around as a girl. Hey, we'd love him no matter what he looked like."

With the NA releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then ready to be used on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.

The European Virtual Console was updated twice this week, first with the surprise update of the Wii-enhanced Pokémon Snap on Tuesday, and the standard release on Friday. By no means is the r...

This week, we not only get our standard three-game update for the NA Wii Virtual Console, but later today, Nintendo will activate the Gift Feature for the Wii Shop Channel.

Although all three games are noteworthy, the highlight is the Wii-enhanced Pokémon Snap. No motion controls, but rather you can save your in-game pictures to the Wii Message Board and send them to friends. This sets the tone for the possibility of other additions to Virtual Console games.

The Wii Shop Channel Gift ...

With the NA releases of Sin & Punishment and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels on the Virtual Console, paying attention to which games get VC releases in both Japan and Europe get much more important, as these games are then ready to be used on the VC, and sport the possibility of crossing the ocean.

This is the first of the three regions to get the Wii-enhanced Pokémon Snap this week, with Europe presumably getting this on Friday, and North America already confirmed to have it December 1...