"Once again taking a page out of the PC MMORPG playbook, Namco Bandai is pulling out the DLC. Previously, Namco Bandai made mountains of cash with the DLC for Xbox 360 exclusive THE iDOLM@STER by selling various outfits and accessories for the virtual pop idols and doing it endlessly. This time around, the company is offering more than weapons and armor. Instead of grinding through to level up, the game's DLC will let players buy their leveling up. Need extra gald in-game currency? Buy that, t..."

"Namco Bandai Games Inc. on Tues. said that it will release a Special Edition version of Tales of Vesperia for Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360.

The Special Edition SKU will feature a SteelBook case and a 10th anniversary soundtrack CD.

The CD includes 25 tracks, with 14 songs from Tales of Vesperia, two from Tales of Phantasia, two from Tales of Destiny, four from Tales of Symphonia and three from Tales of the Abyss.

The product will be sold in limited quantities at select retailers for $6..."

The latest installment in the Tales series of RPGs, the Xbox 360-exclusive Tales of Vesperia, was announced at Microsoft's RPG Premiere 2008 earlier today to have an August 7th release date in Japan, with a North American release to follow later that month. A European release is being scheduled for 2009.

Publisher Namco Bandai has stated that a demo for the game will be available in Japan sometime this month. The demo is assumed to be headed stateside, based on precedent with Eternal Son...

"The Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 have brought HD gaming into the mainstream. After years of High-Def in the living room being a hazy concept that really only affected A/V aficionados, the more technologically inclined, and the affluent, these videogame machines have made HD Gaming as simple and affordable as “plug n’ play.” But as with any consumer device, the hardware, for all its potential, is just that — untapped potential. What really brings out the true worth of the machine is the soft..."