While surfing around randomly, I stumbled upon this old article listing 15 senseless video game quotes.

They’re funny, even if many are nothing more than dodgy Japanese English which we’ve all come to love.

Anyway, “your fists of evil are about to meet my steel wall of niceness” so make sure you read everything in GGF and don’t just skip to the contest!

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Table of Contents

1. Upcoming games in the next two weeks
2. Game-themed red packets for CNY
3. Xbox console for $339
4. I’m a speed demon
5. Results of last week’s contest
6. Win a limited edition Halo Wars cap!!

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Upcoming games in the next two weeks

I was going do a quarterly list. Then I realised I had a list as long as an airport runway, even after striking out the weird titles, so I decided to do a monthly, instead. In any case, looking forward to games too far in advance is bad for your health, so this is for your own good.

In order of release dates (North American):

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The Lord of the Rings: Conquest
PC, PS3, Xbox 360, DS
By Pandemic Studios and Electronic Arts
Release Date: January 13

Checking out the official site for the game makes me feel like… watching the movies. lol. When you first load the site, it screams at you:

Middle Earth stands on the brink of destruction
You will unite to save it or destroy it
Each race is bound to this one fate
Choose your allegiance

Then you choose Good or Evil and the rousing LOTR theme song booms at you. (If you choose evil, you get some eerie music, instead.)

Funny, I don’t feel like playing the game as much as I feel like watching the trilogy again.

But it does look promising, especially the multiplayer co-op (4 players) and versus (16 players) modes. You can even play 4-way split screen on the Xbox 360’s version. A tad squeezy, I expect, but should be fun.

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Imagine Fashion Party
Wii, DS, PC
By UbiSoft
Release Date: January 20 (Wii) (Already out for DS and PC)

Woo, I can just see all you blokes rushing out to get this one. Check out the game description:

Players can star in a TV show and compete in a series of challenges to show the world that you are the best fashion designer! Use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk as scissors, hair brushes, makeup applicator or other styling and design tools.

Doesn’t it get you all pumped up and ready for action?

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Star Ocean: Second Evolution
PSP
By TOSE and Square Enix
Release Date: January 20

This isn’t a new game, per se. It’s a remake of a 10-year-old game (Star Ocean: The Second Story for the PS1). I think it would be nice because it’s an old-school RPG with a modern skin. Wait, does 10 years old count as old-school? I don’t know, what the heck?

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Skate 2
PS3, Xbox 360
By Electronic Arts
Release Date: January 21

I’m not a huge fan of skating games. Scratch that, I’m not even anywhere near being a fan. But this seems like a good title for suicidal freaks. I mean, just watch this video.

(But don’t watch it if you’re an impressionable kid. I hold no responsibility for your delusions of immortality.)

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Afro Samurai
PS3, Xbox 360
By Namco Bandai
Release Date: January 27

Afro Samurai started off as a Japanese manga series, then later became an anime starring Samuel L Jackson’s voice. Now, it’s a video game, still starring Mr Jackson, who will entertain you with badass commentary while you throw punches.

The music is an invigorating hip-hop-kungfu-tribal fusion. I likee.

There you go. I’ll do a February list in February if I feel like it.

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Game-themed red packets for CNY

IAHGames has released a set of Granado Espada red packets for this Chinese New Year, except that only one out of the six designs is actually red.

But it’s still a good thing. After all, red packets are mostly given to kids, so why shouldn’t there be more kid-appealing game-themed, uh, multi-coloured packets produced?

You get these free with every purchase of GE 70K Gpoint game value cards, or you can buy a set for $2. Available at IAHGames iCafe at Funan DigitaLife Mall. (Game cards also available at authorised retailers.)

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Xbox console for $339

If you’re in the market for a console, the Xbox Arcade is the best value console you can get right now.

For $339, you get an Xbox 360 Arcade console (256MB memory with HDMI output) and a free Platinum Hits game, Gears of War!

Make sure there’s a redemption sticker on your console box. You need that to redeem your free game at this website.

This promotion lasts till March 31, 2009, but don’t wait too long because the free game is while stocks last!!

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I’m a speed demon

Still playing Grand Theft Auto IV. I found a quiet rich neighbourhood which has a good selection of Ferraris and Porsches. The owners just leave them in open driveways, unlocked, so I just jump into them and drive away.

The best thing is… the cars respawn!! After I crash and burn one, I just go back there and grab another. Hur hur. It’s like free-flow fast cars. The downside is that the neighbourhood is in an extreme corner of the map so it’s pretty far to get to.

I recently received a street racing mission, where you have to come first out of six racers. I failed twice because, in my excitement, I kept driving into pillars and mailboxes. So I threw the controller to the Goonfather and said, “Eh, play for me.”

He took the lead within 10 seconds of the race and just leisurely cruised all the way to the finish line. FREAKING SICK!!

Anyway, he helped me win this baby.

Not that you really need to win a car since you can steal any car you fancy as long as you can find it but, still, owning one legitimately feels nice.

The next day, I gave that street racing thing another go and realised that it’s actually chicken feed. I’d just let my excitement get the better of me the first time.

This is what happens when you drive too fast and you get too excited.

Thank goodness for Pay N Spray. Brand new car in a brand new colour in seconds!

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Results of last week’s contest

And the survivor of the pot of boiling sludge is… JaS!!

JaS wins this from last week’s contest!

Awesome!

Please get in touch with me about collecting your prize, JaS. Thanks! :)

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Win a limited edition Halo Wars cap!!

Halo Wars will be coming to us only on February 26, so why not show off your leetness by wearing this cap first?

This is a super exclusive cap because it has been worn by Sheylara for the purpose of taking the above photo! No, seriously, it IS a limited edition cap, so grab it grab it grab it!!

To win it, just tell me why want it. The most convincingly needy person will get it.

Closing date is January 22, 2009.

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I love doing GGF. It gives me a legitimate reason to dream about games all day.

It gives me a legitimate reason to play games, in fact. People complain, “You always say you’re too busy for this and that but then I realise you’re always playing games.”

But I have to play games. I’m Gamer Girl Friday.