Welcome to the Black List, our regular retrospective on the week in games.

On Monday, Pete broke out a copy of the Encyclopaedia Genericon during our latest podcast.

On Tuesday, we covered the resignation of Michael Atkinson, who just wants to (all together now) spend more time with his family.

On Wednesday, we took a peak at Majin: The Fallen Kingdom and concluded that it had more in common with The Muppet Show than The Last Guardian.

On Thursday, Nintendo announced its latest handheld console, the 3DS.

On Friday, we offered to flirt with you for money via the newly launched GameCrush service.

Thanks for reading.

Erin Marcon

Editor

RECENT REVIEWS

“No, I’m serious. I’ve played Halo with a lot of guys and you are by far the best.”

GameCrush, currently in open beta, is a website designed to separate lonely gamers from their money and, just for kicks, their few remaining shreds of dignity. The service asks players to pay to participate in online games with PlayDates, i.e. members of the opposite sex willing to act flirtatiously for cash.

A handful of casual games are offered on the GameCrush website, which also enables players to hook up for Xbox Live sessions. The going rate is US$6.60 for ten minutes. It sounds expensive, but it does guarantee that at least one of your Halo 3 opponents has a financial incentive not to teabag you… unless you ask for it.

Of course, the true purpose of GameCrush is to exploit the emotionally and/or intellectually vulnerable for financial gain. It trivialises human relationships and shamelessly commodifies participants on both sides of the transaction. Having said that, I will be available for PlayDates if you’re willing to meet my asking price.

As I write these words, the GameCrush website is temporarily unavailable due to overwhelming demand. Oh dear…

DS

DS Lite

DSi

DSi XL

3DS

Nintendo has confirmed that it is developing the 3DS, an ambitious successor to its wildly popular DS handheld. As originally reported by The New York Times, the new unit will deliver 3D images without requiring you to don special eyewear. Having said that, Nintendo cannot prevent you from wearing 3D glasses, or even a 3D hat, if you so choose. Fight the power.

It is not yet known how the 3D effect will be achieved. It is also unclear whether the unit will be a true successor in terms of hardware, or merely a standard DS with an augmented display. Given Nintendo’s recent history of placing gameplay innovation ahead of visual fidelity, it seems unlikely the new system will be a graphical powerhouse. What we do know is that the 3DS will be compatible with existing DS software, so hang onto that copy of Hannah Montana DS.

Nintendo is remaining remarkably tight lipped for the moment. However, it has revealed that the 3DS will be formally unveiled at E3 in June ahead of a release prior to April 2011. Note also that ‘3DS’ is merely the provisional name of the device. Nintendo still have plenty of time to come up with something as ridiculous as ‘Wii’.

“I’ve got this strange feeling that somebody might be following me.”

Namco Bandai and Game Republic are preparing to release Majin: The Fallen Kingdom. The forthcoming fantasy adventure explores the bond between the player character and an AI controlled creature known as the Majin. The unlikely companions must work together to solve puzzles, best opponents and liberate the world from the forces of darkness.

If the high concept puts you in mind of The Last Guardian, you’re certainly not Robinson Crusoe. However, the two games diverge considerably in terms of aesthetics, with the art design in Majin: The Fallen Kingdom recalling Game Republic’s 2007 release, Folklore. If you ask me, which you didn’t, the Majin itself looks more Jim Henson than Team ICO.

Development is being overseen by Yoshiki Okamoto. The industry veteran certainly has an impressive resume, having contributed to the success of the Street Fighter, Resident Evil and Mega Man franchises while at Capcom.

Majin: The Fallen Kingdon is due for release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2010.