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A spanking new trailer of the upcoming MMO Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online.

Valve has run a Counter-Strike Source beta over the past few weeks, and now the game has received the update, which includes achievements, improved engine performance, kill-cam etc. Furthermore, Counter-Strike is now available for Mac as well. Oh, and by the way, it’s on sale on Steam for just $6.80.

The big, clunky steering wheel controllers have had their days, and now above all just seem gimmicky, with the vast majority of players opting for the simple, game pad controls for racing games.

However, peripheral maker HKS has unveiled what is undoubtedly an awesome controller for racing fans. For starters, the analog stick is replaced by a thumb-wheel which offers precise and simple steering, while the X and Square buttons are pressure-sensitive for the accelerator and brake. It even has an LCD speedometer readout on it!

It cannot possibly get any better than this, and it should be a perfect fit for the upcoming Gran Turismo 5. So far the controller will only be available for the PS3, and will be retail later this summer for $50.

EA is now offering huge discounts on a dozen iPhone games, each retailing at just $1. The games include Command & Conquer: Red Alert, FIFA 10, Dragon’s Lair, Need for Speed Shift and SimCity.

The upcoming and highly anticipated Civilization V has gotten a new CGI trailer.

Legendary anime studio, Studio Ghibli, led by Hayao Miyazaki — Japan’s Disney — has been working on Ni no Kuni, and RPG originally destined for the DS. Well now, it’s coming to the PS3 as well, by the same developer, Level-5. Count us excited!

Pixar is known for their storytelling and for making top-notch movies — they’ve grossed a gazillion at the box office, but one thing that’s never been consistent with Pixar: the games based on their movies have never really lived up to the movies themselves. Granted, Pixar isn’t a game developer and rely on others to make the games, but one would expect a certain amount of quality anything associated with Pixar.

Well, maybe not. Games to movies (and vice versa) have never been great. Does Toy Story 3 change that? Not really. It’s not a bad game, at best, it’s competent, something the fans (and kids who see the film) will enjoy. Developed by Avalanche Productions, Toy Story 3 the game takes a lot of aspects from the movie, as it should, and offers a large, playable world, and quite some fun, especially for the younger audience.

The campaign mode includes co-op, a feature most welcomed to the game and something that works very well. The levels are very diverse and go beyond the movie, and while short, they do offer some great gameplay. But the main attraction here isn’t the campaign, it’s the open world part, called Toy Box. It’s a sand-box type game where you can explore, complete missions, and once you finish a mission, new ones become available. And there’s plenty of missions to keep you busy. At least for a while, since none of the missions are that challenging, and they’re not supposed to be, as the game is geared towards the younger audience.

The visuals and audio share top notch production values, and the soundtrack and familiar universe from the movie is wonderfully portrayed. However, lack of challenge — even for the younger audience — and lack of depth prevents it from appealing to everyone. But that’s okay, it’s not supposed to appeal to everyone.

The Good:
Toy Box mode is wonderful
Cute visuals

The Bad:
Very easy
Lacks depth

Overall score: 7/10

If you’re interested in one of those shiny new black Xbox 360 “slims”, you might also be interested in waiting for a few months, as Microsoft has confirmed that a $200 Arcade version will be available this Fall. We dunno how it will differentiate from the regular one, but expect a small or no hard drive, and no WiFi as well.

Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime has confirmed that the Nintendo 3DS hand held, which sports 3D, will be launched next year. He stated that the console will be available in all regions by March 31, 2010, but expect Japan to get it a few months earlier, as it’s custom to do for Nintendo.

Several retailers have listed Microsoft’s Kinect motion controller at $150, but the company never made an official price announcement. We can now safely assume the final retail price will be $150, as Microsoft has listed Kinect at that price on its own store.