As Dilbert taught me, it’s very important that to be a good weasel you make it appear as if you’re the hardest working employee in the office as a way to actually avoid having to do any real work. You do this by getting upset over the smallest thing you possibly can and let everyone know about it, giving your co-workers the impression that you’re so passionate about your job that it stresses you out beyond belief. I’ve experienced many weasels over my working lifetime and let me tell you, it works and works quite well, especially when your managers are themselves weasels. Now, I’ve discovered the greatest way of having a great AND irritating time at the office thanks to the Irritating Games collection from Zanorg. A collection of great web-based games which are enjoyable to the point of obsession, most of these games are meant to boggle the mind while testing dexterity and reaction times. Some of these games are addicting (play “Double Game”) and perfect for wasting time at work while looking like the efficient little weasel that you are.

Play more: Irritating web games portal

Tasty Planet, a new release from indie developer Dingo Games, certainly wears it’s influences on it’s sleeve. In Tasty Planet, you play as a happy little ball of microscopic nanotechnology which is becoming aware of it’s surroundings and begins to devour the planet, starting with the body it’s implanted in all the way to devouring the entire galaxy. Not quite as cheery as Katamari I must say, but for what it is, an enjoyable indie developed casual game, it looks pretty interesting to me, especially since I can play it on my Mac (a rare treat).

Watch gameplay footage of Tasty Planet after the jump..

Read more of ”Tasty Planet gameplay trailer - Katamari indie-style“

Leave it to kids today to take something as harmless as Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 and turn it into something so cool that I actually want to buy it. A YouTube user recently had a little fun taking advantage of the AI of Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, by creating a simple and destructive construction whereby hundreds of Tycoon residents mistake a passage of death for one giving away free balloons.

Watch the video, complete with track from They Might Be Giants, after the jump..

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Sony’s recent advertising campaign is hitting the airwaves and it’s how should I say, hmm, oh yeah, arrogant. I’m probably just reading too much into it, but, it seems to me that Sony is basically saying that we’re all little consumer sheep sitting and waiting anxiously to throw several month’s rent at them in exchange for their next gaming system. But that’s ok, Sony always has some top notch marketing and they’ve made up for my perceived insult by including a brilliant track by Brian Eno in a recent-ish Canadian commercial. The track is “An Ending (Ascent)” from the album “Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtrack” (Playthrough’s #1 Eno favorite album) by Brian Eno, his brother Roger and Daniel Lanois, which has also been featured in many movies in recent years.

Watch the Canadian PS3 is coming (to bankrupt you) after the jump..
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Bully, the much anticipated “GTA for teens” from Rockstar Vancouver, is receiving rave reviews for it’s innovative gameplay, mini-games and sandbox environment. Garnering a perfect 10/10 from 1UP, Bully appears not to be the Columbine, murder, death simulator that everyone fears, but actually a fun and enjoyable title. We’ll see what Jack Thompson’s next move will be, but I’d go so far as to say that Rockstar has won this battle. Now why oh why can’t there be an Xbox version?

Read more: Bully @ Metacritic

Over at Soldat Movies, they are collecting a long and growing list of neat (and free) physics-based games, both download-able and web-playable. It wasn’t long ago that the gaming press were raving about physics and how it would be the next big thing in gaming and free the games industry from it’s current rut of sequels and boring gameplay. Well, that worked out well and I think the next big thing is artificial intelligence maybe? Who knows and who cares huh? Just bring on the Wii. Oh yeah, sorry, there are quite a few gems here such as Warthog Launch and the critically-acclaimed N, so anyone looking to pass a few hours while bored at work now have a new physics-based playground to call home.

Read more: Collection of physics-based games

The newest in the Bubble Bobble series, Bubble Bobble Revolution, appears to be stricken with a major bug which doesn’t allow the players to proceed past the level 30 boss fight. Though whether this is a bug in the code or a manufacturing defect in the cartridges remains unclear. This is however a rather embarrassing occurrence for developer Codemasters and manufacturer Nintendo, who have recently confirmed that all of the cartridges sold in North America are faulty and will have to be replaced.

Statement from Codemasters:

We have been looking very hard into this issue with Nintendo and have now determined that all of the cartridges that have been shipped in North America are faulty.

Needless to say we are extremely sorry that this situation has arisen and would like to apologise to you for this issue.

We have already started the process whereby a corrected version is to be manufactured and will ensure that all customers have their copies replaced. Unfortunately this will take 8-10 weeks (simply because of the time required to manufacture new carts). We will update you with what you will need to do to get a replacement game, as soon as this has been determined.

Interesting they place the blame on the carts, as previous reports naturally placed blame squarely on the shoulders of QA, who are of course the default scapegoats. It appears to me to have been a manufacturing problem with the game cartridges, but regardless of who shoulders the blame, obviously you don’t want to pick up a copy of Bubble Bobble Revolution anytime soon.

Read more: Bubble Bobble Revolution sees major bug after shipping

An idea often thrown around in various serious gaming circles as well as game developer binge drinking sessions, the FPS GameRunner is attempting to bring cyber-gaming mainstream by allowing hardcore FPS fans to virtually walk-through their favorite shooters. Interfacing with your PC through a normal USB connection, the GameRunner allows the user to break a sweat along with their clan on many of today’s top FPS, such as Counter-Strike, Quake and Unreal. The treadmill is user-propelled and weighted, so the walking motion feels natural and smooth, but the controls might be a little different than a seasoned FPS fan would expect, along with the exercise.

Read more: FPS GameRunner - CyberAthletics meets gaming

See where was all this mess when I was in school? In Jupiter, Florida (trust me, someplace where all kids have to do IS play video games) 18 year old Tom Taylor dropped out of high school in order to play games professionally for the Major League Gaming association, a collection of about 100 professional gamers who are making big bucks with lucrative sponsorship, consulting and merchandising contracts. Tom for instance, just recently hired a publicist and financial advisor, shortly after signing a contract worth $250,000. Tom compares his gaming skills to that of Michael Jackson, stating he was born to play video games. Way to go Tom.

Read more: Dropout making big bucks playing video games

“Old” news but we’re still totally into this. NERO is unique game, short for Neuro Evolving Robotic Operatives, which is actually an active research project run by students of the Computer Sciences and Digital Media Collaboratory departments of the University of Texas at Austin. NERO lets you adapt intelligent agents (in this case your robots) hands on, evolving your robot army by tuning their AI by performing various tasks. After training your bot army, you can then go face to face with your friends’ armies in online competitions in an RTS-style deathmatch.

Read more: NERO the game