You'd think Thursday would be the day for no news, but nope. It's today. Maybe all the newsmakers are out shopping.

PS I haven't made new banners or written new articles yet because I've been wasting my life away in FFXII. This is both sad and appropriate.

Industry and multi-console news:

• The first video game magazine targetted for women has the unfortunate name of Play Vanilla.
• An audio specialist in the games industry says that bad writing is what leads to bad performances, not the actors. That may be more the case these days, but a few years back, both sides were equally awful.
• Two Gamestop employees have been arrested after it was determined they faked an armed robbery to steal PS3s.
• SNK is planning downloadable Neo Geo games for the PS3 and possibly the 360. Microsoft hasn't agreed to their offer yet, but once MS sees that the PS3 is getting the games, they'll no doubt want them on the 360 too.
• Let's compare and contrast console screens of death. Oddly enough, the PS3's is the only one that's really blue.
• The DMCA exemption for game archiving has been renewed, meaning that you're allowed to circumvent copy protection for "Computer programs and video games distributed in formats that have become obsolete and that require the original media or hardware as a condition of access, when circumvention is accomplished for the purpose of preservation or archival reproduction of published digital works by a library or archive."

Nintendo news:

• There's a trailer and new screenshots up for Sims on the Wii.
• Three new ads and a poster for Animal Crossing: The Movie. It's funny to see that even Japan uses those stupid "interviewing people as they come out of the movie" ads. The film hits theaters in Japan December 16, so I'd expect a shaky-cam fansub by a few days afterwards.

Sony news:

• Rule of Rose's UK release has been cancelled following complaints from politicians. Once again, it's a game that would've gone entirely unnoticed anyway if someone hadn't thrown a piss fit.
• GameSetWatch has a look back at the design history of Yasumi Matsuno, the man behind games like FFT, Vagrant Story, and FFXII.

Microsoft news:

• Microsoft promises to refund any money lost during the technical difficulties the Live Video Marketplace has been experiencing.
• British gangsters stole a truck containing $1.4 million worth of 360s.
• IGN has a look back on the highs and lows of the first year of the 360's life.