Hard to imagine that it's been over six years since Melee, but tomorrow night at midnight, the wait will be over. Unless this snow storm causes me to crash into a ditch.

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Industry and multi-console news

New media: Rainbow Six Vegas 2 screenshots, Legendary trailer, Bourne Conspiracy trailer, Lego Indiana Jones gameplay footage, Grand Theft Auto IV trailers, radio stations and screenshots

• Infogrames has made the offer to take Atari private by buying all its outstanding common stock.
• UK retailer Dixons Stores Group International plans to enter the game publishing business.
• Next Generation has the newest Australian sales charts.
• Pipe Mania, aka Pipe Dream, aka that hacking minigame in Bioshock, is coming back on the DS, Wii, PSP, PS2, Live Arcade and PC.
• The European release date for Lego Indiana Jones has been set for June 6.
• Nintendo and its PR firm won an award for its Wii launch campaign at the PRWeek 2008 Awards. Microsoft and its PR firm also won for the Halo 3 launch.
• Next Generation has an article on the current world of game-based movies, ending with a list of all the films based on games currently in planning or production.
• On the opposite side of the fence, Gamasutra has an interview with Golden Compass game writer Dalan Musson about writing for games based on movies.
• 1up Vice President of Content Simon Cox explains the positives of Ziff Davis declaring bankruptcy.
• Game Developer Research has conducted a new study ranking the top 50 developers worldwide using "both sales and reputation data."
• Ex-GameSpot staffer Jeff Gerstmann has started his own website called Giant Bomb.
• Georgia legislators have passed a bill giving tax breaks for film and game production.

PC and mobile news

New media: Dracula 3 screenshots

• 1up mentions a few details on what will be covered in the Sims 3 first look found in the next issue of Games for Windows. No more pee meter? Not interested!
• Details have been released on what to expect in the upcoming Sins of a Solar Empire patch.
• IGN has the PC sales charts for the week of February 17.
• NVidia Chief Scientist Dr. David Kirk talks about the positives and negatives of ray tracing for video games.
• Midway is preparing the launch of a casual games online web portal. They've also noted "softness" in the PC market in the US compared to Europe.
• 1up has received a portion of a script they think is connected to the next Knights of the Old Republic game. The game is described as a "Star Wars online" title, which brings back the rumors of a KOTOR MMO.
• Eurogamer has an interview with the senior global director for Games for Windows.
• Tabula Rasa producer Starr Long admits "the game has not taken off as quickly as we had hoped."

Nintendo news

New media: Bangai-O trailer

• Wow, the trophy you get for winning GameStop's Smash Bros. Brawl tournament really looks like crap.
• Racketboy has a basic guide to making emulated N64 games look better, from graphics enhancing plugins to full hi-res texture packs.
• This YouTube video shows how the Japanese Wii TV Guide Channel works. There's more to it than you would expect, including the ability to underline things.

Sony news

New media: Arcana Heart screenshots

• MTV Multiplayer has posted the third and final part of their interview with Insomniac's Ted Price.
• The official Playstation blog has details on Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters PS2 multiplayer.
• Amazon's deal of the day is Thrillville: Off the Rails for $23.99.

Microsoft news

New content: MLB 2K8 stadium pack, uniforms and cards, Guitar Hero III tracks

• A report in the Financial Times says that Microsoft is already in talks with Sony about a Blu-ray player for the 360. Steve Ballmer has said that Microsoft plans to support Blu-ray in "ways that make sense," though he didn't mention the 360 specifically.
• Gamasutra has an interview with XNA general manager Chris Satchell about the service. He also talks a little about gaming on the Zune.
• TrustedReviews is reporting the rumor (from a "rock solid source") that the 20 gig model of Xbox 360 will be replaced with a 60 gig model.
• Somehow a list of Lost Planet: Colonies achievements has been leaked before the game has even been officially announced.
• A fix for Bully: Scholarship Edition to fix some framerate and freezing issues should be available within the next week.
• Bungie has sent a ton of stuff to the guy who had his autographed 360 scrubbed clean by Microsoft's repairs. The package includes a Legendary Edition helmet signed by the staff, a Bungie jacket and shirt, two limited edition Halo 3 controllers, and much more.
• On March 22, there will be a charity Halo 3 tournament to benefit Femme Fatales clan member Beenie who is in need of a kidney transplant.