Don't be surprised if this Sunday's edition of ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown looks a bit more like a game of Madden. According to a New York Times report, the Disney-owned sports network will use the "EA Sports Virtual Playbook" and a special studio and camera setup to allow "both real and virtual people move around the ESPN set to demonstrate plays and possible situations." It sure sounds a lot simpler than getting real NFL players to crash around the set, but we'll reserve judgment until we see it in action this weekend.

The review embargo lifted on Spore today, and the critics wasted no time weighing in on Will Wright's oft-delayed opus. The general consensus seems to be that an amazing level of quality is there, but depth may not be, which is really the last complaint we ever expected anyone to level at Spore. Go figure.

• PC Gamer UK (91/100): "Spore falls a little short of its promise at every stage, but bear in mind that its concept is as close as we've come to a game incarnation of the Lord our God."
• IGN (88/100): "In fact, Spore is essentially five distinct games woven together. And here, Maxis demonstrates a weakness, as a number of these games come off as lightweight or limited. However, Spore is a prime example of something that is much more than the sum of its many parts.
• Gamespot (80/100): "Taken on their own, its pieces are nothing special. As parts of a singular ambitious vision, they work far better. Throw in the best customization tools seen in years and an enthusiastic community brimming with creativity, and you have a legitimately great game that will deliver hours of quality entertainment. "

In the terrible glut expected this holiday season, it's good to see Microsoft and Rare bringing a piñata to the party. According to reviews, Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise doesn't seem to bring anything radically new to the fiesta, but it does make significant improvements to the formula introduced in the original. If you didn't like the original, it appears you can just move on. But, if you found the sweet candy fix of Viva Piñata addictive the first time, it looks like you'll be in for another treat.

• 1Up (A): "If you hated the original, Trouble in Paradise isn't going to change your opinion. If, however, you somehow missed out completely on the piñata party the first time around, I implore you to check it out now -- it's certainly much deeper and more addictive than its playful visuals would lead you to believe."
• Game Informer (83/100): "Keeping your piñatas happy can still be monotonous in task, but the expanded content and finely made multiplayer relieves some of the repetition that plagued the first game. Viva Piñata retains its child-like charm, but the content is layered with deep strategies and entertaining gameplay that can suck anyone's life away."
  
• GamePro (80/100): "There are also some minor additions that attempt to sweeten the pot but they don't add too much. The new trick stick, which allows you to teach pinata tricks, and a wide range of toys are fun to play with, though. There's also support for the Xbox Live Vision camera which allows you to scan in special pinata cards, but it's a gimmick at best. Still, despite some irritating design elements, Trouble in Paradise is a fun game that retains the charm of the first Viva Pinata."
• GameDaily (80/100): "Rare could've easily slapped a couple of minor changes into this game and given us an expansion pack. Instead, Viva Pinata: Trouble In Paradise offers enough to make it a worthy sequel. It'll be a little too cute for some, but others will see past the adorable exterior and find the delicious treats inside, just like a real pinata."

The last stop on our Electronic Arts booth tour at PAX was dedicated to Spore. That's right, it's more Spore news. It's not a real day on Joystiq unless you get some minor Spore news, or a definitive hands-on experience. With the game actually coming out (can it be?!) in five days, maybe you'll start to see these die down a bit. Unless, of course, there's a secret Hot Coffee level that we find during our explorations.

But is the game coming out a bit too late, or just in time? It feels like it's starting to wear out its welcome just a bit. Like that house guest that just won't leave, is Spore in danger of becoming a bore? German gamer mags have already given the game fairly disappointing scores, and in all honesty, we were ready to leave our demo early, even though we went hands-on with the whole thing. Find out why after the break.

The viral spiral marketing campaign for Spore has gone into full swing with only five short days until Will Wright's latest creation ... er, creation hits shelves. Billboards, bush shelter ads, and complete be-stickering of public places (Harvard Square shown above) are being spotted, and our buddies at Big Download are keeping track of them all in one big, weird gallery.

Many of the designs and slogans used in the ads have actually been lining the walls (and, actually, pretty much every surface) of EA Maxis' Emeryville, CA office during the game's epic development process. Now the entire world, nay, universe will get to see what we've been treated to during our various visits to Wright's home away from home.

[Via Big Download]

For the most part, all is quiet on the western front in terms of Spore reviews, but there are some exceptions sneaking out of Germany. VG247 reports that German PC mags Gamestar and PC Games have rated Spore with a 79 and 73, respectively. Although not gawd-awful, it's not exactly in line with the glowing reviews the publisher is hoping for with Will Wright's ultra-hyped and much-delayed "sim everything."

We're not currently aware of when the North American embargo on reviews expires, but the European one is allegedly up this Friday, alongside the game's release in the region. UK mag PC Gamer was apparently given the all-clear by EA to release its review early, doling out an impressive 91. It'll be very interesting to find out what the European outlets think of the game later this week.

Although we missed the presentation ourselves, the gang at Robot Martini caught Ubisoft's demonstration of Tom Clancy's EndWar audio power at PAX 2008. To do so, they pitted two parrots against each other in a multiplayer match. Check out the video yourself after the break. When Polly says "deploy tanks," you take cover and hide your crackers (har).

We're starting to get a little sick from Spore fever, since we gamers have been hearing about it for what seems like eons. But once the title launches September 7 in North America (and September 5 in Europe and Asia), we'll have to ride the wave of hype again when the rest of the world hears about the title. Set your TiVos for one of the first (of potentially many) Spore tie-ins; the National Geographic Channel will air its HD special, How to Build a Better Being on Tuesday, September 9 at 10:00 PM. The production is also included in the $80 Spore Galactic Edition.

The show offers a primer in DNA and genetics beyond what we remember from high school, connecting science with Spore. It's less a look at the game directly and more of a handshake (sometimes literally) between Will Wright and genetic scientists.

How to Build a Better Being centers on the Creature Creator and the genetic basis for the game's evolution and multitude of parts. After watching a screener, we wish it also covered science behind other parts of the game. However, the hour-long show works as a companion to that fundamental Spore angle.

It's harder to single out Nintendo for overlooking its "core audience" when you find out things like this. Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, Shuhei Yoshida, Sony's head of worldwide studios, revealed that the company chose to fund development of a desktop toy virtual pet – EyePet – over a promising core audience action title, Eight Days.

When asked about the effect that canceling London Studio projects The Getaway 3 and Eight Days had on other titles, Yoshida responded, "There are so many things that we want to do, more than we can do with the resources. So when London Studio was looking at the early work on EyePet and the prototype of Eight Days, they knew they couldn't do all of them." So ... EyePet it was.

Granted, we don't know with any certainty that Eight Days was going to be any good, but an original action IP on a still very core audience console would seem like something worth investing more time in over a ... virtual pet.

Yohshida also said regarding the London Studio, "There are even more things they're working on at early concept stage." Tip for the staff there: If you don't want your big games canned, don't mention your "pet" projects to Shuhei the next time he pops in for a visit.

Speaking with the Associated Press, Spore creator and bona fide master game designer, Will Wright, seemed surprisingly ... okay with the various "Spore-nographic" organs creatures people have made using the Spore Creature Creator. "Some of it's really good for what they were shooting for. It's amazingly explicit, especially when those creations are animated," Wright said.

On the topic of giving creative power (and lots of it) to players, Wright explained, "When you give players creative control, you have to expect they're going to do the unexpected," but he was quick to add, "We just have to make sure those people aren't messing up the experience for others." To this end, Wright told the AP that there will be a system in place whereby players can "ban" content from ever appearing in their own Spore universe. Elsewhere, we fully expect there to be entire universes populated solely by undulating naughty bits.

Look, up in the sky! It's Snoopy! It's a pizza! No, it's the original Red Baron! (har) Sierra Online has announced that Stainless Studios' remake of the 1990 PC flight simulator is coming to the PlayStation Network on September 18 (via Shacknews). The update has 36 missions, 20 airplanes and eight-player online multiplayer. Check out the trailer after the break.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Nintendo's WiiWare service has apparently sparked a renewed interest in developing games with one pixelated foot rooted in the past. Following both Capcom and Konami's head start, Hudson has likewise decided to dip into its archives, returning with news to bring the Wii-make of its TurboGrafx-16 sci-fi pinball game, Alien Crush, to North America.

Descriptively titled Alien Crush Returns, the download was released today in Japan and is based on the 1988 classic, which itself is available on WiiWare's sister service. While a date for the game's North American debut has not yet been announced, Hudson notes the follow-up will again be played across two screens and an unspecified number of boards, each no doubt filled with galactic baddies with a lust for silver balls. Most interesting, however, is news that Alien Crush Returns will support two-player online play as well as include online leader boards, with Hudson promising multiple online tournaments for the pinball-obsessed to throw down with their E.T. crushing skills.

Much like the real Vegas, you go into this Games Convention 2008 trailer thinking that you're going to come out a winner, but, when all is said and done, you're none the richer for it. It's more or less a sweep through the game's copyright-skirting lineup of faux casinos with a hint of driving and a logo to assure viewers that, yes, This is Vegas.

Though the game / "lifestyle sim" has been delayed until next year, Midway nevertheless had it on display at E3 so we could proclaim: This is our Hands-on with This is Vegas. Two new screens head up the gallery below. Meanwhile, we anxiously await the inevitable sequels: This is Lodi, This is Jasper, and This is Hoboken.

EA has announced that February 20, 2009, will mark the rather momentous occasion of stereotypical gamers finally venturing into the brightly lit outside world ... in the game. It's the day The Sims 3, the latest interactive simulation of an annoying, fickle, selfish and lazy race of creatures, will be distributed -- both physically and digitally -- to a bunch of annoying, fickle, selfish and lazy creatures.

If you'd like to append "supercilious" to that list of adjectives, you should consider purchasing The Sims 3 Collector's Edition, which will include an exclusive in-game "Italian-style" sports car for you to maneuver through your envious neighborhood (no wonder those floating diamonds are green). Also included in the package will be a Sims Plumbob USB drive, a tips and hints guide, The Sims 3 Plumbob stickers and, oh yes, the game.