As the last post mentioned, staff participation is all focused on the marathon at the moment, even those not playing are in the chat keeping the camp fires burning. Well, that and urging on any silliness, drunkenness and all over kinds of ness.

We have seen sleep deprivation turned into a challenge of who can stay awake longest; our very own Chase Cook has been on the receiving end of cake to the face, corndog to the face and a Nick Simberg to the…everywhere.

The score currently stands at Team America winning the first game, with the second and third being classed as a draw. At the moment of typing this Australia are winning the fourth game, but with James playing can they hold on to the lead?

We are hitting the home stretch now, so watch the Ratchet and Clank marathon here, tune in, get chatting and most importantly; donate.

Sorry about the rather slow updates on the site today, but literally everyone is either taking part in the charity, or is glued to their screen watching the big event.

Currently, Team USA is in the lead with a triumphant victory over team AU in Ratchet and Clank 1. Team USA used some skillful moves finished roughly an hour ahead… even though it took pretty close to 50 tries before Chase mustered up the skill to defeat the final boss.

Who will be win Ratchet and Clank 2? Well start watching, make some donations, and win some prizes!

Keep watching the Ratchet and Clank Marathon here.

Not long ago, we had a discussion about difficulty within games on the Limit Cast, and, as often happens with this kind of discussion, my mind carried on ticking over long after the podcast had finished.

The subject is still wide enough that we may go back to it on the podcast one day, but until then, allow me to regale you with the bizarre workings of my mind as I discuss more areas relating to difficulty in games, and how that can affect your gaming experience.

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Less than 4 hours ago our much hyped Piece of Heart charity event started, and we already have over $450 donated! That’s almost half  of our planned target.

If you want giveaways, want to help sick children, or just want some light entertainment, be sure to watch the Child’s Play Charity event here, and help us topple our $1000 donation goal.

Today developer BioWare launched a new Facebook game described as “the first in a series of compelling social experiences.” Developed by its new R&D group, dubbed BioWare Labs, the mini-game, called Gift of the Yeti, promises to donate money to charity and gives gamers a discount on Dragon Age.

The premise of the game is simple. Santa has been put out of commission thanks to some bad eggnog and it’s up to you, a friendly yeti, to save Christmas by lumbering around town delivering gifts. The real kicker is BioWare will donate one cent per play to the children’s gaming charity Child’s Play, up to $10,000. Read more… »

Everybody’s favorite Lombax is back to finish off what began two years ago when Insomniac Games brought their critically acclaimed Ratchet & Clank series to the PS3.  While Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction might have been a huge success, it left players wanting more, thanks to an open ended finale, which found its heroes separated for the first time.

While Insomniac promised the story would continue, the direct-to-PSN sequel, Quest for Booty, disappointed fans with its short duration that did little to answer any of the questions left by the first game.  Well, another year has passed and the hilarious series is back for its third installment to hopefully reunite our beloved heroes once and for all.  Can Ratchet save Clank in time to purge the galaxy of evil, or will Captain Quark have to somehow save the day? Read more… »

Today word got out that Australia’s Office of Film and Literature Classification has refused to rate the upcoming movie monster shooter Aliens vs. Predator, essentially banning the game.

Much like Valve’s Left 4 Dead 2, Aliens vs. Predator has been refused classification due to “various types of violence.” Specifically “the Predator collects ‘trophies’ by explicitly ripping off human heads, their spinal columns dangling from severed necks…heads can be twisted completely around…eyes can be stabbed through or gouged, leaving empty, bloodied eye sockets…extensive post-mortem damage, including decapitation and dismemberment, is also possible.” Read more… »

As the year draws to a close so do the quality articles. Although the depth to this post may not be the biggest draw card, the subject in question is undoubtedly fried gold.

Read on after the jump for possible the best Zelda cosplay you’ll see before the year ends.

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Assassin’s Creed‘s first venture into the handheld market was an abysmal experience; released on the Nintendo DS, Altair was severely limited in his assassin-like efforts, only able to execute a fraction of his abilities due to the hardware’s limits. While it aided in continuing Altair’s story, it didn’t exactly strike a chord with critics or consumers, and was met with mixed reactions.

Learning from these mistakes, developers Ubisoft Montreal and Griptonite Games look to change things around by delivering a far more faithful adaptation of the third-person sandbox action adventure. But even on more powerful hardware, can Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines recapture the freedom and extravagant setting of the original while not falling victim to the same problems that marred the first installment? Read more… »

[Every Thursday is Retro Day at Gamer Limit, so kick back and enjoy the classics. Feel free to check out our full schedule right here!]

After Simon Jones’s The Neverhood piece last Thursday, the logical follow-up is its sequel: the overlooked PlayStation gem, Skullmonkeys.

While set in the same universe as its predecessor, Skullmonkeys is a completely different beast.  It’s a platformer in the purest sense of the word – that is, there are platforms EVERYWHERE, and one false step means a quick death.

Luckily, the claymation charm stayed intact through the genre shift, and Klaymen remained as lovable a protagonist as ever.

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Easily the best piece of content in this week’s Playstation Store update is this brilliant costume. Capitalising on the release of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed 2, players of Little Big Planet can now dress their Sackboys up in Ezio’s hooded garb.

Hit the jump for some more “aww!” inducing pictures and a price.

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In 2004, Nintendo released the DS handheld, purportedly the “third pillar” of Nintendo’s hardware family. At the time, the verdict was still out on the touch-enabled device; consumers and the media were anticipating the next entry in the venerable Game Boy line. No one could have guessed what would come next.

At E3 2005, the Game Boy micro (lowercase ‘M’ for extra branding wholesomeness) was unveiled. Tailored for the techno-savvy, yuppie gamer, the micro was the fashion-conscious midget of the Game Boy world. You could customize the look of the micro with interchangeable faceplates and squeeze it in any pocket with enough room left for your wallet, a pack of gum, and some loose change. Read more… »