With massively hyped titles requiring an investment of millions of dollars to get off the ground, it’s nice to know a small independent developer can still make it with a small amount of cash and some skill. Err, well, not anymore apparently. Platforming/puzzle title and Live Arcade release Braid was created by Johnathan Blow. The one man team spent three years working on the game. Maybe a few hundred dollars total? Uh, no. A few grand? Try again.

As Blow told the Wall Street Journal, he invested $180,000 of his own money in the project. That’s the best explanation for the $15 price point yet, and when you look at the sales numbers (and figure in Microsoft’s cut), he has a ways to go before paying that off.

No, it’s not Duke Nukem Forever. In fact, it’s kinda funny if you thought that. We’re talking about the original FPS Nukem, Duke Nukem 3-D. The game has passed the always extensive certification, and 3D Realms said to expect the game “soon.”

Of course, Duke Nukem Forever was supposed to “soon” about 10 times now too. Maybe they’re releasing the original to pay for another 15 years of development on Forever?

Surely to spark a fanboy war of biblical proportions, Edge magazine (easily the most respected magazine in the industry) has given Halo 3 the award for most innovative game of 2007. Bungie’s FPS sequel beat out Portal, Wii Fit, Mario Galaxy, Rock Band, and Grand Theft Auto IV for the award.

What many people may not realize is how in-depth the experience is. Forge is simple to use and complex. Replays, saved videos, and photos have led to some amazing work and memorable sights since the game’s release. Bungie.net tracks all statistics in detail as you play, something no other console shooter can claim to do (at least with this level of depth). Kudos for Edge for not bowing to pressure to give it to Portal, which many may have considered immediately. Great game, but doesn’t have the lasting appeal of Halo 3.

Those $8 Live Arcade games add up. Oh, and think those $3 movie rentals aren’t worth anything? Well, they are… around $240 million. And downloadable content for retail games? If the game has extra content within 30 days of its release, that can tack on an additional $21 million in revenue for a developer on average, assuming of course anyone actually plays the game (here’s looking at you Turok).

The last year has been a staggering one for the company, with $180 million coming in the past 12 months. With the price of Arcade games slowly rising, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see next years numbers coming close to the $240 million number.

EA made a bold move putting a retired player on the cover of Madden. It was a nice way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series, and it marked the first time it’s ever happened in general.

Unfortunately, Brett Favre pulled a Michael Jordan and didn’t stay retired. An even bigger problem? He was traded to the Jets.

So, with all of those copies on stores and OCD Madden fans eagerly waiting to buy it, EA has released new cover art which is available to download and print off. The question is, will karma come back to bite Favre in the ass when the Madden curse comes knocking?

Hey Kids! Want to blow up your friends shiny new Xbox Avatar with a rocket launcher? Really? Me too!

Unfortunately, big bad Microsoft says no. Seems use of the Mii knock-offs will be limited for use in E-rated titles only. That means you probably can’t even use one of those cheesy boxing-glove spring loaded launcher thingies. It’s a s shame, all of the mildly positive aspects of this stupid little Avatar system just went clear out the window, splattered on the street, got run over by a car, and then trampled by a parade.

Worried about your kids getting their hands on porn? How about real violence? No, of course you don’t. In America, the big fear are those evil video games. Duh.

That begs the question, what is it inside those video games that makes them worry so much? Sex. never mind the severed heads. Those are nothing. In fact, two men kissing inside a video game is even worse than cutting off craniums. These horrific and asinine conclusions come way of What We Play’s study on 3,000 parents across the country. You can check out the full report here, and do nothing but shake your head about how backwards this country can be.

Polwat Chino, a high school student in Thailand, has managed to cause a recall of GTA IV all by himself. No, he didn’t protest. Instead, the genius decided he wanted to know what it was like to rob a cab driver. After the driver fought back, Chino stabbed him. It was enough to kill the driver, and when authorities learned why he did it, the game’s distributor sent notices out to retailers to remove the game from store shelves.

EA Dice Producer Gordon Van Dyke has filled in gamers on what to expect in a new mode coming to Battlefield Bad Company. The mode is Conquest, a territory style battle. However, also coming along are some graphical updates, including improved weather effects. The best part? It’s completely free to download and enjoy. PS3 and Xbox 360 gamers can get it as you read this post.

Well, there still don’t seem to be any fatalities, but it is nice to know we can beat the hell out of Superman and make him bleed. Granted, it makes absolutely no sense, but there is T-rated blood. The idea of brawling while falling to the other platforms is interesting as well. The shot of someone getting pummeled through the wall multiple times looks fun too. However, the overall speed seems slow and sluggish, almost on the level of the original Mortal Kombat… which was 16 years ago. That’s not good.

Plagued by system lock ups every time you try to enter into a match in the (big breath) Super Street Fighter II HD Remix Beta? Ticked off that Capcom said they wouldn’t be fixing these problems?

Why take their words so seriously? It was apparently some kind of a joke. See, they will in fact be patching the beta, promising a “vastly improved” experience, which would hopefully mean access to more of the game, like a second stage because the single one we’re given is getting just a wee bit old.

Codemasters recently took some extreme action against cheaters in their racing title GRID. Seems some people weren’t being very honest (on Xbox Live? No, couldn’t be!) and raised their ranks through a glitch. Well, those cheaters won’t be prospering anymore… nor will the legitimate players. The entire leaderboard has went back to the starting gird (pun intended) due a complete reset. A new patch is in place to prevent players from trying this again.

Fans, well, they’re not happy. Many players who claim to have done this properly are obviously getting shafted and have a right to complain. However, if the number of cheaters is out of control, it’s hard to see another way out.