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Target: game statistics. Location: US. ETA: right now! So... what about a new round of game statistics, and another round of news simply defying the global economic cooldown. Well, some call that a crisis, not "cooldown," but I hate those who inflate such things, so better use the soft words instead of the rough ones. Anyway, let's cut the chatter and let the numbers speak, shall we?

Before I give you those numbers, let me tell you that we're talking about hardware sales in the US for October, according to the latest data from NPD, as usual:

1. Nintendo Wii: 803,000
2. Nintendo DS: 491,000
3. Xbox 360: 370,000
4. PlayStation Portable: 193,000
5. PlayStation 3: 190,000
6. PlayStation 2: 136,000

Is this a crisis, or not? Well, sales say everything goes well - hardware revenues in the US grew by 5 percent, up to USD 494.74 million, while the sales of accessories fell to USD 120.19 million, that being 8 percent.

For now, things are still loooking good, but if we're going to talk about a crisis, that's what remains to be seen after we check the game statistics of the shopping spree next month. After all, that's when the big sales should happen...or not.

These days, games are trying to get as close as possible to real life, and while best environments currently available in games are looking just like their real life counterparts(think about Crysis Warhead, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, or S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky!), 3D character creation is a field that needs to catch up a little. Of course that Ruby looks great, but most in-game characters can't even get near her, unfortunately...

These days, it seems each new 3D character creation technology is taking things one step forward, and since Emote Games just announced details of its Participate™ technology, why not talk about it?

As you can see in the image above, things are looking great, although real life is still a few steps ahead, but that remains to be seen, since the Participate™ technology will make its entry on theHunter.com really soon.

According to Emote Games, "This new technology forms part of Emote’s social platform Participate™ which allows game developers to build advanced social networking functions into their games. The character creation element provides users with incredibly realistic avatars for use on any device. The realism is startling, and it means that avatars can now benefit from the ‘next generation’ visuals that people are already enjoying in their games and other digital content. Avatars can now be as unique as the people who create them. The character technology selects and blends between vast combinations of hair, ethnicity, skin colour, clothing and body type to create individual avatars that really add value to the digital environment in which they appear."

Ok, so this should be some kind of "Second Life" reloaded, with much better 3D characters. Hmmm, although I can't say I am exactly a fan of the genre (I didn't even enjoy The Sims at all), I am looking forward in seeing "The Hunter" in action, although this can only make me think about Iced Earth's song with the same name... but more about "The Hunter," some other time!

You know what I hate more than politics and lousy music? No, it's not bad computer games, but it's still connected with the gaming realm... It's cheaters! If you can't play it fair, then don't play it! At least don't get into multiplayer games using cheats and ruin other's fun... because I must confess I used trainers once or twice, when playing various single player games and running into some level/mission that I didn't manage to finish once, twice, and sometimes not even from the 11th try or beyond...

...but I would never cheat when playing an online game, and that's not a subject to any later changes! After all, everyone starts from 0(or "noob," if you want to call it that way) in such games, and it's all about the skill. Of course, while some people spend their time playing and developing that skill, others end up finding some video game cheat online, and using it. Not fair at all, if you ask me.

Fortunately, cheaters usually end up being banned, as it just happened with a bunch of Battle.net users. A few days ago, Blizzard made public the information that over 350,000 StarCraft and Diablo II accounts were closed for using third-party hacks. That's great news for decent gamers, and really bad news for cheaters.

Here's what Blizzard said:
"As part of our continued effort to ensure a fair and fun online experience for all Battle.net players, we have expanded our efforts to remove cheaters from StarCraft and Diablo II. We have identified and closed over 350,000 StarCraft and Diablo II accounts which were found to be using third-party hacks.

The Diablo II CD keys associated with the closed Diablo II accounts are now restricted from playing on Battle.net for approximately 30 days. Repeat offenders will have their accounts closed and their CD keys permanently banned from Battle.net. As a reminder, we reserve the right to close the accounts and ban the CD keys of players who are caught cheating on Battle.net. Cheating ruins the game experience for legitimate players, and we will not tolerate it."

Congratulations! I would rather get twice the spam I currently get and enjoy clean online games, than having to face cheaters... wouldn't you?

Ever tried Silkroad Online? I will bo honest and confess I haven't, and I don't have any plans of doing it anytime soon, either. I enjoyed movies like Lord of the Rings a lot, but I simply can't digest fantasy-based MMORPGs well. I know, it may sound a bit strange, but that's me. Anyway, let's see what's new in Silkroad Online now, shall we?

The short story goes like this: Joymax has announced a new avatar outfit available for Silkroad Online players. This outfit consists of a matching three-piece set of leather belts and colorful sashes. The Cursed Soul outfit "is sure to make characters of every class stand out among their peers." Obviously, beauty has its price, and this time, it's a terrible one - a nightly curse that turns players into skeletons when they venture out into the moonlight. Pretty cool, don't you think?

The Cursed Soul outfit is a limited edition item and will only be available for a short period of time. Get it while you can, and you can start seducing others during daytime, and haunt the realm as the night falls down...

Did anyone said we're going through a dark economic period? Well, it seems they all say this, and I can see it around me every day - companies close their gates here and there, sometimes for a short period, sometimes for good, almost every time I get to buy something, I notice the price is bigger than last time, and so on... but there's still some hope, it seems. Just look at Ubisoft & Massive Entertainment - now, the right time for such deals!?!

The "What kind of deal are you talking about?" question comes naturally, and if this needs to be added, here you have it - Ubisoft & Massive Entertainment are now a single entity. Obviously, the big fish ate the little one, especially since Massive has been closed during the Activision-Blizzard merger.

Now, it seems Massive Entertainment is going to rise from the dead and join the Ubisoft family - Christine Burgess-Quemard, executive director of their worldwide production studios, said "We are delighted to welcome the talented team of creators at Massive into the Ubisoft family. Ubisoft is growing at an intense pace and our strategy is to ensure the strength of our global creative teams. Massive has put together a group of some of the most confirmed and recognized creators in the industry and I know that their talent and innovation will allow them to seamlessly integrate into our worldwide network of production studios."

Great! At least some companies are still growing these days, and I see the logic in this - once you lose your job, you get home, and relax in front of the computer, playing some games, right? Well, it's not like that, but the fact that cars manufacturers and various industries are slowing down doesn't mean gamers are playing less games! At least not as long as they have a job or some source of income to help them keep buying games...