Happy Soul Calibur Day! Finally the time has come once more to dip my triumphant boner in the blood of the defeated, drowning in their own tears in my living room. I watch with glee as their sad hands, trembling, pass the controller to the next brave soul, already resigned to his messy fate. This is sport. This is gaming.

This is exactly the kind of game we needed around the Quiksave community to keep spirits up until summer’s end gaming-wise. Everyone’ll get their feet wet, and eventually land on their new favourite character, busily studying away to find the perfect leg-sweeping technique that will spell unconditional victory time and time again. There are, however, just as many who will continue to perfect the ancient art of the button-mash; though they should be hated, they should also be feared.

Entertaining as a good Soul Calibur party can be, we’ve also got a chunk of the crew who’ve resigned themselves to watching Sport Centre and maintaining a 75% erection until Madden ‘09 launches, at which point they will disappear into the blackness until Roger Goodell blows his silver horn to signal the season’s beginning. Exciting times indeed, Maddenites. I’m sure the extra 20 tackle animations and a new voice on the play-by-play warrants the $80 collector’s edition. In all seriousness, I will destroy all comers with my ferocious 100% shotgun strategy led by the fearless Tony Romo.

Also, we’re starting to get plenty excited for PAX, now a short 31 days away. Myself, along with Luke, Simon and Marri will be providing some delicious coverage come August 28th, and with the freshly announced Exhibitor Hall Floor Plan, we know we’re in for a treat. They’re also slowly starting to roll out the titles that’ll be in playable form at the convention, and you better believe we’re going to do our best to hit every single one.