Lucky for Square Enix, there's nothing like starting the year with a big bang in sales. The figures for Japanese game sales for January 5 to 11 have been published by Media Create. Surprise, suprise, Dissidia: FInal Fantasy is still on top!

(Editor's Note: QuickPeek finally hits the big FIVE-OH!)

Two more editions and we'll be clocking in a full year of weekly recaps! What's in store this week? Lots of hellos and goodbyes. Some hellos are pre-mature, as seen in the case of MGS4 breaking street date (or not), and some goodbyes are actually kinda uplifting - especially if it might result in a 10-year disbarment. Get ready for some major surprises this week!

You may still be reeling with last week's release of epic titles such as Capcom's Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors, and other major titles, but now's not the time to rest. This week, we're going to have some good gaming love both for the handheld and consoles, with Patapon and Frontlines: Fuel of War, among others. Hit the full article for the complete list of this week's release.     

* Article originally posted Feb 24, 2008 at 09:05PM

Ah, if the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is willing to create a separate awards events for video games, can the Oscar's Academy and the Golden Globe's foreign press pool do the same? And while the debate on whether video games can be considered art still rages on, no one will deny the impact it has had on culture and society. While BAFTA been giving these awards since 2003, this will be the first year the vid-games awards shall be handed out separately, demonstrating their commitment to video games as a contemporary art form.

The categories reflect this cultural recognition and commitment. BAFTA shall be praising games for their innovation, character development, and storyline as well as their technical and gameplay merits. The 2006 British Academy Video Game Awards shall be held at the historic Roundhouse on October 5.

And the distinguished list of video games that shall compete for the... okay, "British Gaming Oscar" (for the lack of the award's actual name) include some gaming heavyweights like Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, Guild Wars, and We Love Katamari, hot up-and-commers like Just Cause, and long-standing series like Tomb Raider.

Check out the full list of nominees at the full article (click on the Full Article link below)!