Roger Ebert did a brave thing today, a terrible thing today: He admitted that he was wrong and said he has no plans on rectifying that.

Ebert, America's movie critic, has long held that video games are not art. This morning he gave up; not his notion that games aren't art, but his right to espouse an opinion about the subject.

I was a fool for mentioning video games in the first place. I would never express an opinion on a movie I hadn't seen. Yet I declared as an axiom that video games can never be Art. I still believe this, but I should never have said so. Some opinions are best kept to yourself.

Ebert throws himself on the sword not because his opinion was incorrect, but because it was uninformed. Bravo for that, but then moments later he tells us that, with what I as a gamer can only perceive as disdain, he has no interest in playing games that could very well be art because he has better things to do with his time like read a book or watch a movie.

I don't know about you, but that sounds an awful lot like quitting. This is the critics version of flipping over the Monopoly board and stalking from the room.

Ebert watches plenty of movies, bad movies, movies he knows he will hate. Couldn't he skip one and play a game for two hours instead? Or maybe it isn't that he has better things to do with his life, but that he's afraid of what he'll find. That he knows deep down that video games can and are supplanting his medium of choice in many ways.

Either way I think it is disingenuous for him not to at least play a game, give it a chance.

Here's the deal Ebert. We're going to come up with a short list for you of quick, deeply interesting games that you can pick from. Play one and then don't tell a soul what you think.

But what game? If you had one chance to convince someone that video games are meaningful which game would you pick?

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time because of its beloved status among critics? Uncharted 2 because of its movie-like nature? Flower because of its delicate aesthetic?

It's akin to asking someone to name one movie, one book, one album that summarizes everything good about that medium.

It's an impossible task. So let's agree collectively as gamers to drop it. We can't make a person love games like we love games. And that's OK, they're the ones missing out.

Celebrate the launch of Dragon Quest IX: Sentinel of the Starry Skies next weekend in New York City, with a Nintendo party in Rockefeller Center featuring the creator of the Dragon Quest series, Yuji Horii.

Dragon Quest IX was a big release for Square Enix in Japan, and now it's a big release for Nintendo in North America. That means it scores the requisite pre-launch party at the Rockefeller Plaza Nintendo World Store on Saturday, July 10, and while we normally gloss over Nintendo's fan gatherings, this one is a bit special.

Not only will players be able to purchase the game a day early, the first 30 fans in line will get an autograph from Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii.

But only the first 30. The man has standards.

Other activities include a photo booth, a Dragon Quest themed ice cream truck handing out snacks, and special prizes that couldn't possibly be as cool as meeting Yuji Horii. Maybe that's why they limited it to 30 people.

After two injections of multiplayer downloadable content, 2K Games finally makes with the single-player DLC for BioShock 2 this August, putting your defensive skills to the test in the Protector Trials.

Did you enjoy defending your Little Sister against swarms of Splicers as she attempted to harvest the precious ADAM from corpses in BioShock 2? If you answered yes, then you're in luck, because that's what the next batch of downloadable content is all about.

Featuring six new maps based on locations from the main game, the Protector Trials will have the player's Big Daddy utilizing all of his powers and prowess to keep his little lady out of harm's way.

"The team at 2K Marin has been working hard ever since the launch of BioShock 2 to develop ways for gamers to extend their time in the single-player world of Rapture," said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. "I'm proud to announce the first of these experiences, the Protector Trials, which takes players back to some of their favorite places from the original game and features some of the biggest challenges that fans of this series have ever experienced."

This is great news for fans that enjoyed this one particular aspect of BioShock 2. I'm just not one of those players. I found these segments to be tedious, so I'm probably not going to spend 400 Microsoft points of $4.99 for more of them, even if they do come with new unlockables and seven new achievements/trophies.

I'll wait for the story-driven single player downloadable content we were promised, which Hartmann says is still on the way.

"This is just the beginning. More single-player content is on the way that will deliver more of the intense action and story-driven gameplay that fans have been craving."

The Protector Trials is scheduled for release on August 3.

Are you also struggling to keep up with all of the interesting games that were released in 2010? With six months down and six to go in 2010, this is how I've been doing.

And, yeah, two of the games in my backlog are from before 2010. I consider that a positive thing.

For the record, I've played through lots of 2010 games this year already, including Mass Effect 2, Bioshock 2, Red Steel 2, Army of Two: The 40th Day, God of War III, Heavy Rain, Endless Ocean: Blue World, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Alan Wake and a few others. Plus, I started some games and stopped playing them because I didn't like them (Bayonetta!).

Halfway through 2010, how is it going for you? Are you caught up?

July is here and, with it, a new Talk Amongst Yourselves image. Why, it's Henri Rosseau's "The Football Players," as suggested by reader Tanarchi. Below this cheerful image, add your thoughts about video games.

Confused about commenting on Kotaku? Read our FAQ.

We've posted a couple of videos this week showing what some people look like playing video games.

Someone pointed out to me that Bang The Machine, the documentary about 2002's fighting game scene, is packed with people making faces while gaming. Which makes me wonder, what games make you most expressive?

Me? Right now? Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

To: Crecente
From: Bashcraft
RE: This is Not a Perfect Game

Man, I made brownies this morning. Betty Crocker! But man, the original measurements were in crazy U.S. measurements, not the metric system. The metric system makes sense, America!!

Thank goodness that the instructions were translated into metric.

What you missed last night
You Should Know One of These Boy Band Members
Roger Ebert Admits His Mistake
The Legend Of Team Fortress 2: Jar Of Piss Of Time
Report: Mario Creator Wants To Develop An All-New Character, Get Pikmin 3 Done Quickly
Is Super Mario World On The List of Nintendo 3DS Remakes?

Kyoto is not only rich in Japanese history. It is also rich in video game history. The prefecture is home to Nintendo. But you wouldn't know that if you visited.

So why not put a display on the headquarters for all to see? The question was put to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata at a recent investors Q&A, noting that it could be good PR for the company especially because there are many foreigners that visit Kyoto.

There is a sign on the Nintendo Kyoto headquarters — but it is in white. The building is white. That makes it kind of hard to see.

"In Kyoto, there are restrictions on the size of billboards and signs on buildings," Iwata replied. Because of that it might be hard for Nintendo to do some sort of display. "Also, there are very strict regulations on illuminated signs."

Iwata went on to point out that because Kyoto is such a historical place, these regulations are in place to preserve the area's tradition.

For example, in Kyoto City, there are height limitations on buildings in certain areas so that the skyline, which is dominated by temples and pagodas, is not altered.

Oh, there is a tower, though.

Nintendo's headquarters is not in the middle of Kyoto City, however. It is outside of it in an industrial suburb. (Check out Tim's video tour of the area.) And while I do know that Kyoto City is very strict about building regulations, I do not know if that carries over to industrial areas outside the city center. Maybe!

Nintendo should think about increasing its presence as a tourist spot. It has created a museum of sorts to a traditional playing card game. The company desperately needs something like this for video games. There was a Nintendo Museum exhibit a few years back in Osaka, but sadly, it was not a permanent exhibit.

[Pic, Pic]

Did you remember to register for Gold and Platinum membership status for Club Nintendo? Kotaku had a public service announcement and everything. If you did remember, here's what you get:

Platinum members receive this statue. Pat yourself on the back, you're awesome!

And Gold members get this. A calendar.

Thanks to everybody who sent this in!

This whale does not sleep on the job. Not when that job is your ultimate destruction. As seen on Twitpic, via IndieGames.