Costume Quest, an upcoming role-playing game from Brutal Legend developer Double Fine, looks wonderful. How wonderful? This wonderful.

Costume Quest will be out on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network this fall. Read Kotaku's impressions.

Sarah Kerrigan, aka Starcraft's Queen of Blades, is not a real person. Well, not a real thing. That being the case, this is as close as you'll probably ever get to her.

Those who have been to, say, Blizzcon (or Blizzard's HQ), may have seen this life-size statue before (it's around two years old), but since many of you haven't, here she is in all her glory.

Kerrigan sculpture from StarCraft [artsyTIME, via Reddit]

Comiket, aka Comic Market, recently wrapped up in Japan. It is summer in Japan. Summer in Japan is hot and icky. Not ideal for standing outside in funny outfits.

Website Moeyo.com has just posted a smattering of indoor Comiket cosplay photos, which do a nice job of complementing the gallery we previously ran. Have a look at all the gaming-themed costumes. Because you can handle more.

You can almost feel the air conditioning. Almost!

萌え・セクシー成分が供給過多ぎみなキャラコス！「となりでコスプレ博2010夏」レポ, ヘソ出し！夏だし！フィギュアだし！ コスプレレポその5, 海なんて所詮 水着しか見れないけどさ、となコスには全てが詰まってるよね！ コスプレレポその2 [Moeyo]

The first weekend box office earnings for game-infused movie Scott Pilgrim looked bad in isolation. Place them next to other gaming movies' debuts and they look even worse.

This chart shows the opening weekend take for video game movies in the United States. As you'd expect, Tomb Raider, Mortal Kombat and Prince of Persia are up the top. But where's Scott Pilgrim? Well, he's further down...down below, well...Max Payne, below Hitman, below Doom and below...Gamer.

Yes, Gamer - the Gerard Butler vehicle that was as awful as it was forgettable - enjoyed a better opening weekend than Scott Pilgrim. Going to show that an awful movie with a dreamy frontman will beat a decent movie with the kid from Arrested Development any day of the week.

Scott Pilgrim vs. Game Films: Topped by Doom, Max Payne [Destructoid]

Foxconn — the manufacturer of the PS3, the Xbox 360 and the Wii — held a rally at its complex in Shenzhen, China. Think of it as a pick-me-up for a factory that has made news for suicides.

What Foxconn rally wouldn't be complete without t-shirts, pom-poms and, yes, dudes in Spider-Man outfits.

Workers even carried signs showing their love for Foxconn's billion honcho Terry Gou. Nothing says "love" like carrying a sign. Nothing.

The t-shirts read: "Eminu Campus wear We are always at diligent"

In an effort to combat the suicide issue, Foxconn has been hiring more "mature" workers. Foxconn has also installed safety nets, nixed suicide compensation, raised wages and even considered moving factories to China's interior and increasing automation on the assembly line.

Foxconn Holds Anti-Suicide Rally in Shenzhen [Gizmodo]

UNICO National, a group that represents Italian Americans, has lodged a protest with publishers Take-Two over the portrayal of the Mafia in upcoming game Mafia II. Because, you know. The mafia are portrayed as Italian Americans.

Andre' DiMino, president of the group, says the game is "racist nonsense".

"Why would Take Two foist a game on their targeted audience of young people wherein they will indoctrinate a new generation into directly associating Italians and Italian-Americans with violent, murderous organized crime, to the exclusion of all of the other 'mafias' run by other ethnic and racial groups?" he says.

"Take Two is directly, blatantly and unfairly discriminating and demeaning one group to the exclusion of all others. We are demanding they halt release of the game and cleanse it of all references to Italians and Italian-Americans".

Of course, DiMino hasn't played the game. Nor does he seem to be aware the game's name is "Mafia II", not "Yakuza II" or "Triads II". He also seems to be unaware that the mafia are a bunch of Italian Americans, which is surprising considering his role as head of a group of Italian Americans.

Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick really didn't even need to respond, but he did, issuing a statement that read:

Mafia II tells a compelling story about organized crime in America — a subject that for decades has been featured in movies, television shows and novels. Neither UNICO nor any other organization purporting to represent Italian-Americans has seen or played Mafia II.

At Take-Two, we balance our right to free expression with what we believe is a thoughtful and responsible approach to creating and marketing our products," he continued. "Mafia II is M-rated in accordance with our industry's strict standards. It is specifically not targeted toward young people.

We will only release a title that meets our standards: as art, as entertainment and as a socially responsible product," Zelnick concluded. "We aim to distinguish creative and compelling story telling that advances artistic expression from subject matter that gratuitously exploits or glorifies violence or stereotypes. I fully and completely stand behind our creative teams and products, including Mafia II.

Italian-American Group UNICO Takes Issue With Mafia II, Take-Two Responds [Gamasutra]

This short sequence from Dead Space 2 was shown at the end of the game's time during EA's GamesCom press conference. That small, blurry footage, however, didn't do the insanity justice.

Here it is in a proper clip, where you can truly appreciate what's happening. You are being shot through space, through destroyed buildings, so that you land on top of a city floating sideways. In space.

You wouldn't think you could "fall" in zero-gravity, but that's exactly the sensation on offer here.

A young and mischievous Mickey Mouse paints his way into trouble in Wii game Epic Mickey's opening cinematic. Disney says this this part one, and hopefully there's more to come.

Star Wars: Requiem, a mod of 2008 PC game Sins of a Solar Empire that just received another update, is what a Star Wars space real-time strategy game should look and play like.

Lead modder JasonF created an incredibly detailed mod that feels like a true expansion.

Sins of a Solar Empire wowed PC gamers in 2008 with its massive galaxies and expansive tech trees. Taking the Valve approach, developer Stardock has nurtured its dedicated and talented fans.

In Star Wars: Requiem, which was initially released March 2009, the Empire and Rebel alliance join and transform the Sins of a Solar Empire universe. The mod has been a work in progress ever since, as new features including the introduction of the Rebel Alliance (originally excluded) were added in later versions. Version 3.1 was released June 24 2010 following in this tradition, adding abilities, ships and planet bonuses to the game. "The mod is much more than just a mesh replacement," said senior modder GoaFan77. "It adds Star Wars music, player portraits and symbols, unit picture and icons, planet bonuses, abilities and, in general, is perhaps the most complete mod that adds new races."

New planet types were added to the game's original four (Terran, Desert, Ice, Volcanic). These include Industrial, Swamp and Oceanic planets to represent planets within the Star Wars Universe. All of them come with new textures and unique bonuses. For example, Oceanic planets are resistant to bombardment, giving them an hit-point bonus when under attack.

Both Imperial and Alliance ships have received unique attributes, and abilities fans will recognize, such as a tractor beam, boarding party, and shield focus. Over 50 new ships were added through the collective work of multiple modders, with the biggest contribution coming from modder EvilleJedi, creator of the Homeworld 2 mod Star Wars: Warlords. The ships go beyond the run of the mill X-wings and Star Destroyers of movie fame to include starcraft from books and comics, such as the Dark Empire series. If you ever wanted to control the overwhelming power of Darth Vader's flagship Executor, now's your chance. "Unlike Star Wars: Empire at War, we used material from the expanded universe whenever possible," said GoaFan77. "No made up or little known ships [are] taking the role of well-known expanded-universe vessels, such as the lancer frigate being absent in Empire at War."

Whether you are a Sins of a Solar veteran or a die hard Star Wars fan, Requiem seamlessly turns a 30-minute session into four hours. This is partially due to the incredible game engine the mod is built on top of. While gamers have been able to fulfill their fleet commander dreams in the past, Sins of a Solar is able to generate over one hundred conquerable planets on both pre-made, and randomly generated maps that are full of surprises. With additional details like movie screens of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader for use as avatars, the armchair Sith out there can expect days of ecstasy as they trade, negotiate and crush up to 10 rivals.

You can get the mod here. A copy of Sins of a Solar Empire is required.

Star Wars: Requiem, a mod of 2008 PC game Sins of a Solar Empire that just received another update, is what a Star Wars space real-time strategy game should look and play like.

Lead modder JasonF created an incredibly detailed mod that feels like a true expansion.

Sins of a Solar Empire wowed PC gamers in 2008 with its massive galaxies and expansive tech trees. Taking the Valve approach, developer Stardock has nurtured its dedicated and talented fans.

In Star Wars: Requiem, which was initially released March 2009, the Empire and Rebel alliance join and transform the Sins of a Solar Empire universe. The mod has been a work in progress ever since, as new features including the introduction of the Rebel Alliance (originally excluded) were added in later versions. Version 3.1 was released June 24 2010 following in this tradition, adding abilities, ships and planet bonuses to the game. "The mod is much more than just a mesh replacement," said senior modder GoaFan77. "It adds Star Wars music, player portraits and symbols, unit picture and icons, planet bonuses, abilities and, in general, is perhaps the most complete mod that adds new races."

New planet types were added to the game's original four (Terran, Desert, Ice, Volcanic). These include Industrial, Swamp and Oceanic planets to represent planets within the Star Wars Universe. All of them come with new textures and unique bonuses. For example, Oceanic planets are resistant to bombardment, giving them an hit-point bonus when under attack.

Both Imperial and Alliance ships have received unique attributes, and abilities fans will recognize, such as a tractor beam, boarding party, and shield focus. Over 50 new ships were added through the collective work of multiple modders, with the biggest contribution coming from modder EvilleJedi, creator of the Homeworld 2 mod Star Wars: Warlords. The ships go beyond the run of the mill X-wings and Star Destroyers of movie fame to include starcraft from books and comics, such as the Dark Empire series. If you ever wanted to control the overwhelming power of Darth Vader's flagship Executor, now's your chance. "Unlike Star Wars: Empire at War, we used material from the expanded universe whenever possible," said GoaFan77. "No made up or little known ships [are] taking the role of well-known expanded-universe vessels, such as the lancer frigate being absent in Empire at War."

Whether you are a Sins of a Solar veteran or a die hard Star Wars fan, Requiem seamlessly turns a 30-minute session into four hours. This is partially due to the incredible game engine the mod is built on top of. While gamers have been able to fulfill their fleet commander dreams in the past, Sins of a Solar is able to generate over one hundred conquerable planets on both pre-made, and randomly generated maps that are full of surprises. With additional details like movie screens of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader for use as avatars, the armchair Sith out there can expect days of ecstasy as they trade, negotiate and crush up to 10 rivals.

You can get the mod here. A copy of Sins of a Solar Empire is required.