I Am 8-Bit returns for its fourth installment in August. The annual group art exhibition will have its grand opening extravaganza on Thursday, August 14, 2008 at the World of Wonder Storefront Gallery in Hollywood, California from 8 p.m. to Midnight. The show will run until September 7. (Having gone the last couple of years I can say without a doubt that if you like games and art, this is the show to go to!)

Lead by Jon M. Gibson, the show will feature 100+ artists with diverse styles and backgrounds including Joe Ledbetter, Scott C., Jim Mahfood, Ashley Wood, Amanda Visell, Jose Emroca Flores, Luke Chueh, Bigfoot, Yoskay Yamamoto, Kofie One, Angry Woebots, Gerald de Jesus, Tessar Lo, Gabe Swarr, Jorge R. Gutierrez, Carlos Ramos, Joe Vaux, Joe Shea, Benjamin Marra, Deseo, Mr. Jago, Jude Buffum, Michelle Valigura, Suckadelic, DGPH, Jim Stoten, Tanner Goldbeck, Scott Belcastro, Tony Mora, Nate Frizzell, Elizabeth Ito, ZOSO, The Chung, Ray Frenden, David Goldberg and many others.

Update July 31: PaperMonster has two neat paintings on display at his site. One called “Mario- The Original Banksy” and the other “The Return of Samus”", both of which are a stencil collage on canvas.

It was just announced at E3, that we should be finally seeing Wii Music released in the U.S. by the holidays. The game offers virtually endless ways to make music. You choose the (public domain?) song and (from the 60) instruments and decide whether to blaze through a rock take on classical songs, put a jazzy spin on folk tunes or transform Nintendo classics like the Super Mario Bros. theme into Latin-flavored numbers. The song list is only a takeoff point - it’s how you improvise with the songs that matters. Plus Wii Music doesn’t make you use complex buttons, which I never seem to remember. You only need to imitate playing the instrument. There are no mistakes - just playing for the pure joy of playing. Musical talent is optional.

I’ve talked about Gamewave Podcasts before and I’ll tell you again to check them out if you like gaming music. Their latest podcast, episode 43, was recorded using a Talkboy (thank you Macaulay Culkin) just for the fun of it! It’s probably the first podcast ever recorded that way. They’ve brought back their “website of the week” piece (starts at the 33:55 mark), so be sure to check it out. Thanks to Michael Cook and Joe Allen for putting together another smashing (and silly) podcast!

Blizzard’s Diablo 3 is in the works, eight long years after Diablo 2 and over a decade after the original. Not much is known yet on this action RPG, except that you can play as a Barbarian and Witch Doctor. It’ll be some time before we see this on the market. I guess we’ll just have to wait and play some StarCraft 2, which is also by Blizzard and is speculated to be out by Christmas this year. Can’t wait for either game? Here’s another type of Witch Doctor to keep you busy.

I almost forgot that Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift is released today in the U.S. I know I mentioned it before, but I’ve been so busy prepping for all the upcoming cons I nearly forgot. This will be one great game to play with it’s increased replay value. I mean, you get up to 400 available quests which allows you to immerse yourself completely into a multi-faceted storyline. I’m pretty excited about this game and I expect it will keep me and my Nintendo DS happy for weeks to come! If you get this game, let me know how you like it and we can compare notes.

Are you a big fan of Fallout? Want you’re very own Pip-Boy? Have you seen a press release from Bethesda Softworks announcing the Fallout 3 Survival Edition, available only through Amazon.com. It’ll include a life-size replica of the Pip-Boy 3000! Think how cool it’d be strutting around town sporting your very own Pip-Boy! The game will be released on October 7, 2008 and I can’t wait.

Here’s a clever and cute Mario print from a series of illustrations on vintage book pages done by Etsy artist cyberhadji. Check out all the neat game inspired pieces of art, including some of my Nintendo favs Link,Yoshi and Princess Peach.

(via BBPS)

These new images of the upcoming StarCraft II game look wonderful! With no official release date yet from Blizzard, this is all we’ve got for now as my anticipation grows. My kingdom for new Zerg army! (The more Zerglings the better.)

Those lucky Europeans will see the vibrant new Red, Turquoise and Green Nintendo DS Lites hitting shelves across Europe on June 13, 2008. Perhaps the rest of us will see those or other colors coming from Nintendo in the future. I can’t say that I’m terribly fond of these new colors and I’m pretty happy with my Onyx DS Lite. Maybe I’d grab a new Brown DS Lite if one came out… (hint, hint Nintendo)

The web is abuzz on the recent big news about the Nintendo DS remake of Dragon Quest IV Chapters of the Chosen, which will be released in the U.S. September 16. (It will be followed by parts V and VI, which have never been released in U.S. before.) Dragon Quest IV was known as Dragon Warrior IV in America when it was released for the NES way back in 1992. This is some exciting news for the world of RPG games!

I do enjoy me some Dragon Quest!

Just when I thought I almost caught most of them (420) there’s a new one coming out. I guess it should come as no surprise, since there’s been a new Pokemon game every few years. But since I’ve been hooked on these little Pocket Monsters for over a decade, I’m looking forward to the next one: Pokemon Platinum. It’ll be out in Japan this Fall and the rest of us will have to wait until next year I imagine. This new game prominently displays Giratina and it will build off the current Pokemon Diamond and Pearl games. Enjoy the teaser site, which is there to whet your appetite!

Cubeecraft papercraft toys are free to download and some assembly is required. Each figure features interlocking tabs for construction so you don’t need for tape, glue or other messy adhesives. Just find the character you like, download and print on a standard piece of A4 letter paper, cut and fold. Lots of creative fun for all ages. Characters like Stormtrooper, Mr.Stay Puft, Kirby, Usagi Yojimbo, Dr.Zoidberg, Strongbad, Bender, Mega Man, 60’s Batman and lots more. With new ones weekly!

(via theBBPS)

I woke up this morning to the blue light Wii special and a new update from WiiWare. It’s a new Wii channel called the Nintendo Channel and was just released in the U.S. today. So I downloaded it and then proceeded to start it up. I was greeted with a digest video that showcases many recent Nintendo games and commercials. It was a pretty smooth playback, even though the videos are streamed. (I just watched a neat interview with Shigeru Miyamoto.) I’ve not had time to play with it much, but I know you can also download demos and game patches, as well as rate games.

Square-Enix announced earlier that Final Fantasy IV will be released for North American DS owners on July 22, 2008. This is one of my favorite RPGs of all time so I’ll probably be getting this version too. The story and soundtrack make it just plain fun. (If you don’t believe me, watch the Japanese video on YouTube.) I don’t have a great memory, but it seems just like yesterday I was posting about the release of FF4 for the GBA…

If you enjoy games, comics, computers and TV as much as I do, your lifestyle can be a bit sedentary. Do you also like tasty treats? If you’ve also got a job where you’re sitting most of the time, like me, you may notice a little extra “you” growing around your midsection. Now unless you’re expecting a child, for which I’ll say congrats, you’re probably not getting enough exercise. So why not combine exercise and fun together, you say? Then you must check out Wii Fit for the Nintendo Wii.

There’s fun game/exercises like hula hooping, jogging, push ups, ski jumping, snowboarding, step aerobics, tightrope walking and yoga exercises. Plus you can check your BMI and track your progress as you continue to get healthier! It’s been getting a great reception worldwide and has sold over a million units in Japan alone. I’ll be purchasing it when it comes out in May, so I too can have fun staying fit.

Note: If you keep up with 4CR, then perhaps you followed Vinnk and his Wii Fit exercise routine. His results are pretty impressive and I hope he keeps it up.