Over the years, some fascinating games based in the Wild West have come about, featuring heroes riding tall in the saddle and wearing cowboy hats to signify that they mean business.  While some have fared better than others (like Paradox’s fascinating but limited Lead and Gold for PlayStation 3), developers have no doubt tried their darndest to capture the essence of the likes of Sergio Leone and other influences to create the best “Wild West” experience.

Over the past few years, Konami Digital Entertainment has worked closely with school districts in Hawaii and West Virginia to integrate its bestselling DanceDanceRevolution (DDR) game into their physical education programs. Now the game publisher is taking things a step further. This fall, schools around the nation will be able to use DanceDanceRevolution Classroom Edition, a PC-based game crafted specially for schools and fitness classes. Sweeping the nation one classroom at a time, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. has collaborated with  the nation’s leading health and fitness organizations including the American Diabetes Association, The National Foundation on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition and Let’s Move in Schools to promote fitness in schools through the new DanceDanceRevolution Classroom Edition.

I’m not sure what keeps compelling development teams to keep trying to make World War II-oriented flying games.  Maybe they’re trying to get a leg up on the Ace Combat series; or maybe they’re just trying to create the next “great thing” in the genre, like Secrets Weapons Over Normandy and the Blazing Angels series managed to do over the years.  Regardless, Konami’s stepping up this time around with Birds of Steel, and it actually feels like the most authentic entry in the genre to date.  But be warned, that doesn’t necessarily make the experience one that everyone can get into.

In celebration of one million units sold throughout Latin America, Konami Digital Entertainment has reduced the price of Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. PES 2012 was originally released in September 2011 and has been praised for its realism and key advances, which can be seen in the video below.

When Konami released Metal Gear Solid HD Collection over the holiday season, I was thrilled by the treatment they gave the classic games.  Sure, there was no sign of Metal Gear Solid, the game that started it all, but the other three – namely Peace Walker – were given the kind of respective revamping they truly deserved.  It made me excited for collections to come, particularly Zone of the Enders Collection, which is coming later this year.  In the meantime, here’s Silent Hill HD Collection, a game that brings back two of the more popular chapters in the series, redone for today’s gaming consoles.  While it’s sure to attract fans of survival horror, we can’t help but think that the scares are coming from the wrong place.

People could argue for hours on end about which Metal Gear Solid game was the best.  Some would say that the original PS One release can’t be beat; others feel that Peace Walker was a significant move forward for the series; and some will even swear up and down about Sons of Liberty rocking hard, even with the odd inclusion of a nude Raiden.  However, most of the consensus believes that Snake Eater, the third chapter in the series, is truly significant, if only because it takes place in a different time, telling the story from a new point of view.  And if you somehow missed this story, you have another chance to catch it, this time on the Nintendo 3DS with Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater.

Gotta love it when you see rumors leading up to the release of a big title, but without confirmation from the company that's releasing said title, and then they come out of nowhere and release it anyway, and the audience remains just as thrilled as they would be if it was announced.  Konami, you sneaky devils.  Anyway, after 21 years of being stuck strictly in arcades (we'll forget the crappy PC port exists), The Simpsons Arcade Game has finally gotten a home release for digital download.  And as expected, it's been worth the wait.