So far in the Invisible Pigeon-holing Council, we’ve considered genres from the very general MMO to the totally niche Bullet Hell as well as addressing one of the oldest genres in video games, the Beat ‘Em Up. This week, we take a turn from the classics and consider a genre so new it has only seen commercial releases in the last year. Well-known among gamers yet rarely recognized as its own genre, today we reflect on the breakthrough genre known as the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena.

Tired of seeing flat surfaces on objects that are supposed to be round in your games?  A new graphics technology seeks to smooth round edges without the need for super powerful computers.  That screenshot above could be rendered in real time on a phone without a hiccup.  How is this possible and why isn't it everywhere?  Hit the jump to find out. There's also a video.

These days, major corporations are using social media as a tool to inform their customers on their newest projects and updates.  Harmonix is jumping on this bandwagon by using both Twitter and Facebook to announce their Holiday 2010 release date of Rock Band 3.

This month has been a big month for Lady GaGa: not only does her new video, "Telephone" debut later this week, but next week she will be one of the many artists featured on Harmonix's plastic instrument hit, Rock Band.  Surprised?  Intrigued?  Excited? Absolutely disgusted and disappointed?  No matter what you are right now, hit the break anyway for even more details that might surprise you.

The above image is more than a rather awkward looking electric guitar. Unveiled at the GDC, this is (also) a video game peripheral for the upcoming Power Gig: Rise of the Six String by Seven 45 Studios. Finally, along with myself, all you music game nuts will be able to respond to the onslaught of "play a real guitar" comments made by people who... well, play a real guitar.

Once again the looming spectre of harsh DRM is rearing its ugly head. This time, we've got multiple instances of digital rights management (DRM), with incredibly anti-consumer ideas and some that are actually good ideas.

Did you enjoy Final Fantasy 11 online?  I personally found it to be one of the most boring games I've ever been convinced of buying and paying monthly for.  That's just me, though. It's still going strong today and we even have a few community members still playing it on and off.  Apparently they addressed the boring parts, but I won't believe it until I see it.  What about the new Final Fantasy MMORPG you ask?  Hit the jump to read more about it and sign up.

Most human beings have thought about killing someone. The rest are liars. However not everyone has thought about killing someone in a creative and gruesome way. If you happen to be one of the rare few who have, you have a chance to have your kill featured in the upcoming Dead Space 2 game. 

But wait! There's more! Along with your Necromorph killing skills, your own likeness will also be featured in the highly anticipated sequel. Hit the jump to find out how to enter.

Monday again? Well, in case you were hiding under a rock this weekend, or perhaps are a new member wondering what's all this hubbub about events here at Couch Athletics, this week's Event Recap is here to cover what all happened this week at Couch Athletics.  This week served up some standard Mafia, PUG, and Worst-In-Class, however, League Night and Captain's Night saw some unusual changes.  Hit the jump to find out all the good stuff that's gone on this past week in the CA community, and who our event winners were for the week.

This took me a few minutes to understand.  Available now on Steam is the four pack for Battlefield: Bad Company 2.  Now, the four pack is usually reserved for games where you want to play with 3 friends, so you guys all want to go in on the game and save a little cash.  Borderlands, 4 player co-op.  Left4Dead1/2, 4 player co-op.  Battlefield: Bad Company 2, 1 player single-player, 32-man multi-player, huh?  Oh right, four person squads!  Hit the jump to find out more on this awesome deal.