The day after Xmas is a joyous one for lying around contentedly, and this day is no exception. However, there are some links to round up - and I'm particularly interested by this new Konami arcade music machine in the Bemani series, 'Jubeat'.

However, there's some other fun stuff here - including news of Marvelous USA setting up shop and a good review of the Square Enix-infused Jump Festa out there in Tokyo, among others. Here goes:

New Bemani series, "Jubeat," announced! - bemanistyle.com
Pronounced 'YouBeat', with touch screens to music, v.interesting.

Alex Ward to Burnout Paradise Haters: Cry More and Merry F***ing Christmas - NeoGAF
Ward's tremendously defensive post-demo message sparks havoc from possibly over-emo NeoGAF massif.

Akihabara Channel » Jump Festa 2008
Good review of the Japanese mag/game fest, w/Square Enix stuff galore.

RPGFan - Exclusive Interview Feature: Interview #5: Yasuhiro Wada @ Marvelous Interactive
From the Harvest Moon creators: 'We have already set up MMV USA in North America. At present stage it is not functioning as a publisher, but it will begin its activities in the near future.'

The Independent Gaming Source: Interview with Gesundheit creator Matt Hammill
IGF Student Showcase winner talks his neat booger-busting game.

Water Cooler Games - Parking Wars on Facebook
'Parking Wars interests me because it successfully gives the sense of both trying to get away with parking illegally and that of trying to stay vigilant to find those who are.'

Adventures Of PT Winterbottom Blog: Winterbottom Video Trailer
The USC Student Showcase winner in the IGF this year is a Victorian time travel Flash adventure - top hatlicious!

Game|Life's Ten Biggest Disappointments Of 2007 | Game | Life from Wired.com
Look, game blogs, this smartness is what happens when all three of your writers are actually cogent!