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Wow, talk about milking a franchise. Just a year after they and 1300 other gamers helped raise $120,000 to fund pediatric cancer research and treatment, Sarcastic Gamer is gearing up to hold the Extra Life charity gaming marathon again. (Really guys? Annualizing? Maybe they should get Madden as a spokesperson, AMIRITE?)

If you, for some reason, want to support a sequel instead of an original IP, you can sign up to take part right here. Then, find a few people to sponsor you to play games all day Oct. 17. Here's hoping that next time Sarcastic Gamer can find a cure for sequelitis.

We've all had gaming sessions so lengthy that a thin layer of film formed between our posteriors and our furniture -- but rarely have we ever had a worthwhile reason for doing so. However, as of 9 a.m. today, gaggles of stick-to-it-ive gamers set off on a 24-hour gaming marathon to raise money for the Texas Children's Cancer Center, as part of Sarcastic Gamer's Extra Life charity event.

While it's too late to join in today's festivities, a "Rain Date", scheduled for next Saturday, will allow latecomers to garner donations and participate in the marathon. Not interested in developing bedsores? You could always donate directly to the cause -- or offer participants in your area a tall cup of coffee (or a much appreciated hand massage).

Our friends at Sarcastic Gamer are putting together a very special gaming marathon to benefit the Texas Children's Cancer Center. Set to begin October 18, 2008, Extra Life asks gamers to help raise money during a mass 24 hour gaming marathon. The concept is simple, sign up on the Extra Life website, find four sponsors willing to pay one dollar per every hour played, and start playing on October 18. All of the money earned during the marathon will go to the Texas Children's Cancer Center at Texas Children's Hospital. To find out how you can become part of Extra Life, head over to the official website.

With billions of loyal fans visiting our site each hour, we have a considerable, almost daunting amount of power. It's a power we occasionally use for evil or just for stupid, but we decided this morning that we'd do something good with it for a change and direct your attention to Extra Life.

Fresh from the victory of their non-boycott, Sarcastic Gamer is once again rallying the troops, this time asking them to set aside Oct. 18 for an all-day gaming marathon. All you have to do is get friends and loved ones to sponsor your decadence with money that goes straight to the Texas Children's Cancer Center. It's like a charity fun run, but for fat people.

It's a great effort, but do us a favor and take at least a couple of breaks, will you? The last thing you want to do is fight cancer while you die of dehydration.

Many gamers have called e-mailed in about Sarcastic Gamer's "boycott" of the upcoming FPS game, Battlefield: Bad Company. Many are furious about the game's questionable DLC practices. Gamers will need to pay extra money to unlock five additional weapons, which can be used in online games. Although EA promises that it will not unbalance the game, it is a distressing misuse of DLC. We always thought that DLC extended the life of a product after it releases. For example, EA's own Rock Band serves terrific DLC long after the original's release. Unreal Tournament III adds tons of maps and does so at a terrific price: free. Heck, even Kane & Lynch is offering free post-release DLC.

So, undoubtedly it's angering to a lot of gamers when they know that certain features are simply being locked out for gamers who don't want to pay an extra premium. Considering the game already costs $60 for the consumer, shouldn't they get everything the developers have made, instead of being forced to receive an intentionally-gimped product? You decide.

[Via Joystiq]

We've gotten tips from a lot of you about the Sarcastic Gamer-fronted effort to boycott Battlefield: Bad Company, and we haven't posted about it until now for one simple reason: We don't get it. If you want to boycott a retail product, if you think that Battlefield: Bad Company isn't worth your $60 because content has been removed, there's a very easy way of dealing with that problem. Don't buy it. They're called market forces, and they work. If you need proof: How many times have you seen horse armor for sale since Oblivion tried it?

Do we like EA's idea of charging for individual weapons in an FPS, creating a gap (and it does despite what EA says) between the haves and have-nots? Of course not. But if you think the game is worth your money regardless, you should buy it and play it. If you don't want the extra guns, don't buy them. If that makes it less fun for you, don't buy their next game. It's as simple as that.

Sarcastic Gamer asked, "How, in good conscience, can EA take more money out of fan's pockets, who have already spent 60 bucks on the game?" Here's the answer: They don't have a conscience, they're a multibillion-dollar corporation that cares nothing for you. And it's not their job to care, it's their job to make money. It's your job to decide how to spend yours.

We're a bit late on the call to arms, but the movement is still alive and in full force. Sarcastic Gamer has spear-headed a Battlefield: Bad Company boycott that has gathered a bunch of followers who are united in a retail boycott of EA and DICE's upcoming shooter. Why the need for a boycott? Well, it's those oh so controversial weapons that EA confirmed would have to be purchased separately off the XBLM when the game hits retail. If you agree with and refuse to purchase Bad Company unless EA gets rid of their weapon purchase business plan then join Sarcastic Gamer's boycott by signing their petition, plastering web banners across the internets and watching their resistance video on loop at twelve hour intervals. The call to arms has already started, are you signing up?

[Thanks, Saccia]

Hey, remember that wacky "Hey Mr. Thompson" song we mentioned a while ago? We posted it as a respite from our constant torrent of timely and poignantly written 360 news. Well, Sarcastic Gamer has created a video now, and we think you should watch it right now. Go ahead, take a break from all this 360 nonsense. Seriously, the video has something for everyone. If your idea of a good time is watching someone in a crazy white wig pretending to be Jack Thompson, then this video is right up your alley. If not ... perhaps you fancy guitar playing men that serenade the camera? The point, if this rambling post has one, is that the video is hilarious, and we all like making fun of Jack Thompson, right? Good, then that's settled. Now, watch and enjoy.

This isn't specifically 360 related, but it's an issue that strikes at the heart of all gamers. Or, rather, it's a person that strikes at the heart of all gamers: Jack Thompson. Our friends at Sarcastic Gamer (see Fancast 034) have taken it upon themselves to create a parody song about none other that our old buddy, John Bruce Thompson. The song is based on the Plain White T's hit, "Hey There Delilah" and, as you might expect, is hilarious. We've got the first minute of the song right here:

"Hey Mr. Thompson" If you like what you hear, you can listen to the rest in the latest episode of the Sarcastic Gamer podcast (the song is about 35 seconds in). If you really like what you hear, we suggest you get to work making a music video, as the song is just begging for one.