Afghanistan is at the center of the media’s attention when it comes to politics. However, today, it seems that the topic has shifted from politics onto video games. Today, Electronic Arts announced a newly revamped Medal of Honor – simply entitled Medal of Honor – taking place within the present-day war-torn setting.

Inspired by real events, Medal of Honor reveals “the mission[s] of today’s most elite soldier” – his will, his mindset and his uncompromising professionalism. You see, the development team, composed of both EA Los Angeles and DICE, have been working closely with Tier 1 Operators from the US Special Operations Community to create the most authentic modern war experience, ever.

“EA has always been an advocate for telling the soldiers’ story. The new Medal of Honor follows that tradition. We felt it was important to tell the story of today’s war and today’s elite soldiers via today’s most relevant medium – videogames,” said Sean Decker, VP and General Manager of EALA. With that said, tune in to Video Game Awards on December 12  for a world-premier first-look at the new Medal of Honor, which is expected to release in fall of 2010.

Pandemic Studios were known for their excellent properties; most notability the the Star Wars: Battlefront series. However, sadly, it was revealed this morning that the studio would be closing its doors for good, something that comes as a huge surprise seeing Pandemic Studios were one of Electronic Arts’ major developers.

That said, EA has since confirmed that it did send out the order to terminate Pandemic. But, don’t worry, EA hasn’t complete gotten rid of the team. According to the publisher, the “core IP team” has been moved to their Los Angeles office, including Andrew Goldman, formerly the studio’s CEO; Josh Resnick, formerly the studios president; and Greg Borrud, vice president of product development.

“Today we informed employees at Pandemic that development on all the Pandemic franchises is being consolidated at EALA. As a result, we are eliminating roughly 200 positions at Pandemic,” said EA vice president of corporate communications, Jeff Brown. “That said, EA is very committed to the Pandemic brand, and a core team of Pandemic developers will be developing existing franchises and other projects at EALA.”

With “A Crack in Time” recently turning gold, Insomniac has already revealed that it has started development on another title. The big shocker being that a billboard, spotted somewhere in Louisiana, is advertising a third installment into Insomniac’s Resistance series. Here’s the story:

When driving past the exploded Gas Station set for Battle: Los Angeles, an upcoming movie, avid NeoGAF user goldsoundz spotted a billboard advertisement (linked) of Resistance 3. However, long story short, he/she took a picture, and now it has people questioning if Insomniac is developing another Resistance title.

Here’s to why: if this Resistance 3 billboard is to be used as in film advertisement, this would suggest that we should expect to see R3 somewhere in 2011. However, Insomniac Games has yet to comment.

Infinity Ward announced during a press event in Los Angeles tonight, that with the release of Modern Warfare 2, Microsoft is planning to release a new Xbox 360 model based on the upcoming game.

This new bundle (to be available in both North America and Europe) comes with an Elite console marked Modern Warfare 2 branding (seen above), a 250GB HDD (hard dive), a copy of Modern Warfare 2, and two wireless Black controllers. And it will be available for $399.

“It’s the highest compliment to the team and our fans to have a special themed Xbox 360 console,” said Vince Zampella, CEO of Infinity Ward. “The precision and detail that’s been put into the console captures the intensity and feel of ‘Modern Warfare 2.’ We can’t wait for our community and fans around the world to see for themselves on Nov. 10.”

I know we’re a gaming blog, but somethings are just beyond the controller. If you’re watching the news, you may already know that the ‘king of pop’ himself, Michael Jackson has passed away. Mr. Jackson was one of music’s most successful and influential artists.

Jackson was taken to UCLA hospital in Los Angeles after a 911 call at 12.21 p.m. local time. When paramedics arrived at his home in Holmby Hills they performed CPR but were unable to revive him. Streets surrounding the hospital were blockaded by police with yellow tape.

Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince “Blanket” Michael Jackson II. However, the cause of death was not immediately known.

Personally, Michael was one of my favorite artist. I believe that Michael will live on in his music. RIP, Michael Jackson.

I’m amazed by the potential this game had: the ability to advance the third-person cover-shooter genre, and the possibility of being one of the few great movie games out there. However, thanks to the marks of a rushed project, it couldn’t really expand beyond the movie game status quo. I mean, the movie itself was amazing: it had everything you could possibility want from a Terminator movie along with a overload of explosions. So wouldn’t you expect that from the game?

Terminator Salvation follows the story of John Connor as he receives a distress call from a resistance member trapped within Skynet territory. But instead of leaving with his team, Connor decides to go on a rescue. Sadly, the game doesn’t produce any insight or unexpected twists into John Connor or the formation of the resistance, which could have been interesting. Instead, you do get the chance to meet up with characters featured in the movie, but, really, who’s that interested in meeting Common’s character?

There really isn’t anything here to call this a game. It feels as if some portions have been painfully edited out. And there isn’t that cinematic punch that’s normally featured with games like this. There’s a scene within the game where an HK (Human Killer Tank) cashes into a building – sounds cool doesn’t it? But, sadly, there’s isn’t that explosive feeling. It just feels bland.

Terminator Salvation gains all of its controls from other games, such as GRIN’s recently released Wanted title. However, its cover system is more like a half-circle-shaped thing, flipped upside, and cut into five different sectors. By hitting one of these sectors, you move into a that selected position. It’s a unique and original way of creating a cover system, and works well when you add it into combat – which, thanks to this system, is very intense.

The visuals are strong, but it’s too bad there isn’t much to look at. Salvation takes place within a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, so everything is destroyed, and the game doesn’t have that beautiful feel to the environments. Everything is washed-out and grey. I don’t know about you, but I like the environments within a game to have a pop to them.

The enemy AI is tough and follows the same logical attack patterns. This isn’t a good thing. When I was playing through this game on the lowest difficulty setting, it sometimes took me over five minutes to take out a squad of “spiders” – these are the enemies that can only be takien out from behind. This isn’t a gameplay problem. It’s an AI problem because they always have an eye on you, even if you’re behind cover. This passes by more easily if you play co-operatively with a friend, but that just makes a short game go by even faster.

Closing Statement:

Salvation seems to be a victim of time. There’s really isn’t anything here to call it a game. So I’ll have to tell you to pass on buying this title – instead, you should head out and rent it for the achievements or trophies because this game isn’t a long-term commitment. This game feels like a $30 title, and a rushed one at that.

Score: C+

During the Sony Keynote in Los Angeles, Jack Tretton of Sony confirmed the development of Final Fantasy XIV: Online, which he revealed will be coming “exclusively” to the PlayStation 3 from the developers over at Square Enix.

Along with that, he also revealed that the game will be releasing in 2010.

If you didn’t know, Square Enix is still developing Final Fantasy XIII - also when at the event.

As expected by so many of us, during the Microsoft Keynote today in Los Angeles, Bungie revealed its development on the latest Halo title, Halo: Reach.

Thanks to the very short teaser trailer that was shown during the keynote, Halo: Reach is due for release in Fall 2010. Along with the reveal, it was said that if you buy the Halo 3 expansion, Halo: ODST, you’ll get an invite to the Reach MP beta.

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Sony has alot of upcoming titles for their PlayStation 3 this year, but this is one game that sounds like if it’s too good to pass up.

Apparently, in the pages of the Dutch Official PlayStation Magazine they announced a ’secret’ project that Sony is planning to reveal next month to them. But, because they are beneath a ’strict embargo’ they weren’t welling to say anything about the title. But, it does sound pulpy…

“We can’t because of a strict embargo, not yet much lost (or better said entirely nothing), but next month we fly to the US to bring [a new] title for [the] PlayStation 3… [from] Los Angeles,” reads the Dutch Official PlayStation Magazine magazine.

Rockstar Games is proud to announce the fourth installment of its critically-acclaimed and genre-defining Midnight Club franchise, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, is set for release on September 9th in North America and September 12th in Europe. Developed by series creator Rockstar San Diego, Midnight Club: Los Angeles will give gamers the unprecedented freedom to race through a hyper-realistic LA.

“From the beginning, Midnight Club has been about street racing in a open-world,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “With our team at Rockstar San Diego we have developed a game that we feel once again pushes the boundaries and expectations of what a racing game can be.”

Whether driving by the beach or beating the competition by cutting through a parking garage at 200 mph, Midnight Club: Los Angeles provides a seamless, breathtaking environment for everyone who loves to compete. With no load times, no tracks, and no rules, the game allows players to race who they want, when they want, and where they want in an unbelievable recreation of Los Angeles.

“People are going to be blown away when they see how true-to-life Los Angeles looks in this game,” said Jay Panek, Midnight Club Producer Rockstar San Diego. “We’ve added some great twists and turns that let players experience the authentic vibe and feel of the city at blistering speeds that you simply couldn’t get away with in real life.”

A racing game is nothing without the great cars and Midnight Club: Los Angeles allows extensive customization of vehicles for both performance and appearance. Players can now fully personalize their officially licensed imports, tuners, classic muscle cars and motorcycles both inside and out with a dizzying array of licensed rims, spoilers, interior gauges, tires and more.

Source: Rockstar Games