During the latest episode of GamerTrailers TV, BioWare revealed The Illusive Man, the head of Cerberus. They’ve, also, released new information about Mass Effect 2, revealing a new squad member that goes by the name of Mordin, Garrus’ introduction phase into Mass Effect 2, and the Vanguard class, a new character class.

But, first, The Illusive Man. Commander Shepard is now working for Cerberus, meaning that The Illusive Man is Shepard’s new boss. However, him and Shepard have this “love/hate relationship” – Shepard is putting up with The Illusive Man because he needs information from Cerberus to piece together the mystery taking place within Mass Effect 2.

In addition, BioWare also revealed the Vanguard class, which is home to a new “Charge Ability”; the higher the level of your character, the more abilities can be added into the Charge Ability, like slow motion (please view the view from a more in-dept look at this new class).

They’ve also revealed Garrus’ introduction phase: you’ll meet up with Garrus during a gang war on Omega, one of the many planets in the Mass Effect universe. However, last, but not least, Mordin, a smart-mouth and witty new squad member (expect more details soon). With that said, you can view the GameTrailers TV episode for even more details about the game.

Playing any wrestling game for a standard amount time feels like a chore; feeling like an eternity, when its only been a couple of hours. But, shockingly enough, I never felt that way when playing through WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010. I actually really, really enjoyed it. You see, year after year, THQ updates the series in a small fashion; adding new modes, or couple a of extra moves. However, never has the series felt this new.

This year’s SvR feels like a total overhaul, meaning that THQ and Yuke’s made improvements on everything. The most noted addition, the game’s Story Designer mode. In Story Designer mode, the player is given the creative freedom to create, or recreate any wresting television event/show they want. However, there isn’t any dialog for this mode. Instead, you’ll use text and animations to tell your story. The good news is, your story can be as long, or as short as you want it to be.

However, there’s one major limitation. Being only a limited amount animations, your story has to fit within the given animations, which is something that gets in that way of “true” story customization. Luckily, with the given animations, you can still create a large amount of creative stories. But, if you can’t seem to create the “prefect” story, the convenient “Road to Wrestlemania” mode returns from last year.

This year’s Road to Wrestlemania follows six well known WWE Superstars in their quest to became “imprinted into the WWE Hall of Fame”. These Road to Wrestlemania stories play out well, for the most part. However, these stories aren’t complex, they mainly hold back until the big show down at Wrestlemania. This is the main problem with the Road to Wrestlemania mode because, at some points, the events feel boring and slow; giving them an unbalanced feeling. But, overall this years Road to Wrestlemania is very good.

They’ve also the revamped Ceate-A-Superstar mode. In SvR 2010, the game finally receives 3D clothing, meaning that everything actually fits; there’s no more hovering clothing. Along with that, there’s also the all new point system, adding more options in key areas via a point bar. However, because of the point bar. It feels like the developers took a huge step backwards because the taxing on the points feels unfair; Yuke’s put a large amount of points on the most used accessories. But, where it really matters is character customization and, BOY!, is it good.

They’ve also added a Paint Tool; in association with the revamped Ceate-A-Superstar mode. With the Paint Tool, players can create, or recreate any logo or design they want. However, there’s a huge downside. You’ll need to be very skilled using the controller if you what to draw a logo free hand because it’s difficult to write anything; making a name like Adventure Dave look like “Advtue Daue”, or something like that. Personally, I don’t know why Yuke’s didn’t incorporate some kind of drawing aid. However, overall, Yuke’s has done a great job with the Paint Tool, and we can’t wait to see what they do next year.

Closing Statement:

Although I haven’t touch on gameplay, it’s obvious for me to state that not much has changed from the previous wresting titles; there’s a new grappling position, an expanded move gallery, and a one button counter system. However, I believe that presentation is SvR 2010 strongest quality; everything has been reinforced from past Smackdown vs. Raw titles. Don’t get me wrong, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 has its many downsides, like poor hit detection, and in-game HUD glitches. But, it goes without saying that this years Smackdown vs Raw is very impressive; even going as far as to say that this is the best in the series.

Final Score: 8.9

In perpetration for the latest GameTrailer TV episode, they’ve started to unveil some of the details that will be “broken out” during tomorrows episode, and you won’t believe what they’re revealing this time around.

Returning back into the presents of Rapture for another showing of BioShock 2, Geoff Keighley and crew are set to publicly unveil the newest Big Daddy model – other then the ones we’ve already seen. Along with that, they’ll also be joined by the game’s creative director to talk about the game’s moral choices, and how they shape its story.

But wait there’s more! GameTrailers TV will also, exclusively, unveil the first footage of a new Splicer. Along with, the debut of the game’s major villain, and a first look at a new location within the world of Rapture. This episode will debut on Thursday the 22nd. With that said, this latest episode is going to be awesome.

When first showing the Modern Warfare 2 teaser trailer (shown below), there was an underwater snippet shown, which left many questioning if there was going to be an underwater level of some kind playable in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

However, in a recent interview with GameTrailers TV, Infinity Ward cleared those questions right up. “It’s mostly… the opening to a level,” Infinity Ward’s CCO Vince Zampella told GameTrailers TV. “There’s not any underwater combat or anything… That’s how the CO’s generally infiltrate.”

Kirsten Bell will indeed return as Lucy Stillman in the sequel to Assassin’s Creed, UbiSoft announced today. Kirsten’s character Lucy is… well, boring, but you don’t want to mess with Veronica Mars and her “expressive enthusiasm”.

Anyway, Lucy Stillman was one of the few people protagonist Desmond actually got on with the original Assassin’s Creed, and she seemed to actually care about him. And it looks like she’ll be returning to do the same thing in the sequel, Assassin’s Creed II.

“Being a part of the first Assassin’s Creed video game was an amazing experience. Video games is such a creative entertainment medium, and to be able to see and play myself as a video game character was surreal,” said Bell. “As an actress, it’s both challenging and rewarding to play a complex character with this mysterious background.”

Plastic guitars, used in the popular Guitar Hero titles, are Activision’s hammer in its crusade as ” the most successful game publisher on the planet”. However, with Guitar Hero sales on a recent decline, the next step is to ditch consoles and their licensing fees altogether.

During a Q&A session at Deutsche Bank Securities Technology Conference, Bobby Kotick, Activision Blizzard CEO, said that Activision is now exploring the option of selling Guitar Hero and games of its kind as plug-in-and-play products.

“I think what the untethered ‘Guitar Hero’ does is it maybe equals the playing field a little bit more and gives you leverage with first parties on downloadable content and the business model,” said Kotick. “You should expect to see many of our products to be playable on the television independent of a console.”

There’s innovative, and then there’s craziness. And I think that Bobby Kotick may have just crossed the line between the two because this would be a bad move on Activision’s part.

[Activision’s ‘Guitar Hero’ and Others May Ditch Consoles via MTV]

LucasArts has stated that it’s going back to what made them so famous in the first place, creativity. And there’s nothing more creative than their newest title, Lucidity – which was revealed in the latest episode of GameTrailers TV.

Lucidity is a puzzler/platformer that stars a young girl that goes by the name of Sophie, who lives with her grandmother, and is having these dreams. However, Sophie’s grandmother is getting old, and, in these dreams, they’re usually about her looking for her grandmother.

But, instead of controlling Sophie. In Lucidity, players command of the level, altering it as Sophie – who wanders around controlled by AI – goes around. Lucidity will be available later this month on Xbox Live Arcade.

Sony has announced that stereoscopic 3D technology will be headed the PlayStation 3 in 2010. The technology will be placed in a future firmware update for the system – which Sony is planning to release sometime next year – and you won’t need a special 3D television to utilize it. Instead, you’ll only need the stereoscopic glasses with a normal, or High Definition television.

Along with that, they’ve also revealed that the improvements will be capable with “all” of their existing titles. “3D is clearly on its way to the mass market through technology, distribution and content,” Sir Howard Stringer, Sony chief executive, at the IFA Consumer Electronics show. “As with high definition a few years back, there are a variety of issues yet to be addressed. But the 3D train is on the track, and we at Sony are ready to drive it home.”

[Thanks to Kotaku]

I know that we’re a little slow on the outtake of this information, but it’s news none the less. Anyway, during Sony’s GamesCom press conference, Sony announced the 3.0 firmware update for PlayStation 3.

The update will change the way you navigate the system such as adding animated themes, a redesigned friends list, premium avatars, new Trophy features, and a new status indicator at the top-right hand corner of the screen – that will now show how many friends you have online, and how unread many manages you have.

Firmware 3.0 will also include a “What’s New” section, and TV services such as BBC iPlayer. These features will release on September 1.

He is vengeance. He is the night. He is BATMAN! And now, he’s yours! Coinciding with the launch of the hotly-anticipated and highly-reviewed Batman: Arkham Asylum, retailers across the country will begin letting gamers into Arkham Asylum, and this trailer will definitely help to captivate your readers’ interest as they delve into the madhouse themselves!

During the latest episode of GameTrailers TV, Geoff Keighley and the team at Visceral Games revealed the first ever gameplay trailer for their upcoming title Dante’s Inferno. Now, enough talking about it, it’s time to show.

“The time is right for the world of interactive entertainment to adapt this literary masterpiece, and to re-introduce Dante to an audience that, until now, may have been unfamiliar with the remarkable details of this great work of art,” said Jonathan Knight, executive producer for Dante’s Inferno. “It’s the perfect opportunity to fuse great gameplay with great story.”

FreeStyleGames studio, the developers behind the upcoming DJ Hero title, have been hinting at the possibility all of E3, but the developers over at Neversoft, known for the Guitar Hero series, haven’t put their two cents into the equation, until now.

“We’ve worked with [DJ Hero creator FreeStyleGames], talked to them about the game for a couple of years now, looked at different builds and played it,” GH director Brian Bright told Eurogamer TV. “We would love to integrate in the future.”

However, Bright went on to say that the games release dates did not allow the team to include the option in the latest major Guitar Hero installment.

“Unfortunately for Guitar Hero 5, we ship a few months before they do. [But] we’d love to explore instrument compatibility in the future; we’ll see where it goes.”

In the shadow of being brutally teased earlier on today, it seems that even the developers at Infinity Ward just can’t let it end – but this time it was worth the wait.

As promised by Geoff Keighley, in this weeks episode of the much anticipated GameTrailers TV, it featured a teaser for Infinity Wards upcoming title Modern Warfare 2, the sequel to ’07’s Call of Duty 4. However, once again, the teaser doesn’t fill your gut because during the Easter Conference Final on May 24 we’d be able to witness the “World Premier” of the title.

Sam Fisher can’t remain hidden any longer and the time has come for UbiSoft to show us (absolutely nothing of) Splinter Cell: Conviction via one if their “teaser trailers”.

Anyway, there isn’t much point in going into detail about the teaser trailer because there aren’t any, but you do get to hear Sam Fisher talking about the situation he’s landed in Jack Bauer style. However, according the teaser site, you’ll have to wait until the 20th of May, and 28th May for more details and, properly, another trailer.

Update: It has been brought to my attention that there was a little error within the title. However, it has now been edited.

Original: That’s right. According to The Hollwood Reporter, it seems that Activision have set up deals for “Call of Duty: The Movie”, the movie for the very popular video game.

“[The Call of Duty movie is] being talked about for the big screen,” said one person with knowledge of the deal.

However, in an interview prior to Thursday’s quarterly earnings conference call, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick wouldn’t comment on the status of Call of Duty becoming a film.

Kotick added that video games, especially family-friendly titles – like Guitar Hero, which will be getting its own show - are “capturing leisure time away from TV and film.”

Evidence that Kotick might be correct was in the company’s financial report on Thursday. Revealing that Activision Blizzard’s first-quarter revenue had more than tripled to $981 million as net income swelled to $189 million from $43 million in the year-ago quarter.

Please say it ain’t so. According to a post on the official 3D Realms forums, long running developer 3D Realms has closed its doors for the final time due to funding issues – as sources reported.

Although the developers did not explicitly confirm the closure, the recently relaunched Apogee Software and its publishing partner Deep Silver issued a statement saying they were “not affected by the situation at 3D Realms. Development on the Duke Nukem Trilogy is continuing as planned.”

3D Realms were working on such games as Duke Nukem Forever, which was originally announced back in 1997. However, Duke Nukem Forever publisher Take-Two did confirmed to Shacknews that it wasn’t funding the project.

“We can confirm that our relationship with 3D Realms for Duke Nukem Forever was a publishing arrangement, which did not include ongoing funds for development of the title,” said Take-Two VP of communications Alan Lewis in a prepared statement.

[3D Realms closing doors, Duke Nukem Trilogy 'unaffected' via GameSpot]

Earlier on today on GameTrailers TV, it was revealed by one of the developers at Guerrilla Games that they’re currently finishing up work on their upcoming DLC for their hit PS3 title Killzone 2 entitled “Steel & Titanium”.

He also revealed that the content pack is indeed a Map Pack and that it will feature two maps; New Sun, which is on a ISA flagship; and Wasteland Bullet, which is on 2 Helghan trains running right next to one another with environmental gotchas.

Meanwhile, we have learned through a press release that Sony is planning to release the content on April 30.

Yet another bits the dust at EA. In reports today, it was revealed that Will Wright, the creator of Spore, has left Electronic Arts to pursue new projects at Stupid Fun Club, a side project Wright actually started in 2001.

Stupid Fun Club is now evolved in a full fledged entertainment ‘think tank’ focused on developing new IP to deploy across not just video games, but also movies, television, the Internet and even toys. However, EA also invested in Stupid Fun Club and it owns an equal share of the company. The publisher will also have first refusal rights on all video game projects.

“The entertainment industry is moving rapidly into an era of revolutionary change,” said Will Wright. “Stupid Fun Club will explore new possibilities that are emerging from this sublime chaos and create new forms of entertainment on a variety of platforms. In my twelve years at EA, I’ve had the pleasure to work alongside some of the brightest and most talented game developers in the industry and I look forward to working with them again in the near future.”

GameTrailers TV just released the first ever teaser trailer for Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time. The teaser focuses on the supreme power of time and the consequences that will result if time is manipulated. Of course, that means that some bad guy will create ‘A Crack In Time’ and that means it’s up to Ratchet & Clank to seal it. Ratchet and Clank: A Crack In Time will arrive in stores sometime in Autumn 2009.

Black Rock Studios have been hard at work trying to push the racing genre by developing many over the top racers, seeing that last years high-flying ATV racer, PURE, was just the tip of the iceberg. The developer is now working on a street racing game entitled, Split Second.

An exclusive trailer debuted on GameTrailer’s GTTV showing cars flying into a city with dangerous environmental hazards – which are activated by the drivers in the game. This is sure to be something worth waiting for.

Anyway, Split Second is definitely a new look at the racing genre and we believe that the guys at Black Rock Studios know what to do, to insure that this a quality racer.

The God of War, Kratos, is back for an extended view of the trailer that we got viewed at back at last years VGAs. The trailer looks absolutely amazing, but be warned you may be blown away, if not, let us know!

A Sony rep has confirmed that the trailer is live action, meaning that it was taken from actual gameplay. But, franchise fans will notice the absence of some signature elements; enemies here aren’t dropping light orbs, the person playing the game isn’t being given on-screen button prompt when he – or she - goes in for the gory mini-boss kills. Lucky, Sony has confirmed to us that those elements were removed from the trailer for presentation purposes.

I will have to admit that I did indeed stay up to see this video, but it wasn’t because I was bored and had nothing important to do, example sleeping, it’s because I really want this game to be good, an sometimes even great. Anyway, speaking on it, on the season premiere episode of Game Trailers TV they revealed the first trailer for the upcoming movie game, X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine amps up the action by bringing to life Wolverine’s wholly unique skills such as his brute strength, regenerative mutant abilities, and indestructible adamantium claws and skeleton in an immersive experience that is fitting to one of the most enduring and popular characters of all time,” said Rob Kostich, vice president, global brand management, Activision Publishing, Inc.

In such shows as Heroes, Ken Lally, who recently did some mo-cap work in Resident Evil 5, came on to ‘Coin-Op TV’ with a very important secert in the gaming industry.

When talking with ‘losses lips’ Lally revealed that he has been picked to be one of the Voice-Over actors in the next Call of Duty title, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Part 2, I mean 6 or whatever.

If you didn’t know, 24’s Kiefer Sutherland had done some work in Call of Duty: World at War even winning awards for his part.

Although, the next Call of duty hasn’t been officially announced by Activision, it is rumored to be that it’s going to be a sequel to Infinity Ward’s CoD4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Part 2.

Watch This Episode on www.theStream.tv

There have been many Dragonball games, but what will make this one any different? According to Playthings, Fox appointed Gary Rosenfeld to the position of Senior Vice President of New Media Licensing, a role with oversight of the studio’s portfolio of video game projects and management responsibility for Twentieth Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising’s (Fox L&M) games development staff. Rosenfeld is planning explore opportunities in the growing PC online game space and investigate new business models and partnerships in the console publishing area.

A handful of Fox properties will make it to the top of his list as he begins this new endeavor, starting with the studio’s major upcoming film releases and television brands, including Avatar, Night at the Museum – The Battle Of The Smithsonian, Ice Age 3, Dragonball, The Simpsons and Family Guy.

In a speech given at a campaign stop in Indianapolis, Indiana, the senator addressed the problem of children being raised by video games. Here’s what he had to say:

I was just catching the news this morning about Grand Theft Auto, this video game, which is gonna break all records and make goo-gobs of money for whoever designed it. Now, this isn’t intended for kids, although I promise you there are kids who are playing it, but these video games are raising our kids…

Across the board, middle-class, upper-class, working-class kids, they’re spending a huge amount of their time not on their studies, but on entertainment.

And so part of our job is going to have to be to inspire the entire country to say, ‘How are we giving our kids a thirst for knowledge?’ And turning off the TV set, and getting them to be engaged and interested, like their future really does matter on how well they do in school.”

[Obama Name Checks GTA, Says Video Games Are Raising Our Children via Kotaku]

5.5 million households brought home an HDTV set for the first time during the 2007/2008 holiday and Super Bowl season this year. A recent study of consumers across the U.S. indicates that 25 percent of U.S. households or 28 million now have at least one HDTV set, that up from a penetration of 20 percent in September 2007. In a study conducted shortly after Super Bowl XLII, Frank N. Magid Associates identified an impressive three million homes added a second HDTV during this same time frame, bringing multiple HDTV set homes up to nearly 10 million.

"Consumers who become accustomed to the sleek and contemporary appearance of their first HD set are now looking to bring that benefit into other rooms in their home," says Maryann Baldwin, Vice President, Magid Media Futures(TM). "However owning an HDTV set and actually viewing HD are still two very different pursuits for many."

Due to falling prices and the upcoming digital transition, a larger percentage of younger adults 21-34 purchased HDTV’s this holiday season. Among those who purchased their HDTV set in the past year, 18 percent say they did so to connect it to a high definition video game console like Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.

"Now that the early majority has joined the ranks of the HD adopters, the demographic makeup of the HD population is looking more like the overall U.S. TV viewing universe," says Jill Rosengard Hill, Vice President and Managing Director.

Among those who reside in a household with at least one HDTV set, the number who have taken steps to arrange for HD programming reception hold steady compared to other recent studies at 70 percent. Among the 30 percent of HDTV set owners who have not made these arrangements, many site costs and a limited number of channels available in high definition. Satellite customers make up half of this group, and most of them say they are not prepared to purchase the new equipment necessary to add this service. Just three percent of homes own an HDTV set that is receiving HD programming from their local stations via an over-the-air antenna.

HD adoption appears poised to continue its accelerating growth rate. Not only do three-in-ten households plan to purchase a new TV in the next year, nearly all of them indicate that if they make this purchase, the new television will be an HDTV set. Much of the demand seen this year is driven by both the continuing decline in HD set prices, and the belief among some consumers that the digital television transition slated for February 2009 requires that consumers actually purchase a set capable of displaying high-definition.

Findings also show that 24 percent of those who do not currently own an HDTV set feel it is important they will be able to watch the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in high-definition, another driver that could lead to higher than normal second quarter TV sales, a quarter typically known for its slow TV purchase activity.

While few said the Super Bowl drove their purchase intent, 25 percent of U.S. households watched some portion of the match up between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots in high definition, either in their own home, or in the home of a friend or a family member representing a third of all Super Bowl viewers.

Current HD owners will also drive demand for HD sets. Nearly four-in-ten current HDTV set owners plan to purchase yet another HDTV set in the next 12 months.

Magid conducted this online research among 1,235 consumers nationally representative of the U.S. online population, age 21 and over. A written report on the study is now available for purchase. Contact Jill Rosengard Hill at 212-515-4523 or Jrosengardhill@magid.com.

Please Note: This was a press release

Kotaku has received an email from CEO Dick Fontaine, informing them that President Steve Morgan would be resigning from the company.

Email:

After 7 productive years with GameStop, Steve Morgan has made the decision to reapply his energy and drive outside out GameStop Steve will officially be leaving the company on May 2nd 2008. Steve has stated from the very first day we discussed his position with our merged company that his goal was to head up a company as a CEO. After two and half very successful years as our President he now feels that the time is right to pursue his objective.

Today Rockstar Games released three new screenshots for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV coming this April. These screenshots where exclusive to a few other gaming blog but was released in full size. GTA IV you follows the story of Nikolai Bellic who has come to Liberty City to pursue the American Dream. Grand Theft Auto IV the game is powered by the RAGE game engine and will be releasing worldwide on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

(You can click on the images to see them in there full page glory)