I recent had the chance to sit down with Pint Shot Riot’s Baby Dave to talk about their future within the gaming industry and what they think of it thus far.

GCO: I’ll like to start this interview with some general questions — if you don’t mind. How do you feel about video games this day in age?

Bady Dave, Band Member/ Band Representative: “I feel there has been such amazing developments in video games since I started playing them it’s unreal. I definitely enjoy a session in my spare time and the games are getting better and better.”

GCO: If you were on a isolated island, which console would you take with you — just for keeps, of course?

BD: “Definitely an Xbox 360, especially if it is hooked up to Xbox live!”

GCO: Do you believe that Dante’s Inferno should get a sequel?

BD: I’ve no idea I’ve not played it sorry

GCO: Now, with those question out of the way, how did you all get into the EA Games, and how has the experience been so far?

BD: “We were spotted by E.A, they approached us and it just went from there really. It has been an amazing experience so far, especially being on Fifa, which has been my favourite game series for years!”

GCO: What’s the story behind your band’s name?

BD: Rocket was texting his friend one day when he noticed that if you use predictive text, the words pint, shot and riot are typed in with the same numbers and it just seemed a perfect fit for us.

GCO: If you weren’t making music, what would do?

GD: Spend a lot more time playing Xbox for one! I’d probably teach music if I wasn’t making music full-time, I always enjoy passing on tips to people learning the bass guitar.

GCO: I know these aren’t a EA game, but are you guys planning on playing God of War III, or Final Fantasy XIII?

BD: Not for me actually, I’m not a massive RPG fan, I prefer sports or fighting games.

GCO: Are you please tell our reads how they could be more involved with your band?

BD: Sure, you can find us on www.pintshotriot.co.uk and you will find links to our Facebook and Myspace pages there too. We have some free downloads available there too so feel free to get amongst it!

GCO: That said, I’ll like to thank you for your time.

BD: No problem, thank you too! Baby Dave

[EA Music - Blog - Facebook]

Have you ever sucked at a game? And whatever you did, or do, you continued to suck? (Yeah, me too.) But, there’s a theory behind the madness. In a study published in The Journal of the Cerebral Cortex, it revealed that the size of your brain can actually have an affect on your gaming skills.

Scientists at the University of Illinois have studied specific parts of the Striatum, a collection of tissues deep inside your cerebral cortex, and it revealed that brain size can influence a gamers ability to “refine his or her motor skills, learn new procedures, develop useful strategies and adapt to a quickly changing environments,” or in other words, playing games.

“This is the first time that we’ve been able to take a real world task like a video game and show that the size of specific brain regions is predictive of performance and learning rates on this video game,” said Kirk Erickson, professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh and the author on the study.

“Playing a game which requires very fast deployment of visual attention and motor movement could prime a strategy of speed over accuracy,” explained Nelson, “while playing a game which emphasizes a slower, more thoughtful pace could prime the opposite pattern. The main point is that different kinds of video games engage different cognitive and perceptual skills, and there are measurable differences in their effects, even in the short term.”

However, it does not work in reverse; you can’t play a bunch of video games and grow those structures in your brain — you’re stuck with the equipment you’re given from birth.

Despite having previously stated that trilogy’s exclusiveness is “in the question”, the Mass Effect series lead project director, Casey Hudson revealed that the trilogy, just like how it started, will finish on Microsoft’s platform. When questioned about the trilogy going multi-platform, Hudson had a couple of choice words:

“You get the Xbox 360 or your PC, but the Xbox 360 is the one that’s going to run out of time at some point, and you create your character and play through an entire trilogy on that platform,” Hudson told GameZone.

As early last week, Hudson did revealed that he’s expecting a “short turnaround” with the development of third installment into the trilogy, meaning that after the release of Mass Effect 2, development should begin shortly after. Be that as it may, this news still confirms a multi-platform Mass Effect 3; it doesn’t detract from there being one.

Netflix plans to continue its domination of the video streaming market with its newest partnership, introducing its steaming service onto the Wii. According to Netflix, the program is scheduled to release onto Nintendo’s platform this spring, and it will require consumers to reserve a disc in-order to participate (they also must have an account, of course).

“Our research shows that 86 percent of all U.S. Wii consoles are located in the living room,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “The Wii console is the social hub around which friends and family members gather to play games and have fun. Soon both new and longtime Wii owners will enjoy the benefits of Netflix – and a variety of informational and entertainment options – by being Netflix members and connecting their consoles to the Internet.”

The partnership between the two companies will extend the reach of Netflix, thanks in-part to the mainstream popularity of the Wii. The Netflx program will be available on the platform this spring and, to enable the streaming, consumers will need an instant-streaming disc, which is currently available at no additional cost to subscribers via the Netflix’s website.

Alan Wake is most likely one of the most anticipated titles of this year, with it nearing development completion, Microsoft revealed during the Consumer Electronics Show that Alan Wake will indeed have “downloadable episodes” after its release — something that was previously mentioned in an interview.

“We have talked about it, and with our episode-based structure, it would be very logical,” Alan Wake creator and writer Sam Lake told Kotaku. “But nothing has been decided on the matter, and right now, we are fully focused on polishing the game and shipping it. After that, let’s see.”

When in a convosation, Australia is a topic that every developer hates to talk about — mainly because their games, if violent, get banned within a split scond in Australia. But, not Rebellion. Because Australia’s Classification Review Board has reversed their decision to ban Aliens vs. Predator in Australia, with no content to be changed or removed.

Being developed by Rebellion Games, the game was original ruled as to violent due to “various types of violence, including explicit decapitation and dismemberment, as well as locational damage, such as stabbing through the chest, mouth, throat, or eyes.”

However, following the announcement of the ban, Rebellion made a statement claiming it would not release a “sanitized or cut-down version for territories where adults are not considered by their governments to be able to make their own entertainment choices.” Rebellion is developing Aliens vs. Predator for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

High Moon Studios have drawn inspiration from Epic’s Gears of War series in the development of Transformers: War of Cybertron, the newest Tranformers game — the developer stated this when announcing the game. However, when speaking to Transformers World 2005, High Moon’s Matt Tieger clearify what they really meant by Gears being a inspiration.

Pondering the reasons behind the Gears motifs, Tieger stated that it could be that they’re using the same exact engine as Gears of War, the Unreal Engine. Also, it could be that Transformers: War of Cybertron is a “third-person” action game. But, he did mention that there are some notable differences.

“One, we are not a cover-based shooter (you think Megatron would take cover?) Two, transform anywhere. Three, special abilities add an additional layer of strategic depth. Four, finally, Transformers has always been a team based property and each character has unique abilities so teamwork becomes pivotal,”he continued.

When they announced that a new Star Wars title would be shown, the prime suspect was automatically a sequel to The Force Unleashed – mainly because the game sold a total of 5.7 million copies. That said, surly enough, the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed sequel was revealed during the “most important moment for gaming”, the Spike 2009 Video Game Awards.

According to the games official website, the game is expected to release in 2010. However, no platforms were made explicit in the trailer. The Force Unleashed II trailer features voiceovers from both Darth Vader and Yoda, who are, in the trailer, in a conversation with Galen “Starkiller” Marek, the main character from the first game. Enjoy!

During the 2009 Video Game Awards, The Joker took the stage to announced the sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham Asylum 2. Boasting itself as “the sequel [that we] didn’t see coming”, Arkham Asylum 2 is being development at Rocksteady Studios, who’s the developer of the first title.

Featuring crime-ridden city streets, the trailers depicts The Joker in a convoluted state – caused by the ending events of Arkham Asylum. The trailer didn’t go into much detail about the game, but it did quarry at the moving of the Asylum. But, other then that, the trailer didn’t reveal anything else.

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.

A month before the release of God of War III, players will have the chance to enter the “gates of hell” with Dante’s Inferno, the video game adaptation of Dante Alighieri’s epic poem. But, until then, players will have the chance to sample the Dante’s Inferno in the form of a demo, set to release this month.

That said, Electronic Arts today announced that PlayStation 3 gamers will be able to pick up the Dante’s Inferno Gates to Hell demo on December 10, with the Xbox Live edition landing on December 24. But, even though there’s a PSP version, EA said that the demo will only be available on consoles.

The demo allows players to “experience fast-paced hack-n-slash combat as they fend off waves of enemies before taking on the ultimate battle against Death.” Upon the defeat of Death, Dante will be armed with Death’s scythe and a powerful holy-cross. Then, he tears open the Gates of Hell – thus the name.

Dante’s Inferno is slated to launch in North America for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PSP on February 9, 2010. However, the demo will only be available for the PS3 and 360.

A month after rumors pointed at its development, Ubisoft has made it official. The French publisher announced today that in May, the same exact month that the Prince of Persia movie will be hitting theaters, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands will be releasing on both consoles and handhelds.

Also, in the Press Release, the publisher revealed that The Forgotten Sands storyline will return to the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time storyline, which means it follows the original storyline. The Forgotten Sands will also feature “many of the fan-favorite elements from the original series as well as new gameplay innovations”.

That said, the release date wasn’t chosen at random. Like I stated before, the release time-frame is in directly conjunction with the upcoming movie, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time – based on the game with the same name. Can anyone smell a movie tie-in? Be that as it may, Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is expected to hit both consoles and handhelds in May 2010.

When I was growing up, never would I of though that the word billion would be used when talking about video game sales. But, nonetheless, here we are. That said, as much as I hate the management over at Activision, Activision’s Call of Duty series has ranked in a total of $3 Billion in retail sales worldwide, according to The NPD Group, Charttrack, GfK and internal Activision estimates.

“Call Of Duty has become one of the greatest entertainment franchises of all time. If you consider the number of hours our audiences are engaged in playing Call of Duty games, it is likely to be one of the most viewed of all entertainment experiences in modern history,” said Activision CEO, Bobby Kotick.

It’s obvious that Activision and Kotick have struck gold; alot of it. However, knowing Activision, we can expect more from the Call of Duty series.

Ubisoft plans to ship James Cameron‘s Avatar on December 1st. But, undoubtedly, the publishers heaviest holiday hitter of this year is Assassin’s Creed II, which shipped last week. That said, according to the company’s internal estimate, Assassin’s Creed II sold over 1.6 million units worldwide during its first week; that’s 32 percent faster than the original in terms of sales timing.

“We’ve made improvements to every aspect of the game. We’ve plunged ourselves into the stunning history of the Italian Renaissance so that we can offer fans a unique, varied and innovative Assassin’s Creed experience,” said Patrice Desilets, creative director at Ubisoft, when announcing the game back in April. Assassin’s Creed II is now available on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

If you’ve played the original, you’ll known that Kane & Lynch: Dead Men was an entertaining but rough-edged game (it was littered with controversy, most notable the firing of Jeff Gerstman). But, with all the hope in the world, maybe they can address these issues in the sequel, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days.

Square-Enix Europe have announced today that Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days will be releasing sometime next year on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. The sequel “is a raw and brutal crime shooter designed to take players on an even more intense story experience, following two of gaming’s most disturbed criminals, through the gritty Shanghai underworld.”

However, they aren’t calling Kane and Lynch 2 a sequel. They’re calling it “[a game] inspired by documentary filmmakers and the user-generated era,” meaning that it could be a game played documentary style, or something like that. Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days will be released under the Eidos games label  in 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.”

Final Fantasy XIII will be hitting North American stores on March 9th, announced its developer Square Enix today – just so that you guys know, that’s the same exact month that God of War III will be hitting stores, meaning that March is going to be an amazing month for gaming.

Along with this announcement, Square Enix have also released a new video for the game showcasing the new battle system, the Paradigm system; just for fans to get a better understanding for the new system. Final Fantasy XIII will release on both the Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 March of next year, the Japanese will be getting the game on December 17th.

This holiday season is a huge one for video games; with games selling a number of millions within weeks or, even, a day. However, there are a good number of “underdogs” within this holiday season, who sadly have little public awareness – therefore, they’re producers of low sales. But, it seems that these two underdogs (Brutal Legend and DJ Hero) are, actually, doing very will for their first month on the market.

Released on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Brutal Legend sold over 215,000 units in the month of October, compared with DJ Hero‘s 122,300 units on the 360, PS3, Wii, and PlayStation 2 within the same month. Which is, somewhat, a surprise seeing that, one, they’re both holiday underdogs and, two, DJ Hero’s prices range from $100-$200, $200 being the games “Renegade Edition” – the highest edition.

OCTOBER US SALES:

1. Brutal Legend (360) – 150,000 units
2. Brutal Legend (PS3) – 66,000 units
3. DJ Hero (360) – 62,000 units
4. DJ Hero (PS3) – 39,000 units
5. DJ Hero (Wii) – 19,000 units
6. DJ Hero (PS2) – 3,300 units

[Thanks to GameSpot]

Activision’s Modern Warfare 2 has become the biggest launch title in entertainment history; something that comes as no surprise, seeing that Activision is the worlds biggest video game publisher because of the Call of Duty franchise.

In its first day, the game sold an estimated 4.7 million copies in North America and in the UK, reports internal Activision estimates, with estimated sell-through sales of $310 million in North America and the UK alone in the first 24 hours. Meaning that, this could mean that Modern Warfare 2 did sell the recent estimated 7 million copies worldwide on day one - this report only covers the UK and North America sales, not the entire planet’s day one sale of the game.

“The Call of Dutyfranchise has become a cultural phenomenon showing the power of video games as an entertainment medium,” said Mike Griffith, CEO, Activision. “The shattering of these entertainment records is a testament to the compelling, cinematic and uniquely engaging experience that the Call of Duty brand delivers. Modern Warfare 2 has taken interactive experience to unprecedented heights setting a new standard for entertainment.”

But, the question still remains. How much did Modern Warfare 2 sell worldwide on day one?

Modern Warfare 2 is estimated to sell a total of 12 million units within the remaining year; that’s between the months of October and December. That said, this morning, it was revealed that Modern Warfare 2 sold over 1.23 million units in the UK in 24 hours.

According to GameSpot, using the UK sales estimation, Broadpoint AmTech analyst Ben Schachter stated that the overall first day sales of Modern Warfare 2 could total 7 million units worldwide. “While the two-times week-one tally for GTA IV may seem aggressive, the bottom line is that we believe current consensus estimates of around 12 million for the December quarter may end up being conservative,” he told analyst.

I’ll explain this for those that need help understanding it how he got the total. Seeing that most UK sales portion that of those in the United States, he did a rough estimation coming to the total of 7 million units sold worldwide on its first day. However, if this estimation is true, this would mean that Modern Warfare 2 is the fastest selling video game, period. Along with that, VGChartz are reporting that the game sold 7 million units worldwide on its first day.

A month before the release of God of War III, players will have the chance to enter the “gates of hell” with Dante’s Inferno, the video game adaptation of Dante Alighieri’s epic poem, The Divine Comedy. However, the public awareness of Dante’s Inferno is…  a little slim. That said, Electronic Arts has announced a public sample for Dante’s Inferno in the form of a demo; in which they plan to release in December.

Entitled the “Gates of Hell” demo, the demo allows players to “experience fast-paced hack-n-slash combat as they fend off waves of enemies before taking on the ultimate battle against Death.” Upon the defeat of Death, Dante will be armed with Death’s scythe and a powerful holy cross. Then, he tears open the Gates of Hell – thus the name.

“Our main goal from the start of this project has been to create a journey that will make gamers truly feel like they are going through hell,” said executive producer Jonathan Knight. “The demo will give everyone some insight into how we are treating the story and a taste of the gameplay. And with nine more circles of hell to explore once the game comes out in February, we are literally just scratching the surface.”

Dante’s Inferno is slated to launch in North America for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PSP on February 9, 2010. However, the demo will only be available for the PS3 and 360.

As rumors of another Prince of Persia game unspool, the official trailer for the movie adaption of “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” popped up on the internet. But, that’s not the only good news. The trailer is actually pretty good; it has a great mixture of humor and action, which makes for a great action movie experience.

The trailer, also, indicates that the film’s story will stick to that of the 2003 game Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, which centers on a magical dagger that can be used to speed up or slow downtime. The Sands of Time is due in theaters May 2010.

Heavy Rain is, undoubtedly, one of our most anticipated games of next year. However, like I stated so many times, fans need something for waiting so long, and for Heavy Rain being delayed so many times.

With that said, Quantic Dream head, David Cage, told G4 that “[they're] currently working on a demo” for Heavy Rain, and that “finding one scene that can convey what we are trying to achieve with Heavy Rain is something really difficult.”

“If we show an action scene, some players will think that this is what Heavy Rain is all about, and it is the same thing if we show an exploration scene,” he continued to tell G4. “The problem is that each scene of the game offers contextual game play, which is something very difficult to explain and convey in a single demo. Demos are often a double-edge thing: if you don’t release one, players may think that you have something to hide.”

As for a release date for the demo, it’s still unknown. But, here’s a question. Why don’t they just use the E3 demo? Heavy Rain is scheduled to launch early in 2010, exclusively for the PS3.

When the newly revamped Prince of Persia released, it easily began one of most impressive games this console generation. However, it left many of us wanting more. With that said, recent speculation has pointed to a sequel. And, with the trademarking for “Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands“, speculations has been raising, even more.

At the “The Sands of Time” trailer preview event at Bruckheimer Studios, the movie team left losses that Ubisoft is planning to announce a new Prince of Persia game spring of next year. However, as for details, they haven’t revealed anything about the new game; making it clear that it’s not their place to give out any details.

[Thanks to NeoSeeker]

When it comes to video game stories, nothing can even come close to that of the God of War franchise; with its well written and intelligent story. However, many may argue that, story-wise, the franchise has explored everything within the world of Greek mythology leaving nothing for God of War III.

When being interview by GamePro, God of War III’s Director Stig Asmussen reassured fans that they’ve still have plenty to explore within the world of Greek mythology. “When we first started, we didn’t really set out to limit ourselves to Greek mythology or simply the story of Greek mythology. That’s why we created Kratos to build our own story around that. We didn’t want to just hold true to everything and to be too really realistic,” he told the magazine.

“We wanted to be able to visually and conceptually do anything we wanted. If we wanted to make a prison level, we made a prison level. If we wanted hostages in a ship, we can do that. We just have to put the Greek column on and some Greek trim in there so it kind of looks Greek, but beyond that, we can go anywhere we want.” God of War III releases in March 2010.

There’s going to be a Dead Space sequel, Electronic Arts even confirmed that there’s going to be another one – that isn’t Dead Space Extraction. And, according to Reuters, the Dead Space sequel is due to hit next year, evidence given by the “advanced state of preparations for Dead Space 2′s development”.

In a Halloween themed feature on horror video game sales, Reuters reported that the Dead Space sequel will be shipping next year. Sadly, there’s isn’t any other details, nor did EA respond happily to the news statement. ”This comment by the Reuters reporter is speculative,” an EA representative told GameSpot. “There is no announcement for a Dead Space sequel (or in this case, prequel) beyond Dead Space Extraction.”

As for the original, Dead Space was widely accepted by critics. However, that didn’t translate into high sales. According to the NPD Group, the game shifted just 9,200 units during its first week at retail in the US. Which, back in may, translated into 1.4 million units worldwide.

This is what happens when you receive a 25 kill streak in Modern Warfare 2, you’ll an enormous super weapons in which there’s no escape even for the person that releases it. Modern Warfare 2 releases on November 10. Enjoy!

[Nuke Your Opponents in Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer [Spoilers] via Hot Blooded Gaming]

Spoiler Warning: Leaked footage of Modern Warfare 2 showcased a playable art of terrorism; in where the player would shoot innocent civilians in an airport. Activision has since explained the propose of the scene stating that it’s “designed to evoke the atrocities of terrorism”.

However, those that aren’t sure they can handle the scene, they’ve revealed that the scene is completely skippable. “At the beginning of the game, players encounter a mandatory ‘checkpoint’ in which they are warned that an upcoming segment may contain disturbing elements and they can choose not to engage in the gameplay that involves this scene,” an Activision spokesperson told IGN.

This means that players can “opt-out” of the level entirely – we won’t know for sure until MW2 releases in November . However, Activision has made it clear that “[this] is not representative of the overall gameplay experience in [MW2]“, meaning that this will be the only time you’ll be killing citizens in the game.

If you aren’t happy with the current map selection for Brütal Legend‘s Stage Battle multiplayer mode, I have some important news for you. Double Fine, the games developers, have announced Brütal Legend’s first episode of downloadable content entitled “Tears of the Hextadon“, which includes two new maps for the games Stage Battle mode.

In the first map, Circle of Tears, vile waters have carved a rough-hewn circular battlefield into a forsaken land that players must circumvent to destroy their opponent. In the second map, Death’s Fjord, players find themselves on an icy mountain pass with a dense cluster of fans that lie below, waiting to be harvested by those brave enough to capture them without cover from enemy attack. Also, all players who download the new map pack will receive a free axe, the Blade of Ormagöden.

“I play Brütal Legend online every night,” said Tim Schafer, President of Double Fine Productions. “And I need more maps! Circle of Tears is named after the crying of my vanquished foes on the battlefield, and Death’s Fjord is obviously a tribute to my Nordic ancestors, and their love of fan geysers and… Well, actually I just thought the name was cool. See you online!”

Tears of the Hextadon will be available on Xbox LIVE on November 3 for 400 MS Points and on PlayStation Network on November 5. And to up the anty, those that purchase the game via the PlayStation Network by November 19 will be able to download the content for free.

THQ today announced Metro 2033: The Last Refuge, a new first person shooter for Xbox 360 and PC, which is based on the best-selling Russian novel of the same name by Dmitry Glukhovsky. Developed by 4A Games, and built with the cutting edge, proprietary 4A Game Engine, Metro 2033 is set to deliver a gripping, atmospheric experience when it releases in 2010.

“Metro 2033 will plunge gamers into a terrifying vision of the future,” said Richard Williams, vice president of global brand management, THQ. “4A Games have worked closely with Dmitry Glukhovsky to deliver a unique game world, a compelling, cinematic story and an incredible, atmospheric experience to rival anything in the category.”

Metro 2033 is scheduled for release in early 2010 for the Xbox 360, and PC, which supports NVIDIA PhysX technology.

It shouldn’t came as any surprise that Quantic Dream would doing this after Heavy Rain’s nude scene controversy. In order to keep Heavy Rain from getting banned in other regions of the world, Quantic Dream is censoring the game, said the game’s exclusive producer.

In an interview pushing Heavy Rain towards the Japanese market, Guillaume de Fondaumiere told viewers that although Heavy Rain is designed for the mature audience, it may not be expected everywhere, and for that, the developer will be censoring it for those regions.

“We wanted to have pretty much the same game everywhere, be it Europe, in the United States, or in Japan, of course, with slight adaptions,” he said. “But I don’t think the changes we made will make a big difference; those are real modular things. We felt the need to adapt the content to the culture.”

Heavy Rain is scheduled to launch early in 2010, exclusively for the PlayStation 3.

Electronic Arts revealed today that the Need for Speed franchises has surpassed 100 Million units sold worldwide – making the Need for Speed franchise the best-selling racing brand in the gaming history. Along with that, the publisher also revealed that the franchise has generated a total of 2.7 billion in sales.

“Few video game franchises ever reach the 100M units mark, so this is a huge honor. We have millions of fans to thank for driving us to this milestone,” said Frank Gibeau, president, EA Games Label. “With the launch of Need for Speed Shift and the upcoming release of Need for Speed Nitro, we hope to continue to deliver the most entertaining, action-packed racing experiences.”

EA also noted that if Need for Speed boxes were laid out end-to-end, it would span 173,609 football fields. With that said, in all, the Need for Speed brand brought us 15 titles for over 14 platforms, which were released in 22 languages in more than 60 countries.

Alpha Protocol is a contender, none the less. However, with such heavy holiday competition, it needs the cutting edge tools to impress potential buyers; seeing that it’s a freshman in the presents of senors. With that said, SEGA revealed that Alpha Protocol has stepped back into the shadows, and that it won’t release this year.

The reason behind its delay, is to fulfill its “AAA potential,” states SEGA of America’s President Masanao Maeda. “Since the inception of Alpha Protocol, Sega has recognized the potential for the game to establish itself as an AAA title,” said Maeda. “We’ve worked in conjunction with Obsidian Entertainment in making the decision to move Alpha Protocol’s ship date to spring 2010 to ensure that we have the best game possible at launch.”

We think that it’s great that their not rushing the Alpha Protocol out the door. However, this means that there’s one more game that we won’t be playing by Christmas. Alpha Protocol is, now, do out in “Spring 2010″, which is more then enough time for them to fulfill its “AAA potential”.

With a series of them releasing in the UK, Sony today revealed a 250GB PlayStation 3 Slim bundle for North America – basically, toping the PlayStation 3′s holiday competition in terms of hard dive space.

Going on sales on November 3rd, the 250GB model will feature the same “slim look” and feel as the recently released 120GB slim system, which is currently going on sale for $249.99. However, the new 250GB model will come packing at the total price of $349.99 - actually $100 more then the regular Slim.

With this new space, players can now store more of their favorite games, movies/TV shows, music, photos and PlayStation Network downloads.

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony won’t only build on the game’s already prominent single player experience, it will also improve Grand Theft Auto IV’s prominent multiplayer experience, turning it into something more — adding such things such as Parachutes and Tanks into the mix, reveals Rockstar today.

“Tanks, attack choppers, new weapons, and, of course, parachutes make their multiplayer debut alongside new, tighter Deathmatch arenas, kill streaks, and assisted kills,” stated Rockstar via its official website. “It’s Grand Theft Auto multiplayer made more intense than ever.”

MAN! October 29th can’t come soon enough.

With Among Thieves not even out the door, Naughty Dog has already started talking about another Uncharted sequel. Well, it’s actually a prequel to the first Uncharted, Drake’s Fortune. However, it’s not the kind of prequel you play, it’s the type you “receive”.

During the live chat for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves on the PlayStation.blog, the game’s Lead Designer Neil Druckmann revealed that Naught Dog is planning a prequel motion comic called Uncharted: Eye of Indra - featuring voice talent from the cast of the video games – that goes into Drake’s adventures before the first game.

“We actually started [Among Thieves] game with an idea for a prequel story that we eventually cut,” said Druckmann. “However, you’ll get to see that story fleshed out in the upcoming Uncharted Motion Comic.”

Also, when responding to a question about his favorite female character, Druckmann replied stating that, “I’m gonna go with Rika… You’ll meet her in Uncharted: Eye of Indra - the upcoming Motion Comic.” Sounds exotic. More information should be revealed soon.

In the credits for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Naughty Dog thanked so many developers, including rival system developer Bungie – which is probably one of the most surprising things about the game’s credits. However, what’s the key meaning behind Naughty Dog thanking all these developers?

Today, Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann took his time explain, during a live chat session with fans, why they decided include Bungie and other development studios in the game’s thank you credits. “We try to be quite open with our technology and our process,” he said. “We exchanged technology and ideas with other developers. We wanted to make sure we thanked everyone that helped us out in some way.”

First things first, Sucker Punch hasn’t announced that they’re developing another inFamous title. However, according to voice actor David Sullivan, he’s auditioning for the re-casting for Cole for the inFamous sequel. “Re-casting” in the sense of Sullivan replacing Jason Cottle, who originally played as Cole in the first game.

“First voiceover/motion capture audition today for a video game,” said actor David Sullivan over Twitter this morning. “Re-casting of Cole in the sequel of inFamous. ‘I’ll melt your face.’ e.g” However, back to the fact at hand, according Cottle’s IMDB profile, it reveals that Cottle’s currently not working on anything. Leaving one to wonder what’s going on with Cottle’s placement as Cole (maybe it has something to do with money?).

Anyway, Sullivan is best known for his role in 2004′s independent time-traveling film Primer, and according to actress Yvette Nicole Brown, who voiced Moya in the first game, “[Sullivan] would be AWESOME as ‘Cole’!”

[Sucker Punch Auditioning For inFamous 2, Possibly Recasting Main Character via G4TV]

CCP Games, the people behind the popular EVE Online PC game, today released the first trailer for their massive multiplayer FPS, Dust 514.

DUST 514, featuring first-person shooter and RTS-style gameplay, will interact directly with EVE Online, CCP’s critically acclaimed flagship MMO. This interplay between the two games opens the EVE universe to console gamers and gives them a chance to become part of one of the most massive cooperative play and social experiences ever. Enjoy the trailer.

Namco Banbai revealed today that it has completed the development of Tekken 6 and that it’s one step closer to its release on October 27th (in North America). Along with that, Namco Banbai also detailed the games online component for the very first time. Details are as followed:

Ranked Match and Player Match: Rank up or work to improve your fighting skills by battling opponents worldwide in online versus mode with voice chat functionality.

Data Upload and Download: Create and upload customised ghost characters which accurately replicate your fight style; Any player in the world can download your ghost to take on your virtual self in a one-on-one battle even when you’re not online; Upload replays of killer matches to share with friends and opponents around the world.

Scenario Online Co-op: New feature coming this winter as a free post-launch downloadable update; Jump into intense two player online co-op campaigns against AI controlled enemies and experience the dramatic large-scale action with friends around the globe.

Leaderboards: Battle Points - online only, split between World, Asia, America and Europe; Rank: overall on and offline ranking, from Beginner to Tekken God; Additional rankings include Ranked Match, Scenario Campaign, Time Attack and Survival.

There are also some exclusive PlayStation Network online features.

Tekken 6 Title Lounge: Host Versus and Co-op Sessions: Gather friends and start matches from the Lounge within PlayStation Home; Online Scenario co-op mode coming free this winter; Home Rewards: Players have the chance to win exclusive costume pieces and furniture at the Lounge for their personal space.

It’s time to get your hopes up. According to trademark site Superannuation, Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner filed trademark for Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands for “gaming-related use”.

However, the question still remains. Is this a movie tie-in(god forbid!), or is it another Prince of Persia title? Sadly, UbiSoft wasn’t able to tell us anything, but this does look like it could be the sequel to last year’s Prince of Persia.

Prepare for the ultimate invasion! The most anticipated game of the year and the sequel to the best-selling first-person action game of all time, Infinity Ward‘s Modern Warfare 2 will strike worldwide on November 10, 2009. And, MAN!, November 10th can’t come soon enough.

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.”

Dead Space, hands down, has to be one of the best horror titles this console generation; with its cold atmosphere and intertwining storyline. It just seems right that EA would producer a sequel. However, EA did say that there’s going to be another Dead Space title – other then the one for the Wii – but they never said that it’s in development.

You see, with the Dead Space sequel in the pre-production stages, Visceral Games is looking for a Lead Combat and Controls Designer to help jump start the titles full development, reveals a job listing posted by EA. Along with that, its senior recruiter Jeff Ballard says that “the core team is in place”, and that it’s ready to start development.

With that said, it seems that Visceral is putting an emphasis on gameplay with the Dead Space sequel – because in the job listing it reveals that gameplay is one of the teams first values, which is very exciting news to hear. Anyway, we can’t wait to hear more about the sequel, and its development – which is said to start in the “next few months”.

Now that Street Fighter IV has done series justice, Capcom is looking to expand the series with a new title called Super Street Fighter IV, reports GameSpot. In which Capcom plans on improving everything about the original, meaning more playable characters, new ultra combos, improved online features, and rebalanced characters.

However, this isn’t a downloadable add-on for Street Fighter IV. You see, when Street Fighter IV was in development, certain aspects of code weren’t laid out in a way to support the features being added to Super Street Fighter IV. As a result, SSFIV will be released as a standalone disc that won’t be sold at full price.

But, don’t get rid your copy of Street Fighter IV just yet. According to its producer, Yoshinori Ono, SSFIV offers SFIV owners a bonus content that Capcom hasn’t revealed yet. As far as what to expect from the new game, Super Street Fighter IV will be a mix of feedback by Street Fighter IV fans, and a mixture of new content that the team had originally planned to add to Street Fighter IV.

As a result, the game’s original roster of 25 characters is being bumped up by roughly eight new playable characters, including T. Hawk and Juri, as Capcom is looking to add both new and retro characters to the mix. Super Street Fighter IV is slated to ship in spring of 2010 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

When grasping his hands on Project Natal for the first time, Konami‘s Hideo Kojima was caught smitten by Microsoft‘s motion sensing technology, he revealed during a Q&A session at the Tokyo Game Show. He told the crowd that he was shocked by the experience of Natal. “I had to restrain myself from telling everyone I met,” Kojima said.

He believes Natal will raise the bar in all aspects of entertainment and allow people to be connected with their machines in a way that we’ve encountered only in science fiction – I think that he was thinking around the lines of Minority Report, or something like that. Even people who are not gamers can be a part of it because Natal is based on intuition, something that will take video games to a whole new level of interactivity.

“Using Natal, I’d like to come up with a completely new game that no one has seen before. I know I have lots of fans that are loyal to me, and I don’t want to leave them behind. So maybe I can come up with a car that can fly, so my fans can follow me…metaphorically speaking, of course,” Kojima said during the Panel.

[Konami's Kojima, Capcom's Inafune, Sega's Nagoshi discuss Project Natal's potential via GameSpot]

There’s no doubt in our mines that Heavy Rain is totally going to kick butt when it releases next year; its developers Quantic Dream are very primed on delivering an adult story with an adult narrative. And what wouldn’t be a better way of doing so; then to do so.

As you can tell by the title, this article is obviously about a “nude scene” that takes place during one of the levels in Heavy Rain – in where the player controls a female character who has a gun pointed at her by a mysterious character who is telling her to take off her undergarments (link is not available).

Just to note: Heavy Rain is a game made for the adult gamer. However, this is most likely to draw attention from many “active parents” who are likely going to try and get the games rating reinforced to an “A” – instead of “M” – or they’re going to try and halt the games release, altogether. Anyway, don’t let me ruin your day with this nonsense that’s mostly promoted by FOX, just kidding.

You ever wonder how Ezio looks like as a man? Well, in the latest Assassin’s Creed II trailer from the Tokyo Game Show it features Ezio as a man, not as a assassin.

In Assassin’s Creed II, Ezio Auditore da Firenze is a young Italian noble who will learn the ways of the assassins after his family was betrayed and he looks to seek vengeance. He is a lady’s man, a free soul with panache yet has a very human side to his personality. Through him, you become a master assassin.

Probably one of the most prominent features on the PSPgo is the ability to transfer UMD games onto the digital-only system. However, according a SCEA spokesperson, owners of PSPgo will NOT be able to transfer the UMD disc-based titles onto the system on its launch date – as previously thought.

“We were evaluating a UMD conversion program, but due to legal and technical reasons we will not be offering the program at this time,” the SCEA spokesman reported Kotaku. If you go back to this year’s E3 Expo, Sony did state that they were hoping to allow UMD games to be transferred over to the PSPgo by its launch. But, that didn’t turn out as we hoped.

Today, Rockstar revealed a new character that will be featured in Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony, Yusuf Amir – who is obviously a main character in the game – via a trailer.

The exclusive 360 episode, Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony, will put players in the role of Luis Lopez, as his part-time hoodlum duties are supplemented by full-time work for nightclub impresario Tony “Gay Tony” Prince. The Ballad of Gay Tony will release on Xbox LIVE this October for $19.99 or 1600 MS points and requires players to have Grand Theft Auto IV for Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE membership to download.

Today, Nintendo confirmed that the Nintendo Wii, “the world’s most popular home video game system”, will receive a price cut. The price cut will take effect on September 27 in the United States, and, as advertised, the console will drop down to $199.99 – which is exactly $50 less then the current price of $249.99.

“Wii has reached more video game players than any game system before because it attracts everyone—both men and women, and people of all ages,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. ”Our research shows there are 50 million Americans thinking about becoming gamers, and this more affordable price point and our vast array of new software mean many of them can now make the leap and find experiences that appeal to them, whatever their tastes or level of gaming experience.”

So what! Conviction didn’t actually make its 2009 release schedule, but those who are eagerly awaiting Sam Fisher’s return won’t have to wait much longer. According to IGN, UbiSoft officially “nailed” its release date, basically, setting it up for a February 23rd release in the United States.

For those in Europe, you’ll have to wait a couple of extra days – exactly how many “extra days” is still a mystery. Also, both the Xbox 360 and PC versions will hit store selves at the same time, which is more good news. “The added few months of development time is being used for final polishing and tweaking,” added Ubisoft. More news on the European release date should be revealed soon.

Today, 2K Games announced that BioShock 2, the highly anticipated sequel to 2007 Game of the Year, will be available worldwide on February 9, 2010. The good news being that BioShock 2 stayed within the first half of 2010 time frame – as stated when they delayed the game. The bad news, we’ll still have to wait a bit longer.

Currently in development for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, “BioShock 2 will deliver two unique, yet intertwined experiences that form the perfect blend of explosive first-person shooter combat, compelling storytelling and intense multiplayer action” – reads the press release. Once again, BioShock 2 will be available worldwide on February 9, 2010.

The upcoming month of October is loaded with potentially excellent titles, one of those titles, absolutely, being Codemasters‘ Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising. However, little is known about the games Multiplayer component, until know.

In a report posted by The Lost Gamer, it revealed that the entire campaign can be played cooperatively; you can enlist “up to three other online Marines and take on the opposition.” Each mission can be played with a different fire team so don’t worry about leading one team through the entire campaign, which is a plus – if there’s quitters.

Dragon Rising is home also to a PVP (Player Vs Player) system. In this mode, you can set yourself up with three AI controlled Marines and go head to head against a friend or foe. The game also features two other modes of play called Annihilation and Infiltration, which will see you and your merry band of soldiers engage in the ultimate wargame across Skira Island.

Annihilation will see both teams start at either end of the battlefield with the ultimate arsenal of weaponry at their disposal and then its a fight to the death with the winning team being the last man standing. Infiltration on the other hand will see one team holding a location on the map whilst the other team will take on the role of a covert Special Forces squad and its their job to take over the location. Dragon Rising releases on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on October 6th.

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.”

Screenwriter Roger Avary and producer Samuel Hadida have signed on for the sequel to their 2006 video game adaptation, Silent Hill reports TheHollywoodReporter. The original movie, based on the hit Konami title, centered on a woman who travels to a desolate town seeking help for her ailing daughter only find supernatural occurrences taking place in the town.

Roger Avery, best known for the script in Pulp Fiction, is also penning video game adaptation “Return to Castle Wolfenstein“. The Silent Hell movie deal is one of several projects under Samuel Hadida’s company. In which Hadida counts Resident Evil, “Good Night, and Good Luck” and “The Rules of Attraction” under his belt.

Created & Written by: Jerry Bonner; Animation & Design by: Matt Garafalo; Technical Wizardry by: Joel Young; Narration by: George Filip; Music by: Blitz

This animated short was originally created back in March to be part of our “family” gaming show, GAME TIME! The basic idea behind the “‘Great Moments in Video Gaming” segment was to take a fun and/or historical glance back at the people, technology and ideas that shaped the interactive entertainment industry into what it is today. Important lessons are proffered during the course of these segment(s) but nothing is forced – everything is presented in an entertaining manner, much like “Sesame Street” or “The Electric Company,” so the viewers are learning without really knowing it…and (hopefully) having a good time doing it! The last thing we want to do is to be heavy handed or hit people over the head with what we are doing.

Initially, the Dreamcast wasn’t going to be the topic of our “pilot” piece. Since this was our debut show I, naturally, wanted to start at the beginning, so the 1961, MIT developed SPACEWAR! (considered by many to be the first, “true” video game) was my original choice of topic. But, after knocking it about for a bit, SPACEWAR! seemed somewhat obscure and not “sexy” enough of a subject for the pilot episode. So, after some additional thought on the matter, Sega’s Dreamcast was ultimately chosen as the topic for the big, GAME TIME! kickoff. And, with the help of my talented co-conspirators, I think the final result turned out to be a more than fitting “Swan Song” for Sega’s last hurrah in the console hardware market.

Looking back, it’s hard to believe that 10 years have passed since 9/9/99. So much has happened to us as a nation, and to me personally, since that day. I won’t get into a laundry list of everything here, as it isn’t really pertinent, but I do vividly recall all the hype and hubbub surrounding the DC’s numerically savvy launch date. I wasn’t silly (or brave…) enough to get my Dreamcast on that first day, as I’m not a huge fan of sleeping outside on cold concrete or waiting in deathly looooong lines. I did, however, manage to score one about month later at a KB Toy store of all places. And I fell in love with that little, white machine as soon as I unboxed it and fired up my first gridiron battles of NFL 2K, then handed out several, chop-sockey beatdowns in Soul Calibur and topped my evening off by collecting an overabundance of gold rings in Sonic Adventure. Good, good times.

Since I was the defacto gamer in my family AND just dropped a pretty substantial amount of cash on the system (plus the games), my initial opinion of the Dreamcast was somewhat biased. I mean, I HAD to love it, right? I couldn’t justify the purchase otherwise. So, I took my alabaster baby (with that adorable, red curly-Q) over to my brother’s house that weekend to gauge his reaction and (tried) to get an unprejudiced estimation of the system as a whole. It was at this moment when I fully understood the power of the Dreamcast and the true “generational leap” that this system was.

As the intro/demo of Soul Calibur played on my brother’s TV, his eyes widened to almost comical proportions and his jaw grew slack. The only awestruck words he could manage were, “Holy shit, this is better than the arcades…”

True dat, my brother. True dat.

Please enjoy the video. I can truthfully say that it was a labor of love and a blast to make. Hopefully, we’ll get to do more at some point…

VIVA LA DREAMCAST!

~ Jerry Bonner

Jerry Bonner is a writer and journalist whose work has appeared in GQ, EGM, 1UP, What They Play, Yahoo!, Ars Technica, Game Focus Canada, Geeks of Doom and Game Stooge. He also worked for the ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) for a time as the Senior Game Content Rater. He currently lives in Southern New Jersey with his wife and four children.

Sony’s Sixaxis motion controller technology hasn’t been gaining much limelight as of lately. But, Team Ninja has announced something that’s about to change that. And that’s, that Ninja Gaiden Σ (Sigma) 2 will feature the Sixaxis tech for boob jiggling.

Not only will players have the chance to refined neck breaking ninja combat, but Team Ninja has implanted (sorry, I could resist) a feature that allows you to control over the overflowings of the ladies of Ninja Gaiden Σ 2. ”We can, proudly announce that Ninja Gaiden Σ 2 will have Sixaxis compatibility,” a spokesperson told the TheSixthaxis. “You waggle the pad, the girl’s tits bounce.”

Announced in Japan last month, Sony Computer Entertainment America announced their newest installment to the growing list of “Entertainment Pack” bundles for the PSP, the Limited Edition Gran Turismo Entertainment Pack for North America.

The limited edition entertainment pack includes a “Mystic Silver” PSP-3000 system, Gran Turismo PSP on UMD, PlayStation Network downloadable movie voucher (title to be announced), a 2GB Memory Stick PRO Duo, and a music voucher good for 10 downloadable songs from Sony Music Pass. The Entertainment Pack will release on October 20 for $199.99 in North America.

“Gran Turismo is one of the most successful gaming franchises in history, so what better way to mark Gran Turismo’s premiere on the PSP system than by offering it with the only portable device that can deliver its rich, true-to-life graphics and unrivaled driving experience,” said John Koller, Director, Hardware Marketing, SCEA.

Prepare to take an explosive look at the NVIDIA PhysX technology behind Eidos Inc. and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s critically acclaimed action-adventure video game Batman: Arkham Asylum. Journey deep within the walls of Arkham Asylum and enjoy the hyper-realistic physical and environmental real-time gaming effects in the new “PhysX Trailer” as Batman battles against some of Gotham’s most notorious enemies.

It’s no secret that Blizzard Entertainment has been working on a new MMO, even teasing at its development via a job listing. However, it wasn’t until BlizzCon that World of Warcraft director, Jeffrey Kaplan confirmed that Blizzard is “definitely involved” in a new MMO. “I think the great part about a new MMO from Blizzard is that it doesn’t have to be ‘WoW‘,” he said to MTV. “There are a lot of lessons we learned in making ‘World of Warcraft,’ and some of those you can take and do things better than you ever did before.”

When being asked about the possibility of their new MMO being cannibalizing to “WoW” subscribers, Kaplan stated that he wasn’t worried at all, and that the company was going to great lengths to make sure that, that doesn’t happen. But, with the recent success of high fantasy MMOs, one must wonder if there’s any more room for MMOs of WoW’s kind.

“Oh yeah,” Kaplan said. “I only think [non-high fantasy MMOs] have a harder time because of the past games that have tried and the game design decisions that they made, not because of the [intellectual property] or the setting that they chose.” Kaplan also added that the next-gen MMO is very early in development and, like all Blizzard titles, it’s “going to be a while” before we see it.

Gee willikers Batman! Today, the highly anticipated, Batman: Arkham Asylum, was awarded a Guinness World Record for the “Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever”. Arkham Asylum broken Guinness World Record in this category by achieving the highest average score of 91.67 from reviews, and reviewers, around the world.

When awarding the development team over at Rocksteady Studios, Gaz Deaves from Guinness World Records states that, “[They] are so pleased to be awarding Batman: Arkham Asylum a Guinness World Record. It is a fantastic new game and due to the reaction of gaming experts we believe it has a well deserved place in the Guinness World Records book.”

With the Japanese release of Final Fantasy XIII slowly coming upon us, it’s time for Square to start revealing the heavy details on Final Fantasy XIII. In the latest issue of Famitsu, Square Enix did exactly that by revealing two new characters that will be featured in the game – reports the Examiner. The first, of course, is the lovely lady pictured, Jill Nabato.

When first shown, Jill was quickly dubbed as the female version of Sephiroth. But, officially, Jill is a lieutenant of the government who controls the PSICOM soldiers, and is said to be a cold-blooded, heartless woman. The second character revealed is Yaag. Like Jill, Yaag is also a lieutenant. He has a strong sense of justice and carries a very serious demeanor. One of his primary concerns is protecting the people of Cocoon. Since Cocoon is his primary concern, he views Lightning and her companions as pests that are trying to bring unrest to Cocoon.

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Command & Conquer 4 is just to directed, it’s time for some “title redirection”. Today, EA announced the official name for the upcoming iteration into the award-winning real-time strategy series, Command & Conquer 4. Scheduled for a 2010 release, Command & Conquer 4 Tiberian Twilight was chosen by the series’ dedicated fan base as their favorite name for the next installment of the best-selling game franchise.

“Our sophisticated fans are a tremendous community with a great love for the series. We really wanted to involve them in Command & Conquer 4 – what better way than to have them create the title?” said Mike Glosecki, Lead Producer on Command & Conquer 4 at EA Los Angeles. “We were blown away by all the creative names they came up with but the most popular selection, Tiberian Twilight, seemed the best fit, embodying that the saga is coming to a powerful and epic conclusion.”

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!

This news comes straight out of Blizzard’s voice actors panel at BlizzCon. Blizzard has revealed that Battlestar Galactica’s Tricia Helfer will be playing Sarah Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades, in StarCraft II. Along with that, several returning actors will be lending their vocal talents in the game, including Robert Clotworthy and James Harper, reprising their roles as Jim Raynor and Arcturus Mengsk.

“It’s certainly fun to try and find the small differences — how do you bring Sarah Kerrigan into the Queen of Blades, without completely changing it?” said Helfer at the outset of her introduction to the crowd at BlizzCon. “Sarah is more innocent, and the Queen of Blades is just fun.”

“It’s intimidating to come into a game and do a job that you don’t really know the history of it, I’m kind of a video game virgin in terms of playing. Personally I’m not technologically savvy,” Helfer continued. “At the time, I didn’t know what Zerg and all these things were. It was fun to find out all these little differences.”

When talking to IGN, Hideo Kojima confirmed that he has several titles under development over at Kojima Productions, in which one of them he has wanted to do for a very long time.

When talking about the teams newest game engine, Kojima started to list all of the titles under development at Kojima Productions. ”First of all I can name Metal Gear Solid Rising – that’s going to be on the preparation list. Also there’s a new title that we haven’t announced that I’ve wanted to make for a long time – that’s on the list as well. And also a couple of other new titles we’re preparing now,” he said.

“The one that I said that I’ve been wanting to make – this is a new franchise and a new title. For the other couple of titles, it could be something that you always wanted to have. It could be, or it could be something else. It’s a matter of the timing of when we can get it out,” he continued at a future point during the interview.

Update: The PlayStation 3 Slim doesn’t play PS2 games. “Note: This product is not compatible with PlayStation 2 games,” reads the release.

Original: Kaz Hirai, head of all things PlayStation, announced today, during GamesCon, that the long rumored and awaited PlayStation 3 Slim will be available in the first week of September. Hirai detailed the system stating that the system will feature a 120 GB drive. Along with that, he said that it will be 33 percent smaller, 36 percent lighter then the current PlayStation 3.

The PlayStation 3 Slim will be priced at $299 in the U.S., 299 euros, 29980 yen. Sony also announced at their GamesCom conference that it will add e-reader technology to its PSP handheld devices, introducing digital comics from Marvel and other publishers. The e-reader technology PSPs will release in December.

Well-known British humorist and author Danny Wallace will be cast as one of the key roles in Assassin’s Creed II, Ubisoft announced today. The voice and likeness of Wallace will be cast for the character of Shaun Hastings. A pivotal character in the game, Shaun will serve as a historian, guide and source of information for the player as he proceeds through the game.

“When the UK suggested Danny to us, we were completely open to the idea. Danny has been fantastic to work with, and his manner and particular style of humor has worked out perfect for the role of Shaun” said script writer Corey May. Speaking on his own involvement in the game, Wallace said “Going right back to my days of working on Sega Power, I’ve always been a keen gamer, and being involved – and actually being in a game like Assassin’s Creed II is amazing! I have to say, I’m rather excited.”

With the recent re-configuration of Splinter Cell: Conviction, Ubisoft needed more time to make things prefect. According to Ubisoft’s Production Manager, they gave it time by using Assassin’s Creed as a way to make money, and to continue with the games development.

“Because actually we felt that the game wasn’t well received [at Ubidays] and some of the critics were actually saying that we were missing the gameplay, when we started having maybe a bit of trouble bringing back the core gameplay, and we saw the success that Assassin’s was going to have, Ubisoft made the decision to say, ‘look guys, take the time you need to do this game, we’ve got someone bringing in the money for the next year so we’re okay, we won’t ship a game that’s not good, so go ahead and take the time to do it’,” said Andréane Meunier to Eurogamer.

“That took the pressure off us and allowed us to rework the core values that we wanted to bring out,” he continued.

Leading video game developer BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. today announced the Dragon Age: Origins Collector’s Edition and pre-order incentive program. The Collector’s Edition is a premium package available in limited quantities featuring exclusive Dragon Age: Origins collectibles including a unique steel case, a cloth map of the world of Dragon Age, a Making-of documentary DVD, a digital version of the Dragon Age: Origins soundtrack, game trailers, wallpapers, strategy tips and a concept art video, plus three exclusive downloadable items that will provide special advantages to the player.

The Collector’s Edition is available for pre-order today at www.eastore.ea.com for an MSRP of $74.99 (console) and $64.99 (PC) in North America.

As an added bonus, Dragon Age: Origins (both original and Collector’s Edition) includes two special pieces of downloadable content: The Stone Prisoner, as well as a suit of Dragon Age themed armor that can be used in Dragon Age: Origins as well as in the upcoming BioWare Shooter RPG, Mass Effect 2 on all available platforms.

With The Stone Prisoner download pack, players will have access to Shale, the mighty stone golem who can become one of the most powerful party members in the game, and comes with its own personal back-story and unique quests for the player to discover. The Stone Prisoner will also include new environments, items and hours of additional gameplay, further deepening the epic Dragon Age experience. The Stone Prisoner is available to original purchasers of new copies of Dragon Age: Origins at no additional cost. The Stone Prisoner can also be purchased separately for $15.

In addition, players who purchase a new copy of Dragon Age: Origins (original or Collector’s Edition) will receive a code to download the Blood Dragon Armor, an exclusive set of themed armor that will give the player additional protection in combat. This armor will be available for use in both Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2.

Talk about something not great for kids. Brutal Legend is all about the rock, the cars, hot chicks and demonic forces. Surprisingly, that sums up the 64 kilometer world that is Brutal Legend, a giant landscape filled with essentially rock album cover art, headbangers, giant guitar swords and, inevitably, the occasional cute animal that makes a funny sound when run over.

As Eddie Riggs, or Jack Black since that’s who we’re all really playing as, except with better hair and strangely large chest and broad shoulders, it’s the player’s job to bring order back to the world of rock. How you get there, what you’re doing, who the hot chicks are and where they roam…important, but not for your eyes now.

Brutal Legend is like Ratchet and Clank, except replace the sci-fi world for a down-and-dirty, and I might say awesome looking Earth-ish landscape, Ratchet’s little wrench for a giant axe and an electrifying guitar, and Clank for the occasional hot chick. Oh, and remove the platforming for an open-world feel, and get rid of the kiddy humor for something a little less tasteful, and a lot funnier.

It could be that Ozzie makes an appearance in the demo, helping players make the car Eddie puts together in ten seconds flat into something more respectable. Add on chainguns, art, an engine so big that it blocks the view from the steering wheel…you name it, it can probably be stacked on top of whatever’s on the car already.

So far, the first 15 minutes of the game were not as funny or exciting as I’d hoped. Then again, the insane standard I have, especially when I think a game will be great, doesn’t help in the slightest. Neither does the fact that it was only the first 15 minutes and I wasn’t impressed by the dialog or action incredibly. Then again, the developer commentaries I watched were more interesting, so perhaps it’s only a slow start to a much more exciting game, which I hope and expect. I mean, there’s a list of rock legends doing voice work, Jack Black to make me laugh, and eventually a completely open world to explore and, hopefully tarnish and destroy if it hasn’t been already.

Would I say I was disappointed by the demo? Eh, no. Demos can never be perfect, regardless of who makes them, and I appreciate that. It sucks I wasn’t on the floor, clutching my sides because the GAME WAS SO FUNNY HAHA, but hey, nobody’s perfect. It’s a good warmup, to the full game, so we’ll see if it leaves us hanging, or goes all the way, this Rocktober

I don’t know that much about fighting games, mainly because I grow up in household filled with shooter enthusiasts, but I know for a fact that The King of Fighters series has been around for along time. So long that, if I recall, KOF series played key part as the counter to the popular Street Fighter series. However, over the recent years, The King of Fighters series has lost some of its momentum, make that all of its momentum. Fortunately, The King of Fighters XII doesn’t disappoint.

Boasting a total of 22 fighters, this King of Fighters title is a radical departure from past titles. If you played previous KOF titles, you’ll know that there’s a large amount of fighters normally featured in a game of its kind, but this installment doesn’t have a large group of fighters. The main reason being, for such a low fighter count, is the amount of time the developers spent making a fighter – because all the fighters have been drawn by hand. But, SNK, the developers, have already stated that they’ll be working on more characters as DLC. However, compared with some of the other fighting titles out there, this isn’t a bad turn out.

This hand-drawn style took a lot of man power to create. So much, in fact. That SNK had to set aside a complete team to do the visuals. By doing this, SNK insured very detailed environments and characters. But, as you can tell, this style has a questionable side to it. One, obviously, being the time it takes to create one character. However, as I stated, this is a very good turn out for any fighting game today. Another thing about the characters in the game, KOFXII features a list with character that were in the early titles in the series, this was done with the plan to please fans of the series. And it works.

Speaking of visuals, The King of Fighters XII is absolutely gorgeous – thanks in collaboration to hand-drawn visuals – the game is smooth and stunning. Basically, making up for the series’ lowest franchise count, which, for a fighting title these days, isn’t a bad turn out. However, the key issue with the characters is pixilation. As you can tell, this hand-drawn style is meant for modern day arcades, and it doesn’t play out so will on consoles. Luckily, SNK realized this and added three selectable levels of character filtering options. These filters blur the still-pixilated models making them easier to look at in high-res. But, one can only wonder why KOFXII’s sprites weren’t featured in HD. But, The King of Fighter XII finds all of its triumphs in its combat.

Losing Tactical Shift, the game introduces a Critical Counter and Clash mechanic. Critical Counter mechanics is activated when one player counters an attack with a heavy punch or kick, giving the player that activated it a small window to preform a damaging combo. Along with that, the Clash system works like this, when both fighters strike simultaneously with the same attack, the game breaks the characters up. Anyway, the reactions made by both systems are very enjoyable and entertaining. These aspects are what make the game entertaining and, like I stated, this is were The King of Fighters XII finds its triumph. That and its control scheme.

Closing Statement:

The King of Fighters XII is a mixture of both pain and pleasure. The pain being some of the very poor presentation chooses, like the repetitive menu music, boring menu screens, and a barely functional online component. The pleasure being the awesome gameplay, which is the core of the game making put for almost everything. However, when you put aside all the pains, in which I didn’t list all, you’ll find a true to the heart fighting title. But, because you have to put aside so many mistakes, this game is bitter sweet but it doesn’t disappoint at its core.

Score: B-

Update: Robert Bowling from Infinity Ward tells us that 50 Cent is “one of many squad voices” that will be featured in the multiplayer and Spec Ops modes in Modern Warfare 2. Expect to hear Fifty saying things like”Reloading,” “Watch your fire,” “I’m down, get me up!” and “Tango Down!” according to Bowling.

“He is one of quite a few casual cameos in the game, none of which I can name at this point,” Bowling says. “Benji and Joel of Good Charlotte NOT being one of them. They’re just good friends with Curtis and came along with him when he was here recently to check out his voice in the game.” – via Kotaku.

Original: 50 Cent is ready to make an appearance in yet another video game, but this time it isn’t his own. Instead, he’ll be making a cameo in Activision’s and Infinity Ward’s upcoming title Modern Warfare 2. However, it still unknown if 50′s going to continue his search for his diamond encrusted skull.

Anyway, half-a-dollar will lend is talents as one of the many voices featured in the Multiplayer positions of the game. The rapper dropped the news following a visit to Infinity Ward, during which he played Modern Warfare 2 with Good Charlotte’s Benji and Joel Madden.

There hasn’t been an official announcement, yet, but  Robert Bowling, the developer’s director of communications, stated on his twitter that 50 Cent will be “one of the squad voices in Multiplayer / Spec Ops” – no news on the other two yet.

“Everyone else is just mad ’cause I came from the bottom without them,” 50 states – this isn’t a real statement from 50 himself, but it does sound like something he would say. More news coming soon.

[Modern Warfare 2 Features Cameo From... 50 Cent? via Kotaku]

A backlash against modern day war game, Six Days in Fallujah, saw publisher Konami dropping support for the title, basically, landing Atomic Games, the developer, in hot water. However, without a new publisher for the title, Atomic Game today announced that they’ve, reluctantly, let there some of their developers go because of funding trouble for the title.

“Due to a mixture of fears about the edgy subject matter of Six Days in Fallujah, as well as low videogame sales this summer, we have been unable to secure full-scale funding from a major publisher for Six Days in Fallujah. This has caused us to reduce the size of our studio today,” reads word from the firm.

In the words of Marine officer Chesty Puller, “We’re surrounded. That simplifies the problem.” Development at Atomic will continue with a smaller team that will be funded by our sister company, Destineer – it continues to read.

Reports also emerged that creative director Juan Benito, founder of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon developer Red Storm, is also leaving the developer.

EA CEO John Riccitiello is known for his opinions, which are often controversial, and in his latest outburst, it’s no different. During EA’s Q1 conference call, Riccitiello stated that a price cut will move more hardware, and that they’ll like to see a cut later this year.

“We think pricing will move hardware,” he said. “We anticipate price cuts at some point and we’d like to see them later in the year.” However, so far, the Xbox 360 is the only system to see major price cuts. But, Nintendo hasn’t hinted at a price drop since the sales of its consoles have been going strong, and, recently, Sony has been in the spotlight about thier comments of a price drop for the PlayStation 3. We cant help, but think the comment may have been a clue to Sony to drop the price of its console soon.

Anyway, EA is a big player in the gaming industry and are convinicing enough to change minds of a console manufacturer like Sony. However, if you don’t remember. A few months back, Activision threatened Sony about the price of the PS3, and the lack of a price cut.

Note: This is an article was written for the sole purpose of the Arthur’s experience with Left 4 Dead 2, with his dislikes and likes, however, this isn’t a “hands-on” of the game, but we will have a review once the game has released.

At E3, we were shown the first revealed level of Left 4 Dead 2, the sequel to the revered PC and Xbox 360 title. There, we had our choice of preferred console, select food and drink, and even some excellent posters courtesy of Valve. In case you don’t know, Valve does an excellent E3 suite, and to my knowledge, always has.

EA’s showing of the latest revealed level, a swamp, was a little less homey and a little more ghoulish. Set in the same room as Dragon Age, GI Joe and Saboteur, L4D2 had its own entire wall, and to the right of it a leg sticking out of a wall and a body hanging from the ceiling. A nice touch, though perhaps a little extreme for the fast-paced fun that is Left 4 Dead.

Seated, armed only with puny Xbox 360 controllers (seriously, it’s a PC game, and I’m not being a snob about it), the new team begins in the swamp area. A large building, some marshes and a sniper rifle later, my friend and cameraman, myself, and two strangers were under attack by a horde while trying to escape from one land mass to another. Glitchyness aside (one guy accidentally flew off into the water, for no apparent reason except that the hiding alligators compelled him), the brainless zombie defeat was at hand.

I spent half the fight halfway down a ledge in the water, unable to pick myself back up. This, of course, wouldn’t have been a problem if my teammates didn’t have either the brainpower of a piece of toast or the finger dexterity of roasted duck. Suffice to say, I’m used to playing on the hardest difficult on the PC. Normal on the Xbox 360, no matter how much I distaste using a controller for this game, is still ridiculously easy for a veteran, and is only good as fuel for hating your inept teammates even more.

So if you see or have seen any videos of EA’s showcase, you may have heard me yelling at them to do things properly. Like shooting their guns, or throwing pipe bombs/molotov cocktails, or picking up the new incendiary ammo over and over when a horde attacked near a weapons cache.

What does this all mean? It means that Left 4 Dead 2 is as good, if not better, than the first. A few new bosses, larger open areas and more necessary teamwork mean player compatibility is at an all time high, and I was taken out by Valve and beaten with an ego-crushing stick to learn that. At least when it was done, I had that prop zombie to high five, since their side did pretty damn good in comparison to the puny human survivors.

Speaking exclusively to Gamesindustry.biz, Ubisoft Game Designer Michael de Plater acknowledges that the festive holiday season is a “brutal” duration to release new IPs and that many good games could fall wayside as a result.

“It’s a bit tough to launch a new IP exactly at Christmas when you’re head-to-head with blockbuster sequels. It’s interesting to see a number of big titles, like Heavy Rain, being targeted at 2010 to avoid the Christmas rush,” he explained. “And Ubisoft’s got Ruse coming out in 2010. Even God of War 3′s in 2010, that’s how brutal it is. I mean, you’ve got Assassins Creed 2, Modern Warfare 2, Mass Effect 2.”

“To me, it’s been a period of enormous change, and the last four years I would say has been the time when games have actually surpassed movies as the premium blockbuster entertainment,” he continues.

Speaking of, the summer is basically an empty season for video games. I don’t know why developers and publishers can’t just space things out because, like I said, the summer season is basically empty for video games.

Arriving on September 15 is WET, a third-person shooter from Bethesda Softworks for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Even though few details about the game have been revealed, we know that in WET players take the role of Rubi Malone, a woman who is on a mission to hunt down the man that left her for dead.

“We are extremely excited to bring WET to gamers on September 18th,” said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. “A2M has created an explosive gaming experience and the action is non-stop from start to finish.”

“We’ve worked really hard to make WET different from any other action game available”, said Patrick Fortier, Creative Director at A2M. “When players experience the game’s unique blend of gunplay, sword combat and acrobatics, they won’t want to put the controller down.”

In an interview with Tim Schafer, it revealed that Brütal Legend will have a unique feature not presented in many M-Rated games, a profanity filter. This profanity filter will allow the players of Brütal Legend to turn on and off a filter that censors in-game profanity, “bleeping out” swear words, and putting shields over improper visuals.

“But there’s a certain age where – there are certain players who are old enough, but just don’t really like playing with all that stuff. So we actually put two things up: there’s a profanity filter in the game, where you can actually turn it on and it’ll actually bleep all the language out, and it’ll actually cover certain profane things with the ‘parental advisory’ sign, which is in itself is a reference to the PMRC, right, which is part of the history of heavy metal,” said Schafer when speaking to Planet Xbox 360.

“It’s optional, so you can turn it on if you want. There’s also a gore filter, which you can turn off, and you won’t be dismembered and there won’t be blood. It’s for those people who like playing with their kids, or who just don’t like it.”

This filter will open the option for parents to play Brütal Legend with their kids, while protecting their innocents for the time being. Schafer also mentions that bleeping out swear words in the game adds the possibility of making the in-game jokes funnier, and make your imagination run wild with the options of what the person is actually saying.

As reported by so many sources stating that Gearbox maybe working on the next Halo project, which was unofficially titled Halo 4. It seems that you may scratch Gearbox off the list of developers that are making the next Halo title because on the official twitter account for Halo Waypoint, it confirmed that the developer is not involved in any upcoming Halo projects.

“For the record, Gearbox is NOT working on a Halo title for Microsoft,” the twitter feed read.

Microsoft was e-mail by IGN to confirmed this.

UbiSoft briefly mentioned in their financial report today that several of their major upcoming titles have been delayed. Yes, including Conviction.

Anyway, Splinter Cell: Conviction and Red Steel 2, both of which were slotted for holiday 09 releases, have now been pushed into early 2010. And, in other news, I Am Alive and Ghost Recon 4 were, unluckily, hit with even bigger delays, pushing them into UbiSoft’s 2010-11 fiscal year, which means a release in April of 2010 at the absolute earliest.

“We are disappointed that we have to postpone the release of several major games but we consider that this choice is the best one in the long-term interests of Ubisoft,” reads the publisher’s latest financial report.

During the company’s panel at the San Diego Comic Con, Top Cow, an American comic book publisher, confirmed that the sequel to The Darkness is indeed under development.

However, the game isn’t being developed by 2K Games. VG247 got confirmation from Starbreeze CEO Johan Kristianssn saying the developer isn’t involved this time around. ”I heard that there were talks about a Darkness sequel, but Starbreeze is not involved in anything like that right now. We are busy on two projects together with EA,” Kristiansson said.

No other information was revealed on the development of the sequel.

Forever. Sadly, that’s how long THQ and Jakks Pacific have been fighting over the net rate sales associated their WWE video game series, more pacifically back in 2006 when the net rate increased. Today, that conflict has been settled, declaring THQ the winner.

“As we expected, we have prevailed in this matter,” said James M. Kennedy, THQ’s executive VP of business and legal affairs, in a statement. “We are gratified the arbitrator agreed the preferred return rate to Jakks Pacific on WWE video games will be significantly lower.”

With the net rate now set at 6 percent, THQ will pay Jakks Pacific $34 million for the period between July 1, 2006 and March 31, 2009, which is 23 million less than what it would have owed if it was settled in Jakks favor. Now, at least they can find means on something.