Final Fantasy PSP Details

Square/Enix is releasing a special package of Final Fantasy IV this April on the PSP- That's going to be a global release. There's also going to be a special edition coming that's only been announced for Europe at this point, that might change- but in the meantime, here's a shot and list of goodies in the pack to get you drooling.

FEATURES
·         Definitive collection of one of the greatest RPGs of all time: First packaged release of THE AFTER YEARS
·         An epic tale spanning nations, worlds, and generations: Brand new stories to further expand the revolutionary story line of FINAL FANTASY IV
·         All new cast of friends family, and foes: Fall in love with Cecil, Rosa, Kain, Rydia, and Edge again while getting to know Ceodore and a whole new cast of characters
·         Vibrant visuals and unforgettable melodies: Includes all new 2D graphics designed for PSP System’s 16x9 format, plus a new arrangement of one of the most acclaimed video game soundtracks of all time!

Full release after the jump-

Nintendo Download -- 'Bit.Trip Epic' edition

BIT.TRIP FLUX, the third game in the BIT.TRIP series, is the big release this week on the Nintendo Wii download service- there isn't really much else but that's okay when you've got CommanderVideo keepin' you company.

Painkiller Redemption Released for PC

Painkiller is an odd game, it's been around forever, a lot of people like it- but for some reason, it's never really 'taken off', you know? Nonetheless, developer JoWood is still supporting the niche blast-a-thon with new content.

Painkiller Redemption is now available on Steam for the amazingly low price of $4.49- a great deal for a lot of action. Now, technically this is an expansion pack but here's the thing- it's stand alone. You don't need to have any of the previous 'Killers installed to play- you also get quite the bang for your buck:

About the game
The kingdom of heaven is threatened by a ruthless army from hell. Two champions, Daniel and Belial, who we already know as the two previous heroes of the series, combine their forces and join the never-ending battle between good and evil.

Features

• Standalone Add-On
• 7-10 hours playtime
• Transform yourself into a demon once you've collected enough souls!
• Use the occult powers of tarot cards
• More than 6,000 enemies and up to 1,000 monsters on all of the 6 new maps
• Easy to use map editor for your very own Painkiller experience
• Adrenaline pumping soundtrack

Add to that that Steam is having a 10% off sale on the game right now and you've got a nic e little deal there- that's .50 people! Two quarters!!!

New LEGO Star Wars III Screens Show off Boss Battles

Looking pretty nice and large scale are these boss battle shots from the upcoming LEGO Star Wars sequel- LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars.

The screens look good- graphics and designs look high quality as usual, but it seems like there isn't really much that can be done at this point to make these games feel... different. LEGO is LEGO and all of the LEGO games in general have very similar looks to them- which is not to say that they aren't fun. In fact, for fans of whatever subject they're based on, they can be a lot of fun- It's just that they're all very familiar.

It looks like for The Clone Wars, the focus is going to be on much larger battles and impressive 'boss' set pieces and characters. The game launches for just about every console (including the 3DS) next month, we'll find out then if the Force is strong with this one.

Meet the Rookie Busters of Sanctum of Slime

In case you haven't been paying attention, Sanctum of Slime is the pseudo-sequel to last year's Ghostbusters the Videogame. Even if you have been paying attention though, you may not have known that there are no actual classic Ghostbusters featured in the game- instead, you'll be playing as, and alongside, an expansion team of rookies.

And just who are these rookies, Dr.Venkman? Click through to find out- Sanctum of Slime will be available for download on March 23

New MacBook Pros Have Arrived

The Apple store was down this afternoon for a good reason (well, some of you might think it's a good reason) - the new MacBook Pros are here. These bad boys come in three flavors: 13", 15", and 17" and they run $1199 on the low end up to $2400 maxed out.

Can you... resist!?!

No?

Xbox LIVE Wrapup -- 'The Tom Clancy Experience' edition

This week it's all Clancy. All the time. Loads of stuff. All on sale. Enjoy...

*There's also the Dragon Age 2 and LEGO Star Wars III demo's.

Orcs Must Die!

No really- Orcs Must Die! is the first effort from former Ensemble staffers newest venture, robot entertainment. OMD! is an action strategy hybrid title that has exactly zero respect for green skins:

Robot Entertainment unveiled their latest creation today, the fantasy action-strategy game Orcs Must Die!™A white-knuckle blend of action and strategy, Orcs Must Die! challenges players to defend fortresses under siege. With a wide variety of traps and weapons to choose from, Orcs Must Die! dares players to find the best ways to hack, launch, flatten, gibletize, and incinerate an endless army of filthy orcs and their vile allies. Orcs Must Die! features a vibrant look, addictive gameplay, and a blatant disregard for the welfare of orcs.

Maiming the Orcish will be a download only affair that will appear on PC's, LIVE, and the PSN this summer. Click through the break for the full release as well as some very nice screens of the title in action-

iPad 2 Coming Next Wednesday

Apple is having a press event next Wednesday- March 2nd -and it's all but confirmed that the iPad 2 will be officially shown off. We reported late last year that the Apple Corps should expect to be shelling out for a new 'Pad come early Spring of 2011 and it looks like that'll be the case- get ready.

Dead Space 2 Sprawls Out With 'Severed'

 More story in DLC is something that is sorely lacking in just about every downloadable pack that's released. Usually all we get is some more 'maps' or 'game types'- but nothing added to the meat and potatoes of most titles- the single player experience.

Sure there's the notable exception of the occasional game like Bioshock 2 that offers a premium solo adventure (Minerva's Den), but how often does that really happen? Not very- which is why Visceral Games' first large scale DLC pack for it's hit action/horror title Dead Space 2 is such a breath of fresh air.

The content, actually an all new story expansion, is entitled Severed and takes place once again in the massive mega-city known as the Sprawl. But don't look for series protagonist Isac Clarke- the player character this time around is none other than Dead Space Extraction's security officer, Gabe Weller.

Gabe comes equipped with an enhanced Pulse Rifle as well as a custom security suit. Which he'll need as Severed also re-introduces the Twitcher- a baddie from the original game.

Video Games | Dead Space 2 | Severed DLC Trailer

Xbox 360 | PlayStation 3 | Nintendo Wii | PC Games                                

Dead Space Severed will be available March 2nd on the PSN and Xbox LIVE services. Full release is post jump along with a list of all the DLC armor and weapon packs that are available right now for the game-

Last Shuttle Launch PSNcast

Want to watch history in the making?

As you may or may not be aware, the final launch of NASA's Space Shuttle program is today- February 24th -at 4:50pm Eastern. To commemorate this event, Sony's PSN will be broadcasting it live from within PS Home's Sunset Yacht location.

So log in and head over to the big boat at ten to five and witness the end of a era as Shuttle Discovery lifts off into infinity. It's a big time event that's worth a couple minutes of your life. After all, NASA doesn't seem to have any (public) plans in place yet for a (public) Shuttle successor- so it might be a long time before you can see (publicly) something like this again.

L.A.Noire Box Art Revealed

Rockstar's gritty detective story launches May 17th

Dead Island Trailer Proving Pretty Darn Popular

Wow this game has buzz- Techland's long delayed, recently trailer'd, zombie melee fest, Dead Island has scored massive amounts of press since it's extremely impressive video debut.

It's getting so huge that the game has already amassed more than 100,000 'friends' on Facebook, is being plastered all over Twitter by random people who glitter (Simon Pegg!) and is being talked about and generally showcased by dozens of media outlets. In fact, The LA Times asks if this could be "the best trailer in years".

All this over a teaser that doesn't even have any gameplay footage. Full release after the jump including some links to the above and a tiny little bit about the story-

Dead Island will be out this year for the PS3, Xbox 360, & PC.

Gran Turismo 5 Speeds Past 6 Million in Sales

Gran Turismo 5 used to be vaporware- now it's just plain vapor as it continues to speed right off of store shelves. The latest entry into the long running Gran Turismo series of 'driving simulators', GT5 has now officially passed 6 million units sold on the global level.

Think we'll see a sequel?

Kinect SDK Announced

Well this is somewhat unexpected- Microsoft has announced that an SDK (software development kit) for it's popular Kinect motion controllerless camera array will be available for download later this year for the PC.

The intent of releasing a “starter kit” for application developers is to make it easier for academic research and enthusiast communities to create even richer experiences using Kinect technology.

The hacked stuff without the SDK has been amazing- now that the system is all laid out for would-be developers? The sky's the limit is probably an understatement.

PSN Update -- 'JRPG' edition

Two big RPG classics land on the PSN this week as Xenogears (PSOne Classics) and Y's I&II (PSP) land on the service. But that's not all! There's a lot to like this week as we also get the Dragon Age 2, MLB The Show, and LEGO Star Wars III demos. On top of that, the Killzone Retro map pack is also available!

There's Space Ace too... don't know how much interest there is in that one...

Gears of War 3 Box Art Unveiled

Gears 3 now has a box. We all knew it would come to this:

Now this is actually the European version of GoW 3, but the NA pack should be similar. No word yet on the inevitable special editions of the game but we'll post them as soon as we have them.

Gears of War 3 Release Date Announced

Gears of War 3 will emerge on September 20th.

One of the standard bearer's for the Xbox 360 and one of the most popular shooter series in recent years, the upcoming third entry in Epic Software's Gears of War will cap off the story arch that began in the original GoW.

Not that you need to wait quite that long to saw some Locust in half- if you pick up Bulletstorm (for the Xbox 360) during it's first run you'll be able to get in on the Multiplayer Beta test for the game. (again- only with the 360 version of the game)

Click through the jump for a mini story synopsis and some new features the Gears 3 will boast-

The Guild Season 4 Now Available on iTunes

If you're a fan of the hugely popular web comedy series The Guild (or just Felicia Day... or maybe Wil Wheaton?) and you haven't been keeping up with the current season then you're in luck- season 4 of the show is now available in it's entirety on iTunes for your purchasing/downloading pleasure at the price of just $9.99 American.

Official verbiage is post break-

Total War Shogun 2 Demo Now Available

If you've been looking forward to the release of SEGA's newest strategy title for the PC, Shogun 2, then you'll be happy to know that you can go grab the demo right now on steam. It's actually a fairly chunky taste of what's to come as you'll get to play through the entire Chosokabe tutorial campaign which gives you several different types of combat to master and is capped off with the historic battle of  Sekigahara.

So commence downloading and get familiar quick, because Total War Shogun 2 launches March 15th.

3DS Launch Lineup Confirmed

The launch of Nintendo's newest handheld (March 27th) is just around the corner and the launch lineup has officially been set in stone! There's an official list, just made available by Nintendo, that details all 18 games that will absolutely, no foolin', be out on day 1.

There actually may be a few more depending on what you read or who you talk to though. But either way- click through the jump for the definites-

New Warriors: Legends of Troy Screens

Tecmo/Koei has dropped a bunch of new screens for it's upcoming hack and slash Warriors: Legends of Troy on our heads today. The game is looking pretty nice-

Crossing fingers that this won't be another Argonauts.

Risen Sequel in the Works

Deep Silver announced today that a sequel to it's niche RPG Risen, dubbed Risen: Dark Tides, is in the works. The game will be remade from the ground up with an all new 'technical foundation' and setting.

And apparently that means pirating aplenty as buccaneering plays a huge part in the game that seems to have a big part of it's adventure set at sea. We haven't really seen a pirate game in a while- let alone a sea dog themed role player. This one could be one to watch, full release is post jump-

Nintendo Download -- 'Faxanadu' edition

The classic NES RPG Faxanadu makes it's Virtual Console debut along side a bunch of Wiiware demo's and some original DSiware titles.

New Thor Trailer Up - Looks Awesome

It's gonna be a good summer for comic fans-

3DS AR Cards Detailed

MCV is today reporting that the 3DS will ship with a total of six AR, or Augmented reality, cards packed in the box. These cards will bring one two-dimensional character into third-dimensional space when viewed with the 3DS' camera array.

Previously we've only seen the '?' block card demoed, which featured a dragon- the others are:

• Mario
• Samus
• Kirby
• Pikmin
• Cel-Shaded Link

Here's to hoping that Nintendo does something interesting with this. It has tons of possibilities-

Dead Island Lights up the Net

Just when you thought the zombie genre was dead and gone (or at least go-ing), it pops right back up in your face like the rotting, stinking, corpse it is.

Dead Island was making the rounds a while back ('07) but now has returned with a truly exceptional trailer- there's no actual gameplay in there but there's no denying how well it was put together. And that's something that gives just the smallest clue to the final game's level of quality.

Video Games | Dead Island | Cinematic Trailer

Xbox 360 | PlayStation 3 | Nintendo Wii | PC Games                                 

The official release is after the break, including some tid-bits about the way the game will play as well as some RPG elements thrown in for good measure-

Playstation Move Sniper Rifle on the Way From CTA Digital

Yes a sniper rifle. But it's way more than that- this thing snaps apart and becomes a bunch of different Move compatible weapons.



So. cool. It'll be available at the end of the month for around thirty bones-

New Titles Added to the Turbo Gamebox

The Turbografx-16 Gamebox, for those who don't know, is an official emulator that was released on the iPhone App store a while back. It comes pre-loaded with a game and acts as a portal to buy more titles that appeared on the classic console.

Developer Hudson has just updated said box of games with a couple newbies for your purchasing and subsequent enjoyment. And they are:

·         Bonk's Revenge by HUDSON SOFT
·         Detana!! TwinBee by KONAMI
·         Double Dungeons by NCS/extreme
·         Kaizou Choujin Shubibinman by NCS/extreme
·         Benkei Gaiden by SUNSOFT


Not a bad assortment, especially if you're a fan of large domed cavemen. And really, who isn't?

Xbox LIVE Wrapup -- 'Contra' edition

Okay, so Hard Corps Uprising isn't called Contra. You won't find it in the title- we looked.

But everything about this new LIVE Arcade title from Konami screams out the classic game's name fr the whole world to hear. It's a little bit re-boot, a little bit homage. If you remember the NES days and dieing a thousand times over from intercepting giant glowing bullets with your face, then you just might enjoy this blast down memory lane.

Super Mario All Stars Gets Second Printing

Super Mario All Stars has been a big success for Nintendo. Which should be amazing considering it's just a re-packaging of the original SNES Mario compilation from the mid-nineties, but almost all things Mario are golden and this is no different.

In fact, the 25th anniversary pack was such a monster seller for the Wii that stores burned through all of their stock almost immediately. So now, since so many fans missed out on All Stars, Nintendo has announced a second printing of the game.

This "final run" of the game will be available on March 13th and will be identical to the first printing- right down to the collector's booklet and soudtrack.

PSN Update -- 'Back... to the Future!' edition

Doc and Marty make up the biggest release this week on the PSN. Back to the Future episode 1 (of 5) is finally up after being out on the PC for a while now. You can download the game for free as a demo or as part of a $19.99 season pass which nets you all 5 episodes of BttF.

If you're a big fan of the series, the pack seems more than worth it-

Also this week, we get a few PSOne classics (that you've more than likely never heard of) and Tactics Ogre appears as a downloadable for the PSP.

New Arkham City Screens are No Joke

The Joker makes his appearance in the latest release of screens of this Rocksteady's upcoming Batman sequel- Arkham City. Looking much the worse for wear, presumably from his experience at the end of Arkham Asylum, the clown prince of crime has set up a whole fun house full of... fun... for the caped crusader to punch in the face.

New Halo: Reach Defiant Map Pack Lands in March

Ready for some new maps Spartan?

The next multiplayer map pack, dubbed the Defiant pack, will be available for downloading this March on the Xbox 360 for 800mspts. You might also be interested to learn that the pack comes with a tidy little package of 150 gamerscore ripe for unlocking.

Ahhh achievements- what would we do without you? Click through the jump for a bunch more screens and detailed descriptions of the new levels-

Happy Valenslime Day from Nintendo

*ahem*

Why slime you ask? Because Dragon Quest VI is now available for the Nintendo DS- that's why! And 'slime' of course refers to the iconic slime baddie that has plagued every hero in every Dragon Quest game... ever.

Even though this is technically a re-release since the original game came out in 1995, DQ (Dragon Quest, not Dairy Queen) 6 still brings something new to the table in it's first appearance on the DS. Both new players and series fans who've already played this previously 'only in Japan' version of the game may likewise find something new to enjoy- new graphics, new character 'options', as well as some new 'challenges' sprinkled in there somewhere are sure to please.

Take a look at the release after the jump for some more info, and remember to have a happy, and safe, Valenslime-

Nintendo Download -- 'VD' Edition

Yes it's Valentine's Day once again- and the Nintendo Download service is all atwitter with that warm, gushy, feeling of Pucca and Treasure Hunter X.

Those are the pair of headline titles for this week anyway, whether or not you feel they match up with Valentine's Day or not is entirely up to you.

Nintendo Adds New Rewards to the Club

Two brand new reward items have been added to the Club Nintendo reward system today:

• The Game & Watch: Ball replica is modeled after the original version first launched by Nintendo in 1980. The game itself offers classic portable gaming fun, challenging players to toss and catch a series of balls without allowing them to drop. Club Nintendo members can get their hands on this unique item by redeeming 1,200 Coins.
• The Nintendo DS carrying pouch is made from a soft, suede-like material and is available in red or blue, each with a reversible gray interior. The pouch also has an adjustable drawstring, a Club Nintendo logo on the gray side and one of several different retro-styled 2D Mario™ character patches on the colored side. Pouches will be available to Club Nintendo members for 250 Coins each.

Oh Mario, you even make a boring pouch sound fun...

Enslaved's Poor Sales Explained

Namco Bandai's VP of Marketing Charlson Choi tells website siliconera.com that the company knows why Enslaved struggled to move 500k copies- Christmas.

Choi says that the game, a new IP for Namco, was simply released at the wrong time of year. The pre-Holiday season is the biggest time of the year for game releases- or more specifically: monster, already established, game releases.

Enslaved had everything going for it other than that last part above. For fans of the game, that's a load off as Namco says to expect some news regarding the franchise. Not letting a quality title die because of so-so sales?

Bravo Namco.

DC Universe Players Split Between PS3 and PC

And it's a fairly even split too. A staggering 45% of people playing the comic book MMO do so on a Playstation 3. The Massively Multiplayer genre has never been a big hit on consoles- they never really seemed to be a good fit with the PC just having a plain old better and more in depth control option with it's standard mouse & keyboard scheme.

Congratulations DC Universe Online- You've broken the glass ceiling. Hey, maybe with the success of DCU Microsoft and Marvel will reconsider and get back to work on Marvel Universe Online. You think?

Nahhhhh...

Activision to Buy Take Two?

There's a rumor making the rounds this afternoon that Activision is looking to pick up Grand Theft Auto publisher Take Two. MCV is reporting that the house of CoD might be prepping a somewhat hostile takeover like EA tried in 2008.

The difference now is that, while EA failed in the past, there have been shifts of power at Take Two in recent times and the company might be much less resistant to a smash and grab by the larger Activision.

If this were to go through, and that is a big 'if', then the company known as Activision/Blizzard would control some of the most lucrative and popular franchises in the industry. Those include:

• Call of Duty
• Bioshock
• Starcraft
• Warcraft
• World of Warcraft
• Diablo
• Grand Theft Auto

 and that's just a smaller sample of the very biggest brands, there are a ton more. Bobby Kotick would be very happy.

Harmonix: We're Still Working on Rock Band

Harmonix' John Drake spoke up about the Guitar Hero discontinuation from earlier this week as well as the newly independent Harmonix and it's own plans for the music genre and it's Rock Band brand in particular.

Drake says that they were saddened by Activision's GH layoffs but will not be giving up on the music genre themselves. Saying that they'll be focused on the Rock Band 'digital platform' and have plenty in store for the future including a relaunch of the RB online network:

Harmonix and Rock Band continue to push beyond simple performance simulation to pioneer new approaches to music gaming. Rock Band 3 saw the introduction of our innovative new Pro Mode, in which aspiring musicians of all ages can develop actual musical skills through gameplay on guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums. We’re looking forward to the imminent release of the Fender Squier Stratocaster Guitar Controller, a fully functional guitar which doubles as a Rock Band Pro controller (launching March 1st). We are also relaunching the Rock Band Network, a way for bands of all shapes and sizes to get their music into Rock Band. RBN just passed the 1000-songs mark, and its relaunch will now support keyboards, pro drums and vocal harmonies. The music genre is one that calls for constant reinvention, and Harmonix is continuing to welcome and embrace that call.

 It's nice to see that not everybody ran for the hill when they saw dipping sales.

Double Dragon Comes to the iPhone

Remember that really awful Double Dragon movie from the '90s that had Alyssa Milano in it? Man that sucked- which was disappointing on so many levels, not the least of which was that the original DD game was such an awesome game. Whether you remember it from the NES or the Arcades of years gone by, it's a true classic of the medium.

And now Aksys Games and developer Brizo Interactive is bringing the battling Lee brothers to the iPhone with the aptly titled: Double Dragon iPhone.
 

It actually looks really good with redrawn character art and backgrounds- it'll have new music as well. Double Dragon iPhone launches on the App store this March.

Click through for some more detailed info on the feature set-

WWE All Stars Character Classes Detailed

The upcoming WWE All Stars is a sort of spiritual successor to the excellent Legends that was released a few years back- it's just a bit more amped up in the cartooney and arcade departments.
In the game there are four distinct character classes that come with an array of moves, limitations, and perks exclusive to each one. Strategy! Click through the break for a detailed description of all four-

Duke Nukem Forever: Balls of Steel Edition

With a game this hotly anticipated, you just knew there was going to be a collector's edition didn't you? Oh sure you did- and just look at it in all it's Dukey glory.

Shown is the Euro edition but the North American version should be similar if not identical.

So what is all that junk swag in the shot?

This edition contains a copy of the game with exclusive Balls of Steel cover art and the following cool items:

• Collectible bust of the greatest alien ass-kicker of all-time
• Numbered, limited-edition certificate of authenticity
• 100-page hardcover book: The History, Legacy & Legend: Duke Nukem Forever Art from the Vault
• Duke Nukem Forever postcard series
• Duke Nukem Forever radioactive emblem sticker
• Duke Nukem Forever collectable comic book
• Duke Nukem Forever foldable paper craft
• Duke Nukem Forever poker chips
• Duke Nukem Forever mini-card deck
• Duke Nukem Forever radioactive emblem dice

The Pirates of Black Cove- a Pirate RTS/RPG

 Pirates of Black Cove is an RTS meets RPG with pirates. Now that sounds pretty cool.

“Pirates of Black Cove is an adventurous strategy game that our community has been waiting for,” said Brendon Neuwerth, COO of Nitro Games.  “Combining proper skills with the right amount of Pirate bluster, a pirate might just have a shot at ruling both land and sea. And keep in mind that dead men tell no tales...  Savvy?”

The game is coming this year for PC's. Full release with more details after the break-

Get Buzzed by These Yars' Revenge Screens

 For those not familiar, the Atari classic Yars' Revenge will be coming to the PSN and Xbox LIVE Arcade very soon courtesy of developer Killspace Entertainment.

In Yars’, players will take on the role of a nameless Yar, who has been brainwashed by the evil Qotile empire to do their bidding.  After being shot down and rescued by the ancient and mysterious Bar Yargler, she sets off on a ferociously focused mission, to seek revenge on her former master and his deadly squad of assassins. The bio-technological nightmare of the Qotile home world provides stunning backdrops for players to fly through in aerial combat with their enemy.

Xbox LIVE Update -- 'Stacking TNT' Edition

Xbox LIVE gets Stacking (AKA the Russian nesting doll game), TNT Racers, Darksiders 'on demand', and a very nice little sale on 'retro shooters'.

Enjoy-

Guitar Hero RIP

You read that right- Gamasutra is reporting that Activision has officially disbanded it's Guitar Hero division, closing the business unit associated with the game. There is no GH on deck for 2011 and now the future of the entire franchise is up in the air.

For it's part, Activision sites the slow die-off of the music genre in general over the last few years and that they have much more interest in keeping their smash hits, like Call of Duty, going in the online space.


This of course begs the question- is the music game all together dead? Harmonix is trying to figure out what's going on with Rock Band- right now it looks like there'll be plenty of DLC but retail offerings aren't looking too likely- Guitar Hero is all but dead, and newcomer Rise of the Six String was DOA with poor sales and critical drubbings aplenty.

Even DJ Hero, which has decent sales, is no AAA blockbuster by any means. The end of an era for a genre that, only a few short years ago was a hit on nearly every level? Looks that way.

As a side note to all this, the company has also canned the delayed, open world shooter, True Crime: Hong Kong.

Nokia Dying a Slow Death Says Internal Memo

Former mobile phone giant Nokia is apparently just hanging on. This according to a leaked internal memo that's been picked up by Engadget.

The memo is apparently from CEO Stephen Elop, in it he makes an analogy between the faltering company and a man standing on a burning oil platform. He also says they are literally years behind the competition and they will be making a big announcement this Friday.

Read the whole thing here-

Galactus Eats Marvel vs Capcom 3

Never, ever, invite Marvel Comics' world devourer Galactus over for anything.

Capcom has revealed that the Fantastic Four's (who aren't even in the game) greatest foe is, in fact, the end boss of it's upcoming Marvel vs Capcom 3 fighter. Right about now there should be much rejoycing that it isn't another made up goofball like that green slime... thing... from MvC2.

Screens after the break-

New Dungeon Siege III Screens

Anybody see Uwe Boll anywhere around? No? Okay then, lets get on with it then-

DS3 will be available this May on the PC as well as the PS3 and the Xbox 360, marking the first time on home consoles for the series. The original DS was widely lauded as one of the better dungeon crawlers of it's day- the sequel was less fortunate garnering mixed reviews.

Dungeon Siege III looks like a return to form if these screens are anything to go by.

PSN Update -- 'Stacking Killzone' edition

Lots to see and buy this week on the old PSN- first and foremost is the (PSPlus only) Killzone 3 single player demo, then it's the Russian doll spectacle that is Stacking, three (three!) PSOne classics, Plants vs Zombies,  and a load of DLC add-ons.

In addition to all that there's also an App called Filmy that allows you to view AVCHD video files.

Big week.

Batman: Arkham City Mini-Series Announced

A six issue series detailing the events that took place between Arkham Asylum and the upcoming sequel, Arkham City, will be releasing this May to fill in those blanks. And just what are those blanks?

Arkham City #1

Written by Batman: The Animated Series writer Paul Dini (who also penned both Arkham games) and drawn by Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City concept artist Carlos D’anda, BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY picks up one year after the original game, where former Arkham Warden turned newly elected Mayor of Gotham City Quincy Sharp has decided to close down the infamous institution. In its stead, he establishes “Arkham City,” the new maximum security “home” for all of Gotham City’s thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds.  Set inside the heavily fortified walls of a sprawling district in the heart of Gotham City, inmates can roam free and do whatever they want as long as they don’t try to escape. To run this urban prison, Sharp has appointed Dr. Hugo Strange, a man who knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman.

Sounds like a great idea Mr. Mayor!

Some cool stuff about cyberspace availability for Arkham City after the break-

SEGA's Giving Valentine's This Year

SEGA is having a sale on some of it's iPhone offerings just in time for Valentine's Day-

• Altered Beast™: $0.99 (was $2.99)
• ChuChu Rocket! for iPhone: $0.99 (was $2.99)
• ChuChu Rocket! HD for iPad: $0.99 (was $4.99)
• Phantasy Star II™: $0.99 (was $2.99)
• Super Monkey Ball 2 Sakura Edition for iPad: $0.99 (was $2.99)
• Sonic Spinball™: $0.99 (was $2.99)

And...

As an added bonus, Sonic the Hedgehog™ 1 and 2, as well as Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I are being offered for a limited-time $2.99 sale price!
Full details about the SEGA’s “99 Cents Loves Me” Sale, including a complete list of the titles featured, can be found on the official SEGA blog at http://blogs.sega.com/usa/

Scarlett Gets Openfeint Achievements & is Free Today

Scarlett and the Spark of Life for the iPhone is one of our favorites around here and today you've got zero excuses to not own it for yourself-

The modern take on the classic adventure game genre is free today on the App Store to celebrate it's addition of Openfeint Achievements. Yes, that's right, now you can earn achievements for your adventuring in the land with no horses... and no money.

What does that mean? Go get this great little App and find out-http://www.theangryspark.com/2010/12/scarlett-and-spark-of-life-musings.html

Nintendo Download -- 'Brawny and Brainy' edition

Nintendo Invites Players to Download Brawny Action, Brainy Puzzles or Both

The brawny action refers to Shaun Johnson Gymnastics? Or SCAT maybe... When does the Gameboy virtual console start?

Playstation Phone Commercial Leaks Online

This is really getting kind of sad. Can you just 'officially' announce the damn thing Sony?

*We're kind of sad too- no embed on this youtuber either so here's the link.

Battlefield 3 Trailer Drops Onto YouTube

Embed isn't working for some reason so here's the link. Don't look for any gameplay though-

NGP Details From Developers Day in London

MCV is reporting that the Sony NGP (still with that name?!?) will have day and date releases on both physical and digital platforms for the portable- giving the user a true launch day choice for either retail purchases or PSN download.

This is an excellent move- it's really important not to neglect either group of buyers and Sony has an excellent strategy lined up for game releases with this dual release format.

Also worth noting is that the NGP is getting raves from the development community- they say it's both uber-powerful and amazingly easy to work with. Which is pretty much the opposite of what they had come to expect from the Playstation company.

Looks like Sony finally 'got it'.

Halo Remake Rumors as Hot as a Plasma Grenade

For a while now, there has been speculation that Microsoft's 343 Industries was working on putting out an HD remake of the now classic Xbox game that kicked off the Halo phenomenon- Halo: Combat Evolved.

This is not the new 'HD' Halo... Obviously.

Now there's a little more to it that speculation- joystiq has apparently been in contact with somebody on the inside who has confirmed that a full remake (not just a Halo in HD kind of thing) is actually quite far along in development by Saber Interactive. 'Far along in development?' you say. 'How far along?' - coming this Fall. How's that for far along?

As for new features, supposedly the new re-do will have new artwork to put it in line with later releases in the series, will be in HD, will have 3DTV compatibility, and will have more current Halo control configurations. It will also feature online multiplayer and co-op. What it will not feature is the same engine that ran last year's Halo Reach.

As far as official announcements go, there's nothing yet- but between this and the second mystery Halo title being developed you should expect a Halo showing of some kind at e3 this year.

New Dawn of War 2 Retribution Screen-a-Palooza

An explosion of new screens for the Dawn of War 2 expansion, Retribution, hit the web today. The new campaign is looking fantastic-

Click through for a ton more- Retribution will be out for the PC on March 10th

Saint's Row 3 Confirmed for This Year

THQ has confirmed to Eurogamer that the third game in Volition software's popular Saint's Row series will be dropping onto shelves in time for the Christmas shopping season of 2011.

No word yet on what new gangster tomfoolery we they might have in store for fans but we have a feeling that there might be waste management trucks involved.

Dragon Age 2 Gets a Demo

In the demo, players will venture through the game’s prologue, choosing from three different character classes. They’ll also learn more about Hawke and hone their skills and abilities that will make them the ultimate hero. After finishing the prologue, players will enter a key new location in the world of Dragon Age, Kirkwall, befriending Isabela, a romantic interest in the game who is also a deadly smuggler. Upon completion of the demo, players will unlock a special weapon, Hayder’s Razor, an ancient dwarven blade which increases health, mana, and combat abilities, in the full release of Dragon Age II.  Conditions and restrictions apply.  See http://dragonage.bioware.com/da2/demo for details.

Pretty cool to get a bonus for playing through the demo version.  DA2 releases on March 8th for the Xbox 360. PS3, and PC

MTV Games Closes Up Shop

It's no surprise that MTV Games was shuttered, and yet it's still a bizarre sight. If you haven't been following the whole Harmonix saga, then in a nutshell- media giant Viacom wasn't all that happy with the so-so sales of the latest game in the Rock Band franchise, a series that's used to massive numbers.

So even though Rock Band 3 was an excellent game and garnered high praise from critics, Viacom sold them off to a private investment firm (which makes them an independent developer at this point) and put out a statement saying that the gaming business isn't really their cup of tea.

With Harmonix free and clear to pursue their own ends and Viacom done with the business all together- MTV Games was left out in the cold with basically nothing to do. today that came to an end as well.

Only a handfull of employees remain at the company's New York office reports MCV. Their job? To finish up with any outstanding issues. It's so... final.

As far as the Rock Band series goes, although definitely not dead, there's no word yet on a fourth entry or any kind of expansion that may be coming from Harmonix- we'll let you know as soon as we hear something.

Jill Valentine and Shuma Gorath in MvC 3 Action

Shuma Gorath is still around? Huh. Does anybody actually play as him? (it?) Click through for more-

New Dark Souls Screens

Dark Souls is the sequel to Namco's soul crushing PS3 game, Demon's Souls, that will be out sometime this year for the PS3 and the Xbox 360.

From the looks of these screens, it's even prettier than the first- click through for more-

Tales of Monkey Island Comes to Retail

Following in the footsteps of their hit PC games featuring Sam & Max, Telltale Games' will be releasing all of their current episodic adventure games as boxed sets at the retail level. You probably knew that.

Apparently there will also be collector's editions. That you may have figured. Right now that collector's edition (from Lace Mamba Global) is only confirmed for the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, and the Benelux countries. That... is just odd.

But it's more than likely that it's only a matter of time till there's a North American announcement. And with that in mind, here's the packshot for the retail edition of Monkey Island to get you all excited for extra stuff-

If extra swag isn't all that important to you (you freak), there's also a standard edition that will be available right along side this one when they both magically appear at your local brick and mortar... at some point.

New Anarchy Reigns Screens are Full of Bull

Big Bull, the latest fighter revealed for SEGA's online battler Anarchy Reigns, is a cybernetic monster with the brain of a 31 year old man. There's a joke in there somewhere...

New Batman: Arkham City Screens are of Two Minds

Just off the presses-

One of the most glaring omissions from the first game- the conflicted former district attorney, Harvey Dent (AKA Two-Face), is one of the Dark Knight's oldest and most popular foes. Though he didn't appear at all, his name was mentioned at the end of Arkham Asylum with an eye towards a possible sequel.

This isn't really a screenshot, we have yet to see Harv 'in game', this is just plain old great artwork.

Click through the jump for some actual screenshots-

DC Universe Expands in February With Brother Eye and the Batcave

One of the bigger storyline's in the DCU over the last decade was the Brother Eye crossover. The Eye was originally an invention of batman who designed it to watch badguy metahuman activity on Earth.

As you probably guessed, it didn't really work out- Brother Eye went nuts and started creating it's own army of nanite infused terminators called OMAC's to hunt down and kill all superhumans. In the end, it took the whole Justice League to take it down.

Now Brother Eye is coming to DC Universe Online with a content update that also includes the OMAC's and an occupied Batcave. Guess it had to rebuild itself somewhere.

More screens after the break-

LEGO Pirates of the Carribean to Launch Along With New Film

This kind of came out of nowhere didn't it? The fourth movie in the popular Pirates franchise will be out for viewing in movie houses everywhere this May, and right there with it will be a LEGO game version. Details are a little light right now but it's LEGO- do you really need a description?