Electronic Arts is clearly not on the same page. I might have paid $10- $15 (and maybe even $20.00) and thought nothing of it. Forty bucks just seems cruel. Waitaminute, NO online multiplayer? ZERO? The WALMART board game is $15 bucks, folks. FAIL.

Check out the redux after the jump.

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If you’re one of the people who had a gripe with the number of players in Street Fighter IV, you may just get a kick out of this. Super Street Fighter IV is adding 8 playable characters to the roster including some fan favorites. Check out the latest gameplay footage with the boy, Deejay after the jump.

Here’s something you don’t see everyday. SOE is giving fans a chance to animate their favorite heroes and villains for the upcoming DC Universe Online MMO. All you have to do is head over to the DCUO fan page on Facebook starting December 7, 2009. All the tools needed to make your own animations can be found there as well a way to view and vote on the entries submitted by others.

“The DCUO/Mass Animation contest takes a part of the game out of the development studio and puts it in the hands of fans, an empowering opportunity for our community,” said John Smedley, president of SOE. “Players will have a chance through qualified contest submissions to be involved with the game’s development at a deeper level than ever before by animating actions for in-game heroes and villains.”

All the tools that animators will need to collaborate on this project, including a special edition of Autodesk Maya 3D Animation software, storyboards, designs and fully-rigged 3-D models will be provided to contest entrants and accessed through the Mass Animation application on the DCUO Facebook fan page. Participating animators will upload their contest submissions back to the application for viewing, voting and sharing with their friends. New to the contest this year will be the Mass Animation iPhone app, which gives people a new way to view and vote on submissions. Qualified contest winners will receive cash or other prizes. Each week, voters and a panel of judges will help determine what shots qualify as the “best” and will be eligible for voter prizes.

It’s been a long time coming, but gamers in the West are only a few short months away from the Final Fantasy XIII release. Square Enix has announced that the title will ship for Xbox 360 and PS3 on March 9, 2010 in both the United States and Europe. Comprised mostly of a team responsible for Final Fantasy VII, X and X-2, Final Fantasy XIII marks the first time since Final Fantasy VII that the series has appeared on a non-Sony console (FF XI and the handheld remakes notwithstanding).

Check out the announcement trailer with new footage and development team interviews after the jump.

FINAL FANTASY XIII marks the dawning of a new era for the celebrated franchise, bringing the series to multiple hi-definition consoles simultaneously for the first time in its history. Expanding upon the rich tradition of the series, Producer Kitase Yoshinori (FINAL FANTASY VII, X, X-2), Director Motomu Toriyama (FINAL FANTASY VII, X, X-2), character designer Tetsuya Nomura (FINAL FANTASY V, VI, VII, VIII, X) and art director Isamu Kamikokuryo (FINAL FANASY X, XII) combine their creative vision to deliver the latest masterpiece in the FINAL FANTASY universe. Additionally, Masashi Hamauzu (FINAL FANTASY X, DIRGE of CERBERUS -FINAL FANTASY VII-) presents a sweeping soundtrack while movie director Takeshi Nozue (FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN) and his team of artists adorn the game with seamless cinematic sequences of unparalleled caliber.

“We know that our fans have been eagerly awaiting the next installation of the franchise – FINAL FANTASY XIII will exceed all expectations,” said John Yamamoto, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix, Inc. “Coming simultaneously to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for the first time, FINAL FANTASY XIII will be available to all players who are looking for the most immersive gaming experience of 2010.”

Features
· Take Part in a Gaming Experience that Sets New Standards – The first in the series developed for a simultaneous release on multiple high-definition consoles, FINAL FANTASY XIII pushes new boundaries in cinematic presentation, sound and gameplay.
· Experience the Unity of Speed and Strategy with the Ultimate Active Time Battle system – The familiar system has evolved, granting players the freedom of executing numerous commands in a single turn with the multi-slot ATB gauge. Whether inputting singular commands in each slot for consecutive attacks, or expending multiple slots at once to activate a devastating blow, it’s up to the players to respond effectively to the battle conditions at hand.
· Adapt to the Ever-Changing Tide of Battle with Paradigms – A brand-new game mechanic enabling players to assign roles to their party members at any time during battle, shifting between combat paradigms. Consisting of various combinations of the game’s six roles, ranging from Commando, the offensive specialist, to Medic, the quintessential healer, paradigms allow players to respond and adapt instantly to any given situation to turn the tide and seize victory.
· Witness the Battle Scene Transform with an All-New Summon System – Introducing Gestalt Mode, a powerful dimension of the summon system that elevates the action to a whole new level. In Gestalt Mode, characters and their transformed Eidolons fight as one, dealing massive damage to enemies through simple button commands.
· Delve into an Emotional Experience – An immersive storyline connects players to an intriguing cast of characters. Will they have the strength to confront their cursed fates, or will destiny prevail over all that they believe in?

UPDATE: No longer a Gamespot exclusive, now you can play the flash demo on the official Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth site AND as a Facebook app!

From EA:

About Sims 3 World Adventures:

Take your Sims on the adventure of their lives with The SimsTM 3 World Adventures. Guide your Sims to acclaimed fortune—or potential doom. Take your Sims to exotic destinations to hunt for hidden treasures. Uncover new skills, experience new personality traits and garner rewards, if your Sims succeed. Explore ancient tombs in the pyramids of Egypt, master martial arts in the Far East, and discover rich culture and famous landmarks in France. Go online for additional content and $10 worth of free SimPoints. Adventure is on the horizon — what will your Sims discover?

FEATURES
• Accept challenges, find treasures, discover what’s lurking in hidden caves and more.
• Explore famous landmarks in China, Egypt, and France.
• Learn new skills like photography and pursue new opportunities.
• Meet new Sims from exotic locations and share their cultures.
• Customize your Sims homes with new styles & artifacts from their adventures.
• Get $10 worth of free SimPoints for The Sims 3 Store as well as additional online features soon to be announced.

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If the videogame industry thought they were immune to the economic downturn just a year ago, they’re certainly not still singing that tune today. Electronic Arts posted net losses of $391 million dollars for their second fiscal quarter this year, compared to last year’s loss of $310 million.

One of the measures the firm is going to take is to let go of 1,500 jobs, or roughly 16% of the workforce to save $100 million dollars a year. Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello stated “We are making tough calls to cut cost in targeted areas and investing more in our biggest games and digital businesses.”

The top 5 selling titles for the firm during the quarter were NCAA Football 10, Madden NFL 10, FIFA 10, Need for Speed: SHIFT and The Beatles: Rock Band.

There is powerful imagery at work in Modern Warfare 2. If folks are getting hung up on this scene, they’re kind of missing the forest for the trees.

Anyway, Modern Warfare 2 tells a challenging story, and this is certainly one aspect of it. Game play follows the jump, and you can read our review here.

In a holiday season bulging with A-list titles, the real question gamers should ask is whether Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 distinguishes itself enough to justify spending your hard-earned $60.00. It’s a tough economy, and after the original Modern Warfare’s exceptional tour of duty, does Activision’s blockbuster sequel offer enough compelling new bells and whistles, or is it simply a better dressing for a tired old veteran?

The Props: Campaign Mode
It would be irresponsible to say that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 simply has “single player” and “multiplayer” modes. Describing them in those terms makes it seem as if we’re discussing the perfunctory bullet-points of every first person shooter. Quite frankly, in the hands of Infinity Ward, that is absolutely not the case.

Modern Warfare 2 feels like three separate and complete packages on a single disc. If you enjoy playing alone, the Campaign mode tells what is arguably the most engaging story of the year.

Infinity Ward has pretty much perfected the art of scripted cinematic shooting, and outside of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, there really isn’t another contender by a New York mile.

What hasn’t changed is the formula. Infinity Ward has players somersaulting between perspectives, as you follow both marines and special forces in what can only be described as interactive World War III. There is violence, but the narrative handles the subject matter with a surprising amount of maturity. As with Modern Warfare, the sequel puts gamers into the frenetic – and too often futile firefights – of America’s war-weary soldiers. Balancing such philosophical quandaries as the right of absolute power, and the definition of patriotism, the writing here is superb without playing to any specific agenda. How Infinity Ward juggles Tom Clancy drama with Jerry Bruckheimer action, is a template that should make every developer envious.

Amidst the bravado of wartime adrenaline, and the terrifying implications of a very possible real world future, it’s easy to see why Modern Warfare’s scenarios might raise the ire of political conservatives. Thank goodness that the game is rated and created with adults in mind. Infinity Ward approaches with an earnest and blunt respect for the subject matter. Objectively appreciating the story of Modern Warfare 2 goes a long way towards giving some of that respect back. This isn’t simply passive entertainment. It’s engaging, and often emotional discourse.

Props: Special Ops Mode
What’s incredible is that we’ve only mentioned a fraction of what gamers get for their dollar. The second of three game packages is the secretive Special Ops mode. Playable online or off, gamers tussle in a series of mini games based on elements from the single-player campaign. Again, the Special Ops mode is treated with such care, that you’d forgive Infinity Ward if PR decided to sell it as addendum premium DLC.

Infinity Ward’s been paying attention to its competitors. If you loved the fantastic Terrorist Hunt Mode of Rainbow Six, Gears of War’s Horde mode, or even the arcade-unlock from the original Modern Warfare, you’ll be right at home here.

Consider Special Ops a kind of Call of Duty: streamlined. Offering play variants like racing snow mobiles through harrowing mountain passes, or gunning through gang-infested slums to disarm bombs, Special Ops is great by your lonesome, but a blast when you invite a friend via Xbox Live or PSN. It’s an entirely co-op experience, with an emphasis on cooperation.

Completing each ‘trial’ offers rewards in stars. Spec Ops has 63 stars total, and different difficulty levels rewards, naturally, more stars.

Of course, each game mode is as addictive as digital candy. Not only is each mode incredibly fun, but progression in Special Ops runs on point-based motivation. The more you play, the more Spec Ops missions become available. While none of the missions are very long – usually ranging between four to eight minutes – you’ll enjoy a fistful of great gaming during the time that you do get.

Think of Spec Ops as a hybrid between co-op campaign and something altogether new. You won’t suffer the fatigue of playing through the lengthier co-op missions twice, but you’ll still get the feeling of going through important scenarios in concentrated bursts with a friend at your side.

Whether you’re stalking enemies in joint sniper-only missions, commanding mile-high drone ships for tactical assaults, or dashing through obstacle courses for improved time, the sheer diversity of the Special Ops missions makes it a fantastic game on its own. That’s no small feat, considering that the meat of the game is the third, and most anticipated feature of Modern Warfare 2.

Props: Multiplayer
To be completely honest, it is impossible to see everything Multiplayer has to offer in the time that we’ve had with the game. To say that multiplayer has gotten a complete overhaul is an understatement.

If you’ve played Modern Warfare, this sequel builds on the predecessor in nearly every possible way. Larger, more well-designed maps, a laundry list of additions to the PERK system, and even nuts-n-bolts technical re-thinking like the new host migration back end (where If a host drops connection, the game searches for the next suitable connection and continues the game with only a few seconds delay), make the multiplayer mode the elephant in a very small room.

The improvements are too numerous to quantify, and could possibly be considered review-worthy on their own. Infinity Ward has made the cost of entry – in this case, earning points in multiplayer – easier than ever before. Now, It’s possible for a single kill to rack up the points, thus giving players of any skill level points for doing something right.

Say you shoot an enemy in the head? There’s points for that. Now let’s say that enemy was on a kill streak – which you just ended. Bravo! You’ll get points for that, too. Now consider that you killed him at long distance? Guess what? Infinity Ward is generous with the points there, also.

In fact, there’s no greater example of Modern Warfare’s campaign for accessibility, than the addition of the game’s new DEATHSTREAK feature. Get rewarded perks for killing the most bad guys in a row, but now there are boosts for dying too often, too. The COPYCAT perk, for example, allows you to steal the load-out of the player who killed you, while the Painkiller perk gives you 10 seconds of increased health.

Even older existing perks got substantial tweaks. Last stand allows you to not only move around as you’re bleeding out, but even the opportunity to get back up and play some more.

Game changers like being able to equip SEMTECH sticky grenades, or the insane support gunner kill streak which grants the best gamers the opportunity to call in helicopters, care packages, and even nuclear bombs, makes the new perk incentives positively delicious ways to demolish your foes.

From the added throwing knives to the simple additions, like the BLING perk that allows two additional attachments to your primary weapon, its too early to tell if Infinity Ward has broken their beloved multiplayer component, but they’ll certainly give you a robust menu of opportunities and time to figure that out.

Returning are the multitude of game play modes to go along with the new gadgets and features in the expansive to do list. Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch top the list with up to 18 (up from 16) players on the battlefield, and new modes like the much hyped 3rd person team game pull the camera out allowing a Gears of War like viewpoint with Modern Warfare flourish.

As always, compelling gamers forward is Infinity Ward’s devilish incentive system. The more you play, the more you get to play. There’s nothing in the multiplayer game that you don’t earn through blood, sweat, and tears. Most of the multiplayer modes, weapons, and perks, are only opened after you’ve reached certain ranks in the game. It’s too early to tell if reaching the game’s beloved prestige status, acquired only after reaching the maximum cap in ranks, opens up continued hidden treasures, but we wouldn’t be surprised. Infinity Ward has been incredibly thorough with their ‘unlocking new game play philosophies, and it’s that understanding of the gamer stick-and-carrot compulsion that permeates every design choice throughout each of the three overarching game play modes.

What Infinity Ward has accomplished is devilish genius. You’ll doubtless find your favorite multiplayer mode to cling to, and gamers that pace themselves might find new surprises for weeks to come. That is, of course, if you can even look up from Modern Warfare’s polished and dangerously addictive, habit-forming multiplayer routines.

So Basically, I’m Saying…
Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, is a game of very smart decisions. There are easter eggs a-plenty, and although giving more of the same would’ve left gamers happy, the altering, fixing, and outright adding of an absurd amount of new features robust in every new mode of the experience will leave fans cheering. There are scores of new guns. We didn’t even mention additions like the riot shield, which is a lifesaver in the campaign and multiplayer when you need to catch your breath.

We left out the fact that Harry Gregson-Williams’ Hans Zimmer’s subdued but powerful score is emotional in just the right scenes, complimenting exceptional voice acting from stars Keith David, which does the job of propelling you through this very cinematic ride. Modern Warfare 2 is an example of developers going above and beyond gamer expectations, then redefining the whole damned bar.

The game is not perfect. While we wish, for example, that Special Ops mode could find random people online to fill the second player instead of just people from your friends list, it honestly feels like nitpicking.

From top to bottom, Modern Warfare 2 is not only one of the best bangs for your buck this holiday season, it’s one of the most polished game experiences on any console. The cliffhanger at the end of the story is beautifully cruel. A two-year wait for the inevitable sequel should qualify as torture. You’ll enjoy playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for at least the foreseeable future, and if the rabid demand for the first Call of Duty’s online play is any indication, so will everyone else on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.

Stay frosty, marines.

Unlike Guitar Hero, which I’ve played once (and promptly bought a real guitar in defiance), DJ hero allows me to abandon the crates of records, the thousand dollar mixer, the gigantic headphones, and pretty much all of the other essentials of a serious D.J.

With one box, one game, and just under $120 bucks, Activision’s DJ Hero is the company’s take on rhythm-game innovation.

Juiced on the type of adrenaline that can only come from bass and rhyme, I was actually electrified by the ability to enjoy hip-hop that I never thought I’d hear in a video game.

Not that Guitar Hero, or any of the other tens of music games dominating retail since 2007 was bad, it’s just that they never spoke to me: I love hip-hop. Activision’s taking a huge gamble in hopes that there’s enough of me out there to justify their expansion into urban territory.

And boy is DJ Hero a gamble.

Mixing all eras of Hip-Hop with ‘mash-ups’ of pop songs hand-selected by the world’s greatest DJs, and DJ Hero’s sole focus seems to be to make your body move. Whether you’re a hardcore gamer, a casual fan, or someone new to games entirely, does DJ Hero’s bizarre new turntable-come-hip-hop-gameplay have enough accessibility to seduce the masses? Or, is underground and, perhaps, under-appreciated, where hip-hop is destined to remain in video games?

The Props…
For starters, the track list is outstanding. Should Activision decide to sell the game’s soundtrack alone, they’d make a mint. Where the music grabs you with potent mixes of classic hip-hop and modern pop, the comprehensive tutorial does its best to translate the complex art of turntablism into game form.

Here are the basics: match the colored buttons on your turntable with the colors on the on-screen rhythm bar. Spin, shift, and slide your way to b-boy legend, by playing what’s essentially ’simon says’ on screen. It’s a simple concept that has worked in about a dozen music games before it, but DJ Hero’s hip-hop scratching hook is that authentic spin that separates it from the pack.

Narrated by DJ Grandmaster Flash, the 10 part tutorial does a great job in holding your hand – and you’ll need it. Patiently teaching you the basics of cross-fading, scratching, rewinding, and the game’s Euphoria point booster, DJ Hero literally won’t allow you to get to the real game without training first. This is a good thing.

Even if you’re used to music-rhythm games, DJ Hero is a tough act to start. A turntable doesn’t have the natural feel of drums, nor the sex appeal of a guitar. Hunching over a mock turntable, and keeping the frenetic rhythm of pop-hop, might seem impossible at first. However, with practice and the propulsion of good music, you’ll get the hang of it without the awful feeling of screwing up.

Credit that with the fact that you don’t quite lose in DJ Hero. You’ll always complete a song. The only penalty for missing music cues (if you miss the corresponding colored buttons and commands), is a soft fade out of the audio until you get back into the beat. In this way, HERO makes replaying each track a little easier on the ego.

Satisfactory completion of a music set (usually 3 mash-ups) unlocks new DJs avatars, new equipment, and bigger party venues. However, the biggest reason to continue playing remains the hook that grabs you from the start: The Music.

Unlocking new mash-ups is a joy, and becomes a personal challenge as you begin practicing with the fervor and discipline of a fighting game. Make no mistake: you will practice. A lot. That said, the psychological reward of getting a perfect score in Hero’s 5 star rating system, is a satisfaction that can only be appreciated with GREAT music.

The Whack…
All isn’t great in paradise, though. To be blunt, DJ Hero isn’t cheap. Despite the fact that the turntable peripheral looks pretty damned close to the real thing, it’s extremely tough to justify the $120.00 retail price. Yes, the music is fantastic, and yes the game is fun. However, unlike other rhythm games, DJ Hero is ultimately a single player experience.

Let me qualify that. DJ Hero certainly has multiplayer. There are 10 specific mashup tracks that allow you to hook up Activision’s Guitar peripheral to ‘rock-infused’ DJ sets. But honestly, those mashups are kind of a mess. In split screen play, player one controls the turntable, while player two rudely interrupts with the awkwardly-mixed metal riffs. Perhaps with some fine-tuning and better music selection, Activision might smooth this ugly pairing in future games, but as it exists, it really feels like more of an afterthought – and sounds like a cacophony.

DJ Hero’s true multiplayer is really just an extension of the single player experience. You can take the game online to battle other mix masters, but as a party game in the company of casual novices, DJ Hero is a lot more fun to watch (and dance to) than actually play if you haven’t put in the work of practicing. By the time your friends get the hang of the game through the tutorial and easier tracks, your party will probably already be over.

The Quirks of Single Player
Don’t get me wrong, DJ Hero is a criminal amount of fun when you’re in the groove. Beyond hitting the proper buttons, DJ Hero has an interesting ‘freestyle’ button that allows at certain points, to affect the ‘effects dial’ and initiate various freestyle samples to incorporate into the mix.

The game claims that you can improvise, but that’s extremely misleading. You can hit the sample button as much as time allows, or play with fading the volume as much as you like – which, honestly, who wants to play with the volume? Where HERO really drops the ball is by completely omitting the ability to have an area where players can creatively freestyle scratch and fade on their own. While mastering HERO is fun, it’s often very linear. Once you learn the strokes through the game’s 90+ songs, you’re done. The game gets more complex on higher difficulty levels, but the longevity of the game would’ve been extended considerably if players could simply rack up points by doing whatever they wanted at certain cues.

There’s nothing worse than getting into the groove and really wishing that you could cut loose, but HERO doesn’t allow it.

So Basically, I’m Saying…
Ultimately, if you love hip-hop and pop music, I dare you to find a more epic gathering of DJ Luminaries. From DJ Shadow and DJ AM to DJ Jazzy Jeff, the music in this game is beastly, and will constantly take you out of your living room and into the club. DJ Hero is immersing, once you get past that learning curve. Trading off with a practiced friend is fun, but you’ll be the real life of the party if you show off your skills to a group of bystanders. The game will certainly keep their heads nodding.

The track list is the real show stopper. From N.E.R.D to The Jackson 5, Afrika Bambaataa to Public Enemy, and underground sensations like Wale to 80’s glam-rock groups like Foreigner, DJ Hero is an outstandingly good time…

…albeit 40 bucks overpriced.

With Sam Fisher’s return fastly approaching, Ubisoft has released the second behind the scenes trailer for Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction. In “Behind Closed Doors Part 2″ the developers of Splinter Cell Conviction give you an inside look at how the Israeli martial art Krav Maga and real-life firearm techniques inspired Conviction’s new gameplay. You’ll also learn about Sam’s newest toys such as EMP grenades and improvised gadgets and get a look at how the storyline will be taken in surprising new directions following the tragic events of Double Agent.

2009 has been the year of the fighter with many noteworthy (and somewhat disappointing) entries into the fray. Namco Bandai hasn’t been asleep this year having already released the PSP fighter Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny and now, their flagship series Tekken returns with its sixth iteration. After being released in overseas arcades in 2007, and completely missing stateside arcades, Tekken 6 has arrived for both PS3 and Xbox 360 (the first time appearing on a non-Sony console), and as a mainstay in the fighting genre, it crosses the finish line with proof that a good fighting game is always worth the wait.

Tekken 6 continues the storyline of the Mishima power struggle between father and son, with Jin Kazama positioning himself to rule the world and his father Kazuya Mishima being the only opposition around to stop him. While the act may seem noble, Kazuya’s true ambitions are also that of world conquest with his cursed son being his only obstacle. In the wake of these events, The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 is announced which sees the return of the 35 competitors from Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection along with 6 brand new fighters. With the largest lineup of characters in the history of the series, Tekken 6 makes strides keeping the game exciting and packing enough reason for hours of replay.

True to its tradition of stunning visuals, Tekken 6 brings out a new level of artistic direction with new stages that are completely immersive and downright distracting. You’ll have your fighters slugging it out in snow covered mountain valleys, a secluded rainforest lake, or even a downed colony satellite filled with flying overhead jets and upside down land formations. Along with being breathtaking, the background stages also have more interactivity with many stages allowing for walls and floors to be broken through, carrying fighters to new arenas to finish the fight. The character customization first seen in Tekken 5 also returns and carries the largest arrangement of modifications to character appearance. Along with that, there are now equipped item moves that add a (very) small amount of weapon combat to the game.

The Tekken series has always been about combos and juggles and Tekken 6 introduces new tweaks to its mechanics that introduce a deeper level of strategy while competing. Character specific combos now have variable ‘combo ender’ options that allow for finishing touches and bonus damage. To longtime players of the series, the combo enders add the missing link to Tekken’s much cherished fighting system and really bring out the flash in each match. While it may seem that juggles are starting to feel like infinite combos, the damage scaling has been revised to keep gameplay from becoming a one-combo round.

The console release of Tekken 6 brings a new mode called Scenario Campaign. Scenario Campaign is a throwback to traditional brawlers such as Double Dragon and Streets of Rage but incorporates the actual move sets of the Tekken fighters. While similar to both the Tekken Force and Devil Within modes from previous releases, the scenario campaign mode gives players a bigger level of storytelling by following the two newest characters of the series – Lars Alexandersson and Alisa Bosconovitch. The duo will travel together and try to piece together the connections to Jin’s need for world dominance, Kazuya’s obsession with destroying his own son and why both Lars and Alisa seem to be integral to those plans. Though this mode has a serious issue with camera placement and broken AI, it’s worth playing given that it’s the easiest alternative to acquiring customization items without using actual fight money credits in game.

For fighting games, the cast of fighters is always a make or break (pun intended) factor. Everyone’s favorites like Paul Phoenix, Nina Williams, Yoshimitsu and the wooden fighting dummy Mokujin return. The 6 new characters all introduce their own uniqueness to the talent pool. Bob is an overweight fighter that uses his size to gain more leverage in the martial arts arena. Alisa is the cybernetically enhanced daughter of Tekken 3’s Dr. B whose graceful fighting style is overshadowed by her robotic attributes. Zafina is an extremely agile assassin researching world ending occurrences stemming from the father-son blood feud. Miguel is a Spanish brawler seeking vengeance for his dead sister. Lars steps in as the wild card with a hidden secret that makes itself apparent during the scenario campaign mode. Whether you’re a casual player or a longtime acquaintance to the Tekken series, these characters drive the overall appeal of the game and provide some of the most exciting thrills in the fighting game genre.

While missing its release in arcades here in the west, Namco Bandai has made sure to include an online fighting mode allowing players to fight against others around the world. Though it’s an excellent way to seek out competition, server lag issues on both consoles have diminished the broad appeal of online fighting. As an alternative, the Ghost Vs mode provides players with computer controlled rivals that mimic actual flesh and blood opponents. Players can also download ghost fighters from both the online community of their own respective XBL and PSN buddy lists.

Tekken 6 has done a spectacular job of giving the players what they want with a fighter, and with so much content and a huge cast of characters, Namco Bandai continues to prove that the genre still has a lot of fight left in it.

Though the announcement comes a little later than expected, Bioware and EA shocked no one by confirming a limited Collector’s Edition for Mass Effect 2. The Collectors’ Edition of Mass Effect 2 comes in a premium, tin case and includes the full version of the game, a 48-page hardcover “Art of Mass Effect 2” book, Issue 1 of the Mass Effect Redemption comic book, and a bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes and making-of videos. In addition, the Mass Effect 2 Collectors’ Edition will include unique in-game weapons and armor that can only be obtained by purchasing this version.

Releasing alongside the standard edition of the game on both PC and Xbox 360, gamers can expect to play Mass Effect 2 on January 26, 2010 in North America. With the Mass Effect Collector’s Edition being hard to come by and the recently released Dragon Age: Origins Collector’s Edition being only briefly available for pre-order through traditional retail shops; gamers interested in this special may want to jump on their local stores quickly.

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles sends a full cast of characters into a world where the lines between good and evil are blurred and the potential to go to the dark side lies within everyone. Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Jack Krauser, Steve Burnside, and Chris Redfield all play their part in an engrossing storyline that will fill in the missing pieces from Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles.

The game’s on-rail, arcade shooter game-play first featured in Resident Evil®: The Umbrella Chronicles, has been radically upgraded in Resident Evil The Darkside Chronicles. With the focus on creating a more terrifying experience than ever before, the camera now mimics the first person point of view, providing a more cinematic and immersive experience. Combined with an eerie soundtrack and a new graphics engine utilizing state-of-the-art technology, Resident Evil The Darkside Chronicles delivers the most fun and accessible horror game on the Nintendo Wii™ yet.

You may have already seen the announcement earlier this morning for the upcoming release of the God of War® III Ultimate Edition and its pre-sale deal. Well, fans will also have the option to pre-order their copy of God of War® III today. Those who pre-order a copy of God of War III and/or God of War III Ultimate Edition will have their Kratos reunion earlier than expected and will receive a PlayStation®Network voucher code for the E3 2009 demo, playable TODAY!

Additionally, consumers who pre-order their copies of God of War III and/or God of War II Ultimate Edition will also receive an exclusive God of War III DLC skin from select retailers, including:

GameStop.com – Phantom of Chaos
Amazon.com – Kratos PlayStation®Home Avatar
GameCrazy – Forgotten Warrior

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Ultimate Edition details from the previous release:

The ultimate edition comes in a sculpted replica of Pandora’s Box, as well as a Limited-Edition God of War art book with exclusive art, content, and interviews. There’s also a bunch of digital content packed in, all of which will be available via the PlayStation Network after redeeming a voucher code at

* God of War Combat Arena containing an exclusive environment and seven challenges
* Premium Kratos Skin – Dominus
* God of War: Unearthing the Legend Franchise Documentary – a full-length movie documentary depicting the history of the God of War franchise
* God of War Trilogy Soundtrack – God of War, II, and III scores from the game (mp3 digital download).
* God of War: Blood and Metal EP – a heavy metal homage featuring original music inspired by God of War (mp3 digital download).

This massive collection of God of War goodies will run you $99.99.