I’m getting some conflicting dates, but it looks like Puddle is coming to PSN and XBLA January 31st (the conflict is one source telling me it’s available today).This is a physics based puzzle game first seen at the Independent Games Festival in 2010. Neko Entertainment picked up the title at the festival to develop further and it’s now being published by Konami. The basic concept is to move various liquids around the environment, similar to World of Goo or Mercury. Variety is key here though, as you may be moving rocket fuel through a blueprint, or a sip of water through the human body. This definitely has an awesome look to it and should be worth checking out. It’s a new IP though, so hopefully we’ll see a demo.

The announcement of Resident Evil 6 has everyone perking up. Seriously, this series is so loved that everyone is twitching to get the latest information on the newest release. Recent details on the multiplayer component are yet another reason to keep an eye on this sequel. Two player offline co-op will be included, as well as six player online co-op. There will also be an eight player online component, presumably some sort of competitive modes. I’m mostly intrigued by the couch co-op. I’ve loved that concept since I first got left behind in the waterfall level of Contra. Six player online co-op could be fun too, but I want to know more about the mechanics before I commit to what I presume will be a lengthy campaign.

It’s not much, but any excuse I can find to talk about Mass Effect 3 is definitely getting included in VGQH. One of the new characters being included in the third outing, James Vega, has gotten quite a bit of exposure as we lead up to it’s release on March 6th. What you won’t know by looking at him though, is that he’s being voiced by Freddie Prinze, Jr. Like I said, it’s not much. Prinze, Jr. is most well known for his film career and personal relationship with Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers). This could actually change my enjoyment of the game, because whenever he speaks I’ll consciously know that Buffy hears Vega’s voice when she’s naked.

ESRB ratings leaks have provided steady fodder for VGQH for as long as I’ve been writing it. The latest? Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City were recently rated for release on PS3. This comes after the recent announcement of GTA V, as well as the tenth anniversary iOS release of GTA III. I can’t even begin to guess how many PS2s Rockstar sold with these two games. They’re both classics that should never be forgotten. This reveal does leave me with two questions. First, where is San Andreas? Second, are they coming as PSN releases, or an HD remake? My theory is that the answers to both of those questions are related. If it’s a PSN release, not a an HD remake, San Andreas may simply be too complex as it was so huge and so late in the PS2’s life-cycle. Also, if an HD remake were coming to retail, we probably would have heard about it long before the ESRB rated it. I actually still have the entire trilogy on PS2 discs, as well as the two Stories expansions, but that probably won’t stop me from rebuying them.

In preparation for its release on Valentine’s Day, February 14th, David Jaffe has taken some time to speak about Twisted Metal. Very little of major importance was said, but there are a few things to notice. An online pass will be required and is expected to take the now-familiar form of an included code with a new copy or a $10 transaction via PSN. According to Jaffe, “It wasn’t [his] call. It’s Sony’s game, and they funded it, and [he] respect[s] their decision.” Also rubbing Jaffe the wrong way is the day one patch expected. The “very, very, very small patch” has to do with collision damage. Jaffe has been very public about his dislike for patches, but does see the necessity in some cases. Beyond that initial patch, he says if they “ever touch Twisted Metal again, it’ll be either that it’s successful enough that there’s a big enough community that says ‘hey, we’d really like to get some of these in via patch’, or there are some really heinous bugs.” Finally, there is a demo planned, but details on when or what it will be were not disclosed.

On a somewhat related note, besides the online pass, there will be another code in your Twisted Metal case. This one will be redeemable on May 8th when Light Box Interactive’s Starhawk releases. This code will get you a free Sweet Tooth Outcast skin for Starhawk‘s multiplayer.

If all of that user-generated content hasn’t been enough to keep you playing Little Big Planet 2, their latest expansion may be bringing you back. I no longer have a copy, but I’m considering picking up a used version just to play with the latest Muppets. The premium level kit will run $6 and launches today. Included in the pack are a Rowlf costume, 5 Muppet-themed levels, “Attract O’ Gel” that lets Sackboy walk on walls, a new background, 13 new materials, 49 decorations, 4 objects, 18 audio and music objects, 219 stickers, and 7 additional trophies.

That concludes this week’s early edition of Video Game Quick Hits. There’ve been a bunch of rumors flying around about some possible sequels but I’ve chosen to ignore them for now. I’m actually expecting confirmation on two of them by Friday’s edition, so we’ll just have to wait and see. The biggest rumor probably won’t be confirmed until next month, assuming it’s true. I’ll give you a hint though. It’s the fourth game in the series. Or the sixth. Depends on how you look at it.

Big Shiny Girlcast is back and due to several requests we will now be recording about once every two weeks (so there’s lots of the Girlcast in your future!). The latest episode of the podcast, “Issue #2: The Guinea Pig of the Sea,” discusses Bandai, SOPA and Cosplay, DC’s New 52 2nd Wave, Thor, Avengers, Ghost Rider, Green Arrow’s possible CW Pilot, Otaku / Geek Dating, Skyrim and more! This week’s “Ask the Geek Girls” segment finds us discussing the pro’s and con’s of online geek dating – you won’t want to miss it!

On this week’s podcast: Jessie – Miss Mecha on Big Shiny Robot!, Kelly – Scarlett Robotica on Big Shiny Robot! and Darcy from geekgirlsftw.blogspot.com

You can find it here on the site or download it over on our Big Shiny Robot iTunes feed.

To comment on this week’s episode, send us a question, or answer on of our burning questions, just leave a comment here at the bottom of the post or email the podcast at jessie@bigshinyrobot.com

Topic Timeline (for your fast forwarding pleasures):

Bandai Leaves North America = 3:58 – 18:23; SOPA and Cosplay: Yes? No? Bad? = 18:23 – 25:02; DC’s 2nd Wave of New 52 Comics: The How, What, Why and an overview of the DC Earths…there are a lot of them, and we’re somewhat confused by it. = 25:02 – 31:20; We hear ourselves echoing but forget to edit it out later (don’t judge us!)= 31:20 – 23:03; Fox News wants you to be afraid of everything – Comic Books included = 23:03 – 44:22; Movies and TV: Thor is sexy even during re-writes, The Avengers rock our world, and Ghost Rider…yeah… = 44:22 – 59:39; Green Arrow might get a CW Pilot! Is this good news or bad news, both? = 59:39 – 1:12:05; “Ask The Geek Girls” – Otaku/Geek Dating = 1:12:05 – 1:34:25; Recommendations / Ending stuff = 1:34:25 – 1:40:24.

Last week I imported a Vita for my birthday in February. I thought hey, why not. I have a friend visiting who will ship me one. Here are my thoughts in a handy Millennial bullet point format.

• You probably shouldn’t import a Vita. There are no games and the PSN store for the US isn’t live yet. You’ll have to buy the few english games from the Asian PSN store, AFTER finding a place to buy Asian PSN cards. Plus it’s crazy expensive to ship it if you have a buddy grab one for you.
• It’s fuckin’ awesome. It’s like having a next gen console in your hand.
• Don’t buy Monster Radar. As awesome as it looks, it only works in Japan. In fact, make sure you get one of the few games that are English friendly.
• One day, you’ll wish you had more than 32Gigs of memory card space. You are able to download PS Vita games (which is cheaper) as well as UMD games (discounted if you own them) and other PSP/PSN games. I see a system getting filled pretty quickly.

If you have any other questions about it, ask me here and I’ll answer what I can.

It’s still a slow retail time but that hasn’t stopped the presses. Plenty of publishers and developers are hyping their imminent spring games, and plenty more are looking even further forward. Others are looking for a quick cash injection with DLC announcements for existing titles. This week’s early edition of VGQH has a little bit from all of them.

First up is a new character incoming for Saints’ Row: The Third. In addition to the Genkibowl VII package releasing today is CheapyD from Cheap Ass Gamer. He’ll be one of your regular homies you can call for help once you reach that point in the game. CheapyD will come with the Genkibowl VII DLC for $7. But this is Cheap Ass Gamer, so you can also pick him up for free by downloading the Genkibowl VII Viewer Pack instead.

The Starhawk beta has begun its expansion plans. Those invited to the private beta started playing back in November and December and can still play as long as their original files are still intact. PlayStation Plus subscribers will be able to start the action as of today. Those who registered their online pass from Uncharted 3 and opted in for marketing emails should be getting an invitation with a download code to start playing on February 1st. Everyone else will be able to start playing on February 22nd when it becomes completely open.

While most publishers have started including Online Passes with new copies of games (some with benefits like early beta access as just mentioned), requiring second-hand players to pay $10 for online access, Namco Bandai has been pushing back against used game sales in a different way. Their plan is exclusive free content with “preorders,” though the access is basically just included in the first run packaging. The extra content is not necessary for play, but it’s a nice bonus for early adopters. Anyway, a similar plan is in effect for Ridge Racer: Unbounded. This free uprgade to the “limited edition” will include three additional cars and five branded paint jobs. That gets you The Immortal, Road Wolf, and Ghoster; and you’ll be able to customize them (or any other car) with paint jobs from Ace Combat, Galaga, Pac-Man, Tekken, and Soul Calibur. If you’re a racing fan, that’s eight more reasons to look forward to March 6th.

Now we go from good news to bad, especially if you’re looking forward to 2K’s XCOM reboot. We’ve known since November that the game was delayed delayed from March until the “next fiscal year.” Since retail fiscal years tend to end in the summer it was still expected the game would see a 2012 release date. Not happening. It’s now being pushed into the first half of 2013. Just to be clear, this is the first person shooter version of the “new” XCOM franchise. The other game in the series, a more traditional strategy version, is still planned for 2012, even though it was announced later.

There’ve been some interesting rumors floating about that THQ is cancelling their entire 2014 line-up. Why anyone would already be cancelling stuff that’s two years away doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Apparently it doesn’t make a lot of sense to THQ either as they are admantly denying the rumor. Rumors that they’ve also put themselves up for sale are unconfirmed at this time. While they have had, and may still be having, some financial trouble, they still have a very strong stable of franchises. Sales of WWE ’12 are up nearly 40% from last year’s version in the same time period, despite releasing on fewer consoles. Saint’s Row: The Third has also tripled sales of the second game in the same time. UFC Undisputed 3 and Darksiders 2 are both scheduled for the first half of 2012. While they are culling some of their kids titles to focus on a more core gaming experience (not a surprise considering the utter failure of the uDraw tablet), with all of those brands to leverage THQ probably isn’t going anywhere soon.

Getting back to the DLC front, Dead Island is getting a story expansion on January 31st. The “Ryder White” add-on puts you in the shoes of the game’s main antagonist, opening up a different perspective about the Banoi zombie outbreak. The story will expand on Ryder’s character as both loving husband and military leader. The $10 addition will include two extra blueprints for weapons and several hours of “twists and turns.”

While Capcom has been very open with news about Street Fighter x Tekken, Namco Bandai hasn’t been as forthcoming with their alternate version, Tekken x Street Fighter. Both games were announced in 2010 and Capcom’s is set for release March 6th on pretty much every console ever conceived. Meanwhile, the latest news on Namco Bandai’s crossover is Katsuhiro Harada’s response to a fan on Twitter, stating that he is “considering” bringing the game to Sony’s new handheld, PlayStation Vita. Which is all well and good, but have you considered when you were planning to do that?

Sony seems to be starting a New Year’s tradition on PSN. Last year they put 11 of their top games on sale to celebrate 2011. This time around it’s 12 for ’12. Starting today and running until January 23rd, 12 of last year’s top titles are 30% off. PlayStation Plus subscribers will get the games for 50% off. Here’s the breakdown:

• Regular $9.99, Sale $6.99, PS+ $4.89
• Cubixx HD
• Eufloria
• Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection
• PixelJunk Sidescroller
• Rochard
• Sideway New York
• Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken – Reg. $11.99, Sale $8.39, PS+ $5.87
• Regular $14.99, Sale $10.49, PS+ $7.34
• BloodRayne: Betrayal
• Dungeon Defenders
• Okabu
• Street Fighter III Third Strike Online Edition
• PayDay: The Heist – Reg. $19.99, Sale $13.99, PS+ $9.79

Capcom’s expansion into Vancouver (formerly Blue Castle Games) seems to be growing. A pair of recent help wanted ads for Capcom Vancouver have teased a little bit about their future. One ad refers to the division as a “multi-project and multi-IP developer” with “two new AAA titles in the works.” The other ad says they are hiring for a third-party action-adventure game. The smart money is that one of those “two new AAA titles” is Dead Rising 3, as Vancouver has been the exclusive studio on that franchise since the second game released in 2010. The other title, according to the job description, is a third party action-adventure title in an “Unannounced New IP.”

Capcom’s not the only with job ads raising eyebrows. Rockstar‘s got one of their own. Their ad indicates Rockstar North (Edinburgh) needs an environment artist to work on an unannounced next-gen project. What might that be? While no consoles have been announced for GTA V, the game has and it looks to be coming to this generation. Could it be Red Dead Redemption 2? Or maybe the return to Bully that Dan Houser has said is imminent? Whatever happened to Agent? Could it be going next-gen?

But that’s not the only Rockstar news this week. Delays in the gaming community are common and it’s rare for one to take me by surprise. That said, my jaw dropped when Take Two announced Max Payne 3 has been pushed back from March 6th to May 15th. Is it just that they want to separate themselves from an already crowded month, especially the same date as Mass Effect 3? Possibly, but according to Strauss Zelnick, CEO, “This short delay will ensure that Max Payne 3 delivers the highest quality, groundbreaking entertainment experience that is expected from our company.” So, final polish as usual, eh? Regardless of the reason, this has a much stronger impact on investors than on gamers. May is actually at the beginning of Take Two’s 2013 fiscal year, whereas releasing in March would have put it in FY2012. With this move Take Two will likely have a net loss on the books for FY2012. On the other hand, that’s a big jump start for their 2013. A start that should be well padded if GTA V releases this holiday season as rumored. It’s also important to note that Red Dead Redemption and LA Noire were May releases in 2010 and 2011, respectively. This could all be part of Take Two claiming the video game equivalent of the opening summer blockbuster.

So what have we covered so far this week? DLC? Check. New IPs? Check. Delays? Check. Sales? Check. Next-gen console rumors? Check. Betas? Check. Exclusives? Check. Rumors? Check. Seems like we’ve got it all covered. That should tide us over to Friday.

I deliberately shut myself off from virtually all news sources from Friday afternoon until this morning. I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I started this column. Would the long weekend have been filled with crazy gaming news and I’m now desperately behind? Did everyone else take the time off with me? Turns out everyone had a great holiday and very few newsworthy items have come to light in the last few days.

I actually wish I had caught my first item before my media blackout to report that Rockstar is hosting a Double XP event for Red Dead Redemption for the winter break time. The event started Christmas Eve and runs through January 2nd. As a further bonus, if you played on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day over the weekend it was actually Triple XP. This Saturday and Sunday, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, respectively, will also be Triple XP. If you’ve been looking to max out your Gamerscore or earn the platinum trophy for this title you should definitely take advantage of this event. I’m sure it will hold you back from Skyrim, Uncharted 3, or whatever other major title you scored as a gift, but it’s still a damn fun game even after all this time.

If you scored a PS3 for Christmas, or are just looking to expand your peripheral library for the system, Sony has made the next few eeks the perfect time to get yourself some accessories. Happening now through January 21st at most major retailers (Amazon, Best Buy, Fred Meyer’s, Fry’s, GameStop, KMart, Sears, Sony Stores, Target, and Toys R Us – interesting to not see WalMart on the list) is Sony Play Days. With varying discounts on various items, the event will get you up to 50% off some peripherals and accessories. You should check the Playstation Blog for the full list of items and discounts. Some of the highlights, especially if you’re new to or want to get the Move, are an extra Move or Navigation controller for $10 off, the LittleBigPlanet Move bundle for only $80, $5 off the bluetooth blu-ray remote, and 3D glasses for only $50. I think the only thing actually 50% off is the Sharpshooter, but even at 20-30% you’re still saving dough.

In what appears to be the only non-promotional news drop today, the third DLC character for King of Fighters XIII has been announced. He of the absurdly large nose, Mr. Karate, will be available January 10th. For PS3 users, that’s the same day the NESTS Kyo DLC will drop after its recent delay.

Somehow that’s the end of the news for this week’s early edition. It’s a little sparse, but it’s no surprise. The real question is whether Friday’s edition will be just as sparse while eveyone takes the entire week off (like me), or if the devs and publishers will want to end this year with a bang of big announcements. Personally, I’m expecting this column to be relatively short until the end of January.

As Christmas winds away and we start finishing our glut of Fall games it slowly becomes time to hear more about all of those games promised for “early 2012” or “Spring 2012.” The first of these is Devil May Cry HD Collection. Collecting Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 2, and Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening Special Edition with bonus content for only $40, this bundle has finally gotten a street date. Capcom has announced this collection will be available April 3, 2012. My only response to that is Dante’s going to have to wait. Mass Effect 3 will still be permanently jammed into my console at that time.

Speaking of Capcom, they’ve decided not to sit back and watch all of the digital sales happening for the end of the year and get in on it themselves. Now through January 10th you should definitely be taking advantage of the Capcom PSN Holiday Super Sale. There are some serious gems in here for up to 50% off. Check the Capcom blog for the full listing, but here’s a few I highly recommend: Bionic Commando: Rearmed for $4.99 (Rearmed 2 is also good and on sale, but the first is better), and Super Puzzle Fighter II HD for $4.99. Seriously, Puzzle Fighter. Buy that game!!! This is probably the best jewel/brick dropping puzze game ever made. Yeah, I said it. It’s better than Tetris and Dr. Mario. Buy that one and hit me up on PSN; I’ll re-teach you the definition of n00b.

Despite Australia’s newest game rating, allowing a category for an 18+ age group, they’re still busy banning games. Actually, Syndicate is the first ban I’ve seen since legislation for the new rating passed. The rating is not actually available yet, leaving the highest rating as MA15+. However, reading their decision on the game, I would speculate the title may be unavailable even with the higher rating possibilities. According to the classification board:

“The game contains violence that is high in impact and is therefore unsuitable for persons aged 18 years to play. Combatants take locational damage and can be explicitly dismembered, decapitated, or bisected by the force of the gunfire. The depictions are accompanied by copious bloodspray and injuries are shown realistically and with detail. Flesh and bone are often exposed while arterial sprays of blood continue to spirt [sic] from wounds at regular intervals.”

I think the key line here is “unsuitable for persons aged 18 years to play.” They’re essentially saying the game is so violent that it would be detrimental to the psyche of a responsible adult to play the game. Frankly, the game sounds a bit disgusting and probably isn’t something I would even be interested in playing. Despite that, I’m glad I live in the United States where an outright ban by the government isn’t likely to happen. Whether consumers refuse to buy it, or retailers refuse to carry it, at least the game would be available to those who are willing to seek it out.

We all knew Modern Warfare 3 would be getting ample DLC, and we also knew the Elite subscribers would be getting it first (and free). What we finally have now is a date for the first add-on, January 24th, 2012. That date is only for XBox 360 players, of course. Microsoft has the timed exclusive on the DLC, meaning PS3 owners won’t be downloading the extra content until the end of February at least. And, while we don’t know exactly what is coming, they have released one teaser shot they’re calling “Park.” I’m assuming this is part of a new map set in an urban area with an open park segment.

When I first heard EA was rebooting the SSX franchise I cringed. As I’ve heard more about it I’ve gotten a little more excited. It became obvious to me just how much my optimism for the game has changed when I saw it was delayed and felt disappointed. I expect delays for most games, so it’s rare for me to let out a little moan and a frown when I hear that one is getting pushed back for two weeks for a “final bit of polish.” Getting shifted from Febraury 14th to February 28th isn’t bad. And, to hear Todd Batty (Creative Director) tell it, it will be worth the wait. According to Batty, they “recently decided to take a couple of extra weeks to give our game the final bit of polish we think it deserves. Over the course of more than 10 years of making games I have not worked on a single project where our team did not wish, coming down the home stretch, that we could have just a bit more time. Time to do all the little things that may not be noticeable during the first hour or two playing the game, but are appreciated over the course of days, weeks, months and beyond…. SSX was one of the games that always took the time to do exactly that. There is a reason why Tricky and SSX3 are still among the highest rated games of all time, and it is because even playing them today they still stand the test of time. Our goal from Day 1 was to re-launch this amazing franchise with a new SSX game that could live up to that legacy.” Since I tend to agree with him about Tricky and SSX3 I’m willing to sit out the extra two weeks. But can they at least tease me with some of the soundtrack (one of the highlights of the series) while I wait.

At long last Square Enix has announced Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance], the next entry in the popular franchise. As you’d expect with the title, the game is exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS. Players will take on the roles of both Riku and Sora as Yen Sid and King Mickey send them to the Sleeping Worlds for their final exam. Completing this task will make them Keyblade Masters, setting up the franchise’s story for its final battle. Square Enix promises new Disney worlds we haven’t seen in the franchise, including La Cité des Cloches (The Hunchback of Notre Dame). The title is scheduled for 2012, with a final date yet to be announced.

Square Enix has also announced an extra piece of planned DLC for Final Fantasy XIII-2. Azrael is a bow weapon exclusive to XBox 360 and usable in-game only by Serah. The weapon will be 80 Microsoft points on January 31st and will still need to be bought in game from Chocolina the Merchant in Episode 2. When equipped, your Chain Bonus will be enhanced.

Sony has officially announced the North American launch lineup for the Playstation Vita in February. Here’s the list (games marked with a * are PSN only, if no publisher is listed the game is first-party):

• Army Corps of Hell (Square Enix)
• Asphalt Injection (Ubisoft)
• Ben 10 Galactic Racing (D3)
• Blazblue: Continuum Shift EXTEND (Aksys)
• Dungeon Hunter Alliance (Ubisoft)
• Dynasty Warriors Next (Tecmo Koei)
• Escape Plan*
• F1 2011 (Codemasters)
• FIFA Soccer (EA)
• Hot Shots Golf:World Invitational*
• Hustle Kings
• Little Deviants
• Lumines Electronic Symphony (Ubisoft)
• The Michael Jackson Experience (Ubisoft)
• ModNation Racers: Road Trip
• Plants vs. Zombies* (SOE)
• Rayman Origins (Ubisoft)
• Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen (Namco Bandai)
• Super StarDust Delta*
• Tales of Space: Mutant Blobs Only* (Drinkbox)
• Touch My Katamari (Namco Bandai)
• Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (Capcom)
• Uncharted: Golden Abyss
• Virtua Tennis 4 World Tour Edition (SEGA)
• Wipeout 2048

Included with this announcement were four “launch window” games as well. Gravity Rush, MLB 12 The Show, Reality Fighters, and Unit 13. Games for the system are currently listed at $9.99 to $49.99. John Koller, Director of Hardware Marketing for Sony, calls this “the biggest and best lineup we’ve ever launched across the history of PlayStation platforms.” With over 20 games at launch and more than 100 in development, he’s probably right. But will it be enough? The portable market is suffering, the unit’s cost is higher than expected, proprietary memory cards are expensive, and with games running up to $50 for top shelf titles the system has a few hurdles ahead of it. Personally, I’m not buying day one. I’ll wait six months or a year for the newer model to release and drop in price about 25%. That’ll also be about the right time to start picking up used games for a reasonable price, as well as having a quick turnaround on them through Gamefly.

Since that’s the end of the news, allow me to wish you all a Merry Christmas (or other holiday of your choosing). Please be safe and enjoy your holiday. Here’s hoping you get all of the games you desire, and give as much joy as you’ll feel.

As we expected, there were some pretty big announcements and video debuts during Spike’s VGA show on Saturday. There’s very little detail right now, but at least we know what games are expecting continued coverage over the next year. The awards show was rather boring and a little too hyped on itself but it did show honors to some worthy games. I am personally disappointed with their choice for Game of the Year, as are many others – particularly those who are still suffering game-breaking glitches. For the full recap of the night’s winners, click here. For the latest video game news, read on.

Western JRPG fans will be getting a treat this summer. Agarest: Generations of War 2, the third game in the series is on its way to Europe and the US. If you haven’t been following the series I can’t really explain it you. Just know it’s a Japanese RPG, Anime girls with animal tails and all. It is worth noting that the title may be shifted to Record of Agarest War 2 for the Western audience.

You had to be expecting a collector’s edition of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. But were you expecting three of them? Only 2000 units of the Special Edition ($80) will be released, netting you 40 replica Destiny Cards, a seven-piece set of Amalur-themed dice, the original soundtrack, a parchment map of Amalur’s Faelands and a bonus DLC pack of nine Fate-Touched Weapons that grant bonus XP from Fate Shift kills. The Collector’s Edition ($200) is limited to 700 and adds on to the Special Edition with a concept art lithograph signed by Ken Rolston and a 12.5″ Prismere Troll statue worth about $175. Finally, limited to 300 indiviudally numbered units, is the Signature Edition ($275). What do you get for that extra $75? Todd McFarlane, R.A. Salvatore, or Curt Schilling (founder of 38 Studios) will sign that troll. Wait a minute! Who’s gonna pay $75 for Curt Schilling’s autograph? That troll is pretty awesome though.

When Tony Hawk teased via Twitter last week that he was announcing a new game on Saturday I suggested they go back to the series’ roots. Little did I expect I’d be so close. Rather than releasing Tony Hawk’s Activision Cash In With Yet Another Stupid Peripheral And “Edgy” Name, the newest game is Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD. While I was hoping for a return to the third game, this will actually be recreating elements from the first two in full HD on PSN and XBLA. It’s set for release in the first half of 2012 and is expected to be about $15. This sounds like good news to me, but Robomodo (the devs behind Ride and Shred) are handling the legwork. Excited trepidation would probably be the most accurate assessment of my feelings.

One of the expected treats at the VGAs was the game BioWare teased a few weeks ago. That first screenshot was very misleading, though the second one actually generated a few correct guesses prior to Saturday’s debut of Command & Conquer Generals 2. Looks like but they’re trying their hand at an RTS. I guess they deserve a chance to try something new, but when they’re continually making such great games in the RPG genre, like Dragon Age and Mass Effect, I see this as an unnecessary gamble. Even more so considering it will be a PC-exclusive. Yes, I know C&C has always been a traditionally PC game. But BioWare’s got a lot of credit with console gamers right now. And PC gaming is hardly dead, but more families have gaming consoles than hardcore gaming PCs. Skipping the console audience skips a huge swath of potential players. Regardless of my own opinion, look for this in 2013.

The VGA reveal of the Last of Us didn’t surprise me with its tone or story. Not that much story was revealed. It certainly looks like a post-apocalyptic zombie drama, as I expected. Maybe they aren’t exactly zombies in the traditional sense, but I didn’t get a real good look at them. But the reveal did excite me anyway. Why? Because it’s coming from Naughty Dog! After the Uncharted series on PS3 and the Jak series on PS2, these guys basically have the pin number on my debit card. The bigger question is whether this was more than just another game announcement. Jak was a definitive series on PS2. Uncharted is the same for PS3. Could this game be Naughty Dog’s PS4 powerhouse? The schedule currently has it set for late 2012, early 2013. That matches with many industry analysts speculation on the next generation of consoles. We also know that Sony has some of its in-house teams working exclusively on next-gen. Hmmm. If you think PS4 is coming but Naughty Dog isn’t involved, you’re crazy. Do they have time and resources to develop The Last of Us AND a PS4 game?

Epic’s big VGA reveal was an interesting little piece called Fortnite. I still haven’t quite figured out what this is going to be. Then again, I was expecting the announcement to be Bulletstorm 2, so don’t trust my instincts. As they described the game prior to the trailer I was thinking Minecraft. The video looks nothing like it, but the concept doesn’t seem that different. Lee Perry, Lead Game Designer, didn’t shy away from this similarity on Twitter and I wasn’t the only one to notice it. According to Perry, “Minecraft was an inspiration for sure. But Minecraft lets you build anything, we are focusing on constructing buildings specifically.” It appears there are strange demon creatures that attack in force at night. During the day you’ll be gathering supplies and building your fort’s defenses to keep you alive through the night. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more of this one in action. Could be a while though. No date, or even which platforms are getting it, have been announced.

Am I the only one that thought cutting off the acceptance speeches from Bethesda to show off another trailer was a strange decision by Spike? Seriously, these guys won Game of the Year (deservedly or not) and you cut away to have Hideo Kojima stutter through his announcement. And I don’t want to be harsh on Kojima-san. He’s not a native English speaker and he was very nervous. A translator would have been much easier on him and the viewer. Regardless if it was the right programming choice, Kojima did show off a trailer for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. First off, I like the name shift. Keep the Solid moniker for the stealth games in the series. That said, Revengeance is kind of a dumb word. Of greater import is that development has passed to Platinum Games. They’ll do a fantastic job with Raiden’s katana slashing. Ninja hack and slash is their specialty. I am concerned about what this means for the series. Is the name Metal Gear going to lose its power as it gets co-opted for a whole series of wild games in varying genres? Possibly, but I think I encouraged the same behavior from other studios just a few short weeks ago. As long as they keep Snake’s story as one solid, cohesive narrative I’m not really concerned with ancillary titles in the franchise.

In the post-VGA days there is still gaming news making the rounds. Codemasters has announced DiRT Showdown. A proper sequel to the racing franchise is still coming, but this version looks to change things up a bit. The handling will be simpler to allow for easier tricks, but the real star of the show are the three game modes. You’ll still get muscle cars and SUVs to race. You’ll still get Hoonigan cars for Gymkhana and stunts. But you’ll also get some heavy, destructive beasts for demolition modes. It’s been a lot of years since I’ve played a game with decent a Demolition Derby mode. I’ve got high hopes for this one to fill that niche.

It may have taken three decades to finally bring Duke Nukem Forever to retail, but they haven’t been shy with the DLC. Apparently releasing this week, “The Doctor Who Cloned Me” will be adding new maps in multiplayer and additional single player campaign for $9.99. The new campaign has Duke fighting clones, alien queens, robots, and more in an effort to take down Dr. Proton’s evil plan. What is his evil plan? Ha, like that matters. As long as Duke gets to blow shit up and act like dick it doesn’t matter what nefarious plot he’s stopping. That’s just the Duke way.

Finally, for Sonic fans, the wait is finally over. Sonic CD, originally released in 1993, is coming to PSN and XBLA tomorrow. The better news? Getting the Time Stones back from Dr. Robotnik will only set you back a measly $5.00.

And that’s going to be it for today. I skipped a few minor stories for the sake of brevity. I’ll be doing my best to keep up through the holidays, but this time of the year tends to be pretty dry on the news front as many developers take time off to be with their families after the high pressure build up to the Fall release schedule. I am still looking for a new post pic to ring in the new year. Those children just get uglier every time I see them. Post a link in the comments or email your suggestions to balda$$bat (at) yahoo dot com (replace the $ with the letter “s”). You’ll be credited in a column and I’ll find something to send you. Maybe it will be an unwanted Christmas gift. Maybe it will be one of my R2-D2 action figures. Or possibly just a wrinkled old dollar. But I will find something.

Bethesda is working on another patch for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The new patch will likely fix the resistance problems and backwards flying dragons from version 1.2. Unfortunately, version 1.3, which is in final testing, won’t quite fix all of the lag issues on PS3 yet. Why not? Mostly because they’ve been unable to track down the exact cause. Some of the slowing comes from the PS3 auto-saving, a feature that can be turned off. Other lag problems seem to be a combination of minor issues that haven’t been fully identified. The developer is working with customers to gather game saves and track down the individual issues that may be contributing. While I’d much prefer to see games be completed before they release, it is reassuring that a company will continue to improve on a product you already own without forcing you to buy an updated version. Hopefully the game will be (relatively) bug free soon. In the meantime, check the official forums for some temporary workarounds.

Remember all of those pre-order bonus skins for Batman: Arkham City that we were so excited to see? Remember how we all expected them to be available as DLC sooner or later? Well that sooner is now. Seven skins are available as a single pack for $5. The skins included are 1970s Batman, Year One Batman, The Dark Knight Returns, Earth One, Batman Beyond, Sinestro Corps and Animated Series Batman. The Sinestro Corps skin was previously only available by purchasing the blu-ray of the worst Green Lantern movie ever made. Five dollars doesn’t seem entirely unreasonable for seven skins. But, wouldn’t you rather pay one dollar each if you don’t want all seven?

No official announcement has been made, but apparently GameStop doesn’t need one to let us all know that Assassin’s Creed: Revelations has more DLC coming on January 24th. The Mediterranean Traveler Map Pack looks to be $9.99. No details beyond that are available, but the smart money is on this being additional multiplayer maps from around the Mediterranean. Look for an official statement from Ubisoft soon.

As I mentioned on Tuesday, it looks like Saturday’s VGAs will be full of new game announcements. The latest one being rumored is Activision’s return to the Tony Hawk franchise. This pro skating series essentially created a genre back in the PSOne/N64 era. Activision quickly milked it for all it was worth, eventually leading to franchise fatigue and stupid peripheral add-ons. With the pro skater tweeting that he’ll have an announcement on Saturday – “the same day as the Spike Video Game Awards. Coincidence? I think not” – it looks like we’ll see what Activision plans. Will it be a return to form and have the amazing quality of the third game (my personal favorite), or are they committed to dysfunctional plastic boards and “casual” game play?

Speaking of Activision and franchises, they have announced they will be releasing a licensed game to coincide with the new Spider-Man movie next year. If this surprises you please throw away your gaming console. You obviously don’t deserve anything more technical than your drool-catching bib. As we’ve seen in many recent movie-licensed games, you shouldn’t be expecting to play through the plot of the film. Instead, The Amazing Spider-Man: The Video Game actually takes on the role of epilogue. Beenox is developing, but they’re going back to the web of free-roaming around New York City instead of jumping between dimensions. Seamus Kevin Fahey (Battlestar Galactica, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena) is writing. I’ve seen a very short clip of it and Spider-Man looks fantastic in motion, but the city looks a little bland. Expect a full trailer at the VGAs on Saturday.

One game that has made sporadic appearances in VGQH for months looks to be nearing its end time in our spotlight. That’s because Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD is finally getting its release on PS3. The game, much like the entire series, has seen its share of troubles getting to release. While 3D and Move support are being delayed for a future patch, the game itself will hit the US PSN on December 27th for $15. If you missed this on XBox last generation, you owe it to yourself to get it now. What a great use for that PSN card you’ll find in your stocking this year.

Another of the announcements to expect on Saturday is The Last of Us, a PS3 exclusive that’s already being teased. A recent teaser video showed footage of a BBC documentary discussing a fungus that eats the brains of ants, but still keeps them mobile. The recent teaser image highlights some sort of American apocalypse. Looks like a zombie game, but I’m hoping for something a little more creative.

A recent Capcom Facebook post appears to be teasing Dead Rising 3. “I’m getting packing for my new adventure – camera, notebook and baseball bat. What else would i need for a break in paradise? – Frank” If anything, this almost sounds like he’s making a cameo appearance in Dead Island, but that wouldn’t make any sense. Somehow I get the feeling we’ll learn more on Saturday.

While we all know there are console fanboys of every flavor many people forget the quiet little contender in the corner that is OnLive. While not a full console like a PS3 or XBox 360, this service does provide many of the same titles via streaming, much like your Netflix. It’s an interesting concept, and one that seems to be successful for them, although I haven’t tried it myself. Bruce Grove of OnLive has been talking about the future of their service and what it will mean in the next generation from Microsoft and Sony. It’s Grove’s opinion that the big two will have to be looking at a streaming service of their own and he feels it’s something OnLive can provide for them. Does this mean we could see an OnLive channel on our PS4’s XMB? Possibly, but he was a little stingy with information about whether or not he’s already talked to Sony. He did say that they had an OnLive client running on PS3 when the Linux OS was operable on that system but it was never released. Could this be the future of gaming? And would Sony or Microsoft want to work with an outsider to develop a console-based version? I could see this as a viable option for trying a PSN title before buying. I could even see this is a plan to save HDD costs by having PSN or XBLA games be streaming instead of downloadable. Beyond the console manufacturers, how would we feel about it?

The sales figures for PSN come out every month, but I never really see them as news appropriate for VGQH. This month was interesting though, so I thought I would share. The best-selling title for November is also the service’s fastest-selling title of all time, inFamous: Festival of Blood. I’m one of the many who bought this gem and it was well worth it. This is a standout example of what a fully-featured downloadable game should be. In the add-on segment of the store, the Nightwing Bundle for Batman: Arkham City has, predictably, taken top honors. Meanwhile, Square Enix should be quite proud, as they’ve taken the top five spots for PSOne Classics (Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy VII, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy V, and Final Fantasy IX) and two of the top five PSP games (Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, and Dissidia 012 Prologus Final Fantasy). With Final Fantasy VI hitting those lists I wouldn’t expect to see Square Enix fall from the top anytime soon.

I don’t know how I didn’t see this one coming, but Media Molecule has a great reason for you to put Little Big Planet 2 back into your PS3. This week’s PSN update saw one of the coolest Sackskins in a very long time, The Muppets! Check out the pic to see who’s included. And if you don’t have LBP2, I wouldn’t recommend rushing out to buy it right now. Not because it’s not a fantastic game. It is. They’ve sold approximately 400,000 copies since Black Friday (including those bundled with new systems). Which means you might just see a fresh new copy waiting under the tree.

Another ratings leak, this time from Korea, gives us our first hint that Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 is imminent. This is not official confirmation, but Anarchy Reigns, another SEGA game, was also in the ratings list and it’s scheduled for release next month. Then again, the last update I heard was that Sonic shouldn’t be appearing again until summer.

And that ends our news snapshots for this week. As mentioned multiple times above, Spike’s VGAs are tomorrow night. I’ll be at a holiday party for my wife’s work and not watching it live. I do plan to DVR it though. Which will be better anyway because I can fast forward past the awards and get straight to the big announcements. Look for all necessary recaps here at Big Shiny Robot!

So yesterday was my birthday and I didn’t get any game-related gifts. What’s up with that? I suppose it has everything to do with being an adult now and only my wife, who gets bored of my constant gaming, actually gives me presents. Oh well. I still have plenty of games to play anyway. Not to mention my new mp3 player from the wife is pretty spectacular. On to the news!

As we’ve all seen, November was chock full of top tier game releases. And many sold incredibly well. Is that a sign of an improving economy, or the number of people willing to spend $60 to escape its grimness? Regardless, I’ve reported some of the high numbers for the FPS contenders, but they aren’t the only ones doing well. Sony recently announced their figures for Uncharted 3, and it certainly sold a few copies, 3.8 million on day one alone. Considering how slowly sales started for the series, it’s nice to see Drake finally hitting stride and selling over 13 million units in the franchise to date. That doesn’t sound as impressive as Modern Warfare 3‘s numbers, but keep in mind it’s a console exclusive. This actually says a lot for the industry as a whole. Two FPS series targeting the same audience both sold like gangbusters, one of them setting the all time entertainment sales record for a three day period. At the same time, the concluding tale of an Italian Assassin, an open-world fantasy epic, the Indiana Jones of the 21st century, and a 72 year old playboy that beats up clowns while dressed as a flying rodent all managed to sell enough units to go multi-platinum. That is, they would be multi-platinum, if the gaming industry based their self-proclaimed accolades on the same archaic formula the music industry uses. What does this say about gaming? Does this indicate a growth in the popularity of gaming and an increased number of gamers? Or is it just that the same gamers now have more disposable income? Maybe it’s completely insignificant. But as someone who follows the industry, I think it’s exciting.

Despite being a slow week so far, it’s safe to assume next Tuesday’s edition of VGQH will bea little more upbeat. That’s because the VGAs will be airing on Spike this Saturday. The Video Game Awards are gaming’s equivalent of the Oscars. There are more neck beards, but less digital effects (hah). Actualy it’s a generally boring ramble through all the games we already know are awesome. Far from caring which advertiser bought an award for which game, I’m much more interested in all the announcements we’ve been promised. The most recent is a “fresh and new experience” from Epic Games, the crew behind Gears of War 3 and Bulletstorm. I’m intrigued. But I’m honestly just expecting Bulletstorm 2.

If you’re more interested in what you can do today, rather than watch on Saturday, you may like what you find in today’s update on the PSN Store. Resistance 3 will have new DLC today. The “Brutality” expansion includes a new game mode (which sounds like Horde in a revamped Wales map), a new weapon (sledgehammer – quick, dirty, and efficient), and music from Mastodon. In-game music as DLC? Strange for anything besides Rock Band, but why not? Five tracks from their new album, The Hunter, and two instrumentals from Blood Mountain will be included. The expansion will be $3.99.

I’m having a hard time following all the leads and “sources” on this own so we may as well just keep it filed under rumor. Anyway, one of the first characters announced for Final Fantasy XIII-2 was Sazh. He’s the hip guy with the afro and a pet chocobo. You might also remember him as the guy whose jacket might make Captain Jack jealous. The latest rumor is that he’s actually far less important of a character than Square Enix initially would have had us believe. Turns out, he could be going the way of Catwoman and being playable only as DLC. Whether he’ll be paid DLC, or a new copy incentive like Batman’s feline frenemy, is still unclear. Which is to be expected, considering this is still just rumor. My prediction? Sazh will be an in-game NPC with missions for your heroic band. At some point, if you’ve obtained the DLC, you may be able to recruit him. We should have more information very soon, as the game will be releasing in Japan on December 15th. North American and European players will need to wait until January 31st and February 3rd, respectively.

Speaking of DLC, Saints’ Row: The Third hasn’t shown you all of its content yet. The “Z Style” pack will give you Zimo’s pimp threads and his Bling Shotgun. The “Explosive Combo” pack is aptly named. That gets you the Future Soldier outfit and the M2 Grenade Launcher. Both packs are expected to be available today for $1.99 each.

That ends the news for this week’s early edition check back Friday for more news from throughout the week. Also, check out this previews ad for December’s Playstation Plus updates. You’ve seen plenty of articles from the ‘bots here about how awesome Marvel Pinball is, now it’s free for subscribers. If you’ve already got a Plus subscription, GET THIS GAME! If not, get it anyway. Or subscribe to PS+. I was a doubter at first, but I’m enjoying all the free “minis.” [By the way, Thor, Moon Knight, Ghost Rider, and X-Men tables are coming to Marvel Pinball as part of the “Vengeance and Virtue” pack on December 13th.]

By the way, I’m getting a little bored of the ugly children that serve as VGQH’s post pic. I’m thinking of changing the pic for the new year. If you have anything you think would be appropriate post a link in the comments. You can also email pics to &&balda$$bat&& at Yahoo! Remember to take out the ampersands and the dollar signs are actually the letter “s” – just trying to prevent a little spam. If I pick one you sent you’ll get credit in the first article that uses it, and I’ll see if I’ve got something cool I can send as a thank you but no promises.

Hello and welcome to the first Video Game Quick Hits of December.

We start this edition off with a confirmed date for “Lightning Strikes,” the second DLC pack for DC Universe Online, which recently went free to play. This add-on brings you The Flash, along with his stable of additional characters, and electricity based powers for your hero or villain. The official date is December 6th. That’s this Tuesday for those of you don’t own a calendar. The expansion is $9.99, which will automatically bump you up to Premium status. If you’re currently a Legendary subscriber ($15/month) you’ll receive the extra content free. So, boot up on Tuesday and head on over to Central City, Flash’s hometown and the new environment in the game with the expansion.

While it may not be putting up the 67 bajillion dollar numbers of its competitor, Battlefield 3 has become EA’s biggest launch in the publisher’s history. The title sold 5 million units in the first week, with an additional 3 million since. Those are pretty impressive figures, even if they don’t topple Modern Warfare 3.

You may have noticed a required firmware update for your PS3 this week. If you’re wondering what it is, don’t worry about it. Unless you’re in Japan. The update to 4.00 adds a bunch of cross-platform functionality with the PS Vita. It’s basically the same stuff the console already did with the PSP (data transfers, updates, etc.) but now it works on the new handheld as well. So, that’s something you can look forward to in February. In the meantime, a handful of small tweaks with more immediate use is included in the new firmware. Filters are now available for friend requests and messages, as well as new controls for the auto update feature on PS+ accounts.

Not content to sit on their laurels or let a valuable franchise die, EA is discussing major changes to future releases in the Dead Space universe. Dead Space 3 is still on its way and will finish Isaac Clarke’s story arc. The third entry will still feature the third person, over the shoulder viewpoint and play much like the first two entries. But, there’s more to that universe than one insane engineer. The publisher plans to continue the property with new games in new styles. Some of the ideas tossed around so far are an FPS (yawn), a flight-based spin-off (interesting), and an “Uncharted-like game” (potential). I suppose it’s only a matter of time before they do a creepy kart racer? Yeah, I’m being sarcastic, but I actually like this idea. Dead Space has its share of fans, but with the second entry only moving 2 million units, it’s not exactly a best seller. Opening this solid concept into a wider gaming audience seems like a great idea. I can think of a few franchises that might want to consider it. Case in point, adding lackluster gameplay updates (the boring bomb crafting and awful tower defense sections) to an amazing series like Assassin’s Creed doesn’t make up for the fact that the plan was never to make the series 12 games long. I’d like to see Ubisoft get the core games back on the stealthy path of a secret war that’s lasted hundreds (maybe thousands) of years. But I wouldn’t mind seeing an Assassin general (Lee) facing off against a Templar (Grant) in an RTS. I also wouldn’t mind seeing a rogue Templar go on an Indiana Jones style adventure to gain one of the Apples of Eden. But please, for the love of gods, don’t lose your narrative path like Lost or Battlestar Galactica.

Bioware also has a couple of huge franchises that may or may not need some overhauling. In addition to the multiplayer component coming with Mass Effect 3, there is now a rumor of massive arena battles for Dragon Age 3. The battle arenas are rumored to be playable against AI-controlled bots or human players. But the best part of this news? You may be able to play as a dragon. I’m no fan of adding multiplayer just for the sake of adding multiplayer, but if it means I get to wreck fools as a dragon…? Yeah, go ahead and add it!

Speaking of dragons, what’s cooler than a flying dragon? How about one that flies backwards? Bethesda’s recent release of the v1.2 patch for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim brings exactly that, but it wasn’t intentional. Bethesda games are notorious for launching with a plethora of bizarre glitches, only to be patched a short time later. Those patches usually improve most of the problems. That’s not the case this time around. If anything, v1.2 actually makes the game worse. While some of the worst offending glitches have been repaired, it’s brought a whole new level of problems to the game, including dragons with a reverse gear. While that’s just weird, it’s not game breaking. On the other hand, removing all in-game resistances, for the player and NPCs, is terrible. Flame Atronachs are no longer immune to fire. Any special resistance provided by your armor you fought so hard to acquire is now gone. And it’s not just yours. If you’ve been struggling with defeating an enemy because of his frost shield, might as well go at him now when you can use your freeze magic. An update is likely coming next week (early for the PC, later for the consoles). In the meantime, you can skip the update if you haven’t already patched it. But you may want to run it for a little while, just to watch those kooky dragons.

While we have no official confirmation, you’ve got to know Capcom is hard at work on Resident Evil 6. Any news we get before it’s confirmed should only be treated as rumor. So, get the rumor mill rolling because we have two potential leaks. The first is pretty weak. Joe Cappelletti, a known video game voice actor briefly had RE6 on his resume. That just tells us that it’s being made, which is obvious. The second is a little more revealing. Another voice actor, Wendy Mok, had the game listed on her resume as well, but with a little more detail. Hers said she played a “Chinese villager/zombie.” This might give us a clue to the game’s location. Could we be seeing the effects of Umbrella’s experiments in rural China? Maybe, and it could be a great locale. In the meantime, both actors’ resumes have had this update removed. Leaks like this usually lead to announcements soon after. It’s possible the actors were even told they’d be able to update by now but Capcom has delayed the announcement for some reason.

Konami has put a release date on NeverDead. If this one sounds unfamiliar it’s because it’s been slightly under the radar. I’ve been seeing hints of it for a while now and I like the hook. Bryce Boltzmann and his partner, Arcadia, are demon hunters. But Bryce is immortal. So you can have your limbs blown off, only to reattach them. Or you could rip your arm off and throw it – while it’s still shooting the gun in your hand. Even having your torso removed just means you get to roll around as a head. I’m looking for a Monty Python joke here, but I’ll just let you fill in the blanks. In addition to the January 31st release date, Konami also says the game will receive future DLC after release.

If there has to be a South Park video game (and really, there doesn’t), THQ & Obsidian have the right idea with South Park : The Game. That’s right, go back and read it again, I said Obsidian. But don’t they just make RPGs? Yes, and that’s what they’re making. According to Game Informer’s latest cover story, Trey Parker and Matt Stone have written the script for what will be a complete RPG based in the South Park universe. Being called an “ambitious project” and a “full blown RPG,” players will take control of a new kid in town in order to make friends and defend the place from threats. Maybe if I can look past all of the annoying voices, childish repetition, poop jokes, and making fun of celebrities who really don’t need any more attention, this could turn out to be a fun game. It will be available in 2012 for PS3 and XBox 360.

That pretty much sums up this week. Nothing terribly exciting, but at least a few bits to keep us going as we trudge on towards Christmas and the New Year game drought. Check back Tuesday for all the updates from the weekend.