That V is just a fancy way to say that Rockstar has officially announced Grand Theft Auto 5. All we currently have to go on the game is the new logo which we have above.

According to the logo the first trailer will be revealed on November 2nd, which is next Wednesday. Look for more info as it becomes available!

MonkeyPaw Games announced the new release date for their upcoming title, BurgerTime World Tour to be released first on Xbox Live Arcade this November 2nd.

The game will be afford-ably priced at 800 Microsoft Points. The new BurgerTime experience introduces fresh and meaty additions to the franchise. With challenging platforming elements, online multiplayer, avatar support and boss characters, this is a BurgerTime experience unlike any other. BurgerTime World Tour will be affordably priced at 800 Microsoft Points.

“MonkeyPaw Games has always believed that classic gaming experiences should transcend their original space and evolve into a larger world for the current gaming generation,” said John Greiner, President of MonkeyPaw Games. “We’re thoroughly excited to bring a maturation of a classic game like BurgerTime and give fans a taste of our recipe for retro evolution.”

BurgerTime World Tour is also releasing on PlayStation®Network, the Nintendo® WiiWare service and PC later this year. For more information, check out www.burgertimeworldtour.com and www.monkeypawgames.com.

The creators of Splosion Man have joined the Microsoft Studios family as announced by Microsoft corporate vice president Phil Spencer today. The studio has been making titles exclusively for the Xbox Live Arcade platform since its beginnings in 2006.

“Twisted Pixel has an incredible track record of innovative, critically acclaimed, and most importantly, fun, games,” said Phil Spencer, corporate vice president, Microsoft Studios. “Microsoft Studios is home to cutting-edge entertainment experiences, and the incredible creativity of the Twisted Pixel team will help drive further innovation around Kinect and Xbox LIVE.”

“It is really exciting for us to solidify our long-standing relationship with Microsoft Studios, who we consider to be the leader in digital distribution and creating new innovations in gaming like Xbox LIVE and Kinect,” said Michael Wilford, co-founder and chief executive officer of Twisted Pixel. “As part of the family of Microsoft Studios we look forward to bringing even bigger and richer experiences to Xbox and Twisted Pixel fans around the world.”

The studio joins other development studios like Lionhead Studios and RARE.

Via Major Nelson

Valve announced today that the new downloadable content that was originally scheduled for the summer release is now available for download.

How much will this DLC cost you? It’s for the absolute low low price of free! It is now ready to download for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and will be automatically downloaded for Steam users on PC and Mac.

In “Peer Review”, you and a friend continue the story of loyal bots P-Body and Atlas as you puzzle your way through a mysterious new co-op test track and once again match wits with GLaDOS. The free DLC also features a single player and co-op Challenge Mode, and leaderboards to compare Challenge Mode scores with friends and the Portal communityTo celebrate the release of the free DLC, Portal 2 is now on sale for 50% off on Steam through Thursday at 4pm PT.

Certain Affinity sent us over a note today and wanted to let you guys know that if you’ve enjoyed Crimson Alliance since its debut on Xbox Live Arcade during the Summer of the Arcade, there is a new downloadable content expansion set to hit the marketplace. The new expansion is called Vengeance and set to be made available for download on October 12 for the low low price of 240 Microsoft Points.

The Expansion pack contains new campaign levels pitting players in a race against time to hunt down and destroy two dangerous new threats. Also included is a new Challenge Map called “Fistful of Coins,” which allows users to test their skill against an increasingly deadly onslaught of enemies, with mountains of gold at stake. New loot, new enemies, and new challenges await in the first downloadable content expansion pack for Crimson Alliance.

With Microsoft taking over the Call of Duty expansion packs, DICE has announced that Battlefield 3 will see its expansion packs released exclusively on PlayStation 3 one week before Xbox 360 owners get their hands on it.

But that’s not all for our PlayStation fans! You’ll be happy to know that beginning with our first expansion pack Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand (to be released later this year), all full-blown upcoming expansion packs for the game will appear one week early exclusively on PS3, brought to you by Sony!

As a reminder, the Battlefield 3 beta takes place from September 29th to October 10th and is open to all gamers on PlayStation Network. To enter in the beta all you have to do is go to the PlayStation Store, head into the Battlefield 3 section and download the demo from there.

Battlefield 3 releases on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and PC on October 28, 2011.

Via PlayStation Blog

Valve has announced today the addition of new modes for Counterstrike Global Offensive (Counterstrike: GO).

Targeted for release via Playstation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and Steam (for PC and Mac) in early 2012, CS: GO will expand upon the team-based action gameplay that it pioneered when it was launched 12 years ago.

Arsenal Mode is based on the popular Counter-Strike: Source mod Gun Game. “Arsenal: Arms Race” and “Arsenal: Demolition” add eight new maps and expand on the classic Counter-Strike gameplay.

Valve is working directly with creators of Gun Game to create  Arsenal Mode. “We are excited that Valve reached out and is working with us to ensure Arsenal Mode is the best version of  Gun Game.”, Michael Barr project lead of Gun Game.

It appears there have been rumors popping up lately that a new Super Smash Bros Universe title will be coming to the Wii U. However, the Series Director Masahiro Sakurai has squashed all rumors of the project.

“I’m currently concentrating on one title, Kid Icarus,” he stated. “Until this wraps up, Smash Bros. will not progress. Of course, characters have not been decided at all.”

While, all hopes and dreams might’ve been crushed in terms of confirmation of existence, don’t go jumping off that bridge just yet. I’m sure Nintendo has something up their sleeves after Kid Icarus is released. We will more then likely get more details once next years E3 draws closer.

Via Destructoid

Square Enix, Inc finally announced the finalized release date for Final Fantasy XIII-2 in North America today.The game will launch on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles on January 31st, 2012 in North America.

FINAL FANTASY XIII–2 is the sequel to  FINAL FANTASY XIII, which was released in North America in March 2010 and has shipped 6.2 million units worldwide. The sequel has evolved beyond its predecessor, with an extraordinary level design encouraging exploration, a new battle system allowing players to command monsters and a variety of options that support multiple playthroughs.

FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 PROLOGUE

She defied her destiny. She set out to vanquish the false gods enslaving mankind.
After the war, the world was no longer the same. Humans reigned victorious and their gods were no more. Their utopia fell from the sky and became one with Pulse, the underworld crawling with beasts and fiends. It marked the beginning of a new era.
However, she was nowhere to be seen. Everyone believed she was gone—with the exception of one, her sister, Serah.
Three years later—
A meteorite disrupts the serenity of a peaceful village. Time is distorted; bloodthirsty monsters are released within the confines of the secluded town.
Amidst the chaos, Serah is saved by a stranger who goes by the name of Noel. A hunter from the future, he bears an important message.
“She is waiting for you,” he says. “Come with me if you want to see her again.”
She is Lightning—protector of the goddess who rules the realm of death and chaos, the one–and–only sister of Serah.
“I need to see her. I need to see my sister.” Her heart brimming with hope, a determined Serah sets off on an adventure to reunite with her sister, her family, her world.

The game will be launching on October 21st in the UK for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Check out some screens provided.

Deep Silver announced today that the new zombie shooter, Dead Island has sold over 2 million units worldwide since its release on September 6th in North America and September 9th in the UK.

By the end of the week Deep Silver will have shipped around 2 million units of Dead Island globally in its first week of availability. Dead Island was an instant success with the game topping the North American retail charts, reaching the coveted number 1 position with reorders from retail already in process. In the UK, Dead Island ranked number 1 in the all formats chart last week and is also leading the all formats charts in France and Spain, console and PC charts in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria and Xbox 360 charts in Italy. The game has enjoyed similar successes on high chart positions in other territories worldwide. In addition, the PC version of Dead Island has topped the chart for the ten globally bestselling games last week on Steam.

“Our new IP Dead Island has already proven to be a huge success on a global scale for Deep Silver only one week after its release in North America.” says Klemens Kundratitz, CEO of Koch Media. “With Dead Island a number 1 in several important retail territories, this success has also confirmed our standing as a global publisher and has once again proven our position as Europe’s No. 1 retail distributor.”

The game will hit stores on October 4 2011 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Check out the trailer below.

Since its launch back in April of this year, Mortal Kombat has sold around three million units worldwide and has made itself the highest selling fighting game this year.

The game was developed by NetherRealm Studios lead by franchise creator Ed Boon and launched for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Since then developers have followed up post launch to provide downloadable content to keep fans playing.

“We are very pleased with the success of Mortal Kombat, as it surpassed our expectations in becoming the #1 fighting game  in North America released so far this year,” said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “NetherRealm Studios delivered a high quality game which has exceeded our sales goals. We’d like to thank our entire team and all of our partners for their innovative campaigns and tremendous support of Mortal Kombat, as the game sales continue to grow.”

“All of us at NetherRealm Studios are very excited that players have embraced Mortal Kombat. The game was a labor of love for us and we could not be more pleased with its performance,” said Ed Boon, Creative Director, NetherRealm Studios. “Fan reaction to this latest installment has made all of our hard work worth it.”

Coming from Rockstar Games, this is their latest title in development, no its not Grand Theft Auto V just yet, but I’m sure that’s in their pipeline of announcements to come. Everything shown in the trailer is in-engine footage, no CGI here.

Max Payne 3 will hit store shelves in March 2012 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Think you know your geography? Coming on October 25th, players will be able to explore our planet and its history on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii consoles.

National Geographic Challenge! allows players to explore our planet through its history and geography, providing a journey through the ages and an inside look at the extraordinary extent of mankind’s achievements. The game will include both single and multiplayer game modes as up to four players can compete in the quest to claim territories on the in-game globe by answering questions correctly while using various tactics to foil their opponents. Players exploring the world on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation®3 will appreciate approximately 60 minutes of HD video straight from National Geographic’s award-winning video crews. Additionally, Xbox 360 users will enjoy avatar support, while PlayStation®3 users will be able to take advantage of the game’s full PlayStation®Move support.

The game will retail for $29.99 USD for Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 and $19.99 USD for Nintendo Wii.

343 Industries announced that the upcoming Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary release has added another new classic map. The map is called Breakneck and is a re-imagining of the Headlong map.

The map is straight from Halo 2 and is a fan favorite large scale multiplayer map revealed today at the Tokyo Games Show. Additionally, 343 Industries debuted and demoed the very first “Halo” campaign level ever, “Pillar of Autumn” in its newly remastered, “Halo: Anniversary” form. While the corridors and corners of the iconic starship remain true to their classic form, the all-new graphical treatment and remastered audio paint an altogether more detailed, visceral introduction to the “Halo” universe and its iconic hero, the Master Chief.

Also in Tokyo, 343 Industries revealed new details around the highly anticipated title update for “Halo: Reach.” Announced at Halo Fest, the update features the return of the iconic “Halo: Combat Evolved” Magnum pistol and classic playlists designed to reignite the multiplayer mayhem players first enjoyed a decade ago.

The update will also introduce a myriad of multiplayer fixes fans have been clamouring for, including balancing armour abilities like Armour Lock and Active Camo. Players will be able to experience a first taste of some of these changes when beta playlists become available on 4 October. The beta will be open to all “Halo: Reach” players with an active Xbox LIVE Gold membership, and will culminate with the launch of a full suite of classic playlists and map variants when “Halo: Anniversary” arrives on 15 November.

Kalypso Media has sent word to us that their title “Dark Star One” has made it Xbox Live’s Games on Demand service today and is now available for purchase. You’ll be able to get the game for $19.99 USD.

Ready to don your space-suit and blast into the adventure of a lifetime? DarkStar One – Broken Alliance is your chance to do just that, as it combines fast and furious in-the-cockpit starship combat with a deep storyline involving love, family, betrayal and mysterious alien races.

Play as Kayron Jarvis, a young and ambitious spacefaring adventurer as he attempts to unravel a family mystery, braving the depths of space, encounters mysterious aliens and blasts his enemies to dust in his uniquely customizable ship – the DarkStar One.

The game was developed by Gaming Minds Studio and the game is presented in 1080p full HD with 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound.

The panel would have been pretty boring if it weren’t for Jaffe who stirred up some heated back and forth when he made the following comments:

“The amount of emotion for me personally, that gets elicited by most video games…is so miniscule…I like the idea of games being games and movies and storytelling being its own thing…If I want to cry or be emotional I’ll just go watch a movie because it’s better at that… I’m all for games that are about narrative and experiences…but I want the whole experience to be about what’s happening in my brain as a player. I don’t want to watch your fucking movie, I don’t want to watch your cut-scene, I don’t want to see your fucking set-piece, just to say, ‘Look at our fucking set-piece.’ No…My brain is active when you give me a challenge or something to explore, or something to discover. It’s not active when I’m watching your cut-scene…Would I ever make another [big budget] game? Yea but I want to do it if we can figure out a way on the team [that] the gameplay is the story and the story is the gameplay. They have to be married and intertwined, or I’m not interested. I’d rather make an iPhone game.”

Jaffe is essentially saying that he believes video games have a bad habit of separating the mechanics and gameplay from the actual story experience. In essence, a game will tell you to stop playing and thinking while it presents a big story moment such as a cut-scene or set-piece. He is right. That is essentially how most games do it. That is the standard that has been set for telling a story in a video game by such games as Half-Life, Uncharted, and even to Jaffe’s own admittance, God of War.

What Jaffe is talking about is the visceral, raw emotion elicited from a game. The excitement of getting that high score in Pac-Man CE DX, or going on a tear in COD and earning an attack helicopter, or that nervous, delicate excitement one might feel just before finally getting that last trophy needed for platinum. Jaffe’s argument is that, if games can elicit this kind of excitement from gameplay, then there should be a way to elicit an opposite but equal kind of emotion from gameplay, such as sadness or melancholy.

So if gameplay and story should be more intertwined, how can this be achieved? He doesn’t give too many examples, but one that he does give is the original Deus Ex. (I doubt he likes Human Revolution with its frequent CG cut-scenes.) That game presented its story through conversations with other characters and every decision the player made contributed to the outcome of the story. Decisions on the battlefield even contributed to the outcome of the plot, so while the player was enjoying the stealth and action, the plot was forming around them, not the other way around.

Are there any other games that do this? Has a game’s mechanics ever made you cry? Well, of course, in fact the control scheme in Deus Ex: Human Revolution has made me throw my controller in anger on several occasions. But I don’t think that’s what Jaffe had in mind. OK sure, there are games such as Limbo, Bastion and Ico that use minimal cut-scenes and story intrusion to elicit that kind of response, but it is those limited cut-scenes and audio cues that give the game context to tell the story which in turn gives the game emotional weight.

Without this context, games would simply be Angry Birds. There needs to be some kind of context whether it’s GlaDoS speaking in the background, the conversations with other characters on the long rides in Red Dead Redemption or the excellently produced cut-scenes of Uncharted. However, I will agree that games don’t do as well at eliciting emotional responses from their stories as they do eliciting them from gameplay. However, where I differ from Jaffe is that I don’t believe games could elicit a sad emotion in the same way they elicit an excited emotion.

A game isn’t going to make me cry because I got a high score. It isn’t going to make me cry because I beat a final boss. Human drama, something I can relate to, something that brings forth a painful or happy memory; that is what will elicit that kind of response from me. Do games do this as well as they could? No. However, instead of going deeper into that I will simply state that I think games are headed in the right direction on this front.

Another argument could be made that people who aren’t gamers aren’t going to be playing big, complex games and that games such as Angry Birds and Plants Vs Zombies could try to integrate story and emotion into the gameplay in simple ways such as Bastion’s use of Rucks’ constant narration. This could bring those emotional responses into the smaller, mechanics intensive space present on the iOS platform. This would be a great way to add depth to that dollar priced iPhone game that your co-workers secretly play on their coffee breaks.

Then again, why bother? David Jaffe admits that he no longer has interest in trying to elicit an emotional response from the player. He wants his iPhone games to be free of the constraints of story. He wants his video games and movies to be separate. I would argue that video games can do both. Right now is an exciting time in gaming, with a wide array of experiences available ranging from one dollar games such as Tiny Wings to downloadable’s like Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, to huge-budget epics like Skyrim. Gaming has diversified and expanded to fit a wide array of tastes and preferences. The silver lining in Jaffe’s comments is that there is room in this industry for both points of view. What could be so bad about that?

Frustrated you weren’t able to play in the PlayStation Plus exclusive Assassins Creed Revelations beta? Don’t fret, Ubisoft revealed today that the beta will open to all PSN members, all you have to do is wait one more day.

Starting at 10:00 am Pacific tomorrow you’ll be able to take part in the beta from September 8-11. Assassins Creed Revelations will be released on November 15, 2011. For more information on the beta head to the official website.