With less than six weeks until the end of the year, will Sony actually get Home out as (most recently) promised? Will I be able to solve my current router problems and actually rub virtual elbows with you all in Home? Stay tuned!

Now the waiting and watching is over, and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm has made its PlayStation 3 debut. We've taken a spin through Hidden Leaf Village to see if the game is as enjoyable to play as it is to look at.

Loved
Living The Anime: As advertised, Ultimate Ninja Storm features some of the best cel-shaded graphics I've ever seen in a video game, at times rivaling the anime itself. Between the graphics, smooth animations, and dynamic camera angles, at times it truly does feel like you're playing the show. Special moves in particular are extremely impressive, making it worth playing each character in fighting mode just to see what they can do.

Kung-Fu Fighting: Combat in the Ultimate Ninja series has always been relatively simplistic, and Storm is no different. While more traditional fighting fans may scoff at having one button for attack, one for jump, and one to throw, it really works for Naruto, allowing for a nice variety of moves without having to memorize huge move lists.

Epic Boss Fights: The scale and splendor of the few giant boss battles in Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm almost makes me wish they had created a game consisting solely of these epic encounters. Instead of feeling like fighting game baddies, the enormous monster bosses feel like something out of your better action adventure titles.

Chock Full O' Ninja: While the roster doesn't come close to approaching CyberConnect2's last PS2 Naruto title, the 25 characters and extra support only characters do a fair job at fleshing out the story of Naruto's pre-time jump storyline.

Hated
Real Ninja Don't Load: After a 12 minute, 4GB mandatory install, I wouldn't think a game would still need 10-20 seconds of loading between scenes. It is a lovely loading screen, but if CyberConnect2 really wanted us to look at it this much they should have packed in a print.

Repeating Tree Games: While the three mini-games present in Ultimate Ninja Storm are initially entertaining, repetition soon sets in once you find yourself playing hide and seek, tree climbing, or tree racing for the umpteenth time. Earlier games in the series contained much more variety. Why couldn't this one?

Village Of The Dull: This isn't the best time I've had in Hidden Leaf Village by a long shot. Dull and lifeless NPCs populate the streets, voicelessly sending you on quests to bring them X number of Y, while between mission activities are really limited to collecting scrolls and breaking items to find coins needed to purchase extras. There are even vendors who never sell anything, only placed so that you can sell off extra mission rewards you don't need. It's not enough to simply build the village...you have to give it life as well. Otherwise it just feels like you're running through a model.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm seems to suffer the same problem as many last generation titles do when they make the leap to the current generation of consoles. The developers, just getting used to creating games for the new console, spend so much time on the technical and graphical aspect of things that some of the more entertaining bits get left off. Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 for the PlayStation 2, also from CyberConnect2, contained 42 characters, a wide variety of mini-games, and an RPG-style story mode on top of the mission mode. Having completed that game just two months previously, Ultimate Ninja Storm, with its slimmer roster, three mini-games, and two game modes is a bit of a let down.

Still, it's a very lovely game to look at, and highly enjoyable despite being a watered-down version of its PS2 predecessors. It isn't perfect by a long shot, but it definitely hints at good things to come now that CyberConnect2 has gotten the hang of PS3 development.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm has a lot to offer beyond the stunning visuals, though fans of the series will have to deal with a serious drop in content to go along with the pretty new face.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm was developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Namco Bandai, released in North America on Nov. 4 for the PlayStation 3. Retails for $59.99. Played through entire mission mode story arc, completing a majority of the non-required side missions. Played every character at least once in fighting mode.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

The media release mentions nothing of a price, but also does not contain the word free, and people who write these things up generally love to include that particular word when applicable, so I guess we'll see how that goes. All I know is money is no object as far as a crossbow is concerned. Screens of the new content and a run down of what's included, after the jump.

UBISOFT ANNOUNCES NEW DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT AVAILABLE BEFORE THE END OF NOVEMBER FOR FAR CRY® 2 – THE FORTUNE'S PACK BRINGS YOU EVEN MORE TOOLS OF MAYHEM

London, UK – 21 November 2008 – Today Ubisoft announced it will release exciting new downloadable content (DLC) for Far Cry® 2. The Fortune’s Pack DLC will bring new vehicles and new weapons to both the single-player game and the multiplayer game, giving gamers even more diverse means of destruction. Be the silent stalker armed with your silent shotgun or jump on your new quad and blast through the dunes of Africa. The Fortune’s Pack DLC for Far Cry 2 will be available for download from Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and from PlayStation®Network.

The Fortune’s Pack DLC for Far Cry 2 includes:

Single-Player Mode
Three brand-new weapons
- Silenced shotgun
- Sawed-off shotgun
- Crossbow

Two new vehicles
- Unimog
- Quad

Multiplayer Mode
- Four new exciting maps
1. Cheap Labor
2. Last Resort
3. Lake Smear
4. Fort Fury
- New single-player weapons and vehicles also available in multiplayer

Each bundle contains an 80 PS3, packaged with The Force Unleashed and a Firefly box set, LittleBigPlanet and the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, or Far Cry 2 and a James Bond Blu-ray 6-pack, the last one a bit more expensive than the other two. Chances may be slim, but chances are chances!

Amazon Customers Vote - Round 1: Go Blu [Amazon.com - Thanks Pedro]

We went kind of intentionally dark after CES, we've been pretty quiet this year so we could go heads-down on the content. In the world of MMOs and triple-A game development we are actually a pretty reasonably-sized team. We're slightly under a hundred people. I know sports titles and other games that have much larger teams than that for 'offline' games. We're all just concentrating on getting our tools online and building as much content as possible – making sure that content is actually fun.

This explains why we've not seen anything other than said demo at E3, Leipzig, and the SOE Fan Faire. So when do we see more? Milton teases that we should be seeing something at the "'small' shows next summer, the ones they throw every year." Hmm, what shows could he mean?

Massively checks in on The Agency with Lead Designer Hal Milton [Massively via Eurogamer]

[Bethesda Forums, via Bluesnews]

PS3 Trophies to be mandatory from January 2009 [Videogamer]

It's for the PlayStation Network. What it should have said was "kinda like Xbox Live, but free". Instead, it takes...well, it's got Pain in it. And the unreleased Home. And...Hancock. Egads.

Games and Demos
MotoGP 08 demo

Expansions and Add-ons
LittleBigPlanet Sack in the Box Costume (free)
LittleBigPlanet LocoRoco Costumes ($2.99)
LittleBigPlanet LocoRoco Costumes ($2.99)
Dead Space Astronaut Pack ($2.99)
Dead Space Big Gun Pack ($0.99)
Dead Space Heavy Damage Pack ($2.99)
Dead Space Hot Rod Pack ($0.99)
Dead Space Military Pack ($3.99)
Dead Space Obsidian Pack ($1.49)
Dead Space Pedestrian Pack ($1.49)
Dead Space Scorpion Pack ($3.99)
Dead Space Scorpion Weapon Pack ($2.25)
Dead Space Speed Kills Pack ($2.25)
Dead Space Tank Pack ($3.99)

Guitar Hero World Tour tracks
• The Raconteurs Track Pack ($5.49)
• “Consoler of the Lonely” by The Raconteurs ($1.99)
• “Hold Up” by The Raconteurs ($1.99)
• “Salute Your Solution” by The Raconteurs ($1.99)

Rock Band tracks
• Mission of Burma Pack ($5.49)
• “That’s When I Reach for my Revolver” - Mission of Burma ($1.99)
• “That’s How I Escaped My Certain Fate” - Mission of Burma ($1.99)
• “Mica” - Mission of Burma ($1.99)
• Dead Kennedys Pack ($5.49)
• “Police Truck” - Dead Kennedys ($1.99)
• “Holiday in Cambodia” - Dead Kennedys ($1.99)
• “California Über Alles” - Dead Kennedys ($1.99)
• Century Media Girls of Metal Pack 01 ($5.49)
• “Gone” - Crooked X ($0.99)
• “Swamped” - Lacuna Coil ($1.99)
• “Forever” - In This Moment ($1.99)
• “Closer” - Lacuna Coil ($1.99)

Game Videos
MotorStorm Pacific Rift Features and Strategy Trailer
Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe: Kreating the Comic Trailer
Lord of the Rings: Conquest Trailer
NBA 2K9 Momentous #1 Trailer
NBA 2K9 Momentous Trailer 2
Tom Clancy’s EndWar Launch Trailer
FIFA 09 “In The Game” Part 8 - Online Team Play
Dew Tour: Orlando - Chad Kagy
Dew Tour: Orlando - Adam Jones
Dew Tour: Orlando - From Flow to Pro
Dew Tour: Orlando - BMX Dirt Dew Cup Race

Movies and Television
Hancock trailer
This Christmas Trailer Blu-ray trailer
Tenacious D - The Complete Masterworks trailer
Sara Bareilles - Between The Lines trailer
Incbus “Look Alive” trailer

Wallpapers and Themes
NBA 2K9 theme (free)
Hancock theme (free)
Timea Mojorova premium theme ($1.99)
University of California premium theme ($1.99)
Shadowy Graves premium theme ($1.49)
Darklight Fractais premium theme ($1.49)
Mrs. Claus premium theme ($1.49)
GunGirls premium theme ($0.99)

Local politician Antonio Buccoliero was quick to comment, "They eventually managed to take care of him once they understood that this was a strange kind of mental detachment connected to his Playstation." It is unknown if this condition could be contracted through rival consoles or if it is a Sony-only disorder. Or indeed if it is an actual medical condition and not something they just made up to make a point about gaming.

The boy had been unable to speak and appeared 'confused' following a marathon gaming session. He reportedly told his father to throw out his console saying, "If I even think about it I want to throw up."

Boy rushed to hospital with Playstation addiction [Ananova]

"We started the in-house development team a couple of months ago and we're starting with downloadable content because the team is still small," explained the studio's US president John Yamamoto. "All formats – Xbox Live, WiiWare, PlayStation Network – are all viable formats for us"

The LA studio will also be investigating middleware solutions, after successfully using the Unreal Engine 3 for The Last Remnant. "I want to [...] evaluate lots of middleware," said Yamamoto, "because western middleware is much more advanced compared to Japanese middleware. So we will study and feed back information to Square Enix in Japan."

Square Enix LA studio to focus on digital titles [GamesIndustry.biz]

The guide is split into four different sections. We've got your Bargains, for those of you who want to stretch their holiday dollar; essential titles that every PlayStation 3 owner has to play (it's the law); social titles to lure your friends and family around the console; and finally epic titles that will devour your very soul and spit it out in a slightly moist but terribly happy little holiday lump.

Nothing like the smell of freshly opened games on a cold winter morning...

Bargains
PixelJunk Monsters
Price: $9.99 via PlayStation Network
Rating: Everyone
Addictive tower defense gameplay meets quirky audio and visual style in Q-Games' PixelJunk Monsters. Defend your creatures from the approaching hordes by placing towers along their path. Simple and addicting. The Otograph music alone is worth the price of admission, having resulted in the soundtrack being released as the first audio album on the PlayStation Network.

PixelJunk Eden
Price: $9.99 via PlayStation Network
Rating: Everyone
Another in Q-Games' PixelJunk series, Eden is a game that is hard to put into words. Grip and swing your way through various gardens, collecting pollen to allow new plants to bloom, opening up new paths for you to explore. Challenging and relaxing, all at once.

WipeOut HD
Price: $19.99 via PlayStation Network
Rating: Everyone 10+
Take the classic gameplay of the original futuristic racing game Wipeout, crank things up to a blistering fast 60 frames per second running at full HD 1080p, tack on an excellent soundtrack in Dolby 5.1 surround and you're in for one hell of a sweet ride. With new tracks and vehicles promised by way of future DLC, WipeOut HD is the gift that keeps on giving.

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords - Revenge of the Plague Lord
Price: $14.99 via PlayStation Network
Rating: Everyone 10+
Ah, Puzzle Quest. We cannot escape you, nor would we want to. The PlayStation 3 version of the puzzle/RPG hybrid that originally took the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP by storm contains all the fun of the original game plus the Revenge of the Plague Lord expansion that was released on the Xbox 360 earlier this year.

Echochrome
Price: $9.99 via PlayStation Network
Rating: Everyone
Echochrome is an excellent example of the unique, creative games that are the hallmark of the PlayStation Network. In a world populated by Oscar Reutersvärd's impossible constructions, getting from point A to point B is entirely a matter of perception. Guide a wooden mannequin through bizarre pathways by rotating the shapes it walks upon. It's like an interactive brain teaser that forces you to take a new look at the way you play.

Essentials

LittleBigPlanet
Price: $59.99
Rating: Everyone
The game everyone is talking about. On the surface, LittleBigPlanet is a relatively simplistic yet challenging platformer, but once you roll up your sleeves and start realizing your own creations with its rich editing tools it becomes something altogether different. LittleBigPlanet could very well be the game that defines the PlayStation 3.

Resistance 2
Price: $59.99
Rating: Mature
The follow-up to the best launch title for the PS3, Insomniac's first-person shooter continues the epic tale of man versus mutant that started in Resistance: Fall of Man. While the story mode delivers action on a scale seldom seen in a first-person shooter, the 60-player online multiplayer and MMO-style online co-op promises to keep players running and gunning for years to come.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Price: $46.99
Rating: Mature
The game that launched a million PlayStation 3 consoles. If you own a PlayStation 3 and haven't experienced the final chapter in Hideo Kojima's epic Metal Gear series, then you simply aren't getting the most out of your console. You'll be hard pressed to find a more emotionally-charged game on any platform. Just beware - intense cravings for fried eggs may occur.

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Price: $41.99
Rating: Everyone 10+
Insomniac takes their classic action platforming duo to a whole new level in Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction. Along with being one fine showcase for the graphical horse[power of the PlayStation 3, Tools of Destruction stays true to the series' roots, delivering solid action and top-notch platforming while still remaining as family-friendly as ever.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Price: $41.99
Rating: Teen
Developer Naughty Dog of Jak & Daxter and Crash Bandicoot fame show that they can work their magic on more realistic characters in Uncharted: Drakes' Fortune, an epic summer adventure movie you can play. It's got plenty of shooting, dizzying platforming elements, and some of the best-acted characters ever seen in a video game. It's Indiana Jones and the Lost Treasure of El Dorado, only without Indiana Jones.

Socializers

Rock Band 2
Price: $189.99
Rating: Teen
You can't get much more social than Rock Band 2. You can barely go to any large gathering of people these days without finding the game set up, and once you build it, the people will come. Almost as fun to watch as it is to play, Rock Band 2 snags a recommendation over the competition because of its massive song library. Still no "The Touch" by Stan Bush, but we remain hopeful.

SingStar Bundle
Price: $59.99
Rating: Teen
Say what you will about your full band games, I contend that SingStar is an even better party game than either of the major guitar and drum touting franchises. Why? Because with those, people can escape singing. SingStar doesn't play that. It's all hideous embarrassment, all the time.

Buzz! Quiz TV Bundle
Price: $59.99
Rating: Teen
Not only does Buzz! Quiz TV provide hours of family-friendly entertainment plus the ability to create and share your own quizzes with the world, it also comes bundled with four wireless Buzz buzzers, perfect for forcefully throwing at friends and family members who are just too smart for their own damn good. They should really package this game with buzzer-proof helmets.

Eye Of Judgment
Price: $66.99
Rating: Teen
The perfect gift for the collectible card game addict in your life, Eye of Judgment comes packaged with the PlayStation Eye camera, which promotes a whole different kind of social interaction as well. As an added plus, card booster packs make excellent follow-up gifts, as do the high-powered movie set lighting you need to play the game at night.

Soul Calibur IV
Price: $56.99
Rating: Teen
Fighting games, once the cornerstone of the arcade social scene, still remain an excellent way to pass the time with a horde of slightly drunk friends. Soul Calibur IV not only has a ton of characters to beat on each other with, you can add to the humiliation by pwning your pals with your custom-created fighter - naked mohawk man wearing pink diaper.

Epics

Valkyria Chronicles
Price: $56.99
Rating: Teen
Sega's beautiful take on the strategy RPG couples an gorgeous hand-sketched graphics style with one of the most innovative combat system that integrates 3rd person action with turn-based tactics. The game features more than 100 customizable characters and an epic storyline sure to keep you playing through to the very end. As an added plus, Valkyria Chronicles is a PlayStation 3 exclusive, so you can always rub that in your Xbox-owning friends' faces.

Disgaea 3 Absence of Justice
Price: $39.99
Rating: Teen
When you are talking epics, you're talking Disgaea. NIS America has been creating turn-based strategy RPG shut-ins since the original Disgaea on the PlayStation, and the third installment is no different. Class world alone features 40 stages for each of the more than 270 characters, or 10,800 different stages. Add to that the story stages, item world, and an infinite number of randomly generated battle maps, and you could play Disgaea 3 for years.

BioShock
Price: $56.99
Rating: Mature
Last year's Xbox 360 epic is this year's PlayStation 3 epic as 2K's tale decadence, delirium, and death under the sea makes the leap to Sony's console. The PS3 version of the game adds a new difficulty mode to the title, along with console-exclusive downloadable content that'll be available in plenty of time for Christmas.

Fallout 3
Price: $59.99
Rating: Mature
Bethesda has proven time and time again with their Elder Scrolls series that they know epic, and their take on the Fallout universe fits the bill quite nicely. You can spend days explore the wasteland surrounding the ruins of Washington D.C., doing battle, scavaging supplies to build new weapons, making friends, killing said friends, making new friends - the possibilities are endless.

Grand Theft Auto IV
Price: $53.99
Rating: Mature
Cars to steal, prostitutes to kill out of shame after they leave your car. The Liberty City presented in Grand Theft Auto IV is truly a massive playground at your fingertips. Not only has Rockstar given us all the tools we need for months of mindless destruction, they added in highly entertaining multiplayer modes so we can share the experience with random people over the internet.

New Report: Video Games are Energy Drains [NRDC]

LittleBigPlanet [SCEJ, via Siliconera]

That's the same price as the standard 80 GB model PS3 that Sony's offering sans packed-in game and $100 less than the new 160 GB SKU bundled with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Quantities may actually be genuinely limited this time and the offer appears to be online only, so if you're feeling froggy, we'd recommend jumpin'.

PlayStation 3 40GB Limited Edition Kojima Silver Bundle w/ Metal Gear Solid 4 [Walmart - thanks, Shaun!]

In the U.S., LittleBigPlanet got trounced by a bunch of sequels — Fable II, Fallout 3, Saints Row 2 and Sony's own SOCOM Confrontation. PlayStation UK spokesman David Wilson tells GamesIndustry.biz that's one of the reasons sales of the game might be struggling in comparison to expectations.

"LittleBigPlanet has broken this stereotype by not only being brilliant and original but also by selling really well on a global basis," Wilson told GI.biz. "There are some games that are hardcore experiences that the kudos lies in getting it first." He expects positive word of mouth to contribute more to sales.

As for LBP's chart placement? "This is an incredibly volatile time of year and the chart reflects that," Wilson said. Perhaps when things die down a bit in December — after Gears of War 2, Resistance 2, Call of Duty: World At War and rest of the attention grabbing sequels have their time to shine — we'll see how things shake out.

LittleBigPlanet "would be a clear number one" any other time of year [GamesIndustry.biz]

There was booze, picture-taking and C-level celebrities in attendance, but the two tech demos shown at Downshift Session 2008 were much more interesting. The team at Polyphony Digital had a special installation of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, one that required four PlayStation 3s to run.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, which normally runs at 1920 x 1080 resolution, got a boost from four times the processing power of the PS3, enabling it to run at 3840 x 2160. Each PS3 handled the rendering of a quarter of the total display area. This image was projected on a 220-inch screen via Sony's SRX-S110 projector, which is capable of handling a 4096 x 2160 image... and is too expensive to quote.

The Polyphony dudes also put together a separate demo that ran GT5P at 240 frames per second, four times that of the standard 60. According to the hyperbole laden official report, every man, woman and child in attendance had their brains melted by the refresh rate.

From Gran-Turismo.com: "It is as though you are following a real world event happening right in front of your face with your own eyes. Any and all flickering in the movement of the vehicle, in the smoke from the tires, etc. are completely gone, and you are almost tricked into believing you are watching something in real life."

More details on the event can be seen at the official Gran Turismo site.

Downshift Session 2008 [Gran-Turismo.com via NeoGAF]

One of the titles the new Nat Geo Games label plans to publish is Sony's National Geographic: Africa.

The safari sim launched in Japan and throughout Asia (as Hakuna Matata) this summer, but a North American and European release had yet to be revealed by SCEA. Now Nat Geo is saying the game is coming... and it's coming this month.

Since we hadn't heard about the title until yesterday and don't see it on a single retail list online — and Nat Geo Games specifically lists the PlayStation Network as one of its intended platforms — we're thinking a download-only release is in the cards for the game formerly known as Afrika.

The news may not be as mind-scrambling as the recent release of National Geographic Panda, but it will likely be welcome to PlayStation 3 owners looking for something out of the ordinary to play this holiday.

We've contacted National Geographic reps to confirm.

Care to take a spin? Drop it into third and see our review.

Loved
Pay for play: Everything is for sale at any point in the game (I assume) regardless of whether you have unlocked it. Just pony up enough Microsoft points. Around level 11 I treated myself to a McLaren F1. This can drastically change the tenor of your career — the acquisition of pink slip cars loses its sense of satisfaction. I don’t necessarily think this is a good idea, but I can’t say it’s a bad one. It certainly is profitable for EA and Microsoft.

Sound: The exceptional sound is not to be taken for granted in a genre that is so heavily involved with the visuals. One of the simple pleasures is taking in each car’s unique engine note when you’re a good six seconds ahead of the field and out on the open road. In solo mode, you should play it with headphones on. The engine whine of trailing cars is matched, in volume, to their relative distance; destruction will register to your sides and behind. In races you will get an immersive feeling of the world whizzing by.

Concept: Need for Speed: Undercover returns the series back to its Most Wanted evolution, as opposed to 2006’s Carbon, whose story was more about pure street racing. Most Wanted was excellent; Carbon, a little underwhelming. But if either appealed to you strongly, the guts of a long game experience are here, if you can take your time and try to live a little within the persona the game’s laid out for you.

Hated
5-0 AI: The literature touted revolutionary cop pursuit AI. They perform only one act in this game, and that’s to ram you. Period. That’s not revolutionary, it’s single minded. Any cop vehicle can overtake anything you drive, even at top speed — that includes a K9 SUV versus a goddamn Bugatti Veyron, in contorted, sped-up sequences that are so unbelievable they are almost personally offensive. The point of police pursuit is to create thrilling, hot-on-your tail chases. Here, you don’t get more than seven seconds, even flat out and several lengths ahead, without being pounded and PITted into a wall. I can take repeated spawning of police vehicles, but rubber-banding within pursuit, no. If I’ve outrun a cop, that is it. This AI does not create thrilling high speed chases as much as it does endless demolition derbies of no real consequence.

The Story: Can someone tell me what that was all about again? Oh, there was a double-crossing at the end. Gasp. Shock. Plus, I have to note this: I beat the final mission in less than five seconds. Not making that up. I got zero zone points, it was over so fast. Seriously anticlimactic.

Pedal to the Metal: The Need for Speed series is fundamentally an arcade racer. Damage, and vehicle degradation have no effect on the race, and I get that. But at some point you have to step back and say, no, after my fifth consecutive full speed, no brakes head-on collision, I should no longer be leading this race. Black Box tried to encourage strong, clean driving with its Heroic Driving engine, which delivers more experience points and faster level advancement if you drive clean. But it'd be better off with a meaningful punishment for the stand-on-the-accelerator ethic. Instead it conditions you to that through the unremitting speed of your adversaries, and absurd “domination” goals on top. It leaves you little time to actually enjoy the game, especially those moments when you’re in a breakneck race and in danger of seeing 90 percent of a superbly well run course ruined by hitting a bridge abutment, because you had to sit on the nitrous rather than race sensibly. The arcade experience is fine, but technical racers deserve a reward too.

Visuals: Frame skip can get downright ugly, especially on surface-street runs with multiple cars and smashable items in the picture. Bad redraws also are noticeable when you’re racing something really fast and the horizon changes suddenly. These flaws can become an adversary unto themselves. So can the lighting. In the sundowner races you’ll definitely have many what-the-hell-am-I-looking-for moments.

Rocket Ride: Four car theft missions near the game’s midpoint deserved to be singled out for rebuke. Rocket Ride, and three others, typify how unreasonable the game can be. In them apparently the only expectation set by whomever designed these, is to hold down the accelerator to the point of hand cramps, endure the ramming, pray you can get to a certain point (there will be one pursuit breaker in the two jobs featuring cops), and don’t give a shit what happens. By the fourth job, I’d never cared less about how I performed in any gaming experience, which is sad considering these should have been showpiece missions. This story is supposed to be about a skilled driver delivering valuable stolen cars, not a dumptruck operator on a bulldozer that goes 200 mph.

Need for Speed: Undercover is like an abusive relationship, because despite its many flaws, I know I’m going back to it, thinking I can change it and make it into something it’s not. I wanted it to be a newer, better Most Wanted, and it falls short of that expectation. While not everyone who buys this will set out to beat it in the span of five days, a great game would make you want to try. Need For Speed Undercover doesn’t.

The good news, online racing is much easier after you’ve been through the hellish auto combat of the full main story. I won something like three out of my first four races. If you want this to race online; if you’re not interested in beating its story mode; or if you can take your time and stay within yourself as a racer, learning from your mistakes, it can still be a rich and gratifying car fantasy. But for a game with undercover in its title, there is nothing subtle about the jobs you’re doing behind the wheel.

Need for Speed Undercover was developed by Black Box and published by Electronic Arts, released in North America on Nov. 18 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PSP, Windows PC, and Wii, with versions on Nintendo DS and mobile. Retails for $59.99 USD on Xbox 360, and PS3, $49.99 on Wii, $39.99 on PC and PSP. Reviewed on Xbox 360. Completed single-player story mode; raced numerous times online.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

“We’re designing Wheelman to play like a Hollywood blockbuster,” said Vin Diesel, Wheelman star and executive producer, Tigon Studios. “Playing this game will be just like taking control of the greatest car chases from feature films, except this time you’re in the driver’s seat.”

Think of it like the Transporter series of films, only instead of starring a physically fit bald man who talks funny, it...nevermind.

Midway Confirms February 16, 2009, Scheduled as Global Ship Date for Wheelman™

Action-Packed Open-World Driving Game Featuring Vin Diesel Expected To Be Available On Store Shelves by Feb. 20 In North America and Europe

CHICAGO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading interactive entertainment software publisher and developer, today announced a planned global ship date of February 16, 2009, for Wheelman™, the upcoming open-world driving game starring action-film megastar Vin Diesel as an expert driver for hire. Set in picturesque Barcelona, the game is scheduled to be available in stores everywhere by February 20, 2009, for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and personal computers.

Co-produced by Vin Diesel and created in close partnership with Diesel’s video game production company Tigon Studios, Wheelman is being developed by Midway Studios - Newcastle Ltd., a Midway internal studio that has assembled an international world-class team fusing proven industry veterans with a AAA track record and future emerging talent focused on creating high quality, best-in-breed gaming experiences.

“We’re designing Wheelman to play like a Hollywood blockbuster,” said Vin Diesel, Wheelman star and executive producer, Tigon Studios. “Playing this game will be just like taking control of the greatest car chases from feature films, except this time you’re in the driver’s seat.”

“Featuring Vin Diesel and set in Barcelona, Wheelman is a title with enormous sales potential ,” said Martin Spiess, executive vice president, international of Midway Games Ltd. “We’re making a multi-million dollar marketing investment to make sure that gamers around the world are ready when Wheelman goes on sale worldwide, which we have planned for February 2009.”

Midway is working closely with Vin Diesel and Tigon Studios to create an all-new property that is expected to eventually lead to a feature film, with a script that is already in development.

“This is not just another run-of-the-mill, licensed Hollywood knock-off,” said Matt Booty, president and CEO, Midway. “Wheelman features revolutionary new game design mechanics like cinematic super moves and vehicular combat. Once you experience Wheelman’s Vehicle Melee, you’ll never want to play another driving game without it!”

Vehicle Melee allows gamers to sideswipe pursuing enemies with a simple flick of the joystick Wheelman’s devastating “slam-n-ram” maneuvers can be carried out in all directions, just like you’d see in a Hollywood-style car chase.

Inspired by Hollywood’s most famous action-sequences, Wheelman will deliver powerful cinematic moments throughout the game’s compelling storyline.

For the most up-to-date information, screens and trailers for Wheelman, log onto www.wheelmangame.com,

About Wheelman

Action film megastar Vin Diesel and his Tigon Studios are again blurring the lines between entertainment mediums, this time collaborating with Midway in the design and production of Wheelman to ensure an edge-of- your-seat gaming experience. Diesel’s voice and likeness will appear as the game’s main character, expert Wheelman Milo Burik.

Combining spectacular Hollywood-style stunts with a gripping storyline, Wheelman provides an adrenaline-fueled, cinematic thrill ride guaranteed to leave you breathless. Vin Diesel stars as an undercover agent and highly skilled driver who must infiltrate the Barcelona underworld to gather intelligence surrounding a covert heist. Posing as a driver-for-hire, he ends up caught in a crossfire of corruption and chaos while trying to stay one step ahead of local law enforcement and rival gangs.

[Capcom Unity]

1. The prize is a crown. It's just another costume. Greeeaaatt. Look, t-shirts and crowns are nice (we guess), but this is a competition, not some chance to trick the kids into paying money for the privilege of marketing LocoRoco 2 for you (though we will gladly pay to help advertise Ico 2). Where are those custom, themed levels we heard so much about?

2. OK, that first one wasn't really a concern. More some late-night whining. But this second one raises a few more questions/issues. Look at the competition rules. "1. Create an original LittleBigPlanet level celebrating the PLAYSTATION 3 second anniversary". Should be a piece of cake. Oh, provided you weren't going to pay homage to your favourite PlayStation® console or favourite PlayStation® game by recreating any of their intellectual property, that is.

LittleBigChallenge - Celebrating PS3’s 2nd Anniversary [Sony]

There are certainly some deserving titles among the winners, but there are also a few head-scratchers among the nominees.

Our pick for Game of the year was Grand Theft Auto IV. Here are the rest of the best:

KOTAKU'S PICKS

Studio of the Year: Media Molecule
Best Shooter: Far Cry 2
Best RPG: Fallout 3
Best Fighting Game: Soulcalibur IV
Best Individual Sports Game: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09
Best Handheld Game: God of War: Chains of Olympus
Best Graphics: Metal Gear Solid 4
Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show: LEGO Indiana Jones
Best Music Game: Rock Band 2
Best Driving Game: Burnout Paradise
Best Action Adventure Game: Dead Space
Best Team Sports Game: Madden NFL 09
Best Soundtrack: Rock Band 2
Best Xbox 360 Game: Gears of War 2
Best Wii Game: No More Heroes
Best PS3 Game: Metal Gear Solid 4
Best PC Game: Left 4 Dead
Best Original Score: No Vote
Best Multiplayer Game: Left 4 Dead
Best Performance by a Human Male: Stephen Fry as The Narrator
Best Performance by a Human Female: Debie Mae West as Meryl Silverburgh

If you don't agree and think that this rainbow of Sackboy get ups is worth your $2.99, they'll be yours for the garish taking starting this Thursday in North America. That's when the five-piece combo meal of brightly colored Sackboys hit the PlayStation Store.

A second option is the Sack-in-the-Box costume, a free, television be-headed alternative. It's creepy enough to get some hard drive space.

LittleBigPlanet Weekly Download Update [PlayStation.blog]

PlayStation Network has truly hit its stride with unique downloadable games and a video delivery service featuring movies, TV shows, and original programming that you can watch in HD with your PS3, or bring with you on your PSP. And with 14 million active accounts and 273 million pieces of content downloaded, we know that you’re thirsting for this digital entertainment.

For those of you keeping score, that's 4.2 million more users and 100 million more downloads that just five months ago. Way to grow, PlayStation 3!

Happy Birthday, PS3! [PlayStation Blog]

What's so exclusive about it? It's not just the Target branding on the box art. The "Target Limited Edition" will offer including an exclusive mountain, cleverly dubbed Target Mountain. If you want to look at Target logos, this is the only game in town. According to the release the Target Limited Edition of Shaun White's Snowboarding will also feature "exclusive jibs, additional scenes and more characters."

I don't know what a jib is, but the fact that I can "cozy up in the game’s virtual version of the Target Chalet, the real-life mountainside home where Shaun and his fellow Target athletes hang out with friends and family at the annual Winter X Games in Aspen" just sold me on a copy of whatever else.

No, what is interesting about this is that the job poster is Cryptic Studios - home of quality MMOs Champions Online and Star Trek Online that - thus far - run on PC & Xbox 360 platforms.

"We have developed a flexible, cutting edge MMO platform to power games like Champions and Star Trek Online. It runs on PC and XBOX 360 - now we want to support PS3 too"

If you were thinking of applying (you will need to know about "Exploiting SPU parallelism", so don't bother if you glaze over even thinking about what that might mean) please remember that it is NOT Ok to contact Cryptic about other services, products or commercial interests.

Full Time PS3 Engine Programmer Needed – Game Studio [Craigslist - thanks to Traitor Jack for the tip]

Hit the jump for a break-down of what we've reviewed so far and tell us what you're putting on your holiday list. We'll make sure to update this list as we move forward:

Gift Guides
The Playstation 3 Gift Guide
The Wii Holiday Gift Guide
The Xbox 360 Gift Guide
The Portable Holiday Gift Guide

Cross Platform
Rock Band 2 Review: Second Verse Same As The First (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2)
TNA Impact! Review: Squandering Potential (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2)
LEGO Batman The Video Game Review: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS, PSP, PC)
Fracture Review: Breaking New Ground (Xbox 360, PS3)
Midnight Club Los Angeles Review: The Fast And The Infuriating (Xbox 360, PS3)
Dead Space Review: True Stories Of Space Horror (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Fallout 3 Review: Wasting Away Again In Radiationville (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Spider-Man: Web Of Shadows Review: A Tangled Web (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS, PSP, PC)
Guitar Hero World Tour Review: This is Guitar Hero (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii)
Mirror’s Edge Review: Leaps of Faith End in Splat (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Call of Duty: World at War Review: The Modern Warfare Effect (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS, PC)
Far Cry 2 Review: Hurry Boy, It's Waiting There For You (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
The Force Unleashed Review: As If Millions of Star Wars Fans Suddenly Cried Out (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS, PSP)
Tom Clancy's EndWar Review: Vocal Annihilation (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP, PC)
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Review: Finish Him (Xbox 360, PS3)
Left 4 Dead Review: 2 Good 2 B 4gotten (Xbox 360, PC)
Need for Speed: Undercover Review: You're Not Good, and You're Not Bad (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS, PSP, PC)

PC
Spore Review: Evolutionary Creationism
Civ IV: Colonization Review: Once More, With(out) Feeling
World Of Goo Review: Fun Bounces Off Me And Sticks To You

PS3
Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest For Booty Review: Short Of Greatness
LittleBigPlanet Review: Play, Create... Share?
MotorStorm: Pacific Rift Review: A Festival of Mayhem
Resistance 2 Review: Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Review: A Pretty Good Start

PSP
Yggdra Union: We'll Never Fight Alone Review: A Battle Hard Won

Wii
Wario Land: Shake It! Review: Shakin' To The Core
Wii Music Review: Jam With The Bland
de Blob Review: Painting A Very Pretty Picture
Animal Crossing: City Folk Review: Crossing Over Again

Xbox 360
Too Human Review: Dyack's Human Too
Castle Crashers Review: Hack & Slash & Fun
Tales Of Vesperia Review - A New Chapter Unfolds
Viva Piñata: Trouble In Paradise Review: Maximum Candiosity
Warhammer Battle March Review: Marching Backwards
Portal: Still Alive Review: This Is Barely A Triumph
Fable II Review: A Feast Of Burden
Gears of War 2 Review: Bigger, Better and More... Poignant
Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts Review: Aw, Nuts

But how does it play? We've spent kountless hours... sorry, countless hours with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe to see how well these two worlds collide.

Loved
Killer Kast Of Kharacters: Midway pares down the roster to a lean 22 combatants, of which there is very little filler — especially compared to the over-stuffed 60 character line up from Mortal Kombat Armageddon. There are a few notable absences — Kung Lao, Reptile, Lobo, Despero — but outside of personal preferences, the "greatest hits" selection of fighters is more than adequate. The Flash and Joker are tons of fun to play and MK mainstays like Sub-Zero and Scorpion feel fresh despite their age.

A Flashy Fun Alternative: It may not have the deep fighting mechanics of its competitors — Street Fighter III: Third Strike and Virtua Fighter 5 snobs will likely turn their nose up at such fluff in between counting frames — but it's still a hell of a lot of fun to play. Having given up any semblance of competing with the hardcore, it's still enjoyable, personally, to play MK games against my more casual circle of friends. The Klose Kombat and Freefall Kombat modes add a welcome, if occasionally imbalanced, diversion from straight up fighting.

Campy Story Mode: Both sides of the core story line are a blast to play through, giving you about six hours of single-player gameplay when you don't feel like getting your hat handed to you online. The cinematic sequences blend in surprisingly well with the action, all of which is held together by the barest of storytelling. It's occasionally (unintentionally?) hilarious to see the Mortal Kombat and DC universes intertwine. There's solid fan service with respectable production quality helping to put some extra shine on the campy package.

It's The Best DC Fighting Game Since Blizzard's Justice League Task Force: I may have grown up a Marvel man, but it's still amusing to see Batman, Green Lantern and Superman go at it. With the exception of Wonder Woman's bizarre moveset, the DC side translates to the fighting genre beautifully. We're hoping there's a sequel or spin-off, so we can see how, say, Martian Manhunter or Plastic Man fight.

Hated
Short On Features: When you're done with the story mode and you've completed the Kombo Challenge — the latter, no small feat — there's not much else to do beyond one-on-one fighting. That may be enough for fans desperate for more Mortal Kombat, but given the depth of features seen in previous games in the series, not to mention the feature set of the current-gen competition, the whole package feels lacking. Character specific endings in Arcade mode consist of nothing more than a piece of character artwork with narration. With no create-a-fighter mode and very little to unlock — there are no alternate costumes — we've braced ourselves for a flood of downloadable content.

Aggravating, Inconsistent AI: The MK series has always struggled to provide a computer controlled opponent that feels believable in its skill level. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe's artificial intelligence is all over the place, pulling off some combinations that will have your eyes rolling wildly. The next round, they may simply take a boot to the face after boot to the face without ever blocking. It's nowhere near as bad as the offenses from Mortal Kombats II and 3, but it's no replacement for a human opponent.

Lame Fatalities: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is a T-rated game in an M-rated series. While a few seconds of gore and sadism should never be the deciding factor in whether you're dropping sixty bucks on a fighting game, it's still deflating to see how tepid the finishing moves have become.

Online Works, But Where's The Chat Server? The one-on-one fighting is functional, even if the lag can be painfully noticeable and we've been endlessly ground-pounded by Jax more often that we'd like (once was quite enough). Unfortunately, the reliability of the chat server has made getting into a room, where more than one-on-one fighting can be done, spotty. The PlayStation 3 version wasn't suffering the same performance issues as the Xbox 360 version, possibly due to recent Xbox Live downtime, but it soured the initial experience.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe may have been knocked around for some of its design decisions, most notably the inclusion of DC characters and the toned down violence, but it's still an enjoyable ride. The game looks damn good... from a distance, as things can get a little uglier up close. The most disappointing thing about MK vs. DCU, though, is its lasting value. The head-to-head fighting may offer near infinite replayability to the more dedicated MK fan, but the depth of content left us wanting more.

MK vs. DCU is a capable fighter, full of camp and silliness, that does a good job of rebooting the franchise — even if this is just a one-off — and giving lapsed fans something to latch onto. It can't compete with the robust offerings from other established fighting game franchises, but its a raucous and fun alternative.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was developed and published by Midway, released in North America on Nov. 16 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Retails for $59.99 USD. Completed single-player story modes on Xbox 360, played through arcade mode, and tested online multiplayer modes on both platforms.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

The Meme expansion of course adds three new maps to Metal Gear Online, along with two new characters; Revolver Ocelot and the lovely Mei Ling, who has the means to transfix enemies by strutting her stuff. Hit the jump for new screens from the expansion.

Metal Gear Online gets MEME EXPANSION

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH reveals new MEME EXPANSION for Metal Gear Online

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced that the latest downloadable content for its Metal Gear Online title for PLAYSTATION®3 will be released on November 25th. Entitled MEME EXPANSION, the download adds new characters and gameplay elements to Hideo Kojima’s hugely popular online epic.

The MEME EXPANSION unveils two new special characters, which are playable for the first time. Liquid Ocelot enters the fray with the ability to manipulate the Sons of the Patriots’ lock system using his Guns of the Patriots skills, and can also deactivate the weaponry of a targeted for within Metal Gear Online’s multi-player modes. Similarly, Mei Ling comes into play with three unique attributes, including the Trench Mortar weapon, Soliton Sonar capabilities, and the means to transfix enemies.

Three new maps have also been created, with the rough, uneven industrial elements of Silo Sunset, the dense foliage of Forest Firefight and a snow-blown deserted factory called Winter Warehouse available for the first time. The download also implements a number of new rules, which are also now available without the MEME EXPANSION update. A new ‘No Headshot’ setting allows players to attribute the same level of damage when shot in the head to that of a regular body shot. ‘Stealth Death Match’ allows users to compete with the stealth elements switched on automatically; while the ‘Interval’ setting allows used to practice and chat with each other within the battlefield, without their ranking or records being adversely affected.

An official Tournament lobby has also been created to pit players in battle situations where points are up for grabs and can be spent on the customisation of a character or on new gear. Likewise, a series of familiar humorous elements can also be used within the customise field, including the Crocodile Cap made famous in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, the Ghillie Suite camo from the same game, and an afro hair style.

Metal Gear Online fans will be able to pre-purchase the MEME EXPANSION elements for 7,99 Euro from November 18th, with a bundle containing both the new elements and the previous GENE EXPANSION update also available at the same date for 12,99 Euro. Users can access the new additions of the MEME EXPANSION after the official start on November 25th.

Hit the jump for some more scans and the link for the whole shabang. Have retailers given up this year, or is it just my imagination?

Target's Black Friday Ads [Target, thanks Carrie]

Wii U.S. Installed Base Now Leads Xbox 360 by Almost 2 Million [GameDaily]

Today
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (PS3, 360)
Shaun White Snowboarding (DS, PS2, PS3, 360, PSP)
Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades (DS)
AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack (Wii)
Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii)
Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip (Wii)

Monday (Nov. 17)
Left 4 Dead (360)
Need for Speed Undercover (DS, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, 360)
NCAA Basketball 09 (PS2, PS3, 360)
Rock Band Track Pack Volume 2 (PS2, PS3, Wii, 360)
Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 4: Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective (PC, Wii)
Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff (DS)
Gallop and Ride (Wii)
Hello Kitty: Big City Dreams (DS)
Merv Griffin's Crosswords (Wii)
Robocalypse (DS)
Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack (PC)
Target Toss Pro: Bags (Wii)
The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria Complete Edition (PC)
The Sims 2 Mansion & Garden Stuff (PC)

Tuesday (Nov. 18)
Castlevania Judgment (Wii)
Left 4 Dead (PC)
Lips (360)
Tomb Raider Underworld (DS, PC, PS3, Wii, 360)
Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun (Wii)
Alone in the Dark: Inferno (PS3)
AMF Bowling World Lanes (Wii)
Bolt (DS, PC, PS2, PS3, Wii, 360)
Championship Foosball (Wii)
Cooking Mama World Kitchen (Wii)
Cradle of Rome (DS)
CSI: NY (PC)
Dynasty Warriors 6 (PC, PS2)
EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey (PC)
Gothic 3 - Forsaken Gods (PC)
Imagine; Movie Star (DS)
Imagine: Ballet Star (DS)
Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine (DS)
Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2 (PS3, Wii, 360)
Legendary (PC)
Luminous Arc 2 (DS)
Metal Slug 7 (DS)
Monkey Mischief: Party Time (Wii)
Mortimer Beckett and the Secrets of Spooky Manor (Wii)
Naruto: The Broken Bond (360)
Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir (PC)
NPPL Championship Paintball 2009 (PS2, PS3, Wii, 360)
Petz Catz Clan (DS)
Petz Crazy Monkeyz (Wii)
Petz Monkeyz House (DS)
Petz Rescue Endangered Paradise (DS)
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party (DS, Wii)
Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (DS)
Skate City Heroes (Wii)
Ski & Shoot (PS2)
Ski Doo: Snowmobile Challenge (PS3, 360)
Sonic Unleashed (PS2, Wii)
Tony Hawk's Motion/Hue Pixel Painter (DS)
Ultimate Band (DS, Wii)
Winter Sports 2: The Next Challenge (DS, PS2, 360)
You're in the Movies (360)

Wednesday (Nov. 19)
Burnout Anthology (PS2)
Skate It (DS, Wii)

Thursday (Nov. 20)
The Last Remnant (360)

Friday (Nov. 21)
Beyond Protocol (PC)

There were no big announcements or proclamations at the event, but it did showcase Killzone 2 and Resistance: Retribution, kind of apt considering Resistance: Fall of Man was a console launch title. They also had a video depicting the evolution of the console's firmware, which is always sort of trippy to remember what you didn't have two years ago and what you take for granted now. And on that score, of course, PlayStation Home's open beta will hit sometime before the end of the year.

Worldwide sales of the console stand at 16.8 million units at the year two mark. So, cheers and here's to year three.

“I can tell you how that conversation goes at Microsoft. They say, ‘I don’t think that’s a game,’�