Cowan's quick and dirty summary of the project might be accurate, but it downplays the sheer amount of work that Bungie has put into Halo 3: ODST. The idea of some quick and dirty single-player downloadable content blossomed into an undertaking worthy of a full retail release, with new weapons, advanced technology, and a new art direction that makes ODST a completely separate beast from the Halo 3 we know.

This is really where Aion sets itself apart from other Korean MMO titles translated for the Western world. Rather than simply change the language and call it a day, NCsoft has worked actively to create a different experience for Western gamers.

I love videos like this, personally. As much as I enjoy playing the games themselves, I find the stories behind the formation of the companies that create them fascinating. Having a deeper insight into how and why Cryptic Studios formed and the motivation behind the creation of Champions Online might not enhance the gameplay, but it can make you look at their creation in a slightly different light.

According to Raven, Wolverine will be fast, furious, unleashed, and the game that everyone is pining for. It's like no Wolverine game you've ever seen. They are pushing the envelope, capturing Wolverine's essence, bringing their ideas to the table to create a synergy that allows you to be Wolverine.

Yes, it's chock full of buzzwords and self-praise, but it's the last line that truly stands out. "Every other game is like...some pansy." If that doesn't make it onto the back of the box, I'm going to cry.

Activision seems to have a knack for passing their Marvel properties on to developers in love with the characters, though as was the case with Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, that doesn't always work out. As my only exposure to the new Wolverine video game so far has been this particular video and a few screenshots, I'd say the game is looking pretty good, though that voice at the end spouting Logan's little catch phrase grated on me a bit.

Still, not going to get my hopes up. I learned a valuable lesson last time I got excited about a superhero video game being released on my birthday.

Guerrilla Games goes deep in this installment of the series, talking about the intricacies involved in making the completely alien home of the Helghast look and feel like World War II Germany during a really bad thunderstorm. I make fun, but the best episodes of Star Trek always involved alternate dimensions where the things we were familiar with were twisted slightly from the norm. Presenting something utterly alien doesn't quite carry the suspense of exploring a world that feels like a warped version of a more familiar setting.

On a completely unrelated note, who told studio director Hermen Hulst that he looked cool talking with his head tilted to one side? I mean sure, in the first installment it was kind of cool, but now it's begun to nag at me. He probably pulled a muscle in his neck or something, and I'm going to get a nasty email for making fun of it and feel bad all night.

Check out the team from Guerrilla Games as they talk us through the creation of Killzone 2, telling us something about dynamics and artificial intelligence and creating player tension. None of that matters, really. What matters is how cool the staff from the Killzone 2 developer come off in this video, recorded against green screen and placed in game environments. The production values are really impressive, and by the end of the video I can think of no other developer I'd want to take with me on a trip to a hostile alien world.

Man, I can't wait for them to release the Making of the Making of Killzone 2 video.

Having obviously not paid enough attention during the early days of Halo 3 development, I was a bit surprised to learn that developer Ensemble first went to Microsoft with the idea for a console strategy game before the Halo license even came into the picture. I imagine it must have been a very pleasant surprise, which quickly gave way to a feeling of oh my god, we have to please Halo fans.

Not that Halo fans aren't easy to please. I mean, look at...you know what? Just going to leave it at that before I get myself shot. Enjoy the video!

Hopper plays George Struggs, the owner of a run-down gas station with a plot to get his hands on some Civil War gold. It's sort of a story within the story, with the humans thinking they are the stars when in reality the titular Deadly Creatures are the ones in the spotlight. Towards the end of the video, Hopper calms any fears that the game might be a flop, assuring us all that "gamers are going to love Deadly Creatures," and who knows gamers' tastes better than King Koopa himself?

Totilo talks to some pretty big names about the practice, including GameSpot's former employee Jeff Gerstmann, who explains why the practice is so disturbing.

I’ve gotten e-mails from developers over the years who have said, ‘I don’t think you realize what you’re doing to me with this review’ because my review knocked them out of the range of some bonus that they were up for...

It's really a ridiculous practice that almost always works in the publisher's favor. Luckily it isn't as widespread as it once was, but it does give you interesting insight into why some developers will defend their games as if their lives depended on it. Sometimes they might.

Low Metacritic Scores Cause Game Publishers To Withhold Developer Royalties [MTV Multiplayer]

And play GTA IV.