The epic space RPG continues on January 26th in North America, with Europe joining the fray three days later on the 29th. Along with the release date announcement, EA has revealed preorder bonus equipment available via download code once the game hits store shelves.

Most retail outlets will receive codes for Inferno Armor (seen above), which increases your Commander Shepard's negotiation skills, run speed, and combat damage. Those opting to preorder from GameStop will receive the Terminus Assault Armor (seen below), which includes an armor suit that augments run speed, damage, shields, and adds an additional magazine of reserve ammo, and the M-490 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon, which generates a localized gravity well, which sounds painful.

"Our fans are in for a genuine thrill in the New Year with Mass Effect 2 - the second installment in the trilogy will be of amazingly high quality," said Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of EA. "BioWare's fans worldwide have been eagerly awaiting this epic sequel, and we couldn't be more excited to reward them for pre-ordering by delivering some awesome bonus content!"

I for one am relieved that a release date has finally been nailed down. Now I know which week to request off. Don't tell Crecente.

"Ms. Cobain is extremely upset about Activision's use of Mr. Cobain's likeness to sing the songs of others in its Guitar Hero game," Keith A. Fink, Love's attorney, told Kotaku. "Activision was granted permission by Kurt's trust solely to use his name and likeness. Activision was not given an unbridled right to use Mr. Cobain's name and likeness. Kurt's songs have a special and unique meaning to his fans and his image and legacy are very important to Ms. Cobain. The agreement Activision has with the trust doesn't allow them to use his likeness in ways that denigrate his image. We would hope Activision would do the right thing on its own and prohibit game users from using Kurt's image to sing others songs and if they don't we expect the trust to take appropriate action to protect Mr. Cobain's image."

Activision told Kotaku earlier this week that Love signed the agreement allowing the use of Cobain in the game. But what appears to be driving most of the controversy is the ability for gamers to use Cobain's likeness to perform in and sing other songs.

Love posted on her Twitter account that she was going to sue Activision and that the way Cobain appears in the game is a breach of contract. She also said she was sickened by how he is used in the game.

Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, the two surviving members of Nirvana, released a joint statement saying they too are upset over the way Cobain can be used to pantomime other artists' music "alongside cartoon characters."

"Kurt Cobain wrote songs that hold a lot of meaning to people all over the world. We feel he deserves better."

The are asking Activision to "re-lock" Cobain's character so he can only perform his own songs in the game.

After working at Toei, he moved on to become the Key Animator on a number of Studio Ghibli's biggest titles: Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbour Totoro, Porco Rosso, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke.

He later went on to work for Square Enix as a layout artist on movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and also was an animation director for Final Fantasy XI and did story boards for Final Fantasy IV on the DS.

The Spirits Within was a commercial failure; however, it was the first photorealistic 3D animated feature film. Critic Roger Ebert called the film a "technical milestone".

Kanda's style was exciting and he always found new ways to thrill audiences — making him of the most influential animators of his generation. He will be missed.

Kanada [AniPages Daily via Moon Chase]

The suit challenges the transit authority's prohibition against advertising computer and video games rated Mature or Adults Only. There is no such prohibition against advertising R-rated movies, mature TV shows or music.

The association says the ban is a violation of the guarantees of free speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

"The CTA's ordinance constitutes a clear violation of the constitutional rights of the entertainment software industry," said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the association. "Courts across the United States, including those in the CTA's own backyard, have ruled consistently that video games are entitled to the same First Amendment protections as other forms of entertainment. The CTA appears unwilling to recognize this established fact, and has shown a remarkable ignorance of the dynamism, creativity and expressive nature of computer and video games. The ESA will not sit idly by when the creative freedoms of our industry are threatened."

The ordinance was enacted in January, hitting just months after the authority reached a settlement with Rockstar Games that allowed the company to advertise Grand Theft Auto IV on their billboards for six weeks, as part of a settlement.

A similar ordinance was overturned in Denver in 2007.

The association's suit contends that the new Chicago ordinance unconstitutionally "restricts speech in a public forum that is otherwise open to all speakers without a compelling interest for doing so." and that the ordinance "impermissible discriminates on the basis of viewpoint and ignores less restrictive means of achieving the supposed ends of the ordinance."

We've contacted the Chicago Transit Authority for comment and will update if and when they respond.

"We were in contact early with the transition team and they invited us into those sessions," Gallagher said. "So we've had very good dialog with the administration."

Gallagher, who served as the chief telecommunications and policy advisor to the George W. Bush Administration , said he stayed close to friends of his in D.C. trying to figure out who would be handling what as the new administration took form shortly after Obama's election.

"Right now the administration is very correctly focused on a lot bigger issues than whatever issues we might represent," Gallagher said. "I personally think we represent zero issues because we're doing a great job of entertaining American families."

Gallagher said he isn't concerned about the possibility of universal ratings or the administration getting involved in the legislation of video game ratings.

"We are very encouraged about all of the meetings we've had," he said. "We've met with the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, he's very pleased with the work we have done. We've had great meetings on the Hill, probably among the best we've had.

"It's very hard to take something off the table completely and say that it can't happen, but I think it's a low likelihood," he said. "And that's for a good reason. The ESRB is doing a great job, people know, they trust the disclosure that's included as part of the packaging of a game."

Gallagher said that increasingly video games are becoming an accepted part of everyday life and culture. He pointed to the success of Grand Theft Auto 4, both financially and critically, as a major turning point for the industry.

"It was reviewed like a movie, as a movie, like a piece of art," he said. "We received accolades for that, that was a big transition for us. That turned out to be a very positive step forward for us."

It also helps, he said, that Obama's family owns a Wii.

"For the first time we have a console in the white house," he said. "We understand the president has a Wii and we're very excited about that. Having a degree of exposure to the technology is very, very positive."

"We don't have anything to announce for the U.S. on either of those products," Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime told Kotaku this morning. "We know that it will be reacted to quite positively in Japan.. but no news for the Americas markets for those two products."

We asked about the inevitability of new colors of the Wii coming to America, especially given that Nintendo had shown the Wii in multiple colors as far back as E3 2005.

"There's a difference between showing different colors and making the product announcement that new colors are coming," Fils-Aime said. "We have shown a plethora of colors in the past for the Wii. We have shown a wide range of colors for the DS. From an Americas perspective, colors do drive the business. We've shown that, for example, with the lighter blue DSi that we thought was a nice complement to the black. So there will be more colors for various hardware.

"In the end, for us, it's all about: how do we time it? How do we leverage it, ideally with software? In Japan, linking [the black Wii] with the launch of Monster Hunter Tri [from Capcom] is why that announcement was made and why that's being positioned as it is."

While Fils-Aime said that Tri is coming to the U.S., he wasn't ready to talk about black Wiis or Wiis of any other hue.

Yes, finishing last week in #2 - behind only Wii Fit - was the 360 version of Starbreeze's Riddick remake/expansion/sequel thing Dark Athena. After that, more Layton sales, after that, more Nintendo stuff, and after that...Godfather II.

Let's focus on Riddick, then!

Originally timed for tomorrow's PlayStation Store update, adding new maps, units, vehicles, characters and more, Epic cites unforeseen certification problems. Instead, it will arrive on March 19th, two weeks later than previously expected. Epic's Steve Polge explains on the developer's official forums.

"Unfortunately, due to circumstances out of our control, the certification process for the PS3 patch and DLC has taken much longer than we expected," Polge writes. "The PC patch contains updates that will improve mods cooked for PS3, so we'll be taking advantage of this extra time to work with mod authors to make sure the best mods for UT3 are cooked with the latest patch."

Polge also adds a little frowning emoticon, small concession to those looking forward to the new goods. But clearly it's hitting Epic Games hard.

Sorry kids!

Titan Pack and Patch for PS3 Update [Unreal Forums - thanks, Miker!]

Atari reps screened over 100 applicants and thankfully only picked the 10 best to go head-to-head in front of the crowd. As you can imagine, they were all really terrible. I'd say maybe one or two even had voice, while the rest just went up there and screamed into the mic. The winner, a guy from Brooklyn with the words "I Drop Hot Shit" on the back of his shirt, received a Nintendo Wii, a copy of Ready 2 Rumble Revolution, and two tickets to see an upcoming fight at Madison Square Garden.

Pictures after the jump!

I'm not sure what it is about "life-like" Anime mascots. Maybe it's the blank stare or the irregular combination of human and cartoon anatomy, but I can't help but feel weirded out all the time.

I actually challenge the Shu-wannabe to a game (which I knew nothing about), but it turns out the person inside the constume doesn't know how to play either. Shame.

Along with praising Grand Theft Auto IV for balanced combat, driving mechanics, and impressive writing, Schiesel also praises and pokes a few games and companies for their more obscure achievements. He awards Nintendo with "Best Explanation of Why Nintendo Hardly Needs Big Games Anymore" for The Wii, pointing out that widespread acceptance by non-gamers has allowed Nintendo to ignore core fans "For now." Left 4 Dead receives a much deserved "Best Zombies" award. He lists Spore as "Best Disappointment", while giving Molyneux a nod with "Best Vindication" for Fable II.

Of course it all comes down to the game of the year, and for Schiesel, that was GTA IV. Here's what he had to say:

G.T.A. IV came out in April, and for the rest of the year I kept waiting for some other new game to captivate and refuse to release me the way this masterpiece from Rockstar did. I’m still waiting. Beyond its formidable craft, apart from its well-balanced combat and driving mechanics, what impresses most about G.T.A. IV is its writing. It is one of the few games that even try to take on the real world in any adult way. (Of course, the game’s Liberty City setting is a parody of modern New York.) Penetrating through all the game’s gangster trappings is a hunger to engage with the idiocies, the contradictions and even some of the good things in modern America. After all, someone has to.

This is the moment where one of us stands up and starts a slow clap. You guys sort that out, and we'll join in shortly.

The Zombies Look Better Every Year [The New York Times]

“It’s been very rewarding to see gamers around the world continue to show such strong support for World of Warcraft,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment®. “We remain fully committed to responding to that enthusiasm with a high-quality, constantly evolving game experience.”

Nice Mike! While you're at it, how about making the venue for next year's BlizzCon a bit larger, to accommodate all these new fans? Move it from the Anaheim convention center to say, the entire state of Montana. I hear they're renting it out on the cheap.

World of Warcraft® Surpasses 11 Million Subscribers Worldwide

Anticipation continues to mount for Wrath of the Lich King™ expansion as Blizzard Entertainment®’s massively multiplayer online role-playing game reaches new milestone

IRVINE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announced today that the subscribership for World of Warcraft®, its award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), now exceeds 11 million players worldwide. This milestone was reached as the beta test for Wrath of the Lich King™, World of Warcraft’s second expansion, nears completion. Wrath of the Lich King will launch in several regions around the world starting on November 13.

“It’s been very rewarding to see gamers around the world continue to show such strong support for World of Warcraft,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment®. “We remain fully committed to responding to that enthusiasm with a high-quality, constantly evolving game experience.”

Since debuting in North America on November 23, 2004, World of Warcraft has become the most popular MMORPG around the world. It was the bestselling PC game of 2005 and 2006 worldwide, and finished behind only World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade®, the first expansion pack for the game, in 2007.1 In addition to being the bestselling PC game of 2007 in both North America and Europe, The Burning Crusade holds the record for fastest-selling PC game of all time, with nearly 2.4 million copies sold in its first 24 hours of availability and approximately 3.5 million in its first month.

World of Warcraft was recently launched in Russia and Latin America, and is currently available in eight languages. In addition to North America and Europe, the game is played in mainland China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Chile, Argentina, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.

To keep pace with the continued growth of World of Warcraft as well as development on other Blizzard Entertainment games, the company is currently hiring for numerous open positions. More information on available career opportunities at Blizzard Entertainment can be found at www.blizzard.com/jobs.

For further information on World of Warcraft, The Burning Crusade, and Wrath of the Lich King, please visit the official website at www.worldofwarcraft.com.

"That's a substantial business," says Simon Jeffery, president of Sega's U.S. division. "It gives iPhone a justifiable claim to being a viable gaming platform."

All in all, over 60 million programs have been purchased from the App Store since launch, generating around $30 million in sales in the first month alone. For a complete rundown of the games that launched with the store, be sure to hit up our Ultimate Guide to iPhone Games, while I cradle my Zune in my arms and weep quietly to myself.

IPhone Software Sales Take Off: Apple's Jobs [The Wall Street Journal]

シリーズ最新作『雷電IV』がXbox 360から9月11日テイクオフ！ [Dengeki Online]

Put up with it? Practical advice, perhaps, but it's not really what disgruntled Euros and Australasians want to be hearing. But don't worry! Growing clearly frustrated at the line of questioning, Reeves exhales that if the delays are getting you down, you've always got options:

We are a PAL market and we are going to do it in PAL and we are going to do [localisation] properly, you can wait for it and you can have it in good quality. You know you can get the stuff from Bittorrent if you want to and download PSP games, it’s up to you.

If you're still here this time next year complaining about delays, PAL users, don't say David Reeves never gave you an out.

David Reeves on PAL and Bittorrent [ButtonMasher]

I said it. It's going to be more emotionally effecting than Bioshock. A lot happens.

Good games don't have to do everything right, they just need to do at least one thing right (and really right). Everything else is gravy — emotional crying scenes, included!

Gears 2: More Emotionally Affecting than Bioshock [Team Xbox via videogaming247]

Also coming this Wednesday is Frogger 2, which includes 15 levels of action, boss battles, two new online multiplayer modes, and no free beta version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, all for 800 Microsoft points.

I am sensing a clear winner here.

This week on Arcade: Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 and Frogger 2 [Xbox Live's Major Nelson]

Theories abound that drunken pub goers nearby had been the ones getting all stabby. We're not sure who to believe in this case, the BBC (sorry, who?) or some guy who works at GameStation who cracked the case for GamesRadar. It's all so confusing and tangential, but at least we got a fun story out of it! :(

Grand Theft Auto stabbing disputed [VNU]
GTA stabbing "nothing to do with GTA" [GamesRadar]