Earlier this morning Electronic Arts officially announced the long-rumored Lord of the Rings meets Battlefield title, Lord of the Rings Conquest.

The game, under development by Pandemic Studios, will give gamers a chance to fight some of Tolkein's greatest battles as either the good guys or the bad when it hits this fall.

“We’ll freely admit that we’re rabid fans of The Lord of the Rings fantasy,” says Josh Resnick, co-founder and general manager at Pandemic Studios. “Our experience creating massive, rich, action-packed games means that The Lord of the Rings: Conquest will give fans exactly what they want: full control of the blade, bow and magic to fight its epic battles any way they want – even if they choose to play from the evil side.”

Hit the jump for the official press release.

I'm hanging out at Volition in a cozy darkened side room, waiting for their presentation on Saint's Row 2 to begin. Producer Greg Donovan (right) is with me and we sit there a bit awkwardly, waiting for the game's Lead Designer, James Tsai (left), to join us.

It's not Donovan's fault that things are weird. Someone has painstakingly setup a small table filled with various drinks and snacks that, as Donovan explains, "aren't there everyday."

Things are weird because I have an absurd headache on top of an even more absurd head cold making me a complete bitch to talk to. Donovan breaks the silence again.

I am ashamed to admit that I'm a bit of a closet SpongeBob fan. Really, you can't blame me. When you have a child, and spend time with him watching television on occasion, you're going to eventually get drawn into liking one or two of his shows. SpongeBob, actually, can be quite funny at times.

As I mentioned before, one of my all-time favorite episodes is the one featuring the inordinately creepy DoodleBob, the creation of a artistically-lacking SpongeBob and a real-world pencil.

THQ contacted us after I posted about my reserved anticipation for the game with a couple of screen shots. I have to say they don't really assay my fears that the developers will entirely miss the point of what makes DoodleBob so awesome. In a nutshell? More creepy, less kiddie. Don't underestimate the SpongeBob adult fan club.

Hit the jump for a couple more screens and some of the game's details.

By now you've probably figured out that not one Kotaku writers, but three of us have actually played Street Fighter IV... extensively. And yet we still haven't written a single impression. I can't speak for everyone, but I'm betting they feel just as much at a loss for where to start as I do. I promise to get something up on the site, hopefully several somethings, by the end of the week. Until then, be content with these spiffy new screens.

Bioware today announced the first downloadable content pack for their Xbox 360 RPG Mass Effect.

The Bring Down the Sky downloadable content pack hits LIVE on March 10 at 2 a.m. PST, for 400 MS points ($5) and is the first in a series of planned downloadable content that expands the Mass Effect universe and continues the plot.

The pack will include an uncharted world that introduces the Batarians alien race. In the pack a Batarian extremist group has hijacked a mobile asteroid station in the Asgard system, setting it on a collision course with the nearby colony world of Terra Nova. Only Commander Shepard can save the millions of innocent civilians before the asteroid completes its deadly descent.

The developers say the pack will contain about an hour and a half of action and a new Achievement worth 50 Gamerscore points.

Hit the jump for a second shot from the pack.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue hits stores in North America on April 17 for $40, it will also be sold as a digital download for the same price on the Playstation Store. If you buy the disc version it comes packed with an extra behind-the-scenes high-def video called "Beyond the Apex".

The precursor to GTA5 will include 60 vehicles, 16 car online races at 60 frames per second and 1080p HD support. The game also supports online racing events, an in-cockpit view with real-time gauges and human animation and support of the vibration Dualshock controller.

"Ten years following the introduction of Gran Turismo(TM) on PS one(R), Gran Turismo 5 Prologue delivers the most realistic and technologically advanced racing experience on any platform," said Jeff Reese, director, software marketing, SCEA. "With 1080p graphics, revolutionary online features like Gran Turismo(TM) TV and the new in-cockpit racing view, the world'sbest-selling racing franchise will once again set the standard for racing games."

The game will launch with Gran Turismo TV, a dedicated online channel on the Playstation Network that will include worldwide motorsport programming.

Is it just me or is everyone else getting confused with all of these demos and prologues? I'm not sure if this is the best way to roll out a triple-A title. Hit the jump for the official fact sheet and a batch of new screens.

Playstation Universe has posted a huge gallery of new screenshots from the Japanese version of Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. While I'm not a huge fan of this particular portion of the series, the screens and footage I have seen from it so far have been pretty impressive. I have included several of them here in a small gallery, but you can see the entire gallery of fifty on Playstation Universe.

[Thanks, Philly]

If you liked Phoenix Wright, you'll love Harvey Birdman. Or maybe you won't, I don't know your life. Regardless, Capcom has graced us with a bunch of new screens for the upcoming game featuring Harvey and the game up to their courtroom antics. I always love the inclusion of the various Hanna-Barbera characters and if you look close, you can even see Peanut holding a PSP. Ah, self-referentiality, you never grow old.