From what I saw of Mirror's Edge it looks like the sort of game you would want to play through over and over again until you got a level perfect. Missed a step? Screwed up a jump? Start over. Not because you have to but because you want to. And don't worry, they showed some combat as well. People have guns, they want to kill you, and you are fast enough, dexterous enough to deal with them in style. Oh yeah, this is shaping up to be a must have.

Check back on Monday morning for my hands-on impressions of the game.

I can't talk about what I saw yet while playing through a chunk of the game last month, but the Bethesda folks took the time to throw together a massive fan-driven 25 question and answer post. In it they touch on everything from child killing and drug addiction to AI and dialog trees. Here's my favorite question. Hit the jump for one on the AI and two more screens. Make sure you check out the full post if you're interested in the game.

1) Which of the following, if any, will be featured in Fallout3; Romance, Sex, Homosexuality, Nudity, Prostitution, Slavery, Cannibalism, Children, Child killings, drugs, addictions? And of the things that won't be featured, can you explain why they won't be included in the game?

It touches on most of those. Slavery, children, drugs and addiction more than the others, as those factor for into the setting more. In regards to nudity and child killings, no, it features neither of those, as they don't really add to the flavor of the game (I'll get into children in the next question more). I think if you look at Fallout 1, and the footprint it has with the topics you ask about, Fallout 3 is pretty much the same, in that it features the types of things you mention at about the same rate, no more, no less. Drugs and drug addiction play a larger role perhaps, as it's a key gameplay device. I think the heart of this question is "has the harshness and maturity of the world of Fallout 3 been tempered from the earlier games?" and I can certainly say "No, it hasn't been."

10) How advanced will the AI of NPC's be this time around? Are they really going to have a life? Speaking to other NPC's in a logical manner, traveling and trading with/in faraway places, Submitting to the player rather than fighting if they know, or think, they're no match for him?

I wish I could answer with a number, like "it will be 17 advanced." AI is difficult to define, the NPCs certainly appear much smarter than our previous stuff, by a lot. Much of that is us giving them better data, massaging what they do so the player gets to see more of it. We added a lot of animations, so people in town are doing more. They "seem" to be interacting with the world in a more realistic manner, but that usually means going up to something and playing an animation. It can be something really simple, like we added "lean against wall". It's funny how something that small can give life to a person. They walk into a space, and just lean against the wall, arms folded. Like Oblivion, we use our Radiant AI system, so most of the NPCs eat, sleep, work, etc. I think we take it for granted now, but it's pretty great to have that level of control. We've also done a lot to the conversation system, which makes them seem a lot smarter, but again, that's better data, not a new system.

On the technical side we spent most of our time doing an all new pathfinding system. Morrowind/Oblivion use nodes for pathing and Fallout uses a navmesh. This is the difference between an NPC having a valid point to stand on (node) versus an area to stand in, or walk around (mesh). You can do much more sophisticated actor movement and behavior with a navmesh, and I think you'll see the results onscreen, especially when the bullets start flying. The actors do a great job of finding cover and using the space well, something we could never have done with pathnodes.

In terms of the NPCs traveling around, many travel around town, and some travel the wasteland. There are a few caravans in the game that go from town to town trading. Radiant AI handles something like that really well.

Lastly, as far as submitting to a more powerful foe, yes they do that, in that they run away. If they're overmatched, they holster their weapon, flee and try to hide. While this sounds cool on paper, it's often not fun at all, and we've ended up really dialing that back, because it gets really annoying really fast, to have people run away all the time. The main faction that still acts like this are the Raiders, the others don't do it so much.

What he saw:

• "Late alpha test phase of the game it was [an executable file] running on a devkit at the show, so it was obviously very early test phase. The game was riddled with bugs as of now because the 360 was crashing quite a few times."

• "I'm unsure about the company [providing the maps], but they used satellite mapping of the areas and reconstructed them into the game. The mountains look epic with all the texturing and bushes."

• "Distance third person viewing when dog fighting or getting chased by missiles."

What he was told (by an Ubisoft rep):

• "The spokesperson for Ubisoft said that this game was gonna be a gamble like Assassin's Creed was because of the huge amount of money invested into the game only to find out if its gonna be awesome or a mediocre game. From what it seems that the rep was saying HAWX is going to cost a lot to make."

• "At least 50 planes will be available in game"

• "For promotion [materials] they are looking for any air force pilots to get a picture in with the HAWX patch and will get put up on their site."

Now for the pics:

Of course, thanks to reader Anonymous (no, he did not play the game wearing a V for Vendetta mask) for keeping his eyes peeled on coming back with some good info.

Interpol
Basic Fact Sheet

Publisher Sierra Online
Developer TikGames
Category Puzzle
Platform XBLA
Overview/Storyline Track down the evil and destructive fugitive Dr. Chaos, as you hunt down clues in this exciting seek and find game. As an elite agent for Interpol, it is your mission to eradicate his trail of corruption as it takes you around the world from one international city to the next. Use your investigative skills to quickly gather the evidence needed to bring him to justice.

Game Features
Tons of Puzzles – Analyze elaborate crime scenes to uncover hundreds of mysterious hidden objects
Glamorous Destinations – Search for clues scattered in exotic locales around the world including San Francisco, Cairo, Paris, Tokyo and more.
Clever Minigames - Discover bonus similarities and differences puzzles to test your keen eye-sight
4 Player Co-op – Complete missions with other agents to quickly apprehend this dangerous criminal before he does more harm
Availability Fall 2008
Rating RP

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.

The game is set to ship this fall for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

The Bling Gnome is a pet of sort that runs around in the game as you play picking up all of the gold dropped from the baddies you kill while playing the free-to-play massive game. The gnome can also be told to pick up dropped items that aren't rare and eat them. He then poops out gold as a reward... seriously.

I love this idea, it saves all of the hassle of having to go back to town and sell off the crap you horde while out in the wilds adventuring.

Hit up the jump for the full explainer as well as some more pics of the gnome in action.

Dungeon Runners Bling Gnome: Excreting gold for fun and profit

Exactly what is the Bling Gnome you might ask? Similar to its cousin, the Garden Gnome, the Bling Gnome is a tricked-up helper gnome with a bit of attitude that will follow your character around and pick up all the gold dropped on the ground (that was intended for you to pick up) auto-magically. This way you don’t have to go running around and pick it up all the gold yourself, the little gangster will do it for you.

The Bling Gnome also has the ability to pick up dropped items, at the Rare level of availability and below (anything that’s not purple- or rainbow-colored), and eat them, converting them into gold. Another time saver! Instead of filling up your inventory with a clutter of items you just want to sell when you get back to Townston, the Bling Gnome will convert them into gold right then and there. That’s not all… though honestly, what would Dungeon Runners be without some scatological humor somewhere? Every once in awhile during this “swords-into-goldshares” conversion process, the Bling Gnome can produce amazing items from its rear end in rather spectacular fashion. In other words, it can poop out an ultra-powerful item (along with the gold). The more items you pick up at once, the higher the chance it can happen. How handy is that?

Players won’t have to look under a blarney stone to get their own Bling Gnome. By the end of June, players can go to just about any game retailer in North America and purchase a Dungeon Runners game pack that includes the soon-to-be-legendary Bling Gnome as well as six months of premium membership level game time for the price of four.

For more information on Dungeon Runners and the Bling Gnome, go to www.Dungeonrunners.com.

It's embarrassing how anxious I am to play Fallout 3. I can't tell if it's more because I was such a fan of the Fallout ideal, going back to when I used to play it on my old computer, or because this new Fallout has so many neat ideas all wrapped around those same concepts and topped with some amazing graphics. OK, I'm going to stop gushing now. Hit the jump for two more images.

If the review is 9.0 or higher you can post immediately. Lower than 9.0, could you please hold until launch day, November 19th? Thanks.

Based on communications I've had with PR people over the years, yeah...I could definitely see this happening. In this case the GameSpot folks opted to just buy the game at a store and review it, but it makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Video Game Company To Wii Reviewer: Save The Panning For Later, Okay? [MTV Multiplayer]

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.

PANDEMIC STUDIOS ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS: CONQUEST
‘Conquest’ Grants Players Freedom to Fight Epic ‘Rings’ Battles Any Way Desired

LOS ANGELES, Calif., May 8, 2008 – Pandemic™ Studios, an award-winning developer of blockbuster video games, is proud to announce the development of The Lord of the Rings: Conquest™ for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, PC and Nintendo DS™ platforms. Pandemic Studios is a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS).

In a partnership with New Line Cinema, The Lord of the Rings: Conquest is an action-packed game created by the same Pandemic Studios team behind the best-selling Star Wars Battlefront™ and Star Wars Battlefront™ II titles. Set in “The Lord of the Rings” universe of J.R.R. Tolkien as depicted by the Academy Award®-winning films, players will finally fight the entirety of these epic battles any way they want. In addition to crusading as the heroic forces of good, for the first time ever in a ‘The Lord of the Rings’ action title they’ll conquer Middle-earth while playing as the legions of Sauron’s evil army, including Cave-trolls, Oliphaunts, the Balrog and Sauron himself. The game is set for a global release in fall 2008.

“Our Pandemic Studios creative teams have years of expertise bringing giant battlefields to life,” says Andrew Goldman, Pandemic Studios co-founder and general manager. “We’ve always wanted to harness our experience in a fantasy universe with warriors, archers, mages and castle sieges. Of course, there is truly no better fantasy world to recreate than the enormity of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ realm.”

“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.”

“We are thrilled to be working with Pandemic Studios on this game,” commented David Imhoff, Senior EVP of Worldwide Licensing & Merchandising for New Line Cinema. “They bring not only their incredible technical and creative abilities but also a great passion for The Lord of the Rings.”

The world premiere of game footage and the first trailer for The Lord of the Rings: Conquest will premiere exclusively on Spike TV’s GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley on Friday, June 20.

This announcement reveals the third blockbuster video game project in the works at Pandemic Studios’ Los Angeles-based headquarters alongside the upcoming Mercenaries 2: World in Flames™ and Saboteur™, both in development for the Xbox 360™, PLAYSTATION®3 and PC platforms. For more information on The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, please visit: http://www.pandemicstudios.com/conquest.

Blogger SegaDawg didn't get any looks at the gameplay, but does write:

I did see a demo of Tyris riding one particular beast that will deal some severe swipe damage with its claws. There are several types of beast mounts in the game, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, and my bet is that there will be points in the game where you have to ride a specific beast in order to accomplish certain goals — but that's just a hunch.

]]> Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:00:00 MDT Brian Crecente http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=377698&view=rss&microfeed=true 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 saw you ran that quote." What quote? Oh, right, where he said that Saint's Row 2 would have bugs.

"Yeah, the internet just went crazy on that one," I respond.

"95% of gamers aren't even going to come across them," he assured me.

Tsai arrived moments later, and we loaded up Saint's Row 2. Donovan had to be at least a little relieved.

Saint's Row 2 takes place an unspecified number of years after Saint's Row 1 (though ironically, the development of Saint's Row 2 began with a small team of people before Saint's Row 1 was even out).

Your friends have betrayed you, and you'll have to start building the Saints from scratch. Tsai explains, "The player comes back, he's pissed, and he does some nasty things...you are definitely a criminal this time around."

Unfortunately, you choose to wear purple once again.

Starting with the character creation screen, I immediately see that SR1's robust character customization engine has gotten some major upgrades. To start, your model looks better, a Calvin Cline underwear ad adorning shader-chiseled muscles.

While players will still not be able to face map with the LIVE camera, the seemingly endless sliders should make up for it. I particularly enjoyed watching models be subjected to the age slider. Let's just say moobs become moooobs.

Apparently Lead Designer Tsai is a huge fan of wrestling games. And the influence is undeniable as you look through various animations that you can now assign your character. Everything from the style of gait to combat techniques, players will find more movements unlocked as they play. But the animations are a lot more than just a bonus for completion—they really signify SR2.

Open up the taunts, for instance. Your character can flip someone the bird. They can do the famous throat cut. Or, in a turn to the absurd, they can squat down on someone and gesture defecation complete with butt waggling.

Donovan explains, "We gave up any pretense of being authentically hip hop."

Everything is streamlined for fun. While SR2 will feature a compelling story with a near feature-length set of cut scenes, players can make the choice constantly to have a serious or outright zany experience. Create a hard-nosed gangster or create a computer geek with a pot belly. No one's gonna judge you.

They take me through the example mission and I see one of the new area expansions to the game's 1.5x larger city. You are in a dusty, almost wild west world. It's a trailer park, and you're here to blow it up. Running into one of the 130 new internal environments, you grab some satchel charges (essentially sticky grenades that can be remotely detonated).

Heading around outside, Tsai dropped bombs in dramatic sequence, blowing up trailers one after another. He spoiled an otherwise impressive street of open world AI and animation at its finest, in which I'd seen a jogger tie their shoe, a power walker anally strut past, an old man hobbling slowly and one guy lounged out on a beach chair (who I was assured would get up and go about his day if we'd watched him long enough.)

But Tsai wasn't content with spoiling a good day. He's played the mission before. So he opts to throw a satchel charge onto a jogger instead of the next trailer. It seems like a normal enough decision as it sticks to the side of her head like a lopsided cubic afro. Then he throws another and another. Now the jogger is having a tough time jogging. Finally, Tsai steps back and blows her up with a massive explosion. She shoots 50 feet into the air...then he hits the trigger again...and again, "juggling" the innocent in mid air.

I could act mature about the situation now, but I chuckled.

The neat thing about this sort of debauchery is that Saint's Row 2 will reward you for it. Called "diversions," these mini achievements are built for fucking around and will earn you "respect" that's usable in the storyline. "Chances are, if you try it, it's been done," Donovan assures me, meaning that the game will acknowledge any feat you throw at it. And it's an idea that's long overdue in a genre in which gameplay so often...digresses.

But what I didn't get a chance to see was the game's co-op. The full campaign supports two players ala Crackdown. Oh, and those "diversions" we talked about above? They will include co-op combos, as well as the rare moment when you might actually try to harm your friend in crime with a submachine gun.

"It will be a lot of fun," said Tsai. "In Crackdown, players sort of had this static objectives...in SR2 our missions are a lot more complex, we're actually forcing more interaction."

I ask him why we've seen co-op games explode in the last few years.

Tsai laughs and lets me in on his personal theory. "All the guys like you and me who grew up playing...Contra, Ikari Warriors, Jackal...have disposable income." He's probably right.

After talking to Donovan and Tsai and seeing the game, those still bent on fueling some war between GTAIV and Saint's Row 2 need to realize something...in what is maybe the crudest analogy I've ever put to print.

Rockstar is like Hugh Hefner. They create a product that hides behind (what is often) a facade of high artistic vision. Volition is more like Larry Flynt, not shying away from what they purport the audience is really looking for—the gynecologically precise experience of juggling a woman in mid-air with properly timed sticky bomb explosions—fulfilling your deepest id impulses, spread eagle on your monitor.

"They're gonna do what they're gonna do," Donovan said. "That's actually a good thing for players."

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.

In the game, as with the original toon, DoodleBob gets his hands on a magic pencil and uses it to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting Bikini Bottom. The game has you playing as a creature spawned, I suspect, from the pencil, using your own powers to defeat DoodleBob and save Sponge and friends.

The game's 20 levels will let you battle, erase and redraw enemies and will include a two-player versus mode.

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.

Discuss the Bring Down the Sky DLC here [Mass Effect]

Exclusive: 27 New FFXIII and Versus Famitsu PS3 Scans [FinalFantasy-XIII.net]

Here's a run down of his posts which include impressions, images and such:
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Line Madness
Super Smash Bros. Brawl in the House
Here's The Super Smash Bros. Brawl Online Menu
What's Super Smash Bros. Brawl Online Like? Eh...
Does Super Smash Bros. Brawl Actually Deliver?

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.

Gran Turismo™5 Prologue
FACT SHEET

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA)
Developer: Polyphony Digital, Inc.
Platform: PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™)
Genre: Racing
Release: Spring 2008
Rating: "RP" for Rating Pending

OVERVIEW
With more than 47 million units shipped worldwide, the award-winning Gran Turismo™ franchise has raced far beyond a driving simulator experience; it is a global lifestyle. Setting the bar to unprecedented heights of realism, quality of design and physics technology with every product release, famed developer Polyphony Digital, Inc. continues to obscure the line between simulation and reality with the newest iteration of its blockbuster franchise, Gran Turismo™ 5 Prologue, exclusively for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™).

Available on Blu-ray Disc and as a download via PLAYSTATION®Network, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue showcases the automotive experience that is imminent with Gran Turismo 5. Featuring over 60 meticulously detailed cars — including vehicles by Ferrari, Audi and Nissan — for users to race on five beautifully rendered reversible tracks from around the globe, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue runs in stunning1080p High Definition. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will also introduce to the franchise an in-cockpit view, providing a unique perspective for racers and featuring real-time gauges and human animations that accurately represent the true performance and handling of each vehicle. Additionally, in conjunction with a robust offline experience, for the first time in the history of the franchise Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will support up to 16 players racing head-to-head online, complete with community events and leaderboards, to quell any question of who is the best driver in the "World of GT."

Dedicated to expanding the user's immersion in automotive culture, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will feature access to Gran Turismo™ TV, a dedicated online channel available exclusively from PLAYSTATION Network that delivers some of the greatest motorsport and manufacturer content that television has to offer.

KEY FEATURES
• A first for the franchise, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue supports online racing with up to 16 drivers racing simultaneously on a beautifully rendered race track.
• Race more than 60 high-performance and exhaustively detailed cars, including vehicles from Ferrari, Audi, Nissan and Mitsubishi.
• Race on five stunningly realistic tracks, including the Eiger Nordwand, the London City Track and Suzuka.
• A new physics engine delivers next-generation vehicle handling. True to the heritage of the Gran Turismo franshise, this new physics engine provides unprecedented realism and authentic handling specific to each car.
• A new in-cockpit view provides a unique perspective for racers and features a customized dashboard for each of the cars in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Real-time gauges and human animations accurately represent the true performance and handling of each vehicle.
• All-new and improved opponent AI for a nail-biting and more strategic race racing experience.
• Access to Gran Turismo TV: a clearinghouse of great motoring TV (video) programming (both HD and SD - all broadcast quality) online through PLAYSTATION Network.
• To extend the realistic driving experience, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is also compatible with the new DUALSHOCK®3 controller, which has vibration functionality.
• Quick Tune facility allows you to adjust power, tires, suspension and more.
• Gran Turismo 5 Prologue runs in stunning High Definition at 1080p (race: 1080p-60fps, replay: 1080p-30fps)

[Thanks, Philly]

Make the jump to check out a small gallery of screens.

[Thanks, ryuzaki]

These brand new shots from recently delayed, but still anticipated Gearbox shooter Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway just landed on our doorstep. I like the moody lighting.

Project Gotham Racing 4 is less than a month away so Microsoft decided that now would be a good time to ship out a batch of new screenshots all taken with the game's Photo Mode. Hey, did you realize you can view pics captured in Photo Mode in 3D by using a standard pair of red and blue glasses and turning on the 3D glasses cheat? I had no clue.

New batches of PGR4 screens are expected every Thursday until the game's release, we're told.

Aside from a few necessary reboot glitches while playing pool, the experience is supposed to be pretty fluid and the PSP interface actually works. Hit the link for extended impressions.
Home Beta Exclusive Look [sonyprotectiongroup]

Cartoon Network sends word that new details for their upcoming massively multiplayer online game, named Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall, will be hitting tomorrow morning.

I was able to eke a few things out of them early though. First is the name, FusionFall, but I also got these two screens from in-game and news that there will be a playable demo at Comic-Con later this week. Cartoon Network will also have the development team at the show doing a panel Thursday evening.

Expect more details as well as some game-play footage tomorrow. Two things: those screens look pretty cool, especially that top one, and please, please,please include Adult Swim in the game, then I'll be happy.

Ps. Bloo too!

I wish I could say something about these new Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare screens, but I am under an embargo for this game too. Instead I'll just remind you that the game is being developed by Infinity Ward and point you to the images above. Brian Crecente

NASCAR and Formula racing are the two types of driving games that have still not quite managed to capture my interest. F-1 for the PS3 did pull me in a bit, but it's still not my type of racer. NASCAR 08 feels the same way. It looks impressive, but I just can't get into driving around in circles for hours on end. Yes, I know, I suck. Brian Crecente

This next-gen college football game, much like Madden, doesn't seem to take leaps forward as much as half-steps with each new iteration. This time around the game includes a new Campus Legend mode and a deeper Dynasty mode. I didn't send anytime with the game, but a friend was telling me it now has an option that makes it necessary for you to keep your GPA up... I wonder if it includes an unlockable Girls Gone Wild recruitment party? Brian Crecente

What with all of the Sims games present, I really didn't get a chance to check out The Sims Pet Stories for the PC. This is designed to be played on the laptop and allows you to use IM and email while playing the game in its own window. Kinda like that. Pet Stories introduces two stories.

In one story you play as Alice who need to win the local dog show with her dog Sam to win a big cash prize and save her house. In the other you play as Stephen, an executive chef, who is forced to take care of his cousin's spoiled cat Diva. Brian Crecente

Although both the DS and Wii version bear the My Sims name, there seems to be a considerable difference between the two. While the DS version appears to be all about mini-games, the Wii version is all about customization. You can craft just about everything in the game and then use it to create your world. Brian Crecente

I didn't spend a ton of time with My Sims for the DS, but from what I saw it looked quite promising, even for someone like me who hates Animal Crossing.

I mention Animal Crossing because that's what comes to mind when you so the big-headed avatars of the game and realize a lot of My Sims is about wandering around playing mini-games. In the game you are trying to bring a run-down resort island back to its former glory by fixing thing up and cheering up the tourists. Looked like fun. I only tried my hand at picture taking, which was amazingly easy, and fishing, which was a bit more complex.

The cool thing about fishing is that you have to tap and swirl different patterns with your stylus to attract different types of fish. I think I might actually like this game. Brian Crecente

These screens for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (for old gen, next gen and mobile) still haven't managed to pique my interest. This time around the game has you attending classes and completing side missions as well as playing through the plot from the book and movie.