No one, I reckon, really wants to talk about David Johnston, the one-man dev team behindSmudged Cat Games‘The Adventures of Shuggy. That’s because his four years of development hell illustrate most of the systemic shortcomings of the modern game development landscape. Shuggymade his debut at the 2007 Dream. Build. Play competition. “The time travel mechanic was there, the rotation was there, the rope swinging was there,” Johnstontells Edge. ““It could have done with a bit of polish – but not three and half years’ worth....

The newMortal Kombatmarks the first game in the series I’ve touched since the Genesis days. There’s a reason for that, and if you’ve gotten your hands on this latest installment,you’ll know why. Having been publicly shamed by Conrad, I promised myself I’d grab a copy and train via a series of montages when the time was right. The time is right: Amazon hasMortal Kombatfor $40, which is impulse-buy territory for a guy like me....

American McGee’s Aliceis coming back with a fresh coat of paint, and we have a brand new teaser trailer to prove it.Return of Alicewill be a remake of the original game, courtesy of Electronic Arts, and has a release date of 2011 slated. Yeah, we know, that’sages. It’ll be a long wait, but this creepy new trailer should keep you going. It uses the ancient tradition of stop-motion animation for maximum weirdness, and really is quite the cool little video....

I’m really looking forward toAmy, the downloadable horror game coming to PS3, PC and Xbox 360. It’s about a little girl in a city full of messed up mutant men, and it looks like it has the potential to scare the crap out of you. The visual design has really pulled me in here, and I’m very eager to see some actual gameplay. I have a feeling this could be a great little hit if done right....

After adelay, here we are again, telling you when the North American Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood beta starts. This time, Ubisoft says it’s going to start on October 5, and we think they’re totally serious this time. As was the word before, folks who pre-order the PlayStation 3 version from GameStop by September 25 will gain access to the beta. Ubisoft has revealed that nine characters will be selectable, including the doctor, priest, the executioner, and the courtesan, each of which have their own unique weapons and signature moves....

In caseyou forgot, here’s a quick reminder thatAssault Heroes 2(800 Microsoft Points) is scheduled for release this week on Xbox LIVE Arcade. What’s different this time around? Enemy vehicles are now hijackable, there’s a greater variety in the types of environments you’ll run around in, and new weapons are thrown in for good measure. If you’ve got any more hard-hitting questions,just ask CTZ. For those of you who bought the originalAssault Heroes, will you be buying the sequel?...

Hey Australia. How are you? My dream has always been to move to you. I realize it will cost loads of money and I’ll have to leave my mattress at home, but there’s something about your civilization’s funny accent and warm climate that makes me want to be with you. The reason I haven’t moved to you yet is because the games that your big men don’t bother censoring are expensive and come out really late....

We haven’t the slightest idea what the freeBatman: Arkham AsylumDLC is —other than it’s downloadable and it’s content— but here’s one confirmation: it’s hitting all the platforms the game graces simultaneously. See, PC people? Eidos is demonstrating that the world is not such a cold and shallow place for your kind. The multi-platform release confirmation comes from theofficialBatman: AAmessage board, in a topic devoted to the DLC’s release. An Eidos representative (and moderator) swooped into the conversation and wrote, “I’m happy to inform you, it will arrive at the same time....

There’s an interesting new option for players who haven’t dived intoBattlefield: Bad Company 2. you’re able to currently get the game for $39.99, or, as of today, you can get the Ultimate Edition, which includes the sort of pack-ins you’d probably expect. Priced at the full $59.99, Ultimate Edition includesBad Company 2, the“Onslaught” mode add-on, immediate access to four vehicle upgrades and two weapon unlocks from day one (as seen inBC2Limited Edition), and best of all,Battlefield 1943....

Despite beliefs to the contrary, it has been announced that Capcom’sBionic Commando: Rearmedwillnot be distributedto PC gamers via Steam. It was pretty much a given that Valve’s service would carry the action game remake, but some late complications have seen the deal go sour. “At the last minute, we’ve been unable to reach mutually agreeable terms with Valve onBCR, so they won’t be carrying it,” explained Capcom’s corporate officer Christian Svensson....

If you’re not yet sick of spending pretend Microsoft money on present toys for your pretend people, thenBioShock 2has you covered. A range of items based on the 2K Games sequel has hit Xbox Live, ready to suck up your money in celebration of today’s release. For the low, low price of “Not Free,” you may dress up your mawkish Avatars in a range of Big Daddy and Little Sister clothes, as well as obtain a Big Daddy doll for the thing to hold....

You wanted it, here it is — 2K Games has announced “Minerva’s Den,” an upcoming single-player piece of downloadable content forBioShock 2. “Minerva’s Den” puts players in the role of an all-new character, teaming up with Brigid Tenenbaum to explore a new area, Rapture Central Computing. The add-on will feature new “high-tech weaponry,” along with a new Plasmid. Enemies also get a bit of an upgrade, too — Splicers now control the elements, Security Bots fire rockets and lightning bolts, and there’s an all new Big Daddy type lurking the halls....

Zombie Studios’ futuristic military first-person shooter,BlackLight: Tango Down, is coming to Xbox LIVE this summer. And by this summer, I mean tomorrow, July 7. (Surprise!) The developer is claiming a “AAA” multiplayer game experiencing, aiming for “retail quality” in the downloadable space for a bargain price of 1200 MS Points.BlackLightwill ship with 12 maps, seven game types, four cooperative missions, and will feature a weapon customization system that supposedly allows for trillions of combinations....