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Dead to Rights Retributionhas been pushed back to 2010. Several days ago, Namco-Bandai partners updated its UK release schedule. The notable omission from the 2009 column was Volatile Games third title in theDead to Rightsseries. But don’t think of it as a sequel. According to the folks we talked to, the game is a reboot, a revival of a franchise starting to go wrong. Several retailers have picked up the news: GameStop and Amazon are both listing the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3-friendly title for 2010, but there’s some confusion on exactly when....

Earlier today I had the pleasure ofchecking outDead Spacein London, where they were publicly debuting the game’s accompanying animated movie,Downfall. Dead Space: Downfallis a full-length feature chronicling the events that happened just prior to the videogame and explaining how the starship Ishimura became the desolate Hell hole that it now is. Developed by Film Roman, it is due to be released on DVD alongside the game when it launches next month, and we were told it would be available onDead Space‘s launch day....

Deus Ex: Human Revolutionmight not be a Japanese game, but sure as hell it’s comingtoJapan, if Square Enix has anything to say about it. However, it won’t be entering the country unscathed. Its content will need a couple of nips and tucks before it can clear a “Z” rating from CERO, Japan’s ratings board. For the curious, a “Z” would stick at the high end of the ESRB’s “M” range, up to an “AO”....

In this time of doom, gloom, and economic despair, we could all learn something from the late, great Douglas Adams: Don’t Panic. A few days ago, we reported that Free Radical Design hadlocked its doors, closed up shop, and perhaps succumbed to bankruptcy. Well, the story’s only half true, thankfully — yes, Free Radical closed up shop last Friday, but only because they’ve gone into what’s known as “administration,”according to a Nottingham newspaper....

We missed this the first time around due to the onslaught of E3 coverage. Jim’s postabout bad E3 presentationshelped remind us. Thanks for the laughs Ubisoft and Mr. Caffeine.

Last week, 2K Sports announced that the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant will be on thecover ofNBA 2K10. Now we know that Dwight Howard, C/PF for the Orlando Magic, will grace the cover of EA Sports’NBA Live 10. Of course, this raises a question: how late are these cover athletes finalized? Did 2K Sports and EA Sports simply wait until the 2009 NBA conference champions were announced? Marcus Stephenson, a producer onNBA Live 10at EA Canada,said yesterdaythat the decision was made a while ago, and that the team was simply “lucky that Orlando got by Cleveland” in the Eastern Conference Finals....

After watching a twenty-minute demo for BioWare’sMass Effect 2, I left the poorly ventilated booth with a better understanding of that whole “Shepard is dead” tease.Mass Effect 2’sentire story-arc encompasses a suicide mission — one that no one, perhaps even Shepard himself, expects Shepard to survive. That message from the teaser is one you’ll probably hear quite often. The shape-shifting protagonist isn’t supposed to live through the mission. Literally. I saw two things at theMass Effect 2demo: combat and dialogue....

All this week I am going to be giving ridiculously quick hands-on impressions of all the games I see on the E3 show floor. Since I think everything is a little amazing, they will be rated, from least to most favorite:1(A Little Amazing!),2(Kind of Amazing!),3(Pretty Amazing!),4(AMAZING!), and5(The Most Amazing Thing I Have Ever Seen!). I was a pretty big fan ofMario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minison the Nintendo DS....

So far, the most stupid and fun announcement to come out of E3 2011 is the word that Ice-T’s metal band, Body Count, will reunite to celebrateGears of War 3‘sHorde mode. Once upon a time, the band sold out concert halls and made headlines with such songs as “Evil Dick” and “Cop Killer”. Almost 20 years later, the aging rap metal pioneers are back, but this time, they’re singing about videogames....

Irrational Games has released more info on theupcomingBioShock Infinite! In this short video, Ken Levine explains what the Sky-Lines are, the backstory behind why they were built, and some footage of how they’ll actually be used in the game. Everytime I see a Sky-Line gunfight, I get excited. Take a look, and let us know what you think ofBioShock Infinitebelow.

Good news, everyone!SSXis fantastic… well at least the pre-alpha demo we were able to play was. All concerns about the game being “Call of Dutified” can be put to rest once and for all. The controls are spot on and the visuals style fits the series very well. We talked to the guys from over at EA Canada about its version of AutoLog (“RidersNet”), big airs, crazy tricks and the game’s new control scheme....

The DSiXL isn’t as large as aniPador as comfortable as a Kindle, nor will it come equipped with a digital delivery service that offers more than games, but Nintendo still plans to get into the electronic book arena. In June, weeks after the release of the larger and less portable handheld, Nintendo is publishing100 Classic Books, a cart that contains 100 “classic books.” Announced at the ongoing Nintendo press conference moments ago, Bram Stroker’s “Dracula” was the only book specifically mentioned....

TheTelegraphsays thatSCi Entertainment’s(think Eidos brand:Tomb Raider, Hitman,Kane and Lynch: Dead Men) stock prices are flying high after word got out that an offer for the company is in the works. SCi said: “Following the recent speculation in the press, the board of SCi Entertainment confirms that is has received an approach and as a result has entered into extremely preliminary discussions regarding a possible offer for the company.” As of now, we do not know who has approached SCi Entertainment, and no offer has been made....