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Microsoft is cracking the whip and bringing us even more original content to Xbox Live Arcade. Last week it wasSmall Arms, and this Wednesday,RoboBlitzwill be up for grabs. From the press release:Experience the power of the Unreal Engine 3 for the first time in an Xbox Live Arcade game in “RoboBlitz,” this week’s Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday’s release. This independently developed breakthrough game will be available for download on Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360 beginning Wednesday, December 6, after 0800 GMT (1:00 a....

Cyanide and Happiness is one of the mostdemented,disturbing,down right offensivecomic series to have every come out. So you know what that means, right? I absolutely love this series! Sure, there’s little to no art style to it. It’s mostly just stick figures. But that’s thebeautyof it! The simplicity makes the comic stand out. The comic started in December of 2004 and is updated daily. By the way, that’s the main reason I’m a day late with thisAAF....

Bangai-O HD: Missile Furyis getting bumped back to spring 2011, which might bum you out at first. Don’t run away crying just yet, though — it’s being delayed so that multiplayer and co-op can be added in. Pretty reasonable trade-off, huh? Especially when you consider this is a $10 Xbox LIVE Arcade title. For the longest time,Bangai-Owas one of those names that flew past my brain. I got to check out this new installment at PAX, and while I fully admit the fruit thing was a little weird at first, getting to the point of not-sucking was quite satisfying....

In a move that is likely to appeal to neitherBatman Beyondfans or fans of the newer Batman games, those who pre-orderBatman: Arkham Cityfrom the European Gamestop online store will get a freeBatman Beyondskin for their troubles.Like with Robin, it’s clear to me that the team at Rocksteady are working hard to make the character palatable toArkham City‘s target audience, and have lost the essence of the character in the process. The whole point of Robin is to provide a counterpoint to Batman, with that juxtaposition working to make both of the characters’ unique traits shine in comparison....

Nick foundCapybara Games‘ PlayStation Network debutCritter Crunch, a colorful food-chaining puzzler, to be “one of the best values in puzzle gaming you’ll find this year,” but, so far,sales have been disappointing. I’d hate to see a good game go to waste, so I’m going to jump on the chance to plugOffworld’s recent lookinto the game’s art direction, artists, and development process. Although the trailers forCritter Crunchhave alreadymade the roundson the internet, Offworld’s collection of concept art and early sketches are as enlightening as they are beautiful....

ZeniMax, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, has just announced a partnership with the USC School of Cinematic Arts. This program will support the school’s Interactive Media Division through guest lectures and internships. This means that USC students will get the hook up, granting them access to devs at ZeniMax’s top studios: Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, and Arkane Studios. “We’re proud to partner with the USC School of Cinematic Arts and promote the Interactive Media Division’s desire to provide a practical grounding in video game development....

Ubisoft has announced thatBeyond Good & Evil HDis coming to the PlayStation Network this fall. The title was released on Xbox Live Arcade as part of Microsoft’s “House Party” promotion late last month. We’vealready reviewed the XBLA versionof the game, and it looks like you can expect much of the same on your PlayStation 3. But Ubisoft is sweetening the deal by giving away two free PS Network card Avatars — one of Jade and one of her pig sidekick Pey’j (pictured above) — to those who purchase the game in the first two weeks....

BioShock 2is going to be big. So big, in fact, that 2K’sUK marketing manager is sparing no expenseon the hype, telling us all to “expect something spectacular.” The publisher is planning onBioShock 2being among the biggest blockbusters of 2009, and has bestowed it with a budget truly fitting of such an ideal. According to an interview inMCVmagazine, Simon Turner revealed that the budget forBioShockis officially“the biggest in 2K’s history” and that“2K expectsBioShock 2to be one of the top five games of the year....

In news that finally cements my unrivaled excitement forAliens: Infestation, it’s been revealed that the famous “knife trick” scene fromAlienswill be in WayForward’s DS adventure as a playable minigame. The news comes viaOfficial Nintendo Magazine, along with a small image of a bleeding hand. InAliens, the android Bishop is able to utilize his synthetic precision to rapidly stab a knife between his fingers and hit only the table underneath. Players will be able to recreate this iconic moment from the movie, presumably by jamming the stylus between digital fingers....

At various points during the later stages ofBorderlandsI found myself thinking about the possibilities of a sequel, hoping that the game sold well enough to warrant a follow-up. The fact that I let my mind wander out of the moment says a lot about the bugs in the game, but it also speaks to the raw awesomeness of midget-punching shooter RPG. I’m not alone in my thinking, my desire for a sequel, and the good news is that Gearbox Studios believes there’s a chanceBorderlands 2could happen — the key being a cold hard business decision and consumer desire for another....

Boston-based The Main Drag — whose song “Jagged Gorgeous Winter” appeared inRock Band 2— has announced its intentions to make nearly every song they’ve ever recorded playable inRock Band. This, of course, by way of the Rock Band Network initiative. By “nearly every song” I mean the entirety of its albumYours As Fast As Mineand its upcoming third album,You Are Underwater. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise — the entire band works for Rock Band-developer Harmonix....

In a recent interview betweenMTV’s Multiplayer blogand Tim Schafer of Doublefine Studios, it was revealed that the aforementioned developers would not be presentingBrütal Legendat next week’s E3. The decision was reportedly prompted by today’s shareholder approval of the Activision/Blizzard merger. It’s mildly disappointing that we won’t be hearing any new information onBrütal Legend, but E3 hasn’t really been about the fans for a long time. What makes this tidbit all the more interesting is the latter half of the statement, in which Schafer reveals the lack of a brutal presence at E3: “We’re not going to be showing at E3, but soon after that we hope....

It’sThursdayWednesday, and that means the new updates forTeam Fortress 2are coming out on the PC tomorrow. First up, two new community-designed maps have been added to the game:CP_Fastlane, a control point map, andCTF_Turbine, a CTF map. Next up, the Pyro has three new weapons and an upgrade to his old weapon. The Pyro’s base flamethrower has been tweaked to produce a blast of compressed air. The compressed air is strong enough to knock back enemies and bounce back projectiles....