Though “terms of the agreement were not disclosed” Electronic Arts has announced an EA Partners agreement with Insomniac Games, a development studio many considered Sony-exclusive, to bring Insomniac’s all-new franchise to Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Maybe we’ll see something at E3 but I won’t be holding my breath:

“Working with EA Partners allows us to extend the reach of our games to a multiplatform audience while retaining ownership of the intellectual property,” said Ted Price, founder and CEO of Insomniac Games. “We are excited and eager to introduce Insomniac to a new group of gamers while reinforcing to our loyal fans what makes our games special.”

Some good news for PC gamers from Microsoft today: Fable III is coming to the platform.  It’s a departure from the norm. The first Fable came out on PC a full year after the Xbox version; Fable II never saw the light of day on PC.  And while it’s not explicitly stated in the press release, I’m assuming that Fable III will hit the same day as the Xbox 360 version.

Keep reading for a few more details on the Limited Collector’s Edition of Fable III: (more…)

Blackrock Studio’s last game with heavily horizontal quad-bike racing game Pure, so it was with great anticipation (at least around my house) that we awaited Split/Second. The title is in obvious reference to the time between your car exploding and drifting around the competition. Having played it over the weekend, I can speak for narrowness of the escapes and the cataclysmic results if you don’t. Today it arrives on retail shelves:

In Split/Second, players don’t just race to the finish line to beat their opponents, they build up their power meter through deft driving and trigger “power plays,” explosive moments that take out opponents or alter the track. The game takes place within a hyper-competitive reality television show with city-sized sets rigged for destruction. Each track has numerous power plays that can be strategically triggered by skilled drivers. Competitors in Split/Second don’t just collide with other vehicles to knock them from the track — they can trigger blockbuster action film-like explosive events that drastically alter the dynamics of the race. Players must use strategy and pinpoint timing to derail opponents, tactically alter the track or create entirely new routes. (more…)

Is it just me or are Collector’s Editions getting bigger and bigger? Case in point, the Collector’s Edition bundle (pre-orders available now!) for Fallout: New Vegas which includes:

♠ “Lucky 7” poker chips. Each of the seven poker chips was designed to represent chips from the major casinos found on the New Vegas strip and throughout the Mojave Wasteland.

♠ A fully customized Fallout: New Vegas deck of cards. Each card in the pack has been uniquely illustrated to depict characters and factions found within the game. Use the cards to play poker, blackjack or Caravan, an original card game that was created by Obsidian especially for New Vegas!

♠ A recreation of the game’s highly coveted “Lucky 38” platinum chip. [NOTE: I don't think they mean platinum in the literal sense.]

♠ A hardcover graphic novel “All Roads”, that tells the story of some of the characters and events that lead up to Fallout: New Vegas. “All Roads” was written by Chris Avellone, the game’s creative director, and created in conjunction with Dark Horse Comics.

♠ ‘The Making of Fallout: New Vegas’ DVD. This documentary DVD will contain exclusive video content, including interviews with the developers in which they take you from concept to creation and discuss topics such as story, setting, legacy of the Fallout franchise and more.

These packages should be called “Fan Editions” because I’m not so sure the casual dude-off-the-street would plunk down money for so much extraneous stuff. It’s to be available for $69.99 (PC) and $79.99 (360, PS3).

Yamato Toys USA announced yesterday that Velvet from Odin’s Sphere was “now shipping” for $128.00US and today it’s SOLD OUT. So, if you’re reading this thinking, “Oh man, I loved Odin’s Sphere! I want this!” check out your specialty figure retailer because it’s no longer available on Yamato’s site. Here’s the skinny on Velvet: (more…)

Slot this into the “Q4 Flood” file.

Coming out a few weeks prior to the next Call of Duty, EA has announced that Medal of Honor will make it’s long-awaited return Oct.12/10 in North America (and Oct.15/10 in Europe).

Favoring a modern setting — namely the Afghanistan of today — Medal of Honor has a trailer all set for release later today.

Television networks are always producing pilots: shows they film, screen for test audiences, then (possibly) produce a full season of the show. Telltale Games, masters of episodic gaming with loads of experience acquired through the likes of Sam & Max, Monkey Island, Wallace & Gromit, and Strong Bad, are now floating their own pilots. It’s an extremely interesting idea and possibly one so obvious that it’s a wonder it hasn’t taken hold prior to this.

From the press release:

Through this program Telltale’s internal studios will explore new video game concepts, content and play patterns to complement the publisher’s current episodic projects. Successful pilots will be considered for migration to the company’s highly successful episodic gaming model.

“The Pilot Program is an excellent way to expand the boundaries of interactive entertainment and gaming by bringing audiences unique and interesting content they might not see otherwise,” said Telltale CEO, Dan Connors. “Our internal teams are filled with incredibly talented and creative people, and the Pilot Program will foster the exploration of ideas that will help us evolve Telltale’s product offerings.”

TellTales’ first offering is “Puzzle Agent” — a mish-mash of “generous doses of Nordic folklore, enigmatic gnomes, and dark David Lynch and Coen brothers sensibilities.” (more…)

The closer we get to E3, the more game announcements there are! To get in on the action, Ubisoft has announced HAWX 2, slated for Fall 2010 on 360, PC, PS3, and Wii.

“With over one million units sold worldwide, Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. has become a very successful brand for Ubisoft,” stated Bogdan Bridinel, creative director at Ubisoft  “This new H.A.W.X. game is directly inspired by Tom Clancy’s books, and it will enable fans to once again experience the excitement and intensity that established H.A.W.X. as a successful brand”

It’s in development over at Ubisoft Bucharest (which is in Romania, in case your geography isn’t up to snuff), which created the original HAWX; also responsible for the Blazing Angels series and Silent Hunter (3 through 5).

Place this one in the category of “I’ll Believe It When I See It.”

Today, Blizzard announced that StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (PC) will arrive July 27, 2010 in “United States, Canada, Europe, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Mexico, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau” (which is basically everywhere). Blizzard is well-known for taking as much time as they deem fit to launch a product or killing products outright that might tarnish a property (e.g. StarCraft GHOST) so I wouldn’t be horribly surprised if this ship date slipped again.

It’s important to note that it won’t be available for purchase digitally until “shortly after the retail launch.”

A snippet from the press release:

“We’ve been looking forward to revisiting the StarCraft universe for many years, and we’re excited that the time for that is almost here,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Thanks to our beta testers, we’re making great progress on the final stages of development, and we’ll be ready to welcome players all over the world to StarCraft II and the new Battle.net in just a few months.”