The free download is a multiplayer-only spin-off from last year's DICE-developed FPS blockbuster. The single-player mode promised when the game was first announced last year doesn't appear to have materialised.

Control is via virtual thumbsticks and there are four weapons to get to grips with from the start, with an additional gun unlockable as you progress. Check out the screens below for a closer look.

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As part of the Make Something Unreal Live challenge, it has tasked four start-up studios with adapting one book each, using its Unreal Development Kit.

The books chosen are The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, The Citadel of Chaos, Deathtrap Dungeon and Armies of Death.

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The new figure was released as part of the entertainment group's annual financial report, which saw a healthy bump in revnues.

The Filmed Entertainment division, which includes Warner's gaming interests, reported revenues of $12.6 billion, up from $11.6 billion last year, and operating income of $1.3 billion, up from $1.1 billion.

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SoulCalibur 5 has entered the weekly Japanese software chart at number two, but sales are well below its predecessor.

The latest entry in Namco's beat 'em up series sold a modest 34,328 copies on PlayStation 3 in its first week on shelves, compared to the 74,607 SoulCalibur 4 managed back in 2008.

It was beaten to the top spot by last week's number two, Resident Evil: Revelations. Capcom's 3DS adventure saw sales drop 70 per cent week-on-week to 43,575, but that was still enough to take the chart crown.

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Developed by Silent Hill: Homecoming studio Double Helix Games, it's "a blend of strategic naval command and first-person action gameplay."

The game won't follow the movie's plot, instead telling a standalone story set in the same universe. See the screens below for a closer look.

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Mass Effect 3 publisher EA has signed up hardware case creator Calibur11 to create Commander Shepard-themed Vault armour for your console.

The Vault case envelopes your slim Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 with N7 branded suit armour, exactly like the suit hero Shepard wears in-game.

Perhaps it's even bullet proof? It's probably not bullet proof.

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Since its rise to fame with the launch of the original iPhone in 2007, the mobile phone touch-screen has become one of the most intuitive and accessible of gaming interfaces. It has transformed previously disinterested individuals into rampant gaming addicts, and offers a control language so pure that everyone from the youngest tot to the oldest grandparent can grasp it.

However, as a vocal community of dedicated gaming fans will tell you, the capacitive touch-screen does not represent a convincing replacement for traditional controls, but rather an alternative. While it works well with titles that have been designed especially with touch-screen input in mind, it fails to replicate the same gloriously tactile experience one gets from a physical pad or battle-worn arcade stick.

Thankfully, several companies have spotted this potentially lucrative gap in the market, and have launched external controllers which pair with your phone or tablet to create a more traditional gaming interface setup. Ever eager to please, we've rounded up some of the best examples for you.

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There are 36 pieces of music on the SSX soundtrack, and EA has named them.

The tunes come from a diverse bunch of brains, their number including Run-DMC, DJ Shadow and Lateef the Truthspeeker, who's mentioned in The Bible.

If you don't like EA's music, you can import your own, and have your playlists play while browsing menus or when navigating the pistes.

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A generous range of Square Enix games and goodies are now available at a discount from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

If you've yet to try it, Lara Croft and her excellent 9/10 Xbox Live Arcade adventure Guardian of Light should be top of your menu.

Lara comes 50 per cent off - a cheap Valentines date for yourself at the price of 600 Points (about a fiver), instead of the usual 1200.

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Mobile phone mammoth Vodafone is offering a perky PlayStation Vita package.

For £279, you receive a 3G Vodafone Vita and a free 4GB memory card. And if you top-up the 3G SIM with £5, Vodafone will throw-in a copy of WipEout 2048 for free.

On its own, Sony's 4GB memory card costs £17.99. WipEout 2048 is currently going for just under 30 quid.

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Dead Souls is the Western name for Of the End, the zombie-themed PlayStation 3 exclusive Yakuza game.

Elsewhere, a Limited Edition of PC strategy game Total War: Shogun 2 Fall of the Samurai launches on 23rd March 2012.

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Square Enix has made Sleeping Dogs, the game formerly known as True Crime: Hong Kong, official.

United Front Games' "gritty" and "visceral" openworld cop drama launches in the second half of 2012 for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

You play undercover cop Wei Shen as he tries to take down the Hong Kong Triads. There's driving, close combat and shooting.

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Through a locked gate, down a winding path and by a still pond a few miles outside of the leafy village of Twycross, England, a bonsai tree stands. It was a gift given to Rare by Shigeru Miyamoto, the most famous game designer in the world, as a thank-you for the game developer's critical and commercial success in creating games for Nintendo, the most famous game maker in the world.

For Rare's staff arriving to work at 8:30 sharp each morning, it has served as a reminder of the company's heritage, of who they are, of how lucky they are to be a part of something so admired, so rare. An unassuming trophy of past glories, it's also an inspiration for future goals, a symbol carefully cultivated to weather trends, transcend fashions; rooted, a gnarly resolution.

On 20th of September 2002, Microsoft paid $375 million for this bonsai tree and all that it symbolised: creative excellence, technical mastery, innovation, originality, soul and the precious fingerprints of Nintendo. The fledgling Microsoft Game Studios, desperate to acquire world-class talent that could help establish its game console, saw in that tree everything it desired to become.

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Killzone 1 for PlayStation 3 has been "delayed indefinitely," Guerrilla Games has announced.

"With regards to KZ1 for PS3, not sure what happened but I've been informed that it's been delayed indefinitely," read a post on the official Killzone Twitter account.

Then: "I have no further info about KZ1 for PS3, save for the fact that it's delayed indefinitely. If I learn anything else, I'll tweet it here."

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An array of discounts see everyone get money off 2K mob tale Mafia 2, while a gun barrel of Grand Theft Auto games and content comes cheaper on PSP.

Cel-shaded beat-'em-up Shank 2 also launches, plus there's a new co-op mission for Uncharted 3 which sees series villains Zoran Lazarević, Eddy Raja and Harry Flynn team up.

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The rise of mobile devices has refuelled the turn-based strategy genre, and you won't find a better example - at least on Windows Phone 7 - than the slickly designed Armed.

Forgive us for being so shallow, but it's impossible to ignore how good Armed looks nestled in the palm of your hand. Pinching the screen alternatively zooms out the camera to a bird's-eye table top viewpoint, or allows it to delve right in among the rumbling sci-fi tanks and laser-fire-filled action.

You'll be hard-pressed to pick a favourite between the two camera styles. The more panned-out perspective offers the best overview of the battlefield, but you'll still need to scroll across the game's map to keep all of your forces in check. At the same time, you'll be forced to zoom in to properly select and manoeuvre individual troop units, which can become a little fiddly from too great a distance.

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A new version, courtesy of UK company Sports Director, launches later this month for iPhone, iPod Touch, Android, Samsung Bada and Windows Phone 7.

It includes 15 international leagues (four of which are English), live league tables during matches and a "balanced" transfer system.

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Nomadic former Blizzard leader Bill Roper has been promoted to leader of Disney's games business.

He replaces Bungie co-founder Alex Seropian, who held the role for one year, according to Gamasutra.

Roper joined Disney last July to head the Marvel gaming division.

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Ubisoft has admitted its online server switch has affected games previously promised to be safe from the current maintenance.

Which games these are, Ubisoft hasn't said. But gamers posting on the publisher's official forum report being unable to sign in to the PC version of Driver: San Francsico.

Futuristic city-building simulation Anno 2070 is apparently also experiencing problems.

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More from the talkative Destination PlayStation event - this time concerning True Crime.

According to a tweet by Future Shop Gamer, which attended the event, Square Enix has revealed Sleeping Dogs, due out on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in August.

Future Shop also published an image, which looks a lot like True Crime: Hong Kong, the game Square Enix picked up after Activision ditched it halfway through development.

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TVs these days: the 2012 collection of LG tellies will come with a motion-sensing Magic Motion Remote and the ability to play Unity-powered games.

One of those games is Madfinger's chunky third-person shooter Shadowgun. It's not quite Gears of War, but from a distance, and if you squint... Oh the things technology can do today.

Bright and colourful family-friendly game Frisbee Forever is on-board as well.

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US shop GameStop is selling codes for a Mass Effect 3 DLC pack named From Dust - ahead of the game's March release.

From Dust costs $10, according to a receipt snapped by Joystiq - likely meaning the usual £7.99/800 Microsoft Points price point in the UK.

What do you get for your money? EA and BioWare are yet to say.

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Konami has announced the first DLC for Rebellion's head-rolling action game NeverDead.

It adds a new character, expands the Asylum level, adds three new challenges and two new costumes for main character Bryce Boltzmann.

The NeverDead Expansion Pack Volume 1 launches on 21st February.

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Mass Effect 3 will be supported by two iOS apps, BioWare has revealed. Mass Effect Infiltrator is a third-person shooter, while Mass Effect Datapad allows players to stay in touch with their crewmates on-the-go.

Both games will boost players' Galactic Readiness rating through Mass Effect 3's Galaxy at War metagame.

Infiltator sees players freeing prisoners from hostile Cerberus bases and uncovering evidence of the group's misdeeds. It's coming to iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices.

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Brilliant developer Valve has made a Portal 2 Space Core mod for brilliant game Skyrim.

Dubbed Fall of the Space Core, Vol. 1 (more to come?), this literally drops the little round Space Core robot into your Skyrim world. Better still, the robot appears to be voiced by none other than mister promiscuous voice, Nathan North. Sorry, Nolan Drake.

"To celebrate the opening of the Steam Workshop for Skyrim, Valve and Bethesda have teamed up to bring you the Portal 2 Space Core mod, which will let the aggressively space-centric little robot tag along on your adventures in Tamriel," Valve's blurb on Steam reads.

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Namco Bandai Europe has revealed the Ridge Racer Unbounded Day One Edition, due out alongside the standard edition on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on 30th March.

The Day One Edition is available at the standard retail price, and includes three extra cars and five new paint jobs.

The cars are The Ghoster, a low rider coupe; The Immortal, a red sports car; and The Road Wolf, a classic red coupe inspired by the cars of the sixties.

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There's a takeout place near my apartment called Nong's Khao Man Gai that serves only one dish comprised of three simple ingredients: rice, chicken, and soybean sauce. By all accounts that should add up to dime-a-dozen mediocrity, yet against all odds, it's garnered worldwide acclaim, having been written up in The Guardian, Time Magazine and the Sydney Morning Herald just to name a few.

Mutant Mudds, the new 3DS eShop offering from Renegade Kid (Dementium: The Ward, Moon) is a lot like Nong's Khao Man Gai. On the surface, there's not much to it. A minimal platformer with an 8-bit aesthetic in which you jump, shoot, and hover would be a tough sell even by late eighties standards, yet it rises above its lack of innovation by getting the fundamentals just right.

After an extremely brief intro portraying an outlandishly dorky-looking boy and his grandma watching an invasion of alien mud (mudd?) creatures on the news, you're booted straight into the first level as the lad goes about ridding the world of these monsters. There's hardly any story or text, and there are no experience points, healing items or power-ups to find. Your only goal is to reach the end of each stage and ideally collect 100 gems along the way.

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Sony has improved the display speed of the PlayStation 3 web browser with a new system update.

Firmware v4.10, which is now available to download, optimises the display of web content and increases the accuracy when viewing page layouts. The PS3 now supports some websites it struggled with before, displaying them correctly.

4.10 also implements the already announced account name change into the Terms of Service. Your PlayStation Network account will now be known as your Sony Entertainment Network account.

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Update: Will Europe share North America's fate? Sony Europe won't yet say.

"We've not made any announcement about the program in the UK and Europe as yet," a Sony spokesperson told Eurogamer. "We'll let you know as and when that changes."

Original story: PSP owners will not be able to transfer their physical UMD games across to a PS Vita system, Sony has confirmed.

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Firstly, can the "grizzly old farts" - as Blackley describes the group - who made Asteroids, Missile Command and Centipede possibly have anything new to say 30 years after their original flush of creativity?

Secondly, considering almost all involved went on to have long and lucrative careers in the tech industry, why do they need THQ's help to release a few humble iPhone games? Especially when said publisher appears to be on the brink of financial ruin.

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Ms Splosion Man, Toy Soldiers, Hydro Thunder and Ilomilo are among the first batch of games to go on sale in Microsoft's forthcoming Windows 8 store, according to an insider source.

The Verge's mole offered a list of titles that will be on offer in the new operating system's forthcoming preview version, expected to go live later this month.

Here's the rundown:

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Doublefine boss Tim Schafer and Minecraft creator Markus 'Notch' Persson are in discussion following the latter's insistence that he wanted to help get a Psychonauts sequel off the ground.

A spokesperson for the developer told Eurogamer, "Tim and Markus are talking. Who knows what might happen?"

As reported earlier today, a Tweet from Notch directed at Schafer this morning read "Let's make Psychonauts 2 happen." He later added, "Also, I'm serious."

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It looks like LittleBigPlanet Kart Racing is on its way to PlayStation 3.

A Tweet from US online retailer FutureShop stated that the title was announced earlier today at a Sony "Destination PlayStation" event, alongside a new Move steering wheel peripheral.

Sony hasn't offered an official confirmation that the game exists, but the event definitely took place and Sackboy was in attendance.

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Senior staff from Brink developer Splash Damage have set up a new company to sell their online expertise.

The start-up, called Fireteam, plans to launch an "online services suite" which will offer other developers a way to easily integrate online features into their games, such as matchmaking, transmedia connectivity across multiple devices, friend features, player stats and in-game stores.

The platform will support Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, and will launch in the "near future".

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The next batch of Modern Warfare 3 DLC launches on Xbox 360 from 21st February for premium Elite members, Activision has announced.

It's a new multiplayer map called Overwatch set on a construction site atop a New York skyscraper - see the screenshot below.

"Battle takes place along two levels in a near symmetrical layout, with the central bridge and side routes open to attack from multiple angles. Watch your every step, as a lack of boundaries surrounding the perimeter leaves nothing to prevent you from falling far to the ground below," read the announcement blurb.

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UPDATE: Bethesda has confirmed that a Skyrim PC high-res texture pack is now available for free download from Steam, alongside the Creation Kit.

To run it, you'll need Windows Vista or Windows 7, a minimum of 4GB of system RAM and a DirectX 9.0c compatible NVIDIA or AMD ATI video card with at least 1 GB of RAM and the latest drivers.

ORIGINAL STORY: Is a high-res PC texture pack for The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim the "special surprise" developer Bethesda teased last week?

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The patch addresses various bugs and glitches, as well as making some improvements to online performance.

Here's the full changelog, as posted on the game's official site:

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Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception gets a fresh batch of co-op content in the US today, developer Naughty Dog has announced.

As explained in a post on the PlayStation Blog, the Fort Co-Op Adventure, priced at $5.99, sees series villains Zoran Lazarević, Eddy Raja and Harry Flynn team up in a new add-on that further explores the mystery behind the Janus head statue from the original on-disc co-op adventure.

A batch of new character skin packs are also available to purchase from today.

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Microsoft is taking "aggressive steps" to combat the recent surge in Xbox Live account hijackings but also needs gamers' help to stamp out cyber-theft, according to the service's general manager.

An open letter from Alex Garden published on Major Nelson's blog today didn't explicitly reference the storied FIFA Ultimate Team exploit but did acknowledge that "account hijacking across the internet continues to grow".

"While we here at Xbox have no evidence of a security breach in the Xbox Live service, that is of little comfort to our members whose accounts have been compromised by malicious and illegal attacks," he wrote.

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Kinect Star Wars makes its way onto shelves from 3rd April, Microsoft has confirmed.

The previously announced limited edition Star Wars Xbox 360 console bundle arrives on the same day, priced at £349.99, including the game and a Kinect unit.

Developed by Ghostbusters: The Videogame studio Terminal Reality, the game features five separate modes: Jedi Destiny: Dark Side Rising, Podracing, Rancor Rampage, Duels of Fate and Galactic Dance-Off.

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No, Saints Row developer Volition - the next Xbox possibly preventing people from playing pre-owned games "can be a bad thing".

Those words belong to Adam Badowski, managing director of Polish Witcher 2 developer CD Projekt Red, who spoke to Eurogamer today.

"It can be a bad thing," Badowski said of the rumoured next Xbox technology.

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When Microsoft released its chart of the best-selling Xbox Live Arcade titles of 2011, the occupant of the top slot may have raised a few eyebrows. Rather than a critically acclaimed and widely discussed hit such as Bastion or From Dust, the number one game of the year was a pinball game. A pinball game from 2010, no less.

That Pinball FX 2 managed to top the charts is down to a superb core game - earning a 9/10 here on Eurogamer - but also a canny approach to DLC. Hungarian developer Zen Studios has added new tables at a steady clip, including a hugely successful series based on Marvel's superheroes. There are now over 25 tables available for the game, covering everything from the early wood-and-springs design of Rocky and Bullwinkle, through the 1980s style of Street Fighter to hugely advanced modern tables, loaded with features and animations.

Yet for all the clatter and noise emanating from the game itself, in publishing terms it's been a quiet sort of victory, arriving with little fanfare, and achieved without aggressive promotion. Here, Neil Sorens, Creative Director of Zen Studios, and Mel Kirk, the Vice President of Marketing and PR, talk about the origins and evolution of Pinball FX, the future of digital distribution and the security of steady sales.

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Twisted Metal creator David Jaffe has confirmed and explained his surprise exit from Eat Sleep Play, the studio he founded in 2007.

In a series of posts on his Twitter page, the outspoken developer described the struggle of making games remotely, and revealed his desire to work directly with a team again at a new studio, which he plans to set up.

News of his exit emerged this afternoon in a Salt Lake Tribune report that revealed ESP layoffs and claimed Jaffe intended to make casual games.

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Activision has announced Skylanders Giants, the follow-up to toy/video game hybrid Skylanders Spyro's Adventure.

It introduces over 20 new figures, including super-sized giants and characters featuring light technology. There are also new challenges, a new story and better integration across console, handheld and mobile devices.

Included are eight new figures that are more than twice the size of the main skylanders cast in both physical and virtual form. These are the Giants.

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EA has outlined Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning's controversial day-one DLC, House of Valor.

Reckoning, out today in the US and on Friday in the UK, drew attention when it emerged EA's Online Pass unlocks single-player content.

The Online Pass, included in new copies of the open world fantasy RPG, unlocks the House of Valor faction quest, which includes seven individual single-player missions. In addition, it unlocks a Mass Effect 3-themed in-game item - the N7-inspired Shepard's Battle Armour.

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Over 100 pieces of Gotham City Impostors DLC have gone live on the Xbox Marketplace ahead of the online shooter spin-off's launch.

105 items are available, ranging in cost from 80 Microsoft Points to 320 Microsoft Points.

80 points gets you the Premium Card Pack 1, for example, which unlocks five unique Calling Cards - essentially online profiles players can see in between matches.

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Multi-millionaire Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson has said he is willing to personally fund a sequel to Double Fine's cult classic Psychonauts.

Double Fine head Tim Schafer has continually stated he would like to develop a second Psychonauts game, but has been unable to secure publisher-funding to back the project.

"Let's make Psychonauts 2 happen," Notch tweeted to Schafer earlier this morning.

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Outspoken Twisted Metal and God of War co-creator David Jaffe will leave the developer he founded in 2007, Eat Sleep Play, according to a new report.

Now that PlayStation 3 exclusive Twisted Metal is finished, layoffs have occurred at Eat Sleep Play and the studio has decided to make iPhone and iPad 2 games, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

The newspaper, which is based in the same area as ESP, said eight employees - around 20 per cent of the workforce - have been laid off. 26 staff remain.

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An extra pair of limbs is so useful in an FPS, and so much fun, that it's a wonder we haven't seen more games transform you into a multi-tentacled engine of destruction. Instead, we've had to wait five years for this sequel to The Darkness - an unusually long delay in an industry as fond of annual sequels as it is of taking good ideas and running them into the ground.

And having four limbs really does make a difference, opening up combat possibilities that other shooters can't hope to compete with. As demon-infested mobster Jackie Estacado, you not only have two human appendages with which to wield a standard variety of pistols, shotguns and assault rifles, but two piranha-faced tentacles - manifestations of the ancient Darkness that has set up home in Jackie's body.

The one on the left, let's call him Grabby. The context-sensitive left shoulder button sends him snapping out to sink his teeth into any of the objects marked with a glowing core. Hitting the button again throws the object in question. So you can quickly lob scaffold poles and pool cues as deadly spears. Car doors can be ripped off and used as a shield, then thrown as a lethal frisbee. Grabby can also lash out and feast on the hearts of fallen foes, topping up your health in the process.

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Since its inception in 2010, the Humble Bundle series has raised over $10 million, a large portion of which goes to hard-working charities and organisations such as Child's Play and The American Red Cross. It's easy to put this encouraging level of success down to the thoroughly worthwhile nature of the venture, and while we don't doubt for a second that the average gamer has a conscience, it's very likely that the incredibly high standard of product in each bundle has also had some bearing on its popularity.

The Humble Bundle has now reached mobile platforms, with Google's Android playing host to the first instalment. Included in the set is Anomaly: Warzone Earth, described by many as 'reverse tower defence' and boasting some sumptuous 3D visuals. There's also Mobigames' cube-based brain-teaser Edge (yes, that Edge), as well as Edge Extended, an expanded version of the original. The core selection is rounded off by the supremely trippy Osmos, which showcases a delicious ambient soundtrack and inventive use of your phone's capacitive touch-screen.

As has been the case with the other bundles, buyers are permitted to pay whatever amount they wish for this collection. However, should you decide to pay more than the current average spend, then you unlock the bonus game, the blissfully wonderful physics puzzler World of Goo. 2D Boy's poster child for indie development has already won hearts and minds on WiiWare, iOS and PC; its inclusion here is the icing on an already scrummy cake.

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Alienware has admitted it is possible to build your own X51 for under the £700 asking price, but declared: if you can do it, you're not the target audience.

The X51, unveiled last week, is slightly bigger than an Xbox 360 and is designed to work upright or laid on its side. The bottom range X51 can power Battlefield 3 in 1080p at an average of 32 frames-per-second, with high resolution textures, 4x aniostropic filtering and medium anti-aliasing turned on. The top-end X51 can power Battlefield 3 running the same settings at an average of 54 frames-per-second.

Inside the X51 can be either an Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processor. That can be complemented by either an Nvidia GeForce GT 545 or an Nvidia GeForce GTX 555. RAM varies from 4GB, 6GB or 8GB DDR3, and there's plenty of digital storage space thanks to the 1TB 7200 RPM hard-drive.

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GAME has confirmed layoffs at its head office as part of a restructure of the company.

The troubled high street retailer will reduce headcount at its 400-staff strong Basingstoke HQ by 46.

This, GAME said today, "will change the way that we operate and will enable us to be significantly more efficient in our relationships with suppliers and customers".

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The Darkness 2 is due out this Friday on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, but you don't have to wait that long to check out Digital Extremes' first-person shooter sequel, because we've just put the demo live on our Gaikai page.

We've also added the excellent Orcs Must Die and Capcom's Dead Rising 2: Off the Record. In recent weeks we've also stocked the shelves with the likes of Alice: Madness Returns, Arcania - Gothic 4 and Mount & Blade: Warband. You can also check out FIFA 12, Crysis 2 and The Witcher 2.

Gaikai is a streaming games service that lets you play PC titles without leaving the comfort of your web browser. All the hardcore processing is done on the server side, so you don't even need a PC or Mac with a decent CPU or graphics card. Not that we're dissing your computer, obviously. I'm sure it's lovely.

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Journey, a very important Actual New Game of 2012, has once and for all been finished, developer ThatGameCompany has revealed.

No more delays, no more wondering why a PSN game has taken three years to build.

"Three years is a long time when you finally finish something and look back [and say], 'What have I done in the past three years?'" tweeted the studio's creative leader, Jenova Chen, knowingly.

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The PlayStation Vita version of Metal Gear Solid HD Collection will utilise the handheld's rear touch pad controls.

Hideo Kojima, Big Boss of the Metal Gear franchise, shared the news via his official Twitter feed last night, along with a couple of new pictures of the game in action. Well, in menus.

"You can slice enemy's throat with knife if you flick the rear touch pad," Kojima explained.

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High-quality graphics in video games can be a distraction, Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi has claimed.

The director of Wii role-player The Last Story believes developers would spend their time better by focusing on other aspects of their creations.

"Now that high-quality graphics rule supreme, you can reproduce what you want to communicate visually, but at the same time, I don't know how to put this, but there's an element that's slightly excessive about it all," Sakaguchi said, speaking in a new Iwata Asks interview. "You end up communicating too much to the player."

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Call of Duty: Elite developer Beachhead has revealed new details and screenshots for Clan Operations.

These are being put through "extensive testing", promised Beachhead on the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 forum. "And while we can't give you a date on when it will be ready, it is getting closer every day," the developer added.

Clan leaders can enlist in a Clan Operation via the Compete section of Elite.

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Beenox has unveiled the new Web Rush mechanic for the Amazing Spider-Man game.

It gives players "real-time navigational and combat choices," lead game designer Jacob Berg wrote on the Amazing Spider-Man Facebook page.

"Web Rush can be triggered on the fly, at any moment and immediately presents you with a variety of situational choices, letting you pull off Spidey's signature moves like never before," he said.

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In the fantasy world of Amalur, everyone believes in fate - in a predestined path that they are bound to tread, with a predestined end. An elven race called the Fae believes so strongly in the immutable power of destiny that they re-enact their songs and stories, over and over.

You, however, are the Fateless One, a unique being with an unwritten destiny that is yours to control. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning begins with your death and subsequent resurrection with no memory - and, according to the seers, no fate. Not only can you be who you want to be (rogue, warrior or sorcerer), you alone in Amalur can change the way things are.

It's a convenient plot device for a role-playing game, of course. But to give creator 38 Studios its due, it's also a pretty elegant metaphor for the promise that makers of Western RPGs love to make. While a Zelda or Final Fantasy is about ensuring the time-honoured legend reaches its foregone conclusion, the American role-playing dream is to hand you a complex world and let you bend it to your will.

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Evidence continues to mount that a third entry in the Star Wars: Battlefront series is in development at Legendary: The Box developer Spark Unlimited.

As noted by PlayStation Lifestyle, a new job listing at the studio calls for a "senior combat designer for a 3rd Person Action/Adventure sequel in a high-profile science fiction franchise currently greenlit for full production development for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC markets."

The site also spotted the LinkedIn profile of a former senior software engineer that mentions time spent on an "unannounced third person sword fighting game (well known IP, Xbox 360, PS3)". *Cough* lightsabers *cough*.

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Those sales are across PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, according to a Joystiq interview with CEO Doug Kennedy.

"It is a tremendously successful franchise," said Kennedy. "We have lots of plans to support it both with DLC and additional add-ons for the franchise."

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PlayStation 3 fender bender Twisted Metal now launches in Europe on 7th March, co-creator David Jaffe has announced.

The Eat Sleep Play boss mentioned the new date in a post on his Twitter feed earlier today.

As detailed last week, the game's European launch had been pushed back from 14th February due to delays in localising the title.

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Free-to-play PC plane sim Microsoft Flight takes to the skies from 29th February.

You'll be able to download it from the game's official site.

The game's first expansion, titled Hawaiian Adventure Pack, launches the same day, priced at 1600 Microsoft Points.

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Any gamers in the US ticked off that their copy of 3DS survival horror effort Resident Evil: Revelations sports a stonking great typo on its spine can request a new sleeve, publisher Capcom has announced.

According to the Capcom Unity blog, should your copy feature the error, you can either call in on 650-350-6700 or email accounts@capcom.com for a replacement inlay.

The publisher confirmed that only the first US shipment of the game is affected and all subsequent pressings will correct the mistake.

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A new Battlefield 3 patch out today has finally fixed the voice chat issues that many PlayStation 3 gamers have been complaining of since launch.

As reported by MP1st, update 1.03 is up for download now, weighing in at around 11MB.

Developer DICE hasn't posted a full changelog, though it appears the VOIP fix is all the patch does.

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Hawken, the multiplayer indie mech shooter that attracted significant internet buzz last year with its stunning announcement trailer, launches on 12th December as a free-to-play title.

As reported by VentureBeat, developer Adhesive Games hopes to pick up revenue from the sale of virtual goods such as additional weapons and armour.

Gameplay will be fast paced and session-based, with players opting for either 15 or 30 minute skirmishes.

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Another day, another LinkedIn leak: an art lead at Ubisoft Reflections appears to have revealed an unannounced Xbox 360 Kinect project.

"After just finishing Driver Wii as lead artist and spending time helping finalise the artwork for Driver: San Francisco, it is onto the next project on 360 Kinect which looks to be very exciting indeed," revealed the expansive LinkedIn summary of the Reflections employee, via Superannuation.

The art lead has worked at Ubisoft Reflections for over five years.

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