Boycotts be damned, the PC version of Modern Warfare 2 seems to be performing exceptional at retail, having outsold its predecessor in terms of first week sales. This is according to Infinity Ward community manager Robert “402″ Bowling, who wrote the following in a forum post on the developer’s official site:

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Publisher Square Enix today confirmed that Supreme Commander 2 will hit PC on March 2, with an Xbox 360 release following shortly after on March 16.

Developed by series mainstay Gas Powered Games, the futuristic RTS builds on the success of its predecessor with large scale battles and rich customization features. Set 25 years after the Infinite War, players find themselves thrust into an intergalactic conflict between the factions of The United Earth Federation, The Illuminate and the Cybran Nation.

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Homebrew developer Roe-ur-boat has released an update to AutoStart PRX, a custom firmware plugin that allows users to launch any application or game by binding it to a button combination of their choosing. The included configuration file supports to up 10 entries. Additionally, an optional configuration parameter enables users to specify a auto launch entry when no buttons are pressed.

This build features a redesigned graphical interface courtesy of aspheric and several bug fixes. A full recap is provided in the changelog past the break.

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Crysis developer Crytek is reaching out to the academic world in a big way, allowing the programmers and graphic designers of tomorrow to get an early head start on creating games powered by its latest cross-platform middleware — CryENGINE 3. As of today, the development solution is now available free of charge to any qualified educational institution, providing the tools necessary to create scalable experiences across all major platforms, namely PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Crytek director of Global Business Development Carl Jones shares his thoughts on the initiative:

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Sony Computer Entertainment Japan today announced that PSP firmware 6.20 is scheduled for release this coming Thursday. Featuring a built-in comic book viewer, the update will signal the arrival of the soon-to-be added comic book storefont on PSN, scheduled to go live on December 12 in Japan. Viewable on all PSP models, these digital comics will carry a standard rate of ¥420 ($5) per volume and ¥50-¥150 ($1-2) per chapter. While we are still awaiting official word from SCEA and SCEE on availability over yonder, expect the US and European equivalent to follow a similar pricing trend.

Our contest to win a copy of Ubisoft’s fantasy soccer title Academy of Champions and an autographed soccer ball by Mia Hamm has concluded and the winners are: Jerry W., Nick O., Jeremy K., and Shawn W.

We’ve sent over an email to all those who won. Congrats! Thanks to all those who entered and be sure to stay on the lookout for future contests.

Sony isn’t one to sit idle in midst of Microsoft’s social networking efforts, as the company has went ahead and announced that firmware 3.1 for PS3 will include Facebook integration. By linking up a PSN profile to a Facebook account, PS3 owners will able to automatically update their news feed with Trophy and PlayStation Store activity. You’ll never miss a beat. The initiative will also give developers the ability to publish game information to news feeds through Facebook’s API.

While Facebook integration is the main highlight of this update, Sony is squeezing in other noteworthy changes as well, including a revamped photo browser and the ability to change the font color of your PSN ID. Check out a video walkthrough of the soon to be released firmware above, courtesy of PSN director Eric Lempel.

The first Wii Music wasn’t quite the runaway success Nintendo expected it to be, but that doesn’t mean they’ve bailed out of the genre entirely. Speaking in a recent interview with Official Nintendo Magazine UK, producer Shigeru Miyamoto has hinted that a follow-up is not out of the question.

“[Wii Music] was a really unique game, and even today, we are receiving several different offers from people in the field of music education… I think it still has great potential.

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In many respects, Ubisoft’s C.O.P: The Recruit is a landmark title for the Nintendo DS. Delivering a fully realized open-world environment in 3D, developer VD Dev has crafted a one-of-a-kind experience that no other DS effort to date has managed. From a technical perspective, to pull off this level of visual acuity on a handheld that admittedly is not renowned for its 3D rendering capabilities is an impressive feat. Does C.O.P. set a new standard for the open-world genre on DS? Read on and find out.

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Square Enix today finally stamped a date on the North American release of its eagerly-anticipated RPG Final Fantasy XIII. The title, which needs no introduction, is slated to hit Xbox 360 and PS3 on March 9, 2010. Fans can now breathe a sigh of relief.

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