According to a Wired report, Itagaki was given only two and a half months to port Dead or Alive 2 on PS2, so that it could be ready in time for the Japanese hardware launch.

“All of the staff, led by me, fought for a victory with all their energy,” noted Itagaki. “But unfortunately, the result wasn’t what we expected.”

In the interim, a Tecmo Koei staffer asked to borrow a copy of the current build to playtest it. Days later, without Itagaki’s consent or knowledge, the build was sent to a disc-pressing factory for production. Not long after, Itagaki hit rock bottom,as  seeing his work treated in such a manner drove him into depression. He even thought about leaving the industry.

“I thought I would quit making games,” said Itagaki. To cope, he reportedly started drinking constantly and watched repeats of Armageddon with his three-year-old daughter while listening to Aerosmith’s theme song “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.”

Obviously, Itagaki eventually got over it – releasing Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore, which he said matched his vision what the initial product was supposed to be.

Rocksteady more than proved themselves with Arkham Aslyum, so we’re not surprised to see it doing so well. Still, it’s always great to see a licensed effort not take the quick cash-in route.

Players take on the role of undercover cop Wei Shen, setting out to take down an organization deeply rooted in criminal activity, which is none other than the Hong Kong Triads. The city of Hong Kong is realized through its neon-lit side streets and sprawling street markets. A tale of loyalty and betrayal unfolds during Wei’s investigation, leading him to question his own motives.

Sleeping Dogs features a combat system that allows players to pull off an extensive set of martial arts moves, including “bone-crunching kicks and combos, vicious counters and a cinematic set of environmental takedowns making use of countless real-world items from circular saws to phone booths, incinerators to refrigerator doors.” 

“From the moment you pick up the controller and experience the blend of driving, close combat and shooting you know you’re playing something fresh and a bit special,” said Square Enix GM Lee Singleton.

“Sleeping Dogs has one of the best melee combat systems out there – it’s super brutal with devastating takedown moves, and when added to UFG’s proven heritage in driving games, a first class story and the vibrant backdrop of the Hong Kong underworld we get a fiery recipe with fun written all over it.”

Sleeping Dogs is due out Q2 2012 on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.

No details on the open world effort were provided, though unless on the off-chance it’s a new IP, we’re placing our bets on a sequel to Red Dead Redemption. Given the enormous success of the first title, a follow-up seems like a no-brainer. The only question is: will it land on current or next-gen platforms?

Fenix Rising, the third piece of downloadable content included in the Gears of War 3 Season Pass, was made available on January 17^th and we were given the opportunity to review it.  The new content includes five new multiplayer maps, a new “re-up” option similar to Call of Duty’s prestige option, four “new” character skins, and additional weapon skins achieved through re-upping.

The new re-upping ability allows players, who have reached rank 100, to reset their rank and proceed through the ranks again with a new wing color each time. In addition to the new rank color, players also unlock a new weapon skin each time, allowing further distinguishing of their progression.

Unlike the Call of Duty series, the re-up option introduced with this DLC does not bring with it any consequences other than a loss of your rank number. In Call of Duty the prestige option makes more sense, allowing players to unlock their weapons and attachments again. The system rewards re-upped players with distinctive colors and weapon camo, and with no consequences it’s win-win situation in the Gears universe.

The new character skins include “Recruit Clayton” and “Savage Marauder” as well as two that were previously reserved for the Limited Edition, the “Savage Kantus” and “Thrashball Cole” skins.

However the stars of this show are the new maps: Academy, Anvil, Depths, Escalation, and the Slab. This is primarily a map pack after all with five maps that allow more avenues for Versus, Horde and Beast mode carnage.

The biggest issue I had with the new content was the inability to select a playlist dedicated to just the new maps. There are some playlists/game modes online that require the Fenix Rising DLC but none that solely contain FR maps. As a result you might will find it difficult to get into a match with these new maps. In two hours of playing online our resident “gear-a-holic” only managed to get into two of the maps, something echoed by my own experiences.

Academy

Academy is the most open of this particular pack with an open layout and very low cover, leaving players exposed at nearly every turn. On the left and right sides of the map are two flanking routes which are separated from the center of the map offering increased protection (Horde players will most likely favor this area). Epic does an excellent job creating the maps in such a way that location call-outs such as “fountain” or “monument” are instantly recognizable without looking at the overhead map.

Anvil

Anvil blends the outside combat of Academy with more corridor-like areas that provide adequate coverage for advancing and fleeing. The symmetrical map distinguishes between the two opposing sides with the addition of foliage/growth on one side. The callout locations are not as obvious as in Academy but most of the fighting is likely to occur in the middle of the map where the two sides clash. The map’s corridor areas flank each side of the map with open areas in the middle.

Depths

Depths takes the fight under the great blue with a map located in an underwater hotel-like structure. Epic has paid very close attention to all the details within the map, including the environment beyond the glass that separates you from the deadly water depths. Even the ambient sound is altered to give you a sense of a pressurized environment that you would find underwater. You’ll find a central overlook point on the map, easy to pick off enemies due to the low cover.

Escalation

The only map of the DLC that is not entirely new is Escalation, a remake of the classic by the same name from Gears of War. The most vertical map in the Gears of War series, Escalation pits two teams against each other battling up and down a staircase. Teams who spawn on the bottom have access to more weapons than the team on the higher ground, evening out the playing field. For fans of the original map you’ll find yourself right at home although I honestly don’t remember a lot of people showing much love for this map.

The Slab

The Slab, a map within a prison, is a straight corridor-shooter with a lot of tight corners and an abundance of coverage. There is a slight opening in the center of the map but most of the fighting occurs outside of the center. If you are a fan of close-quarter combat and the shotgun is your friend, The Slab is definitely the map for you. For interested players there is a small Easter egg that is available, although I wouldn’t suggest looking for it while in an active match as it does require some finesse.

So is the third DLC for Gears of War 3 worth the 2400 MS points ($10) that is being asked? You’ll get the most bang for your buck if you’re a fan of Horde and Beast mode as you will find it difficult to get into a game with these new maps in the regular map cycle. The five maps all cater to different play styles and you are certain to find at least one map that fits you.

The addition of the re-up system, additional characters and new weapon skins though add even more value to your traditional map pack. For those with a season pass the choice is obvious, download the pack (through the game’s menus) and call it a day. Those without a season pass will find the $10 well spent if still an avid Gears fan. You’ll get most out of if you enjoy playing Horde and Beast modes since it’s nearly impossible to get these maps in a regular rotation.

Capcom’s officially announced that Resident Evil 6 is in development for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. It’s scheduled for November 20 on consoles, with a Windows PC release “coming later.”

Plot-wise, the title takes place  ten years after the Raccoon City incident in RE2. The government decides to go public with details of the incident in order to curb a recent resurgence in bioterrorist activity. Not long after, all hell breaks loose. An attack leaves the President transformed “beyond recognition,” leaving Leon S. Kennedy – who is standing beside his leader – a difficult choice.

The cast is joined by fan-favorite Chris Redfield, who teams up alongside Leon to face an “unprecedented” threat. Capcom says Resident Evil 6 will mark a revolutionary step forward in the franchise, eclipsing all previous titles in scope and scale.

“Resident Evil 6 represents a giant stride forward in the evolution of the series,” said R&D head Katsuhiko Ichii.

“The development team, led by Hiroyuki Kobayashi, is working tirelessly to deliver the most impressive Resident Evil title ever both in terms of scope and production values. We are all genuinely excited by the title and cannot wait to share it with the world.”

Trailer is above.

Power consumption matters, you can’t lump a 250 watt GPU in a console so it’s likely Microsoft will be using a chip that fits somewhere in AMD’s midrange lineup, rather than a top-end part like the just-released HD7970.

Even if production of dev hardware has started, the release of the Xbox Next is still a ways off. SI expects production on consumer units to begin in late 2012, with a release in 2013. That means we could still see it at E3 2012, so as long as Microsoft’s partners have something to show, and with dev kits reportedly rolling out it seems they will.

Additionally, the PC version has slipped even further. Originally a simultaneous release, it’s now slated to launch two weeks after the console equivalents, on May 29 in North America. Internationally it’ll launch June 1.

No concrete reasoning behind the delay was given, but a two month delay clearly signals that it needed more development time.

The listing calls for a gameplay/AI programmer well versed in C++, backed by prior experience on shipped titles. Notably, the project will be powered by the “next iteration of Remedy’s in-house engine that was previously used in Alan Wake and Alan Wake’s American Nightmare.”

No further details were divulged. Alan Wake 2 seems like a obvious guess, though there’s always the chance it could be something new entirely. Currently, the studio is busy churning out a PC version of the original Wake alongside a standalone XBLA scenario known as Alan Wake’s American Nightmare.

“The Stalker team is extremely happy! Why? Because we are continuing work on Stalker 2 after the holidays,” reads the post.

While there’s still a snag, things sound more hopeful than before. GSC spokesperson Oleg Yavorsky tells Edge that the company is in the process of trying to secure funding for the project.

“We are still in the process of seeking funding to back up the project. We are hopeful things turn out well eventually. The team really wants to see STALKER continue,” said Yavorsky.

Ubisoft’s newest entry in the Ghost Recon franchise has seen its ups and downs like a seesaw. It’s newest title is Ghost Recon Future Soldier and was originally supposed to release last fall and have a beta just before release. Unfortunately it was delayed and supposedly going to be ready for release in March of this year. Now, we have some good news and bad news.

The good news is that Ubisoft has confirmed a PC version of the game will be released alongside the console versions. The bad news is that the game has been delayed once again (third time’s a charm!) and is set for release on May 22, 2012 in the US and May 25, 2012 in Europe. The other good news is that the beta has finally been dated for April for consoles (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) and a PC beta will follow shortly thereafter.

Via Press Release

Yup. Josh Mosqueira is lead designer for the Diablo console project.

While no further details were provided, it’s still nice to receive an official confirmation on this. Although Blizzard’s roots are firmly established in the PC, they have ventured over to consoles in the past. The original Diablo was released on PSOne and in a bizarre move, StarCraft even made it over to the N64. Certainly, Diablo is the most console friendly of its franchises so we’re not surprised to hear it is making the jump once again.

Among the bullet points listed, Capcom wants to “extend platform support,” which suggests the company may be in the early stages of prepping for new hardware. MT Framework has powered several of Capcom’s marquee titles to date, including Resident Evil 5, Dead Rising and Devil May Cry 4.

Reportedly, details on the next PlayStation and Xbox are on tap. Earlier reports have pegged Microsoft’s next in line for an E3 2012 unveil, so this isn’t all surprising.

The notion that Sony may be stepping up to the plate as well isn’t entirely expected, considering the company has heavily downplayed talk of a PS4 in the past. In June of last year, SCEA CEO Jack Tretton noted that the PS3 was ‘just hitting its stride.’ Moreover, SCE WWS boss Shuhei Yoshida previously suggested that Sony may launch after its competitors. Things change, though. There’s always a  possibility the timetable has been moved up.

Today, the wheels on that case are in motion as a California judge has approved Activision’s request to proceed with litigation. A jury trial is scheduled for May 7, 2012.

West and Zampella were originally booted from Infinity Ward under grounds of misconduct, which Activision claims EA had a hand in. The duo’s departure led to a mass exodus at the studio, with several team members leaving to join ranks at West and Zampella’s new venture — Respawn, which was funded in part by EA.

Infinity Ward has finally shed light on the first map pack for Modern Warfare 3, available for free for Call of Duty Elite subscribers. They gave us a bit of a tease from a Twitter post with the image above, entitled “Park”.

The screenshot appears to be based on Bethesda Fountain in New York City’s Central Park. Kicking off the new year right, Infinity Ward says the DLC will hit on January 24th for Elite subscribers. More info to come next month on pricing and contents of the map pack.

Source: Twitter (Via Gamespot)

Azrael is named after an angel who represents spirits and death. It is believed to possess the power to change the owner’s destiny, and the player’s Chain Bonus will upgrade when equipped.

The fancy weaponry comes at a price. Players can purchase this weapon from Chocolina, the merchant, in Episode 2 or beyond in the main game for 80 Microsoft Points via the Xbox Live Marketplace for Xbox 360. Only Serah has the ability to wield this legendary weapon.

According to the ESRB rating board, the upcoming release of a Kinect exclusive — Kinect Star Wars — will include a dancing mini game. Kinect Star Wars allows you to control a Jedi using your whole body to wield a lightsaber, use the Force or control X-Wings. One new addition makes this an eye-brow raiser: Dancing Mini-Game?

In the dancing mini-game, some female characters perform suggestive moves (e.g., gyrating their hips/buttocks) and wear revealing outfits (partially exposed cleavage/buttocks). The words “damn” and “hell” can be heard in the dialogue.”

One can only imagine how LucasArts is planning to utilize this dancing game. If it’s anything like the dancing sequence in Return of Jedi, I am already horrified.

Source: Siliconera

The company made it a point to highlight the success of the PC version. In North America, the PC release of Skyrim outsold all other PC games by a factor of over three to one. An impressive statistic, no doubt.

What’s more, is that Valve says Skyrim is the fastest selling title in Steam’s history. Well deserved, we’d say. Unfortunately, digital sales figures were not divulged – and the provided revenue figure does not include Steam transactions.

This comes amid news that developer Platinum Games is handling Metal Gear Rising. While Sega didn’t directly attribute the apparent focus on that project to the delay, it vaguely noted that the team needed “a little more time.”

Tecmo Koei is wasting no time in giving us a final release date for the latest entry in the Ninja Gaiden series. The catch? It’s only going to be available at GameStop and EB Games. The game is currently being developed by Team Ninja.

This deluxe package will include an art book, soundtrack CD, and “Duel of the Masked” Figure. The extra bonus included especially if you pre-order with GameStop/EB is that you’ll get a five character demo for the upcoming Dead or Alive 5 release. However, if you feel you don’t need the extra goodies, you can always pre-order elsewhere and you’ll still get an opportunity to play DOA 5 with a two character limit demo. GameStop will have access to Ryu Hayabusa and Hitomi, while Amazon grants you Ayane and Hayate.

Look for Ninja Gaiden 3 on stores shelves March 20th, 2012.

Via Joystiq

Although it was previously released on PC back on December 7th, the patch is finally now live to download on Xbox 360. The patch addresses some major issues such as backwards flying dragons and “magic resistance not calculating properly”.

The patch is now up to 1.3 and you can find the patch notes here. No word yet on when the patch will hit for PlayStation 3 owners.

Via @ElderScrolls

It’s a bit of a slow news day today, so here’s a look at a crazy jet crash in Battlefield 3 on the new map pack, Back to Karkand. The new update is now available for download on consoles and PC and is free for those who bought new copies of the game and 15 bucks for everyone else.

No further details were spared, only that it’s “in development.”

This comes amid news that comic book writer Bryan Edward Hill has been tapped to pen a film adaption of the franchise, entitled Just Cause: Scorpion Rising. A video game with a laughable plot doesn’t strike us as prime material for the silver screen, but well, we are excited about wrecking havoc in Just Cause 3.

Microsoft has revealed some new upcoming downloadable content for Kinect Sports: Season 2. Players will be able to get their hands on new golf courses curbing with Winter effects as the season gets colder. This DLC will be available for 400 Microsoft Points with one hole available for free for players to test out.

The “Maple Lakes Golf Pack” includes nine dynamic new holes, allowing players to take a swing at a full 18-hole match. This “back 9” takes in forts, marinas, causeways and coves, with hidden routes and hole-in-one opportunities nestled in the acres of fresh content. The Golf Pack is available in all modes, and includes achievements and nine more challenges to send to friends both online and offline in the Challenge Play mode on Xbox LIVE.

Launching alongside the Golf Pack, a “Kinect Sports: Season Two” title update adds all-new functionality to enhance multiplayer matches and make challenges even more gratifying for all sports, from Challenge Play email notifications and Facebook results posts through to video chat over Xbox LIVE matches.

New content will be made available every month till Spring 2012 and provide some kind of free content. Coming soon, players can experience night-time thrill rides with the “Midnight Mountain Ski Pack” releasing mid-January. Stay tuned for details on additional challenges, features and even a whole new sport coming in the New Year.

As promised, YouTube has been finally added to your Xbox 360′s. There are other apps available as well following the system update from last week. If you have Verizon FiOS in the US, you’ll be able to watch Live TV as well.

If you were in the Xbox 360 Dashboard Update Preview Program, this stuff might seem like old news to you, however, for the rest of you, this is a new update. Certain services are region specific suck as blinkbox (UK only). Aside from the awesome addition of YouTube, users will also be able to get access to MSNBC as well and even iHeartRadio (real radio!).

Check out the entire list of Apps added today below.

Via Major Nelson

• blinkbox (UK): blinkbox gives access to a wide range of movies online. With more than 10,000 movies titles movie fans can watch their favorite films immediately with no additional subscription required.
  
• iHeartRadio (U.S.): Listen to more than 800 of the nation’s most popular live broadcast radio stations from 150 U.S. cities or create your own Custom Stations with the New iHeartRadio.
• MSN Video (Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Mexico and UK): MSN brings you the latest breaking news, sports, celebrity gossip and more from around the globe.
  
• MSNBC.com (U.S.): MSNBC.com bring you the best of NBC News, MSNBC, Fox Sports, Access Hollywood, original programming and more, on-demand and up-to-date 24/7/365.
  
• MUZU.TV (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and UK): MUZU.TV the music video site, offers nearly 80,000 music videos at your command. Brand new releases from the world’s biggest artists, great music videos from every decade, up and coming bands and the latest music news and interviews.
  
• Rogers On Demand (Canada): Rogers On Demand provides select TV shows and movies to everyone for FREE. Rogers customers can also catch up on their favorite premium programming anytime, from anywhere in Canada.
  
• SBS ON DEMAND (Australia): SBS ON DEMAND is a catch up TV service that lets you watch full episodes, of your favorite SBS television programs.
  
• TMZ (Canada, U.S.): Your all-access pass to the latest TMZ entertainment stories and breaking news videos everyone is talking about!
  
• RTVE (Spain): Complete episodes from series, news programs, documentaries and the best Spanish audiovisual content from RTVE.
  
• Verizon FiOS TV (U.S.): Get Verizon FiOS TV with 26 live channels like MTV, Spike, Food Network, Comedy Central, HBO, CNN and Nickelodeon – with more to come. Plus with Kinect, change channels with your voice.
• YouTube (Available in 24 countries globally**): From your favorite web original video to gaming tips, a universe of compelling content is available through YouTube on Xbox LIVE.

According to the fine print, there’s one small caveat: the offer is only open to those enrolled in the company’s Power Up Rewards program, which is $14.99 a year. If you’ve got an unused Apple device laying around this isn’t a shabby deal. For details on what iPhone and iPad models are applicable, hit the break.

Example applies only when select iPhone and iPad models [iPad® 64GB WiFi, iPad® 64GB WiFi & 3G, iPad 2® (WiFi) 16GB, iPad 2® (WiFi) 32 GB, iPad 2® (WiFi) 64GB, iPad 2® (3G AT&T®) 16GB, iPad 2® (3G AT&T®) 32GB, iPad 2® (3G AT&T®) 64GB, iPad 2® (3G Verizon®) 16GB, iPad 2® (3G Verizon®) 32GB, iPad 2® (3G Verizon®) 64GB, iPhone 4S® 16GB (AT&T®), iPhone 4S® 32GB (AT&T®), iPhone 4S® 64GB (AT&T®), iPhone 4S® 64GB (Verizon®), iPhone 4S® 64GB (Sprint®)] are traded toward the purchase of a new Xbox 360 4GB with Kinect system bundle, regularly priced at $299.99.

Disclosure: GameStop sent us a $150 gift card for helping spread word of this promotion.

On the outside the game looks like it’s shaping up well. With Platinum Games backing development, the quality should be solid. The clip is of the “blink and you’ll miss it” variety.

No release date was revealed for Metal Gear: Revengeance and is scheduled for release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Check out the trailer below.

Another fun-fact: the CoD community now exceeds the combined populations of the cities of New York, London, Tokyo, Paris and Madrid.

“Engagement of our Call of Duty audience continues to rise around the world,” said Activision CEO Bobby Kotick.

He added, “Call of Duty as an entertainment franchise has made an indelible mark on popular culture and its broad and continued success is further validation that audiences are now valuing interactive experiences over passive experiences.

Do you have an iPhone or iOS device and are on Xbox Live? If so, you can now download the My Xbox LIVE on any iOS device released yesterday by Microsoft.

The app is available for free and will allow you to message friends, keep track of games played as well as customize your Achievements and your Avatar. You can even edit your friends list and delete them for good in front of their own eyes.

Via Major Nelson

While it’s been rumored that Valve had planned to drop the episodic approach for awhile now, it’s possible that Valve still refers to it as Episode 3 when dealing with contract work. If voice-overs are being recorded, it would suggest the title is well into development — and finer details like the setting and underlying plot already finalized.

More concrete info would be nice, but when it comes to Half-Life 3, we’ll take what we can get.

RYSE (X-Box Next Gen) Pushing boundaries of next generation gaming, RYSE is an original AAA IP from Crytek slated to deliver an Epic first-person melee experience in the Roman Empire.

- Designed, created, implemented and scripted numerous game levels using all facets of Sandbox Editor and CryEngine.
- Lead and mentored Jr. Level Designers and Level Designers as well as collaborated with colleagues across multiple disciplines to ensure winning efforts.
- Championed original Game Design for Tablet title exclusive to Crytek and expanding the franchise to include new genre of video game.

Officially, Microsoft has not given any hints as to when we might see its next-gen platform. Speculation points to an E3 2012 reveal, however.

2k Sports has announced today that they are planning on releasing Christmas Day game simulations and promotional holiday discounts on NBA 2k12 in honor of the return of the NBA this season. NBA 2k12 will provide fans with simulations of Christmas day games including match ups with Knicks-Celtics, Mavericks-Heat, Lakers-Bulls, Thunder-Magic and Warriors-Clippers. 2k Sports is also partnering with Amazon.com to provide deep discounts on NBA 2k12 starting from today December 8-11.

It looks like those deep discounts will have NBA 2k12 being offered on Amazon.com for $39.99 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. NBA 2k12 will also be sold for the iPhone and iPad for $2.99 and $4.99 respectively. The Legends showcase downloadable content for NBA 2k12 is also now available for download on the PlayStation Network or Xbox Live, Legends Showcase creates a truly unique basketball experience for all fans, featuring a new, cell-shaded art style set in New York City’s iconic Times Square.

Despite being an unlikely crossover, these threads certainly don’t look out of place in the world of Final Fantasy XIII-2, where extravagant outfits of all kinds are aplenty. Revelations is currently available on PS3 and Xbox 360, while XIII-2 is due out on both platforms January 31, 2012.

Aside from the bump in resolution, the makeover will boast several technical enhancements over the PS2 and Xbox original, including 60 frames per second and improved audio quality.

You can view the first screenshots, which offer no shortage of dazzling colors over at VGIMG.

No details on the new project were spared, which is hardly surprising given that Absolution is slated for next year. Square Enix noted that new studio will build games for “tomorrow’s audiences,” possibly suggesting that the unannounced Hitman may target the next round of platforms.

Eurogamer has since added credence to this notion, reporting that the new Hitman is a next-gen effort by word of a “trusted source.” We’ll see — it’s certainly plausible.

That extra $40 over the standard edition will go a long way. Here’s a run-down of what’s included:

* A copy of Max Payne 3;

* 10” tall Collectible Max Payne Statue created in a collaboration between TriForce and Rockstar Games;

* Series of game-inspired Original Still Life Art Prints that depict some of Max Payne’s inner demons and vices;

* Copper and brass-plated iron, bullet-shaped Bullet Keychain featuring a screw-off back;

* Classic Multiplayer Character Pack of eight playable multiplayer characters for Max Payne 3 Multiplayer, including fan favorites from the original Max Payne and Max Payne 2 like Max Payne from Max Payne 2, Mona Sax and Vladimir Lem;

* Disorderly Conduct Multiplayer Weapons Pack for Max Payne 3 Multiplayer that includes the Hammerhead Auto Shotgun, G9 Grenade Launcher and Molotov cocktail;

* Max Payne 3 Official Soundtrack featuring the game’s instrumental score.

Rockstar stresses that this bundle is a limited run, with pre-orders open from November 21 to January 15 “while supplies last.”

The game is due out on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 in March 2012.

In addition, candidates must have a “proven track record of producing original software products (ideally more mass market entertainment software) from start to finish.” Nothing that sheds light on said IP, unfortunately, but whatever Sega is cooking up sounds like a big deal. The return of Vectorman, perhaps? One can dream!

Creative director Casey Hudson told CVG that the team has constantly been toying around with the idea of multiplayer in Mass Effect, ever since the first installment hit. The idea was revisited in ME2 — but never saw the light of day due to concerns that it’d compromise the single-player component. With ME3, however, the team saw an opportunity to strike a balance.

Then, with ME2 we revisited the idea, deliberating whether you could perhaps take control of one of the other characters for a while, but – again – there were a lot of factors that would have compromised the single-player story. So the difference really was that, with ME3, we adopted a fundamentally different approach to what the thing is about, which is that there is a whole intergalactic war going on, which wasn’t the case in the previous entries. So Shepard is still the hero, making the big decisions, deciding what’s going to happen with the universe and building alliances, but now there’s armies all over the place, fighting to just hang onto different locations. That provided us with a different idea; now in multiplayer you can play as that crew of special forces, journeying around and helping Shepard with the war effort.

Sounds like you can put those concerns that multiplayer was tacked on to rest. Mass Effect 3 is due out March 2012.

“We are grateful for the fans’ response to Skyrim,” said ZeniMax Media CEO Robert Altman. “Todd Howard and his team at Bethesda Game Studios have crafted a very special game. Anticipation for Skyrim has surpassed any game in our company’s history, and we are pleased that sales and reviews have reflected the quality and hours of amazing gameplay it provides.”

While a breakdown of sales per platform was not provided, Bethesda pointed attention to the surge in popularity on Steam, with the title having set a record of more than 280,000 concurrent players earlier this week. Long-tail sales should be steady as well, given the bustling mod scene that Elder Scrolls games have always attracted.