The next few weeks of Xbox Live Marketplace content have been detailed by Microsoft's Larry Hryb, including some anticipated XBLA games and discounts on 2K titles.

The twin-stick shooter Gatling Gears will be up tomorrow for $15 (1200 MSP), and Sega Rally Online Arcade will go up next week for a cool $10 (800 MSP). Hryb also tweeted separately that Star Raiders will be up this week as well. Read more »

If you're still playing Crysis 2's multiplayer and have a hankering for some new maps, developer Crytek has your back. The 'Retaliation' map pack was formally announced today by publisher EA, though word of it leaked out last month.

New multiplayer maps Park Avenue, Transit, Shipyard, and Compound will be available for your face-shooting pleasure when the downloadable content launches on May 17. They're new maps. Four of them. You'll get to play them in multiplayer. In Crysis 2. On your Windows PC, Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system, or PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system. Four. New ones. May 17. Read more »

In an open letter titled "Be Free... Be Creative... Be the Developer," Crytek CEO and President Cevat Yerli gave an update on plans to let the modding community get its hands on the engine behind Crysis 2. Early this summer, the developer will release a full-featured editor for Crysis 2. With it, modders will be able to build maps, items and custom content for the game.

After playing around with that over the summer, for those looking to do more, Crytek will release the complete version of CryENGINE 3 in August completely for free. The CryENGINE SDK will include everything needed to create a complete game from the ground up. To support those efforts, Crytek also plans to share all its documentation for the engine written by the developers and launch an improved crymod.com site for the community. Read more »

Market research firm has issued its latest monthly retail-only sales report, covering February 27 through April 2--the first since the Nintendo 3DS handheld launched in March. As ever, console manufacturers have come out of the woodwork to support the report with figures and marketing spin.

Nintendo relays that the 3DS sold "just shy of 400,000 units" in the US within its first seven days of sale after launching on March 27. This falls slightly short of the regular Nintendo DS models, which combined sold 460,000 units. Read more »

I'm getting ready to pack up and move my life to Los Angeles from Toronto, but before then I need to get some gaming time in. The last two games I've played at home were for review, so it would be nice to actually spend some of my personal time playing for fun.

In the meantime: What are you playing? (Click any editor's name to visit their Twitter page. Follow Shacknews on Twitter for regular updates and giveaways.) Read more »

Around an hour before Crysis 2's single-player campaign is finished, a character utters the perfect phrase to summarize the universe created by developer Crytek: "This isn't war. This is the future."

It's a summary that fits with the developer's thoughts on both game engine and gameplay design. Though there may have been fears that bringing Crysis 2 to consoles would turn it into another military shooter clone, the game retains its strategic roots in the way it allows players to approach combat situations. Read more »

Though the Crysis 2 multiplayer demo only hit the PlayStation 3 on Tuesday, publisher EA has announced that it's being pulled due to connection bugs.

"Though many gamers have had a great experience playing the demo, we are aware that others have been experiencing server connection delays," EA said yesterday. "We've identified the root cause and have decided to close the PS3 demo in the next 24 hours to ensure all issues are resolved when the game launches next week. Our priority is to ensure that the final product is flawless at launch." Read more »

Crytek is planning a low-cost version of its Crysis 2-powering CryEngine, akin to Epic's Unreal Development Kit, company co-founder Avni Yerli has told Develop. While there are no concrete details for now, it's good to hear.

"We have a business model in mind for this--which I can't get into details of right now--but it will be extremely user-friendly," Yerli said. "The barriers for entry will be very low, and perhaps even for free. Of course this will be compared to UDK and Unity and so on, but we think this sort of competition is very good for the community." Read more »

As ever, Sony's weekly update to the PlayStation Store's digital catalogue arrived yesterday with a metric shedload of new releases, demos, downloadable content, and other gubbins.

This week's new PlayStation 3 releases are the new Contra game Hard Corps: Uprising, which hit Xbox 360 last month, and Slam Bolt Scrappers, which somewhat resembles action-Tetris. PSone survival horror RPG Parasite Eve also arrives as a PSone Classic title for $6. The PSP gets Dissidia 012[duodecim] Final Fantasy's $3 prologue episode. Read more »

After shuffling its feet for a while, publisher EA has revealed that the promised Crysis 2 multiplayer demo for PlayStation 3 will finally arrive on March 15, a week before the game's launch.

The demo, which was released for PC and Xbox 360 on March 1, contains two maps and two modes from the multiplayer side of Crytek's shooter. You can grab the PC demo here at Shacknews, and the Gold-exclusive Xbox 360 demo from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Read more »

PC gamers looking to get a taste of the upcoming FPS Crysis 2 can now download the game's previously announced multiplayer demo. The demo can be grabbed from Shacknews right now. Read more »

If you missed the brief period when the Crysis 2 multiplayer demo was available on Xbox 360, or simply fancy having another go, you'll be glad to hear that the console's receiving another demo.

The new Xbox 360 demo will arrive alongside the PC demo on March 1, developer Crytek and publisher EA announced today. The pair also revealed that the PlayStation 3 demo confirmed yesterday is "coming soon," but declined to give a release date. Read more »

The PlayStation 3 will be getting its own Crysis 2 multiplayer demo after all. The confirmation comes from a new teaser video, the end of which declares: "PlayStation 3 multiplayer demo coming soon."

After revealing a multiplayer-focused demo would launch prior to the game's release for PC gamers, EA has announced that the Crysis 2 trial will arrive on March 1.

Players will be able to square off in six vs. six matches across two maps set in a "war-torn" Manhattan. The first map, Skyline, features battles on the rooftops and interiors of New York's skyscrapers while the second, Pier 17, offers an open environment with limited cover. Read more »

Why is Crysis 2 set in New York City, and why's it overgrown, ruined and filled with hostile troops anyway? Hopefully this new trailer focusing on the story in CryTek's shooter sequel will clear up a few questions for you, and be pleasing to your eyes t'boot.