The Last of Us 2 & 3 domains registered by Sony

Perhaps one of the most anticipated games of the year is The Last of Us, Naughty Dog's upcoming PS3 adventure. Although the story is apparently "self-contained," assuming the game sells gangbusters, it's likely to turn into a franchise.

Read more: A history of trilogies »

Perhaps the most mysterious addition to the PlayStation 4 controller is its touchpad. Not quite a touchscreen, we're wondering how developers will utilize such a unique (and odd) addition to the DualShock.

The upcoming PS4 version of Diablo 3 will use the touchpad in some way, although Blizzard is being a bit coy about how it all actually works. "Diablo 3 has a lot of cool inventory things," lead console designer Josh Mosqueira said in a new video. "Just the possibility of the trackpad is really exciting and we can't wait to dive in and make it as awesome as we can."

Watch: Touchpad will make the interface easier »

Google has unveiled a handy suite of gaming account services in a similar vein to GameCenter on iOS, including cloud saves, leaderboards, and matchmaking. Unlike Apple's offering, however, the 'Google Play game services' are cross-platform, supported on Android, iOS, and browsers.

Read more: Optional anti-piracy features »

Telltale's The Walking Dead received a lot of critical praise for its narrative and gut-wrenching choices, but some fans lamented that multiple playthroughs exposed how little impact they made on the story. Its next comic-turned-game A Wolf Among Us aims to solve that concern by having entire chunks of game that are only available if you make a particular choice.

Read more: 'The evolution of choice' »

Crysis 3 appears to be getting a bit of multiplayer downloadable content in the near future. A set of Achievements list four new maps, a new weapon, and new multiplayer modes for the shooter.

Read more: Maps, modes, and a boat oar »

It's been a long time coming, but the iPad edition of turn-based tactics 'em up Frozen Synapse is finally upon us. It boasts cross-platform play which not only lets you fight people on other platforms, but lets you play your turns across other devices too.

Watch: Cross-play demonstrated »

It's near Christmas, it's snowing, but all is not well in the city of Arkham, as a young Batman will be fending off assassins that want to end his storied career before it even gets started. A new teaser for Batman: Arkham Origins shows the Dark Knight battling perhaps the toughest killer in the group, Deathstroke.

Watch: About 12 seconds of action »

Becoming a fledgling samurai in Shin Megami Tensei 4 sounds pleasant, but what responsibilities does an initiate have? Cleaning shoes? Answering phones? A new gameplay trailer shows a samurai's duties are far more of the 'wearing a cool wrist computer' and 'slaying demons' variety, thankfully.

Watch: Murder murder murder »

Gosh, wasn't it odd when Sony announced Gran Turismo 6 only for the PlayStation 3 when the PlayStation 4 is so close? What an unlikely turn of events! Would you believe that developer Polyphony Digital is also considering a PS4 version? Probably not. Too outlandish.

Read more: Will "probably" transfer progress from PS3 to PS4 »

Many years ago, EA launched "Project Ten Dollar," an initiative better known to gamers as the online pass. New copies of a game would include a one-time voucher that would offer access to game modes, typically online multiplayer. The program was to discourage used game sales--or, at the very least, make addition revenue off used games by selling passes to gamers.

Apparently, EA is doing away with the online pass, promising that "none of our new EA titles will include that feature."

Read more: 'Players didn't respond' to online passes »

Remember that old stuff? Well it's coming back a bit newer. In this case, we're talking Putty Squad, an updated take on the classic platformer from 1994. System 3 has talked idly about the game for several years, including aborted plans for it to be a European Vita launch title, but today dropped a trailer and word that it's coming to a whole heap of platforms.

Watch: Inflate, stretch, and bounce you way around »

Feel-good stories in which everyone learns a valuable lesson are usually reserved for sitcoms, but once in a while they happen in real life too. Take the case of the Hawken pin-up, for example. After a poster made one female employee uncomfortable, she set about exposing the problem in the best possible way: office hijinks.

Read more: Bro-sie the Riveter is born »

Ubisoft has confirmed that 1666, the project that was formerly headed up by Assassin's Creed director Patrice Désilets, has been put on hold. During an earnings call today, company CEO Yves Guillemot said the game is "suspended for an undisclosed period of time."

Read more: 'We couldn't align our vision' »

Not every game could feature a robotic talking wolf with a chainsaw on its back, but then, not every game can be Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Konami released a trailer for the newly-launched Blade Wolf downloadable content yesterday, showcasing exactly how out-and-out bonkers Platinum Games can get.

Watch: The handiest kitchen utensil ever »

Happy birthday, Diablo III! You're one year old today. My, how you've grown! You do have the odd little accident now and then, and you're still not quite ready for fighting, but gosh, haven't you come a long way. And now, very kindly, you're offering bonus XP and Magic Find to everyone who celebrates with you, and $20 off for newcomers. You are a good little action-RPG, aren't you?

Read more: 25% stat boosts; 33% off the game »