Harmonix has announced that Rock Band will celebrate next week's release of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' new live anthology box set with a six-pack of live tracks arriving as downloadable content, with P!nk, Kelly Clarkson and the Go-Gos as support.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live Anthology Pack
• Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - "A Thing About You (live)" +
• Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - "American Girl (live)"
• Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - "Even the Losers (live)"
• Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - "Here Comes My Girl (live)" +
• Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - "Mary Jane's Last Dance (live)"
• Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - "Refugee (live)" +
• Go-Go's - "Our Lips Are Sealed" +
• Kelly Clarkson - "Miss Independent" +
• P!nk - "Who Knew" +

All tracks are from original master recordings, and those marked with a cross will also hit the family-friendly LEGO Rock Band. Tracks will cost $2 a pop (160 Microsoft Points, 200 Wii Points) while the Live Anthology Pack will be priced at $10 (800 MS Points).

Xbox 360 and Wii players can rock out to the tracks from Tuesday November 24, while PlayStation 3 plastic guitarists must wait until Thursday November 26.

The first three games in the comic legal procedural GBA series Ace Attorney will arrive on Wii next year as downloadable WiiWare titles, developer Capcom announced today.

Motion controls will ratchet the courtroom tension up a notch, presenting evidence with a wave of the Wiimote and accusatory wiggling to press witness withholding information.

First out is Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Episode 1 through 4) in January, followed by Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All in March then Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations in May--costing 1000 Wii Points ($10) apiece. The fifth episode of Ace Attorney added in the DS re-release will also arrive in May, for 100 Wii Points ($1).

Capcom reports that the judicial series has sold over 3.7 million units worldwide. The latest entry Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth is slated to hit Nintendo DS on February 16, 2010, placing players in the prosecution's Oxfords for the first time.

Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard is looking to further expand the blockbuster series by adding a third development studio to the mix, claims a Los Angeles Times report.

Recent years have seen the company release annual entries by alternating lead development duties between series creator Infinity Ward (Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2) and Treyarch (Call of Duty 3, Call of Duty: World at War), with external studios n-Space and Rebellion having assisted with Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2 editions.

Activision claims that this year's entry, Modern Warfare 2, represents "the biggest launch in history across all forms of entertainment," with indications that the inevitable next one is being handled by Treyarch and could be set in the Vietnam War era.

The publisher has also repeatedly spoken of a possible Call of Duty-branded massively multiplayer game, with CEO Bobby Kotick pondering how to monetize "the natural evolution of a property like Call of Duty into a massively multiplayer environment" and CFO Thomas Tippl noting "you should expect us to test and ultimately launch additional online monetization models of some our biggest franchises like Call of Duty."

The fifth and final chapter in Telltale Games' episodic adventure series Tales of Monkey Island will be released on PC come December 8, the company confirmed today.

Dubbed "Rise of the Pirate God," Chapter 5 is billed as the "grand finale" and promises to answer "many vexing questions," such as the fate of hero Guybrush Threepwood.

In addition, Telltale announced that it is now selling the four previous episodes individually, at $8.95 a pop, alongside the $34.95 five-chapter bundle. No word yet as to when the series will conclude on Wii, but we'll let you know when we find out.

An enhanced port of Grasshopper's 2008 over-the-top action game No More Heroes subtitled 'Heroes Paradise' is headed to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, revealed in the latest issue of Japanese video games magazine Famitsu according to Siliconera.

Improvements include improved graphics, an "Advanced Mode," Japanese voice acting and "Very Sweet Mode"--where all ladies wear revealing outfits, Kotaku explains. Wii motion controls--including an obscene reload gesture--are naturally not directly ported.

Heroes Paradise is slated for release in Japan on February 25, 2010. Considering that No More Heroes was released worldwide by Ubisoft and sequel No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is due to arrive in early 2010, a release elsewhere seems likely.

Thanks to Shacker valcan_s for the tip.

While yesterday saw the extremely suspect announcement of a rosary-controlled Christian mass simulator by Prayer Works Interactive, today brings the genuine new trailer for Zoink Games' Wiiwaa, a Wii action adventure controlled with "a special plush toy puppet."

Simply slip your Wiimote inside your plush pal Wiiwaa then "control this little fellow just like a puppeteer would do," creative director Klaus Lyngeled explains in a press release. "Walk, jump, dance, do crazy somersaults--whatever you do with your Wiiwaa puppet directly affects the Wiiwaa in the game... I don't think there has ever been a simpler and more natural way to play a videogame."

Wiiwaa also "requires you to permanently look after the well-being of your Wiiwaa creature and make sure it is clean, well fed and gets enough sleep and recreation."

Zoink is currently seeking a publisher and distribution partners for Wiiwaa.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

With The Beatles: Rock Band set to receive the eight Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band tracks not included with the rhythm game this week as downloadable content, Harmonix has put together a medley trailer celebrating the whole psychedelic shebang.

The album's eight remaining tracks arrive on Xbox 360 and Wii today for $2 (160 Microsoft Points) a pop then are due Thursday on PlayStation 3. 360 and PS3 players can buy them as a bumper bargain track pack for $13.49 (1080 Microsoft Points).

'Rubber Soul' is the next album facing DLC completion, some time in December.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

Back when EA Sports Active arrived--all of six months ago--Electronic Arts was helpful enough to issue a trailer so you knew what you'd look like while you were playing the Wii fitness game.

So with EA Sports Active: More Workouts, the sequel to the leg strap-packing game, due in North America tomorrow, the company has once again provided us with some video assets. But instead of one trailer, we have six.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

New exercises, activities and successes await on your fitness journey... Read more

The comic mischief of propeller hats, penguin suits and the other new features of New Super Mario Bros. Wii--especially multiplayer--are on display in this rather calm launch trailer for Nintendo's latest platformer, which hit North American shops yesterday.

Be forewarned though, as while the trailer suggests that multiplayer is a serene experience, it leaves out the swearing and the shouting that comes from bringing three more players into the mix, especially when someone steals yet another power-up.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

Following last week's record-breaking launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the iPhone and iPod touch are now home to a Call of Duty game of their very own. Now available via iTunes, Call of Duty: World at War: ZOMBIES recreates the zombie-infested "Nacht der Untoten (Night of the Undead)" map from last year's entry, Treyarch's Call of Duty: World at War, in portable touch- and tilt-controlled form.

The 16MB download sells for $9.99, packing three controls schemes and support for up to four players via Wi-Fi or two via Bluetooth. Development was handled by Ideaworks Game Studio, with more maps slated to arrive as downloadable content.

Not only does this week's batch of Wii and DSi downloadable releases include the usual selection--including more from the Art Style series and yet another version of Street Fighter II--there are also free demos for a handful of earlier WiiWare titles.

WiiWare
• Pokemon Rumble - $15
• BIT.TRIP BEAT Demo - Free
• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord Demo - Free
• NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits Demo - Free
• World of Goo Demo - Free
Wii Virtual Console
• Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures(Super NES) - $8... Read more

This is it, folks. The week before Thanksgiving, the last big hurrah of the crowded holiday season. This week rivals the number of releases due before the year's end.

Go ahead and hit up the full list, or, if you're looking for a particular system, skip right to the PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS or PSP section. Should you want to check out any past release lists, scope out our handy archive.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii will be on North America store shelves Sunday, November 15, with the rest of this week's retail offerings due by Wednesday. Gyromancer--Square and PopCap's Bejeweled RPG--will be downloadable Wednesday on PC and Xbox 360.

... Read more

No Resident Evil game is complete without bizarre unlockable modes and costumes and The Darkside Chronicles certainly continues the trend, Capcom revealed today.

As well as an assortment of unlockable costumes ranging from mundane--Resident Evil 4 outfits--to baffling--western getups complete with chaps and spurs--the on-rails Wii shooter features a mode where zombies are transformed into possibly the only item more terrifying than the ravenous undead--the coagulated soy milk product known as tofu.

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles arrives for Wii in North America on November 17. The following pair of trailers demonstrate the bizarre bonuses... Read more

While the entirety of Sgt. Pepper's one and only Lonely Hearts Club Band march out to The Beatles: Rock Band next Tuesday, developer Harmonix will be releasing six downloadable tunes for its regular Rock Band entries.

The below tunes hit Xbox 360 and Wii on Tuesday, November 17, with a PlayStation 3 release following Thursday, November 19. Each track will sell by itself for $2 (160 Microsoft Points / 200 Wii Points), with the five-track AFI bundle going for $8.50 (680 Microsoft Points) on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

AFI Pack 01
• AFI - "Beautiful Thieves
• AFI - "End Transmission"
• AFI - "Love Like Winter"
• AFI - "Medicate"
• AFI - "The Leaving Song, Pt II"
• The Bangles - "Walk Like an Egyptian" +

  Tracks marked "+" will also hit the family-friendly LEGO Rock Band Music Store.

Harmonix has pinned down the release date of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band full album downloadable content for The Beatles: Rock Band to next week.

Arriving November 17 on Xbox 360 and Wii then November 19 on PlayStation 3 to buy as a track pack or individually, the eight 'new' Sgt. Pepper's tracks will combine with the five already on the disc to complete the fab four's famed psychedelic album from 1967.

• Fixing A Hole
• She's Leaving Home... Read more

Konami Digital Entertainment issued a press release today, announcing that Silent Hill: Shattered Memories for the Nintendo Wii releases on December 8 of this year. Shattered Memories is a remake of the Playstation's original Silent Hill (1999), but shakes up the first game's formula in significant ways.

The original game's decidedly awkward combat elements have effectively been stripped from Shattered Memories. This time around, players are only equipped with a cell phone and flashlight to help them navigate the darkness and solve puzzles. Thankfully, both exploration and fleeing from demonic forces should be better experiences than before, due to an increased line of sight. One of the more interesting sounding improvements is a "psych-profiling feature," which reportedly analyzes players and "adjusts itself to their actions."

The PS2 and PSP release dates for Silent Hill: Shattered Memories will be announced in the "near future." You can take a look our impressions of the game here.

Sony recorded one of the biggest wins yet for the PS3 with system exclusive Uncharted 2 capturing the top spot for October sales. And it was a resounding victory too, beating out second place Wii Fit Plus by nearly 18%. Basketball fans also made their presence known pushing NBA 2K10 to an overall win with combined sales between the 360 and PS3 version putting it ahead of Uncharted 2, 575,000 to 537,000.

On the hardware side of things Nintendo continued its domination of the raw sales figures selling 506,900 Wiis and another 457,600 DS handhelds. Despite selling a respectable 320,600 pieces to put it in third place, PS3 was unable to maintain the momentum from the September launch of the new Slim model with sales down when compared on an average per week basis. Xbox 360 likewise saw a similar decline but Wii, DS, and PSP all trended up from a month before.

Hardware and Software top ten details follow... Read more

Rebelling against the corporation that brought you to the exotic world of Pandora has to be a tough call, especially when it involves a blue-skinned surrogate body. On the plus side, you get a bow and blades and a flying-dragon thing (and more) and get to use all that to fight the RDA Corporation and smash its various hi-tech assets, like mechs.

Playable from either perspective, Ubisoft's interactive take on James Cameron's anticipated film Avatar is due on PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS and PSP come December 1. The movie itself, meanwhile, hits theaters on December 18.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

Best Buy is offering a very accessible entry point to the world of plastic toy guitars with a one-day deal on a bundle of Rock Band 2 Special Edition and The Beatles: Rock Band on Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 for $130, a $30 discount on their individual prices.

Rock Band 2 SE contains the guitar, drum and microphone controllers in addition to a copy of the 84-track game, while The Beatles: Rock Band is the game disc only.

The deal is only available today from Best Buy's online store. Thanks masem for the tip.

It's been a tumultuous day for videogame publishing giant Electronic Arts. This morning we reported on their acquisition of social game developer Playfish in a $300 million deal that could climb to $400 million. This afternoon word comes in their fiscal second quarter results of a $100 million cost-reduction plan that the press release says, "will result in the closure of several facilities and a headcount reduction of approximately 1,500 positions, of which 1,300 are included in a restructuring plan."

More than just an ironic combination, these two moves point directly to the ongoing shift at the publisher to match the modern videogame market. The press release in fact says as much in its comments on the Playfish acquisition immediately above the section on cost-reduction: "The acquisition accelerates EA's growth in social entertainment and strengthens its focus on the transition to digital and social gaming."

Looking at the numbers it's hard to take issue with their approach from a financial standpoint. In the earnings call EA CEO John Riccitiello noted, "Industry packaged goods software sales [e.g., the usual $60 retail game] are down approximately 12% year-to-date." This comes despite their enjoying a slight 4% increase in share for the same in North America and Europe. At the same time EA sees the digital market, in which they include mobile, micro-transactions, subscriptions, and advertising, growing at a rate of 20% or better for the next several years.

Long seen as a bastion of the traditional videogame... Read more