Morning Battlefield 1943, it's nice of you to join us. We've been ...expecting you.

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 and PSP. Should you want to check out any past release lists, scope out our handy archive.

Retail releases should be at North American stores by Wednesday, July 8, with Tales of Monkey Island - Chapter 1 PC debuting via digital distribution on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Battlefield 1943 arrives in the Xbox Live Marketplace Wednesday and the PlayStation Store Thursday, with the multiplayer shooter dropping in on PC come September.

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The promised Green Day downloadable content for Rock Band is set to arrive next week, along with a roaring selection of tracks from artists on the metallicious Mayhem Tour.

Green Day Pack
• Green Day - "21 Guns"
• Green Day - "East Jesus Nowhere"
• Green Day - "Know Your Enemy"
Mayhem Pack
• Behemoth - "Conquer All"
• Black Dahlia Murder - "What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse"
• Cannibal Corpse - "Hammer Smashed Face"
• God Forbid - "Empire of the Gun"
• Job for a Cowboy - "Embedded"
• Marilyn Manson - "Disposable Teens"
• Slayer - "Black Magic"
• Whitechapel - "This Is Exile"

The tracks hit Xbox 360 and Wii on July 7 then PlayStation 3 on July 9, priced at $2 a pop (160 Microsoft Points, 200 Wii Points). 360 and PS3 rockers can also snag the whole Green Day Pack for $5.49 (440 MS Points) or Mayhem Pack for $13.49 (1,080 Points).

Ah football, the beautiful game! And still reasonably attractive when impudently dubbed "soccer" and made into a video game, if the first FIFA Soccer 10 trailer is any indication.

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Along with improved player AI and football mechanics, and a deeper Manager mode, EA claims FIFA 10 sports "the first-ever true 360 degree dribbling system." Charming.

Developed by EA Canada and published by EA Sports, FIFA Soccer 10 is scheduled for release on PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PS2, PSP and Nintendo DS in the fall.

Look out, Harry! In celebration of your latest theatrical adventure, Lord Voldemort Electronic Arts has issued some new trailers for the accompanying video game release.

Developed by EA Bright Light, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hits North American retailers tomorrow, June 30, in PC, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS and PSP form.

"Making of" Part III - Dueling

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For the other two trailers, just keep on reading and hold on to that feeling... Read more

Disney has announced that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of G-Force and the Wii's Toy Story Mania! will feature stereoscopic 3D through anaglyphic glasses.

The publisher claims the pair will be "the first games for next-generation systems to fully feature three-dimensional stereoscopic technology," which "adds to the already fun video game... and extends the gameplay by creating entirely new options for players."

Ubisoft's video game adaptation of James Cameron's stereoscopic film Avatar will also feature the technology that Cameron believes will be "the next big thing."

G-Force arrives July 21 with PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and PS2 versions developed by Eurocom, and DS and PSP releases by Keen. Based on the Disneyland attraction of the same name, Toy Story Mania! arrives exclusively on Wii in the fall.

Dinosaurs, magic and western shoot-outs--yup, it's time for the weekly release list.

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 and PSP. Should you want to check out any past release lists, scope out our handy archive.

Barring any delays, most of this week's games should be at North American retailers no later than Wednesday, July 1. The only exception is Trine--it looks like that won't hit North American stores until later, but it should arrive via some digital distribution outlets Friday.

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After helping form independent-oriented publisher Gathering of Developers (g.o.d.), sold to Take-Two in 2000, and then helping create independent-focused publisher Gamecock, sold to SouthPeak in 2008, co-founders Harry Miller and Mike Wilson have returned once again with another new publishing outfit.

Dubbed Devolver Digital, it's described as a "production and publishing company based in Austin, Texas, specializing in delivering top quality entertainment to gamers worldwide at affordable prices by any and all means available."

"A few other old friends" are also involved in Devolver, Wilson told Big Download.

Word of Devolver first emerged via this morning's announcement of Serious Sam: The First Encounter HD, with the company assisting developer Croteam in producing and publishing its forthcoming Xbox Live Arcade and PC shooter.

"We're basically acting as the production company for the XBLA game, since we are not an official MSFT publisher yet, and will be publishing the PC version... Read more

With Brothers in Arms and Borderlands developer Gearbox having recently filed for a quartet of "War Hero" trademarks, the studio today confirmed to Shacknews that the new franchise is "something down the road."

Explaining that the trademarks reveal "a bit about our interests in the development of another original intellectual property," Gearbox Software president Randy Pitchford said that "we haven't even talked to any potential partners" in regards to War Hero.

"So we're certainly not ready to talk about it publicly at the moment," he noted.

Pitchford added that the studio is currently "all gaga" over its October-due shooter-RPG Borderlands, with attentions "focused squarely on kicking ass." Gearbox is also working on the long-awaited Aliens: Colonial Marines, due out no earlier than next year. In all, the studio has five projects in the works, with at least two of them remaining mysteries.

Update: Pitchford further tells us that War Hero is not among the three mystery projects currently listed on Gearbox's "games in development" page.

Now available on FileShack is a 595MB demo of EA's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince tie-in game, offering would-be wizards a taste of the magical life.

A new trailer introduced by the dastardly Draco Malfoy features stars and developers discussing the films recreations of spell duelling, Quidditch and and Hogwarts itself.

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Developed by EA Bright Light Studio, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is released for PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PS2, PSP, DS and Wii on June 30.

A bonus second trailer offers a look at some action on the Quidditch field... Read more

A sequel to the film adaptation of Hitman is in production, according to a new report by movie site IESB.

Writer Kyle Ward, also attached to the Kane & Lynch adaptation, is handling the script for Hitman 2. Producers Adrian Askarieh, Daniel Alter and Chuck Gordon will return.

The original Hitman was released in 2007, with Deadwood veteran Timothy Olyphant in the starring role. Despite dismal reviews, the film eventually raked in $99.9 million at the box office.

Bethesda Softworks parent company ZeniMax Media has just announced its acquisition of well-known video game developer id Software (Doom, Quake, Wolfenstein 3D).

"id Software will continue to operate as a studio under the direction of its founder, John Carmack," vowed ZeniMax. "No changes will be made in the operations of id Software in the development of its games. All the principals at id Software have signed long-term employment contracts, assuring they will continue in their roles...at the studio."

Founded as an independent game developer in 1991, id Software is currently working on the post-apocalyptic shooter RAGE (PC, PS3, 360) and the long-awaited Doom 4.

"Our intention is to make sure id Software will continue to do what they do best--make AAA games," said ZeniMax CEO Robert Altman. "Our role will be to provide publisher support through Bethesda Softworks and give id Software the resources it... Read more

New trademark registrations from Gearbox Software seem to suggest that the company behind the World War II shooter series Brothers in Arms and Wii maraca-shaker Samba de Amigo is plotting (or at least protecting) a new "War Hero" franchise.

The studio recently filed for four trademarks related to that phrase--World War II Hero, War Hero, Brothers in Arms War Hero, and Modern War Hero--as noticed by superannuation. Each filing is listed under the general category of "computer game programs and computer game software."

At present, Gearbox has three mystery projects and two known titles--Borderlands and Aliens: Colonial Marines--in development. Borderlands (PC, PS3, 360) is slated to hit this October, while Aliens (PC, PS3, 360) is expected no earlier than next year.

With Michael Bay's undoubtedly explosion-filled Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen debuting in North American theaters this week, publisher Activision has released a launch trailer for the accompanying game, also expected to pack many explosions.

Developed by a handful of studios, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen hits North American retailers in PC, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS and PSP tomorrow.

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And just like that, out of nowhere, comes one of the busiest weeks that we've seen in a while. ArmA II, Dawn of Discovery, Transformers, Fight Night Round 4, Overlord II, new Fallout 3 DLC, a Spore expansion pack, The Conduit...the list goes on and on.

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 and PSP. Should you want to check out any past release lists, scope out our handy archive.

Excluding ArmA II, which arrives via Steam on Friday, June 26, everything else should be on North American retail shelves no later than Wednesday, June 24.

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The decision to exclude multiplayer support from the PC version of Ghostbusters was a result of lacking resources and a desire to make the console editions "the best that they could be," Dan Irish--CEO of multiplayer developer Threewave--has explained.

"Multiplayer for the PC version of Ghostbusters is something that Threewave and [single-player developer] Terminal Reality always wanted to do," he told Big Download.

"When we looked at the resources necessary to pull off multiplayer on the consoles and the PC, it became a question of what could we do and still be excellent in our execution," Irish added. "Our focus was on making the console version the best that they could be."

Only the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions of Ghostbusters, which arrived in North American this week, sport online multiplayer, though the PC version is half their price. A separate developer, Red Fly, handled the PlayStation 2, Wii and Nintendo DS editions.

Update: The general Madden NFL 10 demo is slated for "late July," EA has clarified. We're also told that the public Giants vs. Cowboys demo will sport 1 minute quarters, not the previously reported 2 minute quarters, with the company apologizing for the confusion.

Original: Though GameStop yesterday announced that it was offering an "exclusive demo" of Madden NFL 10 as a pre-order incentive, publisher Electronic Arts has informed Shacknews that a downloadable demo will be available to the public as well.

"We will also be issuing a demo via Xbox LIVE and PSN that features the Giants vs. Cowboys with 2 minute quarters," the company told us. "The GameStop demo is exclusive in terms of content. For example, the GameStop exclusive demo features a rematch of Super Bowl XLIII featuring the Steelers vs. Cardinals with 5 minute quarters."

We're checking in to see when the public demo will be released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The GameStop exclusive demo is expected "by the end of July."

The full version of the football game--in development for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and PSP--arrives in North American retailers on Friday, August 14.

The UK government has today announced that game ratings will switch to the industry-established self-declaration PEGI system already in use across much of Europe.

PEGI ratings contain an age recommendation as well as icons indicating questionable content such as violence, drugs, sex and gambling. The Video Standards Council will have the authority to ban games which attempt to circumvent the self-declared ratings.

Many in the industry have responded favourably to the news, including representatives of Nintendo, EA UK, Sega Europe and Ubisoft UK. "Parents can be assured that they will have access to clear, uniform ratings on games and an accurate understanding of game content," said Mike Rawlinson, president of industry body ELSPA.

The British Board of Film Classification was previously responsible for rating mature games. The BBFC controversially refused to rate Carmaggedon and Manhunt 2 which effectively banned them until its decisions were overturned on appeal--though the former was rated in the interim after turning pedestrians into green-blooded zombies.

All 21 songs of the forthcoming Rock Band Country Track Pack were today unveiled by developer Harmonix, enabling those interested to gaze upon the list with a critical eye.

As with past Rock Band Track Packs, the Country Track Pack will be a stand-alone retail disc that does not require users to own any past Rock Band entries. Priced at $30 and packing over a dozen temporarily "exclusive" songs--to be later released as Rock Band 1 and 2 downloadable content--the pack hits PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii on July 21.

1. Alan Jackson - "Good Time"*
2. Brad Paisley - "Mud on the Tires"
3. Brooks & Dunn - "Hillbilly Deluxe"... Read more

If bustin' makes you feel good, then by golly, this is your week.

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 and Nintendo DS. Should you want to check out any past release lists, scope out our handy archive.

Most of this week's releases should be on North American store shelves by Wednesday, June 17. That said, you should be able to find both Ghostbusters and Guitar Hero on Tuesday morning, as some places already have copies, but just can't sell them 'til then.

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THQ's mixed martial arts hit UFC 2009 Undisputed reigned supreme over the North American console software charts in May.

The fighting game--developed by Japanese studio Yuke's Osaka--recorded over one million sales between the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, which placed first and fourth place on the list, respectively.

Sucker Punch's PlayStation 3-exclusive action game inFamous, released on May 26, recorded 175,900 sales in its first six days of business.

May's North American console software leaders:

1. UFC 2009 Undisputed (Yuke's Osaka, Xbox 360) - 679,600 units
2. Wii Fit w/Balance Board(Nintendo, Wii) - 352,800 units
3. EA Sports Active Bundle (EA Sports, Wii) - 345,800 units
4. UFC 2009 Undisputed (Yuke's Osaka, PS3) - 334,400 units
5. inFamous (Sucker Punch, PS3) - 175,900 units... Read more