Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is almost here. What more needs to be said?

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.

Modern Warfare 2 will be on North American store shelves Tuesday, November 10. The rest of this week's retail releases should be available by Wednesday, November 11.

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A small flood of new media for the upcoming Tony Hawk: Ride has hit the streets.

Here are some new screenshots, followed by a "Gameplay Vignette," and another video that shows off the new wireless, motion-controlled skateboard peripheral.... Read more

A new trailer for James Cameron's Avatar: The Game arrived today. It showcases the alien world of Pandora and its colorful, yet aggressive denizens, the Na'vi. Players face them as RDA Corporation Soldiers and giant armored mechs in fights ranging through the jungles. Alien panther-like animals and large red rhinos are thrown into the mix, for good measure.

Players will be able to fight alongside RDA Corp, or side with the indigenous aliens when Avatar arrives on December 1 for the PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, PSP and Wii. You can check out our previous coverage of Avatar: The Game here.

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Having already made his Rock Band debut in with another band, Jack White returns to Harmonix's music game franchise with a selection of tracks from The White Stripes as The Damned and Kasabian toss songs of their own on the downloadable wagon.

Due on Xbox 360 and Wii Tuesday, November 10 and PlayStation 3 on Thursday, November 12, each of the following tunes will go for the usual asking price of $2 / 160 Microsoft Points, with three-pack offering a slight savings at $5.50 / 440 MS Points.

The White Stripes Pack 01
• The White Stripes - "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground"*
• The White Stripes - "Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine"*
• The White Stripes - "Icky Thump"
• The Damned - "Smash It Up (Part II)"*
• Kasabian - "Club Foot"*

*Also available in the family-friendly LEGO Rock Band Music Store.

Continuing to highlight the various tweaks of Super Street Fighter IV, Capcom Japan has issued a new trailer that outlines some of the new modes. And while the Japanese text makes some things a little hard to understand, smashing cars is universal.

Packing new moves and new fighters, including T.Hawk and Dee Jay, the enhanced re-release of Street Fighter IV hits PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 next spring.

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While id is still deciding exactly what the multiplayer component of Rage will entail, the studio has said that the shooter is unlikely to support dedicated servers on PC. "It's not cast in stone yet, but at this point no, we don't think we will have dedicated servers," id technical director John Carmack told Variety's The Cut Scene before noting "things are cooking along well" for the PC, Mac, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 title.

Infinity Ward recently revealed that its anticipated shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 would not support dedicated servers, a decision met with vocal opposition.

"The great thing is we won't have to be a pioneer on that," explained... Read more

"SKATE 3 is just too big to have been released as a downloadable expansion," producer Brian Lindley tells me of the sequel announced just shy of eight months after SKATE 2 arrived.

"We're adding several new features and a entirely new city in Port Carverton, so SKATE 3 is an all-new experience," he says. Among the various additions are a focus on team play, new tricks, the Skate.Park editor, the Skate.School training mode, and new challenge modes designed around co-op.

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And just how does this focus on forming the "ultimate team" affect the single-player portion of EA Black Box's stick-flicking skateboarding sequel... Read more

Another new trailer for Bayonetta is here, explaining how the hair-shirted heroine can build up her magical energy by slaying demons, and use it to unleash powerful "Torture Attacks" on her foes. Iron maidens, guillotines, and high-caliber heels included.

The game was recently released in Japan, and will be available in North America and Europe on January 5th and 8th, respectively. You can peruse our previous Bayonetta coverage here.

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Explosive racer Split/Second has received another trailer, this one outlining the dangers that everyday objects pose. Why, just about anything can be exploded to sabotage your opponents, from radar dishes and smokestacks to airplanes and ships.

Much like developer Black Rock's 2008 release Pure, Split/Second is due out on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. No word yet on an exact release date beyond "2010."

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A multiplayer beta for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will be available on PlayStation 3 come November 19 and then hit PC in December, developer DICE announced today.

Those in North America can gain access to the PlayStation 3 beta by pre-ordering the game from GameStop, with those in Europe and Asia told to be on the lookout for "local opportunities." The December-due PC beta, meanwhile, will be open to all.

But that's not all, as a downloadable multiplayer demo will hit PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 "early next year," presumably before the shooter's retail release on March 2.

The beta includes one map, Arica Harbor, as seen in the below trailer... Read more

The first patch for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising has arrived on PC with free downloadable content in tow, now available in a 243MB download on FileShack.

The included 'Skirmish' DLC adds four new multiplayer maps and two Fire Team Engagement missions, and is slated to hit Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for $5 (400 Microsoft Points) and $4 respectively following the release of a separate title update.

The patch for the PC release brings fixes for everything from lag and control issues to crashes and the interface, all detailed in the following changelog.

• The game now displays the version number on the front end.
• Video can now be captured with the software FRAPS... Read more

Eminem and Nate Dogg's "Till I Collapse" serves as the musical backdrop for Modern Warfare 2's launch trailer, which intersperses scenes of chaos with critical praise.

Practically guaranteed to be one of the year's top-sellers, Infinity Ward's controversial shooter sequel hits next Tuesday, November 10, on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

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Is Activision really getting sued again? No Doubt!

TMZ reports that the band No Doubt is suing Activision for "the unauthorized use of the No Doubt's name and likeness," in Band Hero, released on November 2. The band is suing for an injunction prohibiting the use of the band members' likenesses in songs other than the three No Doubt tracks included in the game, and seeks an undisclosed amount of damages.

The lawsuit, filed in L.A. County Superior Court, claims that the game "transformed No Doubt band members into a virtual karaoke circus act," a statement indicative of being able to play any of the game's more than 60 tracks using No Doubt avatars... Read more

More Assassin's Creed 2 media has crept silently from the shadows and explains some differences between Ezio, the series' new protagonist, and his predecessor Altair.

Unlike Altair, who was trained by a cabal of assassins to be a professional killer, the new "hero" Ezio is described as a "man of the Renaissance" out for revenge. In other words, killing isn't just his day job.

Assassin's Creed 2 jumps out and shanks the PS3 and Xbox 360 on November 17, with the PC version to arrive in early 2010.

Check out the new trailer below, or the "Tramps and Thieves" trailer here.

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In a terse mailing, Namco Bandai today passed along word that it is working on downloadable update to Tekken 6 it hopes will "improve the online game experience."

The update will be available to players of the recently released PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 fighting game "as soon as it has passed rigorous testing procedures." More details, including specifics on the addressed issues, are said to be coming "shortly."

Though we're still in the dark as to what the patch will contain, we do know that it won't pack online cooperative play for Scenario Mode, as Namco was quite clear that the previously promised co-op update will arrive separately this winter.

Ever wonder what would happen if one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse was betrayed? Yes or no, developer Vigil readied its answer in the form of Darksiders.

The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 action game, published by studio owner THQ, arrives in North America on January 5, with its European release following on January 7.

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The stylish stop-motion video that seemingly promoted the sequel to American McGee's Alice was not an official video, the titular game designer has clarified on his blog.

"It was unofficial, and does not represent any of the final art direction or story elements in Alice 2," McGee said of the video that cropped up earlier this week. "We look forward to sharing information on the game in the future."

The video appeared on ReturnofAlice.com, which now redirects to McGee's blog post on the matter. Shacknews apologizes for its part in the misunderstanding.

Troy Morgan, who crafted the video, explained it "was created on spec as an advertising pitch to Electronic Arts and American McGee...but it never went any further."

The PlayStation 3 version of Jonathan Blow's downloadable puzzle-platformer Braid will arrive in North America on November 12, publisher Hothead revealed today.

Previously released on PC and Xbox 360, Braid allows players to manipulate time to solve puzzles as they explore the side-scrolling world and its "real-world metaphors."

No word yet as to how much the PlayStation 3 edition of Braid will run--both the PC and Xbox 360 versions are priced at $15--or when it will arrive in Europe. Should you be interested in sampling the title, we have a 120MB PC demo over on FileShack.

Update: Braid will be $14.99 on PlayStation 3, according to the PlayStation.Blog.

The importance of having friends in both high and low places is imparted in the latest Assassin's Creed II trailer, which details the open-world game's various factions.

Ubisoft Montreal's premeditated murder simulation sequel hits PS3 and Xbox 360 on November 17, with portable iPhone and Nintendo DS renditions and Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines PSP coming the same day. AC2 PC, meanwhile, arrives in early 2010.

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Author Richard Morgan, best known for his cyberpunk sci-fi novel Altered Carbon, revealed on his blog that he's been working with Electronic Arts as a consultant on three upcoming games (via A Dribble of Ink). He explains that the relationship started with an email from John Miles at EA about a year ago. A meeting with Miles and fellow EA employees Jeff Gamon and Colin Robinson resulted in an offer to write the script for a project already underway and to consult on future games. Part of the deal included heading off to Berlin the next week and since it seems he accepted we can assume that was his next stop.

While Morgan does not disclose what projects he might be on the names and locations offer plenty of clues. Miles, who initially reached out to him, recently has been working with the EA Partners group which includes developers Crytek and Starbreeze. The quick trip to Berlin put him only a short train ride away from Crytek's headquarters in Frankfurt. Morgan's gritty style would definitely fit well with the Crysis franchise. But hold on, before we forget, Crytek also bought developer Free Radical earlier this year, including the rights to the TimeSplitters IP, and kept the studio in the UK running. That sounds like two perfect fits already.

As to whether Starbreeze is involved that seems too be out. They're currently working on a Bourne game for EA. More likely, given Morgan's strengths, is that he would be working on the Mirror's Edge sequel Patrick Soderlund said a small team was working on already back at E3. So there you go, three games: writing a new TimeSplitters (4), and consulting on the next Crysis game and Mirrors Edge 2.

UPDATE: Or, as Chris just pointed out to me, maybe Starbreeze isn't out of the picture. We reported earlier this year that EA planned to revive Syndicate. At the time rumors pointed to Starbreeze being the studio tabbed to take the project.