Two of the more controversial aspects of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 have both seen significant developments, one in an official capacity and the other unofficially.

On the official side of things, Activision has confirmed reports that the Russian version of the Infinity Ward's record-breaking shooter was censored in the territory, specifically removing the controversial airport-set "No Russian" terrorist sequence.

"Other countries have formal ratings boards that we regularly work with," the company told Eurogamer. "However, Russia does not have a formal ratings entity. As a result, we chose to block the scene after seeking the advice of local counsel... Read more

A sequel to Rockstar Vancouver's Bully is in the works, or least so the controversial open-world school 'em up's composer Shawn Lee has told The Gaming Liberty.

"It looks like I will be doing the soundtrack for Bully 2 in the not so distant future," the musician told the site in a recent interview. No further details have been given.

Released for PlayStation 2 in 2006, Bully brought Grand Theft Auto-style sandbox play to a boarding school, complete with minigame-based lessons, prefects to dodge and an armoury of schoolyard weapons. An expanded version hit PC, Xbox 360 and Wii in 2008.

Rockstar Vancouver is currently developing Max Payne 3, its continuation of the Remedy series due on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 between February and June 30, 2010.

A new Grand Theft Auto 4 patch released for PC today, which GTAForums.com users report silently adds support for achievements from 'The Lost And Damned,' the downloadable content which has so far been exclusive to the Xbox 360 version.

The six Games for Windows Live achievements reportedly arriving in this latest patch correspond to the Xbox Live achievements added by The Lost and Damned, which hit Xbox 360 in February with a tale of Liberty City motorcycle gang The Lost.

Microsoft paid Rockstar $50 million in 2007 for exclusivity on two DLC packs, and declared its Xbox 360 "the only console where you can get the complete Grand Theft Auto IV experience" at a time when the PC version had yet to be announced.

Shacknews has contacted Rockstar for comment. The 98MB patch can be downloaded from FileShack, with its list of changes following below... Read more

Update: A scribble-free set of the Halo Reach shots have been uncovered by NeoGAF, with indications that MLG Forums poster ToM MoReLLo was not the original source, but rather obtained the pictures from someone else and claimed them as his own.

It is unclear as to whether MoReLLo fabricated the rumored details or was repeating information passed along by the initial source. The updated pictures are below.

Original: While Bungie has remained mum on Halo Reach, it seems that someone out there in cyberland has spilled the beans, as images and details... Read more

Enthusiastic Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer recently sat down for an interview with Gizmodo to discuss future plans for the Xbox 360, and revealed some interesting information about both Natal and Blu-ray functionality.

Ballmer commented about the future roadmap for Natal, following the positive reception given the tech demos earlier this year. Once Natal is released to the public, he states that the plan is to "take [Natal] to the next level; be it on Xbox, or other scenarios." When asked if Natal could meaningfully extend the lifespan of the Xbox 360, effectively challenging the traditional concept of "generational" console-releases, Ballmer coyly replied, "We'll see."

... Read more

It seems that word of Insomniac's extremely likely followup to Resistance 2 has emerged not from the gaming industry, but Hollywood.

NeoGAF user goldsoundz claims to have run across a movie set with a billboard for the unannounced PlayStation 3 exclusive sequel. The logo features a silhouette of the Statue of Liberty, suggesting that the sci-fi shooter will be set, at least partially, in New York.

The set is reportedly located in Shreveport, Louisiana, which then led other message board denizens to conclude that the location was gussied up for Columbia's upcoming alien invasion flick Battle: Los Angeles. The movie is due out in February 2011.

Unsurprisingly, Insomniac and publisher Sony have yet to issue any comment. Insomniac traditionally releases a new game each fall, and has alternated between Ratchet & Clank and Resistance releases since the PlayStation 3 launched. The next Ratchet is due out October 27, with no official word on what's next for the independent studio.

Assuming this latest rumor is to be believed, the folks responsible for turning Dante's Inferno into a video game are looking to transform Jack the Ripper into a superhero.

Destructoid reports, via "sources," that the Jack of "The Ripper" is a "supernatural slayer protecting people from demons, vampires and other evil monsters" packing an "assortment of over-the-top weapons" and an "ability that lets him slow down time."

While the project is still unconfirmed, word of "The Ripper" began making the rounds yesterday after Electronic Arts filed file and game-related trademarks on the title, with an overlooked rumor naming Dead Space maker Visceral Games as the developer.

Evidence is mounting that well-known serial killer Jack the Ripper is to star in a new game from Dead Space and Dante's Inferno maker Visceral Games--an Electronic Arts-owned studio dedicated to "creating intense action-oriented intellectual properties."

Superannuation notes that Electronic Arts recently filed for film and game-related trademarks on "The Ripper." This led to the discovery of an overlooked LA Times report which claimed, via "sources," that Visceral was helming a Jack the Ripper game.

Electronic Arts has yet to comment on the matter. We'll keep you updated.

Rumors of a price cut to Nintendo's Wii console is gaining credence as a purported advertisement for the mark-down has leaked onto the internet.

The advertisement--spotted by a Kotaku tipster--allegedly comes from Toys R Us, which pegs the new price at $199. The system has retailed for $249 since its launch in 2006.

The advertisement is supposedly due to hit the papers on the week of September 27.

Both Microsoft and Sony cut the price of their high-end consoles to $300 in August.

Star Wars Galaxies maker Sony Online Entertainment may be crafting another MMO set in the popular sci-fi universe, provided that Ten Ton Hammer is to be believed.

Citing an "inside source," the site reports that it "sounds like" the project is a casual MMO set during The Clone Wars television show, and that the game will use the same technology as SOE's recent free-to-play minigame-filled MMO FreeRealms.

The site goes on to speculate that should Sony create a casual-oriented Star Wars MMO that shared the distinct look of the Clone Wars series, it wouldn't necessarily "take on" BioWare's anticipated Star Wars MMO, which is set in the "Old Republic" era.

Update: Raven has confirmed the layoffs, issuing an official statement: "With the recent completion of both Wolverine, based on the summer blockbuster movie, and Wolfenstein, the next chapter of the famed franchise, Raven Software is slightly reducing its workforce to better reflect the studio's upcoming slate."

Original story: Shacknews has heard from multiple sources that Wolfenstein and X-Men Origins: Wolverine developer Raven Software is being hit by a round of layoffs today.

The firings are said to have affected all areas of the the studio, and were not targeted at any specific team or project.

One source put the number of firings at 56 employees out of a... Read more

With three more advance retailer fliers listing lower prices for the Xbox 360 Pro and Xbox 360 Elite hardware, it seems that an imminent price drop is all but confirmed.

Leaked images of this Sunday's Target, Walmart and Best Buy advertisements respectively acquired by Engadget, Joystiq and Kotaku show the now-$399 Xbox Elite model and its included 120GB hard disc drive going for $299, joining the Meijer catalog image that recently surfaced and shared the same new price for the Elite.

Meanwhile, the currently-$299 Pro and its 60GB HDD are shown at $249.99. The Elite is rumored to be entirely replacing the Pro model, as the latest packing for Elite and $199 HDD-less Arcade units only list the Arcade and Elite favors of Microsoft's console.

Competitor Sony recently slashed prices on the rival PlayStation 3, lowering its cost by $100--from $399 to $299 on the 80GB model, $499 to $399 on the 160GB version--and introducing a slimmer, 120GB model of the console that will sell for $299.

Indications are rising that Microsoft intends to phase out the Xbox 360's $299 Pro model and lower the price of the now-$399 Elite unit, which packs a much larger hard drive.

Rumors picked up steam last week when Kotaku received photographs from GameStop employees of new Xbox 360 Arcade boxes listing the 120GB-packing Elite model and drive-less Arcade as the only available flavors of Xbox, with no Pro in sight.

Now Kotaku has a purported snapshot of a Meijer catalog due out August 30, showing the Elite with a "New Lower Price" of $299.99--the 60GB Pro's current price.

Rumblings of price cuts emerged from the ever-reliable Ars Technica mole earlier this year, with the source also claiming that Sony would drop the PlayStation 3 price and introduce the heavily rumored PS3 Slim model. While the site had no timeframe for said events, rumors indicate they may happen during GamesCom next week.

Several sources "close to the situation" have told WoW.com that the next World of Warcraft expansion will diversify the game's population with two new playable races.

The expansion--rumored to be dubbed "Cataclysm"--will add the Goblin race to the Horde side, with the Alliance gaining the werewolf-like Worgen race, according to the report.

Blizzard has yet to announce a scrap of information related to the next World of Warcraft expansion. Any official word is likely to come at the company's BlizzCon convention, set to begin on August 21.

As a former Horde player, the prospect of facing an army of players affiliated with the Son of Arugal--that elite level 20 backstabbing son of a bitch--is certainly intimidating.

Following the news that Six Days in Fallujah developer Atomic Games has terminated a number of its employees, a new IndustryGamers report indicates that the developer may be close to shutting down completely.

The report's anonymous source claims that the studio has seen its 75-person workforce reduced to "less than a dozen" employees.

"The remaining team is basically a skeleton cleanup crew that will be gone soon too," said the source. "They are trying to downplay the extent of these layoffs, but the reality is that Atomic is pretty much dead."

Atomic Games yesterday maintained that it was continuing to develop the controversial Six Days, despite being unable to find a new publisher following Konami's departure.

"Due to a mixture of fears about the edgy subject matter of Six Days in Fallujah, as well as low videogame sales this summer, we have been unable to secure full-scale funding from a major publisher for Six Days in Fallujah," reads the release. "Development at Atomic will continue with a smaller team that will be funded by our sister company, Destineer."

A new report by GamesIndustry.biz indicates that the creative director behind the controversial military shooter Six Days in Fallujah, Juan Benito, has left developer Atomic Games, sparking rumors that the game may have finally been cancelled.

Benito's LinkedIn profile appears to show that he has indeed departed the company. Atomic Games has declined to comment on the situation.

A shooter billed as a realistic portrayal of the invasion of Fallujah by US forces, Six Days in Fallujah immediately came under attack following its unveiling earlier this year. Gold Star Families, a coalition of families of soldiers that died in the Iraq war, stated that Six Days "trivialized" the war, and called for its cancellation.

Following the backlash, publisher Konami quickly pulled the game from its lineup. Atomic has since been developing the game independently while seeking a new publisher.

Following the leak of concept art from Deus Ex developer Warren Spector's purported Disney-themed game in development at Junction Point--a project referred to as "Epic Mickey"--new rumors have surfaced regarding the title's gameplay.

An anonymous source tells CVG that the game is in fact a Wii exclusive. The plot apparently involves "very old and/or forgotten Disney characters who are out to get their revenge on Mickey," a concept corroborated by the leaked art, which features the classic Disney character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

The Epic gameplay supposedly involves "[painting] your way through levels using the Wii Remote" by "drawing, etching and erasing whole or parts of levels as you go."

Disney has so far been tight-lipped on details of the game, saying only that it is "very encouraged" by Junction Point's work.

Swedish progressive metal band Opeth has let slip that Volition's open-world gang-banging shooter Saints Row might be coming to the PSP in March 2010, by announcing on its website that one of their songs had been chosen to feature in it.

We may not like playing video games all that much but we do like it when our music is featured on them! Makes us a bit proud even when it's a game as big as Saints Row for the PSP and even prouder when the nice developer people show excellent taste by picking "The Lotus Eater" for it. So if you love playing video games: the game is expected to hit the streets around March 2010.

Further metal credence is given to the story by a listing on the website of metal music publisher Magic Arts Publishing indicating they have licensed music for use in Saints Row PSP. Magic Arts previously licensed a track by The Agony Scene to Saints Row 2.

Neither Volition nor owner THQ have made any announcement regarding a PSP version of Saints Row. We have contacted THQ for comment.

With the September 1 release of Neversoft's multi-instrument music game sequel Guitar Hero 5 nearing, publisher Activision has confirmed a few more of the included songs. As such, we've updated our list of the tunes that have been officially announced or glimpsed.

In addition, Joystiq claims to have pieced together the "complete" 85-song list, though the site also warns that it's still "unofficial." Still, it seems to fit with songs that have been revealed since its publication and the full list of bands, so we've included it below.

First up, our compilation of the various songs that have been officially confirmed:

• A Perfect Circle - "Judith"
• Band Of Horses - "Cigarettes, Wedding Bands"... Read more

A third film in the series of Mortal Kombat film adaptations is on the way, according to comments made by one of the actors to SGV Tribune.

Martial artist Chris Casamassa, known for playing Scorpion in the previous two flicks, told the outlet that he'll be involved in a new Mortal Kombat movie. According to Casamassa, the movie is set to begin shooting in September.

Casamassa offered no other details on the film, though rumors of a franchise reboot have circulated since last year. Warner Bros. last week officially acquired Midway Games, makers of the Mortal Kombat games, putting the film rights firmly in the movie studio's hands.

The first Mortal Kombat film, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (Soldier, Mortal Kombat), raked in $122 million in worldwide ticket sales. The sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, took in only $51 million.