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

The "Imperial Agent" is the sixth class to be revealed for Star Wars: The Old Republic, joining the Trooper, Smuggler, Jedi Knight, Bounty Hunter and Sith Warrior classes.

"The Imperial Agent always has the right tools at the right time," BioWare community manager Sean Dahlberg said of the gadget-heavy class in a forum post. "They use abilities of subversion and subterfuge to infiltrate and assassinate enemies of the Sith Empire with deadly efficiency. Players who choose to be Imperial Agents in The Old Republic will see the underbelly of the Empire in a whole new light."

While BioWare's announcement of the class lacked any screenshots, IncGamers soon rectified the situation. As before, there's been no official word as to when BioWare's anticipated PC MMO will launch or what business model it will use.

"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

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

As promised, Microsoft today opened "the new virtual home for all things Halo" on Xbox 360 in the form of a free downloadable application dubbed "Halo Waypoint."

Waypoint allows players to track their progress through various Halo titles, as well as keep up with the latest news and videos. The program also rewards users with unlockable Avatar goods, like a helmet, for earning certain... Read more

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

Gears of War and Unreal developer Epic Games today released its Unreal Engine 3 dev tools as a free download, aimed at providing noncommercial and educational use of the technology that powers many PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 games.

The 563MB Unreal Development Kit can be found on FileShack, with various Unreal Tournament 3 assets included to help you get started. Two UDK-crafted sample games are also available: Psyonix's vertical puzzler Whizzle and Toltec's The Ball.

"I'm excited about the possibilities the Unreal Development Kit opens to those who are looking to get into the game business but don't otherwise have the means to acquire world-class technology and tools like ours," said Epic VP Mark... Read more

Shedding further light on the forthcoming showdown between the Blood Ravens and Chaos Space Marines, publisher THQ and developer Relic have released new screenshots from the upcoming Dawn of War II expansion Chaos Rising (PC). Packing 15 new campaign missions along with new multiplayer maps, units, items and the addition of the Chaos Space Marines as a playable faction in multiplayer, the standalone strategy-RPG expansion is slated to arrive in spring 2010.

We've also got an extended cut of the initial teaser, now with gameplay... Read more

With the release of its first title mere days away, Futuremark Game Studios has issued more screenshots and footage from its multiplayer PC shooter Shattered Horizon. Though the trailer says it's now available, Shattered Horizon doesn't arrive until Wednesday, November 4. Those who pre-order the download get a discount and early access to the various free level packs coming post-release... Read more

Relive a classic Raiders of the Last Ark moment in this new LEGO Indiana Jones 2 trailer, splicing footage from the film and its plasticised video game recreation.

LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues hits PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, DS and PSP on November 17 with revamped versions of the films recreated in the first LEGO Indiana Jones plus Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and now toting a level editor.

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This week sees a large and varied selection of titles being released for download on the DSi and Wii, from a Viking-themed DSi tower defense and WiiWare carnival minigames to the TurboGrafx16 port of the original arcade Street Fighter.

DSiWare
• Battle of Giants: Dragons - Bronze Edition - $8
• Sparkle Snapshots - $5
• Viking Invasion - $8

WiiWare
• "Aha! I Got It!" Escape Game - $5
• Carnival King - $7
• Family Card Games - $5
Wii Virtual Console
• Fighting Street (TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM) - $8
• R-TYPE (Sega Master System) - $5

Nintendo's blurb on the games--all available from 9am PST--follows... Read more

To celebrate the seventh anniversary of its Half-Life multiplayer mod Natural Selection, independent developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment today issued the first screenshots from its impending standalone sequel Natural Selection 2.

Powered by Unknown's proprietary "Spark" engine, the multiplayer-focused game mixes elements of strategy with first-person shooting action. It's slated to arrive via Steam in 2010, with those that pre-order getting access to the level editor in November.

For another glimpse of the sequel, check out the initial teaser trailer... Read more

The Force-using, droid-tossing, and lightsaber-swinging ways of the Jedi Knights are detailed in these new screenshots from BioWare's upcoming Star Wars PC MMO. There's still no official word as to when Star Wars: The Old Republic will launch or what business models it will use, though beta signups are still open.

It looks as if Matt Hazard's second outing will be just as satirical as his first, as these "Blood Bath and Beyond" screenshots include some rather recognizable facsimiles. The side-scrolling shooter is slated to hit PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as a digital download during the first quarter of 2010, with Vicious Cycle once again developing.

A few new screenshots of Rockstar San Diego's Red Dead Redemption arrived today, providing a glimpse of gorgeous vistas, exploding shacks and a midday gunfight. Powered by the same engine as Grand Theft Auto IV, the open-world cowboy lifestyle game is due out on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 during the first half of 2010.

EA has released new Battlefield: Bad Company 2 screenshots and a trailer showing off six of the multiplayer unlockable items in DICE's squad-based shooter, which will be available off the bat in a 'Limited Edition' costing the same as the regular release.

The limited edition will be available for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 "while supplies last" when Battlefield: Bad Company 2 hits all three platforms on March 2, 2010.

Players who end up lumbered with the regular edition will presumably still be able to gain the unlocks--detailed below--the old-fashioned way by ranking up in multiplayer.

Four vehicle warfare unlocks

• Improved Vehicle Armor - An up-armor package is mounted on all vehicle types, decreasing the effect of both explosive and penetrating warheads, significantly improving vehicle survivability... Read more

Following the recent confirmation of Warren Spector's long-rumored Wii platformer Epic Mickey, publisher Disney today unleashed a torrent of media and details.

Disney described the "edgy and unexpected cartoon adventure" as "an adventure-platforming game with light role-playing elements," explaining that "players use the Wii Remote to wield magical paint and thinner to re-shape the world around them."

Spector, known for his contributions to fan-favorite first-person shooter series Deus Ex, noted that "the core of this game is the idea of choice and consequence, and how that defines both the character and the player." Development is being handled by Junction Point, which Spector created in 2005 and then sold to Disney in 2007.

Due in fall 2010, Epic Mickey tells of how the iconic mascot "inadvertently devastates" a community of forgotten cartoon characters led by Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and incurs their wrath. More details, straight from Disney, follow bellow... Read more

With the early 2010 launch of Star Trek Online fast approaching and the closed beta underway, publisher Atari has sent forth new screenshots of the sci-fi PC MMO. The latest from Champions Online developer Cryptic Studios, Star Trek Online does not yet have a specific launch date. An Atari representative told Shacknews that it should launch in February, with various retailers listing it for release on February 2.

Telltale Games has released important new evidence concerning The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood, the fourth chapter of its episodic classic adventure revival Tales of Monkey Island, which is released for PC subscribers on Friday.

The episodes' downloadable WiiWare releases have so far trailed several weeks behind the PC debut, and we'll let you know when it arrives. Until then, adventure fanatics desperate for a jolt of Telltale can enjoy our interview with CEO Dan Connors.

I'm starting to think that Dante may be more of a hero than people realize. I mean, would you want to be trapped in those heels for all eternity? These screens are meant as "a warning of the terrors that await the sinful among us," after all. He's just trying to help. Visceral's hellish beat 'em up hits PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PSP on February 9.