I have no idea what Solid Snake is doing with an iPod, but here are some new screenshots from Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) that show off all sorts of product placement.

To be honest, I'm just as confused as you are. Will these items actually be in Kojima Productions' finished game, which is due out June 12? Or are the shots merely some marketing thing? Kojima-created Photoshops?

Either way, we're likely to get more details tomorrow in the wake of publisher Konami's upcoming press event.

Between spurts of not-work-safe media, developer Gravity has claimed its Havok-powered MMO Requiem: Bloodymare (PC) represents "a world where living nightmares take players by the throat...and never let go."

Starting May 15, the gaming public will have its chance to figure out what, if anything, that actually means. The free-to-play game's open beta begins this Thursday, with registration now available over at PlayRequiem.com.

Age of Empires developer Ensemble Studio wants you to remember that its Halo-themed RTS is due out on Xbox 360 at some point this year, so it has provided a few new screenshots.

For more details on Halo Wars, check out our optimistic first impressions.

Continuing its Spring Showcase blowout, Microsoft has released concept art and a number of screenshots from Team Ninja's slash 'em up sequel Ninja Gaiden II (X360), which is due out on June 3.

The latest media out of Microsoft's Spring Showcase relates to Lionhead's open-world RPG Fable 2 (X360).

Microsoft claims that the game world of Fable 2 is ten times larger than that of the original, with the sequel set to arrive during the relatively vague "holiday" season.

For more on Fable 2, check out our coverage of creator Peter Molyneux's GDC lecture and our following interview with the man himself.

Note: The following is unedited b-roll footage. It is meant to be chopped up into little bits for a larger segment and has not undergone the traditional editing process of a trailer.

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Publisher Gamecock sent over three new screenshots from Replay Studios' World War II-era stealth action title Velvet Assassin.

The screenshots further prove validity of creative director Sascha Jungnickel, who famously claimed that the female lead is not "a tits monster or an ass monster."

Formerly known as Sabotage, Velvet Assassin is due out on Xbox 360 and PC this fall.

Following yesterday's initial screenshots, Electronic Arts has sent out more media from Skate It, the skateboarding game in development for Wii and Nintendo DS. There are Wii and DS screenshots, and for both platforms we also have videos focused on game controls.

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Registered users can use the HD Stream. Click through for the Nintendo DS video ... Read more

Microsoft and Epic Games have released new screenshots from Gears of War 2, apparently captured from the same session as the recently-released gamepay footage.

An Xbox 360 exclusive, the cover-heavy action sequel is slated to arrive in November. Much like the first Gears of War, Epic has no plans to for a downloadable demo.

Shacknews will be attending a Gears of War 2 demonstration later today. Check back with us then for any new details unveiled during the briefing.

If you're one of the many searching for a way to be fashionable and save the world at the same time, publisher Agetec has a game for you.

Titled Falling Star, the PlayStation 2 RPG has players assuming the role of Luna as she trains a pet to stop her mean old green-skinned uncle from ruining Dazzleon.

With cute characters, simplified controls and tons of mini-games, the title is aimed at younger children, but adults can play too when it arrives later this summer!

"The dress-up portion is what really makes the game stand out," explained a company representative. "If neighbors like the way you dress, they will start offering you missions, quests, mini-games. If they don't like the way you dress, they might not even talk to you!"

Furthering the silly amount of material leaked from Microsoft's Spring Showcase are new Too Human (X360) screenshots that show the action-RPG's cooperative play. As with the leaked Banjo Kazooie and Viva Pinata 2 screens, these shots recently began popping up on message boards and sites.

For more on Silicon Knights' efforts to reinvigorate the action-RPG genre, scope out our hands-on impressions of Too Human.

Check back with Shacknews tomorrow morning for the full scoop on Microsoft's Spring Showcase and its many titles, assuming there is anything left to cover by that time.

Reversing today's trend of rumors and unofficial assets, publisher Atari has issued several flame-filled screenshots from Eden Studios' Alone in the Dark.

The reimagining of the classic survival horror franchise is set to hit PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 and Wii on June 24, with a PlayStation 3 version following later this year.

Microsoft sent over a few new screenshots of Wanako Studios' Assault Heroes 2, reminding us that the downloadable Xbox 360 title is slated for release this week. Priced at 800 Microsoft Points ($10), the sequel follows up on the original Assault Heroes with more levels, dinosaurs, and outer space stages. It will be available for download from the console's online Xbox Live Marketplace beginning this Wednesday, May 14.

A new entry in the classic action-adventure series Pitfall will be released on the Wii this fall, publisher Activision has revealed.

Titled Pitfall: The Big Adventure and developed by Pitfall: The Lost Expedition (PS2, Xbox, GCN) veteran Edge of Reality, the game is said to incorporate motion-sensitive controls with reptile dodging, vine swinging, and clever puzzles across its 60 levels.

"What could be more fun than using the Wii Remote to swing on a vine over blood thirsty crocodiles as retro-cool Pitfall Harry," pondered Activision representative Dave Oxford.

First released on the Atari 2600, Pitfall represents one of Atari's longest-running franchises.

The first screenshots and artwork from Gothic 4 have surfaced, providing the first glimpse at the action-RPG sequel announced last August.

Handled this time around by Spellbound Entertainment instead of series creator Piranha Bytes, Gothic 4 is slated to hit PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Electronic Arts has announced that it is developing a direct sequel to EA Black Box's skateboarding title Skate (PS3, X360), referred to as simply Skate 2, along with separate Wii and Nintendo DS entries titled Skate It.

The Wii and Nintendo DS iterations of the series (both pictured below) are due out later this year. The Nintendo DS version will use the portable's touch screen to control tricks.

Along with motion-sensitive controls that "mirror actual skate flips and moves," the Wii edition of Skate It will support the Wii Balance Board that comes packed with Wii Fit.

As for Skate 2, it was only revealed that the sequel is due on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Released last fall, Skate and its thumbstick-centered control scheme outsold the competing Tony Hawk game by a ratio of 2:1, prompting Activision to halt its annual Tony Hawk iterations and rework the series. EA had previously noted that it planned more Skate games.

Staying true to its long ago promise, Nintendo today launched WiiWare, its storefront for original downloadable Wii games, with six titles:

• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King / 1500 Wii Points ($15)
• LostWinds / 1000 Wii Points ($10)
• Defend Your Castle / 500 Wii Points ($5)
• Pop / 700 Wii Points ($7)
• V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack / 700 Wii Points ($7)
• TV Show King / 1000 Wii Points ($10)

Accessible from the Wii's online Shop Channel, WiiWare joins the platform's Virtual Console service, which offers downloadable retro classics. Due to WiiWare's arrival, there will be no Virtual Console release this week.

As has been the case with Virtual Console, new WiiWare titles will release on Mondays. Upcoming games include Dr. Mario Online RX, Tetris, and Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People.

Keep reading for more details of today's releases, including screenshots.... Read more

Much like Banjo Kazooie (X360), it seems that the first screenshots from a Viva Pinata sequel have begun circulating the 'net in advance of the Xbox 360 title's official unveiling.

Judging from the use of multiple player cursors, it seems the previously-unannounced followup to Rare's garden-building, pinata-breeding effort will add some sort of multiplayer component. The first Viva Pinata hit Xbox 360 in 2006 and PC in 2007.

As Microsoft is holding is Spring Showcase in San Francisco tomorrow, check back tomorrow morning for the official word on Viva Pinata 2 and the rest of the company's Xbox 360 lineup.

Update: Eleven more screenshots have surfaced to accompany the original two.

Be sure to hit up our Spring Showcase Roundup for all the news and media from Microsoft's recent event, including a hands-on preview Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts.

Original Story: Two supposed but rather legitimate-looking screenshots of Rare's upcoming Xbox 360 action-adventure title Banjo Kazooie began making rounds on the internet today.

Representing the first media of the game to arrive since its 2006 announcement trailer, the images provide an in-game glimpse of the first Banjo effort to hit a home console since the Nintendo 64 release of Banjo Tooie in 2000.

Rumors suggest the title, which is often referred to by series fans as Banjo Kazooie 3 or Banjo Threeie, will be compatible with the oft-rumored Wii Remote-esque Xbox 360 controller.

Given that Microsoft is set to show Banjo Kazooie at its Spring Showcase event on Tuesday, it is likely that these assets are from the media that is planned that day. Check back with Shacknews Tuesday for more on Banjo and the rest of Microsoft's 2008 lineup.

Publisher Game Factory has unveiled new details concerning Two Tribes' time-waster send-up Rubik's World (Wii, NDS), and released a pair of accompanying screenshots.

Both the Wii and DS versions of the title feature 8 distinct games each, said to mix puzzles, quizzes, music and sound activities, in addition to the classic Rubik's Cube game.

The press release issued by the publisher also states that "the better ... Read more

Several new screenshots of Slant Six Games' SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation have been released, showcasing a few of the game's urban battlefields.

The online multiplayer-only shooter will be available as a retail release and a PlayStation Network download on September 16.