Comic-Con 2009-flavoredLost Planet 2screenshots really aren’t all that different from regularLost Planet 2screens. In fact, I know one of these images isn’t new; at least, I could have sworn I had seen it somewhere before. What gives, Capcom? At any rate, the game appears to be coming along nicely. We knewLost Planet 2would be amplifying the size and amount of monsters over the original game, but look at this stuff! If these pictures are representative of the final product, then the scope of the game is going to be massive....

Sega Of America CEO Simon Jefferyhas been talking abouthow videogames companies use social networks to their advantage, but has issued a stern warning that “over investment” in the market could turn users away, and ultimately lead to the downfall of a network. Using MySpace as an example, Jeffery suggests that as soon as “tha kidz” sense an overbearing corporate presence in a social network, they move on to greener pastures. It’s still very trendy to hate huge corporations, so it’s a theory that actually makes sense, discounting the main fact that MySpace is simply an ad-riddled, buggy piece of trash....

What is going on here?! Whatever it is, I like it. I’m told this is what happens when Mommy’s Best Games (Weapon of Choice,Shoot 1UP) takes onSerious Sam. Turns out, the end result is pretty damn magnificent, at least on an “overwhelms your senses withawesome” level. Between the headless kamikaze women, lava people with pogo sticks, and King Kong’s Egyptian (?) doppleganger, I don’t know how one could turn downSerious Sam: Double D....

NoSOCOM 4for you this year; Zipper Interactive, the game’s developer, has confirmed that the PlayStation 3 title has slipped into 2011. “While we’re certainly aware that you’ve been looking forward to playing SOCOM 4 this year, we don’t want to take any shortcuts,” it said. “Instead, we want to deliver the best and most immersive SOCOM game we possibly can and we’re going to use our extra time to do just that....

I’m not even sure thatthisis a story, but it has two things going for it. The first is that it involves breasts and since we’re all prepubescent guys here (and that one lesbian) we care about breasts a lot. The second is that I could not pass up the chance to describe the episode ofQueen’s Bladethat recently got pulled from the PlayStation Network. The first episode of the anime series showed up on PSN rated TV-MA and was downloadable for free....

God of War IIIis coming out on the PlayStation 3 next year, and that’s no surprise. And after seeing the trailer that premiered at last night’s Spike VGAs, the game doesn’t look surprising, either … but that’s not a bad thing. If we’re to assume the trailer is what the game will look like in action,God of Warfans should be excited to see Kratos hacking up beasts and running across walls in high definition....

The new Japanese teaser site for their fantastic-looking puzzle gameechocromemay appear a bit sparse at first sight, but that’s probably intentional, seeing has how the game is in only black and white. We haven’t heard much since the game’sE3 announcementearlier this year, so we’ll take anything we can get. The teaser page contains some classy music and animations for you to enjoy as well as the gameplay trailer (bottom menu option)you might have already seen....

Acting quickly to quell the nasty rumor originating from the Dutch gaming site Gamed.nl that the already somewhat controversial 40GB PlayStation 3 has a whopping 40% failure rate, comes official word fromSony(along with a not so subtle jab at the site) that nothing could be further from the truth: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) can categorically deny that there is a 40% failure rate on the newly release 40GB PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3) as has been reported on a Dutch website....

Let it not be said that Sony isn’t ambitious. Despite the fact that the PlayStation 2 is still one of the most popular consoles of our time, SCEE’s Andrew House believes that the PlayStation 3will surpass it, aided in its quest by boosted functionality and online capabilities. “If you look at the PS2, still in some markets going very strong, especially in North America in its tenth year on the market, we still can’t predict where that lifecycle will end,” he explains toEdgemagazine....

Let us not judge Activision. Sure, it’s been less than a week since they releasedSpider-Man 3on every platform known to man. And so far, the game has received an overwhelming “Blah” from the community. But the movie (which was sold out both times I tried to see it this weekend) is making a killing at the box office, so it’s hard to blame them for going back to the well....

Square Enix is pumping out some violence lately, especially with the acquisition of Eidos. How best to treat these Western-oriented blood festivals? Give them their own label. Square Enix has today revealed a brand new umbrella under which its M-rated Western games will be published, Extreme Edge. The idea, as explained by Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada, is to provide an easy form of identification for titles likeKane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, allowing gamers to gravitate towards or outright ignore them, depending on personal sensibilities....

Hardware’s important to PC gamers. Unlike console gamers, for whom hardware is little more than a feature list, fanboy bait, and marketing copy, it’s critical for PC gamers to know which bits do what in those crazy metal boxes sitting on their desks. It’s also critical to developers, who need to know how much of their potential market can actuallyplaytheir masterpieces. That makes theSteam Hardware Surveyall the more significant, as its data provides a good approximation of the hardcore PC landscape....

Exciting news for fans of dual gun wielding, room trashing, and white doves — Midway have announced that they will be releasing a demo forStrangleholdon Xbox Live and the PC early August. In case you don’t have a calendar in front of you, August starts next Wednesday. That is the day when everyone can start whining, “Where’s theStrangeholddemo? Midway said they were releasing aStranleholddemo!” The PC and Xbox 360 versions of the full game will be shipping on August 27....