General manager of Xbox LIVE Marc Whitten continues his trend of writing us “letters” that recap Microsoft’s happenings at E3 once again. He usually slips in one or two unannounced items, and this year’s report is no different. Whitten discusses Netflix, and more importantly, how search is coming to the Xbox 360 Netflix application this November. No specific date was disclosed, but for once, I’m perfectly fine with that. The mere promise of such an update has me admittedly more giddy than I ought to be....

The much-hyped up game coming from EA and Steven Spielberghas finally been revealedfor the Wii. It’s calledBoom Bloxand is an action-puzzle game. The game will have over 300 levels and players will be able to create stages which can be shared with friends through the Wii online service. You’ll also be able to choose from 30 different blocky characters. The game is set to come outthis May. “Boom Blox plays on the enjoyment of building and knocking down blocks, something that can appeal innately to kids and adults of all ages,” noted Spielberg....

Bold, aren’t you? EA Partners’ David DeMartini said at gamescom thatCrysis 2will be hot. He just knows it. “It’s going to be another 90 rated game from Crytek,” he said. “I can say there’s an entire team that’s working on multiplayer alone for that game in England, so you’re able to imagine how strong it will be.” And they just showed some multiplayer at the gamescom demonstration. There’s more to come, DeMartini promises....

EA Redwood Shores Studio has been renamed toVisceral Games. Thank God for that. EARS was a horrible nickname for the company. The name change reflects the studio’s “culture, identity and focus on creating intense action-oriented intellectual properties.” It’s a fitting name, especially since they’re working on some pretty violent games such asDead Space: ExtractionandDante’s Inferno. The press release goes on to say that Visceral Games is also working on two unannounced titles....

Have you been wanting to try out a PSP/PS3 Mini but didn’t want to drop the cash? How’s $.99 for you? Halfbrick has dropped the price ofEchoeson the PlayStation Store to only a buck this week. It was original released in 2009 for $3, but now gamers in the US and Europe can get it for a dollar. Players control Charlie, a girl transported to a dream world while studying art, and finds herself in a series of bizarre and surreal levels....

You know, it would take nothing short of a videogame to get me interesting in the happenings of the 18th century, but I … wait, The Creative Assembly already made that game? It’s calledEmpire: Total War, and it is50% off on Steamthis weekend? Hot damn! Violenceandlearning, my favorite combination. Yep, that’s $24.99 forEmpire: Total Warto be teleported to your personal computing device of choice, and $34.99 forEmpire: Total War Special Forces Edition....

As social games become more and more accepted, and the base continues to grow and grow, I decided it was time to start asking some Facebook developers about the platform. This is the first article in a weeklong series that examines multiple angles: the division between social and hardcore, big publisher invasion, the necessity of notifications, and social games’ future. Like it or not, social Web games are shaping the industry, making it possible for older and younger folks to get involved in a pastime that is often described as difficult or convoluted by those not intimately familiar with it....

Not only willFight Night Championfeature the mostrealistic punching system ever seen, but the new boxing game will also be the first title from EA Sports to include a storyline. Yes, really. The story focuses on a character named Andre Bishop and will show a side of the boxing sport that’s never really been shown in videogames before. The story is written by Hollywood screenwriter, Will Rokos (Monster’s Ball) and EA will be revealing aspects of Andre bishop over on theFight NightFacebook page....

Since the release ofBrutal Legend, the minds over at Double Fine have been hard at work bringing us quirky new adventures and worlds to explore. Their upcoming XBLA/PSN title,Stacking, has got to be one of the most charming games I have seen in recent memory. The game takes place in what was described to me as a 1930’s era living diorama, populated by numerous different types of Russian stacking dolls. Each location in the world has a handcrafted feel to it, incorporating numerous miniature objects, such as pins, playing cards, golf balls, and marbles....

Honestly, if this debut trailer for theMedal of Honorreboot(hence the back-to-the-basics name) is anything to go by, Cowboy and his legendary beard is going to be the highlight of the game for me. Our first glimpse of it from the Spike VGAs sure does look ridiculouslyModern Warfare-ish. Obviously that’s the whole intent and about the only way this series can thrive today, if you ask me. But the way it’s presen–hold on!...

Friday Night Fights is a weekly gathering of Dtoiders to just play games with one another. It’s the Fourth of July weekend here in the United States so a lot of people are out of the house doing family stuff. Such a weird concept. Still, there are people playingsomegames tonight and you may get the lowdown of tonight’s events after the break. Today also marks the beginning of the Friday Night Fights tournament....

September 20th, 2011 — A spacewire transmission is sent out of Helsinki, Finland. Futuremark Games Studios is seeking PC gamers to help beta test its new gameUnstoppable Gorg. The game is a “thrilling space defense game inspired by vintage sci-fi films from the 1940s and 50s” that builds upon traditional tower defense conventions. Instead of towers, you will place satellites on a familiar grid-like layout as other tower defense games. Unlike a traditional one though, here you will also have to move them, in order to account for their orbit around the planet you’re defending....

Last week‘s debate was a duel between a dozen differentSuper Smash Bros. 64characters that we’ve all come to know and despise over the years. Votes were cast in all directions, but a few fierce competitors quickly stood out from the rest. There’s room left to argue over whether Samus, Ness, or Link was better, although the overall winner of this week is obvious. Here are the results: The rest: This week is the same as last week, except now we’re dealing with over two dozen new mischievousMeleecharacters to decide between....