Despite some assumptions in the reactions tothis postfrom last week, I truly am looking forward to Virtua Fighter 5’s Feburary 20th release – and to stay somewhat flamebait free (although there is no escaping theTekkenfan) I’ll say that I’m equally excited about the XBOX 360 release of the game later this year, although it remains to be seen if multiplayer will actually be included. Here’s hoping. If you’re a fellow fan and are looking for something to tide you over for the next week, then maybe this free v-swag will work....

GSC Game World is crowdsourcingS.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2— well, a small part of it, anyway. The studio is currently holding a contest in which creative types can submit their quest ideas (up to five) for the impending post-apocalyptic game. The rules arebroken down on Facebookof all places, so go ahead and read up on the fine print. GSC Game World is looking for relatively brief descriptions, not twenty-page fanfics. The names of the contest winners will be included in the game’s credits, and the winning quests might be implemented....

Rare’s Nick Burtonspoke to VideoGamerlast week at the Develop Conference about what’s next for the company, and although no new games were revealed, he says that we’ll be hearing more “soon enough.” “There’s a couple of things on the roster that are going to be pretty cool as well. Obviously you do the math. Look at the size and how big the Banjo team currently needs to be, how big our shared technology group and asset group are....

Would you like eleven seconds of footage that is of no use to you whatsoever? Ofcourseyou do. People love getting things early, even if it’s a low-quality version of something better that they were going to see anyway, so here’s a tiny little bit ofAssassin’s Creed 2, as found on Youtube. As you can see, it’s got running in it. And jumping too, plenty of jumping. There’s even a bit ofclimbingtoo, if you look really carefully....

Earlier this week, Activision revealed the system requirements forPrototypeon the PC. Here are the details: Windows® XP (with Service Pack 3) and DirectX® 9.0c or (Windows Vista® with Service Pack 2)Video Card: 256 MB 3D hardware accelerator card required – 100% DirectX® 9.0c with Shader Model 3 support*Processor: Pentium(R) Intel Core® 2 Duo 2.6 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ or betterRAM: 1 GB of RAM for Windows ® XP / 2 GB Windows ® Vista systemsHard Drive Space: 8 GB of uncompressed hard disk space (Plus 500MB for swap file....

Here’s another big name Japanese exclusive for the PSP — more evidence that the PSP is the most divisive and unpredictable console of this generation. Before it released, the PSP was predicted to be the most overwhelmingly popular videogame system ever. Theother consoles didn’t stand a chance(link provided by FunETMan). Then a couple years after release, sales for the thing bottomed out in the US and Europe, never to rebound, despite all the great games that were released for it....

Valve has revealed a few scant details forLeft 4 Dead 2‘s Spring DLC,The Passing. As well as revealing new weaponry, a new special infected, andconfirming the deathof an original Survivor, multiple fresh game modes have been teases. As in, more than one. Here’s everything promised so far forThe Passing: Sounds like a damn weighty package to me. As usual, I’m sure PC gamers will get to enjoy this for free while Microsoft will expect Xbox 360 consumers to pay for it....

Just what we needed, more VIP maps forBattlefield: Bad Company 2. Today marks the release of the fifth set of these, if you can believe that. As always, the maps themselves aren’t new per se, but they have been tinkered with to work with alternate multiplayer modes. “White Pass” in Rush mode and “Nelson Bay” in Conquest mode (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) are what you’re getting for free this time, assuming you still have one of those nifty VIP codes that are packed in with every new copy ofBad Company 2....

It seems like I’ve spent hundreds of dollars onHouse of the Deadin various arcades and movie theatres. The best thing about the Wii version of the game isn’t the retro approach or emphasis on shooting: It’s that you’ll never have to put a quarter (or token) in your console’s slot. Like Nick, I’m cautiouslyoptimistic about this game. It seems like the Light Gun-based game is as much of a remnant of the past as the American arcade....

Kruunuis a freeware vertical platform game which will release next week. It’s the first project from Finnish developer Jukio Kallio following their resignation to pursue game development full-time. It looks fairly promising for something Kallio claims was developed over the course of a couple of months part-time. I can always use another platformer, though the wall sticking looks like it could be a bit of a bear to execute over a long period of time....

Last week, I kicked off Indie Nation with one of the best, most high-profile indie games on the market.Aquariais long, beautiful, immersive, award-winning, and actually costs money to play. This week, I’d like to go in the exact opposite direction and point you toMINUBEAT— a free, downloadable rhythm/shmup (yes, they exist) which can be completed in exactly sixty seconds and is, in its own way, a testament to pure gaming minimalism....

While certain people in the games industry make me jump up and down with excitement, there are others who make my personality do a complete U-turn and Tomonobu Itagaki is one of them. Instead of swearing and squealing I become almost silence and humbled; even to the point where Itagaki had to reassure me mid-interview! Despite this we take some time to talk about the setting up of his new studio — Valhalla Game Studios — following his rather messy departure from Team Ninja, and we chat about the studios very first game:Devil’s Third....

Feast your eyes on the video above, marvel at its greatness, and join us in a virtual hand clapping for those creative lads and lassies in Madrid responsible for making this baby a reality. I have no clue what the lady is saying, but I would imagine it to be something down the lines of “I offer this gift of epic greatness to the almighty Destructoid robot and his minions.” In actuality it’s probably something a lot less exciting, but we’ll pretend to overlook that minor detail....