It’s been 20 years since since Tom Cruise strapped himself behind the wheels of fast cars in the romantic drama,Days of Thunder. That means it’s perfect timing for a game,Days of Thunder: Arcadefor Xbox Live Arcade. It’s been 20 years since since Tom Cruise strapped himself behind the wheels of fast cars in the romantic drama,Days of Thunder. That means it’s perfect timing for a game,Days of Thunder: Arcadefor Xbox Live Arcade....

Microsoft has been slowly working on promoting their XNA Creator’s Studio and Community Games distribution system for some time now. Yesterday, that labor showed a little bit of fruit, as the Big M showed off footage of some of the new independent games at yesterday’s press conference. Now, they’ve provided some details and screens of the first five titles to hit the service: Of the list,Word Soupobviously piques the interest of my verbose nature but I’m really curious to know Pluto....

Max Payne 3is never coming out,confirmed! Well, not quite. But it was pushed back even further. We won’t be getting our hands on it until sometime after October 31, as Take-Twohas moved thislatest installment out of its fiscal 2010. Depending on how long you’ve been actively following this industry, you may or may not see this move as a smart one — assuming you care aboutMax Payne 3and want it to come out looking its best rather than coming out sooner....

While it should be of no surprise to anyone that Activision announcedMarvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusionlast night, another announced Marvel seemingly came out of nowhere:X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Based on the upcoming film of the same name, the game follows the history and genesis of Wolverine. Activision didn’t reveal much information about the title, other than that it will tie in with the film, and will feature the likeness of Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman....

I don’t have a DSi, so I’m not exactly the person to go to when it comes to really describing the quality of DSi games. However, I’m not going to let that be something that’s going to stop me from bringing early judgment about DSi games. For example, I’ve had a chance to check outAsphalt 4 Elite Racing. It’s made by Gameloft, and yes, I know I’ve talked a lot about Gameloft’s games, but this racer should get your attention for a couple of reasons....

The general attitude shown by all of the big three companies this year at E3 seems to be a push towards realism by taking the emphasis off of button presses. The Wii MotionPlus, Sony’s motion controls, and especially Microsoft’s Project Natal are hinting towards a desire to someday do away with buttons, knobs, and entire controllers. Surprisingly, one of the entries at this year’s IndieCade booth showed some of the same ambition, albeit going in somewhat a different direction....

Whoa, take a look at that! Hidden in a letter from corporate VP of Xbox Live Marc Whitten were a couple of surprises that Microsoft didn’t cover in its press conference. “We are making it easier for you to sign into your Xbox Live account from any console at any time to access your game saves and full profile, including items such as Microsoft Points to make purchases, Achievements and friends,” writes Whitten....

Mirror’s Edgelooks all set for a sequel, despite the less-than-stellar performance of the first game. After all, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello wants the game toget another chance, and he’s the man with the power to let it happen. He also said that innovative gaming and new IP is like a “religion” to him. “It’s religion for me; I believe quality and innovation is what works,” says the EA chief. “I believe there are publishers out there that are milking franchises at their peril....

The DisneyEpic Mickeysoundtrack by Emmy winning composer Jim Dooley will be available on iTunes and other digital music services starting on December 21. Released by Walt Disney Records, this digital score will feature 20 tracks of Dooley’s work. Here’s what game director Warren Spector had to say about Dooley and his score: “Jim Dooley perfectly understood the concept of classic Disney sound and was able to compose a slightly off-center feel to match the unique world of Wasteland inDisney Epic Mickey....

At Destructoid, we normally don’t write about Facebook games. I’m making an exception for this one because I’m a huge Simutronics fan. Simutronics’ first Facebook game,Fantasy University, opened their beta to everyone last night, and I’ve been playing it for part of this morning. Those of you who like browser-based games in the vein ofÂKingdom of Loathing, Forumwarz,Âor Twilight Heroes will want to checkFantasy Universityout, as it plays very similarly. It’s a browser RPG with lots of jokes, a bunch of video game references/humor (I’ve already run across some mockery ofFinal Fantasy, and a reference to Penny Arcade), and some pretty cool artwork....

[Editor’s note: naia-the-gamer talks aboutSuper Mario World’sall star enemy for herFeel the Hatred blog. Also, it’s naia’s birthday today! Happy birthday! — CTZ] When I play videogames, I frequently find myself irritated beyond belief over one enemy more than others. My rage for them stems so deep that if I could remove them from the game, I would not feel guilty or feel like I was taking away the challenge to the game....

Yesterday it was announced that Sackboy fromLittleBigPlanet 2would get someFinal Fantasy VIItreatments. That sounds like a fun idea until you actually see them. Gah! Aeris/Aerith looks so derpy that I can’t look at the above image for too long.That’sa face that needs to die and be dropped into the Lifestream! The rest of the team are also pretty goofy looking. Maybe Tifa is pulling it off, but just barely. Aeris joins Cloud, Tifa, Vincent and even Sephiroth in theFinal Fantasy VIIcostume pack, which is slated to hit the PlayStation Store on July 13th....

In the grand pantheon of things I have no place writing about MMA might be the top dog. However, last night on CBS’sSaturday Night FightEAran an adfor their upcoming MMA game,EA Sports MMAand so I must bring you this information since I cover this sort of thing on the weekends. The ad, which you can view below, shows off about a full minute of gamplay and two MMA fighters who I assume those who know MMA know pretty well....