During the recent Activision-Blizzard conference call, Activision publishing CEO Mike Griffith revealed that the publisher is planning to release a mere two map packs forCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. “We plan to launch two map packs for this title,” Griffith said. At Microsoft’s E3 2009 press conference, it was revealed that Xbox 360 owners would be getting these twoModern Warfare 2map packs first. While we doubt Activision’s plans won’t change (makingCall of Duty DLCis like printing money), it’s interesting that Microsoft might have secured a timed exclusive for the entirety of the content that may be offered for the title....

If you’re following along with Sony’s PlayStation Network-only reality show,The Tester, and you haven’t seen the finale yet, stop reading now. Okay, we good? Here’s your winner: Matthew “Gaymer” Brown took top honors this season, besting 11 others and winning a spot as Sony Computer Entertainment’s newest tester in its Quality Assurance department. Brown also gets a $5,000 signing bonus, a 46″ 3D Bravia television, and a limited editionThe TesterPlayStation 3 console....

Today’s AAF features not one but four artists, all of whom share the delight of re-rendering classic gaming motifs of the 8-bit variety by applying the lost kitsch tradition of cross-stitching. Time consuming and intricate, cross-stitching may seem like one of the more challenging mediums for pixel art when compared to the likes of perler beads and the household Microsoft Paint, but the difference is inherently demonstrated in the dedication of their craft....

On top of theseventh VIP map packforBattlefield: Bad Company 2, fans can also look forward to the sizable Vietnam multiplayer expansion, which was dated earlier today: December 18 for Steam and the EA Store, and December 21 for consoles and the remaining PC outlets. New weapons, vehicles, tunes, and maps aresome of what you’ll findin this new content. Most importantly — for me, anyway — are the new unlockables. A few days after I played all ofBad Company 2‘s classes to completion, that was pretty much the end of my obsession, and I never looked back....

Now when I say Avatars are playable for the Xbox LIVE Arcade strategy gameBand of Bugs, I mean exactly that. Your persona doesn’t simply appear next to a score — it’ll be right up in the action, fighting your battles for you. In addition toBand of Bugsgetting the free Avatar update today, a few other things are happening as well. A new add-on, “Tales of Kaloki,” also launched today. If the name sounds oddly familiar, that’s because it brings in elements from another NinjaBee game,Outpost Kaloki X....

Batman is like 70-years-old if you’re counting strictly from whenhe first appeared in a comic book. But when he first showed up on the scene, dude wasn’t an infant. It’s probably safe to estimate that the caped crusader is like 90. But he doesn’t look a day over 40. And he also fights like a samurai on speed. If you don’t believe me, hit the break. Eidos recently released a new trailer forBatman: Arkham Asylumthat shows off Batman’s mad fighting skills....

Controversy sells games and gets attention.Modern Warfare 2was released almost two years ago, and people still talk of theinfamous “No Russian” level. DICE, however, has decided it is above such contention, and has stated it won’t court controversy withBattlefield 3. “First of all: it’s fiction,” said executive producer Patrick Bach. “We’re not trying to base it on any political or religious conflict — controversy is probably a good marketing tool, but we make games....

There is a term among the gamer community the describes a certain subsect of gamers interested only in how impressive a game looks — “graphics whores.” These are people who get excited over how a game looks more than how it plays, and will easily dismiss any title that isn’t up their visual standards. Just like there can be no smoke without fire, so too can there be no whores without pimps....

Finally, after all the skeptics and naysayers, the proof of God is at last upon us: the Bob Ross Wii game will be a reality! According to the people who handle that Bob Ross mega-franchise, the greatest game known to man will grace the Wii with its presence. Detailsfrom MTV: “By hook or by crook there will be a game. There’s no way we couldn’t do a game because everybody wants one badly....

According to game associate producer Jesse Houston, the PC version ofMass Effect 2will see a simultaneous release with its console brother. “We learned a lot from building the PC version before,” Houston toldVG247at gamescom, “and having built it six months later there was a big difference. So we actually took what we learned from PC and put it back into 360,” PC owners had to wait several months for their port of the originalMass Effect, a version that boasted better textures and a platform-customized UI....

Dropping a bomb on the industry today, Activision and Bungie announced a ten year partnership that would have the mega-publisher working with the Seattle-based developer on an exciting new IP. With Bungie moving on to what Design Director Joseph Staten calls its “next big thing,” where does that leave the future of theHalouniverse? In a phone conversation I had with him earlier today, Staten reiterates what we already know — Microsoft owns the Halo IP, and will continue to work on futureHalotitles with or without Bungie....

It’s no secret that Starbreeze and Tigon Studios’Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bayhad less-than-stellar sales. According to Tigon head honcho Ian Stevens, the reasons for the game’s lackluster performance are varied. Stevens recently toldCVGthat whenButcher Baydebuted consumers weren’t big on Vin Diesel and were highly skeptical of a film property translating well as a videogame. But what success it did have was the direct result of gamers talking to each other....

Cave Storydeveloper Tyrone Rodriguez is something of a hero to Wii fans since he brings the anticipatedCave Storyto WiiWare today. However, as beloved as he may be, he might lose fans from the Sony crowd (ifCave Storyfans existed in the Sony crowd) as he has dared to criticizeGod of War IIIas an example of lacking, big budget games. “If you’re talking disc games, we’re going to see more big-budget games with less gameplay and more fluff — thinkGod of War III,” said Rodgriquez, talking about the future of gaming....