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[Not sure what Mash Tactics is? I’ve included a clip from the most recent episode to show you just a glimpse of what you’ve been missing, you daft fool! you may see all of Destructoid’s previously-aired live showsin our archives.] Today,Mash Tacticsis playingGears of War 3again! This time, we can explore a lot more of the game, but we still won’t be spoiling any of the juicy plot developments. You will also get the chance jump online and take a Lancer to Carnage and Pico up close....

Lord of the Rings Online continues to grow. This morning, developer Turbine announced a new expansion dubbed “Siege of Mirkwood,” the conclusion to Volume II of the MMO. The new piece of content will introduce, foremost, the area of Mirkwood. It’s described in the official release as a “treacherous” place with trees and an “evil fortress” named Dol Goldur. Along with the new area comes enhancements, tweaks and smaller additions. The level cap is to be raised for both Legendary Weapons and characters, and the combat will be tweaked for better response times in battle....

Mad Catz Interactive, third-party peripheral manufacturer extraordinarie, has signed a multi-year licensing agreement with Harmonix and MTV games which will allow them to produce and distributeRock Bandperipherals in North America and beyond. What this means: Mad Catz will be manufacturing, marketing, and selling both wired and wireless versions of guitars, drums (with “professional quality” wooden drum sticks), and a wired microphone. There’s no word regarding platform specifics, but it’s safe to assume the instruments will be available for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 (and subsequently, the PS2)....

Coin App’sMax Blastronautseems to have something of an identity crisis. Creator and lead designer Panya Inversin describes his game as “a classic four-player beat-’em-up with some extra bells and whistles: vehicles, hammers, shoulder-mounted blasters, [and] grenades, all affected by the gravity of the game’s small planets.” That sounds great except that theMax BlastronautI played at this year’sDream.Build.Playcompetition was aSuper Stardust-inspired shoot-’em-up. There aren’t a lot of shooter-brawler hybrids on the market (Acclaim’s excellentThe Red Starbeing a notable exception that springs to mind), and the results aren’t always graceful; nevertheless,Max Blastronauthas a few flashes of briliiance....

Rockstar has revealed the release date for its upcomingMidnight Club: Los AngelesSouth Central downloadable content. And that date is … March 12. The content, which is coming to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, comes in two varieties — free and premium. The difference? Well, the free expansion comes with four new neighborhoods, and the premium (which costs $9.99) also includes new vehicles, parts, music, vinyls, hydraulics, and more. Free or premium, if you own the game, you probably want this....

Not sinceAsteroidshave I seen such a phenomenal premise for a movie.Missile Command. I get chills just saying it aloud. The title works perfectly in 2010, and totally does not sound like it was ripped straight from the ’80s. Not a chance. And the story? That’s the most brilliant part of all! Since there essentially is none, some slick Hollywood types can swoop in and create their own epic tale of a distant world where only a single man possess the ability to prevent oncoming missiles from obliterating his beloved planet....

When thumbing through the pages ofThe Ultimate History of Video Games, by Steven L. Kent, I came across a striking statement from Howard Phillips aboutSuper Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.For those of you not old enough to remember Howard Phillips, he served as Nintendo’s most visible corporate spokesman during the late 80s. The man knew how to dress — his red bow tie and perfectly coiffed 1950s hair style gave off the air of a dapper cross-breeding between Tom Wolfe and Orville Redenbacher....

It seems that the march toward MMO acceptance on a console has made a giant man step with the official announcement today thatAge of Conanwould indeed make a 360 appearance on top of its already known PC plans. Sadly, there are no real facts — voice chat, etc. — behind what exactly this will mean for the game on the 360, instead we’re only treated to a standardcompany line: “This is a groundbreaking leap forward for Funcom....

The ever contentious subject of Killstreaks inCall of Dutyis about to get even more controversial, with Infinity Ward community bod Robert Bowling revealing thatModern Warfare 3is revamping the entire thing. “We changed the entire way the killstreak system works,” he said. “I can’t go into detail yet, but I will share when I can.” Without any further details, we’ve no choice but to launch into rudderless speculation. So let me ask you — what doyouwant to see done to Killstreaks inModern Warfare 3?...

Rumor has it that the DSi will be getting its first exclusive games this fall, but Japanese studio Alpha Unit is apparentlylaying claim to the titleof theveryfirst.Monster Finderlooks like a poor man’sPokémon, where the obvious conceit is the use of the DSi camera in order to … well … find monsters, obviously. Although not the first game ever announced to use the DSi camera in this way (Ghostwiretakes that credit), reports seem to suggest that this will be the first gamereleased, with a tentative launch window of some time this winter....

Gameloft has been teasing a newN.O.V.Agame,N.O.V.A Elite, for a while now. People speculated it would be an online-only iOS/Android spin-off, but they were only half right. It’s a multiplayer-only FPS shooter, but it’sactually on Facebook. You want to know the real surprise? The game is somehow not awful. N.O.V.A Eliteworks surprisingly well, despite a little lag here and there. There’s a crapload of content — some of it requiring Facebook Credits — and matches are large with full-on FPS controls....

ShootManiahas been in development forhow long?! In a chat with PC Gamer,TrackManiadeveloper Nadeo dished out new details aboutthe mysteriousfirst-person shooter. “A whole experience system could have been implemented intoTrackMania, but a game based on skill is more interesting for the people we like to play with,” says international project manager Edouard Beauchemin. “WithShootMania, it’s the same thing. It’s based on skill. There are no RPG mechanics. We want to make it as pure as possible....

I like playing games on my iPhone, but sometimes I get frusturated at the lack of buttons, tactile feedback and response times. Besides, there’s only so much retro and puzzle gaming I can take. Why not put role-playing games on the system? For RPGs, timing and buttons are less important, and their slower pace makes them ideal for games on-the-go. We posed this question to Namco Network’s GM Jonathan Kromrey. He heads up their new iPhone focused division, called Apple Games, andwe had a chance to speak with himthis week on what Namco has in store for the iPhone in the near future....