I’m back once again, providing you with the latest news digest of the gaming world every week. This spread will cover all the major formats; Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, DS, PSP, iPhone, PC and more. We explore the big news, the major announcements and even some that sneak under the radar. So sit back, enjoy and prepare to fill your head with the biggest stories of the week.

ESRB rates Sam and Max Season 3 for PS3, later pulled down
Credit: Joystiq
In a very interesting twist, ESRB has given a rating to Sam and Max The Devils Playhouse for the PS3. Now, considering Season 1 and 2 haven’t been released on the system as yet and there has been no confirmation of any Telltale products appearing on Sony’s black box whatsoever, this is a very interesting twist indeed. Telltale have subsequently asked ESRB to take the game down from their site until further notice.

To add further sizzle to the fire, a representative from Telltale made this statement

“It’s fine to say multi-platform, including PC and a selected console platform. And one might speculate for Mac too for this series, given our announcements at Macworld earlier this month. Real official news is expected very soon.”

So if ESRB have given a rating for a PS3 version of the game, what does that mean for an XBLA and WiiWare release? Is there even going to be one? While Sam and Max has received a fair amount of popularity over on Nintendo’s console, the sales of the first two seasons on Xbox haven’t been quite as fruitful.

Here’s hoping we get that official news soon.

Final Fantasy XIV Closed Beta goes live March 11^th
Credit: Joystiq
To show you how close in development both Final Fantasy games are, Square Enix have announced that those who opted to join the Closed Beta of Final Fantasy XIV will receive their invites on March 11^th, just days after the European and North American release of Final Fantasy XIII on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Square also assuaged fears of missing out on the closed beta by saying that “Those who were not selected in this drawing, fear not, for there will be other opportunities to come”, adding that interested parties should “Be sure to stay tuned!”

Epic set to announce their next game at E3?
Credit: CVG
Mike Capps, boss of Epic Games has hinted that the developer’s latest project could be announced at E3 this June.

Talking with Gamesbeat, Capps responded to a question about any new projects by saying: “We might have a new one coming. I think E3 is going to be very exciting for fans of Epic.”

He also explained the company’s strategy for making successful blockbuster titles, commenting: “We try to take it really seriously and make it a deep enough world so that there are stories to tell.”

This comes in partnership with a news snippet this week that Epic is not working on a new Unreal game, but something else in the Gears of War Franchise.

So does that mean we get to add Gears of War 3 to the already ridiculously packed gaming list this year? Guess we’ll find out in June.

Sin and Punishment 2, Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M out this Summer
Credit: Joystiq, CVG
Seems like Nintendo are wading their way into the war for game sales this Summer as three blockbuster releases are to be released for Wii this Summer as confirmed by the Nintendo Entertainment Summit 2010. It had already been confirmed we would be seeing Metroid: Other M this Summer, but the shock comes in the form of Mario Galaxy 2 and Sin and Punishment 2, which are apparently much further along in development than we had expected.

For starters, Sin and Punishment 2, in an unprecedented move, comes to Europe first on May 7th, a full month before it hits US store shelves on June 7th!

However, Mario Galaxy 2 is dropping on US Shores on May 23rd and over to us Europeans shortly after on June 11th.

More annoyingly for Europeans, Metroid: Other M will be released in the US on June 27th but is being given a third quarter 2010 release date for the UK and nothing more specific than that.

When are Nintendo going to learn to give Americans and Europeans their games at the same time? I understand why Japan gets them first, translation issues can be a bitch, I’ve accepted that, but seriously, why the delay on Metroid: Other M?

That said, can it get any busier for games this year? Does anyone even have a clue as to what will be Game of the Year come December 31st? Can we even decide on one based on the quality of title we’re being given? Either way, it’s a great time to be a Wii owner!

It's a meee... AGAIN!

Activision can fan-made Kings Quest sequel after 8 years in development
Credit: Joystiq
In a tragic piece of news, The Silver Lining, a sequel to Kings Quest 8, has finally been put to rest by Activision.

After successfully fighting a cease and desist order by Vivendi Universal five years ago, the unofficial continuation to the King’s Quest series has been shut down for good. In 2005, fans successfully convinced Vivendi to allow the indie team behind The Silver Lining to continue development, thanks in part to a letter writing campaign. The original deal would see the game’s authorized release as part of a non-commercial fan license; however, current King’s Quest IP holder Activision has decided (after “talks and negotiations”) it is not interested in entering a similar agreement with the indie team. In 2008, Activision said it didn’t have any immediate plans to utilize the classic licenses (including King’s Quest) it received in the infamous $18 billion merger with Vivendi.

What concludes is eight long years of development by a dedicated fan base. On the fan project’s official site a letter from the development team thanks fans for their continued support and shares its disappointment in the decision. It’s always difficult when hard work goes unnoticed and we wish everyone involved the best of luck.

Mark Beaumont Capcom COO dies suddenly
Credit: CVG, MCV
In a sad piece of news, Capcom have announced that Mark Beaumont, chief operating officer for North America and Europe has suddenly passed away.

Beaumont died of a heart attack in the early hours of February 23^rd.

The following statement was released by Capcom.

“Our COO and dear friend, Mark Beaumont, passed away this morning. This sudden loss has left us with deep sadness.”

“Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will remember him for his humor, passion and commitment to Capcom and our industry. He was a great leader and visionary and his spirit will carry on in everything that we do. Please join us in memory of Mark.”

Beaumont was promoted to the role of COO at Capcom in April 2008 after serving as both senior vice president and executive vice president.

The thoughts and prayers of the TIMJ staff are with all knew Mark, his family and friends during this sad time.

Castle Crashers progress report for PSN plus new Volleyball mini-game
Credit: CVG
Behemoth studios spoke a bit more about the upcoming port of the ultra-popular Castle Crashers for Playstation 3. The game has been a roaring success on XBLA and has been widely regarded by XBLA gamers as the best game currently on Arcade and is still selling tremendously well after being made available for over a year.

Right now, Behemoth still don’t have a solid release date for the PS3 version of the game, but re-iterating that it will drop this year.

However, they did shed some light on this new addition of Volleyball to the game..

• Play co-op or vs your buddies
• Local or online play
• From 1-4 players per team for up to 8 player matches
• Variable stats based on character
• Use magic attacks to place 8 new magic status effects on the volleyball
• Cool new serving and spiking moves
• Available AI teammates or opponents
• Play as any character you have unlocked
• Play 1, 3 or 5 matches against your opponents
• Leaderboards to track the best in the land

“It’s basically like playing volleyball with your friends but you get to replace good sportsmanship with explosions, magic, and weaponry. As we get closer to the release, we’ll start revealing some more features and additions. What will they be? How will they work? What will they do? Stay tuned for more”.

Step away from the Playstation. Don’t touch it. Leave it! Stop!
Credit: Joystiq
The Playstation finally got its own unique version of the RROD. Except, it’s not quite as long term as the big red circle on front of your heavy Microsoft box. For 24 hours, owners of the original PS3 (otherwise known as PS3 Phat) are being advised not to turn on their Playstations while an internal error is exploited. Apparently, Slim users are immune to this problem, but those of us who bought the console at launch or shortly after, well, now we’re suffering for it!

The problems are being caused by a bug in the clock functionality incorporated into the system. If you use a PS3 Phat and turn it on while this maintenance is happening, it can cause some damage with your data, such as recording obtained trophies and not being able to restore certain data.

In short, if you like all those shiny platinums you’ve accumulated, don’t tempt fate for a quick game of Killzone!

*Update* The issue is apparently fixed now, dare you risk it?!

PSN Store Update
Credit: CVG
When you get around to turning your Playstation on again, now available on PSN are some very enticing things for you to check out. The highlights of which include the Darksiders demo I mentioned last week, the FIFA 10 Ultimate Team trial, Greed Corps, an add-on for Valkyrie Chronicles entitled the Challenge of the Edy Attachment, the White Knight Chronicles costume kit for Little Big Planet, Eyepet Fairy Styling Kit, Blue Toad Murder Files, Uncharted: Drakes Fortune Multiplayer pack and last but by no means least, a demo for God of War III!

There are various price points for these titles

NICE!

XBLA Store Update
Credit: Xbox 360 Achievements, Major Nelson
Well, it seems the great pattern of Deals this year die this week as we go from Battlefield 1943 at 800 points and Duke Nukem at 400 points, to Gears of War 2 Avatar Gear for 240 points. Yep, it seems the deals will no longer be applicable to just Arcade games and are expanding to the realm of costumes and accessories for your little people on the dashboard. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not a big fan of spending points on making my man look different. That said, if you’ve always dreamed of making your Avatar look like one of the Locust or attiring yourself up as Marcus and Dom but didn’t think it was affordable, now is your chance to make your dreams come true!

In other news, the first game in the Xbox House Party series will be revealed this week in the form of Toy Soldiers for 1200 points. This is one of the most talked about XBLA games of the moment and can easily be considered the first blockbuster Arcade title of the year!

Resident Evil 5: Desperate Measures lands this week
Credit: IGN
Don’t forget, the second piece of content for RE5 drops this week on March 3^rd for XBLA and March 4^th on PSN. The events of this DLC take place throughout the RE5 campaign and have you controlling Jill Valentine and BSAA agent Josh Stone as they try to escape the Tricell facility. Without going into details about plot for fear of spoilers for the main game, this second piece of DLC will take place during the events of Resident Evil 5, as opposed to Lost in Nightmares which served as a prequel to the game.

Thanks for reading another Weekly News Round with This Is My Joystick. If you have any news stories you’d like to report or if you have a game or product you’d like for me to look into and dig up the latest news on it, then you can send me a message on my Twitter @RayWillmott or leave a message on our facebook group then your news or request will be featured on the next News Round and you will be equally credited for it. If you are obtaining this information from another source, please ensure you give appropriate credit.