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.

The Infinity Ward and Activision saga
Credit: CVG
Apparently the only people on the planet who didn’t want to see Modern Warfare 2 were Activision themselves! It was revealed this week that the two biggest advocates for another Modern Warfare title were evicted from the Infinity Ward studios by heavily armed security from Activision and fired from their positions due to ‘insubordination’. Vince Zampella and Jason West, now former bosses at Infinity Ward apparently had to fight Activision tooth and nail to make a sequel to CoD4! Wow, remind me not to oversee the most financially successful video game of all time, why don’t you…

In October of last year, Zampella and West discussed in length their differences of opinion with Activision. West said that Activision felt making another Modern Warfare title was ‘risky’ and ‘crazy’ West also claims Activision said. ‘They were doing Market Research to show us we were wrong the whole time’. Are they kidding? What kind of nincompoops are they employing over there?

Unsurprisingly, shortly after this both Zampella and West are seeking to take Activision to court for ‘breach of contract’ and other claims. Apparently, Activision owe some serious royalties to both men but fired them before they were due to give them their bonus. Here’s the word from their attorney…

“Instead of thanking, lauding, or just plain paying Jason and Vince for giving Activision the most successful entertainment product ever offered to the public” attorney Robert Schwartz said, “last month Activision hired lawyers to conduct a pretextual ‘investigation’ into unstated and unsubstantiated charges of ‘insubordination’ and ‘breach of fiduciary duty,’ which then became the grounds for their termination on Monday, March 1st.”

In addition to compensation, the suit seeks to return the contractual rights Zampella and West previously had to the Modern Warfare brand.

In the midst of this, it’s also unsurprising that Activision have been quick to announce replacements for the duo and Infinity Ward CTO Steve Pearce and head of production Steve Ackrick have assumed the top spots for an undisclosed period. Seems like Infinity Ward is now going to be run by Steve Squared!

Non-FPS Call of Duty Announced for 2011
Credit: CVG
In further head scratching Activision news, the next game in the Call of Duty franchise will not take place from a first person perspective! To make things even more interesting, they’ve added a third development team to the franchise alongside Treyarch and Infinity Ward and this new game is going to be developed by Sledgehammer Games, who are apparently looking to bring the franchise into the ‘action/adventure’ genre.

The title’s development is being headed up by Dead Space veterans and former Visceral Games bosses Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey. Activision made this statement regarding the bold undertaking:

“2010 will be another important year for the Call of Duty franchise” stated Mike Griffith, president and CEO of Activision Publishing. “In addition to continued catalog sales, new downloadable content from Infinity Ward and a new Call of Duty release, we are excited about the opportunity to bring the franchise to new geographies, genres and players.”

I wonder what the Market Research findings were for this release? Hmmm…

First Halo: Reach Gameplay trailer available – loads of new features!
Credit: Joystiq, Xbox 360 Achievements, Bungie

• Jetpacks!
• Assassination Moves!
• Load outs!
• New multiplayer modes!
• Is it May 3rd yet?

Check out the official trailer after the drop…

Valve confirms Portal 2
Credit: Joystiq, CVG
Valve have been putting PC players through the motions this past week. First they update Portal with a big patch through Steam with a new achievement. They’ve also implemented radio into each of the game’s levels. Apparently, if players listen to all stations, not only will they get a shiny Steam achievement but they will also get a big clue re: something Portal related when pieced together.

In addition to that, Valve released a new, extended ending for Portal a bit later on in the week, which introduces players to a whole new character.

Then, after a leak of a cover of a magazine, Valve came clean and told the World that Portal 2 is in development for PC and Xbox 360 and will be due out this Holiday Season. In addition to that, Portal 2 will also feature two new characters and an all new co-operative mode!

Seems that Zombie game really has been ‘Left 4 Dead’ for now…

Credit to Stephen Jacob for bringing some of this information to my attention.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light announced
Credit: Joystiq, Gamespot
It seems we’ll no longer associating Lara Croft with just being a simple Tomb Raider. Crystal Dynamics have been touting that Lara Croft is due a reboot and they’re about ready to supply us with the results this Summer. One of the big changes for this release is that the game will be available through digital distribution only. There are no confirmed platforms scheduled although it is safe to assume PC owners will be able to continue with the brunette’s latest adventure and probably XBLA and PSN owners. The game will also have a more arcade feel, have an isometric view and feature co-operative play. Seems to be a particular theme in this week’s round up…

More details to come closer to release…

Splinter Cell Conviction Xbox Special Edition Bundle incoming
Credit: CVG
Seems like Microsoft can’t get enough of packaging their Xbox with the latest games as a Splinter Cell Conviction bundle has been announced to co-incide with the game’s launch. They also seem to want to flaunt this new 250gb Hard Drive around and rub it in current owner’s faces. This new bundle will feature Splinter Cell: Conviction, a Black Xbox, a 250gb Hard Drive and two Wireless Pads. The package will retail at $399.99 in America. The bundle will also be released in Europe, Australia and New Zealand for an undisclosed fee. Expect to see this in early April.

Achievements for Splinter Cell Conviction now available
Credit: Xbox 360 Achievements
In addition to a nice fancy bundle, for those that are interested, the full achievement list for Splinter Cell Conviction has been posted and is now available for your perusal. For a total of 1000 gamerscore and 50 achievements, there certainly seems enough to keep you busy when the game drops next month.

Take a peek…

Batman: Arkham Asylum Game Of The Year edition playable in 3D?
Credit: CVG
We all know the awesome that is Batman Arkham Asylum here at This Is My Joystick. So much so in fact, that it became our overall Game of the Year in 2009 amongst all staff members due to majority vote. So, this official ad from India has certainly perked up interest. Apparently, in addition to all current DLC available and some exclusive to pre-orders and systems, the game of the year edition will also ship with Trioviz 3D technology and two sets of 3D glasses!

The Indian ad lists a late March release date, however there has been no direct confirmation from Eidos. What we do know is that the game will not be coming to North America but will be in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

American McGee working on creepy looking Red Riding Hood game
Credit: CVG
American McGee created a game about Alice nearly a decade ago and chilled the pants off most anyone who actually played it. The game had a sinister undertone and looked at the dark side of Wonderland, as opposed to colourful caterpillars that get high and playing cards that like piling on top of each other. Now, after some stumbling blocks along the way, he is hard at work on a sequel produced through EA, called Alice 2.

However, after a recent post on his blog, American McGee has given us a sneak peek at his next project. With some concept art and a heritage of several years behind it, American McGee discusses how he intends to twist and perverse another classic tale, Red Riding Hood!

I’m getting horrific visions of being chased through creepy woods by a rabies-induced wolf that’s hungry for blood! Eek…

Travellers Tales secure license to produce Lego games until 2016
Credit: Xbox 360 Achievements
Sick of Lego games? Hope they’re going to go away? You’ll hate this news. LEGO and Warner Home Entertainment have come to an agreement with TT Games to continue developing LEGO games until 2016!

TT’s LEGO licenses so far include LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Indiana Jones, LEGO Batman and LEGO Harry Potter, which have sold close to 50 million units to date.

Next up for TT Games’ LEGO range is LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, and LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars later this year.

NHL 2k11 now a Wii Exclusive
Credit: Xbox Achievements
So, it seems as if the once thought dead Ice Hockey Franchise is now being resuscitated. However, 2K have said that this year’s installment of NHL will no longer be on Xbox 360 or PS3 but instead will remain a Wii exclusive. The word from 2k is that they want to focus on making the best product possible for Wii and seem unable to do that while diverting their attentions on Microsoft and Sony’s formats. However, don’t fret, according to 2K, the Ice Hockey franchise will be back next year for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 owners and it will be bigger and better than ever!

Red Dead Redemption delayed a month
Credit: Joystiq
Rockstar’s upcoming GTA clone in a Wild West environment has been pushed back a month to May 18th in NA and May 21st in Europe. Some may argue that Rockstar did this to add more polish to the game, some may say it made more sense from a marketing perspective. There’s been no official word from Rockstar as to why there is a delay, but what we now know is that Red Dead is going to ship the same day as Alan Wake!

Good move or bad move by Rockstar? You be the judge …

Even more Borderlands DLC incoming!
Credit: Joystiq
Bored of lands? Either way, it seems as if the steady stream of content isn’t over yet, as 2k games have said to expect even more to come from the franchise over the coming months. So, if you’ve zapped all the Zombies, if you’ve mingled with Moxxi and grinded with General Knoxx’s Secret Armoury (Perv!) then fear not, your days of cel-shaded blood spilling are not over yet. No release dates or titles announced as yet…

UK Catalog Store Argos enter pre-owned games market
Credit: PS3 Trophies
Currently only in trial phase, Argos are the latest UK retailer to enter the pre-owned games market. Only 27 stores out of 735 in the UK are partaking in this and it seems to be only a small number of games, most specifically Assassins Creed 2 and Grand Theft Auto 4. However, the difference between Argos and other pre-owned game retailers is that Argos offer gift vouchers which can be spent on anything in store.

So if you’re done with Ezio’s exploits in Italy and would rather trade it in for a groovy lava lamp, Argos seems to have you covered!

On Xbox 360 This Week
Credit: Xbox 360 Achievements, Major Nelson
This weeks deal of the week is a step up from the last, but not a big one. You can now pick up the entire collection of CoD World at War maps for 1600 points! Considering the World War 2 espionage epic is still ranking in the top five games playing over Live right now, there’s obviously still a market for it, although those that wanted the maps probably already have them. Either way, now’s your chance to get them at the cheapest possible price.

Also, Continuing the House Party trend on Xbox Live Arcade, Scrap Metal releases this week for 1200 points. Here’s a peek at what to expect from the official blurb…

• Drift around corners with guns blazing and take out legendary competitors in the fast-paced, top-down racing game Scrap Metal™.
• Fight your way through explosive, action-packed missions and defeat cunning bosses to add their vehicles to your garage.
• Customize your newly-acquired cars and then return to the track to blast through more enemies.
• Jump online with Xbox LIVE ® to race against your friends and crush their cars with the wheels of your monster truck in pulse-pounding online multiplayer matches.
• Racing action: It’s fast-paced, top-down racing action with beautiful HD graphics and fantastic racing physics.
• Story mode: Take on all the cunning villains and defeat the tricky bosses.
• Awesome, customizable vehicles: Drive everything from muscle cars to monster trucks to air boats and even tanks.
• Multiplayer: Try split-screen or Xbox LIVE multiplayer modes.
• 3-D support: Scrap Metal has full anaglyph 3-D support.

On Nintendo this week …
Credit: Nintendo Fanboy
Here’s the recent round up of all that is Nintendo. All listed below…

DSiWare

• Let’s Golf (Gameloft, 1-2 players, 800 DSi Points): Golf alone or in multiplayer (taking turns) in one of three locations.
• Globulos Party (GlobZ, player, DSi Points): 20 minigames including Funky-Soccer, Monster, Pinball, Sumo, and more.
• VT Tennis (Virtual Toys, 1-2 players, 500 DSi Points): Use the touch screen to control your rising star tennis player in Quickmatch, Tennis School, and World Championship.
• Flips: Terror in Cubicle Four (EA, 1 player, 500 DSi Points): In this e-book, investigate the mystery of the spooky haunted toilet.

WiiWare

• Mega Man 10 (Capcom, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points): Time for more 8-bit madness as an old favorite returns for another installment
• Dart Rage (JV Games, 1-4 players, 600 Wii Points): Take the bull by the horns! Show some rage while throwing your darts!
• Happy Hammerin’ (Gamebridge, 1-4 players, 500 Wii Points): It’s whack a mole and it’s cute.

Virtual Console

• Fatal Fury Special (Neo Geo, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points): An updated version of Fatal Fury 2 roughly timed to the Neo Geo’s 20th anniversary.

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.

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