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.

DS2 Development kit in hands of Pokemon developers
Credit: CVG
It seems Nintendo are making plans for a new DS console, and if the prototype kits are anything to be believed, Nintendo’s next handheld will have, you guessed it, motion control! One of the Pokemon developers has gone on to say that this is the best piece of tech he has ever worked with, and compared the new DS2 to the iPhone’s tilt functionality. However, he also said that there was a lot more to the system than merely ’tilting’ but remained tight-lipped about any further details. It’s unclear when Nintendo are going to lift the lid on this new tech, but one thing is for sure, it looks as if they are already preparing for the declining (yet still very prosperous) sales of the current leader of the handheld market.

Darksiders Demo incoming
Credit: Xbox 360 Achievements, CVG
If you’ve been waiting to try this game out for yourself before committing the cash, now is your chance. At the end of the month, a 90 minute demo of Darksiders will be coming to XBLA and PSN. Surely an hour and a half will give you a good idea as of how the game will play and make your mind up as to whether or not you want to take the plunge.

For more Darksiders info, check out the review by our own Andy C, right here…

Xbox Live Arcade this week
Credit: Xbox 360 Achievements, Major Nelson
Come on, please Microsoft, give us a game that nobody really cares about as your deal of the week. Please. Our wallets are throbbing as it is. The poor things were abused all over Christmas and now they’re just being punished and pulled through the rose bushes in this Q1 period. Can’t you just reduce Rocky and Bullwinkle for a week?! See, Duke Nukem 3D has been reduced to the ridiculously cheap and unmissable 400 point mark, knocking a full 50% off its normal price point. Honestly, if you don’t own it, have never played it or just didn’t know if you wanted to play it, just buy it! Honestly, it’s one of the best first person shooters ever made despite its age. It has humour, violence, four massive single player campaigns and expansive, fun multiplayer and its 400 frickin points! This is as good a bargain as you will ever find, and I implore you to get yourself a copy before time runs out!

In addition to that, we have three Arcade games to choose from this week on Xbox Live Arcade. First out this week is Greed Corps for 800 points. Here’s an overview from the developers.

“The first in a series of games based in the rich Mistbound universe, Greed Corps is set in a world of feudal warfare and environmental destruction through industrial consumption. As one of four warring factions your aim is territorial domination, but at what cost? Can you find the delicate balance between harvesting the land for resources and preserving it to stay alive? Will you defend your territory or sacrifice it to keep it out of enemy hands?”

“Featuring an innovative land collapsing mechanic which constantly alters the strategic landscape, you must destroy your enemies or the very land they stand on before they do it to you. Build Harvesters to reap your land for credits and spend them on armouries and cannons. Manufacture walkers to conquer enemy territory and order carriers to transport your troops across the map. Ultimately, defeat your enemies by eliminating their troops and destroying or capturing their structures.”

Greed Corps will also be appearing on PSN this week.

Also out this week is Lazy Raiders, being charged at 800 points. The game tasks players with plundering ancient ruins and offers something of a literal twist, however, as players don’t actually control the main character, but instead turn the entire game world as he falls through the environment. Doing so, you help the explorer gather items and avoid various traps and hazards. The game will include Avatar support and will have 80 levels of gameplay.

Last but no means least is Fret Nice. PS3 owners have had this game for a few weeks already but now Fret Nice will be available to Xbox 360 owners for 1200 points. Fret Nice uses both the buttons and the tilt function of guitar controllers to move members of the Vibrant Chordblasters, as they fight against Hair Bängers by jumping into the air and playing riffs corresponding to the number of eyes on the enemies.

First Bioshock 2 DLC details revealed
Credit: Joystiq
2K Games have gone official and said expansions for Bioshock 2 are slated to arrive over the coming months. 2K have also said that the DLC will expand both the single and multiplayer facets of the game. While we still don’t know any details about the singleplayer DLC, 2K have lifted the lid on the first batch of Multiplayer DLC they have entitled the ‘Sinclair Solutions Test Pack’.

Available “soon” for 400  ($5) on Xbox Live and $4.99 on PSN, the pack will include:

• Rank Increase to level 50 with Rank Rewards
• New playable characters Louie McGraff and Oscar Calraca
• 20 new trials (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher)
• A third weapon upgrade for each weapon
• Five additional masks (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher)

Cuddly Bubbles

Lord of the Rings: Conquest Servers closing in a month
Credit: EA, Xbox 360 Achievements
This is dumb. The game is just over a year old and EA are already shutting down the servers. I understand that it costs money to keep them up and running and the game is probably not getting many players anymore, but if this is a trend EA is going to keep and especially on such a big license as Lord of the Rings, what does that say for the future of EA titles that begin to underperform? Regardless, Conquest servers will be shutting down on March 16 2010. So, if you’re lobbying for the online achievements/trophies on the game, then you’ve got a month to get them. Get cracking!

Capcom confirm three more characters for Super Street Fighter IV.
Credit: Kotaku
Capcom have confirmed they will be adding even more characters to the Super Street Fighter IV roster, and they are a series of favourites from Streetfighter III. Ibuki, Makoto and Dudley will be joining the growing list and are arguably the most popular of the announced fighters thus far. For those that don’t know, Ibuki is a ninja, Makoto is a karate expert and Dudley is a gentleman boxer.

TIMJ TV: Episode One has gone Live
Credit: TIMJ, Joe Staley, Trent Pyro
In case you missed the big news, whether you were living in a rock or hiding in a bush, This Is My Joystick has unveiled one of its secret projects. This Is My Joystick TV, hosted by Joe Staley and Trent Pyro. This is as big of a project as any independent gaming website has ever produced, with many meticulous hours spent editing and developing. In case you haven’t checked it out yet, make sure you watch the full thing right here…

Prince of Persia Forgotten Sands given release date on Wii
Credit: CVG
To coincide with the Jake Gyllenhaal picture, Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands has been given a May 14th release date for Wii. For those that don’t know, PoP:FS is being considered as a sequel to the Sands of Time and a precursor to Warrior Within. If the early screenshots are anything to go by, this game is sounding and looking like the Prince of Persia game we’ve been waiting for since 2002. There has been no confirmation on date for the other versions of the game.

Sid Meier’s Civilization V coming to PC this Autumn
Credit: Joystiq
One of the most popular gaming franchises of all time is about to get a new instalment this year on PC. Set to debut on PC this Fall, Civilization V brings “an astonishing new engine” to the polite, turn-based proceedings and promises to excel the franchise with “the introduction of hexagon tiles allowing for deeper strategy, more realistic gameplay and stunning organic landscapes for players to explore as they expand their empire.”

“Each new version of Civilization presents exciting challenges for our team” said Sid Meier. ‘”Thankfully, ideas on how to bring new and fun experiences to Civ players never seem to stop flowing. From fully animated leaders and realistic landscapes, new combat tactics, expanded diplomacy and shared mods, we’re excited for players to see the new vision our team at Firaxis has brought to the series.”

Also, this time around you will be able to share your vision with others, as 2K notes that Civilization V will feature an “extensive suite” of community, modding and multiplayer components. More details to come.

Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty Closed Beta has begun!
Credit: Official Press Release
Finally, after years of waiting, it seems like we’re getting one step closer to the release of Starcraft 2 which is supposedly due out during the first half of this year. Here is the official press release from Blizzard:

IRVINE, Calif., Feb 17, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Blizzard Entertainment announced today that the closed beta test for its highly anticipated real-time strategy game, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, has begun.

Thousands of gamers around the world have started to receive invitations from the company to participate in the first phase of the beta test. In addition to providing feedback on the multiplayer balance of StarCraft II, testers are also getting a first look at Blizzard Entertainment’s revamped Battle.net service, which will be the online platform for StarCraft II, World of Warcraft, and future Blizzard Entertainment games.

“Gathering concentrated feedback from our players is an important step for us as we head into the final stretch of development for StarCraft II and the new Battle.net service,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We look forward to having our players’ help in polishing the overall experience and preparing for launch.”

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is the sequel to Blizzard Entertainment’s 1998 hit StarCraft, which has been hailed by players and critics worldwide as one of the top real-time strategy games of all time. Sporting a vibrant new 3D-graphics engine, StarCraft II will once again centre on the clash between the Protoss, Terrans, and Zerg, with each side deploying legions of veteran, upgraded, and brand-new unit types. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is currently slated to ship in the first half of 2010.

In addition, Blizzard Entertainment will again offer unparalleled online play through Battle.net, the company’s world-renowned gaming service. A new version of Battle.net will be launched alongside StarCraft II with several enhancements and new features to establish it as the premier online gaming destination for Blizzard gamers.

Assassin’s Creed 2 on PC will require a constant connection to the Internet
Credit: PC Gamer
Seems like there is an abundance of PC news this week, although this one isn’t necessarily a positive addition. PC Gamer have reported that the upcoming PC port of Assassin’s Creed 2 will require a constant connection to the Internet while you’re playing the game. The bad news is, should your connection drop while you’re playing, you’ll be kicked out of the game and forced to restart!

PC Gamer go on to report “When we heard of Ubisoft’s plan to require an internet connection for all their future PC games, we hoped they’d abort it or scale it back in the face of the outrage and astonishment it caused. They haven’t, and it’s here.”

“We’ve just received Assassin’s Creed 2 and Settlers VII for review, and verified with Ubisoft that the DRM is the same as the boxed product. If you get disconnected while playing, you’re booted out of the game. All your progress since the last checkpoint or savegame is lost and your only options are to quit to Windows or wait until you’re reconnected.”

Seems the PC can’t even get a straight port of a game without a problem these days. This is certainly not a popular move by Ubisoft and there is already a massive public outcry over this situation.