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Nintendo has unveiled a new model of its DSi handheld console, which will appear as the "DSi LL" in Japan, or "DSi XL" in Europe. As you've probably already guessed, the DSi XL brings larger 4.2" dual screens. That is about an inch more than the current DSi's 3.25" displays or the DS Lite's 3" screens.

The DSi XL will be packaged with a regular stylus, in addition to a longer, thicker pen-like stylus. It is reported that battery life will be about four to five hours on maximum brightness and 13 to 17 hours on minimum, which is on par with the DS Lite. Charge time is around 3 hours when fully depleted.


The latest DSi will measure 161mm wide x 91.4mm long x 21.2mm thick, and the new stylus will measure 129.3mm long. It will feature an SD memory card slot, a stereo headphone/microphone connected terminal, and will be available in red, brown, and white.

The DSi LL will hit Japanese store shelves on November 21 for 20,000 yen (around $220), and the DSi XL will arrive in Europe sometime in the first quarter of 2010. No details have been provided for a North American launch.

Update: Kotaku is reporting an early first-quarter debut for North America as well.

Nintendo posted a major 52% slip in fiscal first-half (April-September) profit today, amid a slowing demand for its Wii video game console. Profit for that period totaled $69.49 billion yen (about $772 million), which is down from 144.83 billion yen in the year prior and less than Nintendo's forecasted $100 billion yen ($1.1 billion). Fiscal first-half sales plummeted 34.5% to 548.01 billion yen ($6.1 billion).

The company expects earnings to remain grim, lowering its sales forecast for the fiscal year through March 2010 to 1.5 trillion yen ($16.7 billion) from 1.8 trillion yen ($20 billion). Nintendo blames its weak outlook on the recent Wii price cut, a lack of blockbuster games, as well as a strong yen, which hurts Japanese exporters by reducing their overseas earnings.

Nintendo has faced some stiff competition lately, with Sony and Microsoft both lowering prices on their consoles. The PlayStation 3 topped September sales charts after Sony introduced the $300 120GB Slim model, and the 120GB Xbox 360 Elite was cut to $300 as well. Microsoft also has a $200 Xbox 360 Arcade unit, which is about the same cost of Nintendo's Wii.

Microsoft has quietly released a new system update for its Xbox 360 console today. While it won't include any of the new social features that the company has been touting for months, this update will finally allow the current Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter (and presumably the upcoming 802.11n version) to support the WPA2 wireless security protocol -- a long overdue addition that many have been clamoring for.

Users should be receiving the update sometime this morning when they sign into Xbox Live. Microsoft's Larry 'Major Nelson' Hyrb emphasized that the update does not include the upcoming Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm integration nor it brings the Zune Marketplace 1080p "instant-on" streaming video functionality. That system update should go live next month.

Valve has failed in appealing the Australian Classification Board's ban of the uncensored version of Left 4 Dead 2. The group refused to grant the sequel with an MA15+ rating -- Australia's highest -- after determining that the title had "high impact violence" against "living humans infected with a rabies-like virus," and "graphic depictions of blood and gore."


All is not lost for aspiring zombie hunters in the land down under, though; Valve submitted and obtained MA15+ classification for an edited version of Left 4 Dead 2. While the censored game will be quite watered down, with no depictions of decapitations, dismemberment, wound detail, or piles of bodies lying about the environment, I assume it's better than not launching at all.

Left 4 Dead 2 is slated for a November 17 release on PC and Xbox 360, and a demo will arrive on November 3 (those who pre-ordered have access to the demo from October 27).

Update: Despite Steve Ballmer explicitly saying "you'll be able to get Blu-ray drives as accessories," in reply to a question about supporting the technology in Xbox 360 consoles, Microsoft has issued a new statement confirming once again that there are no plans for a Blu-ray add-on.

Original story: Ever since HD DVD lost the high-definition format war in early 2008, rumors have kept popping about the possibility of Blu-ray support on the Xbox 360 console, only to be rebuffed every time by Microsoft in favor of digital distribution. The latest comes from Redmond boss Steve Ballmer himself, however, who in a recent interview with Gizmodo hinted that a Blu-ray drive could finally join the 360's assemblage of accessories.

Apparently Ballmer spoke with certitude when he mentioned the add-on, but not surprisingly Microsoft's PR guys later added: "Our immediate solution for Blu-ray-quality video on an Xbox 360 is coming this fall with Zune Video and 1080p instant-on HD streaming. As far as our future plans are concerned, we're not ready to comment." That certainly doesn't rule out Blu-ray on the Xbox 360, but we should note that this is not the first time the outspoken CEO "confirms" support and gets the company in rumor control mode.

We'll just have to wait and see what happens. In any case, if last month's console hardware sales numbers are of any indication, Microsoft better step up their game to remain competitive against a renewed PlayStation 3 console that scores over them with built-in Blu-ray, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support for just $300.

Steam is running another mid-week madness sale today which effectively marks Ubisoft's stealth-action game Assassin's Creed: Director's Cut down to the bargain price of $5. The offer will run until Thursday morning and includes all four extra mission types exclusive to the PC version: archer assassination, rooftop race challenge, merchant stand destruction challenge and escort challenge.


That's a 75% price reduction. If you skipped the original game or are simply looking to warm up ahead of its much-anticipated sequel, now is your chance to buy in. The console versions of Assassin's Creed II will arrive in mid-November but the PC edition isn't due until next year. For more information on the deal, including system requirements, visit the Assassin’s Creed: Director’s Cut page on Steam.

Benefiting from a significant price drop last month and a hardware redesign, Sony's PlayStation 3 took the top spot in the U.S. gaming console sales rankings for the first time since it was launched in November 2006. According to the latest figures from NPD, the Blu-ray equipped device sold 491,800 units in September, compared with 462,800 for the Nintendo Wii and 352,600 for Microsoft's Xbox 360.

No one managed to topple the Nintendo DS, however, which boasts an impressive 524,000 units sold for the month. The entire industry as a whole enjoyed a 1 percent year-on-year growth to $1.28 billion, breaking six months of straight decline. Of that amount, software was up 5 percent to $649.32 million, while hardware was down 6 percent to $472.28 million and accessory sales were up 2 percent to $157.33 million.

Despite being relegated to third place in hardware sales, the Xbox 360 actually accounted for around 32 percent of the September revenues when combined with software and accessory sales. Its exclusive Halo 3: ODST title no doubt contributed to this by selling over 1.52 million copies between its release on the 22nd and the end of September -- more than three times its closest rival in little over a week.

Overall, it was a big month for console gaming. Microsoft also recently lowered the price of its 120GB Xbox 360 Elite model to $300, and Nintendo followed a month later with a $50 drop to $200, so it'll be interesting to see how they stack up against each other this coming holiday season. Feel free to speculate in the comments.

Following the successful launch of a slimmer PlayStation 3 model back in September, Sony has announced a beefier 250GB variant of the console is due to hit U.S. stores next month priced at $350. Besides upping storage capacity, the new system will be otherwise identical to the existing 120GB version which sells for $50 less.


The move comes as expected after leaks suggesting a larger-capacity PS3 would arrive sometime in October. Contrary to some rumors, however, for now the 250GB console has not been announced as part of any bundle like we've seen elsewhere -- Japan will be getting a Final Fantasy XIII bundle in December, for example, while customers in Europe can now get the new 250GB model packed alongside Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2. Hopefully Sony will announce a similar deal for U.S. customers in time for the holiday season.

Those who recently bought the 120GB version, and PS3 owners in general, might be interested to know that you can also swap out the 2.5-inch SATA drive yourself without voiding the warranty on your PlayStation 3. A quick search online shows that a 320GB hard disk drive can be had for around $56 and a 400GB model for $70, so you'll have to pay a little a premium assuming you even need more storage capacity.

Bright Side of News is reporting that Nvidia has landed a contract with Nintendo to power the company's next-generation DS handheld console. If true, it certainly adds substance to a bold claim made over the summer by Nvidia's CEO, Jen-Hsun Huang, when he declared that Tegra would account for as much as 50% of Nvidia's revenue in the next few years.

All of this is unofficial, but based on the timing BSN speculates that Nintendo would make use of Nvidia's next-gen Tegra chips, which are expected to debut in February 2010. The site reports that the newest DS model is slated for a late 2010 launch, and notes that it may appear at next year's Tokyo Game Show.

In somewhat related news, AMD has reportedly bagged a deal with Microsoft to power its next-generation Xbox console, according to Fudzilla. It is also said that both Microsoft and Sony are planning to keep the current console generation alive until 2012.

Among the few decent games released this year was Wolfenstein -- a sequel to Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Co-developed by Raven Software, id Software, Pi Studios and Endrant Studios, most review sites scored the title with about 8 out of 10 marks -- a decent reception. If you're not completely sold on the title, you can take it for a test drive by downloading the demo here.


Feel free to burn a little time while waiting for the 685MB file by checking out our in-depth performance analysis of Wolfenstein. If you happen to enjoy the demo and want to play the game in its entirety, we have a 50%-off promotion running in our deals section that knocks the price down to $24.90 (the special ends in about 35 hours). Should you prefer Valve's digital distribution service, Wolfenstein also just landed on Steam's virtual shelves for $49.99.

In an attempt to strengthen its grip on virtual reality, China is prohibiting foreigners from investing in the country's online video game industry.

The General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) and the National Copyright Administration pushed out a directive on Saturday that disallow foreign bodies from investing in China's online game market through joint ventures, wholly owned enterprises, and cooperatives. China hopes the move will prevent foreign firms from indirectly influencing Chinese gaming bodies through agreements or tech support.

"The new rule is a good beginning in approving the online games in accordance with laws and will be conducive to the regulation of online gaming businesses," said Kou Xiaowei of GAPP. The latest policy follows China's recent broader campaign to shutdown unapproved titles with "unhealthy" content operating in the country. That effort has already halted some 45 online games, and the list will continue to grow.

According to Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter, the video game industry is on the brink of a rebound -- and Sony's PlayStation 3 will lead the pack. "After six consecutive months of double-digit declines, we expect a return to double-digit sales growth (on video game software)," said Pachter, noting that sales are expected to be up 21% to $750 million, compared to $618 million last year.

Pachter estimates that September's NPD figures will show about 390,000 Wii units shipped (down 45% from last year), 350,000 Xbox 360s (up 1%), and 410,000 PS3s (up 76% on year). He predicts that Sony's console will continue to outsell Microsoft's for the remainder of this year, and that another price cut from Redmond may be due. That said, he added that there's a better chance the company will introduce a "more feature-packed Xbox 360 in early 2010 (likely with a 250GB hard drive) at the same price point."

NPD will release its game sales data next Thursday, but in the meantime, forecasted video game sales show Halo 3: ODST with 1,800,000 units shipped, and the nearest competition is Wii Sports Resort at 500,000. The Beatles: Rock Band on the Wii and Xbox 360 are expected to move 350,000 and 325,000 units respectively, taking third and fourth place.

Valve showed off a new Left 4 Dead 2 game mode at an event last night in San Francisco. The "Scavenge" multiplayer mode will offer gamers a break from the standard versus and cooperative play. The new mode puts a team of four Survivors against an equal number of boss Infected in a race against the clock.

Survivors must scour specially designed maps for gas canisters, which they must return to a safe house to refill a generator. As the generator is filled, the Survivors earn points and more time is added. Meanwhile, the boss Infected -- including the new Spitter, Jockey, and Charger -- must prevent the Survivors from refueling by attacking them, destroying the gas cans, or running out the clock.


There are also reports of a "Realism" mode, but Valve has not officially announced details. According to the folks over at 1UP, Valve's Chet Faliszek commented that the mode is a "special modifier" that they forgot to hide for the demo. Doug Lombardi, another Valve employee, said Realism mode was for the "super hardcore player."

In related news, Left 4 Dead 2 has finally received an MA15+ classification in Australia -- though, it's a watered down version. The game "no longer contains depictions of decapitations, dismemberment, wound detail or piles of bodies lying about the environment." Valve is still hoping to obtain approval for an unedited version of the title.

What would you do if your newly purchased gaming console crashed every 15 minutes? You might rage or return it -- but many have resorted to lawsuits. Sony is now facing just such a problem over the PlayStation 3, with a suit seeking class action status trying to get compensation for people affected by defective consoles.

Sony is no stranger to problems with the PS3, especially not on the firmware front. Since release, the company has introduced over a dozen separate firmware updates to address a multitude of issues. After the 3.01 update supposedly failed to fix one man's problem and in fact caused another, he says Sony attempted to charge him to fix the broken PS3. Sony commented on the situation in the past, saying they are aware of "isolated" instances where the firmware causes numerous glitches.

Sony might face a bigger issue though, as they claim the 3.01 firmware was the last major release for 2009 -- bad news for anybody who is still suffering from technical problems on a PS3. Is this worth suing over, though? I'd think a stronger move would be to take your console back -- though that may not be an option for many.

A couple weeks back, Microsoft confirmed the existence its Xbox 360 802.11n adapter, but provided no official word on the price or availability. A listing on GameStop's website has revealed that the updated Wi-Fi dongle will ship on November 3 of this year and cost $99.99 -- which lines up earlier pricing rumors.

It was also speculated that when the 802.11n device launched, the current 802.11b/g adapter would receive a price cut from $99.99 to $79.99 -- that may not be the case, however. Joystiq is reporting that GameStop will sell both the new and old adapter for the same price of $100.


I'm not sure I see the logic in this -- especially since Microsoft referred to the new Wi-Fi device as "another choice" for consumers. While that is technically still true regardless of pricing, it only makes sense to me that Redmond would offer the dated adapter for a discount. I guess we will find out for sure in the coming weeks.

If you're anticipating the launch of Left 4 Dead's sequel, you may be interested in participating in Valve's preorder promotion. Those who buy the game prior to launch will receive a 10% discount on the title, early access to the Left 4 Dead 2 demo, as well as a bonus in-game item.

First word of the Left 4 Dead 2 demo came less than two weeks ago, and it is slated for an October 27 release if all goes well. In addition to the demo and discount, preorder customers will be given an exclusive in-game baseball bat, which is one of the new melee weapons featured in Left 4 Dead 2.


At 10% off, the stand-alone title is priced at $44.99, or you can get three friends in on the action for $134.99. Also listed is a bundle that includes the original Left 4 Dead, and Left 4 Dead 2 for $64.98.

Cloud-based gaming service OnLive has secured additional funding, and interest from potential users has topped expectations. OnLive's Series C financing round included AT&T and Lauder Partners, as well as repeat investors like Time Warner, Autodesk, and Maverick Capital. OnLive has not disclosed exactly how much was pumped into the company, but CEO Steve Perlman said it was a "large investment at a large valuation."


OnLive rolled into an open beta earlier this month, and has more pre-release users than anticipated. The company reports that hundreds of thousands have signed up for the service's test phase, which is more activity than it expected to see in the first year. OnLive is slated to officially launch this winter, and it has signed up various top-end publishers like EA, Ubisoft, and Take-Two Interactive to provide games. There is still no word on pricing -- just that it will be a cheaper route than current mainstream consoles.

Keeping its promise, Valve has pushed out new downloadable content for its popular zombie shooter, Left 4 Dead. Called "Crash Course," the update brings a new campaign, which falls between the events of "No Mercy" and "Death Toll," and features fresh locations, dialogue, refined item spawning and more. As we've noted in the past, the DLC is available to PC gamers for free via Steam, but owners of the Xbox 360 version must cough up 560 Microsoft Points -- about $7.


Additionally, to celebrate the release of Crash Course, Valve is offering a 50% discount on the PC version of Left 4 Dead, which brings the game down to $14.99. This promotion expires on Saturday, October 3 -- so get it while it's hot. If you can hold off on the zombie apocalypse, Valve is preparing to launch a demo of Left 4 Dead's sequel, Left 4 Dead 2. The completed title will hit store shelves on November 17 with a slew of new features.

One of the core differences between Sony's upcoming PSP Go and previous generation is the lack of a UMD drive. This inherently means that users must download digital copies of games and other content. For most new customers this is a non-issue, but things aren't that simple for those who already own physical PSP media.

By upgrading from an older rendition of the PSP, you would effectively lose access to all of your UMD titles -- unless, of course, you're okay with toting around both consoles. Acknowledging this months back, Sony revealed plans to offer some form of "good-will" program, which would allow UMD games to be somehow transferred to or traded for a digital copy. Unfortunately, the company has since scrapped that initiative.


Yesterday at the Tokyo Game Show, an SCEA spokesperson told Kotaku, "We were evaluating a UMD conversion program, but due to legal and technical reasons we will not be offering the program at this time." To kick US adopters while they're down, Europeans who upgrade to the PSP Go will be eligible for three free games via the "PSP Go Rewards" promotion.

The PSP Go is slated to debut on October 1, and downloadable material consists of 225 games, 2,300 films, and 13,000 TV show episodes. For those of you with an extensive UMD library, is this news a deal breaker?

It looks like Sony’s PlayStation 3 is finally picking up some steam. According to the company's own internal estimates, since the new slim model went on sale for $299 just three weeks ago, the console has gone on to reach 1 million unit sales worldwide.


Sadly they didn't offer a specific breakdown by region. For what it's worth, on a separate statement SCEA head boss Jack Tretton said U.S. sales have jumped 300% from last year, putting the figure close to an amazing 690,000. We'll have to wait for NPD's monthly report to confirm how close to reality his claims are, but for now the company seems to be positioning itself quite nicely for the upcoming holiday season.

In addition to touting sales numbers at the company's Tokyo Game Show keynote, CEO Kaz Hirai went on to showcase the PS3 Motion Controller onstage, indicating that it is scheduled to launch in Spring 2010. He also confirmed that 13 first and third-party titles with motion support would be coming at some point next year, including Biohazard 5 (known in the U.S. as Resident Evil 5) and LittleBigPlanet.

It's official folks, Nintendo has dropped the Wii's price by $50 to $200. The announcement concludes weeks of rumors and advertisement leaks. Nintendo's decision will better position the company against competitors like Sony and Microsoft, who have recently lowered the prices of their consoles.

Sony launched the PlayStation 3 Slim at $300, and Microsoft lowered the Xbox 360 Elite's price by $100 to match that price. After Redmond made its move, a Nintendo spokesman was approached and said the company had no intentions of following suit. That didn't stop the rumors, of course, as unofficial reports of a planned Wii price reduction flooded the Web.

With Nintendo aboard the bandwagon, will sales explode as witnessed during the PS3 Slim's release? PlayStation 3 shipments rose by 104% during its launch week -- sure, some of those sales were laggards waiting for a deal, but there is no doubt Sony legitimately bagged many new customers.

Update: Citing unnamed sources, Ars Technica is reporting that the 802.11n adapter will retail for $100, which will drop the currently available 802.11g unit to $80. No official word from Microsoft yet, though.

Original: Last week we reported that Microsoft was working on an 802.11n adapter for its Xbox 360 console. Microsoft has now confirmed the adapter's existence in a response to Joystiq. The new adapter will effectively double the raw data rate from the currently utilized 802.11b/g, and has already made it to the FCC's hands.

The revamped Wi-Fi dongle will better facilitate the streaming of HD content, and will allow users to "seamlessly connect with their home network with the highest wireless 'N' technology." Redmond offered few details, but it is worth noting that the company referred to the adapter as "another choice to consumers."


Interpret that as you may, but it would seem evident that the new adapter will be marketed alongside the current Wi-Fi adapter and not replace it -- at first anyway. There was no mention of a price or availability, but Microsoft said it would provide more details "soon" and to "stay tuned."

In somewhat related news, Microsoft is offering US customers a $50 mail-in rebate on Xbox 360 Elite consoles purchased between now and October 5. You can find more details about the promotion here.

As expected, Valve will be pushing out the latest DLC for Left 4 Dead this month. Dubbed "Crash Course," the add-on will arrive next Tuesday, September 29. Crash Course brings a new campaign, which falls between the events of "No Mercy" and "Death Toll," and will feature new locations, dialogue, refined item spawning and more. The new content will be available to PC gamers free of charge via Steam, but owners of the Xbox 360 version can expect to pay some 560 Microsoft Points -- about $7.


Meanwhile, Valve is gearing up to launch a demo of the upcoming sequel, aptly named Left 4 Dead 2. Shacknews reports that you'll be able to take the demo for a spin on October 27 -- that is, unless you're too busy picketing in the streets. They also note that people who pre-order L4D2 will have exclusive access to the demo, and will receive a special melee weapon -- the baseball bat. The completed sequel is due to arrive on November 17 -- hopefully Valve will have things in Australia sorted by then.

The plumbers are on vacation at Sega, and some pipes are a leakin' this morning. A document that details minutes of a meeting between SCEA and Sega on August 5 has trickled onto the Web and among other gems is a release date for the PlayStation 3 Motion Control.

According to the leak, Sony will launch its PS3 motion-sensing controllers in Japan during March of next year, and other regions in spring. There are no pricing or bundle details provided in the document, but Sony expects to ship four to five million units worldwide.

In addition, Sony is looking to sell all PlayStation 2 titles on PSN, and the leak mentions a new "Japanese Import" section, which would sell Japan-only games for $9.99 to $39.99. Dreamcast games may also be coming to PSN. There are plenty of other nuggets revealed, and you can read the entire leak after the jump.

Since release, the Wii has been the most price-competitive modern console available. Its success has largely been attributed to price, especially in the first year, when the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were far more expensive. Now in late 2009, the picture has changed.

The PS3 has finally fallen below the $300 mark and Microsoft has managed to dip below Nintendo in terms of pricing on the 360 Arcade. Clearly, one of the biggest advantages Nintendo had is drying up -- a major concern, especially as the next holiday season approaches. While nothing is official yet, there are rumors that a price drop may be due before the end of the year.

Nintendo's official stance is that no price drop is planned, but several factors have to be considered. For starters, falling sales combined with a renewed marketing vigor from Sony has put pressure on Nintendo. The Wii's substantial lead may drop rapidly in the coming months, and a price cut would potentially negate this by stimulating more sales.

Naturally, Nintendo is refusing to comment on rumors. It is highly unlikely they will be surpassed in sales anytime soon, so they can still enjoy their lead -- but for how long?

One essential ingredient of MMO gameplay is the synchronization of various events and special effects across multiple systems. A boss fight would get hairy pretty quick if everyone in the battle wasn't experiencing the same environment simultaneously. A New York-based company has sued several MMO-makers, claiming the games make use of a patented data sharing technology.

Paltalk Holdings, Inc. has filed suit in Marshall, Texas against Activision Blizzard (World of Warcraft), Sony (EverQuest), NCSoft (Guild Wars), Jagex (RuneScape), and Turbine (Lord of the Rings Online). Paltalk specifically chose the east Texas court for its history of favoring plaintiffs in related cases. The patents in question basically cover sharing data between connected computers so that users are presented with an identical digital environment.

Paltalk took Microsoft to court in 2006 over the multiplayer technology used in its Halo titles, and successfully strong-armed Redmond into settling out of court. I imagine that will only strengthen their present case, as it adds some level of validity to their claims.

Valve's upcoming sequel to the very popular Left 4 Dead zombie shooter has faced a lot of resistance since its announcement. From the get-go, fans of the original were upset over the perception that Valve would be abandoning their existing playerbase just to chase cash. Valve has worked hard to try and dispel that notion, by promising additional Left 4 Dead DLC down the road.

That isn't the only hardship they've faced, however, and yesterday the gaming community was shocked to learn that the Australian Classification Board blacklisted the upcoming game. Needless to say, Valve is upset about that decision. With a November 17 release date quickly approaching, there isn't a lot of time for them to begin hacking up a game that's probably receiving its final touches. They have officially responded to the blacklisting, saying with terse words that they are very disappointed about the move.


Without giving too much detail, the principle reason behind the ban was excessive violence. Anyone who has played Left 4 Dead (or any shooter for that matter) would likely scoff at that, as the gore aspect is a central focus. Does the Australian government expect Valve to begin retro-editing a title so close to release? Will Valve cave, or simply try to get the game re-classified?

Originally slated for a release next month, 2K Games' highly anticipated sequel to the award-winning "BioShock" will finally arrive worldwide on February. The underwater first-person shooter will see a simultaneous triple-platform launch on the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3; with pre-orders now open at certain online retailers.


BioShock 2 is set ten years after the events of the original game and places gamers in the shoes of the first Big Daddy ever made. This follow-up marks not only the debut of new enemies in the form of other Big Daddies and Big Sisters, but also a fully-featured multiplayer component that serves as a prequel set during the fall of Rapture, adding to the game's splendid narrative.

For those of you who are new to the series, or perhaps would like to replay the original title in anticipation to the sequel, game download service Direct2Drive is celebrating its 5-year anniversary by offering a large selection of (mostly old) PC games for $5 each -- among them, BioShock.

A lot is happening over at Bethesda, who is busy still hammering out things for Fallout 3. One of the more interesting developments is the DLC schedule for the PlayStation 3, which has lagged behind the PC and Xbox 360. Originally, PS3 DLC was intended to arrive back in June -- but because of development delays that didn't happen.

Several months have passed since then with no firm word on when the expansions would actually become available. The long wait is over now, and those who own a PS3 copy of the game can expect DLC to be available one week from today on September 24.

It isn't just the PS3 version that's getting some attention. As the title's one-year anniversary approaches, Bethesda wants to stir some buzz by releasing a game of the year edition, which is due to ship on October 13. The most exciting part about the upcoming GOTY edition will be the inclusion of all the DLC released to date, wrapped up into nice package that will have a $50 price tag ($60 on consoles and 60 Euros in Europe).

It's too bad that people who have already purchased the DLC had to put down $10 for each installment, but I suppose that's the price you pay for getting it on release, as opposed to months later. With a complete package like this, it's possible Bethesda may also be able to bring the DLC to Steam -- which has been a bone of contention amongst some FO3 fans who opted for the digital copy.

Valve's upcoming sequel to Left 4 Dead has reportedly been banned in the land down under. The Australian Classification Board has stamped the title with "RC" (refused classification) because of "high impact violence" against "living humans infected with a rabies-like virus."

In case you're unfamiliar, there is no adult rating for video games in Australia -- with the maximum being MA15+. Any mature title that is unable to obtain the Classification Board's approval for MA15+ is barred from commercial sale. Oddly, the original Left 4 Dead made it to shelves with the Board's blessings.


This doesn't necessarily mean Left 4 Dead 2 won't eventually be given the OK, though. I assume if Valve edits out the content in question, the ban will be lifted. Other titles to be forbidden in recent times include "Sexy Poker," "Necrovision," and "Risen."

You can read the Classification Board's report here (PDF) and its website can be found here. Don't hesitate to leave your rants or otherwise in the comments.