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Win big on Wii.

#violence Writer Fraser Allison thinks a few games could be improved if they contained a little less shooting. We're reprinting the case here. Read on and see if you agree. More »

This message is for the many Joystiq readers who are also in charge of business development at game publishing companies -- or for those few impulsive, wealthy Joystiq readers eager to start a new business venture at the drop of a hat.

You see, there's this DS game Fractured Soul. It takes the "two worlds on two screens" concept (as seen in titles like Reflection and Chronos Twins) and makes a fast-paced arcade experience out of it, with the player shifting back and forth at high speed in both platforming and shmup levels. Unfortunately, we can't play it, because developer Endgame Studios needs a publisher. N3V Games has already signed on for Australia, so that leaves ... everywhere else in the world.

That's where you come in. Watch the trailer after the break and give it some thought.

Blondie, La Roux, The Decemberists, Eagles of Death Metal and more coming to Rock Band next week.

#pokemonred Pokémon games are normally quite tame affairs. The worst that happens is some weird animal gets knocked out for an hour or two. But in Pokémon Black, there is death, nothing but death, and it is all around you. More »

#clips You can elude the Dominion. You can evade the Zerg. You can swipe precious artifacts out from under the watchful eyes of the Protoss and escape without a scratch, but you can never escape Apple's crack marketing squad. More »

#pc F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife may have given video games the name of one of the medium's best franchises, but what did F. Scott ever give us gamers? The Great Gatsby game? Apparently, it's not good, though that's not his fault. More »

Yesterday, Curve Studios announced a Q4 2010 launch window for the PSN version of its retro-inspired blow-em-up platformer, Explodemon, though the WiiWare, PlayStation Mini (PSP compatible) and PC versions were not mentioned. We contacted the developer about these omissions, and PR Manager Ed Fear confirmed our suspicions, explaining, "For the moment, we're focusing only on the PS3 version."

Fear added, "We're a small(ish) company, so it doesn't make sense for us to split our limited resources between several different versions, especially given that there'd be quite major graphical differences for the Wii/PSP editions. So, in order to really make Explodemon shine, we're putting all of our efforts into the PS3 version." Fear did note that the studio still wants to see the game on as many platforms as possible, though Curve will have to "seriously evaluate other targets once we've shipped the PS3 version."

Panels are typically the highlights of Comic-Con, but truth be told, they’re a bit of a pain in the arse. You end up waiting in a long line (sometimes for hours), fight for good seats with people who are squatting for the Vampire Chick Lit panel happening like 2 days later in the same room, and endure one or more of the following: difficult lighting/audio issues/off-topic Q&As.

Wouldn’t it be easier if all the good stuff was cut down into, say, 7 minutes and 53 seconds?

In this highlight reel of the inFAMOUS 2 Comic-Con panel, the Sucker Punch team talks about the creation of Cole and the changes he’s gone through since the first inFAMOUS (including his voice), how New Orleans is an influence on inFAMOUS 2’s setting of New Marais, and, the all important question of why Cole can’t climb chain link fences:

And round of applause for IGN’s Greg Miller – huge inFAMOUS fan and panel host extraordinaire. Nice job moderating, Greg.

One last bit of inFAMOUS-related business: tomorrow is the last day to register on inFAMOUStheGAME.com to get an exclusive PS3 theme. It’s made from concept art for the game and this is the only way you can get it.

There will be no track packs in next week's Rock Band DLC update. Instead, eight individual songs will be released, demonstrating a wide array of artists. Several bands will even be making their Rock Band debuts, including The Decemberists and dc Talk.

It's an eclectic group of singles on deck -- check out the full details after the break.

#talkamongstyourselves What should next month's Talk Amongst Yourselves image be? Drop you suggestions into the comments section below. (This is not today's TAY.) More »

#limbo Limbo is a wonderful black-and-white game from Playdead that has been a marquee title for the Xbox 360's summer of arcade (we like it). LittleBigPlanet is a modder's delight on the PS3. Of course, someone combined the two. More »

Spacefaring game designer Richard Garriott has been awarded $28 million in his lawsuit against former employer NCsoft. The Austin American-Statesman reports that Garriott was seeking $47 million -- a much higher figure than earlier reports -- to cover the losses he incurred after being forced to quickly sell his stock in the company at a low point in the market following his termination. He was apparently in quarantine after his $20 million trip into space when NCsoft dropped the banhammer on him. Garriott's agreement with NCsoft was that he would have 10 years to sell his stock if he were ever fired, and NCsoft apparently argued unsuccessfully that he left the company voluntarily.

Garriott said he was "extremely pleased with the jury's decision" in a statement released to the Statesman. Meanwhile, an NCsoft lawyer confirmed that the company is still "considering all options for next steps in the legal process." It might be best to just move on at this point -- you know, start over with a tabula rasa.

We understand your apprehension when it comes to trusting in a launch date for RUSE, Ubisoft's oft-delayed WWII-based RTS. While befitting of the game's title, the publisher's habit of announcing a release date and then (surprise!) changing it -- numerous times over the course of the year -- has grown from a bothersome trick to just plain mean. When Ubisoft's Aymeric Evennou recently tweeted that the date was now set for September 7 (September 9 in Europe; and September 10 in the UK), we couldn't help but feel we were being set up again.

However, Ubisoft has independently confirmed with Joystiq that Evennou's posted releases dates were accurate and that RUSE will launch in the US on September 7 across PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. (We should note that this confirmation came without a pinky swear.)

We understand your apprehension when it comes to trusting in a launch date for RUSE, Ubisoft's oft-delayed WWII-based RTS. While befitting of the game's title, the publisher's habit of announcing a release date and then (surprise!) changing it -- numerous times over the course of the year -- has grown into a mean trick. When Ubisoft's Aymeric Evennou recently tweeted that the date was now set for September 7 (September 9 in Europe; and September 10 in the UK), we couldn't help but feel we were being set up again.

However, Ubisoft independently confirmed with Joystiq that Evennou's posted releases dates were accurate and that RUSE will launch in the US on September 7 across PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. (We should note that this confirmation came withough were a pinky swear.)

We understand your apprehension when it comes to trusting in a launch date for RUSE, Ubisoft's oft-delayed WWII-based RTS. While befitting of the game's title, the publisher's habit of announcing a release date and then (surprise!) changing it -- numerous times over the course of the year -- has grown into a mean trick. When Ubisoft's Aymeric Evennou recently tweeted that the date was now set for September 7 (September 9 in Europe; and September 10 in the UK), we couldn't help but feel we were being set up again.

However, Ubisoft independently confirmed with Joystiq that Evennou's posted releases dates were accurate and that RUSE will launch in the US on September 7 across PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. (We should note that this confirmation came withough were a pinky swear.)

Hi everyone – Time for this week’s video store updates.

On the US store this week:

• Fist-pump to the return of Jersey Shore where the party is relocated to Miami Beach.
• Also, check out new action-packed flicks Repo Men, Clash of the Titans, Batman: Under the Red Hood, and more!
• You’ll also save up to 50% this week in our Deal of the Week sale, featuring animated TV series like Skyland and Fanboy & Chum Chum.
• Finally, access amazing coverage from Comic-Con 2010 including sneak peeks of upcoming blockbuster films, interviews with your favorite comic book heroes and celebrities, and the best costumes from the convention, now on PlayStation Store in the Comic-Con 2010 collection and online at http://us.playstation.com/comic-con-2010.

On the Canada store this week:

• Be sure to check out new additions of your favorite movie titles such as Repo Men, Operation: Endgame, From Paris With Love, Couples Retreat, and Creation.
• You can also enjoy dangerously addictive new episodes of UFC Fights, Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes, and The Super Hero Squad Show.

Both US and Canadian users can download an exciting Shark Week Dynamic Theme this week for their PS3 XMBs, check out the demo below before you head to the game store! US users can also deck out their PS3 systems with the Clash of the Titans Dynamic Theme!

New TV and Movie arrivals to store this week …

Just in TV
US Store: X-Play, The Glades, Covert Affairs, Deadliest Warrior, The Hard Times of RJ Berger, Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory, Deadliest Catch, Top Shot, Sons of Tucson, Pros vs. Joes, The Gates, Burn Notice, Futurama, The Colony, Dual Survival, Man vs. Wild, In the QUBE, Warren the Ape, Soul Eater, Players: Uncensored, iCarly, Haven, GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley, The Wild Thornberrys

Canada Store: Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes, The Super Hero Squad Show, UFC Fights, Wolverine & The X-Men, Friday Night Lights, Law and Order: SVU, South Park, SpongeBob SquarePants

New Release Movies
US Store: Unthinkable, Steve Bryne: The Bryne Identity, The Job, The Extra Man, Centurion, Green Lantern: First Flight, Streets of Blood, Cheerleader Camp, Puppet Master: Axis of Evil, Jesse Stone: No Remorse, Operation: Endgame, Edges of Darkness, Richard Pryor: Live and Smokin

Canada Store: Couple’s Retreat, The Good Guy, Creation, Bruno, From Paris With Love, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, Changeling, The Forbidden Kingdom, Hart’s War, The Red Baron, Earth Keepers

Before you head to the video store, watch the jaw-dropping, action-packed trailer for Clash of the Titans.

#lostplanet2 Capcom took a big spinning bird kick, right in the profits, which were down 90.4 percent. Ouch! Part of the blame fell on Lost Planet 2. More »

#bioware One million used to be the bar. Then two. Then three. Mass Effect developer BioWare isn't stopping there. More »

[Credit: Andrew Bossi, Flickr, cc-by-nc-sa]

Brothers Claudio and Luis may not dress like you've always known the Marios to dress, they may operate in the Eggplant rather than Mushroom Kingdom, and they may battle a giant, evil platypus named Bruiser, but make no mistake: Super Claudio Bros. is a musical about the life and times of Mario. But the real shock to me, reviewers and attendees alike? It's really good, even if you didn't grow up with a controller in your hand.

#pokemon Kids! Pokemon! Dancing! Bad 3D! There's all that and so much more in this lengthy new trailer for Pokemon Black & White, for the Nintendo DS. More »

#masseffect Remember that Mass Effect 2 cosplay that could have been the best thing ever? Yeah. Turns it out it's the best thing ever. More »

Dance music superstar DJ Tiësto will be providing two mixes and appearing as a playable character in the upcoming DJ Hero 2. More »

#politics After a "public outcry" about the negative effects of computer games, the Vietnamese government has begun issuing measures to restrict online games. More »

#mmo Wing Commander. X-Wing. Elite. Privateer. Some of my favourite games of all time, yet all were missing one thing that upcoming MMO Infinity has: the ability to fly seamlessly from space to a planet's surface. More »

#gearsofwar That's right, the Gears of War movie is going back to the drawing board. The game's designer, Cliff Bleszinski, said the aim was to have the feature film version "more like District 9". More »

#screengrab These are a few of my favourite things. As seen on deviantART. More »

#hunterblade Hunter Blade is a Chinese developed online game in which players hunt monsters. It doesn't look a little like Capcom's Monster Hunter. It looks a lottle like Monster Hunter. More »

An expanded retail version of Nintendo's DSiWare Art Academy art trainer and creator is being released in Europe next week. To mark the occasion, Nintendo Spain has produced a series of four videos showing famous works being reproduced on a DSi XL. Watch them all after the break.

We see how Microsoft's motion controller shapes up against the opposition.