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According to an interview with Netherrealm Studios executive producer Shaun Himmerick conducted by Industry Gamers, not only does the PSP2 exist, but it's already in developers' hands. When asked about the possibility of the Mortal Kombat reboot heading to PSP or 3DS, Himmerick replied, "We're not launching day one on all consoles like that. We are looking at them; we have a PSP2 in the house and we're looking at the engine, like what can it support."

Wait -- the PSP2, you say? "PSP2 looks like it's a pretty powerful machine," Himmerick added, before saying that his studio doesn't have a 3DS just yet. Sony, as you might imagine, refused to comment.

Capcom just announced at TGS that the Dead Rising 2: Case Zero prologue has sold over 500,000 copies in under 2 weeks, with that knowledge one can understand why they'd do an epilogue: Dead Rising 2: Case West. Keiji Inafune revealed the DLC will take place after the events of Dead Rising 2 and feature Frank West (of the original Dead Rising) working with latest protaganist Chuck Greene. Inafune concluded, "Apologies to PS3 fans, but this too will be an Xbox 360 exclusive." We'll update as we learn more.

Sadly, Sony pitchman Kevin Butler is not a real person, but SCEA VP Peter Dille says word may not have gotten around. "We've gotten contact from media people that aren't aware that he's a character, asking for an interview!" he told Industry Gamers ... Well, you can't blame us for trying, can you?

Famitsu has confirmed remastered PlayStation 3 versions of both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. The PS2 classics will reportedly be released as two separate games in Japan. This differs from the leaked European retailer listing, which showed a single package featuring the two titles on one disc. Presumably, this will all be confirmed during tomorrow's Sony Japan press conference at the Tokyo Game Show.

The magazine doesn't offer any additional details on the remakes, but the God of War Collection should give us a good idea of what to expect. The horrible American box art for Ico (seen above) should also give us an idea of what to expect from the packaging.

Choice has been a crucial and critically acclaimed component of games benefiting from Warren Spector's involvement, and this November's Disney Epic Mickey is no exception. It pervades the entire industry, an optimistic Spector believes, telling VideoGamer that the diversity on offer, both for consumers and developers, puts us in a "great place."

"Actually, I think that this is kind of a Golden Age," Spector said in a Gamescom interview. "I can make a Wii-exclusive game featuring Mickey Mouse. Someone else can make an all-original $100m MMO. I've got friends who are literally working alone on indie games that have no prospect of profit or commercial success. I've got guys working on iPhone games." Spector noted that a widening audience and abundance of platforms makes it easier to find a fit. "There's something for everyone, which means there's something for every developer to do that's meaningful for them, that will ignite their passion."

And while Spector admitted to not quite getting social games, he wouldn't succumb to the unfortunate tendency to cast judgment on their audience. "Gaming is in a very special place right now and we should be reveling in it, enjoying the parts that we love and letting other people enjoy the parts that they love. The more people who game, the better for everyone." If anybody should be pleased to hear an even-handed, inclusive opinion on today's multifaceted gaming, it's those Farmville weirdos.

We're learning more about what Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune is cooking up with his latest project, the downloadable Mega Man Universe for PSN and XBLA. In advance of next week's Tokyo Game Show, Capcom has delivered new screens and -- more importantly -- details, specifically where the ability to create your own Mega Man and stages is concerned.

According to Capcom, "you can create your own original Mega Man by assembling parts you like," indicating that "your abilities will change depending on the parts you choose." There will be "a wide variety" of these parts, leading us to believe that the "Ryu Man" featured at the end of the recent gameplay videos is one of these custom creations.

Sounding a bit like LittleBigPlanet, Mega Man Universe will also feature a full level editor for building your own stages, which can then be shared with others online. Of course, this means you can download and play through others' creations -- but it's a final bit of info dropped by the game's developer that we find most intriguing. "Aside from Mega Man themed stages, there are a variety of custom stage parts that will be revealed soon," Capcom says. Ryu Man running through a Ghosts 'N Goblins themed level with Mega Man gameplay, perhaps? Sure seems like something the original teaser hinted at.

Mega Man Universe will be playable at TGS, where we'll put together a juicy hands-on preview of it for all the loyal Mega-fans in the audience.

"But whether you seek answers, revenge, or reconciliation with your lost love, you may find more than you bargained for."

Contrary to the marketing line, you'll likely find less than you bargained for in Dragon Age: Witch Hunt, a disappointing and flimsy finale to the Dragon Age: Origins storyline. It's not a terrible chunk of content -- and it would have to do far worse before it could tarnish BioWare's other efforts in keeping the Dragon Age universe alive for almost a year now -- but the crucial failure to deliver a satisfying conclusion is hard to forget. We'll talk forgiveness later.

"The goal for Dead Rising 2 is to replace the Resident Evil franchise and become the number one IP within Capcom," Keiji Inafune told Eurogamer. It's a lofty claim -- according to Capcom's own data, Street Fighter is the company's top franchise. Still, taking down the Resident Evil franchise first is no easy task. Unlike Capcom's other properties, the company's original survival-horror game has the mainstream appeal to support three successful Hollywood adaptations (with a fourth one opening this week). The last iteration of the series sold over 5 million copies. Dead Rising, on the other hand, sold 1.6 million.

Dead Rising has big shoes to fill, but it's that lofty ambition that pushes good game design, Inafune argues. "Unless you have a big goal to strive for, you can't create a good game. Therefore, if the Dead Rising franchise takes over the Resident Evil franchise, a new game I come up with will obviously strive to go over Dead Rising. That's the goal I set out for any title I decide to create."

If Dead Rising 2 becomes the success Inafune wants it to be, we wonder what the next big idea from Capcom will be. Another IP with even more zombies?

We can all agree that Sonic Unleashed had some pretty deep lows -- specifically, the Werehog. But the daytime segments in the game showed promise; almost a return to form. These areas of the game, for the unaware, combined Sonic Adventure-like 3D free-running elements alongside more classical, 2D elements from the series' past. It was easily the highlight of that game.

And Sega knows it, which explains why Sonic Colors is pretty much nothing but those portions of gameplay. That alone would make for a pretty serviceable Sonic game, but Sega has also added Wisps: small alien creatures who imbue Sonic with one-time-use powers.

Just because you aren't at PAX Prime this weekend doesn't mean you can't experience at least some of the joys and wonders that the show floor has to offer. For instance, the 10 straight minutes of Portal 2 co-op gameplay that we've dropped after the break, courtesy of GameTrailers -- hearing the "oohs" and "aahs" of the crowd on all sides, you'll feel just like you're there! And sure, you might not get a free Portal 2 shirt like this session's attendees did, but you can experience a heartwarming robot hug. And isn't that more than enough?

Next month's Game Informer cover isn't revealing a new game - unlike last month's Batman: Arkham City cover - but it's still got plenty to offer. Behold! Three separate BioShock Infinite covers, crafted by Irrational artist Rob Waters, that ape the old-timey, Norman Rockwell aesthetic of "The Saturday Evening Post." Unveiled during a PAX panel titled "From Concept to Cover: The Game Informer Selection Process," GI Editor-in-Chief Andy McNamara shared not only the final three covers, but the many revisions that went into each one. We've got some galleries below of each cover and its various revisions, including some commentary from both Game Informer and Irrational.

It's finally, really, actually ... maybe going to happen at this point. The rumors are true: Gearbox Software and 2K Games have taken on the Herculean task of completing and releasing 3D Realms' unfinished Duke Nukem Forever. The project was officially unveiled today at PAX during a livestreamed presentation at the 2K Games booth and announced for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. "It's coming out in 2011," Gearbox president Randy Pitchford said during the presentation. (Of course, we're skeptical about any release date associated with this particular title.)

Gearbox began finishing Duke Nukem Forever in late 2009, according to The Wall Street Journal. "Clearly the game hadn't been finished at 3D Realms but a lot of content had been created," Pitchford told WSJ.

"We're in the polishing phase now. This is a game where we can not make a promise we can not fulfill," Pitchford added. "We need to get past the shock and awe and then we can go to all the retailers and first parties and work out a launch plan."

Duke Nukem Forever is a sequel to Duke Nukem 3D and will feature both a single-player campaign and multiplayer. "Aliens come and say they're going to be our friends and Duke knows this isn't going to work out," Pitchford revealed of the plot. "Duke once again is in the pivotal spot and its up to him to save the world."

[Image credit: Kurt Miller]Duke Nukem Forever coming '2011' on Xbox 360, PS3 & PC, courtesy of Gearbox

Sony, here's an idea: just let Kevin Butler control your entire company. Seriously, Sir Howard Stringer is a great guy and all, don't get us wrong -- we've been up plenty of nights bawling our eyes out while he cradled us in his big, burly arms, assuring us that the PS3 would in fact be okay -- but Kevin Butler has proven in his latest ad that he's more than capable for the job.

Just look at the image above and tell us the guy isn't CEO material. Heck, even better: watch the new PlayStation Move ad for yourself past the break and try to tell us it isn't the highlight of your day!

Before we get you all hot under the collar, a preface: We have no idea where these screenshots for Batman: Arkham City originated. They seem to be posted on an anonymous Flickr set, which then made its way onto NeoGAF. Normally, we wouldn't run images of enigmatic origins, though we've decided to make an exception this time for two reasons:

These images look pretty legitimate. These images are as hot as the molten core of the Sun which sustains our planet. Get your first look at Two-Face, Catwoman and the new (and arguably improved) Harley Quinn in the gallery below while we try to confirm their authenticity.

If you're in the San Francisco area on September 7, you may want to stop by the Union Square shopping center, where characters from the Professor Layton series will let visitors step into a British phone booth and sample the upcoming Professor Layton and the Unwound Future. Combined total puzzle scores for guys will be pitted against ladies' scores as similar events are held in Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia.

... Hey, wait a minute! A puzzle-obsessed genius is trapping people in phone booths until they complete a battle of wits? Hell, toss in a couple of rotating blades and Cary Elwes and we've got a Saw movie on our hands.

Listen, we're sure whatever custom superhero you're planning on creating within DC Universe Online is going be a precious and unique snowflake -- but you know who else is great? Batman and all his friends. You can check out their exploits, both heroic and villainous, in the gallery below.

The problem with Pokemon is that it's pretty embarrassing to tell people you play it, especially if you're over the age of 13 -- just ask Griffin. They're great games, don't get us wrong. It's just that we're adults, with actual utility bills and Netflix memberships, and alive and breathing significant others. We can't risk losing all of that.

That's why we want to draw your attention to this Call of Duty and Pokemon mash-up clip, available just past the break. By incorporating the two, we can maintain our adult facade, while enjoying the deep and robust RPG experience Nintendo's line of games offers without all the kiddie stuff. It's the best of both worlds!

Rockman Online is a side-scrolling online game that mashes up the Mega Man and Mega Man X worlds. It's also only being released in South Korea. Luckily, then, this anime-style teaser video is cool enough for us to enjoy as a standalone work, because for us, it might as well be!

We know you just got that Passion Pit song from LittleBigPlanet 2's debut trailer out of your head, so we apologize for the video posted just after the break. Sony's Gamescom 2010 press conference offered its crowded attendees a look at even more of the customizable sequel's creation tools, such as the music editor and cutscene direction process. It also shows off more of the main campaign's multitude of colorful backdrops -- all set to the infinitely brain-adhering "Sleepyhead."

Check out the new video after the jump -- and keep your fingers crossed for a chance to get in the upcoming LittleBigPlanet 2 closed beta test.

Jeremiah Slaczka, creative director and CEO of Super Scribblenauts developer 5TH Cell, dropped a tantalizing hint about the company's next project in a statement to Joystiq. "We're not ready to reveal our next original game just yet, but I can say we're using the Source Engine for it," Slaczka told us.

Slaczka wouldn't confirm or deny whether this is the XBLA project mentioned last year. But if it's using Valve's FPS-friendly Source engine, it's unlikely to be a DS game -- and it's unlikely to be Scribblenauts. As for when we can expect to learn more about this mystery project: "Hopefully we'll have something to show people in a few months."

In about a month, people who purchased a 3-month subscription to PlayStation Plus will be faced with one crucial question. What happens to my games when my subscription ends? Joystiq had access to a press-only 1 month trial, and recently found out the answer. Sony's premium online subscription service has offered a number of "free" games -- full PSN games, like WipEout HD and Critter Crunch, and a variety of Minis and PSone classics. However, these titles were all made available with a caveat: they'd remain accessible for as long as your subscription remained active.

Attempting to launch an expired game will trigger this prompt: "This content can be used if you renew the license in PlayStation Store." You'll be able to launch directly into the PlayStation Store, where you will be able to purchase the expired title. For example, we could purchase Aero Racer for its full price of $2.99 from the PlayStation Store. We could also choose to purchase a new PlayStation Plus subscription to extend the license.

Curiously, PSone games (like Syphon Filter) appear to work even after the Plus subscription ends. Although clearly marked as Expired under the game's "Details," the game launches normally. It's unclear if this is simply an oversight, or if this content is meant to be free, even after the end of a subscription (much like downloaded avatars and XMB themes). Nevertheless, we've asked Sony to clarify because, hey - permanently free games makes PlayStation Plus a much more palatable offer! If it's a glitch, you can look forward to another mandatory firmware update sometime soon (sorry!).

Known for such prized collectibles as its Zero Suit Samus statue, First 4 Figures has turned its attention to the Zelda franchise once more. Twilight Princess, to be exact, and its big bad guy, Zant. 750 of the 21-inch statues are being made, priced at $330. Keep reading for a full-sized photo.

The Event
This wasn't a normal video game press event. First, and perhaps most obviously, the security was thick. While an allegedly corrupt politician celebrated his birthday upstairs - an endless procession of well-dressed upper crusters made their way into the historic Plaza Hotel while protesters held court outside - another high-profile event was being held on the second floor. And while there was no police presence like outside, the black-pants, black v-neck crew that Irrational Games brought with them had things on lockdown. "Does that computer have a camera on it?" one of them asked me. "You'll need to check it." I went back into the hallway and got back in line. The same line I already stood in to check my cellphone. Security was thick.

But that's been the Boston-area developer's modus operandi since work began on its new title nearly three years ago. It's exceedingly rare in our industry to have a high-profile developer like Irrational keep something so completely under wraps for so long. And now, a room full of gaming press were assembled to see what Ken Levine and Co. have been working on. With an embargo less than 24 hours away and the promise that no outlet would be getting an early exclusive, Irrational wasn't about to let up on security now. After an introduction by a PR representative, again pleading with us to keep things quiet until today, Irrational Games' founder Ken Levine took the stage. "It's a long way to come for a trailer, a demo, and a little conversation," he admitted. "We also appreciate the patience you've had with us. It's been three years and we've said nothing about what we're doing," but it was finally time to see what was beneath the curtain. Cue the trailer.

According to unnamed sources speaking with Kotaku and "claiming to have knowledge of the situation," development on Duke Nukem Forever is continuing -- until completion -- with Borderlands developer Gearbox Software. Stranger still, the sources also claim that a "playable demo" will be distributed at some point "later this year." While Take-Two confirmed that it retains the rights to DNF, it didn't offer any comment on the matter.

Gearbox head Randy Pitchford couldn't say anything either, but did note that he might be able to "better clarify the situation" at this year's PAX Prime. Duke Nukem creator George Broussard declined to comment as well. Although this is most certainly a "rumor" for now, we'd still like to wish Gearbox the best of luck over the next 15 years.

Valve has posted some interesting stats for Left 4 Dead 2's mutation modes. The team has been watching you closely as you work your way through the zombie hordes, and it turns out you like realism and gore in your L4D games: Realism Versus and Chainsaw Massacre have been the two most popular mutations by far, with Realism Versus (which was later turned into a permanent mode) grabbing 41 percent of the player base during its featured week and 22 percent of the playing time. The Chainsaw mode was the "most tried" of the mutations, with 52 percent of the player base revving it up, and 14 percent of player minutes spent playing it.

Outside of mutations, versus and the co-op campaign actually both nab about 40 percent of players every day. And while Valve doesn't mention any of the least-played mutations, it does give notice to the Infected-doubling Hard Eight mutation, which was only tried by 26 percent of players but still grabbed over 10 percent of that week's playing time. This week, it's a "Gib Fest," with everyone on the team getting M60s and unlimited ammo. That sounds like a hunting accident just waiting to happen.

If you demand tiny figures of Sonic and his pals, and you demand them to be in their "correct" Genesis-era forms, you're going to be pleased with this set of six from First 4 Figures. Sonic fans can be quite demanding.

At long last, Game Freak has discovered exactly why you've been so hesitant to jump on the last few generations of Pokémon titles: It's all those old Pokémon, of course. It's hard to feel like you're on a level playing field when you don't recognize a few of the 'mons introduced in Pearl or Ruby or Silver -- but, according to a blog post from Game Freak's Junichi Masuda, that won't be a problem in Pokémon Black and White.

Going by Andriasang's translation of the blog, players of the upcoming generation of Pokémon titles will only encounter all-new monsters until they clear the game. The developer hopes this will make the game a fresh experience for veterans and newcomers alike -- though Masuda admits that coming up with new monsters has been completely challenging. Well, yeah, we'd assume anything after number 300 would be tough to come up with. Here, we'll try: Stonedog! He's a dog! But he's made of stone.

The conflict between New Zealand's TV3 and Sony could have gone much differently than it did. Instead of suing TV3 into oblivion when it found out that the broadcaster had produced a commercial directly copying the PlayStation 3's "Montage" ad, Sony used the Kevin Butler persona to publicly absolve (and mock) TV3. In a PlayStation Blog post, Butler offered permission to copy all PS3 ads in exchange for "TV3's support in making the PS3 the OFFICIAL GAME CONSOLE OF NEW ZEALAND." And a Flight of the Conchords box set.

As if this whole story weren't cute enough, TV3 sent Sony a package containing not only the Conchords set, but other local treats -- and a plaque proclaiming PS3 the "official game console of Aotearoa." We'd never have believed it if we hadn't seen it ourselves: two media companies settling a dispute in a friendly, joking manner instead of litigation. Maybe every company should bring in a few fictional executives.

Have you ever wondered what Master Chief's intergalactic adventures would look like if rendered by an Atari 2600? Neither have we -- and now that the folks over at Extra Guy have shared their find of "Halo 2600," we don't have to. Bizarrely, ex-Microsoft VP of game publishing Ed Fries is credited on the game's cover as the creator (as seen on the game's Facebook page).

Halo 2600 was playable at the Classic Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, which came to an end today. Sure, it's playable online right now, but apparently we missed out on 500 real-life Atari 2600 cartridges containing the game (check out a photo of them all lined up). How's that for a limited edition?

[Thanks, Anthony!]

On August 2, Amazon is having a pretty sweet deal on the Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 bundle, but if online retailers aren't your thing, Joystiq has just discovered from a reliable source that a new initiative at brick-and-mortar retailer Best Buy will discount both the Final Fantasy XIII and Splinter Cell: Conviction bundles to $299.99 permanently, starting August 1, and lasting until the retailer runs out of stock. How else did you think the retailer would clear shelf space for the new hotness?

Each bundle comes with the titular game, two wireless controllers, a 250gb HDD and Xbox 360 console. The suggested retail price of each bundle right now is $349.99 (they both initially launched at a $399.99 price point), so this saves consumers a cool $50.