New games available this week include Just Cause 2, Red Steel 2, and in the following weekend, the new Nintendo DSi XL system (Sunday, March 28th). Explore the open-world of Panau as Rico Rodriguez in Just Cause 2. Download and try out the demo from Xbox LIVE or the PlayStation Network, and you'll see it's a blast to play. Red Steel 2 re-imagines the first-person shooter and sword-fighting from the first game. The art direction has changed and the motion-gameplay is improved with the use of the Wii MotionPlus.

Nintendo's new super large DSi is out next week, the DSi XL, almost looking like a netbook rather than a portable gaming system. The Nintendo DSi XL features 93% bigger screens and will be available in Burgundy or Bronze at its Sunday launch in North America. Along with its release will be WarioWare DIY, where gamers can experiment in creating MicroGame$.

Make sure you check out some of the links below if you're pre-ordering, because you can save $10 to $15 on some games with the bonus deals. See the new releases for the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC, and DS below (PSP gamers are out of luck this week again)!

New videogame releases for week of March 22, 2010:
(subject to change)

Xbox 360
How to Train Your Dragon
Just Cause 2
MotoGP 09/10

PlayStation 3
How to Train Your Dragon
Just Cause 2
MotoGP 09/10

Wii
How to Train Your Dragon
Red Steel 2
Red Steel 2 w/ MotionPlus
Rooms: The Main Building

PC 
Just Cause 2
The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom
Zhu Zhu Pets

DS & DSi
Nintendo DSi XL Bronze (available March 28)
Nintendo DSi XL Burgundy (available March 28)

America's Test Kitchen: Let's Get Cooking (available March 28)
How to Train Your Dragon
Rooms: The Main Building
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
WarioWare: DIY (available March 28)
Zhu Zhu Pets: Special Edition with Baby Hamster 

PSP
no new releases

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The top games of 2009 have been selected by the British Academy Video Game Awards. Held today at the London Hilton, the GAME British Academy Video Game Awards ceremony honored some of the best games released in 2009.

You bet Uncharted 2: Among Thieves made another strong showing at the awards show, winning four BAFTAs, but it was great to see some other games getting recognition. Batman: Arkham Asylum won for Best Game, LittleBigPlanet PSP won for Best Handheld, Wii Sports Resort won for Family & Social, and FIFA 10 won for Use of Online. See the complete list of winners below.

Here are the winners of the 2010 BAFTAs for each category:

Best Game:
Batman: Arkham Asylum

Action:
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Family & Social:
Wii Sports Resort

Use of Online:
FIFA 10

Use of Audio:
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Handheld:
LittleBigPlanet PSP

GAME Award of 2009 (community choice):
Modern Warfare 2

Strategy:
Empire: Total War

Original Score:
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Multiplayer:
Left 4 Dead 2

Gameplay:
Batman: Arkham Asylum

Sports:
FIFA 10

Story:
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Ones to Watch Award:
(in association with Dare To Be Digital)
Shrunk!

Artistic Achievement:
Flower

Congratulations to the winners! Make sure you play the games if you've missed them last year. See the nominations for each category here at www.bafta.org. For more details on the GAME British Academy Video Games Awards, visit www.baftagameaward.com.

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BioWare has an update on several new downloadable content releases coming for Mass Effect 2. Looks like you're in for some more Mass Effect 2 action in the weeks ahead! Check out the details below from BioWare.

Alternate Appearance pack
Release date: March 23rd
Price: 160 Microsoft Points ($2)
See screenshot here.
Features new outfits for Garrus, Subject Zero, and Thane.

Firewalker pack
Release date: late March
Price: free with Cerberus Network access
See screenshots here.
"Download the Firewalker pack and gain access to 5 new missions featuring the Hammerhead. The Hammerhead is a heavy assault vehicle that hovers over the battlefield at up to 120 kilometers per hour and features a guided missile system ensuring accuracy even during aggressive maneuvering. Coming late March, free to all Cerberus Network members!"

Kasumi - Stolen Memory DLC
Release date: early April
Price: TBA
See screenshots and details here.
"Cerberus has procured the service of Kasumi Goto, the galaxy's most enigmatic master thief. In return for her help, Kasumi has asked Shepard's help on a dangerous heist to infiltrate the vault of a deadly master criminal named Donovan Hock. Gain Kasumi's loyalty on the planet Bekenstein, where Hock is throwing a party for some of the galaxy's richest and most deranged criminal minds to recover data of great importance to Kasumi... and to the galaxy at large. Includes a new squad member, mission, weapon, research upgrade, casual outfit, and achievement."

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Electronic Arts, under the EA Comics label, and IDW Publishing have released the digital comic version of Dragon Age #1. Fans of the BioWare game, and recently released Dragon Age: Awakening expansion, can get more of the Dragon Age lore in the comic.

You can purchase Dragon Age #1 for $1.99, for the iPhone and iPod touch from the App Store or for the PSP and PSPgo from the PlayStation Store. The comic is based on the IDW Publishing 32-page print of Dragon Age #1.

About Dragon Age #1, from IDW Publishing:
"In a time lost to history, a war ravaged the land. Mages, incredibly powerful wielders of magic, ruled the world through mastery of dark arts and forbidden spells. Their lust for power almost destroyed all existence, and unleashed an unholy pestilence, the Darkspawn, to plague man, elves and dwarves alike. Now magic is carefully controlled, taught behind the sacred walls of the Circle of Magi, and monitored by the ever-vigilant Templars. It is in this arena that a new generation of Mages in training will arise, warriors of sorcery who will defy the rules of the Templars and change the course of the world forever."

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MTV Games and Harmonix have announced the Rock Band weekly releases for next week, and there are about 10 tracks in total. The band "X" will be making their Rock Band debut with a 4 track pack featuring songs such as "Blue Spark," "The Hungry Wolf," "I Must Not Thing Bad Thoughts," and "Los Angeles."

Other bands such as Little Fish, Carrie Underwood, and OneRepublic are also releasing some tracks next week. Also, the track "Am I Crazy?" will be available for free next week, so there really is no excuse to not check out the Rock Band Music Store!

Release dates:
Xbox 360, Wii - March 23rd
PlayStation 3 - March 25th

X Pack 01 - $6.99 (560 Microsoft Points) or $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points/200 Wii Points) per track
"Blue Spark" by X
"The Hungry Wolf" by X
"I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts" by X
"Los Angeles" by X

Single Tracks - $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points/200 Wii Points) per track
"Bang Bang" by Little Fish
"Darling Dear" by Little Fish
"Outer Space" by Ace Frehley
"All-American Girl" by Carrie Underwood
"Stop & Stare" by OneRepublic

Free track
"Am I Crazy?" by Little Fish

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SEGA has been updating their Sonic the Hedgehog 4 website regularly. If you haven't stopped by since Sonic the Hedgehog 4 was revealed, now would be a great time to catch up on some of the latest updates. You can see the character artwork and models for Sonic the Hedgehog 4 characters, including Sonic, Dr. Eggman, and the Badniks.

One of the new additions to the website is the Act 1 music from the Splash Hill Zone stage. As you'll hear from the MP3 track download SEGA has provided, Sonic 4's soundtrack will also capture the classic Sonic feel from the side-scrolling era.

Visit www.sonicthehedgehog4.com for the latest unveils of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, coming as an episodic digital download to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and another unannounced platform in Summer 2010.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and game developer Snowblind Studios have announced The Lord of the Rings: War in the North is coming in 2011. The online co-op RPG will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Watch a teaser trailer for The Lord of the Rings: War in the North below.

Here are the first details from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment:
"Developed in association with Middle-earth Enterprises, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North explores both original and familiar narrative elements as Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment holds the rights to develop video games based on both the literary and motion picture content from The Lord of the Rings. Breaking new ground as a mature RPG video game set in Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North advances the RPG paradigm through innovative online, interdependent co-op play for up to three players who form their own Fellowship to fight Sauron’s forces in the North."

For more details on The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, visit www.warinthenorth.com.

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Ubisoft today released a demo of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction for the Xbox 360. Xbox LIVE Gold members can now download it from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace (queue it up to your Xbox 360 here). The single-player demo will take you anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes to complete, so give it a go and get a feel of Sam Fisher's next adventure as a renegade.

If you're curious to check out the Splinter Cell Conviction demo and don't have Xbox LIVE Gold account or an Xbox 360, watch a sample video clip of the Splinter Cell Conviction demo below.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction will be available for the Xbox 360 and PC in April 2010. A Xbox 360 Splinter Cell Conviction Collector's Edition and Xbox 360 250GB Elite Splinter Cell Conviction Bundle will also be available.

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WiiWare developer Zallag has sent in a few comic strips to share, inspired from working within the gaming industry. Whether you're a developer, publisher, critic, or gamer, you'll find something humorous to relate to in each of these comic strips. The comics have been created by Zallag's graphic designer, Alexandra.

See the following three comic strips from Zallag:
Brainstorming
Critics
Everyone's Specialty

For more information on Zallag's upcoming WiiWare game Gods vs. Humans, look here. Zallag is also at work on Crazy Racers (a racing game) and Crazy Arena (a party game), as well as future Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network game releases.

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Electronic Arts is reporting that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is selling strong, accounting for 2.3 million units "sold-through" (to retailers). It's likely to be among March 2010's top selling games, proving Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a force in the FPS game genre. There were some bumps along the way because of the multiplayer demand from gamers (as you can see here). EA and DICE are now saying they have the server capacity to handle the demand.

“We are so thrilled with the success of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 sales and fan response. In the first 48 hours we had such a tremendous rush to multiplayer gameplay that our servers experienced overwhelming demand. This is a testament to the massive response players have had worldwide for the extraordinary action experienced in the Battlefield sandbox,” says Karl Magnus Troedsson, Executive Producer, Battlefield Franchise. “DICE and EA have brought more servers online. We now have enough capacity to handle all BFBC2 connections seamlessly and we continue to monitor online play daily.”

Here are some interesting stats from EA on Battlefield: Bad Company 2 across various social media networks and the game's statistics:

- 81B points have been earned in online multiplayer sessions
- 43M weapons and gadgets have been unlocked in online multiplayer
- Over 6M video views on YouTube
- 2.9M hours have been spent playing online in the last 24 hours alone
- 230K peak-concurrent-users (PCUs)
- Over 44k Twitter fans (most out of any EA title)

Keep a lookout for the two new multiplayer maps arriving on March 30th. If you purchased the launch Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Limited Edition, you'll be able to download them for free, using the VIP code included in the package. If you don't have the VIP code, you'll be able to purchase the map pack for $15.

Finally, check out a little PSA video announcement below from BFBC2, on Friends Really Against Grenade Spam (or F.R.A.G.S.), with NY Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia. It's a video response to MW2's Fight Against Grenade Spam video that stirred up some controversy recently.

Visit the official website of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 at www.battlefield.com or power-up EA and DICE's Battlefield: Bad Company 2 social media stats with a follow on Twitter at twitter.com/OfficialBFBC2.

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