The creators of the Halo franchise have inked a new 10-year deal.
The pact between game developer Bungie and Activision will give Activision exclusive, worldwide rights to publish and distribute all future Bungie games. Bungie also was the team behind Myth and Marathon.
Back in 2007 Bungie split from Microsoft. Of course, Halo was the game that helped launch the Xbox. The Halo games have generated $1.5 billion in revenue, according to The NFD Group, Charttrack and Gfk.
Elsewhere:

• Nexon announced a new game mode, "Bombing Run," for its free-to-play online shooter Combat Arms. The mode will be offered on these maps: Pump Jack, Rattlesnake, Sandhog, Short Fuse and Warhead.

In Bombing Run, teams fight to capture a bomb, plant it and detonate it at an assigned target. The defenders win by intercepting the bomb and defusing it.

• Kick-Ass, a game based on the recent superhero movie, is available for download for $14.99 on the Sony PlayStation Network. The game from WHA Entertainment is rated M for Mature

.
The 3-D fighting game allows players to battle as one of the three superheroes - Kick-Ass, Big Daddy or Hit Girl - form a third-person perspective.

Activison has launched the website for the next installment in the franchise - Call of Duty: Black Ops

The site also displays the release date as 11-9-2010.

The first trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops will debut on Gametrailers TV on the Spike Network. The episode will air tonight at 11:40 p.m..

Harmonix and MTV games have announced their weekly batch of DLC for Rock Band. On May 4th you'll be able to download the rest of the Tragic Kingdom album by the band No Doubt.
Rock Band released No Doubt's greatest hits album as DLC last year. The greatest hits DLC included five songs from the Tragic Kingdom album. Now fans can complete the rest of the album with the following songs.

• Different People
• End It on This
• Happy Now?
• Hey You
• Sixteen
• The Climb
• Tragic Kingdom
• World Go 'Round
• You Can Do It

The Tragic Kingdom album will cost 1600 Microsoft points ($19.99). If you already have the previously released tracks from Tragic Kingdom, The Deep Cuts will cost 1200 MS ($14.99). Each track can be downloaded individually for 160 MS points ($1.99). All the tracks will be available for individual download on the Nintendo Wii for 200 Wii points ($2) each.

There will also be two other songs released, According to You by Orianthi (160 MS points, $1.99) and Dearest (I'm So Sorry) by Picture Me Broken (80 MS points, $0.99).

All songs will be available for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii on Tuesday May 4th.

A 3-pack of mixes for Activision's DJ Hero are now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The Domination Mix Pack will cost 640 Microsoft points ($8). The mix pack won't be available on the Playstation Network until May 11th.
The tracks are available for individual download on the Nintendo Wii for $3 each.
The mixes include:

• Sandstorm by Darude Mixed With Higher State of Consciousness by Josh Wink


• Wolfgang's Fifth Symphony beat juggle by Wolfgang Gartner


• Red Mist VIP beat juggle by Danny Byrd

According to Jamie Jackson, creative director at FreeStyleGames, the new DLC will test the skill of gamers.

"We've found that the most difficult on-disc mixes are the most played, Jackson said. So DJ Hero fans looking for a challenge will have fun spinning exactly what they want in the upcoming Domination Mix Pack."

And by the looks of this video it's going to be tough on expert level.

If you have been waiting for the next installment of the Gothic fantasy RPG series, your wait will be over in the third quarter of this year.
DreamCatcher Games and JoWooD Entertainment announced ArcaniA: Gothic 4 for the PC, PS3 and 360. Also, some screenshots were released, including these of the game's new hero battling blood flies and goblins.
The adventure picks up 12 years after Gothic 3; so sharpen your sword and get ready for some questing.

Elsewhere"

• Nexon America announced a new map for what is my favorite free-to-play online shooter, Combat Arms. Kill Creek will offer four game modes in a battle between guerrillas and counter-insurgency forces.

• PopCap Games, maker of killer casual games, will host a "Show Your Bejeweled Love" contest to mark the 10th anniversary of its flagship game. The top 10 entries are eligible for $5,000 in prizes, including a notebook PC and two iPads with custom Bejeweled engravings.

To enter, submit up to a two-minute long YouTube video on your love for Bejeweled. Contest ends May 26 and details are at www.bejeweled.com.

• Through May 11, a demo of the Split/Second racing game from Disney Interactive Studios will be available exclusively on Xbox Live. On May 11, it also will be on the PlayStation Network.

The game for the PC, 360 and PS3 will be on store shelves on May 18.

In part 2 of the Madden NFL 11 Developer Video Series the team talks about how the idea for the new play-calling system came about.

In the first video for the Madden NFL 11 Developer Video Series Phil Frazier, Ian Cummings and Mike Young discuss some of the new features players can expect in Madden NFL 11.

The feature talked about the most in this video is GameFlow. GameFlow is a feature that allows you to select a series of plays for certain situations. Similar to what NFL coaches do when they script the first 15 or 20 plays of a real game.

Having the ability to preselect your plays allows for a much quicker game - something I'm a big fan of. Check out the video to hear more.

Earlier today I had the chance to speak with Dead To Rights: Retribution product manager Laili Bosma. Click on the link to listen to the entire interview.

Dead To Rights: Retribution hits stores shelves today for the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360. For more information check out the game's official website www.deadtorights.com.

I had the chance to speak with Matt Prior, the producer of 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. We talked about all the new features and games modes for this year's title. You can click the link below to listen to the entire interview.

In the interview Matt and I talked about the changes made to penalty kicks. Here's a video showing how the new mechanics will work.

The first expansion to Funcom's MMO Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures will launch on May 11.
Rise of the Godslayer is available for pre-order now; visit www.ageofconan.com.
Those who pre-order or purchase it retail and register by May 25 will be eligible for an in-game pet that will aid players in battle.

• Field of Glory, a turn-based game of ancient warfare for the PC, gets its second expansion. Storm of Arrows drags the title into the Medieval world with more than 100 new unit images, features and battles, Matrix Games and Slitherine Strategies announced
The expansion requires ownership of the original game.



• EA announced a new mode and map for its free-to-play third-person online game Battlefield Heroes. In "V2 Vengeance, the two factions battle for control of a rocket launch pad on the new Midnight Mayhem map.


• Speaking of free-to-play games, War Rock released a new map for its online FPS War Rock. The Lost Temple offers jungle and mysterious ancient ruins as a backdrop for combat.

Are you ready for some old school football? Tecmo Bowl Throwback will be available for download on the Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday. The game will cost 800 Microsoft points ($10). No release date has been announced for the Playstation Network.

Users will have the option of playing with the old-style graphics or the new revamped graphics. The game will feature 32 teams, online multiplayer and leaderboards.

Tecmo Bowl Throwback is a remake of Tecmo Super Bowl for the Super Nintendo. I didn't own Tecmo Super Bowl for the SNES, but I did have the NES version that featured the unstoppable Christian Okoye.
I'm not sure if Tecmo Bowl Throwback has any Okoye-like wrecking ball running backs.

If you're a Nintendo Wii owner, the original Tecmo Bowl is available for download (500 Wii points - $5) on the Wii Virtual Console.

Here's a video for NCAA Football 11 describing all of the offenses that can be used in the game. All 120 teams in NCAA Football 11 will have their own offense that reflects their real-life playing style.

The NCAA Football franchise has always been my personal favorite and July 13th can't come soon enough. This video is getting me pumped up.

As a father of two young children I get to play a lot of kids games. Whenever my kids can't get past a difficult part on a game, it becomes my job to complete the level. And there are some kids titles that I have played on my own without being asked by my kids. Games from the LEGO series and Spongebob Truth or Square are a couple. Toy Story 3 can also be included in that group. My kids and I are looking forward to both the movie and the game.

On this blog I'll be posting reviews of kids games from time to time. Now a lot of kids games (especially ones based off of movies) can be pretty boring. But I feel you can't rate a kids title from the perspective of an adult gamer. I measure a kids title by - if I can play it with my kids and not be completely bored out of my mind, then the game is okay in my book.

As for Toy Story 3, I think it's a kids title I'll enjoy playing. Below is a video for the first gameplay trailer.

Toy Story 3 the video game ships on June 15th.

The Madden fans have spoken again. A day after announcing that New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees will be the cover athlete for Madden NFL 11, EA has announced the results of fan voting for the Madden demo match-up.

Fans had three choices for the demo. The Super Bowl (Saints vs. Colts), the AFC Championship Game (Colts vs. Jets) and the NFC Championship Game (Saints vs. Vikings). The winner of the fan voting, conducted on the Madden NFL 11 website, was the AFC Championship Game between the Colts and Jets.

EA had not announced a date for the demo release.

Harmonix and MTV Games have announced the next round of DLC for Rock Band. Three new songs will be available for download on April 27th (Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii) and April 29th (Playstation 3).

The songs are Tomorrow by Silverchair, Again by Flyleaf, and Thunderbirds Are Go! by Busted.

The tracks can be purchased individually for $1.99 (160 Microsoft points for Xbox 360) and $2.00 (200 Wii points).

For the first time fans were allowed to vote for the Madden cover athlete and New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees was the winner. He beat out Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen and Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne.

Saints fans can only hope that the Madden curse doesn't hit their pro bowl quarterback as New Orleans looks to defend their Super Bowl title in 2010.

"The Madden NFL franchise holds a special place in popular culture and the cover is a coveted position for players all over the league," New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. "I'm honored to be the first cover athlete chosen by Madden NFL fans and it's a great way to cap off an amazing year for the Saints and the city of New Orleans."

Madden 11 will ship on multiple platforms on August 10th.

I'm not the biggest soccer fan in the world, but there's something about the World Cup that gets me into the sport. Even if it's only for a few weeks every four years. And those same feelings translate to soccer video games. I rarely get into the yearly FIFA titles, but when the World Cup game comes out every four years - I'm all over it.

I've been playing the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa demo on the Xbox 360 and I can't wait for this game to come out on Tuesday. The feature that has me the most excited is the ability to play an entire World Cup tournament online.

One thing I noticed right away while playing the demo was the atmosphere. EA did a really nice job with the crowd and the overall presentation. I'm looking forward to playing the full version of game when it ships next week.

For more info you can check out EA's 2010 FIFA World Cup site.

The No. 7E patch has been released for Achtung Panzer: Kharkov 1943 from Paradox Interactive and Graviteam.
Achtung Panzer is a strategy game involving the pivotal World War II tank battle on the Eastern Front.
Among other things, the patch improves how grenades interact with tree branches.

UFC Undisputed 2010 producer Neven Dravinski and MMA Manager Ed Soares discuss training camps, game tracking, immersion and other enhancements to UFC's career mode.

An add-on for Left 4 Dead 2 has been announced by Valve.
Left 4 Dead 2 The Passing will be available April 22 for the PC and Xbox 360. The expansion is free for the PC but will cost 560 Microsoft Points for the 360.
The Passing brings together the survivors from Left 4 Dead and those of Left 4 Dead 2 in the cooperative zombie-killing game.
On tap are weekly game mode events called "Mutations." They will range from "Realism Versus" mode to "Chainsaw Massacre," in which all players are armed with chainsaws and an unlimited supply of fuel.
Valve also promises new weapons, such as a golf club and an M-60; a new zombie class called "the fallen survivor"; support for infected bot play in Versus and a new cooperative challenge mode.
Visit www.l4d.com.

The folks at Ubisoft announced that the company's hot game, "Assassin's Creed II," holds the Gamer's Edition Guinness World Record for being the most cover-featured video game.
According to Ubisoft, "Creed II" has been the lead cover story on 127 different publications
in 32 countries between April 2009 and April 2010.
That's a lot of ink.

Recently added to the Rock Band Music Store are three songs by Coheed and Cambria; all from the band's new album, "Year of the Black Rainbow."
The songs are "Guns of Summer," "Here We Are Juggernaut" and "The Broken."
Harmonix and MTV also announced the availability of "Peek-a-Boo" from Siouxsie & The Banshees, "Sun Hits the Sky" from Supergrass and "American Music" from The Violent Femmes.
This marks the first Rock Band track for the Femmes.
The titles are expected to be available for all systems, Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii, by April 22.

Harmonix has released the full tracklist for its upcoming Green Day: Rock Band title. Here's a list of the 47 songs that will be on the disc.

21st Century Breakdown (2009)
"Song of the Century"
"¿Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl)"
"21st Century Breakdown"
"Restless Heart Syndrome"
"Before the Lobotomy"
"Horseshoes and Handgrenades"
"Last Night on Earth"
"The Static Age"
"Peacemaker"
"American Eulogy"
"Murder City"
"See the Light"

American Idiot (2004)
"American Idiot"
"She's a Rebel"
"Jesus of Suburbia"
"Extraordinary Girl"
"Holiday"
"Letterbomb"
"Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
"Wake Me Up When September Ends"
"Are We the Waiting?
"Homecoming"
"St. Jimmy"
"Whatsername"
"Give Me Novacaine"

Warning (2000)
"Minority"
"Warning"

Nimrod (1997)
"Hitchin' a Ride"
"Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"
"Nice Guys Finish Last"

Insomniac (1995)
"Brain Stew" / "Jaded"
"Geek Stink Breath"

Dookie (1994)
"Burnout"
"She"
"Having a Blast"
"Sassafrass Roots"
"Chump"
"When I Come Around"
"Longview"
"Coming Clean"
"Welcome to Paradise"
"Emenius Sleepus"
"Pulling Teeth"
"In the End"
"Basket Case"
"F.O.D."

There's currently six tracks from the 21st Century Breakdown album available for download at the Rock Band Music Store. If you already have these songs downloaded they will import onto your Green Day: Rock Band game.
"21 Guns"
"Last of the American Girls"
"Know Your Enemy"
"¡Viva La Gloria!"
"East Jesus Nowhere"
"Christian's Inferno"

When I first saw the tracklist I was pleased to see the entire Dookie and American Idiot albums on the game. But I was a bit disappointed with the limited amount of songs from the Nimrod, Insomniac, and Warning albums. I was even more disappointed when I heard there would be no additional DLC for the game. I assumed they would release DLC to complete albums, similar to what Harmonix did with Beatles: Rock Band. But project lead Chris Foster said the only DLC would be the existing 6-pack of songs already available.

Green Day: Rock Band will ship on June 8th for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii.