This past week, due to school, I was unable to frequently post, causing me to miss out on some big release date announcements. While I have been shifting from class to class, most people have been finding out when SackBoy will be running, jumping, and sacking into our hearts. The complete mini-rundown is below.

Mirror’s Edge: EA’s parkour-esque, free-running spectacular will be available on the PS3 and Xbox 360 on November 11th. It is rumored that the PC release date has been delayed, considering that it was conveniently left out. A demo for the game will be out before launch, and PS3 owners can expect exclusive DLC, which is a relief compared to the next announcement.

Grand Theft Auto IV (360 DLC): Microsoft confirmed that the “exclusive episodes for Grand Theft Auto IV will be available on Xbox 360 starting fall 2008.” Fall has already started, so we might be continuing Niko Bellic’s epic adventure soon.

LittleBigPlanet: Anxious gamers will finally be able to make their own SackBoys and levels on October 21st. The game that might convince me to buy a PS3 is out in almost a month; I better start scraping some cash together.

Prince of Persia: On December 2nd, the cel-shaded, AI-redefining chapter in the Prince of Persia series will be in stores. The game will be out on 360, PS3, and PC, alongside a DS counterpart, Prince of Persia: The Fallen King.

Wii Music: The game that brought us all ear aches at E3 2008 will be flying onto shelves and into the homes of North American five-year-olds, on October 20th. If you want your games to be more like toys, Wii Music might be for you!

Video game modifications sure are something, aren’t they? The Unreal Tournament series, as well as Half-Life 2 have had some amazing mods, but Portal: Prelude raises the bar to a whole new level.

Portal: Still Alive was unveiled at Microsoft’s E3 2008 press conference, but that will not continue the story and will have miniscule new content. Hardcore Portal fans need a big experience to tide them over until Portal 2 is released, and that is just what Prelude will deliver.

While this may not be an official release from Valve, it will actually be longer than the original Portal, and have it’s own story-line, in which test subjects are observed by Aperture Science employees, meaning it is the pre-GLaDOS era. A main team of three people are developing the game, which will include “8 chapters, 19 test chambers, 48 challenges, 6 advanced maps,” already more than the original game, “and more than 400 lines of speech.” The game will only be available for PC Portal owners, but the soon-to-come download is said to be free. GLaDOS? No. Amazing offer? Yes! 

Activision Blizzard have confirmed Infinity Ward to be the developer for the next Call of Duty game, after World at War. The game is currently slotted for 2009, but these are the only known details outside of the company itself. There is no mention of the story, setting, or gameplay, but we can assume it will be amazing, considering the success in both sales and praise.

Via Gamasutra

WipEout HD was absent from E3 2008, but not long after, gameplay videos were released showing off the games gorgeous 1080p graphics running at 60 frames per second. Sony announced that their futuristic, stylized racer will be available via the PlayStation Store for $19.99 on September 25th. Just as a reminder, SCEA Producer Daimion Pinnock listed some of the games many features, including:

• Full HD Visuals
• 5 Game Modes – Single Race, Tournament, Time Trial, Speed Lap and Zone Mode
• Online play that supports up to 8 racers competing on a track at a time
• 2-player split screen (horizontally and vertically) offline
• 8 reversible tracks and 12 teams
• Optional use of SIXAXIS motion controls to steer your ship
• A great soundtrack remixed in Dolby 5.1 AND the option for custom playlists that allow you to race to whatever playlists you have on your HDD
• And more, including Trophy support, which we’ll outline for you in a future post – so keep your eyes peeled.

Via Official PlayStation Blog

Electronic Arts dropped their $2 billion bid for Take Two yesterday, causing the company’s stock to plummet abour $5 per share. Ubisoft is said to be a “possible buyer,” but it is unlikely that they would surpass, or even match, EA’s bid. Take Two can manage itself for now, considering that they “[have] one of the most successful proprietary game franchises in the industry, [are] profitable, [and have] no debt.”

In February 2009, Take Two’s three-year contract with Rockstar’s Sam and Dan Houser expires. If Rockstar goes independent, which they surely could, Take Two would lose an ace in the hole. Analyst Michael Pachter questions ”whether Take-Two can retain [Rockstar], and if so, at what cost.” Seven months ago, gamers everywhere were scared that Grand Theft Auto would be under Electronic Art’s control, but now the wheels seem to be turning in the opposite direction.

Via Huron Daily Tribune

Electronic Arts officially ended their bid for Take Two today saying: “While EA continues to have a high regard for Take-Two’s creative teams and products, after careful consideration, including a management presentation and review of other due diligence materials … EA has decided not to make a proposal to acquire Take-Two and has terminated discussions with Take-Two.”

EA made their $2 billion proposal back in February, and analysts, such as Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter, predicted it would eventually go through. There were angry company executives and even angrier shareholders, but Take Two refused the offer. Seven months after the proposition, EA is finally dropping the offer. A major component of the merger was Take Two’s key title Grand Theft Auto IV, but by this time Electronic Arts would not be able to take advantage of the game’s expected high holiday sales.

What used to be a four-wheel vehicle exclusive is now including the two-wheeled cousin into the mix. This coming Thursday (September 18th), Criterion Games is releasing the Bike Pack, allowing gamers to get their wheelie on. From the Official PlayStation Blog, Criterion would like to remind everyone that the new update will include:

• The ability to pick from 2 motorcycles featuring male or female characters and start on a whole new progression to earn your Bike License.
• 38 new against-the-clock race events – Burning Ride and Midnight Ride.
• A brand new in-game 24 hr day / night cycle that impacts traffic density and available events. (It’s fully customisable – you can make it day/night/change the clock speed – it’s up to you.)
• Dynamic weather brings an all-new look to Paradise City.
• And if that’s not enough, we’ve got 70 more Freeburn Challenges too.

I’d like to present The Outstanding Achievements In DLC Award to: Critetion Games. Seriously, fantastic work guys!

Note: The following post is influenced by the embedded gameplay footage. I am being judgemental, and could be totally wrong about the game.

Disaster: Day of Crisis will be coming out soon in Japan and Europe, and judging by the released gameplay footage, maybe we should all lower our expectations. What was predicted to be an original, hardcore, ‘M’ rated, Nintendo published title, has apparently turned out to be a game with waggle and PlayStation 1 capable graphics. This is what we’ve been waiting so diligently for? Feel free to prove me wrong Monolith, but so far, Disaster: Day of Crisis has reached a new level of unappealing.

After so much controversy, Disaster: Day of Crisis has abruptly emerged from the darkness, leaving many, myself included, baffled. What was once a game thought to be cancelled now has a Japan release at the end of the month. It started with an Australian rating and spiralled into so much more. Hardly any info on the game’s specific details have been announced, yet it will be out in less than a month. These Japanese TV spots have been aired, and although it will be hitting retail stores soon the game seems a tad unpolished. Has disaster been averted, or will this be false hope?

This particularly Australian trailer gives us gamers a sneak peek into the world of LittleBigPlanet. Wild SackBoys and SackGirls are a threatened species that survive by their cunning and jumping skills, but mainly their jumping skills. All of their predators have a fatal flaw that, once discovered, can be used to easily discard them. Tune in later when the disembodied, Steve Erwin-esque voice details cooperative Sack play.