Bungie’s weekly update includes lots of information on the upcoming Windows Vista title Halo 2. Halo 2 will feature new maps exclusively for the PC version. You will also be able to run the game using a DirectX 9 graphics card, while for full eye candy you will need a DX10 compatible card. Read the rest of the news here (Bungie.net).

The lawmakers in Venezuela are pretty upset over Mercenaries 2, a game that takes place in Venezuela. In the game, Venezuela becomes a war zone after an invasion to rid the country of a tyrant which the lawmakers feel is U.S government influenced propaganda to justify a real life conflict with Venezuela to possibly oust Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Developer Pandemic Studios denied any (U.S.) government involvement in the game. The game will be out on PlayStation 3 some time 2007.

Star Fox DS was showcased at E3 and looked like a decent DS game. Nintendo made sure that the name was just temporary, and that it will named the following weeks. Now they have renamed it, to Star Fox Command. The biggest innovation is that players will be able to map out each mission’s route via the DS touch screen, and of course the Wi-FI multiplayer capability, with up to 4 players online and 8 players will be able to battle it out in a local wireless match.

IGN reports that best-seller Half Life 2 could be heading to the Xbox360 later this year. Apparently, both EB Games and GameStop have listed the game at $59.99. Half Life 2 is already available on the Xbox, and its sales were a big disappointment, so does it make sense for Valve to port it one more time to the Xbox360? The only reason could be the potential of episodic content on Xbox Live, and perhaps even Counter Strike. However, I doubt Valve would risk having another failure on the Xbox platform again.

Still, Counter Strike Source on Xbox Live? Mmmmm…

A few days ago, we posted the news about the latest Battlefield 2 patch (1.3), where we, as many others, predicted more problems than fixes (business as usual). The BF2 server browser, which hasn’t worked properly since its launch has been rolled back, so no update there. EA said:

“After a thorough investigation into the issues plaguing the server browser after the 1.3 Update, we believe that a last minute update in the way the Battlefield servers and Gamespy servers communicate may be the cause. We have decided to revert this change in an attempt eliminate these browser issues.”

If you try and browse for a server, the information will be inaccurate, for instance the amount of players on the server, what map is played etc. Luckily players don’t have to uninstall anything, this is only a server issue says EA;

“All servers currently running must be restarted once this change has taken place.” The statement also observes that “If you are experiencing CTD issues upon start up that any alternate-ranking redirections in your windows “Hosts” file must be removed.”

Perhaps EA and DICE are too occupied with Battlefield 2142, instead of fixing Battlefield 2, which was pretty much in a BETA stage the first 6 months of its release.

The biggest update since the launch, Xbox Live will now feature (among other things) background downloading, so you can customize the background on your dashboard. Microsoft has also added additional video control and improved IM chat. You will also be able to select if you want to launch with the disc or go directly to the dashboard when powering up.

More info here (from Joystiq).

Currently the Xbox360 games are selling at $59.99, the most expensive ever. Now EB Games, OverStorck and BestBuy (among others) are selling games at a much more affordable $39.99. At the moment the list isn’t as long as many wished, but it’s a start.

Burnout Revenge
The Outfit
Madden NFL 06
NBA Live 06
FIFA Soccer 06: Road to FIFA World Cup
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06
Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie

In the UK, games will retail at £39.99, almost US$74. Current games priced at £49.99 in the UK cost a whopping US$95. The Brittish are certainly the ones paying the high price and that will continue with the PlayStation 3, going for $800 this November.

Just days before Epidosde 1 launches, Vavle has announced that Episode 2 is due out later this year, and Episode 3 will be out “before the end 2007″.

By the time Episode 2 launches, it will already be graphically inferior to the new games, especailly the ones powered by the Unreal 3 engine. Imagine how Episode 3 will look in 2007, with the Source engine being 5 years old at that time?

We have been waiting patiently for a while now for Super Smash Bros. After hearing the dissapointment of no Smash at Wii launch it has been tough. But, Nintendo hasn’t forgotten about you. In order to tease us and make us rip our hair off, the Super Smash Bros. Dojo website has updated yet again, sporting information about Zero Suit Samus and our gassy friend Wario. Samus sure looks hot. And Wario is… Did I mention Samus is hot? You can read all the character information and view the screens here.

Nintendo of America’s marketing boss Reggie Fils-Aime has been promoted to president of the company, while the current president Tatsumi Kimishima will become chairman of the board and chief executive officer. Reggie was the guy speaking to us at Nintendo E3 conference in 2005/06, we hope to see him again. From the press release:

“In his new role as president and chief operating officer, Fils-Aime will lead the day-to-day operations of Nintendo of America while continuing to oversee the Sales & Marketing Division… He joined Nintendo of America in December 2003… Prior to joining Nintendo, he served as senior vice president of marketing at VH1. He also has held key marketing positions with Guinness Import Co., Derby Cycle Corp., Pizza Hut, Panda Management Co. and Procter & Gamble.”

Fils-Aime will now be directing the Wii (and its success) as the president, alongside Satoru Iwata.

Via Joystiq.