There seemed to be some confusion over the release date of the late EA Black Box’s Skate 2 as the demo had the game’s release date as today, the 23rd, while retailers and news sources had it listed as the 21st.

Either or, the game is now officially on store shelves everywhere, some stores got it the 21st (my local Gamestop got it yesterday, the 22nd) but if you’re a diehard fan of the Skate series, you probably already knew that.

With the recent news that EA will be closing its Black Box studio, let’s just hope sales are good enough for a Skate 3.

As many point out it’s been quite a while since Vin Diesel’s anti-hero Riddick was in the forefront of public consciousness. Still, Starbreeze has carried on with the remake of the Xbox stealth action title. Recently they released some footage that shows just how well they’ve updated the game for the current generation of consoles. The graphics look fantastic and the new storyline seems just as dark and riveting as the original adventure. Although Vin Diesel has fallen out of most people’s graces (if he was ever really there in the first place) this game looks like it could be just as much of an unexpected hit as its previous incarnation.

To bring the new characters, the mercenaries of Dark Athena to life an impressive team of voice actors has been assembled. British-born actor Morgan Sheppard returns to the game (he voiced several characters in the original) as a schizophrenic prisoner aboard Dark Athena. Michelle Forbes, an actress whose experience includes roles on Star Trek TNG and Battlestar Galactica voices Revas, the captain of Dark Athena and Wade Williams of Prison Break comes on as Spinner, the captain’s right hand man.

Most notably however is sci-fi favorite Lance Henriksen, probably most well known for his roles in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Aliens and Terminator. He lends his experienced voice to Dacher, another prisoner on Dark Athena who interacts with and eventually aids Riddick.

While many companies focus on either the casual gaming crowd or the hardcore crowd, it’s refreshing to see a company that tries- and succeeds- at making games which appeal to both. An excellent example of this was Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlord. It combined simple gameplay in the style of Bejeweled and various other titles with complex RPG strategy and a compelling storyline filled with interesting characters. Different minigames allowed you to capture monsters, learn new spells and craft your own items, keeping both the gameplay varied and allowing for more complex strategies.

The newest title promises to do more or less the same thing, but this time with a hexagonal puzzle format and a sci-fi theme. Now instead of screenshots and gameplay details we have something infinitely more exciting: a shipping date. The game will be shipping to North and South America on February 24th. For those who don’t own a DS, the game will be releasing later this year on Xbox Live Arcade, the PlayStation Network and for download on PC.

Comprising mostly of veterans from Marble Blast Ultra developer GarageGames and Tribesseries developer Dynamix, Black Jacket Studios has announced Metal Drift, a hover tank combat game.

The PC game will have two teams battle for control of the ball and then attempt to score a goal. It will be played from a first-person point of view and will support of up 12 people.

Metal Drift is set to arrive during the first half of this year. While distribution platforms werent mentioned, the game’s website sports a logo for GarageGames InstantAction.

The worsening recession has hit Sega hard, as the company has disclosed that it has let go of “around 30 people” from its American branch, though no details as to what divisions were affected by the cuts given.

“Sega of America has grown at pace with the booming videogame industry, but at this time of economic recession, harsh retail landscape, and the reality of business challenges to profitability, we must take steps to reduce our cost structure and ensure long-term success,” said a Sega spokesperson. “The decision to lay off staff was a difficult one, and we thank these employees for their contributions and wish them well in their future endeavors.”

Sega has a number of titles due out in the coming months, including House of the Dead: Overkill, Madworld, Alpha Protocol and Aliens: Colonial Marines.

From CVG comes word that Sumo Digitals downloadable racer OutRun Online Arcade is now exclusive to Xbox 360 in North America. It was originally announced for PS3 and Xbox 360.

This move was confirmed by the UK branch of publisher Sega, who noted that while the PS3 version may not hit North America, Europe will get both versions of the game.

No reason for the move was given. Sega of America is yet to comment on the matter.

Two of last year’s biggest PS3 releases have wowed gamers and critics alike, but have they wowed retail? According to the NPD Group, who has released the launch-to-date sales of LittleBigPlanet and Metal Gear Solid 4, the two games have.

LBP managed to sell 611,000 copies in the US since its release in October. Meanwhile, Resistance 2, which came out in November, has sold 598,000 copies since launch.

MGS 4, released to much critical acclaim, managed to sneak over 1 million copies to US homes last year. Almost 75% of its sales happened during the month of June – when it was launched – with the rest coming in the second half of the year.

EA is currently implementing its cost-cutting plan, which will see the company shed 10% of its global workforce due to the deepening recession. The latest victims of the plan are Madden developer Tiburon and Skate 2 developer Black Box, according to recent reports.

Kotaku reports that while EA has said that it will close Black Box, the studio’s teams and “associated game franchises” are being moved to a nearby office, with the site noting that all of Black Box’s staff won’t be able to make the jump.

Meanwhile, Gamasutra reports that “multiple staffers” have been let go at Tiburon, though no additional details were offered.

The megapublisher is said to cut more jobs in its lineup of studios, with Mythic Entertainment and Pandemic Brisbane rumored to also be affected.

Aspyr today announced that it has reached an agreement with European publisher 1C Company to bring five of its games to North America later this spring. The games are Cryostasis, Death Track: Resurrection, Men of War, NecroVision and 4×4 Hummer.

Cryostasis is a survival horror first-person shooter set in the Arctic Circle, having the player explore a frozen ship to find out what happened to it. NecroVision is set during WWI and has players fighting demons, vampires and other denizens of the underworld to save the world from the forces of darkness. Men of War is a mixture of RTS and third-person action, letting players control any unit on the map.

The games are due out in Europe on February 20, with Death Track and 4×4 Hummer due out in March.

Applications are being accepted for the next round of beta testing for Battlefield Heroes, the upcoming free-to-play multiplayer shooter from DICE.

Those interested in participating are required to log on to the game’s website with their EA Account and proceed to the sign-up form.

Gamers who have already participated in past beta tests for the game are automatically signed up for the next phase and do not need to enter. DICE didn’t mention when the next phase oftesting will begin, though it did note that more gamers will get access this time.

Battlefield Heroes was originally expected late last year, but is now expected sometime in the next couple of months.