The Alien games have had somewhat of an iffy legacy.

So we’re trying not to get too excited about Aliens: Colinial Marines.

But then SEGA go and release trailers like this.

The bleeping! The scuttling! The acid! The flamethrowers!

We pretty much wet ourselves.

If there is one thing developers Volition know, it’s their market.

From the billboards of sexy ladies and ridiculously giant cat-headed bazooka-wielders, through to its surreal, looneytoon commercials starring cult comedians Tim & Eric, Saints Row: The Third has a humour and appeal aimed squarely at both the immature and the immature at heart.

Luckily enough, while I enjoy my Dostoyevsky, Proust and Mozart, I’m not averse to the odd fart, boob or willy joke either.

Saints Row: The Third builds on the greatly exaggerated stylings and successes of its predecessors, building a mammoth and ludicrous open-world adventure game that manages to differentiate itself from its competitors (and inspiration) by making everything as crazy, ridiculous and gratuitous as possible.

Case in point – while you start GTA IV with a slow, steady and introductory meander through the city streets, Saints Row: The Third will have you blowing machine-gunning helicopters out of the sky, and skydiving face first through planes (whilst shooting everything around you John Woo-style) within the first 15 minutes. Subtle, it ain’t.

Which is where Volition intends the fun to lie. With countless main and side missions to entertain, you’re guaranteed to be kept busy with all manner of explosive, destructive and OTT action adventure set pieces – piloting jet planes, beating passers-by to death with a giant purple dildo (recent stats suggest that over 2 million people have been bludgeoned with the ‘Inspirational Erotic Device’ since the game’s launch), and ordering airstrikes on rival gangs is all par for the course – and undeniably gigglesome.

Yes, that is EXACTLY what it looks like.

Throw in a whole heap of pop culture pastiches (everything from Star Wars to Japanese game shows is mercilessly and often brilliantly mocked), and you’ve got a game that guarantees a braindead, feel good time.

Ironically enough, it’s the endless onslaught that works against it, with such ludicrous albeit relentless bombasticity losing the intended ‘AWESOMELOLZYEAH’ effect every now and again.

But really, Saints Row: The Third’s success – and your inclination to buy it – boils down to one very simple, very puerile and very ridiculous point of view. If the thought of running down the street, stark bollock naked and beating people to death with giant dildos makes you smile, you’ve just found your funniest, most grin-inducing game of the year.

****~ (4/5)

Saints Row: The Third is out now and available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

This is a rather nice little app which means that you can get all the movie news from around the world in your pocket brought direct to your iPhone and iPod Touch. IMDb have just released this new app which will bring all movie news direct to your app. You can search for individual movies or actors but the really nice feature is that you can add favourites and easily get information on all your favourites. I’ve placed the full press release below and you can download the app for free from the Apple App store.

All our news is syndicated to IMDb and you can now, never miss an important news alert ever again!

IMDb BUZZ, AN ENTERTAINMENT NEWS APP FOR iPHONE AND iPOD TOUCH, NOW AVAILABLE FOR FREE ON THE APP STORE

The #1 Movie Website In the World Adds A News App To Its Portfolio of Leading Mobile Entertainment Apps, Launches Android App Notifications and iOS 5 Update, And Announces IMDb Trivia Milestones

SEATTLE, WA. – October 27, 2011—IMDb, the world’s most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content, today announced that IMDb Buzz, a free entertainment news application for iPhone and iPod touch, is now available for download worldwide on the App Store. Additionally, IMDb announced the following mobile news: the launch of notifications on IMDb’s leading Android App; iOS 5 updates for IMDb’s popular Movies & TV app for iPhone and iPad; and momentum milestones pertaining to the IMDb Trivia app for iPhone and iPod touch. To learn more about and download IMDb Buzz, go to: http://www.imdbbuzz.com

“We are laser focused on building an unrivaled portfolio of leading entertainment apps,” said Col Needham, founder and CEO of IMDb. “In the last month alone, we’ve launched IMDb Buzz (an entertainment news app) and IMDb Trivia (our first foray into games). In both cases, we built a dedicated, platform-optimized app focused on features that IMDb’s more than 110 million monthly unique visitors worldwide spend the most time consuming on our site: entertainment news and trivia respectively.”

“With IMDb Buzz, our users can access breaking entertainment news from our extensive roster of top tier NewsDesk partners including Access Hollywood, indieWire and The Wrap, while following their favorite celebrities, TV shows, films and news sources in a customized newsfeed – all from the convenience of their iPhone,” said Kintan Brahmbhatt, head of mobile for IMDb. “The just-launched notifications feature on our leading Android app also meets this customer demand, providing users with the ability to follow any of the 2 million titles and 4 million people on IMDb they’re most interested in and receive requested notifications based on their customizedinterests.”

IMDb also announced the availability of its popular Movies & TV app for iPhone and iPod touch optimized for iOS 5. New functionality includes a “Trailer Queue” and the ability to share links to titles, names and photos on Facebook and Twitter. With iOS 5, IMDb’s app now supports AirPlay with mirroring and enables users to watch their favorite trailers on Apple TV directly from their iPad app.

Sony have finally announced a release date and RRP for its soon-to-be-awesome new handheld system, the PS Vita.

And we won’t have to wait that much longer, as it’s set for a 22nd February 2012 release.

There will be two versions of the console available on launch – a Wi-Fi model for £229.99 and a 3G/Wi-Fi model for £279.99.

Which – accountant fans – means that the handheld will cost more than the price of a PS3 on arrival.

That may sound bonkers in theory, but it’s definitely positioning itself as a mini PS3 and multimedia centre on the move from the details released.

Its design boasts a front touch screen, rear touch pad, dual analogue sticks, motion sensors and dual cameras, while it’s set to run a snazzy operating system of its own, with full Facebook, foursquare, Skype and Twitter integration.

And that’s without even starting on the games – with over 25 game s available in Japan for launch, and over 80 in development as we speak (including seriously impressive looking versions of Uncharted, LittleBigPlanet, Wipeout, Resistance, Call of Duty and more), there’ll be more than enough gaming goodness to get stuck into.

But how does that pricing make you feel? It’s in line with the 3DS’ launch, but look how well that’s doing. Sound off below.

Yes it’s the same as the Russian version that we put up a week or two ago but it IS different as it has English writing of The Thing! Here’s the UK poster. If you missed the new featurette that I put up yesterday, you should check that one out too and it’s a good’n.

The 2011 movie is directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. and stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead​, Eric Christian Olsen, Joel Edgerton, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje​, Ulrich Thomsen​, Kim Bubbs.

Antarctica: an extraordinary continent of awesome beauty. It is also home to an isolated outpost where a discovery full of scientific possibility becomes a mission of survival when an alien is unearthed by a crew of international scientists. The shape-shifting creature, accidentally unleashed at this marooned colony, has the ability to turn itself into a perfect replica of any living being. It can look just like you or me, but inside, it remains inhuman. In the thriller The Thing, paranoia spreads like an epidemic among a group of researchers as they’re infected, one by one, by a mystery from another planet. Paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has traveled to the desolate region for the expedition of her lifetime. Joining a Norwegian scientific team that has stumbled across an extraterrestrial ship buried in the ice, she discovers an organism that seems to have died in the crash eons ago. But it is about to wake up. When a simple experiment frees the alien from its frozen prison, Kate must join the crew’s pilot, Carter (Joel Edgerton), to keep it from killing them off one at a time. And in this vast, intense land, a parasite that can mimic anything it touches will pit human against human as it tries to survive and flourish. The Thing serves as a prelude to John Carpenter’s classic 1982 film of the same name.

The Thing is released in the UK 2nd December.

This morning has been full to the brim of new UK exclusives with a new Tintin trailer, the new Wuthering Heights poster and now Universal Studios have released this great new featurette from their movie, The Thing. In the featurette, we get to find out exactly how the new prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 movie, The Thing. In this 2011 prequel, we get to find out exactly what happened to the base before Kurt Russell and his team show up later.

I this great featurette, we get to see interviews with all the principle cast who explain what we can expect from the movie and how everything links together.

The 2011 movie is directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. and stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead​, Eric Christian Olsen, Joel Edgerton, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje​, Ulrich Thomsen​, Kim Bubbs.

Antarctica: an extraordinary continent of awesome beauty. It is also home to an isolated outpost where a discovery full of scientific possibility becomes a mission of survival when an alien is unearthed by a crew of international scientists. The shape-shifting creature, accidentally unleashed at this marooned colony, has the ability to turn itself into a perfect replica of any living being. It can look just like you or me, but inside, it remains inhuman. In the thriller The Thing, paranoia spreads like an epidemic among a group of researchers as they’re infected, one by one, by a mystery from another planet. Paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has traveled to the desolate region for the expedition of her lifetime. Joining a Norwegian scientific team that has stumbled across an extraterrestrial ship buried in the ice, she discovers an organism that seems to have died in the crash eons ago. But it is about to wake up. When a simple experiment frees the alien from its frozen prison, Kate must join the crew’s pilot, Carter (Joel Edgerton), to keep it from killing them off one at a time. And in this vast, intense land, a parasite that can mimic anything it touches will pit human against human as it tries to survive and flourish. The Thing serves as a prelude to John Carpenter’s classic 1982 film of the same name.

The Thing is released in the UK 2nd December.

Source: Yahoo UK

Liking this a lot!! Here’s the brand new red band (seriously freaky) trailer for the brand new movie, The Thing which is a prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 version which starred Kurt Russell. The 2011 movie is directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. and stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Eric Christian Olsen, Joel Edgerton, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ulrich Thomsen, Kim Bubbs.

Universal Studios have released this new trailer through IGN and it’s a seriously freaky one. Please bear in mind, this is a red band trailer for a reason!

Antarctica: an extraordinary continent of awesome beauty. It is also home to an isolated outpost where a discovery full of scientific possibility becomes a mission of survival when an alien is unearthed by a crew of international scientists. The shape-shifting creature, accidentally unleashed at this marooned colony, has the ability to turn itself into a perfect replica of any living being. It can look just like you or me, but inside, it remains inhuman. In the thriller The Thing, paranoia spreads like an epidemic among a group of researchers as they’re infected, one by one, by a mystery from another planet. Paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has traveled to the desolate region for the expedition of her lifetime. Joining a Norwegian scientific team that has stumbled across an extraterrestrial ship buried in the ice, she discovers an organism that seems to have died in the crash eons ago. But it is about to wake up. When a simple experiment frees the alien from its frozen prison, Kate must join the crew’s pilot, Carter (Joel Edgerton), to keep it from killing them off one at a time. And in this vast, intense land, a parasite that can mimic anything it touches will pit human against human as it tries to survive and flourish. The Thing serves as a prelude to John Carpenter’s classic 1982 film of the same name.

The Thing hits UK cinemas December 2nd.

That’s a terrible pun and I’m actually genuinely sorry. But hey – it’s gets better because we’ve finally got a clip from the prequel to The Thing, called The Thing.

Following the creepy as heck poster and a trailer which did a good job of teasing Matthijs van Heijningen Jr’s film and this new clip sort of spoils a relatively early but crucial plot moment.

It is a brief clip but there’s something in the tone of the piece that appears to evoke the spirit of the John Carpenter film nicely which is encouraging. We also get a glimpse of the monster as it first appears, though of course it won’t stay in that form for too long, but considering where it comes from in the clip it’s a pretty firm bet that this is its original form. Let’s hope that’s the most we see of it, we don’t need a look at what it was as we’re concetrating on what it becomes.

Even now, picturing the twisted Bosch-like creatures of Carpenter’s film reminds me that we’ve not seen anything quite like it since, and the digital molasses of the CG monster movies of recent times cannot compete. Here’s hoping The Thing is still The Thing.

This came from MTV (who blocked it in the UK) but an enterprising Youtuber uploaded it. Thanks Youtuber.

 In fine marketing tradition a few days ago we had the first poster for the prequel to The Thing, confusedly called The Thing, and now there’s the first trailer for Matthijs van Heijningen Jr directed film.

It is the same as the leaked trailer which found its way onto the internet last year and it’s a great return to the world of Carpenter’s film, which incidentally holds up magnificently today, and this prequel looks to have captured the isoparanoia* perfectly.

Flamethrowers, beards and furry collars – sign me up. This one lands in October.

MSN Movies had it first, here’s your trailer.

*this is a word.

inFAMOUS, for those not in the know, is the greatest comic booky video game ever made.

Except, weirdly, it didn’t even start out as a comic. Yet the tale of bike messenger Cole MacGrath, who is granted electrical super powers after a mysterious city-wide explosion, is finally getting in touch with its faux roots, with a host of mini comics inspired by the series hitting the interwebs in time for the sequel’s release (our review’s coming very soon).

While inFAMOUS revels in its explosiony action adventure sandbox gameplay, its longevity comes in the form of some very fun morality issues, with your character shaped by the choices they make – whether good or bad, every decision has a consequence.

Which, in a roundabout kinda way, bleeds out into these rather nifty comic strips inspired by the things we love most – comics, video games and (in the case of the bonkers Lindsay Lohan, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes one) movies.

Click here for the full comic.

Click here for the full comic.

How’s this for an instant sell?

Disney has teamed up with Pixar to put together a multiplayer action game that sucks in some of the most iconic, snuggable and huggable characters of all time.

And if you’re one of the three people on the planet without a Pixar-meltable heart, then take refuge in the fact you’ll at least be able to see some of the little buggers die on-screen.

Gameplay will incorporate a number of Disney and Pixar’s most recognisable live action and animated action films, including Alice in Wonderland, Monsters, Inc., Tron: Legacy, and Lilo & Stitch.

Players will get to slap on a number of different character-based costumes, with each costume offering a specific tool that changes and grows in power as players adventure through the game.

Disney Universe will be available for purchase on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 in Autumn 2011.

The Dark Knight Rises, one of the most highly anticipated movies (at this point) of all time is released next year. Director Christopher Nolan is, by his very nature, a very secretive filmmaker. He likes to reveal as little as possible about his projects, which leaves his fans desperate for the barest snippets of information.

So when the first piece of major viral marketing for the movie was released, the Internet went into meltdown. In keeping with the marketing we have seen previously in Nolan’s Batman series, it was a bit of a game. A website was set-up with the name of The Fire Rises and featured a black page with chanting in the background.

Now, I have no idea how long the team behind this idea were expecting it to take for someone to solve, but it was mere minutes. Some bright spark ran the chanting through a visualiser, which revealed a hashtag, #thefirerises. This lead to a Twitter account called @thefirerises, and a process by which you could use the hashtag to reveal the first image from the forthcoming The Dark Knight Rises. We were treated to our first look at Bane, as played by Tom Hardy, and it was a pretty significant look, showing much of his facial apparatus and costume.

Clever stuff, and no doubt only the first salvo in a viral marketing war to be raged upon the internet community. My problem with these events is the timing. The Dark Knight is released in July 2012 – a full 14 months away. It is obviously important from a studio’s perspective to get people excited for a film, but the problem is, in this case, they are not trying to get people excited for The Dark Knight Rises, they are trying to keep them excited, and this is a level they are going to struggle to sustain.

Think about it. When did the excitement start? For some, it started the minute they walked out of the theatres after watching The Dark Knight. We have of course had Inception since then, so for many others it will have been the announcements of the project, and confirmation that Nolan would be directing it. Then came the casting rumours, the reveal of the movie’s name, and then the first solid casting confirmations. More rumours would follow, then more casting. Character names began to be revealed, and speculation was cut back once the main characters had all been announced. This process took place over the course of a year.

So excitement has been building for a long time. the problem is, once all these details have been confirmed, the long shooting period begins, and with a secretive Director like Nolan, there is very little information to come from the process. So after getting the fans all excited with character and cast information, Warner Bros were rightly concerned that it would all be pointless, as things went pretty quiet for the next 12 months.

To counteract this, we were given our first visual clue from the movie, even though some cast names are even now only just being revealed. To release this kind of marketing so quickly into the movie’s production smacks of desperation. Unfortunately, it gets worse. Rumour has it the first trailer for The Dark Knight Rises will be attached to Warner’s other tent-pole franchise, the final Harry Potter film. A trailer, just 3 months into production? It will obviously be merely a teaser, as there will clearly be precious little footage to cut from, so you have to question what the point is?

There is a danger, in these circumstances, of escalation. You release a picture, then a trailer, and there is still twelve months before the film’s release. What do you offer next? There is no way, after this effort has been expended to keep up audience anticipation that things will go dark, so to speak. So there is a very real danger that more puzzles will be offered, and solved, and more precious information will be released. Now, the internet community is pretty smart, and will jump on every tidbit they can find, to try and extrapolate how what is being revealed fits into the Batman continuity, and subsequently the upcoming film. The marketing wizards may think they are being clever, but there will always be someone more clever on the outside, and there is a real danger of something big slipping out.

In this new age of social networking and millions of blogs, with the best will in the world it is impossible to stay spoiler free. Remember, of course, that Nolan himself is probably against all this information being released, and there is always a possibility that if too much information is gleaned by the public it could be a distraction to Nolan from the task at hand. Nolan is pretty powerful nowadays, but the studios will always believe they know best, and this could give rise to some inner conflicts.

I may, of course, be over analysing it all far too much. Only time will tell what the PR gurus have in store, if anything, for us over the next few months. Fans will see the recently released image and teaser trailer, if there is one, as just reward for their continued interest and commitment, and by no means do I think it isn’t deserved. I just hope the right level of caution is exercised by all involved, as it would be a damn shame if we all go into Christopher Nolan’s final Batman film knowing just that little bit too much.

The filmmaker’s work always involves some twists and turns, making it more of a risk with his pictures than with many others. The biggest laugh of it all is that such intense marketing isn’t even necessary. The Dark Knight broke box office records, and when he Rises he may well break more. I will, of course, try and avoid spoilers as much as possible, and my biggest hope is that The Dark Knight Rises, when it finally does hit our screens, is something truly special to behold.

Bazmann – You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/baz_mann

While the fanboy film was once the refuge of the idle Super 8-addled LARP-er, it’s fair to say that those days are long gone.

After impressive Batman and Street Fighter home-made movies hit the internet to respectable fanfare, a really rather nifty Splinter Cell mini-movie has popped up.

With more than the odd whiff of 24 about the command centre, and lots of hiding in the shadows, they certainly seem to have nailed the tone.

What do you think? Reckon they’ve nailed it? Would you love to see a full-length movie?

Nintendo have released a brand new trailer for their next Wii Zelda adventure, titled Skyward Sword.

The game is set for release later this year, and is set to arrive in time for Zelda’s 25 anniversary.

The ever-evolving visual style of the game may not offer any dramatic new reinvention, but Nintendo President Satoro Iwata obviously has high hopes for Link’s next game.

“Mr Miyamoto is working on a plan that will allow all Zelda lovers to celebrate togather,” Iwata said.

Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think.

It’s a sentence we never thought we’d scribble.

But Farmville could have some serious competition.

Yep, Angry Birds developer Roxio has announced that it’s set to adapt the game onto Facebook.

The phenomenon – just in case you’ve been stuck under a rock or suffer from ornithophobia/swinophobia – has been downloaded over  100 million times across iPhones and Android devices, and there’s even a movie on the cards.

And while it may not appear an instant fit for a Facebook game (there’s no immediately obvious multiplayer angle), it’s clear that Roxio will be adapting the mechanic somewhat to fit.

Are you a fan? Would you play it on Facebook? Sound off below!

Finally, Nintendo have teased fans with what they can expect from the moustachioed plumber’s first 3DS adventure.

Four very fuzzy images and a decidedly clue-worthy logo were briefly shown to audiences at the GDC 11, and there are a few hints we can take from the announcement.

Attention was drawn towards the logo’s tail, which hardcore Mario fans will recall is very similar to the tail he gained from power-ups in Super Mario Bros 3, and allowed him to fly and turn into a stone statue depending on which weird-ass muppet-suit the power-up gifted him.

While no official details or video has been released as yet, IGN have produced a nifty uber-geeky breakdown of what they could surmise from the screenshots.

Check it out below and let ue know what you think.

There are any number of genius creator-driven games hidden away on the Playstation Network and Xbox Live.

And we’re more than happy to bring a brilliantly bonkers new one to your attention.

The gang at Hothead Games have given us an exclusive audio commentary of the team attempting to make their way through one of the action platformer’s levels, and if it’s as much fun to play as it is to watch, we can’t wait.

Imagine Lemmings meets Pikmin by way of Mario and Tony Hawks’ combo tricks system, with a strategically suicidal twist.

Swarm is an action-platformer from the game creators at Hothead Games. In Swarm you take control of 50 utterly fearless Swarmites and drive them through an intense, entertaining and often suicidal battle of survival. Run, bash, huddle, boost, stack, jump, push and throw your way through gauntlets of death and destruction in an attempt to collect valuable DNA and ensure that at least one Swarmite survives. Swarm is coming soon to XBLA and PSN.

Check out the video below and let us know what you think!

Let’s get this out the way now.

Marvel vs Capcom 3 is the most mental, colourful, eyeball-meltingly orgasmically insane 2.5D fighter you’re ever likely to play – but whether it manages to best its decade old (and still insanely popular) predecessor is another thing.

MVC fans have had to endure a wait almost as long as Chinese frickin’ Democracy, and now after 11 years of fevered, sporadically giddy, anticipation, Marvel vs Capcom is back. The original Marvel vs Capcom 2 was still being played by die-hard fans even before 2009′s PS3/Xbox 360 port, partly due to its massive 56 character line-up but predominately due to the surprising depth of gameplay modes, fighting styles and combos on offer.

We have a feeling the obsessives will gripe (but don’t they ever), but for everyone else it’s hard to find serious fault with this new entry to the series.

The plot (what there is of it) involves some paper thin guff about how Marvel’s uber villain Doctor Doom (if you’ve only seen him in the Fantastic Four films, you’ve been missing out) has teamed up with Resident Evil loon Albert Wesker to take over their respective worlds. Obviously things have gone more than a little FUBAR and now everyone has to team up to destroy an evil older than time and blah blah blah.

Less waffling, more kicking.

There are 36 gorgeously rendered characters to play from the off, although a couple more have been confirmed (and even more hinted at) for DLC further down the line. Sure, that’s a whopping 20 less than its predecessor, but considering most of them were rush job reskins of other characters, that’s no bad thing. The line-up here – as massive as it is – is remarkably balanced and wonderfully realised.

The age-old gripe of ill-balanced powersets (shoving action man Chris Redfield up against the planet destroying Hulk in a fist fight for example) is entertainingly and simply addressed by merely arming every single character with such preposterously screen-conquering, OTT moves that you don’t really have time to notice the illogicality. When Chris Redfield cranks out a weapon the size of a car and proceeds to unleash all manner of elemental hell on whoever’s stood before him, it feels weighty and – most importantly – tactile.

In short, with a wealth of fighting styles and combos to experiment with, almost all of the characters have been built with substance.

Of course, the characters aren’t completely faithful to their comic/game counterparts – Phoenix doesn’t munch down on any planets, and Wolverine doesn’t happen to eviscerate Chun-Li while she’s preoccupied with flapping her leg up and down, but when it’s this much fun, who cares?

Each battle – which, as per MVC2, puts you in charge of a 3-person/monster team – is guaranteed to quicken your heart and vibrate your eyeballs. If you didn’t have ADHD before, you probably will now.

So, the fanboy should be sated, but what about the non-geeky gamer?

Well, for one thing the control mechanic has changed. Gone is the four-button attack (two hard, two light attack) system of old, replaced with a three-button control system of light, medium and hard attacks which opens the game up a little more for noobs looking to get in on the combo fun. You can now also launch players into the air with one button press, and switch characters during a combo. What initially appears to be a simplification actually opens up a whole world of possibilities, and we guarantee it’ll take you some time to get on top of the aerial tag combos, utilise hyper combo attacks and make the most of the new X Factor mode. No- while we’re as keen as anyone to beat seven shades of hell out of Simon Cowell, it’s a nifty new trigger wherein pressing all four buttons at once regains a little health and increases your damage output. The natch (as ever) is that this gets far more powerful when you have less tagteam characters on the sidelines.

There’s also a Mission Mode, Shadow Mode, standard Arcade mode, two-player versus and challenge mode, and while there’s more than enough to sink your teeth into it’s not quite up to scratch with some of its uber mode filled competitiors – not that that’s a bad thing.

It’s not entirely flawless though. The end-times end boss Galactus is controller-bashingly difficult in his annoyingness. Once you’ve got over the spectacle of battling a world-munching megaboss, you’ll continually be thrown back to the Continue menu after being taken down by a number of his unblockable moves – including, maddeningly, a 200 hit move that kills you outright irrespective of health.

There are a couple of characters that prove the bane of any gamer’s life too, with Arthur and MODOK near unbeatable when put in the hands of a petty pillock of a friend content to sit over one side of the screen and merely lob long-range attacks at you.

Still, with utterly smooth gameplay (aside from online which is still suffering from teething problems), gorgeous visuals, depth of character and skillsets, and a brilliant team fighting dynamic, we’re finding it hard to find not only another fighter that’s proved as replayable, but that’s managed to live up to expectations.

FIGHT!

****~ (4/5)

Hackers’ joy at finally being able to ‘break’ the PlayStation 3′s code has turned to despair after Sony have started shutting down the PlayStation Network accounts of pirate users.

It all started earlier this year when George Hotz managed to crack the PS3′s long-held defences, spreading the word and essentially making it open to all.

CVG reports that users on a popular hacking forum have received an email informing them of their ban.

In corporate wordy speak, as follows:

“A circumvention device and/or unauthorized or pirated software currently resides on your PlayStation(R)3 system. Immediately cease use and remove all circumvention devices and delete all unauthorized or pirated software from your PlayStation(R)3 system. Failure to do so will result in termination of your access to the PlayStation(R)Network and access to Qriocity(TM) services through your PlayStation(R)3 system.”

Unsurprisingly, users who refused to remove the software were subsequently banned.

Sony have finally revealed their PlayStation Phone to the world and it’s full of surprises – not least it’s potentially crippling price tag.

Reports suggest that the phone will have a US launch date of March, with the UK only a month behind.

Orange and T-Mobile have already confirmed themselves as handlers, and Sony have revealed a massive 50 games will be available on launch – including new Assassin’s Creed, Guitar Hero, Dead Space and Battlefield titles.

Five games will be pre-loaded onto the device (including The Sims 3 and Tetris) and the device will sync up with the PlayStation Suite to download PSOne and ‘PlayStation Quality’ games.

Tech-wise, it’s got a 5.0 megapixel camera, 4-inch multi-touch display and a ‘PlayStation Certified’ gaming experience.

As for that price? Well a recent Sony Ericsson competition noted that it had a price value of 499,00 €, equating to about £420.

Admittedly this isn’t the officially stated price tag, and a price like this would likely be for the handset only – not in line with contracts and other deals, but it’s still a bold move.

Check out the video of the Xperia Play and let us know what you think – interested?