Xbox 360

We've heard it before, but a new report has surfaced claiming that the next Xbox console from Microsoft will block used games. The latest rumor comes from no less reputable a source than Edge, which cites "sources with first-hand experience of Microsoft's next-gen console."

According to the report, the blocking of secondhand games is a product of the console's requirement for an always-on Internet connection. Edge also notes that the next Xbox will be fitted with a Blu-ray drive and that a recently rumored set of tech specs -- AMD eight-core x64 1.6GHz CPU, Direct3d 11.x 8000MHz GPU, and 8GB of DDR3 RAM -- is accurate.

Whether or not this is accurate remains to be seen, but Edge isn't exactly known for wasting people's time.

Zen Studios, the game developer and publisher best known for their popular Pinball FX franchise, announced Star Wars Pinball today. Developed in partnership with LucasArts, Star Wars Pinball will feature all new Star Wars themed tables and be available for download in February 2013 on most digital platforms (i.e. Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, Google Play, Apple App Store). The first, 3 table pack will be based on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Boba Fett and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Pretty solid choices if you ask me.

“It’s been over 30 years since Star Wars, video games, and solid state pinball all burst onto the entertainment scene, and their popularity endures today. We’re excited to be combining all three for the very first time,” said Neil Sorens, Zen Studios’ Creative Director. “Our designers are huge Star Wars fans, and you can expect every detail in every table to reflect their passion for the Star Wars universe."

Each Star Wars table will feature different moments from the Star Wars universe with interactive 3D characters and unique gameplay. Check out the trailer below:

So we’re getting new Star Wars movies AND a new Star Wars pinball game? If McDonald’s brings back those lead paint based Star Wars novelty glasses it’ll be 1982 all over again. What do you think?

This is one of those good news/bad news situations. The good news is that Injustice: Gods Among Us has a confirmed DLC pack that was inspired Mark Millar's superb comic book miniseries, Superman: Red Son. The bad news is that the DLC is confirmed by way of a UK-only limited edition offer that packs in the DLC for free with the game.

Of course, DLC tends to not remain restricted to the realm of pre-order bonuses or regional exclusivity when there's money to be made. The content pack includes 20 missions set in the alternate universe spin-off's timeline along with three character skins, for Superman, Wonder Woman, and Solomon Grundy. Too bad there's not one for the Russky Batman as well.

Also, while I've got your attention: read Superman: Red Son. It imagines what would have happened if the spaceship that delivered Kal-El to Earth had crashed in the Soviet Ukraine, and it's great.

BioShock Infinite is slightly less than two months away now, and a newly revealed Xbox 360 Achievements list may help tide you over during the wait. The list is entirely spoiler-free from a story perspective, with all narrative-related cheevos seemingly locked away behind secret Achievements.

The larger, visible portion of the list contains plenty of new information as well, it's just more in the vein of content and features. You can, for example, find a full list of weapon names and types. You'll also learn how many Vigors (think: Plasmids) there are in the game, overall.

There are also a few cheevos related to the previously teased 1999 Mode; one for unlocking it, another for completing the game in it, and a third for completing a 1999 Mode game "without purchasing anything from a Dollar Bill vending machine." If you're only worried about story spoilers, know that you can read this list freely without fear.

The outstanding facial capture work of Depth Analysis was a key ingredient in Rockstar Games' L.A. Noire, and this newly released outtakes montage highlights just how capable the company's MotionScan technology is. The 32-camera setup captures everything about a person's performance (their face only) then reconstructs it as a virtual character. Even when said real-life actor screws things up.

Such is the case with this collection of clips, which delves deep into Uncanny Valley. L.A. Noire did a fine job skirting past the subconscious discomfort that many people feel at the sight of a "too real" digital creation, but that careful balancing act tumbles as you watch these actors break character after flubbing a line. It's really neat too, and the technology will only improve over time. For now though?

KILL IT! KILL IT!

Square Enix has a treat for Sleeping Dogs fans, in the form of more DLC. It's not just *a* treat either. It's a *lot* of treats, to the tune of five content drops to be parceled out over the first three months of 2013. January's already behind us, so that leaves a two month window for this stuff to arrive in.

Some of this stuff is out already. Specifically, the Movie Masters Pack, which was released earlier this week on January 29, 2013. That pack, along with several of the others, add nothing more than new costumes to the game. There are two proper content expansions however, that both add new missions and other content to Wei Shen's world.

Check out the details for all five of these content packs after the jump, and stay tuned for news on specific release dates as they emerge.

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Resident Evil producer Masachika Kawata had some ear-perking things to say in a new interview with IGN concerning where the series is at right now and where it's headed. He does use the word "reboot," something that many believe the series sorely needs after the failure of Resident Evil 6 to be... you know... good, it's not entirely clear if that's the path being taken for whatever comes next.

"I think a lot of what people want now is to have Chris and Jill in a game, or they want it to look like Resident Evil used to look like. That’s what makes the game work for them. We should be able to start from scratch and reboot it. It would still be Resident Evil. We wouldn’t lose the essential nature of what makes it a good game just by changing the characters," he said. Not exactly a commitment to change. There's hope though!

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XSEED issued a press release this morning detailing its 2013 slate, and sure enough, Grasshopper Manufacture's Killer Is Dead is listed among the upcoming titles. Previously confirmed for release in Japan only, we now know for certain that XSEED will publish the game in North America for a summer 2013 release on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles.

That's not all for XSEED in 2013, however. Joining Killer Is Dead this summer is the Nintendo 3DS RPG Rune Factory 4. A pair of PlayStation Vita titles will follow in the fall: Valhalla Knights 3 and Ys: Memories of Celceta. Next up, however, is Ys I & II Chronicles, an enhanced remake of the first two games in the series that is set to hit PCs sometime in February.

Rockstar Games announced today that Grand Theft Auto V will be released on Xbox 360 and PS3 on September 17th, 2013. Mark your calendars, clear your schedules, stock up on Mountain Dew (or actually don't, Dew contains a questionable food additive called BVO - Google it) and get ready to dive head first into Rockstar’s latest magnum opus. Too soon to call it a magnum opus? Nope!

"Grand Theft Auto V continues to push the series forward in new ways; Rockstar North are creating our deepest, most beautiful and most immersive world yet," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. "We are very excited for people to learn more about the game in the coming months."

Me, I don’t need/want to know anything else. Get me this game! What do you think? Pumped? Bored? Indifferent about the GTA series? Let me know in the comments.

Sega and Gearbox Software release Aliens: Colonial Marines on February 12, 2013, but it seems that there will be plenty more Xenomorph action to come in 2013 based on a DLC Season Pass product listing (via CVG). GameStop and Green Man Gaming both have product listings for a Season Pass priced $26.99 (discounted from $29.99), though Sega hasn't yet confirmed anything relating to post-release plans.

The identically worded listings promise four downloadable content pack releases to be released between March and "summer 2013," with Season Pass owners enjoying a 33 percent discount off the total cost of the four individual packs together. The listings also hint at what to expect, with "campaign content, additional multiplayer maps, new modes, character customization, and more."

Our last peek at BioShock Infinite came in the form of a trailer disguised as mini-documentary on the floating city of Columbia, but this latest one follows a more traditional path. Irrational Games' City in the Sky trailer is your basic, pre-launch runthrough of the story (as we currently know it) and key gameplay elements.

Of course, nothing in BioShock Infinite is really basic. From riding the Sky Line to Vigor-induced powers to your constant companion in Elizabeth, the narrative-heavy game feels like a BioShock adventure through and through. The wait won't be much longer. Infinite finally reveals itself to all on March 26, 2013.

Brace yourselves, cyberpunk fans. Flashback, the badass adventure game platformer from 1992, may be getting the HD remake treatment in something called Flashback Origins. The news comes from French site Gamalive (via Eurogamer), which claims that creator Paul Cuisset and his studio, VectorCell, is developing, with Ubisoft publishing.

Ubisoft has yet to confirm anything, but the teaser image above should certainly look familiar to fans of the original. The fact that Cuisset and VectorCell are handling development is a little bit alarming give the disaster that was 2012's Amy, but lessons can be learned. Besides, who knows Flashback better than its creator?

Assuming the report is accurate, it's looking like the plan is to release Flashback Origins sometime in 2013 for download on PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and Steam.

The latest trailer for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Netherrealm Studios' DC Comics fighter, Injustice: Gods Among Us, is all about the story (via All Games Beta). Or, perhaps, stories. It looks like there's quite a bit going on in this two-minute clip, titled "The Line."

There's some cool stuff happening here even if you're not versed in your DC lore. The trailer is light on gameplay and heavy on cinematics, but you can get from it a sense of the conflict that drives these various heroes and villains to trade punches in various environments.

Fans of DC lore will no doubt see things here that my untrained eyes aren't catching; let us know what stands out to you in the comments!

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 launched with built-in YouTube streaming support, and now Twitch.tv is getting in on the fun as well. A morning announcement reveals the new partnership between Activision and Twitch, with streaming support for multiplayer games, player webcams, and audio commentary coming to PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows PC versions of the game (no Wii U, sadly).

It's not clear in the press release exactly when the new feature goes live, but the wording certainly makes it sound like the switch will be flipped soon. Those who wish to stream will need an active Twitch account of course; having a presence on Facebook and Twitter helps as well, as the feature will automatically update your feeds whenever you're streaming, provided of course that you allow it to.

The multiplayer beta for Crysis 3 launches today on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, and Crytek has a tutorial video that explains how it all works. It's an open beta, so all are welcome; the event will run from January 29 through February 12, 2013, ending a week before the game's February 19 release.

The Crysis 3 beta gives players the opportunity to sample two of the game's eight online modes, Crash Site and Hunter. Crash Site is a 6v6 point capture mode in which every carries the same equipment but defending teams get to grab a shield. Hunter is a variant on infected/zombie modes, with a pair of Nanosuit-equipped Hunters chipping away at a larger team of C.E.L.L. Operatives while each downed C.E.L.L. respawns as a Hunter.

For more on these two modes, check out our Crysis 3 multiplayer hands-on.