Xbox 360

Release Date: February 19, 2013

Developer: PlatinumGames

Publisher: Konami

Platform(s): PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance has a silly name, but it's much more than just a title. It's a first step in a new direction for a franchise that has never shied away from trying something different. The nearly canceled, Raiden-focused (read: CYBER NINJA-focused) brawler is now in the hands of the best possible developer for this sort of release: PlatinumGames. Who else is crazy excited for over-the-top face-meltery?

What We Know:

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is a canonical story set in the Metal Gear universe, but it's not the proper next chapter in the ongoing saga of Snake-related codenames. This action-centric adventure focuses on the cyborg ninja-fied Raiden, fully restored to peak condition after his alarmingly frequent maimings in Metal Gear Solid 4: Sons of the Patriots. The story follows Raiden, a PMC soldier boy, as he takes on a competing PMC that is wrapped up in various terrorist actions. The cutscenes are shorter but the story is just as wacky as you'd expect or hope for from a Metal Gear game.

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When Tomb Raider hits stores on March 5, 2013, it'll be joined by a limited edition wireless Xbox 360 controller with a design inspired by Lara Croft's rebooted origin story. The red-hued gamepad features artificial scuffing and the image of a tourniquet wrapped around its left hand grip. In more practical terms, the controller also features one of those nifty transforming D-pads.

Microsoft worked with Crystal Dynamics artists to fine-tune the look of the controller, which will sell for $59.99. The package also includes an Xbox 360-exclusive download token for the Scavenger Archer multiplayer character. We should be hearing more about that recently announced component of the game soon, but if you're in the market for a new controller and you're a big Lara Croft fan, you might want to wait a couple of extra weeks.

When Dead Island: Riptide arrives on April 23, 2013, you'll have the option of showing what kind of fan you are with the newly announced Rigor Mortis Edition. Priced at $79.99, this collector's set adds a bunch of tchotchkes to your purchase, as well as all of the digital content included with the Dead Island: Riptide Special Edition that will be available at launch.

The Rigor Mortis Edition includes a zombie hula girl bobblehead figurine, a bloody zombie arm bottle opener that does double-duty as a magnet, a bungalow key with a logo-branded wooden keychain, and an adorably beaten-up miniature travel suitcase to pack all of that stuff into. This one's for the serious fans; if in-game bonus content is all that you're looking for, the Special Edition release will suit you just fine.

Rejoice, Deadpool fans. The smartass Merc With A Mouth will be joined in his upcoming High Moon Studios-developed, Activision-published Deadpool game by Cable. The tidbit is confirmed by Rob Liefeld, creator of both of those characters, on his personal website.

Cable has a lot of history with Deadpool in the comics, with the two having paired up in a 50-issue series that ran from 2004 to 2008, appropriately titled Cable & Deadpool. The silver-haired, telepathic mutant is the son of X-Men team member Scott Summers and his first wife, Madelyne Pryor, who is actually a clone of X-(wo)Man Jean Grey.

Comics. You've gotta love 'em. Now bring on Headpool already!

Release Date: February 19, 2013

Developer: Crytek

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Platform(s): PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows

Once a franchise that was known for straining the capabilities of gaming PCs the world over, Crysis now seems to be settling into a groove that embraces open environments, varied play styles, and jaw-droppingly stunning graphics. All three of those elements have been very much at the forefront of everything we've seen so far from Crytek for Crysis 3.

What We Know:

Crysis 3 picks up in 2047, a full 24 years after the events of Crysis 2. Our Nanosuit-clad hero -- the body of Alcatraz wearing the suit of Prophet -- returns to the ruins of New York City, which is now encased in a massive CELL-controlled Nanodome. The city itself is a disaster zone, completely overrun by vegetation and littered with the remains of the alien Ceph technology. The Nanodome is ostensibly there to protect the city and cleanse it of alien life, but CELL is also using it as a cover to mask an attempted global takeover.

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Add one more supported platform to the pile for The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, the Activision-published first-person take on AMC's hit series: a new AMC blog post confirms that a Wii U version of the game is coming. The touchscreen on the Wii U's tablet-like GamePad will be used for inventory management and weapon switching in Survival Instinct, as producer Glenn Gamble revealed in an interview with Digital Spy. 

All versions of the game -- PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, along with the now-confirmed Wii U release -- will arrive in North America on March 26, 2013. Season three of AMC's series returns from it's mid-season break on February 10, 2013 and it runs for eight more episodes from there, until the finale on March 31.

Survival Instinct focuses on the Dixon brothers, Merle and Daryl. It's worth noting that the back half of season three will likely spend a lot of time exploring the siblings' relationship, so don't be surprised if there end up being connections to draw between season three's revelations and the upcoming game.

The latest Halo Waypoint post from 343 Industries lays out the studio's Halo 4 content release plans for the coming weeks, running through late January and early February. The 10-episode arc of Spartan Ops releases concluded with episode five at the tail end of 2012, but the series will pick up again on January 21, 2013 with episode six.

Also coming on that day is a new playlist, tentatively titled "Forge Test," that rotates through small Forge maps (Relay is cited as an example). Episodes seven and eight of Spartan Ops will follow on January 28 and February 4, respectively. Those two weeks will also bring additional playlist unlocks, and all three weeks will see more Specializations unlocking for all players.

You can hit the jump for the full rundown of what's coming.

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Microsoft isn't quite ready to reveal its next-gen hardware plans, but a proof-of-concept that surfaced this week for something called IllumiRoom points to one direction the company is thinking in (via Gamasutra). In short, IllumiRoom uses Kinect for Windows combined with a projector to bleed on-screen content out into the room around your TV.

Watch the proof-of-concept video above and you'll see that while it's not QUITE a real-life Holodeck, it's still a pretty neat thing that can be used to expand your field of view in a game. Microsoft isn't ready to reveal any concrete plans for IllumiRoom, but an official website confirms that more will be revealed at April's ACM SIGCHI Conference in Paris, France.

Defiance, Trion Worlds online open world shooter, is coming to consoles and PC in April and we have the latest gameplay trailer for you “Massive Co-Op” below. The trailer showcases some of the guns, vehicles, and huge boss battles that await you and your friends (and their friends, and their friends) in the ruins of alien ravaged San Francisco. There’s a pretty fantastic moment where someone on an ATV power slides through several enemies that’s worth the price of admission alone.

In case you forgot, Defiance is part of what the suits are calling a “transmedia experience” which will link the game to a SyFy original television series of the same name.

Check it out:

Pretty cool right? I think I need to see a little bit more of the game before I'm 100% sold but I’m definitely interested to see how the game and the TV show sync up. Are you?

2K Sports has reached an agreement with Major League Baseball, the MLB Players Association, and MLB Advanced Media (the league's Internet overseers) that will see MLB 2K13 released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on March 5, 2013. Tampa Bay Rays pitcher David Price, a recent winner of the American League's Cy Young Award, is confirmed as the cover athlete.

The news comes as a bit of a surprise since 2K's MLB license expired at the end of 2012 and that March release date is less than three months from now, but it's pretty likely that Visual Concepts was working on the game long before the license renewal was finalized. MLB 2K13 also brings back 2K's Perfect Game Challenge, a $1 million competition that sees players competing to pitch a perfect game.

With the release so close you can probably expect 2K Sports to spin up the preview machine on this puppy in the near future, so stay tuned for more details.

Release Date: February 12, 2013

Developer: Gearbox Software

Publisher: Sega

Platform(s): PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox 360, Windows

In space, no one can hear you scream. In Aliens: Colonial Marines, all of your co-op friends can hear it, and they'll laugh at you mercilessly for being such a wuss. Unless they're screaming too, of course. That's what Gearbox Software is shooting for in this Sega-published adventure that has 20th Century Fox's series canon seal of approval.

What We Know:

The story in Aliens: Colonial Marines is framed as a direct sequel to James Cameron's 1986 film Aliens, though it also occurs after the events of Alien 3 as well. The U.S.S. Sulaco has been discovered in orbit around LV-426 and players assume the role of Corporal Christopher Winter, a Colonial Marine who is a member of the search and rescue crew sent to investigate the unresponsive vessel.

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The roster of fighters in Netherrealm Studios' upcoming Injustice: Gods Among Us is now 15 strong, with the latest issue of @Gamer confirming the existence of villains Bane and Lex Luthor in the game.  Netherrealm's own Ed Boon -- also co-creator of Mortal Kombat -- tweeted an image from the mag's latest issue that offers a look at the two characters.

Bane is pretty much what a DC Comics fan would expect: a hulking brute connected to an assortment of hoses with his face covered by a mask resembling that of a Lucha Libre fighter. Lex Luthor may be a puny human, but he wears a hefty battlesuit that, if it's anything like what he's worn in the comics, increases his strength and gives him the power of flight.

You'll be able to pit DC's greatest heroes and villains against one another later this year when Injustice: Gods Among Us hits stores later this year.

As if Marvel's animated heroes weren't adorable enough with all their earnest earth saving and improbable outfits, now they're getting bricked out LEGO style!

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced that Marvel LEGO Super Heroes will be available this fall across major platforms, offering up an original storyline with Loki and Galactus out to harm the good people of earth, while Nick Fury sets out to stop them with the aid of Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Spider-Man and other Marvel Heroes.

“Players will brave the ultimate mission to save the world as they explore famous landmarks in LEGO New York and take the adventure beyond Earth to iconic locations in the Marvel Universe,” said Tom Stone, Managing Director, TT Games Publishing.

This first LEGO video game to feature famous Marvel characters will allow players to unlock more than 100 characters from the the Marvel Universe, all within an epic, action-packed and yet delightfully playful LEGO universe. Already mentioned, albeit not confirmed, are appearances from characters in the Spider-Man, Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy universe.

For more, check out Game Informer who go in-depth on the game for their February cover story.

The annual tech industry Mecca that is the Consumer Electronics Show is well underway now, and Turtle Beach is there to show off its upcoming product lineup for the front half of 2013. A press release runs through the highlights, starting with a pair of multipurpose cans for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 users.

The Q1-releasing Ear Force PX51 and XP510 are for Sony and Microsoft consoles, respectively, with built-in Bluetooth, virtual surround sound, dual band Wi-Fi (to cut down on interference), and a rechargeable battery that is good for an estimated 15 hours on a single charge. These are premium items, with a $269.99 price on the PS3 model and a $289.99 price on the Xbox 360 model (likely because of the need to pack in an additional Bluetooth dongle).

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Activision still hasn't officially confirmed the rumored Revolution map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, but a now-removed Amazon listing makes the already likely content drop seem even more certain. It started with an alleged accidental posting of a DLC trailer of the Call of Duty mobile website, as reported by MP1st. Now there's this Amazon listing (via OXM UK) that runs through each piece of content in the pack.

The contents of the Amazon listing as OXM reports it line up precisely with the details revealed in allegedly leaked promo art that first tipped fans off to the fact that DLC was coming. You can continue to take all of this non-confirmation for what it's worth, but it certainl seems to be increasingly clear that the first Black Ops 2 is happening later this month.

Hit the jump for a rundown of the four multiplayer maps, one Zombies map, and added weapon as described by the removed Amazon listing.

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