PlayStation 3
Metal Gear Solid 4 (Finished Game Hands-on)

Xbox 360
Ninja Gaiden II (Impressions)
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (Impressions)
Penny Arcade Adventures (Impressions)
Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise (Impressions)
Too Human (Impressions)
Assault Heroes 2 (XBLA in Brief)

Although World of Warcraft is still the ever-reliable top dog, the game has lost that "new MMO smell." Producer J. Allen Brack told Eurogamer that a graphics overhaul is likely for the title's future. "That's actually something we talk about every expansion," he said, later adding, "Will we need a graphical update from the ground up at some point? Yep, probably."

Brack cited two previous MMOs – Ultima Online and EverQuest – that have tried the graphics reboot with only moderate success. "In each case a lot of people continued to play with the original client, because it was faster, or they preferred it, or were just used to it or whatever," he said. Wrath of the Lich King, which will have some optional effects for high-end PC users, is scheduled for release Fall 2008.

If our recent interview and the latest screenshots from Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People weren't enough to a satiate your interest in harassing the residents of Strongbadia, publisher Telltale has released some additional details for the forthcoming adventure game's first episode, titled "Homestar Ruiner," which will be released over WiiWare and the PC in June.

According to Telltale, the plot, for people who care about such things, will see the bobble-headed Strong Bad scheming to win the tri-annual 'Race to the End of the Race' while also working to get a disgraced Homestar Runner from loafing around his domicile. As mentioned in the past, the game will include a variety of mini-games and other diversions, two of which Telltale has now revealed to be Snake Boxer 5 from Homestar's fictional game development studio, Videlectrix, as well as the ability for players to create their own Teen Girl Squad comics. SO GOOD!

When asked why neither Halo Wars nor Alan Wake were at the Xbox Spring Showcase, Microsoft Game Studios general manager, Shane Kim, told us the games weren't suited for the event (he wasn't offering specifics). When pressed to confirm if either would make a 2008 release (like every other game on display at the event), Kim insisted that neither have had release dates announced.

Oh? Don Mattrick – Senior Vice President, Interactive Entertainment Business, Entertainment and Devices Division (ie: the big boss) – sent out an internal memo back in January that seemed to indicate both titles would find loving homes in 2008. We're going to take it as a sign that the company simply wanted to focus attention on Rare's two new titles as opposed to discussing any potential delays to other would-be 2008 releases. We hope ...

When we're not shopping for cars online or squabbling with forum goers over botched video coverage, most of our time spent with Codemasters' cryptically named racing game GRID will likely be spent online. It's something the devs obviously understand, as the company has revealed what multiplayer shenanigans we can look forward to when Race Driver: GRID ships for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on June 3.

According to Codemasters, the game will have us eating the dust of up to 11 other racers at once on some 32 different online racing events spread across 80 circuits and 15 different global locations. The devs also note that care has been taken in "maximizing" the time spent actually racing, while keeping the minutes spent in lobbies idling in neutral at a minimum. Of course, our driving skills, or rather lack thereof, have us more interested in what the Codies call "full car damage," which will be able to be turned on or off. The laundry list of features also includes the ability to download ghost cars of top drivers to race against as well as a spectator mode, you know, for those of us who learn by watching instead of doing.

GameTap does a little better than last week with the addition of Outpost Kaloki to the subscription lineup. With Kaloki's addition, this is a good time to mention GameTap's indies section, where subscribers can peruse all the games which don't come from big evil publishers keeping the little man down. Yeah, like, la vie boheme, man.

• Five Card Deluxe (Windows) - Poker-themed solitaire. Sure, it sounds lonely, but isn't it supposed to be?
  
• Outpost Kaloki (Windows) - A "tycoon" game where players create a space station to stand the test of time and keep aliens happy.

GameTap's list of free games can be found after the break. The Battle of Europe flight-sim joins the free lineup this week for your Luftwaffe-destroying pleasure.

Update: Added source -- this press release, which vaguely implies that Live Gamer's RMT service, called Live Gamer Exchange, will allow players to "customize their characters through attire, weaponry, gadgets, vehicles, gear and aliases that tailor their game play." However, Massively's Kyle Horner spoke last night with The Agency lead designer Hal Milton who said that no weapons will be sold. The team is currently discussing the sale of low-level operatives (analogues to low-level equipment), but currently, everything planned to be sold will be purely cosmetic and not gameplay affecting.

Original: Remember all the hoopla over virtual arms dealing in Battlefield: Bad Company? Sony Online Entertainment's not hearing it. In fact, it announced today that its upcoming espionage MMO FPS, The Agency, will feature real money trading (RMT) of everything from clothing and gear to vehicles and weapons.

SOE has yet to declassify its business model for The Agency, so this could go in one of two directions. If it's free-to-play (a la Battlefield: Heroes) the cash-for-guns program would be (slightly) easier to swallow. Since The Agency is a PC and PS3 title, we're laying a bet on a free model given the latter platform's already free online gaming service and today's announcement, which provides a means for SOE to subsidize free play with a cut of player trades. If it's subscription-based? Someone best send some fire-retardant undergarments to SOE brass.

FPS players -- console ones specifically -- are used to earning their way to the top and into better weapons and gear, as seen in Call of Duty 4. The idea of playing a game where they're at an immediate disadvantage based on cash money is unlikely to sit well. At least trade works both ways; those who take the route of being skilled players -- and not payers -- can profit from their homegrown skills by selling stuff to noobs (and people with dead presidents lighting fires in their trousers).

In a press release announcing Q1 2008 results (PDF File), Blizzard owner Vivendi Universal asserts that the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion Wrath of the Lich King is "anticipated to be released in the second half of 2008." Mark your calendars, as we suspect the Christmas season is going to be a lot less productive.

While we always expected release this year, Blizzard, who has yet to make a formal announcement, is notorious for delaying games until they've met some in-house standard of quality. Our attention is now focused intently on Blizzard's WWI event in Paris next month.

[Via Big Download]

Read (PDF File)

Those who wanted to pay extra to explore Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures' lands a little early are probably going to be upset to discover that "early access" is now sold out. A post on the MMORPG's official forums gives little explanation as to why this occurred, but eagle-eyed players who read the fine print point to Funcom having discussed limited availability.

Looks like MMO players will need to find some other game to grind in until Conan officially begins next week.

[Via Massively]

Can you remember back to November 3? No, young one. Not November 3, 2007. That'd be easy. No, we're talking about Nov. 3, 2006. The nation was tuning in to watch the antics of The Honeymooners, bell-bottoms were all the rage and a young Dwight D. Eisenhower was just gearing up his bid for the presidency. It was a crazy time. But it's also when we first got a release window for Dragon Age, a BioWare RPG that was supposedly due in late 2007 or early 2008. As a quick check of your calendar will tell you, both have come and gone.

But fear not! Speaking at yesterday's EA spring showcase in San Francisco, BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka said that the game is not only still in the works but is "Looking really sweet." Well, we should certainly hope so, Ray. We should certainly hope so.

In all of the 360 excitement yesterday, the system's surly, loner uncle the PC was sort of left out in the cold. We wanted to welcome him back in to the warmth of the Joystiq bosom by letting you know that 360 isn't the only system that Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One is coming to next week. Eurogamer reports the game will also land on PCs next Wednesday through PA's Greenhouse service.

What's that you say? You probably could have guessed this yourself without our help? Oh, fine, yeah, you're probably right. But look at the PC with his little mug of broth by the fire. He was freezing out there. Cut him some slack.

[Via Eurogamer]

[Update: Oh, and also, lest we forget, Mac and Linux as well!]

German developer Replay Studios and indie publisher Gamecock dropped a friendly reminder that both studios plan to drape us in tufted fabric and slit our throats this fall, when Velvet Assassin ships for both the Xbox 360 and PC. As a stealth-action game, the title will drop players into the boots of real-life World War II allied secret agent Violette Szab as she goes toe to toe with the German war machine.

Beyond the biographical backdrop and historically-inspired setting, there isn't much known about the game. However, the publisher notes that Velvet Assassin will include "lush, surreal visuals" and "a ground-breaking stealth combat system," both interesting qualities ... though we hope the devs know how difficult blood is to get out of velvet without sending it to dry cleaning.

Having fortunately escaped a swift booting from last night's EA Spring Break event by PR folk for making an innocent (we swear) "If you make a sequel, will it be titled Right 4 Dead?" query, we sat down and got our kill-on in Turtle Rock Studios' PC and Xbox 360 shooter. Our first thought: Maybe this shouldn't be published under the EA Games label; EA Sims might suit it better. Because, frankly, we can't conjure a game that could better be described as a "zombie apocalypse simulator." Take that, GT5, with your "driving" simulation.

Highlighting the four-player Survivor co-op mode, the event's Left 4 Dead station featured four HP Blackbird PCs, so we were definitely experiencing the game as an owner of a high-spec gaming rig would. To that end, the game is looking even better than it did at previous showings, wowing us with a bevy of neat visual tricks (flashlights produce rainbow halos when you stare at them straight on, for instance) and fluid character animation that had us making mental comparisons to Call of Duty 4's lifelike character motion. Left 4 Dead's visual style -- which is largely realistic with just enough style and saturation to lend it a slight arcade hue -- worked its magic and we were soon firmly in the game world's clutches. Not that we were complaining.

Producer Alexander Grondal said the team wants Battlefield Heroes to run on your Grandma's PC and -- with a sub-250MB download and the ability to run on Intel's anemic integrated video offerings -- we're sure it will. But that doesn't mean Grams is going to kick the Pogo crack pipe and be racking up levels in Heroes anytime soon. It's about as simple a shooter as you can imagine -- everything from the cartoon aesthetic to the streamlined controls reinforce the game's message: have fun -- but it's still a shooter at heart.

It's a curious message coming from the same team that's been bringing the popular, and complicated, multiplayer Battlefield games to the hardcore shooter fans of the world. Has some of their audience grown up? Run out of free time? Still using the same gaming rig they built to play Battlefield 1942 in 2002?

In our brief experience with the game at EA's Spring Break event in San Francisco last night, we were initially disoriented by the third-person perspective. Even though you see your character, Heroes doesn't play like a third-person shooter; it's an FPS through and through. A quick mental adjustment later, and we were running after enemies, grabbing flags, flying planes, and driving tanks.