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Rumor: Gears 2 LE includes mini Lancer replica [update]

Update: Okay, after further picture analysis, what we thought to be the mini-Lancer may actually be the metal tin being slid out of the box. That said, a loose lipped source did mention a mini-Lancer, so that’s why we were accepting of the thought. Still, we wouldn’t count on a mini Lancer being in the LE. Sorry for getting your hopes up.

There has been a bunch of Gears of War 2 related news coming out of E3 this week including matchmaking specifics, new footage as well as a new multiplayer mode getting revealed. But also exciting was the reveal of the Gears of War 2 Limited Edition‘s contents which may include some mini Lancer love.

Thanks to the kind Gamestop folks, we know that for the extra $10 price of Limited Edition admission, you’ll get steel DVD case, a 48 page “Beneath the Surface: An Inside Look at Gears of War 2” mini-book, a bonus behind the scenes DVD as well as a code to unlock an in-game gold plated Lancer. Not too shabby. But if you look closer, pictured to the right of the box looks to be an included Lancer mini-replica of some sort even though Gamestop doesn’t list it as part of the contents. Funny thing is that this week, during the E3 festivities, we heard from an anonymous but totally reliable source that there will in fact be a mini-Lancer included in the GoW2 LE. Take it for what you will, but we’ll be dreaming our mini Lancer dreams all week long.

Rock Band controllers to work with Guitar Hero: World Tour

At Activision’s non-E3 conference Tuesday, Guitar Hero director Brian Bright surprised attendees confirming that any guitar and drum controllers players own for other games on the Xbox 360 will be compatible with Guitar Hero: World Tour.

This news comes as quite a shock considering the current state of controller compatibility between the two music franchises — a recent update apparently made all guitar controllers compatible with Guitar Hero: Aerosmith but we’ve heard of some issues.

You may be asking yourself how the drums will work, considering Guitar Hero: World Tour drums use five-inputs while Rock Band uses four (see center of image above). According to Wired, Activision promises that using the Rock Band drums will cause the game to adjust the title to four inputs only. Now we wonder, will plugging in the Rock Revolution controller bring the input count to seven?

Home will be region locked

We were given a pretty in-depth walkthrough of the current state of Home, including a couple of game spaces (images of those later), during which we asked the bloke as many questions as we could think of. Top of our list? Making sure that we would be able to meet up with our friends all across the planet in the various public spaces. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Home‘s public spaces are going to be region-specific.

If you want to meet up with your pals from abroad, then you’ll be able to invite them into your apartment, but warping into the game space to bowl or play chess is not possible. This is allegedly to make sure that each region receives an “experience most suited to their tastes” as well as, no doubt, to keep advertisers happy. The last thing they want is Europeans seeing an advert directed at Americans.

Joystiq Presents PS3 Fanboy Metal Gear Online free and paid expansions available today

Today’s PSN update will feature the Metal Gear Online “Gene Expansion.” It will come in two varieties, starting at $11.99. The basic expansion will add Meryl and Akiba as playable characters, and three new maps:

• Coppertown Conflict — Wide streets, underground passages, and rooftop areas that are ideal for close to medium range combat.
• Tomb of Tubes — An intricate labyrinth of underground passages that are ideal for close to medium range combat.
• Virtuos Vista — An outdoor map with natural terrain that is ideal for medium to long range combat.

In addition, there will be a new “Survival Mode” and you will be able to create a custom female character. For $14.99, players will also get an additional character slot.

If paying money doesn’t suit your tastes, Konami is still adding free DLC to the Metal Gear Online experience today. Metal Gear Online will also be updated with MGOnline Reward Points and an in-game shop. By playing the game, filling out questionairres and winning tournaments, players will earn Reward Points which can be used to unlock new gear for your character. This will be available for all players of Metal Gear Online.

Microsoft Confirms That Bungie Is Developing New ‘Halo’

Wow,

So Halo and Gears is the only games we will see for this system? Why isn’t Bungie working on a new title for Microsoft. I personally would like to see what else that can do. Bungie is a great Dev team and I would really love to see what else they can do.

I know I’m not the only one who feels this way.

In an interview shot for MTV News on Tuesday, Microsoft’s head of Xbox business Don Mattrick, confirmed to that Bungie is indeed working on a new “Halo” game of some sort for Microsoft.

PSN Video store is region locked

Sorry, Europe. The video store will be heading your way at some point in the future, but in the mean time you’re going to have to live with without some awesome non-interactive downloadable content. The video store is ip locked to the US, which means that even if you set up a US account in Europe, you’re going to be locked out. There are probably ways around it using proxies, but for most people that’s going to be more hassle than it’s worth.

The question is, if Sony can region lock the stores like this, why don’t they? Surely it prevents cross-region purchases far better than just crying “don’t do that!” On the other hand, it makes sense considering that the PS3 is region-free for Blu-ray games, but locked for Blu-ray movies. Maybe the game stores remain unlocked because they know what a shambles the EU Store is. Whatever the reason, we’re glad for it. Hopefully we’ll hear about the EU rollout for the video store soon.

The art of Resistance 2

Click for high-resolution image.

Insomniac is really a marvel. The developer is set to release its fourth PS3 game later this year (including Ratchet & Clank PSN), and it doesn’t look like things are going to slow down for PS3′s most prolific team. The upcoming Resistance 2 looks absolutely stunning, with beautiful vistas and gruesome character designs that scream “please shoot me.”

Take a closer look at some of the game’s villains and weapons by peering into this Resistance 2 concept art. Then, marvel at how well these concepts are executed in these brand new screenshots. Once look, and you’ll be amazed at how far Insomniac has come since debuting the original Resistance during the system’s launch.

Gallery: Resistance 2

Gallery: Resistance 2 concept art

inFamous to get ‘blockbuster multimillion dollar’ support

Click for high-resolution image.

inFamous is going to be the “next big thing,” if Sony has their way. The upcoming 2009 PS3 exclusive from Sucker Punch is going to be getting a massive marketing treatment from SCEA, with a “blockbuster multimillion dollar marketing campaign” in the works. According to a SCEA press release, inFamous will be treated to “aggressive television, print, online and viral advertising campaigns, full promotional support, dedicated point-of-purchase displays and merchandising support.” For an untested, new IP, Sony is daring to support the title as a true flagship title.

Sony has become much more aggressive with marketing as of late, especially with the upcoming Resistance 2, which is also getting the same treatment. It’ll be interesting to see the extent of this “blockbuster” marketing campaign, and how it will be able to shape the public opinion of such an ambitious (and cool-looking) game.

Gallery: inFAMOUS

The multiplayer classes of Killzone 2

Click for high-resolution image.

We may have seen mostly single-player content of Sony’s upcoming Killzone 2, but Guerrilla Games is promising a full-fledged multiplayer experience. Online play will allow players to customize their own characters by applying various traits, or “badges,” from different multiplayer classes. There will be a primary and secondary badge available from each class to choose from. Also, although the Helghast and ISA look very different from each other, the effects of these badges are the same, regardless of which side you’re playing on.

The full list of multiplayer classes can be found after the break.

Gallery: Killzone 2