Well it looks like Microsoft had a little slip-up this morning and revealed details on the upcoming Modern Warfare 2 DLC package. According to the marketplace listing, the package will include 5 multiplayer maps, 2 of which are returning fan-favorites from the original Modern Warfare. There were previously leaked details and images of these new maps floating around for several weeks now but now we have our first “solid” leak. The new maps include:

• Bailout: multi-level apartment complex
• Storm: open industrial park with “heavy machinery”
• Salvage: a snow level featuring a junkyard with debris and crushed cars stacked up
• Crash: Original MW map with crashed helicopter in middle and several buildings
• Overgrown: Original MW map with “grandma’s house” with two sides of the map separated by a dry river bed.

Xbox 360 owners will be able to pick up these new maps on March 30th while PS3 and PC owners will have to wait another month before they are able to pick them up.

Modern Warfare 2 DLC [Xbox Live Marketplace]

Today Ubisoft released its first part of the Q&A developer videos that it will be slowly rolling out. Ubisoft previously asked users to create video questions for the developers of the game to answer and today marks the first video of answers to those questions. Most of them were trivial questions, not revealing too much about the upcoming game.

However one question and answer did catch out ears: Will there be a demo coming to Xbox Live? The answer is a simply “yes”. There were no other details shared in the video other than the demo will consist of possibly one level. It is unclear whether or not the demo will be a singleplayer or multiplayer demo but I would count on a SP demo showing up sometime early next month.

You can watch the video after the break

Shortly after the announcement of some new, free content for Mass Effect 2, BioWare follows it up with some paid content for the fans. Rounding out the cast will be Kasumi, a female thief who will take up the 12th squad member slot on the Normandy. Kasumi will be arriving with what promises to be 90 minutes of gameplay, a new achievement, a flash-bang grenade loyalty power, and a new "Locust" SMG.

No price has been announced yet for the DLC, but hopefully the interactive dialogue scenes will improve upon the lackluster ones that came with Zaeed's tall tales.

Kasumi's Stolen Memory [Joystiq]

The action-role playing game, Torchlight was released for PC back in October 2009 available only by digital download up until recently when a box copy was released. The game received great reviews but got poor mainstream recognition. This could change when the game is released on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

“We’re going to put some serious effort into it -- pretty quick-- getting Torchlight onto consoles. There’s a lot of really cool things about the console world, too, that would work well with our game. So, we are definitely going to be going in that direction." - Runic CEO Max Schaefer

The developer of the game seems very enthusiastic about the future of this project. I'm personally really excited as I'm not a PC gamer. It will be great to play out their new innovative developments on another platform. Very few details have surfaced other than its existence, but expect it to bring a great new game to your collection.

Runic Games 'putting serious effort' into console Torchlight [Joystiq]

In what can only be described as a slap in the face to Infinity Ward and Activision, the people at DICE and EA have updated their blog with a post poking fun at the "Mapathy" campaign from a few days ago.  The second free map pack for Bad Company 2 will be available on March 30th on all platforms to those who have entered their VIP code in game and will include the following:

Arica Harbor Conquest mode - US Command launches a break through action directly at the Russian base. Collateral damage is of no consequence. Capture and secure tactical positions in Conquest Mode across the vast Arica Harbor map.

Laguna Presa Rush mode - The valley and surrounding mountains possess a strategic value in the battle for South America, and an infantry assault supported by light armor vehicles is likely by both armies as US forces defend the nearby Dam.

As for the negative marketing going on, I'll let you decide for yourself if there is some bad blood here or if it's just friendly competition:

It also plays a vital part in making sure you, the players get proper value for the money you’ve invested in Battlefield: Bad Company 2. This is why these map packs are available at no extra cost, contradicting the industry standard and what our direct competitors are doing. Of course, it also helps avoid segmenting the community, making sure everyone can play together having the same maps available. There will be future paid downloadable content as well but these packs will focus on expanding other parts of the game experience rather than the selection of maps available for the basic game modes. We’re dedicated to taking care of this product for a long time – helping you avoid “mapathy” without getting nickel-and-dimed.

LittleBigPlanet was just shown off with a new co-operative gameplay that allows one player to use the Playstation Move controller to help create paths for your teammate to progress to the end of the level. This reminds me a lot of Jet Force Gemini (N64) where your co-op partner utilizes another controller to help you through the levels. At the time it seemed like a simple way to introduce co-op to a game that couldn't utilize two players simultaneously in the story. However with LBP you are already able to do co-operative play with another controller, so the new Move controller seems "wasted" on this game, although we'll have to wait and see.

Today at GDC Sony announced one of the first games designed for the Playstation Move, Sports Champions can be seen as “HD” Wii Sports and will feature games like table tennis, a gladiator-style fighting game. Also announced was Move Party which utilizes the camera to create an augmented-reality affect much like the original Playstation Eye does. Pictured above is a small game apart of the Move Party game which utilizes almost all aspects of the Playstation Move.

Shuhei Yoshida, the President of Sony Computer Entertainment, just unveiled at GDC the official name for the PlayStation motion controller, the PlayStation Move. The Move is Sony's latest PlayStation 3 add-on that will introduce motion-controlled gaming to the "next-gen" system using a design very similar to the Nintendo Wii. The new system is broken down into three parts: the camera, wand and subcontroller.

You will have to purchase at least two of the products to get the motion-controlling experience, both of which will be bundled in a starter pack along with an unannounced game that will retail for under $100. You will also be able to purchase a PS3 system with the starter pack bundled together in the future (Price TBD.) The other part of the system, the wireless "subcontroller", will allow for more precise control and movement of on-screen characters by introducing an analog stick and a few more face buttons. However, this subcontroller will not come bundled in the starter pack, is not motion-sensitive.

On Monday Blur was made available to the public in the form of a multiplayer beta “demo” of sorts. This beta was accessible through registration on the official Blur game website with a special beta token, acquirable from various online websites. I was eager to snag my code the second I was able to, doing so during one of my lecture classes and then anxiously awaiting for the beta a week later to start off my Spring Break.

The racing genre has recently been lacking many “arcade-style” racers and has opted more so in the favor of simulation racing games such as Gran Turismo 5, DiRT, Need for Speed: Shift, GRID, etc. However a few games provided relief with arcade-style gameplay including Burnout Paradise and a personal favorite of mine, Pure. Bizarre Creation’s latest game, Blur, is the next great racing game following the studio’s very successful Project Gotham Racing 4 released with the launch of the Xbox 360. So it’s been several years since Bizarre has made a racing game and in this length of time they’ve decided to change things up a bit with Blur.

It's been announced that cloud gaming service OnLive will be rolled out to consumers during this year's E3 event, with a target date commencing on June 17. An initial monthly service fee of $14.95 is subject to change, but it will be the price charged to any new adopters. To entice some people to try out the service at launch, an early pre-registration sign up has begun for the first 25,000 individuals willing to sign up and qualify. If selected, your first three month's service fee will be waived which amounts to a $45 savings.

"This marks a huge milestone for both OnLive and the interactive entertainment landscape as a whole, changing the way that video games are developed, marketed, accessed and played," said Steve Perlman, Founder and CEO of OnLive. "We are opening the door to incredible experiences for gamers and enormous opportunities for developers and publishers."

The OnLive service is said to include some now industry standards such as gamer tags, user profiles, friend's lists, and chat. Some new offerings by this service will be Brag Clips, which are pretty self explanatory, and the ability to pause your game at anytime and resume anywhere else, even on a different platform.

Pricing is my immediate concern with this service. I'm not too sure how the industry will gravitate towards spending $180 per year for the benefits OnLive is offering. Couple that fee with the yet unannounced rental fees and digital purchase fees, and you may be better off just getting an existing console to satisfy your needs.

The initial game lineup will be revealed at E3 2010, but these are the confirmed games so far: Mass Effect 2™, Dragon Age Origins™, Assassin's Creed® II, Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands™, Borderlands™ and Metro 2033™.  More info will come along once E3 2010 is upon us, so stay tuned.