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.

Tomorrow, at 8:00am GMT (3:00am EST), EA will be resetting their BFBC2 servers for maintenance and will remain down for an undetermined amount of time. Luckily this scheduled time won’t have a large impact on those playing the game as it is either early in the morning or late at night when this downtime will happen (depending on your time zone).

The BFBC2 servers have been suffering from several problems since the release of the game, preventing a lot of players from playing the game’s multiplayer so hopefully this downtime will address and fix the majority of their problems.

EA Maintenance & BC2 [Battlefield Blog]

Today Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) announced that they have formed partnerships with several major movie studios in the United States. The studios announced include: 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution.

With this new partnership Sony will be able to deliver high-definition movies through it’s PSN service, including such movies as Up, District 9, Zombieland, Inglorious Basterds, The Hangover, Harry Potter, The Wizard of Oz and more! There was no mention as to whether or not this content would be 720p or 1080p, but my guess is on 720p. You can check out a full list of some of the new titles that are available on the store today as a result of this partnership after the break.

FourZeroTwo (Robert Bowling), the “Creative Strategist” at Infinity Ward, recently tweeted that Modern Warfare 2 has reached 25 million unique players online (all platforms combined). In the same tweet he also noted that there will be “a lot of #MW2 DLC details coming this week!” So the wait is finally over, we might finally get details about what is included in the DLC and when it might be released (and for how much, my guess is on $10).

In a slightly unrelated note, the Xbox 360 will also be receiving the Longitude/Latitude fix which will improve matchmaking for those outside of the continental US. You can also expect a double-XP weekend to popup sometime around the DLC release (making it easier to legitimately get to 10th prestige!)

FourZeroTwo [Twitter]

Shinji Mikami, SEGA, and PlatinumGames today announced the first set of details on their upcoming third person shooter set to arrive this year on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Set in the near future, the United States and Russia are competing for what little remains of the planets energy supplies. During the struggle, the Russians sabotage a United States owned space station used for converting solar energy and direct it's gathered energy back towards San Francisco, which destroys the city.

You will be tasked to take the role a government agent within a battle suit to stop the Russians from using the space station on their next target, New york City.

“VANQUISH™ is a game where we’ve tried to inject the extreme pace of an action game into a shooter. The gameplay and staging are all put together around the keyword ‘intensity’. I think it’s very rare to come across a game where shooting loads of robots is so much fun,” said Shinji Mikami, Game Director of VANQUISH™.

No solid release date was given, but there is a Winter 2010 target stated in the press information, and since it's starting to warm up around my parts, my guess would be a holiday release since Winter is on it's way out. See below for several screenshots.

[View with PicLens]

Today Ubisoft released the first developer diary video Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. This dev diary reveals that this game will be going back to it’s 3D origins, the Sands of Time. The video showcases both combat and various acrobatic moves, all of which seem fluid and true to the original. Ubisoft this time is not trying to re-invent the series (like they did with Prince of Persia) but rather return to their true roots and deliver the same great experience. You can check out the first gameplay footage of this game after the break.