2K Games and Gearbox Software announced today that the sequel to the extravasplosive breakout hit, Borderlands™, is currently in development at world-renowned developer Gearbox Software. Coming to the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC during Take-Two’s fiscal year 2013 beginning on April 1, 2012, Borderlands 2 is the epic sequel to the ultimate four-player Role-Playing Shooter loot fest. Combining invention and evolution, Borderlands 2 features all new characters, skills, environments, enemies, weapons and equipment, which come together in an ambitiously crafted story. Players will reveal secrets, and escalate mysteries of the Borderlands universe as they adventure across the unexplored new areas of Pandora.

2K Games and Gearbox Software are taking this show on the road, and fans and media will be able to get their first look at the game at Gamescom 2011 from August 17 – August 21, and at PAX Prime (Booth #3417) from August 26 – August 28.

It’s unclear at the moment how many of the skins will be available in the UK, as most are pre-order promotions for people ordering the game through certain US and New Zealand-based retailers. Fortunately, the skin I really want – the elderly Bats from Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns – comes as standard with the collector’s edition of the game.

The skins can be seen below the ad, looking like the most bat-orientated police line-up the world has ever seen.

From L to R: Batman Beyond, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman Earth One, Classic 70s Bats, Animated Bats, Standard game costume

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

What do you think? Will you be visiting DEAD ISLAND when it is released in September? Leave a comment and let us know.

What is it?
uDraw Marvel Super Hero Squad Comic Combat

Why am I excited?
It’s Marvel Super Hero Squad! Look at their cute oversized heads!

Why shouldn’t I be excited?
It’s Marvel Super Hero Squad. And I’m 33 years old.

Killer Heroine with a Chainsaw Fights to Stop Zombie Take Over in Suda51’s Latest Masterpiece for PS3 and Xbox 360

London – August 1, 2011 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and KADOKAWA GAMES today announced a new partnership to bring Lollipop Chainsaw to gamers around the world in 2012 on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will be publishing the game outside of all Asian territories

Lollipop Chainsaw is an all-new third person action game being developed by GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE, led by celebrated gamemaker Goichi Suda (aka Suda51) and featuring the musical compositions of the renowned Akira Yamoaka. In addition to these two talented individuals, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has tapped Hollywood director/writer, James Gunn (Super, Slither, Dawn of the Dead, Tromeo and Juliet) to bring his cult humour and edgy storytelling to Lollipop Chainsaw.

“Our exciting partnership with KADOKAWA GAMES allows us to try something new by bringing a very unique game like Lollipop Chainsaw to Western markets,” said Martin Tremblay, President of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE’s games have shown tremendous success with gamers around the globe and we are delighted to expand our portfolio of Japanese-developed games.”

“We are looking forward to partnering with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on our first entry into the HD console market,” said Yoshimi Yasuda, President of KADOWAKA GAMES. “We are also thrilled to have a team like GRASSHOPPER and talent like Suda51 creating such an interesting and distinct game for us to work with and bring to the fans.”

Lollipop Chainsaw is the ‘un-deadly’ story of sweet and killer zombie hunter Juliet Starling and her quest to uncover the root of a colossal zombie outbreak.  With her wickedly awesome chainsaw in hand, Juliet slices, dices and splits her way through hordes of the undead, but soon realizes the horde is only the opening act to a festival of zombie rock lords determined to kill the chainsaw wielding cheerleader.

For the latest information on the game, visit www.lollipopchainsaw.com or follow the team on twitter @lollichainsaw or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lollipopchainsaw.

You want it. You know you do.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today unveiled details and images for this Autumn’s hotly-anticipated Batman: Arkham City Collector’s Edition.  The package will be available in limited quantities beginning 21^st October 2011 in the UK for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and Games for Windows PC.

The Batman: Arkham City Collector’s Edition will include the following extensive bonus content:

Custom Batman statue produced by Kotobukiya

Collectible art book

Early access to the  Iceberg Lounge Challenge Map and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns skin

Batman: Arkham City album from WaterTower Music including original songs by hit artists, available via digital redemption

Bonus DC Universe animated original movie, Batman: Gotham Knight

Batman: Arkham City builds upon the intense, atmospheric foundation of Batman: Arkham Asylum, sending players soaring into Arkham City – five times larger than the game world in Batman: Arkham Asylum – and the new maximum security “home” for all of Gotham City’s thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds. Set inside the heavily fortified walls of a sprawling district in the heart of Gotham City, this highly anticipated sequel introduces a brand-new story that draws together a new, all-star cast of classic characters and murderous villains from the Batman universe, as well as a vast range of new and enhanced gameplay features to deliver the ultimate experience as the Dark Knight.

Let’s make one thing clear right now – I am not a violent man.  I detest violence in all its forms, and have never knowingly inflicted lasting damage on another human being in my life.

That said, man, tearing people to pieces with six, foot-long blades is fun!

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is the inevitable tie-in with the movie of the same name.  As you’d expect, it puts you in control of Logan, the most popular character from the X-Men franchise, and lets you gouge, rip, punch, kick and stab a variety of enemies in a way that only Logan can.

Have some of THAT

The action takes place across a range of locations – from lush, teeming jungles to the dark confines of the Weapon X facility.  Like the movie, the story doesn’t always flow chronologically, meaning there is a lot of jumping back and forth between locations.  Whereas this device works fine in movies, here it gets a little frustrating, as you feel like you’re going back and playing the same few levels over and over again.

This repetitiveness is actually the game’s biggest flaw.  Not only do the locations quickly feel like old news, but the gameplay suffers the same fate, too.  Gutting a soldier like a fish is a joy the first few dozen times, great fun the next fifty or so, but then it gradually goes downhill from there.

You’ll almost whoop with delight (well, I did) the first time Logan flings himself across a ravine and impales some poor unfortunate waiting on the other side through the face, but when you see him do it for the hundredth time it’s no longer so impressive.

Visually the game is a bit of a mixed bag.  On the one hand you’ve got near movie quality cutscenes and a few stand-out moments of in-game beauty – Logan himself is particularly well drawn and animated, and some of the African landscapes are absolutely breathtaking.  On the other hand, a lot of the locations look hurriedly thrown together, and even some of the other important story characters look shoddily done (Mystique, I’m looking at you).

"Christ! Please... not the balls!"

That’s not to say it’s a bad game by any means.  In fact, it’s easily one of the best movie-to-game adaptations I’ve played.  Yes, it’s repetitive, but even when you’ve pulled off all the moves a thousand times, they’re never less than mildly entertaining.  Yes, the puzzle elements are banal, harking back to early Resident Evil ‘push the box so you can turn the crank and open the door’ type stuff, but they make for an occasionally refreshing break from ramming people head-first onto spikes.

For casual gamers looking for some jaw-droppingly mindless violence, I’d say it’s worth renting for a few nights.  For Wolverine fans, though, it’s a must-have, if only because it’s the first game to show us the full ferocity and moral ambiguity of the character – i.e. it lets us kill a whole lot of people in a whole lot of agonisingly painful ways.  And when it comes to maining and murder, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is by far the best at what it does.