'GTA: Chinatown Wars' headed to the PSP

(OK, for this post, you'll have to imagine that I have a monster truck show announcer's voice. Play along, OK? Thanks.)

Because one handheld system couldn't handle the intensity, the violence or its EXTREEEEEEEME nature, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is coming to the PSP! And get ready folks, 'cause it's gonna be a bloodbath!

That's right, get ready for more missions, improved graphics, and a game that Rockstar says will "take full advantage of the PSP." Looks like a biiiiig crunch to the DS.

And remember, kids get in free at Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars!* So hurry up and reserve your PSP copy today! You don't want to miss out!

*That isn't true.

An Xbox E3 Roundup

OK, so this one is going to have to be a bit more abridged, but here are some of the highlights from Microsoft.

Xbox 360

- Assassin's Creed 2 gets a November 17 release date. Trailer.
- The Beatles Rock Band is looking amazing. Harmonizing vocals, downloadable Abbey Road, awesome plastic instruments and an awesome intro video.
- Brutal Legend still looks great. Jack Black gets electrocuted and Ozzy Osbourne joins the line-up (meanwhile, Dio mysteriously disappears from it). Trailer.
- DJ Hero exists. Trailer.
- Final Fantasy XIII looking at a 2010 release date. Trailer.
- Halo 3: ODST gets September 22 release, will feature four-player co-op. Trailer.
- Left 4 Dead 2 is luckily not titled Left 4 Dead Again and will hit stores on November 17 (alongside its assassin brother listed above). Four new characters will be featured in gameplay. Extremely violent trailer.
- LEGO Rock Band looks charming, totally unnecessary. Trailer.
- Metal Gear Solid Rising is coming to the Xbox 360. Teaser trailer.
- Project Natal is revealed - it's like a Wiimote for the 360. Cool?
- Tony Hawk Ride to be played with a skateboard peripheral controller. Great Yeah Yeah Yeahs-laden trailer.
- XBLA Summer of Arcade to feature TMNT: Turtles In Time Re-shelled, 'Splosion Man, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 and Monkey Island Special Edition.
- Oh, and Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, and a special Games On Demand service were all announced for Xbox Live. Again, cool?

OK, so that's the bulk of it, folks. Any notable omissions? I ran through this really fast.

A Nintendo E3 Round-up

Hey gang, it's E3! No, I'm not in L.A., but there's something I can do. That's right, condense the information for your reading pleasure! I'll start here with the Nintendo announcements.


Wii/DS

- Super Mario Galaxy 2 is announced, but won't be released until 2010. The big difference between this one and the original? You get to ride Yoshi. Tie yourself over with this trailer.
- Metroid: Other M will launch in 2010 and is being developed by Team Ninja, the guys behind the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive games. Check it out.
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii looks charming as can be. You've got a four-player co-op mode, which can be played from what it looks like by Mario, Luigi and a couple of Toads. Otherwise, it looks like the original Super Mario Bros., except with more modes. Check out the trailer.
- Dance Dance Revolution is announced for the Wii. It's going to utilize the Wii Balance Board and be primarily fitness based. Otherwise, doesn't look too different.
- Professor Layton and The Diabolical Box for the DS gets a release date (August 24) and brand new trailer.
- Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is an RPG for the DS, which releases this fall. Here's a look at it. - Zelda Wii (which is the tentative title, I'm sure) didn't get a lot of attention, but good old Shigeru Miyamoto tells us that we can expect it by 2010 at the earliest.
- Golden Sun is announced for the DS - the first game of the series in six years. Want a trailer? Of course you do.
- Cooking Mama 3 is announced for the DS.
- Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit Plus get shown off. They're exactly what you'd expect.
- Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days will be released on September 29.
- In case you don't feel like you've gotten your Mario fix, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again will be released on June 8 for DSiWare. Check out the press conference demonstration here.
- TMNT: Smash Up heads your way on September 22.

OK, so that's all of the big stuff. We'll talk about Sony, Microsoft and all of the multiplatformers (can you say The Beatles Rock Band?) quite soon. Happy E3, everybody!

'The Beatles Rock Band' gets a trailer

And if you weren't already interested, you should probably start considering purchasing a small collection of plastic instruments.



Aren't those virtual Beatles adorable?