If you hadn’t heard, Harmonix officially announced Rock Band 3 earlier today. And after plenty of deliberation, I decided it was a good time to rattle off a wishlist of gameplay elements I’d love to see make the cut in both Harmonix’s new game and the inevitable Guitar Hero 6. To me, tracklisting worries have become progressively less relevant as the music industry clamors to revitalize itself through these games. It’s more important to focus on the ease of use at this point. After all, a few seconds of menu fidgeting can bring down the buzz at a house party very quickly.

Although everyone’s casting a gloomy forecast for music and rhythm games in 2010, I’m looking forward to both efforts -- after all, it’s not like I played every band-branded Guitar Hero game -- and sincerely hope that we’ll see some of the following features implemented:

Personalized Playlists -- Look, my wife hates AC/DC. It’s claws on a blackboard to me when she wants to play The Cranberries. It’s only going to hurt more when Rock Band Network gives us new songs out the wazoo. Personalized playlists are a great workaround for this. I’m sick of yelling “shut up and sing, dammit” every time “War Pigs” randomly shows up during Career Mode in Rock Band 2. Yes, I’m a terrible husband, I admit it, but that's beside the point.

Not Just Custom Playlists, the Ability to Toggle Tracks -- I want the option to toggle songs on/off of playlists, but not my hard drive. I don’t want to delete songs, I just want more control over what a “random setlist” defines. (read: no Fallout Boy, ever). And yes, this ties into Career Mode, since it’s pretty annoying to randomly encounter some song that’s utterly repulsive or is “Say It Ain’t So.”

Support for Multiple Vocals -- Not every band has the pipes of the Beatles, but I’d love to see the next iterations of Rock Band and Guitar Hero boast support for multiple singers. Harmonix has set expectations for vocal harmonizing with The Beatles: Rock Band, and it’d be a pity to see it trimmed from future iterations. Between the likes of SingStar and Lips, there’s room for multiple mics. Unless you’re playing on Wii, but then, I have no easy solutions for that. A better USB hub, perhaps?

Universal Calibration Settings -- I’m glaring at you on this one, Guitar Hero. Amidst a year of market saturation that threatened to kill the genre, and none of those four major Guitar Hero SKUs share the same TV calibration? Insanity. Nothing kills Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero’s awesome Party Mode feature like spending 20 minutes noodling around in menus.

Instant Calibration Feedback -- The only thing arguably more irritating than the lack of universal calibration is the inability to immediately test it out. Instead, I’ve got to backtrack through several menus, wait for the song to load, miss a litany of notes, and...derp. An option that lets me immediately tweak a song, then jump back in, is most desirable at this point.

Disc Swap -- SingStar’s been doing this for years. If Guitar Hero is going to restrict the amount of songs per-disc I can slap on my hard drive, why can’t GH6 recognize tracks from prior releases and load them up?

Nearly three years after Guitar Hero III and Rock Band, are there any major gameplay or interface tweaks you’d like to see make the experience go smoother?

Despite the recent shake up at Infinity Ward, Modern Warfare 2 fans should be pleased to know that the game’s developers are working hard on the first batch of downloadable content for their massively successful military shooter. And thanks to a recent Twitter post by IW community manager Robert Bowling, we now know exactly when said DLC will be released: March 30.

But rather than just come out and confirm the release date, IW set up a site designed to raise awareness of a condition known as "Mapathy," which is defined as a "state of indifference to old maps one has been playing for the last several months." Clever fellows.

Mapathy sufferers will be pleased to know that the “cure” will arrive in two weeks time. Hopefully, you can hold on until then.

If you're anything like us, you can't get enough God of War III. Well, we've got a couple videos that are perfect for someone like you:

• Inside Look at God of War 3 with Stig Asmussen : Stig Asmussen is God of War III's game director, so when he takes you inside God of War III, you're going way in there, buddy.

• Breaking Down God of War 3’s Epic Opening Scene: The first two God of War games had huge opening scenes, and the third game goes even bigger. Click the video to see game director Stig Asmussen going ridiculously in-depth about God of War III's insanely epic opening level.

Sony is expected to reveal new information about its motion controller at some point during this week’s Game Developers Conference. However, in classic Sony form, a few details have already slipped out, on the eve of Sony’s big press conference (which will be streamed live right here tomorrow at 7PM ET).

According to a source close to Develop, Sony’s motion controller will include a Wii Nunchuk-ish add-on in addition to the standard wand controller. This isn’t terribly surprising given that the duel-wielded controls lets developers add an entirely separate layer of movement and control to their games. Plus, thanks to the Wii, developers have had a few years of practice with this kind of control scheme, so making the transition to the PlayStation 3 should prove relatively painless.

At this point though, nothing has been officially announced, so don’t put all of your money in Arc-nunchuk futures just yet. Hopefully, Sony will make everything perfectly clear in the coming days.

Source: Develop

GDC 2010 is officially underway, and so far, things have been kind of slow. However, this is just your typical calm before the massive games event storm, and you can expect plenty of content to come rolling in with force shortly.

In the meantime, check out our day one photo gallery from the GDC trenches in San Francisco to get a feel for what's going on at the center of the gaming world at this very moment.

To get you psyched for next week's release of God of War III, please enjoy the video below, in which X-Play takes a look at the God of War story up to the third game. Think of it as a cheat-sheet for people who didn't play the first two games.

* If you're a programmer.

As someone who doesn't actually make games, attending GDC panels can at times be a gamble. The description for the panel might sound really interesting, but if you've failed to note that it's targeted at people who understand the code that makes games works, that's a problem.

I made that mistake today with the Epic Games panel discussing Unreal Engine 3 on the iPhone. The picture above is just a small snippet of a 30-minute presentation that consisted of slide after slide of code, references to code and jokes about code. Code, code, code, code, code.

My brain just melted.

Have something to share? Sitting on a news tip? E-mail me. You can also follow me on Twitter.

Here's an interesting sign-of-the-times: The iPhone has its own, separate summit at this year's Game Developers Conference. Previously, talks devoted to Apple's phone/gaming platform were mixed in with the rest of the mobile gaming rabble, but this year, 16 panels and discussions are being held in an iPhone-specific summit. Sample panels include:  "How to keep your game on top of the charts;" "Fastest path from concept to Top Paid;" and "A big dash of success: how to capture the female iPhone gamer"

Look for the iPad to dominate iPhone game developers' thoughts and conversations at this year's GDC. The Apple tablet is compatible with iPhone, but you gotta wonder how many iPhone games will work well in the new format, and whether developing specific games for a device with a much-smaller install base than the iPhone will make sense for developers.

The other not-so-new trend: Social gaming (Farmville, Mafia Wars, etc.) is very heavy at GDC this year because, let's face it, it's in terms of cost to benefit ratio, a successful "casual" game can't be beaten by anything.  As a console gamer who doesn't own an iPhone and has never played Farmville, I'm trying not to be too sad, but I'm getting used to the idea of not being catered to exclusively, know what I mean.

What about you? Are you an iPhone user? Do you play Mafia Wars or some other Facebook or Twitter game?

Aliens vs. Predator fans looking to spice up their interspecies murdering will get their chance next week with the release of the game's first batch of downloadable content.

The "Swarm Map Pack" will include two new multiplayer maps, Docks and Machine, which Sega describes thusly:

• Docks: The caustic alkali waters of BG-386 put an end to Weyland-Yutani’s planned shipping activities. But this dockyard soon became an historic battleground.
• Machine: As well as processing exotic ores, the BG-386 Refinery provided electrical power to the colonists at Freya’s Prospect. The lights may still be on, but nobody’s home. Yet.

Also included in the pack will be two new Survivor maps for you horde fans:

• Outpost: The site of the original Weyland-Yutani colony on BG-386 was abandoned, and soon reclaimed by the planet’s voracious jungle plant life. It is now the perfect hunting ground for all manner of wildlife.
• Hive: Deep in the heart of the Freya’s Prospect Refinery lays the Xenomorph Hive. Beware all who enter here.

Alien, Predator or human, you’ll be able to pick up the map pack on March 18 for $6.99 or 560 Microsoft Points.

"Play bigger!" demands Nintendo.

That's apparently the official tagline behind Nintendo's marketing push for the DSi XL, revealed at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco alongside a series of WarioWare: DIY ads.

Nintendo is really pushing the make-your-own-game WarioWare: DIY around GDC. The company is known for doing marketing at GDC, however. Last year, they gave out free copies of the sadly underrated Rhythm Heaven to everyone who attended Satoru Iwata's keynote.

The DSi XL launches in North America on March 28 for $189.99.

Have something to share? Sitting on a news tip? E-mail me. You can also follow me on Twitter.

If portable tablet devices are the wave of the future, then check out the Sungale Cyberus ID700. Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn review the 7" touch screen device that works both as an electronic reader and portable media player with Wi-fi for only $200.

Check out the full review from Attack of the Show after the cut.

What You Need to Know

• The Cyberus received a lot of online press recently because it's an affordable touch screen device that measures half an inch thick and weighs about a pound.
• It feels a little cheap since it's made of plastic.
• It has a 7" touch screen but the screen resolution is only 800 x480 (same as the Droid).
• It doesn't look that pretty and your eyes might get get tired from looking at the white text on black ground (opposed to an E Ink display).
• The device does come with a leather case.
• You really have to press down on the touch screen, or use your fingernail to navigate.
• There is a stylus, which is your best bet, but no multi-touch or double-tap to zoom.
• The interface is not easy to use or fun to look at.
• Sometimes the text will be formatted incorrectly or just completely cut off.
• Overall, it's clunky but it works for the most part.
• Sungale also includes features like YouTube, Picasa, news, weather, photo viewing and more, all of which work okay.
• YouTube is pretty quick to load, but you can't search or watch videos full screen.
• The text based apps like the news don't show the entire story. For example, Gmail only shows you unread email, so you can't look at the entire inbox.
• IP Radio works well and uses the built-in speaker.
• Overall, most of the features work but it's missing some basic stuff you'd expect out of a device.

Price

• $200

Rating

• 2 Seals of Approval out of 5. (How do we rate gadgets?)
• Spend the extra $60 for the Kindle.

Want something reviewed on Gadget Pr0n? Email us your suggestions to gadgetpron@g4tv.com.

Electronic Arts today announced it will publish the first title from 38 Studios, the company founded by former Red Sox pitcher and World Series MVP Curt Schilling.

38 Studios’ Big Huge Games is developing the role-playing game, codenamed Project Mercury, and given that the head of Big Huge Games is Ken Rolston (lead designer on Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion), it’s safe to say the game is in highly capable hands.

“We are creating an enormous world, with heroes and villains and a rich back story from the brilliant minds of R. A. [Salvatore], Todd [McFarlane] and Ken at its heart, and I can think of no finer partner than the global powerhouse that is EA Partners,” said Curt Schilling.

Considering R.A. Salvatore is scheduled to speak at GDC 2010 this week, there’s a good chance some more Project Mercury news could be inbound over the coming days.
 

Four  tracks from colorful pop singer Lady Gaga are headed to Rock Band and Rock Band 2 next week. Along with the Gaga, a cover version of "Poker Face" voiced by the great Eric Cartman will be available to download too. Sweet.

Here are the Gaga tracks:

• Bad Romance
• Just Dance
• Monster
• Poker Face

The full track pack will cost you $6.99 for the pack, and $1.99 per individual song. You'll be able to download the Gaga on Tuesday for the 360 and Thursday for the PS3.

The Cartman version of "Poker Face" is the greatest, by the way.

If there's any constants throughout the entertainment world, it's that the even-numbered Star Trek films were better than their odd counterparts, and that Ben-centric episodes of Lost tend to RULE. Tonight, we're hoping history will repeat itself, as we shift focus from Smokey's massive ownage of the Others last week, to finally getting some insight towards the status of the island's defrocked leader.

I'll be riding solo on behalf of TheFeed for tonight's preview.

"They tried to save you, but...you were dead, man -- for two hours. Trust me, when you sat up, they were just as surprised as the rest of us. So whatever brought you back, it wasn't them." -Miles

Sayid's miraculous resurrection is an ongoing mystery. Who or what is responsible? A prevailing theory has been the Man in Black. However, MIB seemed to need the Nadia bargaining chip to gain Sayid's favor. If it was him, he could have just told him, "I brought you back to life, while these guys just tortured you. So, help me!" Might that kill this safe-held assumption? Or does it enforce it?

"The only thing that I ever wanted died in my arms and I'll never see it again." -Sayid
"What if you could?" -Smokey

It became abundantly clear last week, that MIB is the proverbial dealer of false hopes to the island's tragedy junkies. He clearly lied to Claire about Aaron being held by The Others, and now this latest Faustian bargain almost makes us think that Sayid's next move is to slaughter Jedi younglings and force-choke Natalie Portman. (Sayid! You're breaking her heart!) The carrot that is a resurrected Nadia is now dangling on a stick prominently over the stubborn donkey that is Sayid.

"He told me that he could save my son's life, but I would have to come here to this island where I would have a new job, but I could never see my boy again." -Dogen

MIB seems to offer deals that are too good to be true, under false pretenses. However, behind the boyish smile, Jacob demands hardcore sacrifices. I'm not sure if the whole "I'll bring your son back only if you do stuff for me" dynamic taints the perception of Jacob being "the good one," but it definitely highlights some unsavory traits that he may share with Smokey. Since dying clearly identifies Jacob as mortal, they're both definitely not Gods in the conventional sense. However, they do seem to have a unique perception of the intricacies of time and space. Perhaps, as evidenced by seeing Dogen and his son together in Lighthouse the other week, the creation of the flash-sideways world is the way in which Jacob honors his bargains in giving everyone what they want (or think they want.)

***

That's what happened. Here's what we hope goes down tonight:

1. Tonight, I think Ben is going to find his renewed purpose. He's got to have something to propel him to the finish line of the finale. Will it be revenge or redemption?

Whatever it is, I'm thinking that the truth about the circumstances behind Jacob's death will be the catalyst. It cannot possibly stay secret for long, as the infamous "rules" which prevented MIB from killing Jacob had to be known by Ilana and the Ajira-Others. It's been a while since Ben took one of his signature savage beatings and I'm thinking he's due for one. 

2. The preview seems to imply that Ben (or whoever is "the man who brought death to so many") might die tonight. Whether it's Ben or Sayid, it's clearly going to be someone major. We're only on the 6th episode. If this season is being paced like last year, then we haven't even scratched the surface yet. In fact, at this point last year, we were resolving Oceanic 6 drama, and the left-behinders were still time-flashing. We hadn't even reached the critical season-defining episode, LaFleur. Point being: I think we're heading for a game-changer very soon.

At GDC 2010 today, NBC and developer Bigpoint announced an MMO based on popular science fiction show Battlestar Galactica. Battlestar Galactica Online is a browser-based MMO that promises “tactical space combat and adventure” when it comes out this fall. The launch itself will happen exclusively on SyFy.com for a 30 day period.

"Battlestar Galactica is a supremely gameable intellectual property, with compelling character classes, a fantastic array of ships and weaponry, multiple worlds, and a dramatic storyline," said Bill Kispert, VP & GM, Digital Platforms, Universal Partnerships & Licensing, in a press release.

Players will be able to choose to be Human or Cylons, and the game will be a blend of tactical space combat, exploration, and mission-based gameplay featuring 3D graphics directly in your browser. Assets from the television production will be integrated into the game to deliver an even more authentic experience.

What do you think? Are browser-based MMOs the wave of the future?

Bungie is hard at work on the next/”last one for a while” installment in its acclaimed Halo series, and from the looks of it, Halo: Reach is coming along quite nicely. The game’s creative director Marcus Lehto recently spoke with X-Play about the majorly anticipated title, and offered up what are sure to be encouraging words for diehard Halo lovers.

“This is really the ultimate Halo game, because we’re building on a decade’s worth of experience building Halo games. We’re taking all of the best parts from each one of those Halo games, and we’re putting them all into Reach.”

Check out X-Play’s All Access preview right here:

Like fishermen casting their nets into the sea and drawing fish, we've managed to draw a mighty comedy haul from the deep abyss that is the internet. Behold our bounty, videos featuring anchormen fighting, butt drugs, accordion playing space bounty hunters and a special visit from Tony Stark.

Find the direct video links from Around the Net on Attack of the Show after the jump.

eBaum Nation: Live News Fight   

YouTube: Butt Drugs

YouTube:  Boba Fett Accordion    

YouTube:  The Beard Master     

HitFix: Iron Man 2 Trailer   

When Hello Games programmer Sean Murray and his three friends left their roles at large development houses to found Hello Games, the studio behind the IGF-nominated and PlayStation Network-bound Joe Danger, he knew there was a big risk. He knew failure was not only possible -- it was likely.

"We really wanted to do our own thing," said Murray during a talk at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. "When we were kids, it's all we ever talked about. But we realized when we were leaving, it was a really stupid thing. It was an illogical thing. We're going to do this and we're probably going to crash and burn doing this."

Murray and his friends used to work at companies like Criterion, Sumo and Electronic Arts.

"Most companies don't last very long," he continued. "It's really tough."

The advantage of working on their own, however, meant the studio could quickly adapt.

"We're much more flexible," said Murray. "In theory, we can do amazing things, get people on the same page and that's kind of more powerful...We can do everything ourselves. We can write our own engine. And with marketing, we just kind of talked about 'we'll do something personal to us, we'll do something that we are really interested in, and we'll see how people react to that.'"

Joe Danger arrives this spring on PlayStation Network.

Have something to share? Sitting on a news tip? E-mail me. You can also follow me on Twitter.

The sport of Baseball somehow manages to be incredibly boring and incredibly fun at the same time -- neat trick, Baseball! Our own Jake Gaskill, however, is never boring, and he reviewed baseball simulator MLB 10: The Show to see if this video version of our National Pastime is as awesome as Derek Jeter, as terrible as Rob Deer or as middle of the road as some boring guy who plays for the Twins.

According to Jake: 

"It’s not a perfect game, and it still suffers from a number of issues found in last year’s iteration, but the overall package is something that no baseball-loving PlayStation 3 owner should miss. This one is meat."

You heard it here first: The Show is meat. Read the rest of the review, right here.

Ready to be moved? Rocking nearly four minutes of gameplay, Capcom douses your peepers with the following trailer for Lost Planet 2. This, this is how you trailer a game. 

Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version