Rare shows off its new olympic inspired arena, Jiggoseum, for their action platformer Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts for the Xbox 360.  You can start building your weapons of mass construction November 14th, unti then check out our image gallery and trailer below.

Banjo-Kazooie Jiggoseum Flythrough

Check out the new images as Warner Bros. Interactive and Traveller's Tales unveil the butt-kicking Gotham Super Heroine, Batgirl for the hero lineup in the action-adventure game Lego Batman: The Videogame.  The Lego Bat Signal turns on starting September 23rd for the DS, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360.

Click the image below for the Lego Batman: The Videogame image gallery

Check out the Lego Batman: The Videogame image gallery here.

Too Human's norse punk Baldur has two more titles to conquer, and creator Denis Dyack said to VG247 that the sequels are "underway".

“They’re unannounced. We’re not talking about them right now, but there are other games in the pipe. Also, of course, we’ll be continuing the [Too Human] trilogy with Microsoft."

However, the sequels' fate may be decided by how fans react to the first game. “If the first game totally fails and no one wants to play it, then what’s the point of making a second or third?," said Dyack.

How will Too Human fair exactly among the elite 360 titles? Will NeoGAF welcome back Dyack with open arms? Will St. Catharine's economy be changed? Stay tuned to G4 with tonight's X-Play at 8PM ET for the final word on Too Human.

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The Leipzig Game Convention will be invading X-Play next week as television's most watched video game show brings you Floor Reports with all the big publishers, including Sony, Ubisoft, and Electronic Arts. We'll also have First Looks and Hands On Demos with Tomb Raider: Underworld, Saints Row 2, Fuel, and Back Breaker.

Don't miss any of our unprecedented Leipzig coverage, all next week on X-Play, Weekdays @ 8PM ET.

Lucy Bradshaw, Executive Producer with EA Maxis, took some time to speak with our crew about the highly anticipated life-simulator, Spore.

Spore is scheduled for release on September 7th of this year for PC and Apple computers.

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Spore was also created by SimCity and Sims mastermind Will Wright, who has had more than a few interesting tidbit of trivia to share on The Will Wright Minute. Check them out if you fancy having your mind blown.

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So, ancient myths say that the last time someone opened Pandora's Box (that person being Pandora, herself), some pretty nasty stuff went down. You know, like evil itself slipping out into the world and other fun things like that. What do you suppose would happen if it were opened today?

Well, in the upcoming FPS Legendary from Gamecock Media Group, you'll get to find out. Producer John Garcia-Shelton spoke with our crew about what to expect when all hell breaks loose.

Legendary will be released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on September 30th of this year.

If your first-gen iPod Nano looks like the one above, Apple's got you covered. After many reports of kamikaze iPod Nanos frying up, Apple released a statement on Tuesday that enables a replacement program for first gen owners:

"Apple has determined that in very rare cases batteries in first generation iPod nanos sold between September 2005 and December 2006 can overheat causing failure and deformation of the iPod nano. Apple has received very few reports of such incidents (less than 0.001 percent of first generation iPod nano units), which have been traced back to a single battery supplier. There have been no reports of serious injuries or property damage, and no reports of incidents for any other iPod nano model. Any first generation iPod nano customers who have experienced their battery overheating should contact AppleCare for a replacement. Any other customers who have concerns about their first generation iPod nano battery should also contact AppleCare."

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Yesterday, we posted the official announcement from Sony that the fake plastic instruments for upcoming PlayStation 3 music games Rock Revolution, Rock Band 2, Singstar and Guitar Hero World Tour will all work together. Today Microsoft is like "us too!"

According to Microsoft's official blogger Major Nelson, "All the instruments from Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour, and Rock Revolution will be cross-compatible."

It's like a new age of brotherhood and videogames!

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Fans of girl power, chick rock and hoochie hop will be overjoyed to learn that 15 of the most popular female singers have teamed up to record the benefit song  "Just Stand Up,"  for exclusive release on iTunes on Sept. 2.

The song features Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes and Carrie Underwood.

All sales of the single will benefit Stand Up to Cancer, a cancer research program that calls on the entertainment industry to help fight cancer.The song concept was birthed by Antonio "L.A." Reid, who produced it with Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds.

Better still (unless you like good music), all 15 singers will share the stage to perform the song live on Sept. 5 during the Stand Up to Cancer television special, set to air simultaneously on ABC, NBC and CBS. Other stars expected to turn out for the hour-long fund- and awareness-raising program include Jennifer Aniston, Lance Armstrong, Katie Couric, Sally Field, Salma Hayek, Meryl Streep, Forest Whitaker and Reese Witherspoon.

Man, I can’t wait to hear that Sally Field/Forest Whitaker duet!

(I kid...it's a good cause...support it!)

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The Viva Pinata series has been bringing candy-filled goodness and adorable paper-mache pets to our game consoles for some time now, and with Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise, they'll be maklng their way to your Nintendo DS.

We spoke with Virginia Suchodolski, Project Manager for THQ about the upcoming title, which will be released on September 2nd of this year.

Comedy vet, esteemed writer, Simpsons voice actor, and Spinal Tap bassist Harry Shearer is the genius behind Found Objects, a semi-regular feature of the My Damn Channel website. And you should be watchig his every move…

Found Objects features news reporters and journalists flubbing, bloopering and getting upset before or after the cameras are rolling. Kinda like that awesome Bill O'Reilly clip we all saw a few months back…

For instance, funnyman Shearer unearthed a hilarious 9-minute clip of anchorwoman Laura Ingraham's freakout while taping Fox News. In the vid, Ingraham has a meltdown after a word is misspelled on her teleprompter and she decides her script makes no sense. Then she gets pissed that a stranger is hanging around the set and a producer is talking too loudly in her earpiece.

"Oh, my God," she gasps. "This is a train wreck."

It suuuure is...and we love it!

Or dig the 17-minute video of former CBS News anchor Dan Rather on a chilly rooftop in Seattle, consumed with whether to wear an overcoat during a standup, or whether the coat's collar should be turned up or down.

Or better yet is his successor Katie Couric’s response to Rather and his comment after the fact that he was simply trying to "tart" up his image. After purposely fiddling with her coat, she says, “I'm going to be like Dan Rather on YouTube. Geez, don't you think he deserves a little payback? This tart is ready to go!" She too did not realize the cameras were rolling.

After starting her own video blog in response to her newfound Youtube fame, Couric joked in her debut clip: "It's nice to be on YouTube when I know the cameras are rolling. Harry Shearer, I'm gonna get you!"

"Some people collect coins…Harry collects this footage," said Rob Barnett,  president of My Damn Channel. "There's a combination of reality and voyeurism that captures the imagination."

Damn straight!

Yes, that Harry Shearer is funny....though not Webby-award winning funny, of course (Freestyle 101 stomped him in the '08 Best Music Series category...just sayin'...)!

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Earlier, you were able to read our report of legendary game designer Dave Perry's presentation at the 2008 Leipzig Games Convention titled "The Future of Gaming."

Now, through the magic of the internet, you can watch the presentation for yourself.

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While the onscreen action in upcoming would-be blockbuster The Watchmen is sure to be hot, the real knock-down drag-out fighting is going on behind the scenes, as movie studios Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox fight it out in court over who owns the rights to the film. The movie, based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' comic book of the same name, is was directed  by Zack Snyder. It's in post-production now, and is slated for a March release. Both companies claim that they own the rights to the film version.

Yesterday, a judge denied Warner Bros.' motion to dismiss Fox’s lawsuit over Warner's right to make the film. The ruling means the legal fight will continue, and possible consequences include some sort of profit sharing between the two studios. Weirdly, Fox said it would rather see the film killed than collect a percentage of the box office.

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Ubisoft's unveling of I Am Alive at E3 2008 generated a lot of hype behind the title, but could it be the company's "new baby"? Well according to executive director Alain Corre, it's already in their cradle.

"Yes [we are considering sequels]. Clearly, when we are creating a franchise, it’s a long-term process," said Corre in an interview with MCV. "We hope it can be another strong franchise for our portfolio, alongside Prince Of Persia or Rayman Rabbids."

Will this promising action title appear at Leipzig? We'll let you know of course. I Am Alive is scheduled for a 2009 release for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and PC platforms.

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How much would you pay for a copy of 3D Dream Pinball for the PC? Like eight bucks, maybe? Try $30,000. That's the fine being levied against a woman from Great Britain who distributed the game illegally.  Isabella Barwinska of London was ordered to pay that fee by a U.K. court in a test case that could open the floodgates for similar suits against thousands of Britons suspected of sharing games.

The company that makes the game, Topware Interactive, first identified file-sharers with the help of British computer companies, then sent letters demanding 300 pounds in exchange for the shared game. Some users, including Barwinska, chose to fight rather than pay--maybe not the best idea.

One thing is for sure: We hope Barwinska really digs computer pinball--the game got a truly awful 63% rating on Gamerankings.com, so we doubt it's worth tens of thousands of dollars to all but the biggest pinball fans.

Remember when Too Human (Xbox 360) creator Denis Dyack bet the internet that Too Human would be a good game and that a majority of gamers would like the RPG game?

Seems like things have gotten out of hand over at NeoGAF since the original bet was made, and Mr. Dyack has managed to get himself banned from the gaming forum.

Will the game live up to Dyack's hype? Find out tonight on an all-new X-Play when Adam and Morgan review Too Human. Tune in to G4 at 8PM ET.

Want to see the message written by NeoGAF moderator EvilLore? It's full of anger! Internet anger!

He writes:

As Confucius once said, “the photoshop cat juggles a ball of yarn, and unravels it all over his face.” You are Baldur, Denis. You’re the poorly animated bald Norse technogod, the Übermensch with a thousand pointless book references misunderstood by the dirty proles who aren’t worthy enough to judge you.

Your favorite Nietzsche quote, “he who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster,” is one you’ve fallen victim to yourself, if your opinion of this site is to be taken to heart. In these pitiable confrontations with us you’ve proven to be the monster of gaming development, a sore on the industry and a squanderer of your subordinates’ time and effort. Through all this, through this self-inflicted PR nightmare, you’ve conquered vast new frontiers of unwarranted hyperbole and desperate pseudo-intellectual grasping. Buy an unaccredited doctorate, change your given name to Derek, and take up the reins; Derek Smart would eagerly defer to the greatness of Dr. Dyack.

What is an appropriate action to take in response to the man who continues to post here? I won’t be tolerating a second retconned “social experiment,” a second call for NeoGAF’s closing, or a second “worst forum” insult. You decided to ignore the option for real terms for your pointless tag bet, so with the majority of reviews condemning your magnum opus to mediocrity I’ll claim a suitable prize by telling you to get the hell off NeoGAF.

OUCH. Ice burn. It's always an odd day when a forum moderator unleashes this much hate on a legitimate game developer.

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Konami has just announced a World Championship tournament for Metal Gear Online in collaboration with Major League Gaming. Gamers can now register their teams through MLG's gamebattles.com site.

The top two teams from North America will get a free ticket to this year's Tokyo Game Show to compete in the Metal Gear Online World Championship 2008 finals.

Gamers from North America, Europe, Japan, and Korea/Great Asia are eligible to participate.

Hit the break for the full press release.

METAL GEAR ONLINE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2008 NOW OPEN FOR REGISTRATION

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. in collaboration with Major League Gaming (MLG) is excited to share with you all today that the Metal Gear Online World Championship 2008 is now open for registration and play, on MLG's gamebattles.com site ( http://www.gamebattles.com/konami ), for the North American Qualifier tournament. The top two teams from the North American Qualifier will participate in the Metal Gear Online World Championship 2008 finals in Tokyo, Japan at the Tokyo Game Show, along with an $8,000 cash prize pool, and other prizes. Please go to GameBattles.com/Konami to register for the Metal Gear Online World Championship 2008, but hurry, the North American Qualifier will conclude on September 8, 2008. 

Taking place at Tokyo Game Show this October, the Metal Gear Online World Championship 2008 pits the best teams from around the world against each other for the chance to win worldwide recognition at one of the videogame industry's most prestigious events.

The Metal Gear Online World Championship 2008 will consist of the best players in North America, Europe, Japan, and Korea/Greater Asia. The top teams from the regional qualifiers in the territories will win trips to the Metal Gear Online World Championship 2008 finals at the Tokyo Game Show.

Additionally, Konami announced the first Metal Gear Online expansion packs - Gene Expansion and Gene Expansion Plus -- were available for download beginning July 17. Available for $11.99, Gene Expansion will contain a vast amount of new content including new maps, special characters, reward points, online shopping, the ability to play as a female character, and more. Available for $14.99, Gene Expansion Plus includes everything in the Gene Expansion pack with the addition of an extra character slot.

Ubisoft drops a fresh new trailer for Far Cry 2.  In this trailer, entitled "The Jackal," get an even deeper look into what the look and feel of the African world of this sandbox FPS will be like.  Get ready for the wild side October 1st for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

Far Cry 2 - The Jackal

A North Carolina teen by the name of Blake Peebles is dropping out of high school “in order to focus on Guitar Hero full time,” says Yahoo.com.

Whaaaaat?!?!?

Citing his many prizes from Guitar Hero tournaments, which include "gift certificates, gaming equipment, and chicken sandwiches," the 16-year-old is hoping to make playing the game a full-time job. Peebles thinks he has the chops to play competitively and earn big dough in the process.

Riiiiight.

Sure, top gamers on the competitive circuit can earn up to $80,000 a year, but most make like $25,000 annually if they are lucky. Really lucky.

"I usually play till I can't anymore," he says.

And if I were his parents, I’d spank his lazy, high school drop-out ass until I couldn’t feel my hand anymore. But that’s just me. I would actually want my kid to do something with his life! I’m weird that way…

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Coinciding with their Leipzig celebration, Sega announced the next installment to their fan favorite light gun shooter series House of the Dead. House of the Dead: Overkill will be exclusive to the Nintendo Wii.

Set as a prequel to the House of the Dead series, Overkill will have a "pulp funk horror" theme, fitting with Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse movie features. Aside from the point-and-shoot controls, the new title will also have a mêlée attack activated by swinging the Wii-Mote. New gameplay features such as "Slow-MoFo Time" and "Evil Eye" will help players identify and use interactive environments to their advantage.

House of the Dead: Overkill will be released sometime next year.

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