The rumor mill has been spinning on a sequel to Disney’s Epic Mickey since not long after the first game’s release, and now it’s looking less like speculation and more like confirmation.

After some marketing materials back in August spilled the beans on a potential sequel, a Disney newsletter was spotted detailing the new title and dating it at a December 2012 release.

Players will have the choice in Epic Mickey 2 to play as Mickey, or cooperatively in two-player mode with Mickey and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit “with the power to fly like a helicopter and use electricity to fight or friend enemies and solve challenges”.

Even more exciting is the news that Epic Mickey 2 will be released for Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and the Wii. A bit strange that the Wii-U isn’t a listed title, but since we don’t have a release date for the console quite yet it’s not surprising.

I’m very excited at the prospect of Epic Mickey 2 on multiple consoles. While Epic Mickey wasn’t a bad game by any means, it suffered from a terrible camera glitch as well as the Wii’s poor graphics. But such a strong concept with one of the most iconic characters in all of cartoon history combined with the capabilities of these other consoles AND multiplayer? Sounds very epic indeed.

The full text from Disney’s newsletter is available after the jump.

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You read that headline right folks. The moment you’ve all been waiting for is here. The Call of Duty: Black Ops new map pack, known as “First Strike”, has arrived and lo it is good.

As our own John Carle told you about before, the map pack contains some new goodness including four traditional multiplayer maps as well as one additional Zombie mode map. While no information was given on the Zombie map other than its name, Ascension, now that the map pack is available we will know a whole lot more very shortly.

Kowloon takes place in a revamped layout of the Kowloon single player level. Discovery takes place in an arctic research lab and shows what may be Call of Duty’s first steps towards destructible environments. Berlin Wall features a great design choice with the inclusion of a no man’s land. In this area, players can quickly get across the map but this time there isn’t much fear of other players.

Finally, Stadium seems to be the most traditional of the maps. In it, players will be more focused on pure classic strategy using a level’s design and tight corners as a way to ambush opponents.

The “First Strike” map pack is available now. To the XBox 360!

While Call of Duty: Black Ops didn’t reign two years in a row as game of the year, that doesn’t mean we love it any less. After all, you don’t become one of the highest selling games of all time along with being the highest first day entertainment franchise in history if you aren’t a damn good game.  As previously announced, the first map pack titled “First Strike” will be coming first to the XBox 360 on February 1st before later being ported over to the PlayStation 3.

The “First Strike” Map Pack will include four traditional multiplayer maps as well as one additional Zombie mode map. While no information was given on the Zombie map other than its name Ascension, the trailer below gives a quick peek at the development behind and the layouts of the other four maps in this pack.

Kowloon takes place in a revamped layout of the Kowloon single player level. Having a very similar feel to the streets of Brazil from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Kowloon offers players their first and only opportunity to use a zip line to traverse through a level. This zip line looks like a quite risky venture as it will leave a player completely exposed and weaponless. The reward however is the ability to cross great distances of the map at tremendous speed.

Another unique map is Discovery. Taking place in an arctic research lab, Discovery shows what may be Call of Duty’s first steps towards destructible environments. In Discovery there is a choke point over the chasm that divides the level in half where players must cross a bridge to reach their opponents. This bridge can be destroyed with proper explosives. Imagine what this could do for the game with Red Faction style level physics on top of the already intense Call of Duty multiplayer.

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At this weekend’s New York Comic Con, I was lucky enough to spend some time with the much-anticipated sequel to Goldeneye 007 for the Nintendo 64. Goldeneye 007 for Wii very much lives up to

Firstly, the new Classic Controller Plus is pretty great to use. While it doesn’t quite replicate the feel of a N64 controller, it feels much easier to manuver than the original Classic Controller, which really helps for Goldeneye 007. Obviously, you won’t want to be fumbling with a controller while you’re trying to come out on top in online multiplayer.

But the control scheme for the game is incredibly intuitive, so if you’re a native of shooting games you’ll pick it up very fast.

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It’s been over ten years since Goldeneye 007 was released for the Nintendo 64, so gamers are certainly anxious as the release for the follow-up to the game, Goldeneye 007 for the Wii, gets closer and closer to release. If you’re anxiously awaiting the chance to play as James Bond and shoot, smash, and smack your way through this re-imagining of the 64 classic, we’ve got something to keep you occupied.

A new trailer has been released today for Goldeneye 007, featuring a look at some of the maps players will explore when the game is finally released next month.

We’ve also gotten word about a brand-new multiplayer mode in Goldeneye 007 for Wii. In Classic Conflict mode, players can choose from classic James Bond characters Jaws, Oddjob, Baron Samedi, Dr. No, Scaramanga, Red Grant, Rosa Klebb and Blofeld. When killed, players will respawn randomly as one of these characters. With up to 8 players, chances are high that all eight characters will face off in online play.

Purchasing the Goldeneye 007 Classic Edition bundle will give you access to Classic Conflict mode right away. If not, you’ll be able to unlock this exciting new multiplayer mode once you reach level 35 in online multiplayer.

Goldeneye 007 will be released exclusively for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS on November 2nd. You can watch the brand-new trailer for the game after the jump.

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Last night at a special event held by Activision and Treyarch at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, we got a chance to play some Call of Duty: Black Ops. Specifically, we were there to check out the multiplayer aspects of the game and generally get an in-depth preview of the whole experience.

After being plied with some excellent cocktails we were whisked into the IMAX theater at the center. Once inside and seated, we were shown some terrific demo videos and given the scoop by Treyarch designers David Vonderhaar and Dan Bunting which showcased what players can expect from the game.

Some of the items they touched on were the game’s new multiplayer features using pillars that the company focused on during development: Compete, Customize and Create. We got to see quite a bit of the game and even got some playing time.

Here’s the highlights:

Multiplayer Training

One thing I was particularly interested in was the all-new multiplayer mode called “Combat Training.” This new feature , which is unique to Black Ops, allows you to experience multiplayer gameplay but replaces the threat of real online players (and severe pwnage) with AI-controlled bots.

This allows you to hone your skills while not suffering any real damage or lowering of your standing in the online world. Players can also invite friend into the match, allowing for some co-op play.

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After its reveal at E32010, Goldeneye 007 has become one of the most anticipated upcoming Wii games for this holiday season. As the re-imagining of an incredibly successful game on the Nintendo 64, this game is a real opportunity for Nintendo to attract hardcore gamers to their casual console. A few weeks ago, we gave you a look at the new Classic Pro controller made specifically for Goldeneye 007.  Now, we’ve got some great screenshots and a brand-new trailer showing off the best part about Goldeneye 007: the multiplayer mode.

The screenshots and trailer give us a much better look at the multiplayer in Goldeneye 007, which, like the original, looks incredibly diverse with both fast-paced shooting and stealth attacks. The various locations will allow for a multitude of different encounters, blending very close-up combat and targeted distance shooting. And with both split-screen and online multiplayer, you’ll be able to play with anyone, anywhere.

Voiced by star of the last two Bond films, Daniel Craig, Goldeneye 007 brings everything you know and love about the original N64 game to the Nintendo Wii. Featuring 40 characters, ten maps, three standard modes, 18 special modifiers, and support for the Wii Zapper, Goldeneye 007 looks to revolutionize the way we think about first-person shooters for the Wii.

Goldeneye 007 will be released exclusively for the Nintendo Wii on November 2nd. You can check out all the screenshots and the brand-new trailer after the jump.

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If you thought the night vision goggles of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 were a tad extreme, you haven’t seen anything yet. With Call of Duty: Black Ops coming soon, it’s no surprise there are going to be two collectors editions, the Hardened and the Prestige, coming out exclusively for the XBox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles.

First, the Hardened Edition. With the Hardened Edition, consumers will receive four exclusive multiplayer maps, a Black Ops Avatar costume and a custom Black Ops limited edition medal. Gamestop.com is listing the Hardened Edition for $79.99, the average price for collectors editions of games.

With the Prestige Edition, this is where things get a little crazy. In the Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer trailer, we saw for the first time the RC-XD. The RC-XD is a remote controlled car that not only lets players shoot through levels at blinding speed avoiding enemy fire while relaying video of other parts of the battlefield, it also gives the player a chance to detonate a small bomb at the feet of their opponents.

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As much as the world loves playing through the single player campaign of the Call of Duty series, no one can argue the series’ long term appeal lies in its multiplayer mode. Players can quickly find themselves spending days and days in multiplayer death-match scenarios. With each iteration of the series, the multiplayer has gotten more intense and added various new dimensions to keep it fresh. In Treyarch’s last game Call of Duty: Black Ops, they added the horde -like Zombie mode where an unending supply of Nazi zombies took it to players.

In this new teaser trailer we see that Treyarch looks to be sticking with a more Modern Warfare theme as they introduce new gadgets and weaponry to the mix. The first new tech seen in the trailer is a surveillance camera.

It looks like it will send a black and white feed of what’s going on in front of it to the upper left corner of a player’s HUD. No doubt this will lead to some great in game traps for players as they can set up cameras around their position to prepare to attack incoming forces.

Up next, crossbows. And not just regular crossbows but timed explosive mounted arrow shooting crossbows. While the crossbow is known for being a more silent but deadly weapon, the silence part goes out the window once the bomb attached to it explodes. Thankfully, the person who it blows up on won’t hear a thing as the explosion will most likely remove their ears from the rest of their explosion riddled body.

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