November 4th is right around the corner, and apart from being two days after Election Day, meaning an end to the incessant political advertisements that clog up every other commercial spot on television, it's also the day that North America finally gets a chance to see if Microsoft's Kinect can in fact create the controller-less utopia we've all longed for. Finally all three current consoles' fans will know whether or not the hands-free movement is the gaming experience of the future, or just another peripheral-based fad. Major Nelson was so kind as to list out the 17 "launch" titles that will be available with Connect Kinect. I used the quotation marks there because although the list is referred to as the launch games, some of them won't be out until a week later, and some even after that.

For many Final Fantasy fans, the only consoles that should have their favorite RPGs are Sony consoles.  Even when Final Fantasy XIII, originally thought to be a PS3 exclusive, was announced as a multiplatform game in 2008, Squenix faithful looked at this as a fluke, and a ploy to appeal to Western audiences.  If a Square-Enix job posting indicates what we think it does, these fans may need to get used to the idea of the franchise on Microsoft’s box.

With all the talk about next year’s release of Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, some gamers may have forgotten about the other major fighting game scheduled for a 2011 launch.  Mortal Kombat, from all indications, looks like it will be the most brutal entry in the franchise, but it also seems like it could be the most polished and competitive fighting experience to come out of the series, and one that could resurrect the Mortal Kombat brand.  To introduce us to the game’s re-imagined continuity, Warner Bros. and NetherRealm Studios have released an introduction trailer for one of the franchise’s most popular characters, Scorpion.

Microsoft doesn’t want you to leave them. They love you. So much, in fact, that when you register for Xbox Live with a credit card, it automatically renews every year, at least for the yearly subscription. But what if you don’t like the price hike, from $50-$60, and bought a year of XBL from Amazon for the original price?

PARKER: THE HUNTER
Drawn and Adapted by DARWYN COOKE

Darwyn Cooke ranks among the top three of my favorite creators working today, and definitely in my top ten of all-time. Once I heard he was adapting several of Stark’s prose Parker novels into graphic novels, my brain could barely comprehend the awesome. Chock full of grit, the Parker books are among the best in crime fiction, and thanks to Darwyn Cooke, the same can now be said about those stories when it comes to comics. There are few tales as engaging, action-packed, and brutal as Parker’s. Once you read this, you’ll be compelled to agree.

While at New York Comic Con, I got to speak with both Yasu Kurosawa and Sage Sundi, the North American and Global online producers respectively, about Final Fantasy XIV. Even though MMOs are strange territory for me, I know there are more than a few people out there who really enjoy the experience a game like this provides. As a fan of the Final Fantasy series, I was curious how the producers hoped to carry on that legacy in a mulitplayer online game. Here's what they had to say.

As a huge James Bond fan, I'm happy that there are soon going to be two very different Bond video games available for me to play. While one is going to be a reimagining of a fan-favorite from yesteryear, the other is a wholly new title which will have to sate my hunger for a new Daniel Craig film. Since the movie franchise is on indefinite hold, it's up to Bizarre Creations and their title Bloodstone 007 to carry the Bond legacy into 2011. I talked with one of the game's designers about what to expect from the upcoming action title.

Sony’s Move motion controller seemed like a pretty big gamble.  Along with Microsoft’s Kinect, the Move represents the birth of a new console semi-generation; an extension of the previous gen that doesn’t qualify as a new console, but changes the play mechanic enough that it can’t be classified as just an accessory.  The last time a company tried this was in 1994, when Sega added the 32X to their Sega Genesis system.  We all know how that turned out.  It appears that, at least on Sony’s end, this attempt is going to be far more successful.  Especially in Europe.

After an initially shoddy implementation, Netflix on the PS3 got better and better. Right now, it's one of the best ways to get Netflix streaming. It's not perfect, though, with the rather puzzling need to place a specific (though free) Netflix disc in the PS3 every time you want to watch something.

Starting Monday, that will change, along with several other cool upgrades.

So far, everything that Capcom and Nintendo have shown us about Super Street Fighter IV on the 3DS has been nothing short of phenomenal.  The idea of a full-on port of the 2.5D fighter on a portable system seems almost impossible, but the 3DS’ impressive specs have made it a reality.  And in 3D, no less.  The only problem I can foresee with this title is the lack of face buttons; SSFIV uses a 6-button setup, but the 3DS only has four buttons on its face.  It’s pretty much confirmed that the hard punch and hard kick commands will be ungracefully assigned to the shoulder buttons, but what about the 3DS’ touch screen?  Capcom hasn’t forgotten about it, and today they demonstrated just how it will be implemented.

If you've been eagerly anticipating Disney's upcoming action-RPG Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned, prepare to have your heart broken. A representative for the company confirmed to Joystiq that due to "restructuring" at Propaganda Games, the next Pirates games has been cancelled. Additionally, GI.biz is reporting that 100 employees at the Vancouver studio of Propaganda have been laid off as a result of the new business model.

You couldn't miss Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption booth at New York Comic Con. It was huge, and plastered with imagery from the upcoming zombie-fueled downloadable content, "Undead Nightmare." Though they only had one level on display, I wanted to see just how well Mr. Marston handled himself around the undead. With zombies seemingly permeating every other video game in some form or another, I guess it was about time we saw them in the old West.

During an event at the Ginza, Tokyo Apple Store, EA announced that the publisher's Mobile division would be launching versions of some of its biggest titles. Among the games newly announced were Dead Space 2, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, EA Active, Reckless Racing (formerly named "Deliverance") and Monopoly, but at least one previously announced port, NBA Elite 11, was also on the list.

Hey, look at that. It's a new video show where a bunch of guys talk about a bunch of stuff. Bet you never saw that before. Well you haven't. Not like this. Only the combined might of Nick Murphy's and Luke Brown's beards are enough to tackle the tough topics of the day like whether or not Oprah looks at her poop after she poops. No mortal person would be able to shoulder the burden of Bam Margera's douchey-ness, but the with Paul Ritchey's will and Dom Moschitti's rugged handsomeness, anything is possible. Ladies and gentlemen, it's Epic Boobs. Prepare yourselves for it.

We were lucky enough to sit in on a series of roundtable interviews with the cast and crew of AMC’s upcoming adaptation of The Walking Dead. Check out what act0rs Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, and Sarah Wayne Callies had to say about the project.

While at New York Comic Con this past weekend, I had the opportunity to talk with one of the producers of EA's upcoming survival horror sequel, Dead Space 2. Check out what Zach Mumbach has to say about multiplayer, and what they had to do in this follow-up to raise their game from the original Dead Space.

Up until now, all the trailers and press for the upcoming expansion to Red Dead Redemption, "Undead Nightmare," have listed the DLC as “Coming Very Soon.”  No specific date had ever been given, leading many to wonder how long they’d have to wait to recreate the classic kids game of “Cowboys vs. Shambling horrors from beyond the grave.”  Well wonder no more, corpse lovers, because today we learned that the content will be available on October 26, which is, technically “Very Soon.”

Because we clearly needed more reasons to stay up until 6 in the morning playing Halo: Reach multiplayer, Microsoft will be releasing the first downloadable map pack for the game on November 30.  The “Noble Map Pack” will include three new maps and 250 gamerpoints for 800 .

There may be some parallels to draw between THQ's upcoming shooter Homefront and the 1984 Patrick Swayze movie Red Dawn. Both involve a world in which the American mainland has been invaded by socialist foreign troops, with Homefront's enemies being a united Korea, and Red Dawn presenting the combined forces of the Cubans and Russians as the bad guy. Both are set, at least in part, in the beautiful countryside of Colorado with the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop. Oh, and it's probably worth pointing out that the scripts for both were written by the same person, John Milius.

October has finally settled upon us, bringing its usual cold weather, Philadelphia Phillies playoff appearances, and of course, Halloween. To help celebrate and take advantage of this spooky season, Sony is giving North American PSN members a special treat: "Midnight Movies". Beginning this Saturday (the 16th), the PlayStation Store will add one free movie rental for members signed  on between 8PM and 6AM EST (5PM-3AM PDT).