"With another cosplay gallery comes another throwback to a series we have visited before. This time around we're looking at the Marvel Vs Capcom series with a crossover character that comes from the X-Men universe. X-23 is known mostly for the appearing in X-Men comics and animated series, but since she's popping up here in VG Cosplay, you know she has some video game roots too."

Can't make it to the San Diego Comic-Con this year? Joystick Division looks at five games you can nerd out with at home when you're not checking the internet for all the latest Con news.

""Nothing but love to the people who wrote these games, but in all seriousness, what was the process by which these games were picked? I’m sure that I haven’t been exposed to the intricacies of the vast number of genres of entertainment. I’m sure my bias to the hectic nature of explosions and fallen gun shells beset with the drama of fallen comrades and tragic pasts keep me from enjoying the subtle beauteousness of The Sound of Music and what not. I’m also positive that I know nothing about wh..."

Gaming Target posts the fourth part of their weeklong look at their favorite games from 2009. Eight games will be posted every day with "The Best of the Best" appearing on Friday.

Ah it's that time of year again, when you're going to be browsing websites or running to the mall for last-minute gift-giving. I mean, really, who does Christmas shopping before the week of? Pfft.

So here's part one of our annual holiday guide. In these pages you'll find hardware and video game gift ideas. Basically we look at our reviews from 2009 and gather them up if our staff liked the products. If you're wondering why we haven't included any of the major upcoming titles, keep in ...

"6:00 AM – Slice and dice, bub.
They start out with a pretty decent title, one of those cases where the game is better than the movie. X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

10:00 AM – If only Jack Ryan had his wings.
Out of all the clues, this is the only one that has me slightly confused. So I checked where all bargain gamers like myself would go, Cheap Ass Gamer. Most users are saying it is Tom Clancy’s HAWX, so I’m going to agree for now.

Another guess is Bioshock (based on “Jack Ryan” being in..."

"Electronic Arts have today released four brand new screenshots of the Mobile videogame release, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Available now in Europe, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is the sister release to it’s console brethren, published by Activision and available now on PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable."

The NPD Group has released their hardware and software numbers for the month of May, representing sales for the United States for the four week period of May 3rd to May 30th.

Notables this month:

• UFC 2009 Undisputed has a good debut
• Wii sales see harsh drop from May 2008

Hardware numbers:
NDS: 633.5k (158.38k per week)
WII: 289.5k (72.38k per week)
360: 175.0k (43.75k per week)
PS3: 131.0k (32.75k per week)
PS2: 117.0k (29.25k per week)
PSP: 100.4k (25.1k per week)

2009 Year-to-...

"X-Men has similarities to other titles such as God of War, Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Blade. It contains similar hack ‘n’ slash gameplay that the above titles do."

"During the latest installment of the Listen Up podcast, host Garnett Lee tore into a design decision made in the recent Wolverine game that strips the hero of some of his powers, forcing players to earn them back, Metroid-style.

This anger apparently fomented during a mid-podcast bathroom break during which Lee and show regular John Davison, founder of What They Play, discussed the problem with super-hero games that involve heroes more powerful than mortal men.

quote

Garnett Lee: If you'...

"

"This game had me walk into the demo with everything against it. I’m a huge Marvel(comics) fan, I generally believe any piece of Marvel pie that Fox puts its greasy fingers in is completely ruined, and about 90% of the movie-based games that have been released have been utter crap. Needless to say, I don’t believe I was too excited when I hit the download button for the free demo on X-Box live….and how wrong I was. After playing the demo, I made two different trips to blockbuster only to find ..."

"The latest Game Informer review scores are as follows:

X-Men Origins: Wolverine 8/ SO 9
Bionic Commando 6.25/ SO 5
UFC 2009 Undisputed 8 / 8.25
Ninja Blade 7.5 / 8.25
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel 7.75 / 7
inFAMOUS (Game of the Month) 9 / SO 8.5
Punch-Out!! 9 / SO 8.25
Boom Blox Bash Party 8.75 / SO 8.75
Excitebots: Trick Racing 8.5 / SO 8.25
Broken Sword (Wii) 7
Klonoa 7
DemiGod 8 / SO 8
Patapon 2 7 / SO 8.25
Knights in the Nightmare 7 / SO 6"

"Turns out, the full game doesn't absolutely tank. Don't get me wrong, this isn't going to be the best title you ever shove into your disc drive, but X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition does rattle our expectations, especially after the last Wolverine-based video game left such a bad taste in our mouths.

With the Origins game, Activision and Raven Software have stated their goal of truly capturing Wolverine's unique character and abilities -- powerful rage attacks, animal instincts, ..."

According to a secret 'announcement' in the new X-Men Origins: Wolverine game, our beloved non-hero Deadpool it seems (emphasis on seems) will be making an appearance in the new Marvel Ultimate Alliance game (as he did with the last one), but a recent interview with Origins' project lead seems to lean more towards a game dedicated to Deadpool himself, which he states his team will likely be working on next.

Good news, ja.

Gametrailers is again in the spotlight for their comparison videos between the PS3 and 360, though not for the right reasons. It's been discovered that during one such video between the differing versions of X-men Origins: Wolverine a significant portion of the video was 360 on both sides despite labeling, unless the PS3 has a A button now in any case. While I personally don't believe they are biased against the PS3, at the very least this is very shoddy work.

"In an uncharacteristic move, Logan has snuck his way onto the European PSN Store today with nary a severed limb or exposed jugular to be seen. The hiariously violent, and surprisingly good, X-Men Origins: Wolverine demo arrives a day late, but late is better than never. It's still missing from the US Store and, we suspect, will be until the next update on Thursday. In the meantime, American PS3 owners with European accounts -- you know what to do."

"Activision has found an unusual way of advertising their X-Men Origins: Wolverine game. No, they aren't touring a nation with demo stations and swag; instead, the publisher has announced plans to sponsor a wolverine enclosure at the Edinburgh Zoo for one year.

“What better way is there to pay homage to the mighty Wolverine by making sure his real life cousins are cared for during the next year?" said Aruna Sinha, Senior Brand Manager at Activision. "With wolverines an endangered species,..."

Talk about a major head explosion. In a recent interview the awesome devs at Raven dropped a bombshell on us that may erase the taint of what FOX did to Deadpool in the upcoming Wolverine film. They already delivered a game better than the actual film, and some of us thinks FOX should have Raven just make all future X-Men based films they still have the rights to.

"As for the gameplay itself, Origins plays out exactly like a 2D side-scroller in which you plough through wave after wave of soldiers, mutants, robots etc. until you reach your goal. You are able to combine light and heavy attacks with the option of combining the moves with jumps and dashes. Wolverine will also be able to block and parry to disorientate foes, but apart from that it’s just a three hour slash fest, with so little diversity, it’s unbelievable. In fact the only relief you get is ..."

Out this week on multiple platforms is almost-newbie developer Replay Studio's Velvet Assassin, which has you playing the role of a British secret agent lady in World War II, based on the real life story of Violette Szabo.

Also up is X-Men Origins: Wolverine from Raven Software (the "mature" versions anyway), which does in fact look to be at least a step above (and away from) the usual movie tie-ins.

Finally, DS owners who also happen to be Super Robot Taisden fans have OG Saga to look ...

"Home has steadily gained momentum since the start of the Open Beta. It seems that every other week, another addition is made to the virtual world. Movie studios have taken notice of Home’s theater and the next big studio release has an exclusive clip just for Home users. Go to the Home Theater tonight at 8:00 pm PST/ 11:00 pm EST and see the new clip after it goes live."

Activision sent out an invite last week to several video game media outlets, inviting them to their headquarters in Santa Monica, California for a hands-on preview of their upcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine game. Neoseeker was one of the few who answered the call. Read about our afternoon at Activision and what we thought of the game.

Sandwiches and severed limbs everywhere!

"Check out seven new screenshots that Activision released for X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Set roughly twenty years before X-Men, the film will focus on Wolverine's violent past, and his early encounters with William Stryker. The Weapon X program and his interactions with other mutants will be explored, including his relationship with his half-brother Sabretooth."

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine is disarmingly violent. After watching NPC’s crudely decapitated, de-limbed, and disemboweled, any thoughtful, intelligent criticism or comment was pushed aside for me to mumble an “Uh, woa,” or a “Did they just, wow, they did that.” If you have any concerns that Wolverine’s latest videogame foray, brought to us by Raven Software and Amaze Entertainment by way of publisher Activision, lacks the visceral viscera that makes Wolverine one of the most brutal, animalistic ..."

"Snikt! Unleash those adamantium claws, bub. We're watching the first ever trailer for the upcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine game. It's in pure CG animation and looks almost exactly like what you see in the trailers for the movie. Man, the only thing lacking here in this trailer is Deadpool. (Well, yeah, him and a whole bunch of gameplay footage too.)
"

"Moments ago Electronic Theatre received an updated release schedule of Activision-Blizzard products. The new schedule contains both Pimp My Ride 2 and X-Men 4 – which we can assume represents X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

"Raven showed us the fruits of their labor -- slices of a few different areas and a boss encounter -- during a recent trip to their Madison, WI, offices. While they weren't ready to put the controller in our hands, two things are eminently clear even from watching: Origins looks to stay true to the most appealing aspects of the character, and the polished presentation will surprise anyone clinging to the cynical "movie game" stigma."