Michael Jackson Game Titled and Detailed

Ubisoft's E3 Press Event brought us the grim exciting news that a Michael Jackson dancing game is on the way- and they've finally decided to give it a name. Entitled Michael Jackson: The Experience (no jokes, I beg you), this multiplatform title is set to utilise each platform's peripherals in a unique way.

The Kinect version is slated to project a 3D image of the player onto the screen (in order that you can see what you're doing... and to make sure that you don't moonwalk into anything breakable), whereas the Wii version is said to function as a traditional rhythm game along the lines of Elite Beat Agents. There's no word yet as to how the PS3 version will function, but it's been confirmed to utilise the Move controller and a microphone for a dedicated singing feature. Personally I hope that it's a next-gen Moonwalker revival... but that's just me.

Blizzard Backs Out of Real ID

For those who've been following the World of Warcraft scene this past week, Blizzard recently came up with the controversial plan of forcing the use of real names on the Battle.net forums... and was met by a massive (and well-deserved) surge of opposition. Predictably, Blizzard has now U-turned on the decision after the potential dangers of identity theft and online crime was brought to their attention in a big way.

The violent and intense backlash from Blizzard forum dwellers culminated in Bobby Kotick's personal information being plastered all over the site in order to demonstrate how easy it is to research addresses, phone numbers and family details. On a slightly more malicious note, a forum mod who signed up to the real ID scheme has had his school history, employment history and even information about his family splashed all over the place. I personally don't entirely approve of the means by which the aggrieved fans made their point... but it has effectively demonstrated the weakness in the Real ID scheme. The end justifies the means, I suppose. [Blizzard]

Popcap Tease Plants vs Zombies 2 or Console Release?

A mysterious piece of PopCap artwork has been doing the rounds today, depicting a decaying zombie hand clutching an enigmatic sign. Using a blend of guile, experience and good old fashioned detective work (and... you know ... the picture of the golden gate bridge and S.F. initials right there in the corner) we've deduced that something involving zombies will be occurring on August 2nd in San Francisco. Naturally, this has got to be an announcement of Plants vs Zombies 2 (the sequel to their wildly successful tower defence phenomenon) or a release of the original for home consoles.

We love PopCap here at Dealspwn, and we'll be keeping a close eye on San Fran early next month. And yes, we'll be wearing ribbons in our hair. Or our brainless bleeding scalps if our plant defences are breached. [Thanks, PC Gamer]

DeathSpank Trailer Demos Epic Weapons

DeathSpank, the action RPG from legendary games developer Ron Gilbert, will be hitting XBLA and PSN next week... and frankly we can't wait. To get you in the mood and introduce you to Ron's trademark humour (that fueled the likes of the Monkey Island series), the latest trailer details the epic weapons that you;'ll be wielding on you quest.

I won't spoil it for you. Enjoy.

Day Zero of E3 has finished... and what a day it's been. We've had animatronic elephants, new consoles, great games and a few surprises along the way...  but wouldn't it be nice to cut through the fat and get everything in one convenient place? With easily- accessed trailers? Well worry not... because we've got what's yours.

Ubisoft!

• Driver: San Francisco Trailered and Dated for Christmas. The latest iteration in the Driver franchise will be hitting stores this holiday season. Why not check it out courtesy of G4? Engines roaring and tyres squealing? Yes please.
• Mizuguchi Unveils Child of Eden. We recently reported that Tetsuya Mizuguchi's spiritual sequel to Rez was in the pipeline- and it's finally been trailered. This is well worth getting excited about... as it's the first hardcore game designed specifically for Kinect and Playstation Move. We're psyched to try this out on Kinect as it'll feel like conducting an orchestra made out of lethal space lasers.
• Michael Jackson Dancing Game. Ever wanted to boogie down to the setlist of a controversial dead pop star? Well now you can. Details are thin on the ground, but it's tipped to be Kinect and Move compatible. Cross-platform release suggests that it'll also be compatible with dance mats.
• Project Dust Announced. Eric Chalhi, creator of the cult classic Another World, is the brainchild behind Project Dust: a soulful, beautiful and slightly depressing adventure of a dying tribe's attempt to harness elemental magic. Well worth checking out the trailer!
• Future Soldier Trailered. New Cross-Com? Invisible shenanigans? In 3D? Okay then.

EA!

• Criterion's Hot Pursuit Named and Dated for November 16th. Criterion's take on the Need for Speed franchise has been officially named Hot Pursuit... and it's looking extremely hot even at this early stage. Expect fast cars, realistic damage and big explosions. This is Criterion, after all.
• Battlefield Bad Company 2: Vietnam Announced; Dated for winter. In direct competition with CoD: Black Ops, EA has trailered a Vietnam FPS based around Bad Company's deformable terrain and spot-on squad banter. Vietnam's a perfect setting for a ragtag band of cynical, sarcastic heroes- and well be keeping our eye on this one.
• Love Shooters? Join the Gun Club! EA's announced a new VIP scheme for shooter fans that will give us early access to FPS DLC, betas and Demos. It's yet another way of clawing some DLC money out of us ahead of time, but it's set to be a fairly attractive package.
• Medal of Honor Beta Hits June 21st. EA's set to revamp the MoH franchise in the wake of Infinity Ward's collapse- and beta signups start later this month.
• Bulletstorm to release February 2011. We're psyched for Bulletstorm here at Dealspwn. Now we're psyched for next February! Why not check out our preview?
• Dead Space 2 Dated for January 28th. Apparently there'll be loads of juicy new details at Sony's Presser. We'll keep you posted, but at least it's finally been dated.
• EA Sports MMA Dated for October. EA's revealing more dates than my cheating ex-girlfriend used to go on. Cheap puns aside, we're looking forward to some serious martial arts action.

Microsoft!

• New Slim Xbox 360 Headed to Stores. This is the big one, folks. Don't let the Cirque Du Soleil and videos of horrendously embarrassing families distract you, because this is probably the most important news of the entire expo thus far. Microsoft's new slim 360 has built in WiFi (about time), a sleek new form factor and looks like the lovechild of an Alienware rig and the Batmobile. However, its internal hard drive means that it won't be compatible with existing Xbox HDDs- meaning that you'll need to transfer your data over with an HDD Transfer cable or the rumoured improved online data transfer facility that's currently in development.
• Crytek to develop Xbox 360 Exclusive. Kingdoms, an action game in the God of War vein, has been trailered and blown wide open. This is a a megaton, guys!
• Halo Reach will have playable Space Combat and Firefight mode. Bungie showed off a singleplayer campaign demo that's looking mighty fine indeed. Expect full 3D space combat and more addictive multiplayer horde mode shenanigans.
• MGS Rising will let us cut stuff up. Kojima's recent obsession with cutting things (yeah, we called it) has finally led to the first gameplay trailer of his latest project. Yeah, we called it. Expect brutal combat and lots of discarded watermelons to practice on.
• CoD Black Ops DLC is a timed 360 exclusive. Xbox owners can get their hands on any and all Black Ops DLC before anyone else. MW2 fans will already know the drill.
• Kinect is Coming. Been there, pundited on that. All the games and hardware previewed for your delectation... Felix and I have Kinect handled.

That's day one down... with Nintendo set to peddle its wares later on this afternoon. It's time to ask the important (and immature) question: Who's Winning E3? Let us know what you think in the comments!

It’s the end of the week and today’s News Roundup sees an Xbox 360 ‘Favourite’ coming to the PS3, a mysterious new horror game Calling coming to the Wii, a brand new Michael Jackson game heading for a Xmas release and Bioshock 2 recruiting four different developers to work on the game.

Playstation 3 To Receive 360 Favourite

Although no specifics can be revealed for a while yet, it has been confirmed the Playstation 3 has acquired the rights to a popular Xbox 360 exclusive. The title will be released near the end of the year, and more information will be available in around a month’ time.  Watch this space.  [TheSixthAxis]

Wii Calling

The Wii remote has found many uses in games over the years, from turning keys to washing elephants, but this is by far the scariest.  Konami’s new horror game for the Wii, titled Calling, uses the Wii remote as a cell phone, with the player receiving calls through the Wiimote speaker from some kind of spirit.

The story is based on a website that puts visitors in a deadly coma - think The Ring except with websites. If the users manage to use the chat rooms they receive a call from Abyss, then entering ‘Border’, an afterlife where apparently the game takes place.   Calling will be hitting the Wii in early 2010.  [1UP]

Michael Jackson Gets A New Game

Many Michael Jackson fans requested the re-release of Sega Mega-Drive game Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker upon his death a few weeks back.   Little did they know they would be treated to a brand new Michael Jackson game.

MJ productions have apparently been working on a Michael Jackson title for several months, featuring many of his “most iconic hits”.  Jackson’s unexpected death will not affect progress according to MJ productions and is slated in for a Xmas 09 release, most likely appearing on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.  [MCVUK]

Bioshock Has Four Developers

To make sure Bioshock 2 hits its intended release date on November 3rd a total of four different development houses has been involved in the project. 2K Marin have used original Bioshock collaborator 2K Australia to develop the game’s technological component, Digital Extremes was also picked up to develop the games multiplayer content.  Now Arcane studios have been signed to help with “design, animation, and art”.

BioShock 2 is due to hit store shelves on November 3 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, and 2K Marin has had no shortage of help in seeing that happen. Along with tapping original BioShock collaborator 2K Australia for the game's technological component, 2K Games signed on Dark Sector developer Digital Extremes to craft the game's multiplayer component.  [Gamespot]