Vancouver 2010 cover athletes revealed

SEGA of America is partnering with top American and Canadian gold medal contenders Lindsey Vonn (USA; alpine skiing), Seth Wescott (USA; snowboard cross), Kristina Groves (Canada; speed skating) and Matthew Morison (Canada; snowboard) to appear on the cover of the upcoming video game Vancouver 2010 - The Official Video Game of the Olympic Winter Games.

The game will be available for purchase at North American retailers on January 12th, 2010 for the Xbox 360, the PS3 and the PC via digital download.

The games are being developed by Eurocom Entertainment Software. Find out more at www.olympicvideogames.com.

White Stripes make Rock Band debut next week

Harmonix and MTV Games will release a three pack of tracks from The White Stripes and singles from The Damned and Kasabian will be added next week to the Rock Band Music Store for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii.

Tracks from No Doubt and Dropkick Murphys will be available for download next week for Rock Band Unplugged on PSP.

Sadly, no LEGO Rock Band content mentioned unless I am missing something here, which Is highly doubtful. Anyway, here’s the completel list:

Available on Xbox 360 and Wii (Nov. 10) and PlayStation 3 system (Nov. 12):

- The Damned – “Smash It Up (Part II)” 

- Kasabian – “Club Foot”

- The White Stripes – “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground”

- The White Stripes – “Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine”

- The White Stripes – “Icky Thump”

Tracks available for Rock Band Unplugged (Nov. 12):

- No Doubt – “Excuse Me Mr.”

- Dropkick Murphys – “I’m Shipping Up to Boston”

DICE preps for Bad Company 2 PS3 multiplayer beta

DICE today announced the upcoming Battlefield: Bad Company 2 multiplayer beta, which is apparently an exclusively on the PlayStation 3. Starting November 19, PlayStation 3 owners will be able to experience the multiplayer action, destruction, vehicular warfare, squad play and open sandbox environments that make up the Battlefield recipe.

In December of this year a PC open beta will launch and early in 2010 DICE plans to release the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 multiplayer DEMO on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will be in stores on March 2, 2010 in North America and March 5, 2010 in Europe for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the PC.

Those interested in signing up for the beta should visit www.battlefield.com for beta key distribution details.

MLB, LucasFilm content now on PlayStation Network

MLB and LucasFilm content is now available on PlayStation Network’s video delivery service, if you care. This means that a variety of downloadable entertainment and sports content will now be available from the PlayStation Store. The first piece of content from LucasFilms will be the StarWars: The Clone Wars animated series that airs on Cartoon Network.

Meanwhile, MLB is offering the current 2009 World Series featuring the Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Yankees (in case you’ve missed any of the games so far), and also a section with classic games.

A new partnership with Image Entertainment also brings feature films like Powder Blue and Management, whole a deal with MPI Media Group brings in such classics as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and a deal with ContentFilm International delivers Hurly Burly and Interstate 60 to the PlayStation Store. Look for this and other new content on the PlayStation Network beginning today.

Rocking your blocks off: LEGO Rock Band released

Warner Bros. Interactive has released LEGO Rock Band, much to the delight of kids and adults alike - assuming the game is good, of course. Combining Rock and Roll with the popular building blocks, LEGO Rock Band adds LEGO style into the Rock Band formula. The game features 45 songs and at launch and lets players of all skill levels play bass, drums, guitar and mic to such songs from Queen, Foo Fighters, Jackson 5, The All-American Rejects, Jimi Hendrix, Good Charlotte, Tom Petty and more.

Unique to LEGO Rock Band is the introduction of Rock Power Challenges, where players can harness the power of rock to pull off killer riffs that have the ability to do crazy things like demolish a building, stop an angry octopus or send players on wild missions. Naturally the game promises build-and-play elements that let players customize their own experience by creating a minifigure avatar, band and entourage.

The game will also be supported by the Rock Band Store’s regular release of weekly content as well, with some tunes already ready for purchase. LEGO Rock Band is available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and various incarnations of the DS.

Dragon Age: Origins in stores

BioWare’s newest action RPG, Dragon Age: Origins, is now in stores and available for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC. Dragon Age present an original RPG created by BioWare, best known for creating such hits as Neverwinter Nights and Mass Effect. Dragon Age: Origins introduces a dark and gritty approach to the fantasy genre where players must make ruthless decisions and be willing to sacrifice their friends and loved ones for the greater good of mankind. Several downloadable content packs are also now available, including Warden’s Keep, The Stone Prisoner and the Blood Dragon Armor.

The Stone Prisoner gives players access to new environments, items, hours of additional gameplay and the stone golem Shale who can become one of the most powerful party members in the game. The Warden’s Keep DLC provides a new dungeon-exploring adventure, new loot including a set of ancient Grey Warden armor, a chance to gain two of six mysterious new abilities, a new base complete with merchants and a party chest to store their hard-earned items. In addition, BioWare has released the Blood Dragon Armor DLC, a set of themed armor that gives players additional protection in combat and will be available for use in both Dragon Age: Origins on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC and in Mass Effect 2 on the Xbox 360 and PC.

Dragon Age: Origins is available today in North America on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. In Europe, Dragon Age: Origins will be released on November 6th on the Xbox 360 and PC and later in November on PlayStation 3. The game is rated M by the ESRB and 18+ by PEGI.

For more information on the game check out www.dragonage.com.

Jesper Kyd scores Assassin’s Creed II

If you didn’t know, Jesper Kyd has created the soundtrack for Ubisoft’s upcoming third-person stealth action game, Assassin’s Creed II. Kyd scored the first game’s soundtrack and hopes to bring the same kind of magic to the follow-up - an atmospheric score that offers a “new direction and crafts an immensely diverse, melodic and progressive musical palette featuring acoustic and symphonic orchestrations with emotional depth and diversity.” Sounds fanciful and footloose. The original score was recorded with a Hollywood orchestra and choir at the Capitol Studios. The Assassin’s Creed II Original Soundtrack will be available for digital download from popular music stores on November 16th.

The game is scheduled to launch on November 17th, 2009 for the PS3, Xbox 360 and the PC. For more information about Assassin’s Creed II, visit www.assassinscreed.com.