According to Andrew Oliver of Blitz Games, trading in games loses so much revenue, it’s comparable to piracy. Oliver states that it’s actually worse than computer piracy, as the act of re-selling a game is legal, and is encouraged by most stores. The guys over at Blitz Games have developed many amazing titles, meaning whatever they say has to be completely and undoubtedly true. Joking aside, Oliver presents a meaningful point, and it’s interesting to think about its effect on the industry.

Xbox Live Arcade has kind of been dead with big releases lately. I think the last game I purchased on XBLA was Shadow Complex back in the summer of 2009. Since then I haven’t heard much booming from that portion of Xbox Live’s package. However today I caught a glimpse of the debut trailer for Ancients of Ooga, an upcoming indie-developed title for the platform. It looks like an odd throw-back to SNES-era gaming with its 2D perspective and unusual soundtrack. You can see the game yourself via the trailer below:

The next installment to Electronic Arts’ establish skate series is now out for your buying and playing pleasure. The developer decided to celebrate the event by releasing a launch trailer for the game. If you like skating in real life as well as video games this wonderful trailer should both excite you and hype you up to discover for once you’ll be sitting on your ass… but on a comfortable couch, instead of gravel after wiping out. Here’s the dope trailer:

Do you like Fallout? Do you like collecting things? Do you like New things? Do you like Vegas? Then the Collector’s Edition of Fallout: New Vegas should be the perfect package for you. Bethesda just revealed what the special edition of New Vegas entails. The full details are below but from a quick glance I saw making of DVD, graphic novel, and some in-game replication into real life memorabilia. Here are the rest of the details:

One of the highest acclaimed games of 2009 was Assassin’s Creed II, garnering numerous Game of the Year nominations and praise from critics across the board it was a mystery where the franchise would go next. Today Ubisoft answered with: MULTIPLAYER. It’s important to note that this is not Assassin’s Creed III, instead it’s more of a side development for the series. There is still single player in Brotherhood, but the focus is on Ezio (from AC2) controlling troops of assassins to take down the Templars. Read for yourself:

Rockstar Games has been trying to implement their “Rockstar Social Club” network in their recent releases, but the only one that’s had any success so far is Grand Theft Auto IV back in 2008. Well they’re pushing the free service again with Red Dead Redemption. This time around you’ll be able to keep single player and multiplayer stats, but also unlock exclusive cheats, and content if you fulfill certain specifications. I’ll let the guys at Rockstar explain it themselves:

The popular UK video game store, GAME, has responded to claims made by unhappy employees at the company. As a result of reducing working hours, and closing stores nationwide, employees have become furious, making a Facebook group dedicated to raise these issues with the company.

Despite being so near the release date, Remedy Entertainment announced that Alan Wake 2’s plot has already been decided. Regarded as the ‘second season,’ it is apparent that the developer plans to go further with the series. However, the next instalment isn’t guaranteed, as Remedy has stated future ‘seasons’ are dependent on this games success.

According to Mikko Rautalahti, the and the development team behind Alan Wake, would have to be “goddamn idiots to not be satisfied” with the critical success that the game has received.  Things have been so good that Rautalahti states that if the sales make it viable, a sequel will definitely be in the cards.  But that’s just a common denominator to the equation.

Ever since Hironobu Sakaguchi left Square Enix to form his own development studio, he has been a strong supporter of the Xbox 360.  According to comment made to Famitsu in a recent interview Sakaguchi is still rallying around the 360, proclaiming that he expects the news surrounding the console will be a big deal.

If you’re a fan of Capcom’s Verses series, then you were probably ecstatic when the news and trailer for Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 was revealed.  But aside from the inclusion of Chris Redfield in the trailer, many were wondering who else would the game feature.

A few years ago I was taking an English class when the teacher derailed the conversation from what we were talking about onto marketing and how to turn negatives into positives. Specifically he recalled speaking to a studio executive who was in charge of Alexander’s PR and said one of the key decisions was to say the film was “Epic. Not Long.” That’s where today’s podcast gets its name. I’m not saying its length is a negative, but this might be a good episode to save for a plane flight or road trip. We cover a lot of ground, and have some interesting discussions and debate. Check out the detailed show notes:

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands doesn’t come out until May 18th, but you can see 1/256th (that is not a calculated decimal) of it by watching the first two minutes of the introduction sequence right here! The short clip depicts the prince’s setup for his latest journey, and a lot of pretty FMV sequences of guys stabbing each other in the face. It’s good to hear the old voice actor is back, can’t wait for the final game to be release. You can watch the trailer below:

As we get closer to release of Red Dead Redemption we learn more and more about what’s the game entails. In this particular trailer we get a look at some of the cast of characters that will populate the world of Redemption. Two factions, the revolutionaries, and the current mexican government are at odds on what their land should be like. From the looks of things, it appears that you’ll be fighting for both sides at some point in order for your own benefit (classic Rockstar style). Take a look at the trailer:

We here at TalkXbox have been enjoying the Split/Second demo quite a bit (check it out on Xbox Live Marketplace) but you can’t learn everything about a game from a simple demo. However if you spend an hour with one of the developers and ask him a thousand questions about power plays, you can learn a hell of a lot. Earlier today we were invited to sit in on a listen-only interview featuring Nick Baynes, the director of Black Rock Studios. We have the full mp3 for your listening pleasure below: