Mark your calendars for three days in March, as Capcom has announced the release dates for Mega Man 10.  In a really frustrating move, the company has settled on a staggered release schedule for the downloadable game, giving Nintendo Wii players first crack at the adventure on March 1, while Sony PlayStation 3 owners must wait until March 11 and Microsoft Xbox 360 enthusiasts have to gaze longingly through the cold, icy window until March 31.  Anyone looking to earn proper Trophies or Achievements will have to wait a bit.  It's not all disheartening news though, as Capcom has also revealed the eight special weapons that Mega Man acquires from each Robot Master along with new character artwork depicting the blue bomber in action with said weapons.  Check 'em all out at the Capcom-Unity blog.  Much like how the new Robot Masters borrow little design elements from past Mega Man bosses, some of the weapons seem a little familiar.  The Wheel Cutter looks to behave a lot like Wheel Gator's Spin Wheel weapon from Mega Man X2, while the Rebound Striker has similar traits to the reviled Mega Ball from Mega Man 8 (at least it doesn't have to be kicked this time).  Set aside your $10 and clear your schedule now.  Dr. Wily is waiting.

Hopefully by now you've had the opportunity to play A Boy and His Blob for Nintendo's Wii from Majesco and WayForward.  The charming, highly rated game is easy to fall for (it has a dedicated hug button, as you'll recall), but not everything about it was a peaches and cream jellybean.  Gamasutra has an in-depth postmortem article from the game's director, Sean Velasco, in which the game's strengths and failures are discussed for our benefit.  There's even a little history behind the project mentioned early in the piece:

We got the idea to pitch a new A Boy and His Blob game after spending some time playing the original NES game. I was getting frustrated with the mechanics of David Crane's quirky puzzle platformer, mostly because they were so brilliant! However, the implementation leaves a lot to be desired.  We began to brainstorm new transformations and mechanics, and a seed for a pretty cool Blob game was planted. This sort of thing happens all the time at WayForward -- but this time, we knew the owners of the IP.

Majesco acquired the rights to A Boy and His Blob when the original owners, Absolute, went out of business. WayForward and Majesco had been talking about working together for a while, so we simply put together an awesome pitch and sent it their way. We met to discuss in person at E3 2008, and the rest is history.  Originally pitched as a small WiiWare title, we instead turned the idea into a full-blown boxed Wii game. Pleased with our fortunes, we were quite excited as the realization struck... how were we going to pull this off?

For all that held up development, the final product feels exceptionally polished.  I can see where some of the rough patches were now in hindsight, but I'm glad that the development team learned from their mistakes and improved their skills while bringing the Boy and the Blob to life.  I'd expect to see them take things to the next level if they ever create a sequel.

Sony is already at work on a firmware update to make the PlayStation 3 capable of working with upcoming unannounced 3D video games.  As Engadget reveals from an interview at Pocket Lint, this summer will see the first in what will no doubt be a series of firmware updates designed to turn the PS3 into a 3D powerhouse.  First up for compatibility?  Sony's own BRAVIA line of LCD televisions.

Get your active shutter glasses ready: your PS3 is going to go 3D this Summer. In conjunction with the release of its 3D BRAVIA LCD sets, Sony is planning to release updates to turn the PS3 both into a stereoscopic 3D gaming platform, in addition to a 3D Blu-ray compatible movie player. Sure, we knew Sony was planning to give us 3D sometime this year, but now that we've got a summer time frame we can plan our wardrobe decisions according -- jean cut-offs, here we come!

Are you ready for 3D TV? You'd better say yes! Hollywood and related entertainment media are pouring millions of dollars and fast-tracking 3D development after you helped make Avatar so profitable, so you'd better appreciate it. The thing is, I can't get a straight answer on just how 3D TV will enrich our lives as it empties our wallets and purses and what I'll need to do to buy my way into it. So far I've heard that I will need a new 3D-capable television, that I won't need a new 3D-capable television because a firmware update will upgrade my existing TV, that I'll need to wear goofy glasses, that I won't need to wear goofy glasses, that I'll have to wear decent-looking glasses that have to plug directly into the television, and all other kinds of contradictory nonsense. I really hope that some of these 3D games are available to try at E3 this year because I need to see how this technology works firsthand before I'm ready to form an opinion. I have a sinking feeling that after all of this fuss, the shark will still look fake.

If you've ever read any of my Beyond Beeps articles then you know how much I love quality video game music, so when the opportunity was presented to write a long feature article over at Kombo about favorite gaming soundtracks, fellow Kombonaut Eric Frederiksen and I jumped at it.  We've put the finishing touches on our look at more than twenty game soundtracks and included audio samples of our absolute favorites covering both modern and retro music along with a little commentary.  You'll find the usual suspects like Super Mario Galaxy and Mega Man 2 as well as more obscure selections from titles like Sonic Heroes, Maniac Mansion, and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.  Sit back, open your ears, and enjoy.  We're also giving away BioShock 2 and its soundtrack at the end of the article, so check that out, too.

Capcom's Mega Man went off the rails for a while in the 1990s as he attempted to dominate other gaming genres beyond his traditional action/platformer role.  He turned up in a video board game informally called Rockboard, for instance, and later went on to appear in his first sports game, Mega Man Soccer.  One could even count the FMV adventure Super Adventure Rockman among the "Really?" pile of the blue bomber's biography.  Another of his out-of-place titles is the Mario Kartesque also-ran for the Sony PlayStation, Battle & Chase, in which Mega Man and the Robot Masters battle and chase each other across various racetracks.  Planned for a 1997 release in North America after a successful Japanese launch, the localization must have been scrapped at the last minute because advertisements for it appeared in gaming magazines of the time.  Vintage Computing and Gaming has a scan of the ad in which players are implored to start their engines for a race that wouldn't actually be officially available until 2006 when Battle & Chase appeared as part of the Mega Man X Collection.  For a neat detail, check out Mega Man's driver's license and note his date of birth.  December 17, 1986 is the release date of the original Mega Man game in Japan.  How often do you see an advertisement that respects continuity?

No sooner have I practically begged that publishers take an active role in creating well-crafted books packed with concept and production artwork of famous beloved characters than word comes that an art book focusing on Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider franchise is nearing its February release date.  Featuring art, sketches, and storyboards from each and every Tomb Raider game up through 2008's Underworld, the two-volume set is to see a very limited printing and sell for $110 each.  Here comes The Art of Tomb Raider.

The Art of Tomb Raider is the first book to present every significant piece of Tomb Raider art from all the games and adventures of Lara Croft. This gallery of art is presented in a two volume, 568 page book. Volume 1 chronicles Tomb Raider through Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness. Volume 2 chronicles Tomb Raider: Legend through Tomb Raider: Underworld. The two volume set is house in a slipcase.  See the first ever sketches of Lara Croft by Toby Gard, unreleased concept art, storyboards and promotional art and fascinating insights into the evolution of design and visualization of all the Tomb Raider games.

There's even a super limited $500 edition that contains original autographed Lara Croft artwork suitable for framing (the Lettered Edition).  This is exactly the kind of thing that I want to see more companies create, although ideally for a lower price.  It's a shame that I'm not more of a Tomb Raider fan because I just can't justify spending $110 on this, but I'm still glad that it's being produced.

(via Joystiq)

Today is the day that those awaiting Dante's Inferno from Electronic Arts for the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 can finally go to hell as the game heads to stores.  To celebrate the launch of the title, several members of the development team including the producer and combat designer are chatting with fans, listening to feedback, and telling development war stories online from 5pm - 8pm ET today.  If you have a question or a comment to share or just what to hear tales of the creative process, here is your chance. See you in hell! Yeah, I know that doesn't sound quite right either.

After hitting the mainstream big time in 2008 with their work on the official soundtrack for Capcom's Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix for the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360, the talented musicians at video game soundtrack community OverClocked Remix aren't ready to hang up their instruments just yet.  When the hypothetical possibility of the group handling the soundtrack for Sega's recently announced Sonic the Hedgehog 4 was raised today via Twitter, there appeared to be some interest.

We'd need to grease some palms to score Sonic 4 BUT WE'D DO IT :-D SnappleMan could handle boss themes.

Considering how much of the OCRemix library's collection of Sonic the Hedgehog music definitively rocks, I would feel comfortable with the group handling Sonic 4's collection of background tunes.  Impossibly unlikely?  I'm afraid so.  Amazing potential opportunity?  You know it!  The community is starting to try a little online persuasion towards Sega in order to land the gig.  Here's hoping something positive comes of it.

(via self-fulfilling prophecy)

We have a double-dose of Kombo Breaker this week as in addition to the special BioShock 2 edition we also have our usual weekly show. This week we have our old friend Garth Chouteau of PopGame Games in the guest seat to discuss Bejeweled Blitz, new iPhone titles, expanded support for home consoles, and some exciting news about PopCap titles coming to Nintendo's Wii. As if that's not enough, we also have Kombo's own Keri Honea sitting in with us to pitch her own PopCap proposals. It's forty-five minutes of exciting information, Bejeweled bragging, and even a little peek into the PopCap hiring process (hint: it involves evil laughter). Download this week's episode directly from Kombo or subscribe via iTunes.

2K Games's eagerly awaited BioShock 2 launches today for the Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, and PC, but before you step into the shoes of a Big Daddy, why not learn what went into the making of the game?  Late last week a few members of the development team sat down for a phone conference in which they discussed the development process, and rather than just provide a brief transcript of their remarks, I recorded the whole hour-long conversation that we're now presenting as a special extra edition of Kombo Breaker.  Would you kindly listen to it?  Download the special episode directly from Kombo or subscribe via iTunes.