The first teaser trailer for online casinoRatchet & Clank: A Crack in Time has been released. The time-travelling action-adventure game is due out on PS3 this fall.

Going the Dead Space route, EA today announced that they have partnered with Starz Media’s Film Roman to start production on an animated movie based on the upcoming Dante’s Inferno videogame. The film will expand on the story in the game which is due out next year on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Following the story set by the legendary epic poem, the film will explore hell through Dante’s eyes as he searches for his true love, Beatrice. The film will combine some of the best talent in the animation industry – Film Roman’s Joe Goyette (Dead Space: Downfall) is the producer on the project, Victor Crook (The Spectacular Spider-man, Hellboy Animated: Blood & Iron) is directing and Brandon Auman (Iron Man: Armored Adventures) is writing.

“This is like nothing else out in the marketplace right now – a visually stunning project based on one of the most powerful stories ever told,” notes Jay Fukuto, Head of Studio for Film Roman. “It could only happen with a partner with the vision and creativity of EA. They were great collaborators on ‘Dead Space: Downfall,’ and we expect another very rewarding experience with this new feature.”

The animated film will most probably be released alongside the game.

ESRB has put up listings which suggest that Max Payne and Max Payne 2 are headed to the Xbox 360. This may refer to either a release through Xbox Live Arcade or through downloadable Xbox Originals, seeing as how the shooters are playable on the console through backwards compatibility.

It is also in time for Max Payne 3, which was announced by Rockstar just some time ago. The second sequel arrives this winter on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Another week, another Wii-kly update! This week sees the arrival of two new games, one each for WiiWare and Virtual Console.

WiiWare

Bonsai Barber (Nintendo, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone-Comic Mischief, 1,000 Wii Points): The village residents are hungry for the latest in foliage fashion, and it’s up to you, the new barber, to fix them up. Use the tools of your trade: scissors, clippers, spray can, and more in this humorous, first-of-its-kind "first-person-groomer" game. Bonsai Barber features a colorful cast of 12 intriguing customers, including a temperamental shallot starlet (don’t call her an onion), an oddball strawberry boffin, a cactus cowboy, a daredevil carrot, and a suave banana with top-secret clearance. Each day, five customers arrive to test your stylistic skill. If the customer requests a specific style, you’ll plow that furrow, or you can rely on your expertise to pick from more than 30 popular fashions. Or, why not turn over a new leaf? Be creative and see how they react. They’re a demanding bunch, so if you miss an appointment, you’ll hear about it-on your Wii Message Board. If you do a good job, you may receive a gift or even a postcard from an exotic destination as your happy customers travel to distant lands and show off their exquisite coifs.

Virtual Console

Super Punch-Out!! (Super NES™, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): Featuring the tight game play and humor the series is known for, this sequel to the NES™ classic sees Little Mac return to the ring with the World Video Boxing Association belt once again at stake. Slug your way through the grueling, sweat-pounding matches of the Minor, Major and World Circuits as you face off against some of Little Mac’s greatest rivals, such as Bear Hugger, Bald Bull and Super Macho Man. With a cast of new challengers waiting, do you have what it takes to identify their unique patterns and exploit their weaknesses? Go to your corner and come out fighting, but remember what Doc Louis would say: "It’s not about brawling-it’s about finesse!"

Codemasters today announced that Ken Block, the multi-medal-winning Subaru Rally Team USA driver and co-founder of DC Shoes, has been signed on as one of the key motorsport athletes who will be featured in Colin McRae: DIRT 2.

X Games team-mate of the late Colin McRae, Block is at the forefront of a new breed of pro drivers, competing as Subaru Rally Team USA Driver #43 in the Rally America National Championship and the world-famous X Games. He has also gained notoriety for his mind-blowing stunts in his Subaru WRX STI. For Colin McRae: DiRT 2, Block is working with the development team at Codemasters Studios as technical consultant, lending his wealth of knowledge to the game and advising on car handling.

“Colin McRae is one of the main reasons that I am a rally driver. He is a big inspiration to me and the way I drive my rally car,” said Ken Block. “It’s really an honour to be a contributor to the creation of Colin McRae: DiRT 2 and to be able to continue the passion that Colin had for rally and for these videogames.”

They have released a video where Block discusses his relationship with the legendary driver and how he was inspired by McRae to pursue his own career.

Not just any force of guinea pigs is headed our way, as Disney Interactive Studios today announced that they have enlisted an elite force of guinea pigs to star in the upcoming G-Force video game, inspired by the forthcoming Walt Disney film.

Scheduled for release this July on PC, PS2, PSP, PS3, Xbox 360, DS and Wii, the action-platform game has guinea pigs use high-tech gadgets and specialized talents to complete dangerous missions. Here’s the scoop:

Players control Darwin, the G-Force team leader, and housefly surveillance commando Mooch. Darwin and Mooch team up with the rest of G-Force to use their unique high-tech gadgets, stealth mastery, and pint-sized teamwork to save the world from a robot army of evil household appliances. G-Force features innovative gameplay with a unique sense of scale and puzzle solving that requires players to manipulate environments or enemies, including evil household appliances like waffle irons, water coolers and vacuum cleaners to complete their mission.

It is being developed by Eurocom, while the DS and PSP versions are being handled by Keen Games.

Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that Toby Keith will make his Rock Band debut through six tracks on the online music store this week. Keith is one of the major players in the music industry and has sold more than 25 million albums this century.

The six-pack features a compilation of his most popular songs spanning his entire career including his first number-one hit “Should’ve Been a Cowboy”. The other songs are “How Do You Like Me Now”, “Beer For My Horses”, “Who’s Your Daddy”, “I Love This Bar” and “She’s a Hottie”.

Each track will cost $1.99 (160 points), with the six pack going for $9.99 (800 points).

Lionhead head Peter Molyneux dropped some new details on what’s in store for Fable 2.

Speaking to Kotaku, he revealed that the next DLC “See the Future” should be released in the coming weeks and that it will be more story driven than the first DLC (Knothole Island).

Said Molyneux: "It answers some of the questions, if you’re a real fan of Fable…it starts to tease and hint at what it starting to happen in the world of Albion and what is happening in the future.”

He also hinted at Fable 3, noting that those who play the upcoming DLC will get a taste of what is to come.

A new trailer shows off the wintery playgrounds to be found in the upcoming “Snowblind” map pack DLC for Gears of War 2.

Writing on the official Sims 3 website, The Sims label head Rod Humble announced that The Sims 3 will feature greatly simplified copy protection with no online activation.

The game will have disc-based copy protection – there is a Serial Code just like The Sims 2. To play the game there will not be any online authentication needed.

We feel like this is a good, time-proven solution that makes it easy for you to play the game without DRM methods that feel overly invasive or leave you concerned about authorization server access in the distant future.

EA was recently criticized for its use of DRM in Spore where users had to call the company to activate their game if it was installed more than three times.

Sony Computer Entertainment today announced Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time, the latest entry in the popular action-adventure franchise. Here’s the deal:

Concluding the events that began in Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction and Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty, Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time will answer some of the franchise fans’ biggest questions. After discovering that lovable robot Clank’s disappearance was engineered by Dr. Nefarious, the Wrench-swinging Ratchet races to save his best friend. Along the way, both will finally uncover the hidden truth behind their origins, and discover their ultimate destinies. As the duo come closer to reuniting, they’ll have to ask themselves the biggest question of all: Do Ratchet and Clank’s destinies lie with each other? Or is it finally time for the universe’s greatest duo to separate for good?

Powered by Insomniac Games’ fourth-generation PS3 technology, Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time will continue to bring the experience of playing your own computer generated animation movie to PS3. Expect all the laughs and witty banter of a Ratchet and Clank title, as you enjoy all-new space gameplay that gives players the opportunity to engage in space battles, explore the surrounding star system, and discover hidden items and collectables… You’ll come head-to-head with a brand-new cast of baddies, and some old favourites, and obliterate them with cool new weapons and abilities.

The game hits this autumn exclusively on PS3.

Reporting from GDC, Gamesindustry carries word that Blizzard executive Rob Pardo has revealed that the studio is in active talks with Microsoft regarding the successor to the Xbox 360.

It should be noted that Blizzard’s games sell like hot cakes on PC and that their last console release was of StarCraft way back in 2000 on Nintendo 64. However, with blockbuster titles in the making – Diablo 3, StarCraft 2 and an unannounced MMO – the company might be looking to expand its reach to consoles.

Watching a Katamari Damacy Tribute trailer is like going on a drug-induced trip, but much, much weirder.

The game is due out in Japan later this year on PS3 and Xbox 360.

MTV Games and EA today announced that the Rock Band franchise has officially surpassed $1 billion in North American retail sales in 15 months, citing figures by the NPD Group. In addition, over 40 million paid individual songs have been sold via download through the online platform; there are a total of 600 songs available in the catalog.

Rock Band was launched back in November 20, 2007 and has sold millions of units. Its sequel was released earlier last year and built upon the original. The franchise is the first to start full album downloads on PS3 and Xbox 360, which quite a few bands have taken advantage of, including Judas Priest, Foo Fighters, Megadeth and Rush.

It’s been five years since the original Call of Duty was released exclusively on PC. The game will make itself available to PS3 and Xbox 360 gamers later this year when it arrives on PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Arcade.

This comes from NeoGAF where an user discovered this PEGI rating.

As the game isn’t officially announced yet, it is not known when the port will hit or what enhancements it will include.