French publisher Ubisoft announced that it has acquired Japanese developer Digital Kids. Established with offices in Nagoya and Osaka, DK currently has a team of 20 developers specialized in games for the DS. The studio has worked for a number of Japanese publishers and has developed Ubi’s Petz line of games.

The latest addition to the Xbox Live Video Marketplace is ESPN, who will now be offering its shows as well as full-length football and basketball games on the video download service in HD. Some of the content being offered includes episodes of shows as The Contender and Madden Nation; they will also be bringing Summer X Games 13 and NCAA college games to the service. Their offerings will kick off with a replay of Saturday’s USC vs. Oregon State game.

Pricing will range from $2 for SD and $3 for HD downloads of TV episodes, with football and basketball games going for $3 and $4.50 for SD and HD versions, respectively.

Capcom today announced the contents of the Devil May Cry 4 Collector’s Edition package, which will retail for $80. The expensive edition will come in a Steelbook case and feature two nice extras - volume 1 of the DMC animated series and a bonus DVD filled with extras.

The animated series disc includes the first four episodes of the 12 episode anime series, a $29.99 value. The other bonus disc will be one that players can slip into their computers; it will contain a “making of” feature on the game, music from the soundtrack, a digital art book, wallpapers, icons and screen savers.

Both the standard and collector’s edition packages will be available on PS3 and Xbox 360 on February 5, 2008. The game is also being released on PC.

This insightful editorial on Wired takes a look at how sucky gamers take on terrorist approaches while playing Halo 3 online. The writer raises some good points without being crass or disrespectful towards people who have been killed as a result of suicide bombings.

First the demos:

• Well, this isn’t a demo. Telltale Games has released Sam & Max: Abe Lincoln Must Die for free, allowing players to check out the fourth episode from Season One. It can be grabbed as a direct download from Rapidshare.

German metal outfit Blind Guardin has announced that it is composing a special song for Sacred 2, the upcoming sequel to the action-RPG by Ascaron Entertainment; the band will also make an in-game appearance. The song will be released as a separate single next year, with the music video featuring sequences taken straight from the game itself. Additionally, players can solve a quest in the game, which will unlock a bonus event where the motion-captured band performs their new song “live”.

Sacred 2 - Fallen Angel is the sequel to the most successful German RPG of all time. The game will feature two entirely different ways of playing - the light and shadow campaigns. The official website carries more information and media on the title.

Hailed as the “best game ever”, Nintendo has announced that Super Mario Bros. 3 is now available on the Wii Shop Channel. It has also made available two other classic titles - Alien Soldier and Power Golf. Scoop:

Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Remember when no one had ever heard of a Tanooki Suit or knew that Bowser™ had a clan of Koopalings? The game that made these things common knowledge is also considered by many to be one of the best ever made. Bowser and the Koopalings are causing chaos yet again, but this time they’re going beyond the Mushroom Kingdom into the seven worlds that neighbor it. Now Mario and Luigi™ must battle new enemies, returning favorites and a new Koopaling in each unique and distinctive world on their way to ultimately taking on Bowser himself. Luckily for the brothers, they have more power-ups available than ever before. Fly above the action using the Super Leaf, swim faster by donning the Frog Suit or defeat enemies using the Hammer Bros. Suit. Use the brand-new overworld map to take the chance to play a minigame in hopes of gaining extra lives or to find a Toad’s House where you can pick up additional items. All this (and more) combines into one of gaming’s most well-known and beloved titles-are you ready to experience gaming bliss?

Alien Soldier (Sega Genesis, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older -Fantasy Violence, 900 Wii Points): As Epsilon-Eagle, you are an alien soldier who has been genetically engineered to produce maximum intelligence and strength. You were once a member of the criminal organization Scarlet, but when you decided to break from the group, you were forced into a showdown with Scarlet’s new leader Xi-Tiger, who kills a hostage in his attempt to destroy you. Now it’s up to you to take revenge against the bad guys in this side-scrolling action game! Choose from six different weapons and battle the bosses of Scarlet until you reach the final confrontation with the ultimate secret weapon!

Power Golf (TurboGrafx16, 1-3 players, Rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): Power Golf sports a perfect combination of simple-yet-realistic controls and beautiful graphics. Swing away on 18 lush holes in one of three different game modes: the single-player STROKE PLAY mode and the multiplayer MATCH PLAY and COMPETITION modes. Enter tournaments as one of three different characters-beginner, intermediate and advanced. Wind strength and the slope of the green add extra challenges to each hole. Compete against other players in the standard NORMAL MATCH or ante up one of your clubs in the unique CLUB MATCH. Up to three players can play in COMPETITION mode, and a handicap feature is included to help novice players pull off breathtaking shots just like their advanced rivals.

Empire Interactive has announced that destructive-racer FlatOut will make its debut on the PSP through FlatOut: Head On. It will feature an arcade play style, with nine different game modes, including carnage challenges, full career, destruction derbies, multiplayer party mode and the ragdoll stunt mode. Here’s the deal:

FlatOut: Head On is ready to drop the hammer on the PSP extreme racing genre, bringing high speed destruction and leaving more broken bones and wrecked cars in its wake, than a Richard Hammond Top Gear stunt. From rock-smashing dust ups in arid desert landscapes to down and dirty races through rubbish-strewn city streets, FlatOut’s PSP debut is yet another gritty excursion into racing carnage.

The FlatOut physics engine delivers levels of extreme racing that have yet to be seen on the PSP; get ready for head on destruction that could literally leave you, the track and your car in pieces. Persistent objects like fallen rocks, shopping trolleys and car parts remain on the track from one lap to the next, creating additional obstacles to avoid. The more carnage you create, the more points you score, but the more problems you’ll face. However using this to your advantage will get you even more bonus points by wrecking other vehicles throughout the races With multiplayer WIFI and party gaming modes from wheel to wheel challenges, demolition derbies and the fans’ favourite, the ragdoll stunts, the only reason you’ll stop is if you have no wheels left.

Once again you get to bounce the driver around like a ragdoll in death-defying stunts which leave the driver limp and lifeless. In fact it’s never been more fun to see your driver launched through the windscreen towards various oversized objects (like dartboards and bowling pins) for the pleasure of the crowd - who will be grabbing your PSP from you to show you just how good they are!

The game will feature six locations, 40 tracks and 45 unique car models; more than 36 quick play challenges, 4 player wireless racing, and more. It is scheduled for release early next year.

The action ballgame will hit Steam at the end of November 2007; the game will additionally use the service’s authentication system for the retail version. This will allow Frogster, the developer, to use a single master for multiple languages, to time retail activation worldwide by region and to control grey marketing and unauthorized activations.

Iron Realms Entertainment has announced that it is working on a MMO called Earth Eternal. The game is being developed by a “spun off division” that is being referred to as a separate company and brand - Sparkplay Media.

As to why a separate company is needed to develop the MMO, Matt Mihaly, CEO of both Sparkplay and Iron Realms, said, “We’re creating a separate company because the aims of Sparkplay are a bit different from Iron Realms. With IRE we’ve tried to create the most expansive, deep text-based MMORPG experiences around, and IRE will continue to do that with new text MMOs and with the near-daily game updates that our fans have become accustomed to.”

A 2008 release for the game is planned. It will be followed by two more games in 2009.