It was only a matter of time before talks of a Heavenly Sword sequel came up. EuroGamer has the scoop: “Those of you hoping Sony and Ninja Theory plan to revisit Heavenly Sword would have been encouraged by a launch event for Andy Serkis’ new games industry networking organisation Games Eden on Wednesday, where a spokesperson for Ninja Theory repeatedly and perhaps revealingly referred to the developer’s only PS3 project to date as ‘Heavenly Sword 1′.”

We can get a first look at Borderlands, an upcoming action-RPG from Gearbox Software, through this newly released trailer. Enjoy.

Joystiq reports that No More Heroes, director Suda 51’s upcoming action game, will not feature blood in its European release. It seems that blood was replaced by… something other than blood.

Korean developer Gravity Co. (Ragnarok Online) has opened a new studio in the US, employing former Blizzard North developers. Dubbed L5 Games, the California-based studio is a subsidiary of the company’s North American arm, Gravity Interactive Inc.

“We intend to develop online games targeting the North American market, one of the fastest growing online gaming markets, with the outstanding developers of L5 Games who have a successful track record and thorough understanding of the culture of the North American market,” said Gravity CEO Il-Young Ryu.

Not much is known about Sony Japan’s Afrika, which was only shown at E3 2006 and the Tokyo Game Show through short trailers. However, the game is still in major development, as Sony recently picked Los Angeles-based composer Wataru Hokoyama to compose the game’s score, according to this 1UP report.

This was learned through a local Los Angeles musicians’ newsletter. His past credits include the role-playing game movie adaptation Dungeons & Dragons back in 2000.

Hoping to knock out the competition, 2K Sports has announced the Spring 2008 release of Don King Presents: Prizefighter, an upcoming boxing simulation, for the DS, Wii and Xbox 360.

“The combination of real-life fight scenarios, story-driven gameplay and photo-realistic graphics will set this title apart from the competition,” said Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K. “Our goal has always been to deliver the most engaging and realistic titles, and Don King Presents: Prizefighter will exceed these expectations. Based on the game’s innovative features and high-profile fighters, this title will be a ‘must have’ for any sports gamer.”

It is being developed by Venom Games, who are hoping to deliver the realism of live-action match-ups and the tactics of boxing. Players will be charged with building the career of their boxers, balancing between training and promotion, and other stuff related to boxing.

Majesco Entertainment announced that it has formed a partnership with legendary game designer and multimedia musician Masaya Matsuura, and famed New York artist Rodney Alan Greeblat, to develop and publish an original music-based game set for release next year. Both Matsuura and Greenblat are the creators of the best-selling PaRappa the Rapper series and are dedicating their distinct style exclusively for the Wii this time.

“Masaya Matsuura and Rodney Alan Greenblat are industry visionaries whose legacy was built on crafting groundbreaking, genre-defining entertainment experiences that everyone can enjoy,” said Jesse Sutton, Chief Executive Officer, Majesco. “We are incredibly excited to be working with talent of this caliber and believe our game shares the same broad mass market appeal as successful music-based products like Activision’s Guitar Hero and MTV’s Rock Band.”

Adds Masaya Matsuura: “Majesco’s publishing know-how and retail relationships allow us to stay focused on creating a game that is conceptually unique and, above all else, fun. Working with Rodney is a true creative collaboration.”

“Matsuura-san and I share similar artistic perspectives so I welcomed the opportunity to re-team with him and NanaOn-Sha to produce a one-of-a-kind music game designed from the ground up for the Wii system,” said Rodney Alan Greenblat.

The first footage from Iron Man has been released by Sega, showing off some gameplay footage of the superhero jet fighter! The game is in development at Secret Level and A2M, and is slated for release in 2008 alongside the highly anticipated movie.

Though the game was released in the US this Halloween, Manhunt 2 is yet to be released on the other side of the pond as BBFC still denied the title a classification. However, the regulations board has considered an appeal by Rockstar to take a look at the game once more. Their judgment will be carried out soon, they note in the press release.

“The BBFC exercises great vigilance and care in ensuring that all violent games which are submitted to us are correctly classified. Our decisions are based on published guidelines, which are the result of very wide public consultation. The Board also provides very full content information to the public, including parents, about the videogames which it classifies. We recently launched a new website for parents, PBBFC, in addition to the main website and our websites for children and students.

“The BBFC twice rejected Manhunt 2 for its focus on varied and cumulative killings. We recognize that rejection is a very serious step, in which the desire of publishers to market their games, and that of gamers to buy them, must be balanced against the public interest, including the full range of possible harm risks to vulnerable individuals and to any children who may be wrongly exposed to such games. Such balancing judgements are inevitably complex and multi-faceted, and are made only after very careful consideration of the contents of a work. We played Manhunt 2 for well over 30 hours prior to our decision.

The Board recognizes that the available research findings on the effects of video games (including positive as well as harmful effects) are varied and contested. But we continue to believe that a broad approach to the possible risks is needed, which goes beyond purely behavioural harm, and which also takes account of other possible effects on the sensibilities and attitudes of individuals.”

This week’s releases on the Virtual Console service aren’t just games, but new features as well. But first, the games:

Pokémon Snap (Nintendo 64, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): As one of the most unique games in a renowned series, Pokémon Snap was the first truly 3-D Pokémon game and introduced the phenomenon to the Nintendo 64. Travel to Pokémon Island and meet Professor Oak to begin a safari, taking the best possible photographs of 63 different Pokémon as they exist in the wild, undisturbed by humans. This is not as easy as it sounds-the island has many types of climates and environments to explore, along with secret activities and hidden passages to discover. Plus, some of the Pokémon can be a little shy and won’t pose for the camera unless you tease them with special items. After you’re done, submit one picture of each Pokémon to Professor Oak, and he’ll judge it based on size, pose, technique and number of Pokémon captured.

Ghosts’n Goblins (NES®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone-Mild Animated Violence, 500 Wii Points): Ghosts’n Goblins was a popular arcade game before it made the leap to the NES in 1986. Like later games in the series, Ghosts’n Goblins presents quite a challenge to players brave enough to take on the role of Arthur and delve into the realm of demons and monsters to rescue the kidnapped princess. Choose your weapons wisely and take advantage of their strengths to deal with the situation at hand. Pass through the six gates that stand between you and Astaroth, and teach him a lesson in chivalry he’ll never forget. Demonstrating a high level of technical prowess for a game of its era, Ghosts’n Goblins presents a unique and unforgettable universe. The stage for adventure is set. Are you up to the test?

BASEBALL STARS 2 (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 900 Wii Points): Lace up your cleats and step onto the diamond with the pros of BASEBALL STARS 2. You’ll find everything you’d expect in a classic game of baseball, but with an arcade feel and intense action that distinguish it from the pack. Pick one of six unique teams from cities around the world, then get ready for nine innings of excitement, whether you’re taking on the computer in a 15-game tournament or squaring off against a friend. There are two modes of game play, so even the most inexperienced player can compete at the major-league level (with a little computer-aided fielding). Watch as the game develops through split-screen views and close-up shots worthy of any highlight film, and see if you can catch the numerous over-the-top animations of the large and detailed player models. Think you have what it takes to win the pennant?

Besides games, Nintendo added new features to the service, one of which allows players to post pictures they take in a game to their Wii Message Board and let their friends view the pictures. To celebrate the Holiday season, they have also added a new Gifting feature to send games to other Wii owners with whom players have traded Friend Codes.

Yet another movie-game tie-in is heading our way, courtesy of Exodus Film Group and Legacy Interactive who are working on a multi-platform release of Igor, an upcoming CG-animated film. The game is being developed for the DS, Wii, PC and wireless platforms; it is expected to be released alongside the movie which will hit movie theatres on October 24, 2008.

Igor is a twist to the classic monster genre. Here’s the deal: “In a world filled with Mad Scientists and Evil Inventions, one talented evil scientist’s hunch-backed lab assistant has big dreams of becoming a Mad Scientist himself and winning the annual Evil Science Fair.” Quite a few stars are attached to the movie, including John Cusack, Jay Leno, Christian Slater, Jennifer Coolidge and many others.

A new Prototype trailer is now available after its debut earlier this week on the Spike 2007 Video Game Awards. This game is due out on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 next year.

iPhone users will have one more thing to do on their expensive sets: play PlayStation games. Apparently, an independent developer is hard at work on a PlayStation emulator for the Apple phone, though he states that it will also run on iPod Touch. A beta testing stage is due sometime in the near future, though donators will get early access.

Developer Tale of Tales announced that its upcoming experimental horror game The Path has been selected as a finalist in the Independent Games Festival in the category “Excellence in Visual Art”. Winners will be announced during GDC on February 20 in San Francisco; the studio will be present at the event and will show off a playable demo of the game.

Although the game is due for release in 2009, it got entry thanks to a single chapter of the game (out of a total of six). The game is based on the folk tale of Little Red Riding Hood, subverting players’ expectations and evoking an intense, dark mood.

Gamecock sent out word that it will publish Crackpot Entertainment’s action-adventure title Insecticide for the DS on February 12, 2008, with the first bisodic downloadable PC episode available soon after.

The game brings the gritty feel of old-school detective films on either platforms, having players embark on an adventure as rookie detective Chrys Lyst and take on the biggest case he has ever handled. It features interrogation, crime scene investigation, puzzle solving and various other gameplay devices.