A class-action lawsuit filed in San Francisco wants to take iPhone game developer Storm8 to task for what it calls "malicious software code." The suit accuses Storm8 of exploiting a backdoor method to retrieve users' phone numbers without their permission in games such as "iMobsters" and "Vampires Live." We reached out to Apple for a comment, and though the representative we spoke wasn't familiar with the case, he did articulate Apple's position on the practice Storm8 has been accused of.

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You won't need to level up and hunt down a mount to get an animal companion in Blizzard Entertainment's latest in-game business venture. The newly opened "World of Warcraft" Pet Store accepts real money for critters and even includes a charitable angle tied to its $10 price tags.

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If you're hoping for a website that'll share all your "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" glories, akin to Bungie's "Halo" stat-tracking site, Bungie.net, you're fresh out of luck for launch. We spoke to Infinity Ward about the potential for a similar, community-based site for "Modern Warfare 2," which they didn't quite rule out, but admitted that it's not something that'll be built into the launch. Check out the video interview with Robert Bowling up top.

Nintendo's Wii has followed different rules than the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 since it launched, focusing early on on interface and family-friendly titles rather than graphics and expanded hardware capabilities. That hasn't kept speculators from predicting a hi-def upgrade, however. One analyst in particular, Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities, believes that a Wii HD may be coming as early as next year. Nintendo says no.

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The Japanese went even crazier for "Bubble Bobble" than America's arcade masses (there's been a version of it for nearly every platform on the little island!), and Japanese indie title "Green Island" takes one aspect of that classic and applies it in some unusual ways.

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How do you turn a deeply flawed man into a religious figure? Simple: make a sequel. That's what 2K Games did with the protagonist of the critically acclaimed "BioShock" for the upcoming sequel, "BioShock 2." The follow up to one of the best games of 2007 takes place ten years after the original game, where the inhabitants of Rapture are left with a very deep impression of the original's main character, Jack Ryan; so much so that some of the inhabitants of Rapture have placed him on a pedestal usually reserved for holy figures. At a recent demo, "BioShock 2"'s creative director, Jordan Thomas, had this to say when asked about Jack’s role in the upcoming game:

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The above launch trailer for "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" features scenes from the length and breadth of the single-player campaign. If that sorta thing bothers you, I'd strongly recommend waiting until next Tuesday. If you just can't contain yourself, though, live it up!

REO Speedwagon tracks have already found their way to "Rock Band." Unlike Van Halen, Metallica or The Beatles, however, who have all chosen music-based released to make their headlining video game debuts, REO has selected the lesser trod genre of "hidden object adventure" games to come to PC's and Macs. "Find Your Own Way Home," named for the track and title of the band's 2007 studio album, promises 10 hours of gameplay and all-new recordings of REO songs from publisher Merscom and production studio Curious Sense.

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The above shot was taken by a user in the Major League Gaming forums nicknamed, predictably, Tom Morello. I'm hoping that that's not his real name, as the NDA he most likely signed would prohibit the screen capture of gameplay from what appears to be "Halo: Reach," but his risk is our gain, as he managed to cap off a few shots on his cell phone of some of the weapons that'll be featured in the game:

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GameStop and Best Buy customers reserving "Battlefield: Bad Company 2" will get a little something extra come November 19th. EA has confirmed that a North American multiplayer beta test will be open to pre-ordering PS3 owners though the retailers' online and brick-and-mortar locations.

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