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Rockstar Games has a tradition of doing what they want. In recent years they’ve made a game based on semi-obscure ‘70s gang movie and one based on ping-pong. They’re also working on a music mixer game for the PSP. These aren’t exactly subjects that are known to light up the sales charts. And yet, they don’t worry about it, they’re Rockstar. They do what they want.

Perhaps the best example of not giving a crap is the title of the upcoming DLC pack for “Grand Theft Auto IV”. Set to release in the fall of this year, the second (and possibly final) pack is titled, “The Ballad of Gay Tony.” Seriously, that’s what it’s called. If there was a less marketable title for a video game, I haven’t heard it.

The game will put players in the role of Luis Lopez, the right-hand man of flamboyant nightclub owner Tony “Gay Tony” Prince. You may remember Luis from his small roles in both the original “GTA IV” and “GTA IV: The Lost and the Damned.” When last we saw Luis, he was on the rooftop of Liberty City’s museum, escaping from the illegal diamond deal that brought all three main protagonists together. There’s little doubt that “The Ballad of Gay Tony” will feature this same mission, albeit from Luis’ point of view.

If you missed out on the first expansion pack, “The Lost and the Damned,” you’ll be able to pick up both episodes in disc format sometime this fall.

My name is Russ Frushtick and today is my first day as the new Video Games Editor for MTV News. Part of my job will be managing MTV's Multiplayer Blog, which is nothing short of a great honor. I was a big fan of Stephen, Tracey and Patrick's work and I can only hope to do justice to the legacy of quality writing and reporting that they've left behind.

I'm not going to wax poetic for too long, I'm sure you're more interested in reading about video games than little ol' me, but I just wanted to introduce myself. If you'd like to know more about me, feel free to follow me on Twitter (@RussFrushtick) or, I don't know, Google me. There's probably some pretty embarrassing stuff out there.

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by Adam Rosenberg

I don’t know what was more surreal about a demo I did last week of High Voltage Software’s “The Conduit”: being given gameplay pointers by actor Mark Sheppard (known most recently for his work on “Dollhouse” and “Battlestar Galactica”) or the novelty of actually playing a top-tier Wii-exclusive first-person shooter. You see, “The Conduit” isn’t just the closest anyone has come to delivering a solid FPS experience on Nintendo’s Wii. It simply is one.

At least, that’s the impression I walked away with after spending slightly more than an hour playing through the game from its start. Following a brief, “Metroid”-style intro in which you learn to play the game with the help of some of its most powerful tools, a flashback kicks in and you’re back to being a regular old human being with a regular old pea-shooter of a handgun. Of course, this human being is Secret Service agent Michael First (voiced by Sheppard) and he’s about to go on a little bit of an adventure. Read more...

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By Rick Marshall

We've been raving about "Batman: Arkham Asylum" here on Multiplayer and Splash Page (MTV's comic book and movie blog) for a while now, so we can probably dispense with the normal "Oohs" and "ahhs" that accompany every new glimpse we get of the game. This time around, a new character profile video has hit the 'Net featuring Batman nemesis Poison Ivy, who uses her power over plant life to make trouble for The Dark Knight.

To be honest, if it wasn't for the "Arkham Asylum" gameplay videos and impressive (though limited) demo we've seen thus far, I'd be pretty sure this game was too good to be true. Both the Bane and Harley Quinn trailers looked that good, but I've been burned by pretty cinematics before. Read more...

Tags batman: arkham asylum

By Rick Marshall

First things first: as the Editor of MTV's comics and movie blog, Splash Page, I'm a comics guy first, gamer second -- but it's a close second. So it was with no small amount of joy that I received these peeks at Deadpool and Juggernaut in "Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusion."

We've been covering the heck out of Marvel's "Merc With the Mouth" on Splash Page due to his role in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and newly announced solo film, and X-Men foe/friend Juggernaut is a favorite of mine from way back. From the looks of the recently released Deadpool promo video and Deadpool/Juggernaut screenshots, it looks like the pair have carved out a nice niche for themselves in the hearts of "Fusion" developers Vicarious Visions, too. Read more...

Tags deadpool, juggernaut, marvel ultimate alliance 2: fusion

FROM MTVNEWS.COM: The Game utterly destroyed Bow Wow last September when the two ended weeks of back-and-forth of Internet trash-talking and faced off in a game of "Madden" -- in front of a live crowd. The Game's team of the Patriots destroyed B-Dub's squad of choice 55-23.

During the matchup, Jermaine Dupri came to the showdown to help cheer and coach Bow, but to no avail.

Well it looks like JD may soon have the chance to avenge his fallen homie: The Game says he wants to get Dupri on the battlefield in a sports game of his choice.

Continue reading about The Game Vs. Jermaine Dupri at MTVNews.com....

by Adam Rosenberg

A video popped up on YouTube about a week ago revealing the first tidbits of a collaborative effort between the “Robot Chicken” writing team and “Spore” creator Maxis. Now the word is officially out: when “Spore’s” first gameplay-enhancing expansion pack, “Galactic Adventures,” hits shelves on June 23, it will come packing – among other things, of course – 10 adventures which were conceived and written by the “Robot Chicken” team.

Let’s back up for a minute and talk about “Galactic Adventures.” In case you didn’t know, the expansion pack will add a considerable amount of depth to the game’s virtually endless Space phase. The pack will introduce a new concept to “Spore”: adventures. Using an entirely new and surprisingly robust set of editing tools, players will be able to build Space phase missions set on the surfaces of the galaxy’s many planets. Read more...

Tags electronic arts, maxis, spore: galactic adventures

by Adam Rosenberg

Capcom rolled through New York City last week with “Spyborgs,” from developer Bionic Games, in tow. A down-and-dirty old school brawler, “Spyborgs” follows a crack team of super-powered individuals as they beat the snot out of bad guys. There are three characters that one or two players may choose from, though only two were on display for last week's demo.

Clandestine is the badass female of the group, light on her feet and quick with her blade. At the opposite end of the spectrum is Bouncer, a slow, lumbering beast of a superhero who excels at knockback and area effect attacks. While we didn’t get to see him in action, the group's third is Stinger. Stinger falls between his two companions in terms of speed and attack power but he makes up for it with the ability to perform ranged attacks. A static upgrade system for each character gives players access to additional attacks and longer combo strings as well as the usual set of buffs for increasing health bars, power gauges and the like. Read more...

Tags capcom, spyborgs

by Adam Rosenberg

Up until a week ago, it had been roughly a year since I last saw Capcom’s and Airtight Games’ “Dark Void.” A cool premise and some ambitious gameplay components were overshadowed in that earlier demo by a litany of troublesome visual and functional issues. However, with “Void” currently circling a Fall ’09 release and E3 right around the corner, it came as no surprise last week when Capcom breezed through New York on a media tour with a fully playable demo level from the game in tow.

In case you need a refresher, “Dark Void” follows cargo pilot Will as he is blasted into another… uhhhh… “somewhere” after taking a small detour over the Bermuda Triangle. It’s not really clear what or where Void – the name of the place our hapless pilot ends up – actually is: alternate dimension, parallel universe, surreal dream-world… it could be any, all or none of those. Read more...

Tags capcom, dark void

By Rick Marshall

Capcom's long-awaited, refurbished "Marvel Vs. Capcom 2" will finally see release this summer, and after getting a hands-on demo of the game this week, we were able to get a better idea of what fans can expect from the "New Age of Heroes" version of the popular brawler.

Since Capcom's deal with Marvel only allows for an upgraded version of the previous "Marvel Vs. Capcom 2," anyone hoping for extra characters or costumes will be disappointed -- but that doesn't mean "New Age of Heroes" is a carbon copy of its predecessor. Along with support for widescreen, 16x9 display, the new MvC2 will feature full high-definition backgrounds and, in my favorite addition, the ability to create a custom soundtrack. Read more...

Tags marvel vs. capcom, marvel vs. capcom 2