If Capcom's "Dark Void" becomes a hit when it comes out in 2010, Brad Pitt's production company Plan B Entertainment will already be ahead of the game, as they've announced they now have the rights to make a film based on the unreleased title.

"As a game, 'Dark Void' was developed with a wide-screen mentality -- a world full of adventure presented in cinematic scope and scale," Capcom Entertainment's senior vice president of licensing Germaine Gioia said in a press release. "Plan B recognized the potential of our newest property and are as excited about bringing 'Dark Void' to life in cinemas as Capcom is to bring the interactive experience to home theaters."

The game's plot follows a pilot named Will who crash lands in the Bermuda Triangle only to wake up and find himself in an alternate reality where aliens with high-tech toys want to take over the world. Thanks to an alliance of humans and a jetpack, though, he's equipped to fight back and save Earth.

"Dark Void" won't be available in North America until January 19th, but Plan B was impressed enough to scoop up the property pre-launch. Pitt's company produced "The Time Traveler's Wife" and is currently in post-production with "The Tree of Life," which will feature the "Inglourious Basterds" star alongside Sean Penn. There's no word on whether or not Pitt has considered strapping on the "Dark Void" jetpack himself for the new project.

Would you like to see Brad Pitt star in a "Dark Void" film? What are your impressions of the game so far? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

I have to admit that back in 2005, I laughed at the idea of "Lego Star Wars." The whole concept seemed too kid-friendly and too corporate at the same time. But I was quickly swept up in the game's quirky sense of humor, refreshingly tight game play and surprising depth. I enthusiastically embraced all the "Lego" games that followed ("Lego Batman" still gets plenty of mileage, and the new "Lego Rock Band" is amazing if only for the presence of Lego David Bowie). But I was disappointed with "Lego Indiana Jones," which felt too loose and not as sharply whimsical as the other games in the series.

Now comes "Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues," which incorporates elements from the first three "Indiana Jones" movies and augments it with a healthy dose of 2008's middling "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

The Highs

Tag Team Back Again!
One of the greatest joys of the "Lego" games is the co-op mode, which forces you to cast a perfect problem-solving duo for the games various puzzles and obstacles. It's the same sort of program this time around, except that the characters involved feel a bit more balanced and work together more efficiently. Plus, the slightly tighter controls and the new split screen feature — which allows you to wander away from your partner for more serious free-roaming — make it less likely for me to whip my girlfriend into a crevace (which she appreciates profoundly). This game is best experienced in the co-op mode, mostly because playing with Short Round by himself is pretty useless.

Hey! Look! Colors!
I'm not normally one to notice the way a game looks (quite frankly, I'm still sort of blow away by the graphics of "Earthworm Jim," so my bar isn't very high), but "The Adventure Continues" is pretty stunning. These games don't need to look amazing (after all, you're essentially playing with virtual building blocks), but the levels are all lush and the colors extra-sharp, giving the game a sometimes hallucinogenic feel (which matches the game's cheeky humor completely). Seriously, I never pay attention to colors in a video game, but I was totally blown away.

Just Drive
There's more emphasis on vehicles in this game (including two super-cool planes), which adds another welcome game play element that keep the action varied. Plus, the vehicles are surprisingly lively and versatile — they're involved in races, as weapons, as a part of puzzles and as unlockables in free play mode. The only thing more fun than using a Lego whip? Driving a Lego hot rod!

The Lows

More Like Kingdom of the Crystal DULL
The biggest thing working against "The Adventure Continues" is the heavy emphasis on "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," which was a terrible movie that nobody liked (I may be overstating this). If you're playing through the main story, you have to start in the "Crystal Skull" levels before you can unlock the older games. I may just hold too much resentment over the movie, but the "Crystal Skull" levels feel tedious and boring. Plus, the Lego Shia LaBeouf is about the only chracter who doesn't really look like his human counterpart.

Size Does Matter
As a gamer, I get overwhelmed easily, so the vast expanses of the "Lego" games have usually thrown me off. "Lego Indiana Jones" seemed to have a never-ending parade of bonus levels and hidden items. But "The Adventure Continues" compensates too far in the opposite direction. There are times when the game feels narrow and small (which is not a complaint from me, but anybody looking for the sprawl of the other "Lego" games may be disappointed).

Level Builder: Brick By Boring Brick
I've never been totally convinced of level-building modes in games (though I'm totally in love with the options on "Little Big Planet"), and "The Adventure Continues" doesn't do much to change my mind. It's an interesting idea, I suppose, but feels both too limited and difficult to execute well. It's a nice try, but I would have rather seen them use that mental capacity to build in more secret levels or to re-shoot scenes from "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" to make it not suck.

Final Word

Make no bones about it: "Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues" is easy to pick up and super-fun, especially if you've got somebody to team up with. Its biggest albatross is the fact that "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" was a bad movie, but if you just stick to the fact that it's a fun game (or if you happen to like "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"), it's a fitting and satisfying extension to the franchise. It won't get any "Game of the Year" votes, but it'll keep me stupidly entertained until "ToeJam & Earl" ends up on the Virtual Console.

About the time Trekkies are starting to exhaust the special features on their new "Star Trek" DVD's and Blu-ray discs, they can expect to see the franchise's long-awaited MMO ready to go live. Though it's been in development for about half a decade, it looks like all systems are go for 2010, and the first class of cadets for "Star Trek Online" will see the game's closed beta test start up on January 12th in preparation for its February 2nd launch.

"We're all very happy to be able to let you know that 'Star Trek Online' will be in Open Beta from January 12 - January 26, 2010," the announcement on StarTrekOnline.com states. "Keys will be given out on a first come, first served basis, and can be acquired right here on startrekonline.com."

Applications are being accepted right now for the beta program, which requires a registered Cryptic account. Those deemed worthy will be notified via email.

The game will take place in the year 2409 on the original Star Trek timeline, though the events that occurred in J.J. Abrams' film prior to Spock and Nero heading back in time to create an alternate future will be a part of the universe's established history.

My personal favorite race, the Pakled, are unfortunately not listed as playable yet, but I am looking forward to some potential Gorn encounters.

Are you going to try to get in for the "Star Trek Online" beta test? Which alien races do you want to see show up? Share your suggestions in the comment section below.

If "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" hackers really have unlocked a hidden game mode called "Global Thermonuclear War," it would be a fitting tribute Matthew Broderick's character in the 1983 movie "WarGames" who famously did the same thing on a government computer. "GTW" is one of three multiplayer modes that some players claim to have found locked within "MW2," possibly as content planned for a later release as DLC.

"GTW," "One Flag CTF" and "VIP" are the titles for three modes tinkerers claim to have unearthed in "MW2," according to Modern Warfail 2.

The first mode, as the name implies, involved hunting down a nuclear bomb. Apparently the bomb detonates one you've found it, though, so I'm not sure if there's more to that concept or if it's supposed to offer some greater moral lesson about nuclear warfare.

"One Flag CTF," meanwhile, is traditional and fairly self-explanatory. There's one flag in the middle that you need to bring back to your base.

"VIP" mode designates one player per team who needs to be defended at all costs -- or hunted if you're on an opposing squad.

These modes aren't 100% verified of course, and no one is sure whether they were intended to be DLC or not. For all we know, they could have been buggy modes that were left out of the game on purpose. Nevertheless, "MW2" hackers appear to have another trophy on their shelf.

Would you like to see these multiplayer modes released as DLC? Do you think they should have been unlocked to begin with? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Blizzard is focused on releasing two titles next year: "StarCraft 2" and "World of WarCraft: Cataclysm." Unfortunately for action RPG fans, "Diablo 3" is not in the cards. In an interview with Techland, Blizzard executive VP of game design, Rob Pardo, said, "I think it’s safe to say that, yeah, ['Diablo 3'] is not going to be out next year."

But that wasn't all. Speaking about the fact that Blizzard frequently announces games long before they are ever released, Pardo said the following:

"We’ve been wrong [on release dates] for as long as I can remember. Now when we announce [a game] we just go, 'Here's the game we’re working on, we're going to start talking about it and who knows when it ships."

Sounds like he was half joking when he said it...clearly Blizzard has an approximate sense of when the game will come out, but in terms of telling the public, sorry, you get nothing.

In the meantime, play "Torchlight." It's basically "Diablo 2.5."

There isn't a whole lot you can do with the racing game template. Sure you can add power-ups, tweak the physics, and endlessly improve the graphics, but whatever you do, you've basically just got accelerate, brake, and get to the end fast. Instead of trying to add to the racing genre, "Crystal Spear Remake" strips it down to the most basic fundamentals, and ends ups with solid minimalist fun.

You can pretty much get the idea of the game from a single screenshot. You race through a predetermined course of 100 gates. Each gate has a big obstacle in it. If you hit it, you lose your speed. If you don't, you go faster. That's it. Really.

But in simplicity, there is fun. The game's HUD tells you, in big clear numbers, what gate you're at and what your current time is---exactly and only the information you need to compete with your own best time. Meanwhile the space-flight physics and pounding disco had me in the proverbial zone like no other racing game this generation.

Sure, this isn't something you'd pay even $5 for, but at 80 points (and the designer cheerfully notes that the course time limit means you don't even have to pay that), it's an ideal value proposition. Download, play, and enjoy, and don't come crying to me when you realize you've dropped $50 on racing games that were a lot less satisfying.

Shigeru Miyamoto said he wants to see a Zelda unveiling at E3 in 2010, and new comments from another Nintendo decision-maker indicate that those plans are still in motion. What's more interesting, though, is that in addition to adding MotionPlus support, producer Eiji Aonuma expects to see the next Zelda title overhaul the series' traditional game format.

"I hope that we can show you something at the E3 show next year, and it is something we are hopeful will be surprising," Aonuma told Official Nintendo Magazine.

"Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks" has absorbed the bulk of the franchise's attention this year, but after it ships in December there will be a lot of eyes looking ahead to Link's fate on the Wii. Aonuma indicated the changes being made were intended to keep gameplay fresh for longtime players.

"So we have been trying something new in terms of the structure of the Wii version of the new Zelda game this time," he said. "I am really hopeful that people will be surprised with the changes we have implemented for this Wii version."

Since Link's console graduation from bird's-eye play to third-person action, there haven't been any significant tweaks to his basic gameplay mechanics. Aonuma's promises may hold big surprises -- or perhaps just a new follow-up to the horses, boats and trains that have been introduced over the last decade. Not to put any pressure on Nintendo of course.

What changes would you like to see Nintendo make with their next Wii Zelda title? Has the series been living up to expectations for you thus far? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

If you happen to live in or around Denver and have an innate love of video game stuff, you're in luck. Kotaku is hosting their annual fundraiser tonight, with the proceeds going to everyone's favorite gaming charity, Child's Play.

The event is going down at the Cervantes Ballroom, starting at 6pm tonight. Along with a silent auction, there will be tons of giveaways, pulled from mammoth piles of swag seen here. Oh, and there's a $10 cover charge at the door, but you should make all that back in free stuff, right?

The original "BioShock" offered up a pretty excellent special edition, if only because of the incredibly well-made, desk-worthy Big Daddy statue. Now it looks like "BioShock 2" is following in his large, clunky footsteps with an equally compelling special edition.

For $100 bucks ($40 more than the normal edition, if you're bad at math), you'll get the following:
-Vintage posters from Rapture (not sure on the size, but based on the shot above, these appear to be suitable for framing.

-A vinyl 180g LP with the original soundtrack of "BioShock." Vinyls are like MP3s, only they're big, black, round and sound better, apparently.

-A CD with the score from "BioShock 2."

-A 164 page art book featuring commentary from the developers.

-The game. Yay.

Up until now I feel like the wrong parts of "BioShock" have been highlighted with the sequel. The first game was quiet and thought provoking, whereas the trailers for "BioShock 2" have been more about huge guns and explosions. I'm hoping this special edition is a clear indication that the game will stay true to the original's quieter, more subtle tone.

The "Final Fantasy" series' token needled plant creature Cactuar will show up on screens when "Final Fantasy XIII" hit Japan December 17. North America will have to wait until March 9, 2010, to see him in motion, but some Shonen Jump scans have an early look.

Cactuar and what appears to be a female equivalent appear along with a few other creatures in magazine pages posted on FinalFantasy-XIII.net. You'll also notice a jumbo edition Cactuar standing behind the pair, who looks epic enough in a still shot.

The other screenshots show off some equally large-scaled beasts and landscape scenes, which are unsurprisingly impressive. When your party members stand next to the huge reptile-mastodon thing right above Cactuar, they're barely as tall as his toe.

I'm just assuming the pirate-clown businessman on the second page is some sort of Shonen Jump gag and not a "FFXIII" character, but if you can read Japanese and prove me wrong on that, speak up.

Everything else here should be pretty formidable on any HD display when "FFXIII" makes it to the States next March.

What do you think of the new creature pics from "FFXIII"? Do you like the updated classic characters like Cactuar? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.