Information on the next installment of "Assassin's Creed" continues to trickle out of Ubisoft, and it would appear that I'm playing into their diabolical hands by feeding you said information on a drip-by-drip basis. Today's tidbit comes from Ubi's fiscal report, and it basically confirms the location of the upcoming "Assassin's Creed" Ezio spin-off. Here's the quote from Ubi:

"This time, [Ezio] will strike directly against the templar's order in Rome."

Not too many ways to read into that. Of course, folks that finished "Assassin's Creed 2" will recall that Rome appeared in that game, as well (albeit in a super short, dungeon-like mission). Given the scope and variety of Rome, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole game took place there, with Ubi making the biggest city yet (instead of breaking the gameplay up across several smaller cities). So long as Mario is still part of the fun, count me in.

As "Diablo 3" moves forward at a snail's pace to its unrevealed launch date in "the next few years," new character class reveals are likely to be the best new info we get for a while. The game's monk class showed up at BlizzCon 2009 and in some action shots from a trailer, but he only had one gender at the time. Now, Blizzard has pulled back the curtains on his feminine counterpart.

A 3-D modeled example of the female monk appeared on her class page over on Blizzard.com. She comes with a costume similar to the male monk, only with some slightly bigger shoulder pads, as shown in the concept artwork there.

Nothing beyond the visual examples seems to be new, and the game's reported fifth class remains just as mysterious as the "Diablo 3" release year and location of BlizzCon 2010, which would be a great time and place for Blizzard to set the record straight on these points of curiosity -- that is if the show ever gets a time and place that stay up on a convention center's website for more than a day.

Such is life, though. So enjoy this droplet of new "Diablo 3" information and go on about your day.

Do you like the female monk design for "Diablo 3"? What do you want to see Blizzard do with the new sequel? Sound off in the comment section below.

Classic literature doesn't always make for the best video game subject matter (yes, "Beowulf," I'm looking at you). With "Dante's Inferno," though, EA managed to pick an epic with a powerful story of love and a fascinating, varied setting. But can a revived classic make for a decent modern day video game? Depends on who you ask. Oh, you're asking me? Ok, fine.

The Basics

You play as Dante, a soldier in the Crusades who dies during an uprising of prisoners and is sent down to hell for his varied sins, only to battle Death and return to the land of the living. But when Dante discovers that his old lady, Beatrice, has been killed and sent down to hell (for his acts of betrayal against her), he decides he's going to save her from an afterlife of eternal torment. A little late, Dante!

The game plays out as a 3rd person, combat-heavy action game. The combat is focused around an extending scythe and a powerful cross, both of which can be used in tandem to create new combinations. There's also some light puzzle-solving and a character upgrade system.

The Highs

Bringing Hell To Life
Some of the visuals in the original "Inferno" were, how shall I put it, f***ed up. Lots of blood, lots of bodies in unpleasant positions, lots of Hell. The game does a pretty solid job of selling this world, making each Circle a unique and freaky experience. I'm sure that most people who play the game won't pick up on the references, but even if you don't you can certainly appreciate the powerful environments that the developers created.

Solid Combat Mechanics
The combat in "Dante's Inferno" feels tight and well-paced, which is good 'cause it uses a very similar combat engine to the "God of War" franchise. This isn't the only similarity to the PlayStation juggernaut, "Dante's Inferno" is rife with them, but if they're going to copy a game, at least they picked a good one to crib from.

Upgrade System
There's a unique upgrade system which manages to trump the one in "God of War," allowing players to pick upgrades based on whether they're "good" or "evil." It ties directly into play-style, as the good side will have you using the cross more, while the evil side will use the scythe. It didn't seem to change the end of the game, but getting there was definitely aided by the choices you make along the way.

The Lows

"God of War"…But Not Quite
As I mentioned, the combat system isn't the only mechanic cribbed from "God of War." The camera, the quick-time events, hell, the way you open doors. They're all handled exactly the same as in Kratos' adventure. Unfortunately these elements never feel quite up to par with "God of War." The game comes close to capturing that magic, but in the end it feels more like a knock-off than its own entity.

No Graphical Wow-Factor
While there was some pretty clever art direction employed in creating the circles of Hell in "Dante's Inferno," the graphics are never super impressive. I never felt that "wow" factor I felt when I was crossing the sword bridge in the first "God of War," or climbing the climbs of atlas in "God of War 2." And, from what I've seen in "God of War 3," "Dante's Inferno" isn't even in the same ballpark.

Familiar Territory
By the end of the game you're going to feel somewhat exhausted. That has a lot to do with the repetition in the gameplay. Swinging on ropes made of bone? Yeah, that happens like a dozen times. Riding on the back giant monster? At least three times. Pushing crates (HELL crates!) to hold down switches or activate openings? A handful of times. You get the distinct impression that the developers ran out of mechanics after about 3 hours and end up reusing the same ones throughout the rest of the 8-10 hour long game.

The Verdict

"Dante's Inferno" is a fine game. It's far from spectacular, but if you like "God of War," you'll probably enjoy this one enough to justify at least a rental. What it lacks in gameplay creativity, it attempts to make up for in clever art design and story telling, and it succeeds to a certain extent. Just be prepared: "God of War" it ain't.

Hey, look that! "Ghost Recon: Future Solider," the title that Ubisoft trademarked last year, turned out to be for a game after all. "Future Soldier," which may or may not be the game "Ghost Recon: Predator" was supposed to become, should be out this year with a beta coming out as soon as this summer and a full release planned for the 2010 holiday season.

The multiplayer beta slated for summer will be open to owners of "Splinter Cell: Conviction" on the Xbox 360, according to the press release. The offering puts even more pressure on that April 13th release date that Ubisoft strongly implied was now set in stone.

As for platforms other than the 360, details haven't been explicitly outlined, though Ubisoft stated via Twitter that "'Ghost Recon: Future Soldier' will also release on PS3 : same experience, same development team and same release date" and "More information regarding the PC version will be disclosed later."

That means 2010 should be a happy year for Tom Clancy licensing at Ubisoft. After letting "Conviction" and "Predator" (if it didn't become "Future Soldier") slide off the calendar in 2009, getting both of these new titles out in an eight-month period could go a long way for Ubisoft announcement credibility.

Which title are you more interested in, "Future Soldier" or "Conviction"? Do you think "Predator" became "Future Soldier"? Sound off in the comment section below.

The ongoing conflict between Chinese "World of Warcraft" operator NetEase and China’s General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) just kicked up a notch, as the company has suspended new user registration while it tries to get approval to run the "Burning Crusade" expansion pack in the country.

"We recently submitted our application to operate World of Warcraft (The Burning Crusade) to the General Administration of Press and Publication for review," the company said, according to Reuters.

Not knowing the nuances of how GAPP operates, I'm hard-pressed to hypothesize about what implications come with this latest development, but the Ministry of Culture of China and GAPP have reportedly sparred over differences regarding how to deal with "WoW," and from outside of the situation, it appears as if this divide has mostly caused indecision and stalling as NetEase has tried to get proper licensing for their endeavors.

The new user registration suspensions will supposedly last for a week, but that may be an optimistic outlook if they fail to get necessary approval. Then again, if NetEase is truly in compliance with local laws as they've said before, the government's indecision could ultimately result in inaction, allowing them to resume normal "WoW" activities until either a hammer or a notice of approval lands on them courtesy of GAPP.

What do you think will happen with "WoW" in China? How do you read the current situation? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Released in Japan in late 2008, Level-5's RPG "White Knight Chronicles" took forever to reach North American shores. Here's the question: was the wait worth it?

The Basics

In "White Knight Chronicles" you'll control a variety of party members in a pedestrian tale of woe, destruction, revenge, and deceit. The narrative hinges on Leonard, a wine peddler who stumbles onto a set of 20-foot-tall organic armor that only the chosen, like him, can use to defeat a group of bad men set on destroying the planet.

The Highs

Well, At Least This Place Looks Different
As boring as the narrative is, and as slow as the game moves, I did take small initial delight in the diverse landscapes presented. I wandered through a searing desert, scintillating mountaintops, a flower-infused plain, and a tremendous neo-fantasy city built on top of a massive roving turtle,

There's some MMO in my JRPG
In addition to the standard JRPG single-player campaign, there's an online component which is basically a collection of quests featuring objectives like "kill the monster" or "collect this." Four players can hop into a lobby, called a hometown, before they venture out into the wilderness. But don't expect this mode to represent meaningful content. It's merely something extra to do, and more importantly, something interactive to do.

The Lows

Convoluted Combat
Battle is simple, but the components are fatty. The worst offender is the ludicrous amount of skills that can be learned. There are just too many options and too many applications for the skills. It's confusing and annoying to have to contend with, worrying about status attacks and that jazz.

Fetch Quest for the Princess, Save the World
Nothing's worse than doing a pointless mission to hit the next plot point. "White Knight Chronicles" does this a lot, forcing numerous retreads and pointless battles. On a similar note, the game's twisty dungeons require tons and tons of retreading. Each seems maze-like, but they're constructed in a way that has you running in what feels like a huge hamster wheel, never really progressing past the starting point -- a parallel to what the game progression feels like in general.

Shackled by Tropes
Pastoral boy finds he has an amazing talent and saves the world; a darling princess needs to be rescued; the too-wise old man is not who he says he is; a trusted friend is really a foe -- and so on and so on. While I'll gladly admit there's a charm to an age-old construction, there's no charm in a game that rehashes it and throws it in your face over and over again. Pouring every single archetype into a game's story and beating you with it for over 30 hours is not a good thing.

Final Word

More like "Final Fantasy XII" than any other JRPG of recent memory, "White Knight Chronicles: International Edition" is a dull and monotonous adventure with combat that crawls. You'll travel from boring set-piece location to set-piece location, all the while collecting pointless items and characters for the sake of plot progression, as you search for a kidnapped princess. Like a worn boot, you'll immediately feel comfortable with "White Knight Chronicles" -- but that doesn't change the fact that it reeks, its sides are worn, and its sole is rotted.

I completed "Mass Effect 2" early last week and, I'll be honest, the only reason that it took me so long to complete (about 40 hours) is that I was busy relishing every last moment of it. BioWare managed to wield a massive axe so deftly that lopping off entire mechanics that we've so often associated with RPGs (inventory management, exploration) felt like a choice of zen-like clarity. But it wasn't until the final moments of the game, when I finally set my course for the Omega 4 relay, that I began to discover how "Mass Effect," as a franchise, has changed the way I roleplay.

WARNING: I'm about to discuss how the game ends. So yeah, spoilers.

Just like the first "Mass Effect," "ME2" builds to a final moment where your choices dramatically change the future course set for your crew. Characters, your crew, even Shepard can die, and I personally dealt with the loss of three of my squad mates (Thane, Grunt, Mordin, I will miss each of you). And it's their deaths, and my willingness to accept them, that's revealed to me how I was playing "Mass Effect 2" differently than I play most RPGs.

Once on the Collector Base, "Mass Effect 2" forces the player to select squad mates to accomplish specific tasks that are crucial to the success of the "suicide" mission you've set out on. The game is quite clear about educating the player as to which characters are best suited for each leg of the mission, and had I followed my noggin, I probably wouldn't have lost any of my team. Though in these final moments I suddenly realized that I, the cerebral me, was no longer part of the picture: I was really playing as if I were Shepard, not some player trying to get the "best" ending.

I sent Thane on a suicide mission. I knew it. I sent an assassin to do a tech expert's job. But over the course of the game I bonded with him, I trusted him, I felt that he was the only person my Shepard knew could get the job done. And to top it off, Thane was at peace with his life. Sure, as a player, I was well aware that just about any member of my team would be able to succeed (that's the way a dynamic story works), but there was no way I was going to send Miranda or Tali -- who my Shepard hates -- to get the job done. Thane was the only man for the job, despite how happily I would have sent Zaeed to his death. Stupid Zaeed.

Grunt was much the same for me. I trusted him. He was a warrior, and when I told him to watch our back, I knew he'd lay his life on the line to succeed. Mordin, on the other hand, was just dead on the ground after my final battle. I have no idea why that happened, but I can mourn and live with it.

Which really gets me to my point here. BioWare was quite clear that they were making a game designed to evoke emotion in players, and I've realized that the reason they succeeded (for me at least) is that this whole story is much grander than this single game. The story is a franchise, a trilogy. I went into "Mass Effect 2" with a rich history -- a knowledge and opinion of my previous actions and the resulting outcomes. The reason I did feel was because I was living with choices, and not loading up a previous save to better my outcome.

The original "Mass Effect," on the other hand, was mostly a clean slate. I had to learn to like my Shepard based on my choices and actions. Choices and actions that are part of canon by the time "ME2" starts. That is an incredible feat for BioWare to accomplish. My Shepard, like your Shepard, is a unique legend with a narrative now set in stone. No other RPG has been able to convey a history so richly, and for that, I am immensely appreciative.

Admittedly, I have gone back and replayed the ending to snag up the "No One Left Behind" achievement, but I won't be using that save when "Mass Effect 3" rolls around. I'm living with Shepard's choices, and keeping my own intellect out of the picture. But I'll really miss those guys…

How did you’re your campaign end? Are you happy with the results?

Nintendo has been cagey about what their hardware plans call for when the Wii and DS eras subside, and the DSi XL has yet to begin its lifecycle in the U.S. Shigeru Miyamoto made no secret about the fact that Nintendo is working on new equipment during a talk at the Japan Media Arts Festival on Saturday, however. He also indicated that he's involved in a new Wii game using MotionPlus -- and that's in addition to the next Wii Zelda title.

Miyamoto let the details about his upcoming plans slip while accepting a "Special Achievement Prize" at the festival, according to Andriasang. In reflecting on his career's past, present and future, the man who first breathed life into Mario and Zelda kept any timelines or other specifics out of his revelations but did spill a few pieces of historical trivia, including the number of "Donkey Kong" arcade boards Nintendo initially over-ordered and how a hamster inspired "Super Mario Galaxy."

Miyamoto's latest prize at the festival came in a long line of other honors that Nintendo has earned there for the Wii, Wii Sports and Wii Fit. We may have to wait a year or two to find out if either of these mystery projects prompt another trip to the podium for him, but he's go quite the track record.

Where do you believe Nintendo should point their research and development teams when it comes to hardware? What do you think of Miyamoto's plans for MotionPlus? Share your suggestions in the comment section below.

It's not every day that one of my top 5 games of 2009 makes its way to another platform, so it's important to gasp those moments when the happen. "Plants vs. Zombies" is coming to the iPhone (and iPod Touch). This is not news. What is news is that it's coming next week, on February 15th.

The game has seen several delays since it was first announced, but it looks like PopCap is ready to roll with this new date. Considering that they did an awesome job with the "Peggle" iPhone port, and have continued to support the "Bejewled 2" app with Facebook connection excellence, I have pretty high expectations for "PvZ" iPhone. Expect some hands-on impressions once I'm able to give the title a spin.

In the meantime, enjoy the trailer, but ignore the bit about it being available now. It's not. Sad face.

EA may be taking its "Medal of Honor" series directly into modern-day combat in 2010 in its quest to reclaim the FPS crown. "Battlefield: Bad Company 2," meanwhile, will be keeping World War II alive for at least a few scenes before transition into the present day. Such details, along with accounts of power-drill attacks, appeared in the ESRB's M-rating justification.

"In single-player mode, players conduct missions on an unnamed Japanese island during World War II and then move into the modern day through jungles, deserts, and snowy terrain," a description of the game explained on ESRB.org. "The firefights contain realistic gunfire, loud explosions, cries of pain; large sprays of blood come out of injured characters during the fast-paced combat."

And that's not all! The ESRB probably could have edited this entry down to a single sentence, saved the WWII spoiler and still totally have justified their rating choice.

"There are also close-up depictions of knife-stabbing (flesh-impact sounds) and melee attacks with a power drill," their assessment said.

It's been awhile since I've played a good FPS power-drill dueling game with a multiplayer mode. Combining such functionality with "flesh-impact sounds" should be just the recipe to set this game apart -- unless there are power drills in "Modern Warfare 2" and I just haven't leveled up high enough yet to unlock them. Anyone know?

What do you make of the ESRB's review of "Bad Company 2"? Are you surprised to see WWII mentioned? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.