Previously mentioned as a hopeful Spring 2010 release, Microsoft's Remedy-developed "Alan Wake" may be a lock for May on the 360. The dark, psychological thriller that is reportedly structured episodically to emulate a TV series has been in the workshop for almost half a decade but emerged at E3 as a playable demo. It also appears to be proceeding on schedule -- pending confirmation of course.

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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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UPDATE: Microsoft has stepped up to clear the air on this rumor. Joystiq reports that the company issued a simple, matter-of-fact statement on the matter: "Microsoft has no plans to purchase Electronic Arts." Move along... nothing to see here.

Electronic Arts saw a huge jump on Wall Street today, going up 8.9% to 20.17 a share. The boost comes from rumors that Microsoft is interested in purchasing the game publishing juggernaut. It seems, though, that the rumors are just that, with industry analysts coming out of the woodwork to deny the possibility of the deal.

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Given that it has, alongside “Grand Theft Auto”, literally defined the popular gaming landscape of the past decade, “Halo” has some weird identity issues. Rockstar North has never had any questions about what “GTA” is, but Microsoft and Bungie seem to go back and forth on whether “Halo” is a deeply story-driven epic or just a perfectly balanced shooter with memorable aesthetics.

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If you're in the market for an Xbox 360 Elite, now may be the best time to pick one up. Major Nelson announced on his blog today that, starting today, until October 5th, if you buy an Elite console, you'll get a rebate slip for $50 bucks back. Effectively that brings the price of an Elite to $250, the same price as a Pro! Pretty great deal, but it does lack the nerd cred of, say, this outlandish "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" special edition Xbox 360.

In a recent trip to Microsoft's Washington campus, former-Multiplayer/current-Kotaku editor, Stephen Totilo, noticed signs plastered throughout the hallways, hyping the launch of the Avatar Marketplace on Xbox Live. Each ad was basically a quote from an article or a commenter talking about the Marketplace in some favorable way. I guess it's a good way to drum up corporate yee-haw spirit!

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HD on the Xbox 360 may not always be exactly what it appears. HD may be a mark of marketing pride for publishers, but what you're seeing may not always be true HD. According to David Jefferies, who has served as technical director on "MotoGP ’06" and "MotoGP ’07" from Black Rock Studio, creating games according to consumer TV standards, scaling and specific numbers can fudge the standards a bit. Thus, games would not necessarily need to be made in HD for you to think they're being displayed in HD on your screen.

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"Halo 3: ODST" is sorta a big deal, and not just in The States! Apparently the French are also big fans of all things Bungie. Their enthusiasm is such that some French retailers have already started selling the game, almost a month before they were supposed to.

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Here ya go, your very first look at "Halo Legends," the new anime series of shorts based on the Halo universe.

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