The German localization team for Activision's "Wolfenstein" revamp may have missed a swastika or two while preparing the game for release. Germany has extremely strict rules forbidding the Nazi emblem's use in games, and any presence at all appears to have been enough to prompt the game's voluntary removal by Activision.

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In the pantheon of formative video games, few are as important as id Software's "Wolfenstein 3D." I'm not certain that it was the original first-person shooter, but it was certainly the one that introduced an adoring public to a genre which would one day give us the likes of "Halo" and "Call of Duty." Of course, what all this means is that the latest entry in the series, "Wolfenstein" for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, has some mighty big jackboots to fill. Does it? Read more...

Tim is on vacation (the bastard), but that doesn't mean you won't get three games worth checking out this week. You can probably guess my number one pick, but hey, it's too damn good not to give it the nod! Watch "Game Plan" episode 4 above, and we'll be back to our normal format next week.

The 14th annual QuakeCon is off and running, and it appears there's going to be quite a bit to keep id Soft-lovers happy over the coming days. Just got in the official list of events and announcements, and it's packed to the gills with enjoyable stuff. Most interesting, though, is the amount of Bethesda stuff. Even though the ink is still fresh on Bethesda's purchase of id, there's still going to be a heavy presence from the publisher.

Check out the full list of events and announcements below:

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As we all know, jet packs are a very viable conveyances during wartime. They can, for example, send you up in the air, giving you the permanent high ground! You may not have known that the real life Nazis experimented with the packs during World War 2 by strapping two jets to the back of a hapless pilot. Oh those Nazis, what won't they do? You can learn all about the early jet packs here (complete with super ridiculous pictures that I'm very tempted to steal but won't).

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UPDATE: Apparently "Wolf RPG" has an alterna-Hitler? How strange!

"Wolfenstein RPG" has been pretty much done for several months now (at least according to John Carmack, who would know), but EA has been sitting on it for fear that it would get confused with "Wolf 3D," the port of the classic FPS. But the reins have been lifted a mere week before Activision drops the next-gen "Wolfenstein." Take that!

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Yes, the video game doldrums of July are in fully swing, but that doesn't mean we can't look ahead to the future. For example, August has some solid games coming out! Take "Wolfenstein," a game which I was initially pretty "meh" about, until I actually played it and couldn't help but relate it to "Call of Duty" with super powers (truly a lofty compliment).

Activision is turning up the marketing machine as Wolfenstein marches to release next month, and because of that we have a new video, featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the game. Keep an eye out for Nazis melting into the ether, which is something that simply doesn't get old.

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After being summarily impressed by "Wolfenstein" a few weeks back, I'm kinda itching to get a more complete version of the game. In the meantime, Activision has put out a rather unique "motion comic" to pump up the release. It's similar to the "Metal Gear" motion comics that released on the PSP a while ago, but this one features way more Nazis. Specifically dead Nazis.

From what I've seen in the game, the cutscenes don't follow this stylized look (sorry "XIII" fans!), but it does get me wondering what sort of comic book series "Wolfenstein" would make. Can't say that BJ is the most thought-provoking character of our time, but he does kill a lot of Nazis, so he's got that going for him!

id Software and Activision came to New York this week to show off "Wolfenstein," and I came away much more excited than I was going in. It was my first time really playing it and the vibe I got was of a much gorier "Call of Duty," but with super powers.

It also lets you kill a lot of Nazis, which is always fun. Just how many Nazis you kill is tracked in the menus, right down to the different ways you've killed them (from electrocutions to dismemberments). I asked to take a photo of the menu screen which tallied up the deaths, but since it was only from the one-level demo they were showing, the numbers were pretty paltry. Thankfully Activision just sent over a shot of the menu from 36% into the game, and here's what things were looking like.

Activision has announced its E3 line-up and it’s, well, a lot. Here’s what they’ll be showing next week:

"Modern Warfare 2"
"DJ Hero"
"Guitar Hero 5"
"Tony Hawk: Ride"
"Blur"
"Singularity"
"Prototype"
"Wolfenstein"
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"
"Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2"

Variety seems to be the name of the game when it comes to the line-up, as it’s pretty much all over the place. I’ve spent quite a bit of time with "Wolfenstein, "Transformers" and "Marvel", but apart from a trailer, Modern Warfare 2 remains shrouded in mystery. There’s also the insane skateboard controller of Tony Hawk: Ride, which I’m definitely eager to get my hands on. And then there’s DJ Hero, which I’m hoping won’t overwhelm my limited ability to multi-task.

More important, how the heck am I going to get through all of these games in the 2 hours I have allotted to meet with Activision? This is unfortunately the blessing and the curse of E3: Lots of awesome games and no time to play them.