The dates for the DiRTiest drive of the year were confirmed today as Codemasters announced that Colin McRae: DiRT 2, the next chapter in the legendary racing game series, will be shipping on September 8th in North America and release on September 10th across EPAC territories with a UK street date of September 11th. Developed by Codemasters Studios, creators of the BAFTA Award-winning Race Driver: GRID and powered by the third-generation of the award-winning EGO Engine, Colin McRae: DiRT 2 will be published for the Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii, Nintendo DS and PSP (PlayStationPortable) system....

Activision today confirmed two dozen rockin’ tracks which will be featured on Guitar Hero 5’s massive 85-song on-disc set list. From the legendary folk rock sounds of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower” to the thumping drums of Coldplay’s “In My Place”; indie darling Vampire Weekend’s memorable “A-Punk” to the Beastie Boys’ rock/hip-hop hit “Gratitude,” the game features the widest variety of today’s rock hits and classic tunes from some of the biggest names in music. Numerous bands are also making their music video game debut — Band of Horses, Darkest...

In this farewell edition of the Wii-kly Update (more on that below*), we’re pleased to announce a pair of excellent games based around completely opposite vocations. Newly available on the Virtual Console is Super Punch Out!!, the classic boxing title that pits players against tough pugilist rivals such as Bald Bull. Speaking of baldness, the unique new WiiWare game Bonsai Barber invites players to take off the gloves and work their clippers instead, giving new hairstyles to a colorful cast of fruits and vegetables. Both are yours for the downloading via the Wii Shop Channel. WiiWare Bonsai...

Are you immune to this season’s rampant basketball fever? If so, the Wii Shop Channel invites you and your friends to set up an action-packed tournament of your own with a fresh crop of downloadable games. This week brings an instantly irresistible puzzle game to the ever-expanding WiiWare library, plus a pair of classic TurboGrafx16 import titles for the Virtual Console – one a vintage vertical-scrolling shooter, the other featuring the beloved Bomberman. Draw up your brackets, grab those Wii Remote controllers and shoot for the top spot. This week’s new games are: WiiWare Pop’Em...

Old-school action is the main attraction at the Wii Shop Channel this week. With a wealth of underground buzz already surrounding it, a brand new WiiWare title uses vintage-looking graphics and 8-bit sounds to create a rhythm-based game that’s loaded with retro cool. Find out if you have enough skill to create order from chaos in a game that is as mesmerizing as it is challenging. Meanwhile, the latest addition to the Virtual Console lineup brings a Commodore 64 classic to the Wii console, proving that fans of international sports events needn’t wait until 2012 to get their track-and-field...

Electronic Arts announced today that tennis legend John McEnroe will headline a roster of some of the sport’s all-time greats to be featured in EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis. An enigmatic personality both on and off the court, McEnroe will make his videogame debut in EA’s new tennis franchise. The game is being developed under the EA SPORTS brand by EA Canada in Vancouver, B.C. It will be available first for the Wii and ships to North American retailers on June 16th, 2009. “It’s great that EA SPORTS has embraced tennis into its family of games. I think it’s a solid sign the sport is...

Turn down the lights, crank up the amps and prepare to command center stage as some of the most famous AND infamous tracks from Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s and Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock step into the spotlight in the most epic, full band jam session to-date — Guitar Hero Greatest Hits. Featuring 48 master recordings, Guitar Hero Greatest Hits delivers exciting online and offline gameplay modes including Band Career and 8-player “Battle of the Bands,” which allows two full bands to compete head-to-head online. In Guitar Hero Greatest Hits...

Harmonix, and MTV Games, along with distribution partner Electronic Arts, today announced that its critically acclaimed music videogame Rock Band 2 will begin shipping in Europe for the PLAYSTATION 3 and the PlayStation 2 beginning the week of 23rd March. Rock Band 2 will also ship for the Wii from Nintendo beginning week of 20th April. Rock Band 2 software will retail for £49.99 on the PLAYSTATION 3, £29.99 for the PlayStation 2 and £39.99 for the Wii. Rock Band 2 is also currently available on the Xbox 360 for £49.99. Rock Band instrument peripherals are also now available at new price...

Electronic Arts today revealed Dead Space Extraction, an all-new chapter from the studio that delivered the award-winning action-horror Dead Space game. Built from the ground up and developed exclusively for the Wii, Dead Space Extraction is a prequel that reveals the events leading up to Isaac Clarke’s mission on the USG Ishimura in the original Dead Space game released in 2008. Dead Space Extraction will marry the innovative motion controls of the Wii Remote with a frenetic first person perspective to create a new action-packed horror experience. Dead Space Extraction tells the story of...

Electronic Arts today announced that development is underway to bring Hasbro’s legendary G.I. JOE brand to all major console and handheld gaming platforms in summer 2009 to coincide with the theatrical release of the G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA live-action movie from Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment, in association with Hasbro, which opens in theaters 7th August 2009. EA will unveil a “first look” of the G.I. JOE video game at Hasbro’s Showroom at Toy Fair on 15th -17th February, 2009 in New York City. “As Hasbro and Paramount Pictures reignite the G.I. JOE property this...