Cryptic Studios also announced today that it has acquired the Champions intellectual property (IP) from Hero Games. First published in 1981, the Champions role-playing game is one of the first RPGs to forgo the traditional dice-rolling system of character generation in favor of a point-based system. Cryptic Studios has licensed back to Hero Games the rights to produce Champions RPG books, and the sixth edition of the HERO System and Champions, set to release in 2009, will include rules on how to recreate Champions Online characters and scenarios.

Champions Online is all about total customization -- it will offer

Genre: RPG
Publisher: Bethesda
Developer: Bethesda
Release Date: Fall 2008

For those unfamiliar with the awesome Fallout world setting, imagine that the future we had pictured in the '50s had actually come true. Household robots and ray beams exist, and there is still that bizarre '50s sense of misogyny and racism that is somehow both hilarious and offensive at the same time. Unfortunately, one of the other big '50s predictions — the entire world would blow the crap out of each other in a nuclear war — also came true. Most of the world is a

Genre: 2-D Platformer
Publisher: Number None
Developer: Number None
Release Date: Q3 2008

At just about every turn, Braid thumbs its nose at your expectations.

To hear one describe it, you'd think that it's all been done before, but the approach in this 2-D platformer title is fresh and new. The player journeys through a series of five worlds in Braid, collecting puzzle pieces along the way. The platforming sequences pay homage to everyone's inspiration, Super Mario Bros. — right down to a creature coming out of the castle at the end and proclaiming, "I'm sorry, but the

BioShock for the Xbox 360and PC was released in 2007 and received numerous Game of the Year honors from prestigious organizations including Associated Press, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), Game Informer, Spike TV's VGAs and Paste Magazine. BioShock's extension to the PS3 will bring exciting new content to this amazing title and reach many new players, while giving the title the opportunity to once again be named Game of the Year.

"Since BioShock for Xbox 360 and PC won countless 2007 Game of the Year awards, we are excited to see the impact of this

Genre: Rhythm/Music
Publisher: MTV Games
Developer: Harmonix
Release Date: September 2008

Rock Band launched at the end of 2007 to great hype and anticipation, quickly becoming the holiday gift for those who could afford the hefty price tag ($169.99). Garnering an average of 93% at Metacritic and moving over three million units, it would seem that MTV Games' gamble has paid off. Coming this September is the inevitable sequel, Rock Band 2, and the devs have taken fan feedback into account to figure out how to optimize the hardware and software experience.

First thing's first — the

Genre: Action/Adventure
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Release Date: Q4 2008

As a kid, one of my favorite games was the PC classic, Prince of Persia. It was a crushingly hard and deeply unforgiving game that nonetheless manages to be addicting enough that I memorized every pixel of it. A variety of sequels have ranged from fun to terrible, but few could ever match the enjoyment of the original Prince of Persia. When they announced Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, I wasn't expecting much and found myself blown away by some of the finest action-puzzle gameplay

Genre: Role-Playing
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Bioware
Release Date: Q4 2008

When Mario first stepped into the RPG genre, it by all rights should have been a terrible idea. Taking a character like Mario, who is known for his jumping and platforming skills, and placing him in a turn-based combat system? Why? Nintendo proved us wrong by giving the creation of the game over to Square-Enix (then just Squaresoft), who provided us with Mario RPG, not only one of the most enjoyable RPGs on the Super Nintendo, but a flat-out fantastic Mario game. History has a way

The concept behind Evolution is to give MMO fans the experience of being a space pilot in a visually stunning Sci-fi environment with newly enhanced gameplay and advanced AI. In Evolution, players carve their own space hero experience representing one of three nations: Solrain, Quantar or Octavius. Players advance by engaging in combat, mining, missions, exploration and trade.

Evolution’s universe is large and versatile; allowing for both comprehensive PvE and PvP experiences. As player actions impact the economy and faction relationships, fresh and unexpected challenges are generated from the dynamically changing universe. Evolution provides players with a variety of

Inspired by the greatest Greek myths and legends, Rise of the Argonauts will enable players to live a hero’s life, fight a hero’s fight and sculpt a hero’s legacy. With a distinctive blend of epic narrative and brutal real-time combat, players will be immersed in a story of lost love and a quest for personal vengeance in a world of gods, kings, magic and awe-inspiring mythical beasts.

Embarking on a quest to find the Golden Fleece and revive his beloved slain wife, Jason and his trusted band of Argonauts explore the vast Aegean – a dynamic world of luscious

Get ready for high-octane, shooting action with PowerUp Forever. Space and time are irrelevant in your search for evil forces as you fight a relentless horde of enemies across an endless spatial battlefield. Destroying elite enemies allows you to absorb their energy, transforming your ship's size, shape and power. As your ship evolves and grows your world and its enemies shrink to insignificance, revealing even more massive and powerful enemies that were previously too large to see.

"Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network give us