Reflecting on the history of the franchise, the SCEA San Diego Studios development team went into this season looking to build upon the history and success of the franchise, by raising the level of authenticity and realism, and creating the perfect blend of features and unique gameplay opportunities.

Patapon is a 2D platform/action adventure game that transforms players into a mystical leader in charge of guiding a tribe of small, quirky warriors called Patapons. Through an innovative use of musical beats, players will march the Patapons against opposing armies and gigantic monsters in an attempt to find the far end of the world.

Rock Band allows you to perform famous rock music with your friends as a virtual band using drum, bass/lead guitar and vocals, as well as online. Harmonix has released another downloadable song pack on Xbox Live with 3 classic punk tracks: I Fought the Law (The Clash), Rockaway Beach (Ramones) and a cover from Buzzcocks' Ever Fallen in Love (160 points each, 440/bundle).

FF IV DS is a complete remake of the original 1991 SNES title (after which it appeared on the PSOne/GBA), featuring 3D graphics, redesigned characters, monsters, and cut scenes, as well as new elements, such as an "evolved" version of its active battle system.

Another day, another batch of games shipped to stores. Instead of giving them all their own posts, we grouped them, and so far there are announcements for:

• Super Swing Golf Season 2 (Wii)
• NCAA March Madness 08 (PS2/PS3/X360)
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  We will update this throughout the day when new announcements become available. Read more for details ...

In No More Heroes you play a hardcore anime fan who takes it upon himself to murder the top assassin's in the world, using the Wiimote to wield your beam sword and kill off enemies in gruesome ways. Similar to the Japanese edition, the UK/European version of No More Heroes will be censored, and feature no violent killings and blood. The French/North American versions remain intact...

Steel Monkeys' 2 Days to Vegas is a story-driven, third-person action-adventure game. The thrill-a-minute story is crammed full of car chases, shootouts and unexpected twists, to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the game.

Halo 3 players will be able to continue the fight as Microsoft has released the Heroic Map Pack, three all new multiplayer maps for its recent sci-fi FPS, the first in a series of downloadable content from Bungie Studios to come via Xbox LIVE.

Empire of Sports is an MMORPG built entirely around sport, designed to allow players around the world to simultaneously exist in an online universe, where their alter egos socially interact, train, compete, attend events and acquire the goods and services they need to build a parallel sporting existence.

Following a successful launch in the United States last year, all Xbox 360 owners connected to the internet in Canada, France, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom can now download to rent both high definition and standard definition movies direct to their console using Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store.