EA announced that servers for the games listed below will be shut down on the indicated dates, just like it has the past few years. Fans may continue to play the games online up until these dates, but certain community programs may begin to close down prior to the shutdown dates.

The new year has barely started, and we're already getting into convention mode. First off, there's the more technology-oriented CES in Las Vegas, and then we can start looking forward to our yearly E3 bash in Los Angeles.

Not much else has happened over the past few days. Watched an episode of Castle and waiting for The Road to arrive, even though feedback on that one has been not so positive. Maybe later today, I'll dig into my massive backlog of Criminal Minds. I have about an entire season saved up on the DVR.

Game-wise, I've been defending my parish in Stronghold Kingdoms and trying to familiarize myself with the workings of Genesis A.D.

Shift 2 Unleashed builds on the true drivers experience by introducing the driver’s battle, an even more authentic and primal feeling of power and speed which elevates the fundamental competitive race into a struggle for supremacy against other drivers and even the track itself.

The New Year has begun!  We had a relaxing NYE, no craziness, and yesterday we spent most of our time watching movies (Predator, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) and a few episodes of Supernatural.

Today will be equally quiet, apart from doing some grocery shopping, we have nothing planned, so we'll have done quite a bit of catching up on our DVR over the past few days. Go us!

We've been debating about upgrading our phones and switching to the iPhone, but we've been waiting for Verizon to announce their version. However, my current cell was getting on my last nerve (battery kept dying after 1-2 calls or text messages) and on our way back from the movies earlier this week, we decided to get it over with and we got ourselves a pair of Droid 2 phones. We picked that one over the Droid X because it works internationally, and now we get to play Angry Birds wherever we go!

Battle For Freedom will be multiplayer and playable up to 8 players, 7 freedom fighters and The Boss. The Boss sends enemies on the survivors with a RTS view, while the 7 freedom fighters have got unique abilities and fight in a FPS view.

Legendary female Japanese composer Kinuyo Yamashita will be performing her original music from Castlevania along with the New Jersey Symphony this Wednesday, December 29th and Thursday, December 30th at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC).

Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon is a co-op multiplayer Arcade Shooter that gives the player the ability to destroy thousands of giant bugs and turn an entire city to rubble in an unforgettable gaming experience built for replay.

Earlier this year five independent game developers joined forces and created a bundle of games, and they are doing it again. The Humble Indie Bundle #2 consists of: Braid, Machinarium, Osmos, Revenge of the Titans and Cortex Command, and to top it off you can pay whatever you want.

With Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, the epic story continues as players once again assume the role of the devastatingly powerful Starkiller - Darth Vader's secret apprentice set during the largely unexplored era between Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.

Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy faithfully recreates the experience of tactical land warfare in Western France during World War Two. The first installment in this new series covers the three months after the Allied D-Day landings in Normandy in June 1944, from Operation Overlord in June through the Cobra Breakout in August.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit transforms online racing by bringing to life the adrenaline and intensity of high-speed cop pursuits and changing the way that people connect and compete with their friends.

We'll be traveling later today, so hopefully, the airport won't be a total madhouse. Apparently the new full-body scanners have the adverse effect of making lines even longer than they were before, so that ought to be interesting.

We've purchased our gifts accordingly, so there won't be any last-minute surprises at the security gate that will send us to the full cavity search line.

Off to take a nap, do some laundry and pack. For all the readers out there who are going to be on the road as well, we wish you safe travels.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is a new action-adventure IP, a story of one man’s journey to discover the true meaning of sacrifice amidst murder and betrayal. Set in Southern Europe during the middle ages, Lords of Shadow has beautifully-realized locales that play host to an epic battle between good and evil.

Microsoft has launches its Games for Windows Horror for the Holidays sale, marking down half a dozen titles anywhere from 25% to 75$. The horror themed titles in question are Dead Rising 2 ($39.99, now $19.99), Resident Evil 5  ($29.99, now $14.99), STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl ($19.99, now $4.99),
FEAR 2: Project Origin ($19.99, now $9.99), A Vampyre Story ($19.99, now $9.99), Plants vs. Zombies ($9.99, now $7.49).

Activision Blizzard amended its counter lawsuit against two former executives, adding rival publisher/developer Electronic Arts, and added a hefty price tag on its claim, $400 million. Activision accuses EA of intentionally interfering with contracts, engaging in unfair competition and aided and abetted breaches of fiduciary duty by former Infinity Ward executives Jason West and Vince Zampella.

Based on Universal's trilogy of movies, but with an all-new story consulted by co-creator and writer Bob Gale, Back To The Future will revive Marty McFly and Doc Brown's high-flying voyage across the space-time continuum.

Forged by Chaos is an online fantasy game with many RPG elements, using Crytek's CryEngine 3, based on the Chaos theme - worlds powered by steel and battle magic - featuring customizable characters, interactive environments, multi-player interaction, and enhanced game world dynamics.

SOE's 2003 Planetside was the first real MMOFPS, where thousands of players wage war in a battle of planetary proportions with first-person player-to-player combat and vehicular warfare across ten continents. While PlanetSide Next is currently in development, no details have been released yet, but according to CEO John Smedley that will change early 2011, "Early next year we will have announcements about Planetside Next followed by a beta."

Need for Speed World Online takes the race into the largest open world in the franchise's history. This Play 4 Free action racing game will give fans access to licensed cars, parts, multiple game modes, sophisticated online matchmaking features and fully customizable profile and rides.

Today through Wednesday, December 23, embark on a journey through ancient China in “Mahjong Wisdom” for only $2.49 – that’s 75% off the original price! As you progress from level to level, a beautifully illustrated story is revealed, immersing you in an ever-evolving game experience.

Bloodline Champions is a free-to-play arena-based player vs. player game featuring unique and action-packed gameplay for up to ten people.

Shift 2 Unleashed builds on the true drivers experience by introducing the driver’s battle, an even more authentic and primal feeling of power and speed which elevates the fundamental competitive race into a struggle for supremacy against other drivers and even the track itself.

Age of Empires Online invites players to create a living, growing online world, shared with friends and friendly rivals around the globe.

Fighters Uncaged delivers the excitement of real fighting competitions in addition to teaching players mixed martial arts techniques, delivering players an immersive total-body combat experience with the Kinect technology.

MLB Manager Online is a free to play browser based game that will allow aspiring team managers to select from over 900 actual players from all 30 current US Major League Baseball teams.