It's not too early to start putting together your strategy for Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer, you know. Like, for instance, let's say you're one of those lucky few who can manage to string a series of kills together without being interrupted by ... um, death. You should probably decide on which killstreak bonuses you'll use in battle -- a decision made easier by the list of bonuses acquired by XG247 during last night's Black Ops multiplayer preview event.

Keep in mind that the reported rewards and their killstreak requirements are from an in-progress build of the game and could be subject to change. Still, there's plenty to be excited about in this taste of what can be unlocked in Black Ops. We've posted the full list after the jump to avoid spoiling the fun for those who'd prefer to stay in the dark.

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Yesterday, we reported that Puzzle Quest 2 would make its way to PSP later this year, but we still had questions. Specifically, it was unclear if the game would see a UMD release and whether it'd be as full-featured as the console versions.

Steve Fawkner, CEO and president of Infinite Interactive, confirmed with Joystiq that the PSP game would only be available as a PSN download -- there will not be a UMD version. "Although we've received great support from D3 and Namco for all previous Puzzle Quest releases, PQ2 PSP is the first Puzzle Quest game that Infinite is doing by itself, without a publisher, so we're not really able to handle a full UMD release at this time," Fawkner told us. He went on to say that "it's important to get a PSP version out there for all the people who enjoyed the original PQ on PSP and wanted the second one."

Fawkner offered further insight into why Infinite would be publishing the PSP version itself (given that other versions were published by D3). "The truth is that most publishers really aren't keen to take a risk on PSP these days, which is kind of sad, because it's 'taking risks' that gets great games like Puzzle Quest published in the first place!"

As far as features go, Fawkner also confirmed that Puzzle Quest 2 for PSP would not include multiplayer. The multiplayer mode in the first Puzzle Quest was apparently not so popular among PSP players, so the team decided to focus on implementing Elite Mode (a tougher version of the single-player game that yields better rewards) into the PSP sequel, which it thought would be a better fit for the PSP demographic.

The Mega Man Universe teaser trailer hinted at all sorts of cross-game franchise madness when it debuted earlier this year, and this first gameplay trailer does little more than stoke our curiosity all the more. The new teaser begins with an introduction from creator Keiji Inafune, and then launches into the character select screen of this prettied up side-scrolling Mega Man title.

After just a minute of Blue Bomber action, a final tease is revealed -- the character select screen pops up again, only this time it features a Megafied version of Street Fighter's Ryu. "No way!!!" indeed! Head past the break for the full clip, courtesy of 1UP.

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Following yesterday's dramatic announcement of Project Sword for iOS -- and the dramatic release of the free Epic Citadel tech demo -- Gamasutra spoke to Epic's Mike Capps about the games and the platform. Capps said that putting Unreal Engine 3 content on iPhone wasn't as hard as it seemed, thanks to the device's storage space that can come in handy for textures. "You've got 16 gigs of flash memory, which is way better, faster memory than what most people have generally on a home PC," he said. "So that stuff works really well. It's the big environments that get really complicated on the rendering tools for iPhone. But yeah, we've got some tricks for it."

Capps has his eyes on the future of the platform, both for Epic's own games and licensees. "We've got a few of our licensees using [the iOS tools for UE3] now, who've been testing it with us. So we'll roll it out to existing licensees and then start opening up. I think [Epic VP] Mark Rein has a big plan for how they're going to roll it out and make sure everybody's using it."

Capps also thinks there's potential to turn the new Apple TV into a game console of sorts. "... I can't wait to throw our engineers at it and see if we can get the latency we need to be able to play a game interactively over that wireless link to the Apple TV," he said. "I sure hope so."

Have you ever wished you could turn the act of reading a comic book into a more social experience, but without all the reading over your shoulder and creepy breathing down the back your shirt? Sony might be making moves to bring your dream to fruition. PS3 enthusiast site Addicted to PlayStation reported receiving a survey inquiring whether they would be interested in seeing the Digital Comics service, which launched last November on the PSP, migrate to the PS3 (or other devices) sometime in the future.

If Sony really is planning on bringing comics to the big screen, we're torn on whether or not that would be a good thing. On one hand, part of the joy of comics is burying your face in the pages -- an experience you couldn't really replicate on a TV. On the other, we could finally use this as a chance to show our friends what incredibly expedient readers we are. "Oh, you're still on panel four? We're on panel nine. What's up?"

Activision today officially welcomed RZA to the cast of DJ Hero 2. The legendary Wu-Tang leader's inclusion as a playable character was first hinted at when RZA shared a few images of his mocap costume for an unnamed Activision game back in April. RZA, who often performs as alter-ego Bobby Digital, said of his digitization, "Now, I actually exist in a digital world, yo."

Additionally, RZA mixed two tracks for the DJ Hero 2 soundtrack. The first blends LL Cool J's "I Can't Live Without My Radio" with Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five's "The Message," and the second mixes Damian Marley's "Welcome To Jamrock" with Walter Murphy's "A Fifth of Beethoven." (RZA is also featured in the "Dollaz & Sense" Blackroc track licensed for the game; see the complete track listing here.)

Catch RZA wax poetic on his journey from paperboy to DJ Hero 2 in the video after the break. "Bong bong!"

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Not long after hearing about Call of Duty: Black Ops' multiplayer options, I grabbed a controller and tried to shoot fellow press as best I could in the new Wager Match modes. I got to play three of the four new modes at the Activision reveal event: "One in the Chamber," "Sticks and Stones" and "Sharp Shooter."

As you might have read, Call of Duty: Black Ops not only rewards XP in multiplayer, it also rewards CP ("CoD points"). CP is your main currency for unlocking gear and content. Everything in multiplayer costs CP to unlock -- killstreaks, new guns, even layers and symbols that can be used to create your own emblem and logo. So CP, while plentiful (especially when you're good), is important. Losing it in wager matches puts you further away from getting whatever items or unlocks you want.

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Nintendo's Japanese release calendar includes a currently unannounced game called "Super Mario Collection Special Pack." This coincides with the rumored announcement of just such a thing from a Nintendo retailer conference in Japan. Andriasang translated a Game Jouhou report of leaked information from this event -- normally we'd put little stock in third- or fourth-hand information like this, but the subsequent inclusion of the game on Nintendo's official calendar lends a bit of credence to the claims.

According to this translated scuttlebutt, Super Mario Collection is a "revival" of Super Mario All-Stars for the SNES. We don't know if that means just a port, or additional included games, or further graphical updates -- though at 2,500 yen ($30) we don't expect extensive remaking. The "Special Pack" name reportedly refers to an included book showing material from 25 years of Mario game development, along with a soundtrack CD featuring music from the whole series.

Nintendo has scheduled the release of this game for October 21, which means that we should see official information very soon. It also means that No More Heroes 2, out in Japan the same day, officially has no chance of selling any copies.

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The iOS version of Bit.Trip Beat won't be a simple port of Gaijin Games' WiiWare debut. It has a couple of new features that may convince even the few people who completed the game to buy it again.

A representative for publisher Namco Networks informed Joystiq that Bit.Trip Beat will have a multiplayer mode, for up to four players on either iPhones or iPads. Even more intriguing, the mobile version of the chiptuney rhythm-Pong game will have new downloadable levels.

Namco Networks expects to release Bit.Trip Beat this fall. You can see what it looks like on iPad in our gallery. If you look at the images on an iPad, you'll really get the idea.

It feels so weird to be telling you this, but Ubisoft has made an advergame based on Tom Clancy's HAWX 2 and ... it's kinda good! It's a pretty basic shmup with an 8-bit theme, though it's a bit more forgiving than most traditional games in the genre. (Your plane can actually take more than one hit before going down.)

Everything else is pretty much what you'd expect: a rad soundtrack; several weapon types; and an endless supply of enemies to blast into oblivion. Don't believe us? Hit up the link and check it out.

[Thanks, Daniel]

Whoa, whoa. Easy there, you dirty hippie. When we say "free love," we're not referring to the next meeting of the Rainbow Family of Living Light -- we're talking about a chance to play Eskil Steenberg's lovely little MMORPG, Love, at zero cost this Labor Day weekend. The offer will being around 1AM ET this Friday, at which point you'll be able to download the client on the game's official site. This free sample will be available until 7AM ET on Monday.

Now, that's what you have to do to get in on the free Love weekend. What you should do is watch this gameplay demonstration, so you'll know what the hell you're doing once you start making changes to the MMO's completely procedural world.

Southpeak has announced that its chess title, Battle vs Chess (which is totally not Battle Chess) is headed to PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on September 28. Much like Interplay's classic game of nearly the same name, Battle vs Chess lets players compete in the ancient strategy game using animated pieces. Battle vs Chess also includes several different gameplay modes, including a campaign mode and puzzle mode which house "over 50 puzzles and scenarios." Another mode allows players to manually place pieces, which can only be seen by the opponent after the game begins.

The PC version will retail for $20, while the Xbox and PlayStation 3 versions will be available for $40. Meanwhile, the Wii, DS and PSP versions are slated to be released in the first quarter of 2011 with prices still under wraps for now.

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EA Sports covers nearly all the big sports: football, soccer, golf, basketball, hockey, etc. But will it ever tackle a more niche interest? Its president, Peter Moore, certainly sees that as a possibility -- just not on the current HD consoles.

Obviously, the main obstacle in the path of these smaller sports is development cost. "It would be very difficult for us to justify putting a full-blown next-gen team on with all the associated costs," Moore explained to Edge. However, he does see an alternative. "Can we do a browser based version? So I think the answer's yes, but we're not there yet ... Digitize that content and provide experience for - and I don't want to call them lesser sports - but regional sports that find it difficult to scale."

EA is already dabbling in a number of browser-based experiences, including FIFA Online and Tiger Woods Online. With its continued expansion in the area (see: the recent acquisition of Playfish), the future certainly holds a lot of possibilities. Who knows -- the lower barrier of entry may one day enable EA Sports to make that lacrosse game we've been dreaming up.

A 12-page preview of the Fallout: New Vegas - All Roads comic is now available on iTunes, but if you end up liking what you read don't expect to buy the full thing off of Apple's virtual store shelf. The graphic novel is a prologue to events in the game and is "exclusive" to the Fallout: New Vegas Collector's Edition.

The un-interactive text adventure is published by Dark Horse Comics and written by New Vegas' senior designer, Chris Avellone. The comic also apparently gives "clues to in-game missions for the sharp-eyed reader." Now we totally want Where's Waldo: Fallout Edition.

Activision revealed the Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer component at an event this evening in Los Angeles. We'll have a full preview later on, but first we'll just run you through the various features that Treyarch is adding to the latest iteration of Call of Duty.

Producers Dan Bunting and David Vanderhaar took the stage at the LA Coliseum to talk three pillars for the new CoD multiplayer game: "Compete, customize and create." Competition was the first element -- beyond the standard Call of Duty multiplayer elements, Treyarch has added a whole new mode called Combat Training, which brings AI opponents to the mix. Yes, bots have arrived in Call of Duty.

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Stardock is delaying Elemental: War of Magic's multiplayer capabilities as the developer continues working out issues from the PC 4X strategy game's rough launch. A company spokesperson noted on the game's forums that the "[multiplayer] enabling patch has been put back to next week as the priority was to first resolve" performance issues which could impact single player and multiplayer.

The company has also posted a master to-do list of fixes that the game currently requires. Elemental has come a long way in just a week since release, but the post-launch drama is a case study in the advantages of the "when it's done" approach to a game launch.