We might as well face the fact that this week's biggest Xbox 360 news pretty much happened yesterday and this morning, so that's what you'll be finding in the news section below. We also have new installments in our community features, so be sure to check those out. Might we specifically recommend that you check out XBLA in Brief, as it can save you from the heinous mistake of even downloading the trial version of Beat'n Groovy.

Community

• Xbox 360 Fancast 086 -- Proof, Meet Pudding
  In which a myth is dispelled
• X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Beat'n Groovy, MLB Stickball, Shadow Assault / Tenchu
  Oh, man is Beat'n Groovy awful
• Ask X3F: Cheevoholic edition
  Gotta get them Cheevos

News

• Avatar customization and NXE requires 256MB storage
  These updates don't store themselves, y'know
• Video: Halo Wars demo (with the Flood!)
  A brief glimpse of the ultimate organism
• TGS 08: Halo 3 Recon lands Fall 2009
  You can has Recon next year
• TGS 08: New Xbox Experience hits November 19 worldwide
  The time of the season for Avatar lovin'
• TGS 08: Tekken 6 lands on the Xbox 360 in Fall 09
  Oh no they didn't!
• Live members report 360 freezing issues
  Should be fixed now

Before we get into all of the tasty links, check out our two latest giveaways. On DS Fanboy, we're giving away a copy of Mystery Case Files: Millionheir. On Wii Fanboy, we're hooking up one lucky reader with a copy of Wario Land: Shake It! Head on over and check out those posts for details on how to enter. After that, hit up the links below for more good stuff.

DS features

• DS Fanboy Review: Kirby Superstar Ultra
  Review'd!
• Bury the Shovelware: Mega Man Star Force 2 - Zerker X Saurian
  Read our analysis of the game
• A brief history of Club Nintendo Awesomeness
  Check out some of the goodies fans have gotten from the service in the past
• Gaming to Go: Super Collapse 3
  Read why it's a great game for on the go
• Goodbye, GBA
  Check out our retrospective on the GBA slot
• DS Fanboy Review: Lock's Quest
  Is it good or bad?
• Show and Tell: Epic
  Our latest edition looks at one fan's massive collection

Wii features

• Revolutionary: Go Go Bionic!
  Sick of not having Bionic Commando: Rearmed on Wii? Well, here's the next best way to play it!
  
• Top 5: Nintendo's biggest surprises
  Read 5 of Nintendo's big "oooh" and "ahh"-inspiring moments
• It's-a Mario World: In the fall press conference
  A Mario-focused slant on the big Nintendo news last week
• Born for Wii: Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil
  Check out why we want it on Wii
• VC Monday Madness: Mario Golf and Shining Force II
  Video coverage of this week's Virtual Console games
• Virtually Overlooked: Arm Wrestling
  Why should it be on the Virtual Console?
• Pachter 'absolutely convinced' Wii HD is coming
  What do you think?

BlizzCon is almost upon us -- this weekend, thousands will descend on Anaheim to celebrate Blizzard and its games, and Blizzard developers will share their wisdom with us about Wrath of the Lich King, Diablo 3, and Starcraft II. And WoW Insider will be there: if you're going, make sure to come by our big reader meetup on Thursday night at The Lost Bar, and if you're not going, stay tuned to the site all weekend long for live-on-the-scene coverage.

News

• Raids rebalanced for patch 3.0.2
  Even Burning Crusade raids are getting a facelift, considering how much is changing in the upcoming expansion.
• Patch 3.0.2 release date revealed (probably)
  Set your calendars for October 14th -- that's when you'll get to try out all the new talents and skills.
• BlizzCon schedule and interactive map
  Blizzard announces what's going down at their third BlizzCon event in Anaheim, CA.
• Blizzard wins $6 million in court case against Glider
  The botting company loses big time in the ongoing lawsuit.
• Tigole confirms dual specs are still in the works
  Players are still begging for a way to switch specs more easily, and we might just get it.

Features

• Tips for new Death Knights from a fellow melee, part 1
  Trying out the new Death Knight class? Here's a quick review on how to stab things.
• Don't Panic: Paladin changes in beta build 9014
  Pally developments in the latest Wrath of the Lich King beta build.
• Ask a Beta Tester: Soundtracks, trinkets and travel
  One of our beta testers answers all your questions about what's going down in the beta version of Northrend.
• Tenacious D discovered Northrend first
  Think the frozen wastes came from the mind of Chris Metzen? There's a secret to be told.
• Spiritual Guidance: Everything you ever wanted to know about raid healing at level 80
  And then some -- our priest blogger Matticus lays down the facts on what's up in the Wrath raids.

Joystiq's sister site Massively.com has all the news you'll need about MMOs. Here's the best, brightest, and most interesting stuff from the last week, all in one convenient place for your MMO minute.

	The Digital Continuum: Rock Band, the MMO I've actually entertained the idea for a long time now, only to shove it aside as a crazy notion. But the thing kept popping back into the forefront of my mind so often that I couldn't discount it as happenstance. I've become enamored with the idea, because let's face it; a Rock Band MMO has the potential to ooze- no, to gush pure liquid awesome.
	Massively's exclusive Mines of Moria dev tour Earlier last month, Massively was invited to get a hands-on look at Mines of Moria, the first-ever expansion for Lord of the Rings Online with Turbine's Adam Mersky and Moria Producer Mike Jablonn. During this special dev tour, we were treated to many of the features of the new environments, new creatures, certain landmarks and the Legendary Item system.
	Is LotRO coming to the console? According to a job posting on Turbine's website, they're looking to hire a Senior User Interface Engineer who "may be refactoring existing user interfaces or implementing completely new user interfaces for systems such as combat, skills, inventory, treasure, and social systems." Does this mean LotRO?

As we head into the month that has both Octoberfest and Halloween we don't know whether to be scared or to get our party on. Ok, we can do both. But first check out Big Download's highlights from the past week:

Exclusive Features

• Reviews: This week check out our final verdicts on Warhammer Online and Lego Batman. Also we have a look at several PC gaming hardware products from SteelSeries.
• Crysis and Crysis Warhead performance comparisons: Did Crytek really optimize Crysis Warhead? We check out their claims in our benchmark test.
• Is a broadband cap a threat to the game industry?: ISPs are beginning to put limits on how much you can download? Could you go over by downloading large game files?
• The PC Game Vaporware Vault: Which games are we still waiting to be released after years of promises? Quite a few actually.
• The College Try: Failed PC Ports of Console Games: Sometimes a great console game doesn't make a great PC game.
• Mac Monday: Our look at Mac gaming takes on the Wild Tangent online RPG Fate.
• MODMonday: Our mod column continues its look at Max Payne mods with a look at the Kung Fu total conversion.
• Independent Minds: Our look at indie games takes a different turn as we examine how social networking can help indie game developers.
• Boot Disk: Our look at classic PC game takes a gander at the original Interplay RPG Fallout.
• Big Ideas: Our look at big PC gaming trends examines the whole idea of user generated content.
• Big Iron: Our hardware column this week takes a look at the importance of frame rate in games
• Alt-Tab: What qualities does a good PC game need to have? We have an answer in our latest installment.
• Freeware Friday: Our look at games you can get for free gets a load of the arcade shooter Gunroar.
• Virtual Bargain Bin: Our look at games on the cheap takes a look at Steam's id Super Pack and X-Com Complete Pack.
• BigCast: It's our regular weekly podcast as the team debates all matters related to PC games.

News

• Spoiler: Angrathar, the Wrath Gate
  Don't click that link if you don't want the story ruined, but s. is about to hit the f. in Northrend. if you know what we mean.
• Ask a Beta Tester: Multi-passenger mounts and Enchanting
  Our beta tester (one of them) answers your questions about what's going on in the Wrath of the Lich King beta.
• New items for old Honor
  Blizzard's about to wipe all Honor and marks off the map, so here's what they're offering to let you buy before everything goes bye-bye.
• Shaman changes in Wrath beta build 8982
  Class tweaks are coming faster than ever near the end of the beta, and our class columnists are keeping you updated on what's going on.
• Boss models updated in Wrath beta
  Finally, Sylvanas looks like the badass Blood Elf Banshee Queen she's supposed to be.

Features

• First Impressions: 5-man healing in the beta
  What it's like to keep a group up in Northrend.
• Skill Mastery: Mind Sear
  A look at an Area of Effect ability coming to Shadow Priests,
• Breakfast Topic: The last week of Brewfest
  The in-game holiday of drunken Dwarves is almost over -- did you get your Brew of the Month membership yet?
• WoW Insider's preview of PopCap Games' Bejeweled addon
  Here's a first look at PopCap's official Bejeweled addon -- one addictive game inside another.
• Will Wrath really be ready by November 13th?
  Blizzard, a company known for polish, is still not done with some of Wrath. Will the game come out unfinished?

Fall has arrived but don't let the leaves turning, the economy busting and the candidates feuding get you down. Big Download has been working hard to give its readers the best in PC game related news, features and downloads. Let's look at the highlights for the first week of autumn 2008.

Exclusive Features

• Reviews: We give our verdict for the recent release of Introversion Software's multiplayer strategy game Multiwinia
• Previews: We go hands-on with Atari's upcoming revival, Deer Hunter Tournament.
• Black Ops PC Games: What major PC games are being developed that you might not know anything about? This feature article has the word on the super-secret games under development.
• Resurgence of Yesteryear: Classic PC games can be revived but which ones should get new versions using their original graphics and technology? We pick 10 PC games that we want to see come back in their original form.
• Big Iron: Our regular PC hardware column comes back with a look at how a recent message board discussion over FIFA 09 generated a look at console vs PC hardware.
• Boot Disk: Our new column on retro PC gaming takes a look at the classic adventure title Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Father
• Mac Monday: Our look at the world of Macintosh gaming continues with examining the unusual action game Miriel the Magical Merchant.
• MODmonday: Our weekly mod feature continues to look at Max Payne mods; this time its a Max Payne 2 total conversion called Sketchbook Sam that turns the game into a 2D stick figure.
• Indie Showcase: Our weekly look at indie games continues with a look at titles from the recent Bootleg Demakes competition.
• Big Ideas: Our weekly look at the "big" game themes goes over a recent Gamasutra article about game journalism
• Alt-Tab: Our weekly op-ed talks about how "casual" gaming doesn't have to mean "simple"
• Freeware Friday: It's our weekly look at free games; this time around its for the action-adventure Eternal Daughter
• BigCast: Our weekly podcast is a special one as we chat with members of Mythic Entertainment to find out what's happening with Warhammer Online after its launch last week.

We'd like to pretend this week isn't all about Bungie's teaser for a new Halo 3 campaign expansion. We'd like to tell you this week is really about things like our look at Duke Nukem 3D for XBLA or the fact that Peter Molyneux is already conducting the hype train to his next game. We'd love to say that, but it just isn't true. We love teh Halos and we love Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, so the week belongs to Bungie. This time ....

Community

• X3F TV: Video analysis of Bungie's Keep It Clean teaser
  Keep It Clean: Analyzed
• X3F-TV -- XBLA in Brief: Duke Nukem 3D
  The reason we liked Duke in the first place
• Hands-on: RACE Pro
  It's got cars! And racing!
• Xbox 360 Fancast 084 -- Fanboys Tell 'em
  This one is a good one, honest.
• Ask X3F: Frame City who edition
  Remember Frame City Killer?

News

• Portal XBLA achievements offer more original content than actual game
  We do what we must because we can.
• Golden Axe video is missing something
  It starts with 'multi' and ends with 'player'
• RumorDestroya: Xbox 360 Slim spotted? Sorry, no
  Stupid, deceptive cameras!
• Molyneux: Next project is 'very different' and 'ridiculously ambitious'
  So what else is new?

First up, we're giving away a copy of Mega Man 9 on WiiWare. Hit up the original contest post by clicking on the image above or hitting this link. Now that we have that out of the way, let's get to the good stuff: links!

DS

• Bury the Shovelware: N+
  Our weekly feature checks out this ninja-tastic game
• Gaming to Go: Mario Kart DS
  We tell you why it's good for gaming on the go
• DS Fanboy hands-on: Dragon Ball Origins
  We check out the upcoming game
• Items of Import: Look ahead! Dragon Quest V!
  We help you play the imports
• Capcom delivers verdict on Gyakuten Kenji date
  Plus new screens!
• Show and Tell: Painted Love
  Our weekly feature spotlights community-created gaming goodies

Wii

• Blue Period: A collection of Mega Man boxart
  Relive the past by looking at boxart!
• Wii Fanboy Review: Mega Man 9
  Is it the best thing evar?
• Born for Wii: Mega Man Legends
  We tell you how it can be made for Wii
• VC Monday madness: Super Dodge Ball and Vectorman
  This week's Virtual Console releases, in video form
• Top 5: Mega Man games
  Our favorite 5 Mega Man games
• It's-a Mario World: Final Bosses
  Mario's toughest adversaries
• Mega Man 9 doesn't support GameCube controllers after all
  Even though it's supposed to
• Virtually Overlooked: Mega Man Soccer
  We tell you why it should be on the Virtual Console

News

• Coren Direbrew now drops cross-faction Brewfest mounts, teleportation device
  Brewfest is underway in Azeroth, and Coren Direbrew is the Dwarf you want to insult for epics.
• Planning for the Brewmaster title in advance
  Here's the low-down on what you need to do to get the achievement ready for the Brewfest holiday.
• Motorcycles finally implemented in the Wrath beta
  Azeroth, get ready for biker gangs -- the expansion's new BoE Engineering mount is roaring into town.
• WoW Insider Interview: Blizzard speaks about Authenticator security
  Blizzard answers our questions about how the account Authenticator works.
• Paladin changes in beta build 8962
  What's up with plate-wearing healers in the latest Wrath beta build.

Features

• Ask a Lore Nerd: Portals, Pandaren and Jaina Proudmoore
  Our resident lore obsessor talks about portals, Jaina Proudmoore and her rocky relationship with Arthas, and everyone's favorite Panda race.
• WoW, Casually: Get thee to Brewfest
  Our casual players' column takes a look at the latest holiday and all the drinking there is to do.
• Is "Leading the Cavalry" possible?
  There's a new mount achievement coming soon to the game, but is it even possible to get 75 mounts on one character?
• Ask a Beta Tester: Mounts, threatmeters and tabards
  If you've got a question about the Wrath of the Lich King beta, odds are that AABT has an answer.
• Guildwatch: It's not me, it must be you
  Drama, downed, and recruiting news from as many guilds as we could round up in our weekly guild column.

Here's a gem that many Joystiq readers may not know about: Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars for PSN. The absurdly-named downloadable game released a new trailer that has that awesome Duke Nukem E3 vibe. The more we see of this game, the more it tickles our fancy. Read more about it here.

This week's featured games: LittleBigPlanet (PS3) and Star Ocean: First Departure (PSP). Check out their Game Pages to catch up on everything you may have missed! Also, for Trophy whores out there, don't forget to check out our Trophy Portal, which includes the most up-to-date list of games that will support Trophies, and many lists and guides.

Game Pages

• LittleBigPlanet [PS3]
  
• Star Ocean: First Departure [PSP]

Previews

• Alone in the Dark [PS3]
• Dead Space [PS3]
• Mirror's Edge [PS3]
• MotorStorm: Pacific Rift [PS3]
• NBA 09 The Inside [PSP]
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 [PS3]
• PlayStation Home [PS3]
• Red Baron Arcade [PS3]

Reviews

• Yggdra Union [PSP]

It's been another busy week for news, downloads and original features at the PC Big Download site. We've got reviews of two highly anticipated PC exclusive games, a preview of an unusual MMO, our detailed look at the space stage in Spore and lots more.

Exclusive Features

• Reviews: We have our final reviews of two major PC titles: The Witcher Enhanced Edition and Crysis Warhead along with the last review (for a while) of the latest American McGee's Grimm episode as well as Episode 2 of Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People.
• Spore: Our detailed look at Will Wright's latest game ends this week with a multi-part look at the space portion of the alien evolution game. Check out Being Julius Caesar, Being The East India Company, Being Henry Kissinger, Being John Smith and Being Francis Drake.
• BigVersus: It's our weirdest entry in our column comparing games as we compare the PC version of Spore to the DS game Spore Creatures and the iPhone title Spore Origins.
• Previews: We go hands-on with FusionFall, an upcoming free browser based MMO based on the Cartoon Network universe of characters.
• MODMonday: We begin a multi-part look at the best mods for Max Payne with a look at True Matrix.
• MacMonday: Our latest look at Macintosh games has a review of the top down shooter (with an odd graphics style) SketchFighter 4000 Alpha.
• Independent Minds: Our look into the Indie game scene takes a look at how developers can market their creations.
• Big Ideas: Our column that looks at the big ideas in games takes a look this week at adaptations and how games translate into other entertainment mediumsand vice versa.
• Alt-Tab: Our feature gallery this week takes a look at why we should take a gander at Warhammer Online.
• Freeware Friday: Our weekly look at free PC games examines the music title Frets on Fire.
• BigCast: Our weekly podcast interviews (and says a sad goodbye) to our now former Big Download producer Barb Dybwad as well as other topics.

With the industry resting on the edge of the impending holiday, news seems to be a mix of rumors and (this week, at least) unexciting Xbox Live Arcade releases. Maybe everyone figures we deserve a little downtime before the real onslaught begins. During this quiet before the storm, we offer you the latest XBLA in Brief, which covers the sheer excitement of Feeding Frenzy 2 and Domino Master. Yeah, well, Duke Nukem 3D comes out next week, so have faith, 'mkay? In the meantime, check out the latest news and community features below.

Community

• Xbox 360 Fancast 083 -- Totally Boned
  A new buzz word is born
• Ask X3F: Microsoft Game Shenanigans edition
  Is Microsoft Game Studios in trouble? (No.)
• X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Domino Master, Feeding Frenzy 2
  Fish and Dominos. Hooray?

News

• Too Human cracks NPD Top 10
  So there!
• NHL 09 disc error also known as the cache time-bomb
  Extended play causes error
• Rumor: Bungie and Rare set to announce new projects next week
  Where'd we put that grain of salt?
• UK deal: Gears 2 and replica gold lancer for £129
  Real gold? No. Real classy? Yes.
• Rumor: Zombie Wranglers shambles to XBLA soon
  If you don't wrangle zombies, who will?

We'll be brief, as SkyNet's drones are close to discovering our location. We're aiming to help the human resistance by awarding two games to some lucky readers. You can enter for your chance at Final Fantasy IV right here and attempt to win Mario Super Sluggers right here. Best of luck!

If you wish to aid the resistance further, then follow the instructions within the links below. The data has been encrypted as blog posts.

DS stuff

• Dear Mario, come to the castle, I have made some awesome cosplay
  Brilliant Peach and Mario cosplay, along with some Zero Suit Samus
• Bury the Shovelware: Tenchu Dark Secret
  We play it so you don't have to
• Gaming to Go: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
  Read why it's a great on-the-go game
• DSF Interview: Griptonite's JC Connors on Spore Creatures
  Read our chat with the dev behind Spore Creatures
• The Lock's Quest DS revealed
  Limited edition LED handheld? Awesome!

The best of Wii

• Wii Fanboy Review: Strong Badia the Free
  We check out episode 2
• Born for Wii: Punch-Out!!!
  The game gets re-imagined for Wii
• VC Monday Madness: Mega Man 2
  We bust up some evil robots
• Top 5: Retro Revival PLZ
  Five games we'd like to see get the Mega Man 9 treatment
• It's-a Mario World: Mini-boss Mayhem
  Some of the mini-bosses in Mario's life
• Darth 64 shows the appeal of the dark side
  Awesome portable N64 mod
• Yarr!!! New homebrew program runs DVD backups
  Yep, you read it