Fighting games have made a big comeback, and the evidence was clearly seen at TGS this year. Tekken 6's announcement for home consoles is one of the bigger stories on the show floor this year. (Probably because there wasn't that much else happening ...) Capcom's revival of the Street Fighter franchise in SFIV looks rather exciting, and the TGS trailer offers excited fans over three minutes of anime and fighting footage.

Shortly after learning that the Flood would be making an appearance in Halo Wars, we were whisked away to a meeting with Ensemble's Graeme Divine where we immediately asked: "Is the Flood a playable race?" As quickly as we asked it, we were answered: no. With an emphasis on the story-driven single-player campaign, Divine told us that the multiplayer component would only include the UNSC and Covenant forces, as already revealed, and the campaign would only be playable as the UNSC, not the Covenant.

But that brings up another issue: how is the Flood present in a prequel taking place 20 years before the events in Halo: Combat Evolved? The more Halo-aware amongst you (read: total nerds) will recall that the introduction of the mysterious Flood in that seminal title was a surprise to the player and, indeed, to the entire UNSC command. When asked if they're retconning the Flood earlier into the Halo timeline, Divine said that the events observed in Halo 1 "was the first time UNSC knew about the Flood." So how does the existence of the parasitic aliens twenty years earlier go entirely unrecorded? Unsurprisingly, they're not saying (our guess: everyone dies).

Nestled comfortably alongside major content partners like Capcom, Electronic Arts, and Square Enix is the Microsoft booth – a bright white oasis of relatively line-free gaming. Seriously, our wait in the Resident Evil 5 co-op line at Microsoft's booth this morning: approximately five minutes. The wait at Capcom's Resident Evil 5 booth? Think "infinity." Check out our gallery below for a quick walkthrough of what the big M's got on display at TGS this year.

For the first two and a half years of the Xbox 360's lifespan, owners eagerly looked forward to regular "spring" and "fall" updates, packing more functionality into their consoles through (what Microsoft marketing would later call) the "magic of software." With the absence of a spring update this year and the subsequent announcement of the New Xbox Experience we wanted to know if Microsoft would return to the biannual updates ...

So we asked John Schappert during our sitdown earlier this week in Tokyo. He said, "I don't know if we're going to tie ourselves to a spring fall release schedule" and continued, "I like staying focused on bigger, more impactful releases ... maybe it'll be twice a year, maybe less frequently, to-be-determined." Speaking of what those future updates could consist of, Schappert said that Microsoft is asking itself, "What's the next big launch? What do we bring? When can we bring it? And how can we do it in a big way?"

The NXE is certainly a bigger, more impactful release. We're assuming, however, that Microsoft doesn't plan on reinventing the wheel every couple years in which case what "big" functionality should we expect in future Dashboard updates, regardless of when they're released? No, really, we're asking you.

If there was any doubt as to whether the Resident Evil series had abandoned its traditional survival-horror mechanics in favor of a more action-packed horror experience, the appearance of "shooter" controls in the franchise's fifth installment should completely eradicate it. You know, if the fact that the not-zombies drop ammo wasn't enough to convince you.

As hinted at in an earlier producer interview, Resident Evil 5 does indeed have an optional control scheme that is more in line with the third-person shooter genre. The left analogue stick now allows you to strafe to the left and right, with aiming (enabled via the left trigger) and turning assigned to the right analogue stick. The controls are a step away from Resident Evil 4's tank controls and feel considerably more familiar and intuitive.

We're relieved -- and you may be inclined to disagree -- that Chris Redfield and his spirited partner are still unable to move and shoot at the same time. By not entirely giving in to the demands of shooter fans and placing one significant limit on your offensive capabilities, Capcom has preserved the sense of anxiety felt when a monster approaches. Shoot or run? Make the choice!

We've got a handful of the network in Japan for the Tokyo Game Show, another handful in Anaheim, California, and another handful at home doing nothing but posting. And playing some games, of course:

• Alexander Sliwinski: Must, must, must finish Infinite Undiscovery this weekend. Also been meaning to try Hinterland.
• Christopher Grant: Still stationed in Japan, far from the upcoming onslaught of major releases and the LittleBigPlanet beta, I'll have to settle for using the Tokyo Game Show as my own personal gaming closet until I return. Looking forward to stumbling my way through Gyakuten Kenji's Japanese menus, trying out some Resident Evil 5 co-op, and eating delicious ramen. Admittedly, eating ramen isn't a game but stumbling my way through ordering it is pretty fun (and challenging!).
• Griffin McElroy: I'll be playing the LittleBigPlanet beta as much as time allows until its untimely end this Sunday, making tweaks to my first ambitous published project (ostentatiously titled "The Blimp and the Birdhouse: A Cautionary Tale on Unsturdy Flora") and playing through some of the classier levels currently available to those lucky enough to procure a beta access code. I imagine I'll fit a bit of Rock Band 2 in as well, as the release of the first ever Harvey Danger DLC was met with much fanfare in my apartment.
• Kevin Kelly: I'll be playing Diablo III at BlizzCon, baby! Also Starcraft II and... archery, apparently.
  
• Kyle Orland: In between campaign volunteering, squeezing in some time for LittleBigPlanet, Mega Man 9 and more Rock Band 2.
• James Ransom-Wiley Let's go Phils!
• Jason Dobson: As a side effect of my recent move, I've begun going through the assortment of old games I've collected throughout the years, deciding what's worth revisiting and what's best left remembering through rose-colored glasses. I've decided this weekend will be devoted to tackling Sir-Tech's Realms of Arkania trilogy, beginning with Blade of Destiny, assuming I can even get the thing to run.
• Justin McElroy: ?????
  
• Ludwig Kietzmann: !!!!!
• Randy Nelson: Now that I know the LittleBigPlanet beta content will carry over to the final release, it's on! You'll be playing my level based on Leonard Part 6 day one! (That is if I don't let my new-found addiction to Galcon on the iPhone or my goal to lose 200 lbs. in one weekend using Wii Fit don't get in the way – I know the anthropomorphic Balance Board says it can't be done, but I'll see it in skinny Hell!)
• Ross Miller is so happy to have contributed to today's GameDaily's HUD (take that ... people who didn't) that he's just going to paste the same WRUP response here: Before this year's Great Explosion of AAA Releases, I'm going back through some of the library and playing through Half-Life 2 and BioShock. It'll be interesting to see how their narrative style and presentation differ from next week's Dead Space. There's also a handful of LittleBigPlanet levels I've been told to check out. Beyond that, I'm a few performances away from Endless Setlist in Rock Band 2, which time permitting I might try to take a stab at on Sunday.

Here's the piping-hot new cinematic video for the Wizard class in Diablo III, straight from BlizzCon. This leads us to suspect that each class will get its own cinematic, possibly as they approach the Sanctuary instance near the beginning of the game. There are several Wizard-specific CGI moments and gameplay shots in a sort of "coming up this season on Diablo III" format.

Below you can check out the new gallery of screenshots from Diablo III, featuring new shots of the Wizard, Barbarian, and Witch Doctor. Enjoy the goodies, and keep checking back for more info.

Jay Wilson, Julian Love, Wyatt Cheng from Blizzard were the first panel from BlizzCon, which was all about the Diablo III class system, including its tweaks and special effects. Unfortunately, we didn't get any more hints at the other two classes which haven't been announced yet. However, with the Witchdoctor and Wizard being so magic heavy, we're sure they'll add another physical fighter that isn't quite as big as the Barbarian. Head after the break to get the new details on the Skill System, the Rune System, and four of the Wizard's spells that involve blowing things up, and / or melting them.

And here you thought there'd be no big StarCraft 2 announcement after its conspicuous absence from the BlizzCon 2008 opening ceremony. Rob Pardo, executive vice-president of game design at Blizzard announced that the campaign version of the game will be a trilogy, each part focusing on a separate race.

• Terrans - Wings of Liberty
• Zerg - Heart of the Swarm
• Protoss - Legacy of the Void

Sure, it's not a release date, but for those still hopeful, there's always tomorrow night's closing ceremonies. We'll get more info on this as we have it, like will it all be in one box? Will we have to buy separate discs? Can we have it now, please?

Update: Yes, you'll have to buy separate discs. According to Pardo, "It's a separate product. Look at the next two as expansion packs, but will have the feel of stand alone products." Meaning yes, we'll be charging you more money.

Premature ejaculation is, as you know, great. First, it's a real time-saver. You can finish the base act of copulation and be off and about your business. Second, you can save a TON of money on shady rent-by-the-minute motels, not to mention prostitutes (sometimes you don't even have to stop the car or -- for some extreme cases -- roll the window down all the way!).

As if all that weren't great enough, now it appears that the gene that makes you a premature ejaculator is linked to quick reflexes, or to put it another way: You're better at stop and pop if you're known to pop and stop.

[Via ShackNews]

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." - Ancient proverb.

Sony Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida said in an interview with GI.biz that he'd like the Xbox 360 to succeed in Japan for the sake of pushing HD gaming. Yoshida would like to see the PS3 and Xbox 360 be more successful in Japan and getting consumers moving beyond the Wii's dated technology.

Yoshida even goes on to compliment Microsoft's NXE and the Avatars, expressing that he prefers it over the Miis. Although it appears that the Wii will continue to dominate globally, Yoshida believes consumer acceptance of "this generation of gaming" would benefit both Sony and Microsoft.

Those fixes promised for the upcoming PS3 version of Alone in the Dark are substantial. So much so that Atari and developer Eden Games have decided to rebrand their survival horror romp through Central Park with a fiery subtitle, Alone in the Dark: Inferno. Set for release on November 18, the new version aims to correct many of the annoyances found in last June's release, changes Atari notes were fuelled by media and player feedback, and not -- repeat not -- by a Edward Carnby-shaped totem set ablaze on their front lawn.

Inferno's changes include "quicker and smoother" controls and 360-degree camera control, as well as a "more logical" inventory system, improved car handling and a better tip system. Atari also promises "an exclusive new sequence" in one portion of the game for more "excitement and variety." As for those of you who purchased the fettered Xbox 360 version, we're waiting to hear back from Atari if plans exist to patch that version, or if players should simply get used to watching Edward Carnby roast in a 'technically complicated' fire.

Ludwig and Chris continue their string of intimate, romantic podcasts without the anchor, the rock, the Juice: Justin McElroy. This time they've got a pretty good excuse: They're in Tokyo, and because of the time difference, actually recorded the show sometime next week.

Bear with us through this trying time, and we promise things will be back to normal next week.

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Hosts: Chris Grant and Ludwig Kietzmann.

Music: "Get Ready for Love" by Nick Cave, "Red Eye" by Ben Kweller

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See all of this week's links after the jump.

Rumor becomes reality as Mötley Crüe's 1989 album Dr. Feelgood will be available as Rock Band DLC starting next week.

Mötley Crüe - Dr. Feelgood (1280 / $16)

• "Dr Feelgood" (160 / $2)
• "Slice of Your Pie" (160 / $2)
• "Rattlesnake Shake" (160 / $2)
• "Kickstart My Heart" (160 / $2)
• "Without You" (160 / $2)
• "Same Ol' Situation (SOS)" (160 / $2)
• "Sticky Sweet" (160 / $2)
• "She Goes Down" (160 / $2)
• "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" (160 / $2)
• "Time for Change" (160 / $2)

Videos for the tracks are after the break. The songs will be available for download next Tuesday and Thursday for Xbox 360 and PS3, respectively.