It's not surprising that Just Cause 2, a game in which pretty much everything explodes, goes all out with its pre-order bonuses. More than just a simple gun or article of clothing, those who pre-order the game will nab two guns, a souped-up car, a special hovercraft and a unique parachute.

It'll be available on launch day (March 23), so we wouldn't be surprised if those non-pre-orders will be able to pay a little extra for the same perks. Just remember: You earned your Chaos Parachute, and no one can ever take that away from you.

Did you download last night's optional 3.15 firmware update on PS3 only to find that none of your PSP Minis were working on the PS3? You're not alone! The team at PSN Stores has compiled a list of all the Minis that work on Sony's home console -- a whopping five: Blast Off, Echoes, Kahoots, Stand O' Food and Zombie Tycoon.

But what about the remaining Minis? Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a week before the whole lineup is expected to work on the PS3. That means, at least for one week, your copy of Sudoku will remain exclusively on your PSP. Why Sony decided to release the firmware update so long before the feature, ahem, works is beyond us.

-DS: 1.7M1.2M (+262%)
-Wii: 1.26M753K (+149%)
-360: 820K570K (+228%)
-PS3: 710K389K (+121%)
-PSP: 294K119K (+76%)
-PS2: 203K85K (72%)

Check out the software sales chart after the break.

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With the recent controversy golfer Tiger Woods has found himself embroiled in, Forbes National Editor Michael Ozanian believes that the biggest name in golf is done being a pitchman. Ozanian claims that companies like Electronic Arts, which publishes the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series, will drop Woods "regardless of what they are saying now."

Well, we were actually curious to hear what EA is saying now, so we contacted the publisher. A spokesperson for the company informed Joystiq, "There is no change in our marketing strategy for the franchise. Our strong relationship with Tiger for more than a decade remains unchanged."

Site Gamerinvestments.com believes there's "no way" EA is going to drop Woods. Its logic: "There is simply no other golfer that EA Sports can replace him with and there is no way that they are going to stop making one of their most successful games."

When the holidays roll around, the gamers who buy everything they want throughout the year might find themselves stymied asked for a wish list. Today, we put the Nyko Charge Base IC through its paces, and it looks like a great way to pad your list to Santa. The Wiimote charger uses induction, which not only alleviates the need to plug everything in, but -- as you'll see in the above video -- also looks really slick.

Also, to help justify this video's existence, we teach you how to make butter cookies.

It looks like Activision's hopes for Tony Hawk: Ride are falling even faster than the average Tony Hawk: Ride player. IndustryGamers reports that this month's NPD numbers place the game at 114,000 copies sold across three platforms. Not that Activision is even paying attention to its own failure right now, distracted by the ridiculous success of its own Modern Warfare 2. This is the second disappointing month in a row for a big-box Activision game.

While we don't have a per-platform breakdown of the disappointing sales, a forecast released before today's NPD results estimated that just 13,000 copies sold on Xbox 360. All of this just confirms what we intuitively knew: skateboards without wheels just don't work.

Call to mind Wii Sports' tennis, and you don't have to stretch your imagination too much further to arrive at Ubisoft's Racquet Sports. If you own a Wii, you already own this experience, to which Ubisoft has added some variety, including ping-pong, badminton, squash, and beach tennis, and a more fleshed-out art direction than Nintendo's pack-in or even its sequel, Wii Sports Resort. There's no Mii support, but Racquet Sports offers its own dollish avatars, customized with unlockable trinkets. There's a derivative multicultural vibe, too, as the characters and playing courts span the globe in classic and fantastic scenarios. Grandma vs. dashiki-clad boy in an aquarium squash court? Yes.

Of course, the experience you don't own is "tennis" played with a motion-tracking camera. No, not Natal -- not at all. Ubisoft's USB camera, first bundled with scarcely-reviewed Your Shape (featuring Jenny McCarthy), might be on the cutting edge of a revived and revamped gaming tech trend, but its implementation in Racquet Sports is painfully dull.

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It's been nearly a year since Media Molecule created the Metal Gear Solid level pack for LittleBigPlanet. A recent Trophy leak shows that the PS3 platformer is finally getting an official MM-developed playable add-on -- this time, inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

This partnership was first teased at E3. We presumed the partnership would result in nothing more than a downloadable costume, and we were wrong. The open seas should provide a fitting setting for the impending addition of water to the LBP universe. The various playable challenges Media Molecule have created should provide inspiration for LBP authors, thirsty to have their water-filled creations hit the PlayStation Network.

See the new Trophies after the break.

[Thanks, Stargateheaven!]

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As you might imagine, it's kind of hard to believe the words coming out of someone's mouth when a gold wrestling championship belt is gleaming in our eyes, which is why we're not sure what to believe coming from the mysterious "Adam" regarding a possible Splinter Cell Conviction demo coming this January. Seen with the Hip-Hop Gamer in a video after the break, Adam -- a gentleman who Ubisoft wouldn't confirm to us is an actual employee -- seemingly announces the existence of an upcoming Conviction demo.

When asked by the eccentric interviewer about the possibility, Adam responds, "It's coming out in January, and then the actual game: February 23rd." We asked Ubisoft for verification of Adam's words, and were told by a rep, "I cannot confirm a demo at this time." So, anyone know Adam?

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OK, everyone, let's gather in a circle and repeat: Oh, lords of downloadable games, please guide PixelJunk Shooter to sales. For now is the time of retail and PJS has been released into the wastes. May it find an audience in this unforgiving time.

Meanwhile, PSP Go (and normal PSP) owners have some downloadable games and even a couple PSP minis to choose from. Check out the full PSN update after the break.

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Sega, Rebellion, some Aliens, Predators, and even Space Marines are all teaming up in February to get your money. Sega announced that Aliens vs. Predator will be released in Europe on February 19 of next year.

The game will arrive in three versions, each for three different levels of enthusiasm about the FPS. The Standard Edition is for the average gamer looking for a new game. The Survivor Edition comes in the requisite steel case and includes codes for extra multiplayer maps, to be released after the launch date. The Hunter Edition is for the collector who may not even be opening the game, as it includes a facehugger model, a lenticular postcard, and a "Weyland-Yutani sleeve badge."

How do we sign up for the bundle Lance Henriksen's getting -- the one with your own likeness in the game? That one's probably really expensive.

In what's apparently the latest game industry victim of a down economy, Big Download reports that, according to its sources, Austin, Texas-based publisher Aspyr has laid off more than 50 percent of its employees. Though you likely recognize the Aspyr name from its PC-to-Mac ports, the company recently published the Call of Duty Classic port on XBLA and PSN, as well as Fighting Fantasy and Treasure World on DS.

We've been in contact with Aspyr in attempt to clarify the situation over there. We'll keep you posted.

Microsoft has announced the Xbox Live Marketplace content schedule for December and it's a real doozy. The Deals of the Week -- usually a haven for long-forgotten or unwanted DLC -- are actually real deals this month. In particular, Shadow Complex will be dropped from 1200 ($15) to 800 ($10) during the week of December 21. The following week, starting December 28, Twisted Pixel's The Maw will fall from 800 ($10) to a miniscule 400 ($5).

In addition to the normal Deals of the Week, Microsoft will also be offering daily deals from December 18-31. The company didn't specify what any of those deals will be, though it promises discounts on "games, movies, blockbuster game add-ons, holiday themes, you name it!" Rest assured, we'll be keeping our eye on things once the deals start rolling.

In the meantime, check out the XBLM December schedule, including Deals of the Week, Games on Demand and XBLA after the break.

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In a recent study conducted by Insight Media titled the "Stereoscopic 3D Gaming Report," researchers concluded that the install base of 3D-ready televisions will rise to "over 40 million" by 2014. MCV reports that the $5,000 study's results are based on the statistical outperformance of 3D film over 2D equivalents, as well as "extensive testing of the first generation of 3D games."

"We spoke directly with gamers, game developers, and game publishers ... to build a complete picture of the future of gaming," lead analyst Dale Maunu said of the testing. In fairness, when we last saw 3D technology in games, it kind of blew our minds, so we'd like to trust Mr. Maunu -- that being said, we're still paying off these HDTVs. Give us some time, The Future! Come on!

Today's 39 layoffs at Rock Band-developer Harmonix represented 13 percent of its staff, Joystiq has learned in a follow-up with MTV Games. The publisher expressed that Harmonix, its QA department and support positions were built to accommodate the 2009 worldwide release schedule. The developer will now shift to a "combination of temporary/part time help, outsourcing and support from external partners -- which is in line with how other game developers manage their QA departments."

When asked if this restructuring was precipitated by sales of The Beatles: Rock Band, a Harmonix/MTV Games spokesperson told Joystiq, "No. This was a process and business decision unrelated to the performance of any MTV Games / Harmonix product. MTV Games and Harmonix are very pleased with the sales of our Rock Band titles and we expect to continue to see strong sales throughout the holidays across all of our titles. The Beatles: Rock Band has sold over 1 million units worldwide to date. Again, the reason for the restructuring is due to better aligning our staffing to best suit our product development plans and schedules moving forward."

MTV Games also wanted to make sure that it was clear that "no future projects were affected by the restructuring."