During our guided demo of Microsoft's upcoming stable of XBLA games, Microsoft's Scott Austin informed us that all the games on display would be available in the next four to six weeks on Xbox Live Arcade. All of 'em. If you've been reading the impressions on Joystiq, you'll know that this a reason to be excited. For the record, the XBLA games being shown by Microsoft are:

• Bionic Commando Rearmed
• Castle Crashers
• Galaga Legions
• Braid
• Geometry Wars 2

We expected Microsoft to show off some cool XBLA games at E3, but we weren't expecting four to six weeks of win.

SCEA president Jack Tretton has aired his feelings on Square Enix's decision to nix PS3 exclusivity for Final Fantasy XIII. During a roundtable chat this morning, Tretton said that he was disappointed by the decision, but not exactly caught off guard.

"Am I disappointed by it? Yes," Tretton told us, adding: "Am I surprised by it? No." He was quick to stress that the game remains a PS3 exclusive in Japan, but that "seeing as there isn't that big of a [PS3] installed base in [there], I don't know how big of a coup that is for us."

Speaking to the concept of paying third parties for exclusives, Tretton said that Sony has "invested so much money in the [PS3] hardware" that it simply "can't write checks for exclusive software."

Echoing statements made by Sony Worlwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida prior to E3, Tretton said that Sony's is more focused on exclusive titles from its own teams. "You've got to create platform-defining franchises that you own," he said. "It's the only way you're going to guarantee exclusivity going forward."

Sony has announced that they are willing to carry all studios' video content on their PSN video delivery service -- they'll be hosting standard and high definition videos from anyone who wants to sell them. Video will be available for both sale and rental, and will be portable -- you'll be able to buy it on a PS3, download it to the PSP, and have it live on both devices at the same time.

Prices are said to be $2.99 for an SD rental, and $5.99 for an HD download. Purchase price is $14.99 for SD movies, and it's unclear yet whether HD content will be sold for purchase. The video store will look much like the game store, and will be available tonight on PSN.

The newest iteration in the terrific Ratchet and Clank series is going for quality over quantity -- Sony has announced that the game will release for $15 on the PSN sometime this summer, and will feature "a shorter game at a lower price." The game will describe what happens to Clank after the end of Ratchet and Clank: Future, and will serve as a "great introduction to what R&C is all about."

No official date yet ("just this summer"), but looks like some good and cheap Ratchet and Clank fun.

Sony has announced that, as predicted, they'll be introducing a Greatest Hits program for some of their best-selling titles. The listed games include:

• Motorstorm
• Resistance
• Warhawk
• Call of Duty 3
• Fight Night
• Need for Speed: Carbon
• Assassin's Creed
• Rainbow Six Vegas
• Oblivion: The Elder Scrolls
• Ninja Gaiden

All the Greatest Hits games will sell for the MSRP of $29.99. No word on timing yet, but retail stores will likely list the new prices as soon as possible.

Castlevania's coming to Wii after all, but not in the form you expected ... or may have hoped for. Nintendo Power's latest issue (August 2008, their 20th anniversary edition – congrats!) has the scoop on Castlevania Judgment, a 3D fighting game featuring characters (and game mechanics) from the classic vampire-thwapping franchise.

In its first look at the game, the Nintendo Power gang reveals that Castlevania Judgment will feature gameplay that uses the nunchuck for character movement and the Wii remote for swing-based attacks. Sub-weapons such as crosses and holy water, a staple of the series, will appear and – just as in the action-adventure games – cost hearts to use. The character roster as revealed so far includes Simon Belmont, Alucard, Dracula, Maria Renard, and Shanoa. Traps, random monsters, and destructible environments will also play into combat.

The August issue of Nintendo Power is arriving in subscriber's mailboxes now. Thanks to GoNintendo for the heads-up, and to Nintendo Power for confirming the story. Otherwise, we'd have chalked this one up to a really bad weird dream caused by too much cold medicine. Achoo!

More tidbits surrounding Jeff Gerstmann's controversial firing from Gamespot, from around the web and our own reporting:

• Gerstmann has confirmed to Joystiq that there are "legal reasons" why he can't comment on the controversy, in addition to questions of "respect for the product team still on board at GameSpot, who are some of the most amazing people I've ever met." He added that he is not under any sort of non-compete agreement regarding future work in the industry.
• Eidos issues a 'no comment' to 1UP: "Eidos is not able to comment on another company's policies and procedures." Valleywag says Eidos "insiders" are "freaking out" over being blamed for something they say they had nothing to do with. Still no response from Eidos to our requests for comment.
  
• Former Gamespot editor-in-chief Greg Kasavin, on his GameSpot blog: "As the longest-tenured GameSpot editor, Jeff Gerstmann deserved a respectful send-off."
• Current Gamespot editor-in-chief Alex Navarro compares the whole situation to hitting the disaster button in SimCity.
• Former Gamespot staffer Bob Colayco and Adam Buchen clarify that just because Gerstmann was fired doesn't mean Gamespot staffers routinely get paid off for good reviews. Buchen also cancels his Gamespot account and urges others to do the same.
• An anonymous Valleywag commenter going by the handle "gamespot" and claiming to be a company insider: "There has been an increasing amount of pressure to allow the advertising teams to have more of a say in the editorial process." More: "Also, despite the fact that this occured [sic] two weeks ago, there was no way they were going to fire him then; the last big games didn't come out until just before Thanksgiving, and there was no doubt that management knew that the rest of the reviewers would refuse to write any reviews after his termination, which is indeed what is happening. [emphasis added]"
  

We'll continue to update as more information comes out. Thanks to Gamespot user subrosian and all the tipsters who sent in information. Keep it coming.

Update 2:45 PM EST: Gamespot has issued a massive Q&A addressing many outstanding issues surrounding the firing.

Update: 11:50 AM EST Dec. 5, 2007: Check out Joystiq's analysis of the edits to Gerstmann's Kane & Lynch review. GameSpot editors comment on their Hot Spot podcast. Also: Tuesday and Wednesday updates from around the web.

Update 10:00 PM EST: Gamespot has posted official notice of the firing on their website. Meanwhile, some editors at CNET have commented on the controversy in a podcast.

Update - 11:20 AM EST Dec. 3, 2007: Further updates, and Gerstmann's exclusive comments to Joystiq.

Update - 11:00AM EST Dec. 2, 2007: More updates from around the web.

Update - 3:45PM EST: Ziff Davis employees rally for Gerstmann

Update - 9:00AM EST Dec. 1, 2007: The latest developments on the story.

Update - 5:45PM EST: CNET has amended their earlier statement with Joystiq.

Update - 3:20PM EST: We just noticed that Gerstmann's video review, previously accessible only through a direct link, has been removed from the site. Here's an alternate YouTube link.

Update - 2:20PM EST: We got a response from CNET, GameSpot's parent company, that totally explains the whole thing away ... you see. Actually, they don't say much.

Update - 12:52 AM EST: Penny Arcade, which helped popularize this story with their comic last night, has posted an accompanying commentary piece on the issue. The story they were told (by whom, we do not know) has Gamespot management angry at Gerstmann for long-standing problems with his reviewing "tone." The Kane & Lynch review, which allegedly caused Eidos to withdraw "hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of future advertising from the site," served as the straw that broke the camel's back. There's no named source for this information, but the piece does say that "the firm belief internally [is] that Jeff was sacrificed."

Update - 11:00 AM EST: The anonymous source/speculation train rolls on. Rock Paper Shotgun has posted a story citing an unnamed "very reliable source" as saying that "while Gerstmann wasn't the most popular man with the CNET owners, it was his Kane & Lynch review alone that saw him lose his job." Meanwhile, a poster at Forumopolis who claims to be directly involved with the Kane & Lynch ad campaign says that the whole thing is just a matter of bad timing. "I sincerely doubt that Eidos made Gamespot fire him," the poster writes. "CNET doesn't kowtow to its advertisers, and I've more than once seen the higher-ups turn away big advertising dollars for the sake of the company's integrity." Make of this what you will.

Update - 10:44 AM EST: Gamespot PR representative Leslie Van Every has responded to Joystiq's request for comment with ... a predictable 'no comment.' "It is CNET Networks' policy to never comment on individual employees--current or former--regarding their job status," Van Every told Joystiq. "This policy is in place out of respect for the individuals' privacy."

Update - 7:12 AM EST: Jeff has confirmed his firing to us via e-mail, but says he's "not really able to comment on the specifics of my termination." He added that he's "looking forward to getting back out there and figuring out what's next." We're still digging.

Update - 1:35 AM EST: The Kane and Lynch ads that blanketed Gamespot's front page are no longer being shown. Check out the picture above to see what the site looked at just an hour ago.

Original Post:
So before we get going, we should make it clear that this post is still just a rumor and many of the facts behind it are still up in the air. That being said, word around game journalism's virtual water cooler is that Gamespot Editorial Director Jeff Gerstmann has been fired because publisher Eidos was unhappy about his negative review of Kane & Lynch: Dead Men.

What seems in little dispute, going by forum chatter as well as multiple published sources (referencing conversations with multiple CNet employees), is that Gerstmann has indeed been fired after over ten years working at the site. We were not immediately able to confirm the firing with Gamespot or Gerstmann directly, but an e-mail sent to his Gamespot address did get returned with a "permanent failure" error. Seems pretty serious to us ... (see 7:12 AM update above)

We'll keep this short and sweet. Amazon sent out notices this morning to customers that Rock Band had been delayed until late 2008. That is just plain wrong says Harmonix's PR. They have absolutely no idea how it happened, but when they asked Amazon to update their information to correct the error, Amazon then shifted all Rock Band content to 2008. Rock Band is still planned for this November with an official release date being announced "very soon."

A representative for Harmonix tells Joystiq, "We have asked Amazon to address this and we'll be coming out November of this year. We've requested they update their information. We have no idea where that date came from." So all those preparing to rock, and especially those that pre-ordered their Rock Band bundle off Amazon, it looks like everything's gonna be all right.

[Thanks to all those who sent this in]

Update: A RadioShack manager who wishes to remain anonymous has confirmed to Joystiq that the retailer will begin selling games and hardware in most of their stores nationwide on Sept. 24. The selection of titles will include Halo 3 (available at launch on Sept. 25), Madden 08 and "every major launch title for the holiday season" according to the source, who was briefed on the plans by a corporate broadcast.

Fourteen games in all will be available through the holiday season, though a list of specific games was not available. In addition, 2,500 of the chain's 6,000+ stores will be selling Xbox 360, Wii and PS2 (but not PS3) hardware in-store -- other locations will be able to special order hardware at a customer's request.

According to our source, the focus will not be on just selling the systems and games, but also the associated accessories and cables that Radio Shack specializes in (and makes the most margin on). After the holidays, the retailer will probably suspend the game sales program "unless it does really well," our source told us. The program will be promoted to consumers in RadioShack's October flier.

Original Post: GameShack, anyone? Analysts are predicting that venerable electronics retailer RadioShack is looking to increase the video game presence in its 6,000 locations across the U.S. Media reports cite analysts from Citigroup and Credit Suisse as predicting the company will start testing game sales in their brick and mortar locations as early as this holiday season. One analyst note suggested stores would be limited to 14 games per location to start. Not exactly numbers to strike fear into the heart of GameStop ... at least not yet.

The Shack has offered a wide selection of games and hardware on its website since 2005 but their in-store gaming selection has been traditionally limited to memory cards, controllers and other accessories. The move into the thriving game industry might be an attempt to reverse three quarters of declining sales for the retailer, yet RadioShack stock was down 6.6 percent Monday on fears that selling games might further depress earnings. Go fig.

Read - Reuters report citing Citigroup analyst
Read - Dallas Morning News report citing Credit Suisse analyst

Traveler's Tales' Lego Batman may be bricking our consoles this fall, but it looks like Indiana Jones will be whipping us into shape in the summer of 2008 (YOU CALL HIM DR. JONES, DOLL!!). Lego Indiana Jones will chronicle the famous archaeologist across all three movies in the franchise. No platforms are announced yet, but all we can say is if we aren't getting Simon Belmont's whip on the Wii, we'll gladly take Dr. Jones'.

LucasArts also points out that they remain hard at work on their internally developed Indiana Jones video game which takes place a year after The Last Crusade. The story is being overseen by George Lucas, but there is still no word on a release date for that.

[Via Press Release]

Dave Karraker of Sony Computer Entertainment of America has contacted Joystiq to give us clarification on the story that would have made us believe Sony had truly lost its mind once and for all. The fun never ends, does it?

Karraker says the quotes from David Reeves are not accurate. He explains that if they had lowered the price in Europe, that territory would have run out of their current inventory by the end of July. He says in a statement, "As announced this week, SCEA's product offering in North America consists of a 80GB PS3 available in August at $599 and a 60GB PS3 available now for $499. We have will have ample supplies of both models to meet the needs of our consumers for the foreseeable future."

Update 1: There are some serious conflicting reports going on at the moment. We're working on answers while still trying to cover E3 the best we can.

Update 2: As you may have seen in this clip about 1:45 in, Kaz Hirai says "The $499 price adjustment that we did for the 60 GB version for the American market, we're no longer in production for that product. So once that product is gone from the retailers shelves, then we're back to the $599 SKU only, so it's not like we have a two price strategy here in the U.S. market, which we found early on consumers react most to just having one SKU as opposed to two." So, we're attempting to get some clarification. You'll know when we do.

Update 3: According to Karraker, "The 60GB PS3 will be available in North America for $499 until supplies of that unit are depleted. We have ample inventory to meet the immediate needs of consumers in this territory for several months to come. We won't be making any further announcements regarding our hardware offerings in the North America at this time." In our opinion, it's a touch disingenuous for Sony to just now be bringing this information to light, even though Karraker goes on to insist that this is not a bait-and-switch. If that's the truth, why make it seem like the company was returning to a two-SKU strategy when that was clearly just temporary?

Update 4: We got this clarified statement from Karraker, who said "The 60GB PS3 will be available in North America for $499 until supplies of that unit are depleted. We have ample inventory to meet the immediate needs of consumers in this territory for several months to come. We won't be making any further announcements regarding our PS3 model hardware strategy in North America until the 60GB model is exhausted and market conditions are evaluated."

This is rock n' roll! Connection is awful and we're probably going to finish this off later, but Harmonix's Rock Band party is the place to be! Energy is high, music rocks, Gamecock brings their hardcore style and it's just everything that can be rock and roll in here. Oh, and Peter Moore can RAWK! Not one pause, more on that in video form later!

Helen from Harmonix (pictured above) brought down the house with Peter, far better than what we saw in the Microsoft press conference. Jay from Gamecock says he's pro Eagles of Death Metal who are playing. We also got Andy McNamara from Game Informer who says, "Queens of Stone Age (who are also playing) are riff masters." More on all of this later.