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Did anyone else think that the Fracture demo wasn't as abysmal as you were expecting? Sure, it was the epitome of mediocre third-person action with a gimmick attached, but at times it was almost fun. Well the full game is out this week in both the US and Europe and, unless you're a European lego fan with vigilante tendencies, that's pretty much it. Oh, except for basketball. Lots of basketball. Here's the full release list:

US Games

• Fracture
• NBA 2K9
• NBA Live 2009
• NBA 09: The Inside

EU Games

• Lego Batman
• Fracture
• NBA 2K9
• NBA Live 09

Asian Games

• NBA 09: The Inside
• NBA Live 09
• Guitar Hero III
• Guitar Hero Aerosmith

Release dates are constantly subject to change, so be sure to check with your local retailer before making any sudden moves. Your PS3 will play games from any region, so go ahead and import anything you see above. Do be aware that DLC is locked to specific regions, though, so European games will require DLC from the Euro PSN Store. You may also be interested to know that NBA 09: The Inside is the only NBA game to support trophies.

This week is fairly quiet for the PSN update. The demo for the incredibly well-promoted title Fracture becomes available, along with the demo for the big game from a couple weeks back, Mercenaries 2. For those who haven't yet picked up the map pack for Call of Duty 4, it's on sale this week for a measly $5. The full list of additions can be found after the break.

The European PSN update can be found over at PS3 Fanboy. Go say hello, they miss you and give great hugs.

If you ask us, Europe wins this week. But two demos are never to be sniffed at. The Call of Duty 4 map pack has lowered in price to $4.99 until the 25th, in case you haven't already picked that up. Please be sure to check out the Valkyria Chronicles video if you're even slightly intrigued in that game. Or even if you're not. Here's the full release list:

Playable content

• Fracture demo
• Mercenaries 2 demo

Add-on content

• Rock Band DLC (listed after the cut)
• Call of Duty 4 Map Pack (repriced to $4.99 until the 25th)

The hardest of hardcore among you probably have this marked on your calendar, but, in case you've forgotten, allow us to remind you that the demo for LucasArts' terraforming action game Fracture and "Burnout Paradise Bikes," which ... adds bikes ... to Burnout Paradise, both go live on Xbox Live and PSN today.

To help us stay well below our Comcast 250 GB limit, we'd like to humbly suggest these two products be merged into one. "Earthosaur: The Terraforming Bike: The Game," puts you, Det. Dirk Dangerstein behind the handlebars of Earthosaur, a bike that has the power to shift the very earth it prowls like a silent, prowling fox. ... Also, the bike is possessed by your ex-partner, who was killed in a gangland shootout. ... And it can transform into a robot dinosaur.

How about it, Silicon Valley? How about it?

That's more like it. Have you noticed that we haven't been moaning about European PSN releases for a little while? That's because SCEE has clearly stepped up their game. Big releases are nigh-on simultaneous and demos and add-ons are rarely late, either. Being a European is pretty good this week, with three demos, two song packs for Rock Band and some decent videos and themes. Here's the full release list:

Playable content

• Fracture demo
  
• SoulCalibur IV demo
• NBA Live 09 demo

Add-on content

• Rock Band DLC (listed after the break)
• Rock Band Song Export Key (£2.49/€3.49)

Having said that, the Rock Band DLC is lagging slightly, but we're going to give them the benefit of the doubt for a few weeks, until they get everything synced up properly. The most confusing thing about this update is the Rock Band Son Export Key. Why would Europe need that now, if Rock Band 2 is nowhere in sight? Unless EA is going to surprise the region with a sooner-than-expected (ie, within the next 6 months) release? Who knows. What it does mean is that the song export patch (which includes GHIII controller compatability) should be available soon. Right?

Here we are, September 18, and the Fracture demo promised by LucasArts has landed on Xbox Live Marketplace. Weighing in at 772MB, the demo allows players to sample a section of Fracture's single player campaign. Using the game's terrain deformation system, players can try their hand at creating and destroying the landscape using a variety of weapons. Here's hoping that creating hills, holes, craters and spires is enough to keep things interesting. If you've been anxious to try out Fracture's much vaunted terrain deformation, give it a go.

LucasArts has announced that an earth-shattering demo of Fracture is scheduled to crack up the Xbox Live Marketplace on Thursday, September 18. If you need a little help digging the name Fracture from your mind, it's a third person shooter with the central mechanic of land deformation, which the devlopers have cleverly dubbed Terrain Deformation. Players can build their own cover or, conversely, pull the land out from under the feet of approaching enemies. Land deformation can also be used for other things, such as accessing otherwise unreachable areas (think of it like a dirt elevator).

For those who enjoy the demo, Fracture will be hitting retail on October 7 in North America and October 10 in Euorpe.

Fracture is not a game where one plays doctor, healing people from fractured bones and other various medical ailments ... it's another shooter. Oh, one of those. As if the holiday season didn't have enough already. However, there is one thing that makes Fracture stand out of the crowd -- the ability to manipulate the terrain around your character. That might get people to notice it amongst the other huge names that it will be competing with.

But how does "Terrain Deformation," as it's called, work? Instead of explaining it to you, why not try it out next week when the demo hits the PSN? You'll get your chance to mess around with good old dirt on Thursday, September 18 -- no shovel required. The game will release in North America on October 7 and in Europe on October 10.

Hoping to shatter our notions of shooters and the rigid environments they take place in, LucasArts' Fracture is set to debut in demo form via the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network on Thursday, September 18th. If you recall (and let's face it, you probably don't), Fracture's biggest back-of-the-box bullet point is "Terrain Deformation," which allows players to reshape the landscape in the midst of frantic combat.

The interactive teaser is an opportunity to "create cover, solve puzzles and revolutionize battlefield tactics," says LucasArts, shortly before reminding us that Fracture will dash onto the retail stage and break its metaphorical leg on October 7th in North America, and October 10th in Europe. Let's hope big "L" steps up the marketing campaign just a tad before then.

LucasArts has confirmed to Joystiq that the company laid off "a portion" of its workforce yesterday, June 5. Margaret Grohne, director of public relations for LucasArts, could not comment on the number of employees affected or which departments they came from. She could confirm that Peter Hirschmann, vice president of product developer, did depart the company yesterday in what was a "mutual decision" with management, and that his "passion and humor will be missed."

According to Grohne, the layoffs are not the result of a shift away from internal product development. "We remain committed to both our internal teams and working with external partners," Ghrone told Joystiq, adding that "[sites] are definitely reading too much into the layoffs; [LucasArts] is not halting internal development."

To that end, Ghrone stated that no titles have been canceled or put on-hold as a result of the layoffs, and that the company is "very proud" of the work done by the internal team creating Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, as well as that done by the staff of Day 1 Studios, who are developing the upcoming original IP Fracture for LucasArts.

Regarding various reports of now ex-employees of the company divulging information online concerning titles such as the next Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars Battlefront 3, and a "lightsaber game" for Wii, Grohne stated that the company cannot comment on unannounced products.

The LucasArts layoffs follow THQ's elimination of at least 200 jobs last month.

We've been intrigued by the terraforming gameplay we've seen from past previews of Fracture, spurring our curiosity about what little details we knew about the plot of the game. The developers at LucasArts, much like the man from which their name was derived, usually imbue their games with fantastic storytelling -- particularly in those rare releases that don't involve lightsabers and Bothans. The above trailer's themes of civil war and environmentalist undertones definitely provide the base for an interesting plotline; we just hope the game's writers can keep up, providing us with an unorthodox FPS protagonist -- one who is capable capable of weaving polysyllabic words into complete sentences.

Gamers looking out for Fracture might take interest in the game's newly redesigned and relaunched website. Fracture was announced around this time last year, and it looks like the game is well on its way to release this October 2008 according to the new website.

With the new site in place, a release for October, and a demo hitting the PSN a month or two before the scheduled release, then it seems we'll be hearing much more on this title in the months to come. It looks like this blogger was wrong when he said, in a previous Fracture post a few days ago, that Fracture news would again be sparse; this is most definitely a good thing that it won't. If you're interested in Fracture, make sure you check out the official website. But also, make sure you check out the new trailer after the break.

[Via Joystiq]

Lucasarts debuted the latest trailer for the upcoming action-shooter, Fracture, on GameTrailers early Saturday morning. Setting the stage for a war that takes place between a split United States, two factions face-off for dominance over the nation. The evil-doers, known as the Pacificans, have altered DNA to create a stronger, more dominant race while the Atlantic Alliance have put their effort into creating advanced cybernetics to thwart a Pacific attack. With an interesting concept and unique gameplay (terraform weapons look awesome!) can Fracture make a name for itself when it hits this October? Time will tell. Also, Pacificans? Really?