D3's Earth Defense Force 2017 wasn't a great game, but it holds a rather special place in our hearts. The campy action game had you running around, rocket launcher in hand, blasting apart swarms of giant alien invaders. Pretty much everything exploded on the screen, making it one of gaming's great guilty pleasures.

It seems like someone's prepping another title in the Earth Defense Force franchise. A teaser site reveals the new subtitle, Insect Armageddon ... and absolutely nothing else about the project. But, considering how straightforward these games tend to be, we have a pretty good idea of what to expect from this new title: insects and explosions. Lots of insects and explosions.

Autobots and Decepticons have some new playmates thanks to new Transformers: War for Cybertron DLC. It's available today for 800 MSP and $9.99 on Xbox and PS3 respectively. Keep reading for full details, screens and a trailer of the new content in action.

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Did you know your copy of Resident Evil 5 has been sitting on your shelf, feeling neglected for months now? When the DLC for the game hit, you promised you'd get back to it, but you forgot, didn't you?

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According to andriasang.com, Dead Rising 2: Case Zero will hit Xbox Live in Japan starting September 8. The game was delayed last week, reportedly because of some inappropriate content contained in the free trial version of the game. We're not sure what's inappropriate about justly sentencing zombies to a gory death, but the issue has presumably been resolved. Would-be Japanese zombie slayers will be able to purchase the game for ¥600.

Of course, now we have to wonder if tomorrow's other undead XBLA release, Plants vs Zombies, will be deemed inappropriate as well. After all, flinging butter at an unsuspecting zombie is just wrong.

During the Xbox Live Enforcement panel at PAX this past weekend, director of policy and enforcement on Xbox Live, Stephen Toulouse (a.k.a. Stepto), recited "Stepto's Law" for the audience. The complex formula is used to determine the validity of a complaint issued by a banned Xbox Live user. The law goes like this:

"The more convoluted, overwrought and lengthy the protest of innocence, the probability of it being bullshit approaches one."

Toulouse feels that his law "tends to be almost 100 percent accurate of Xbox Live," but of course there can be exceptions to the rule -- er, law, in this case.

Microsoft director of game platform strategy Andre "Ozymandias" Vrignaud is departing from his position after eight years on the job, apparently taking up a new position at Amazon. In a post on his personal blog announcing the career change, Vrignaud says he "can't really talk about details at this point," but adds that "it'll become pretty evident soon enough ... and you all know where my passions lie." Considering Vrignaud's recent work on bringing Xbox Live to Windows Phone 7 and given the news earlier this year of an as-yet-opened app store for the Kindle, we're betting his talents are being applied to gaming on the Kindle.

Vrignaud also lamented leaving the Xbox Live platform team, noting the "thousands of times when I've watched or engaged in a passionate debate in a conference room about some arcane subject where the platform teams (who are all also gamers) fought hard to do the right thing for the consumer." Regardless, with Amazon's promise of a Kindle app store launching before year's end, it'll likely be sooner than later that we hear more about what Vrignaud is up to.

Can you pull off all of Ryu's trials in Super Street Fighter IV? Yes? Can you do them single-handedly? We think not! YouTube user biffotasty decided to give it a try, spending an hour "to see if it was doable." Trial 21 and 24 proved to be difficult, but thankfully -- for your entertainment -- "I realized that I was hardcore."

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Two new screens from Dragon Age 2 have been passed along from BioWare, one of which showcases dudes with anteater masks. Sure, that may not be the technical term for said masks, but we're totally going with it.

Next week's release of Halo: Reach carries with it some dire consequences for one New York City Best Buy-owned location -- the Times Square Best Buy theater will be taken over by thousands of rabid Halo fans, patiently waiting for their copy of Reach at 12:01am Tuesday on the dot. Additionally, the theater will feature a "surprise musical performance" and a chance to meet the creators of Reach.

Seattle will also be holding a major launch event. The Experience Music Project / Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame will host folks from both Bungie and 343 Industries, as well as a chance to compete in tournaments and win "coveted Halo prizes." Will you finally get that real-life plasma sword? We certainly hope not. That's dangerous!

As expected, US game retailers (from GameStop to Walmart) will be holding midnight launch events across the country, though we suggest you check with your local retail outlet before lining up next Monday night. A week's worth of Xbox Live-based activities -- named "Invasion Week" -- are also planned, which you can find detailed after the break.

[Thanks, p01nt.]

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