Media Molecule’s Alex Evans has revealed that LittleBigPlanet 2 might feature something they’re calling “backward compatibility” which will allow players to use user-created levels from the original game. Awesome, no? Well, of course there’s a catch: It probably wouldn’t be free. Then again, LBP 2 is something way way in the development stage at this point so there’s little that could be considered concrete information.

But he does gives us some insight into what’s being talked about over there so we can start to prepare for what might be coming our way in the future:

“We can give them backwards compatibility with those levels, and then when you decide on how you’re going to sell that to them,” Evans told GI.biz, “… all I’m saying is we’ve got loads of options open to us, and we can pick really late. We can make them in a year’s time, or whenever we want to ship - and that’s really useful for a developer, you can make a fine grain decision about what the price point is, or how you dice it.”

“We could do a version with every level available on subscription, or something like that,” he continued. “I don’t know what we’ll do, but it’s really exciting that we can make those choices, and make them late in the day.”

Options are always good. If there’s one thing most gamers want is options. Looking forward to hearing more details about the game.

Via | Destructoid

Image: Media Molecule

In case this had you worried: Harmonix confirms that Michael Jackson’s death will not affect the release of the Beatles version of Rock Band. As most of you may know, Michael Jackson was the owner of 267 of The Beatles’ songs, and now that the lawyers are going through the details of his estate, this could’ve easily caused some legal problems for Harmonix. But if you were concerned, you can rest easy.

Harmonix says that the game will release on time and there have been no issues with the scheduled track list.

Via | Kotaku

Image: Harmonix

I admit I’m one of the players that left Hyboria behind and headed off to greener pastures (*cough*backtoWoW*cough*), but this new “Come Back To Us”-type of offer by Funcom is rather tempting. I’ve been wondering about all the new things that have likely changed since my last login at Age of Conan and now the renew subscription button is calling to me.

Funcom is banking on most other players feeling the same way, and so they’re waving the proverbial carrot on a stick by offering two free weeks of gameplay in exchange for … well, coming back. After all, there’s an expansion on the horizon and I’m sure Funcom would really like it if those two free weeks turned into a few months and years of actual paid game time.

So if you’re tempted, do head on back to Age of Conan and see about redeeming those two weeks. I mean, it’s free … what could it hurt…

Via | Joystiq

Image: Funcom

Those of you that have been anxiously awaiting Champions Online can probably rest easy knowing that the system requirements to run Cryptic’s next MMO isn’t anything out of this world. If you’re already something of a computer gamer then I doubt any of these numbers will make you cringe, but if they do, it’s definitely time to upgrade!

The minimum system requirements are as follows:

• OS:Windows XP/Vista
• CPU:2.5GHz Single Core or 1.8GHz Dual Core
• Memory:1GB RAM
• Video:NVIDIA GeForce 7800 / ATI Radeon X700 or HD / Intel Graphics with Dual Core
• Sound:DirectX Compatible Soundcard
• HDD:5GB Free Disk Space
• Network:ADSL / Cable Modem
• Disc:DVD-ROM
• Driver:DirectX 9.0c

Now if you really want to turn all the settings to high and make this game look the best it can, you’ll need something either meeting or exceeding the recommended ones:

• OS:Windows XP/Vista
• CPU:2GHz Dual Core or Better
• Memory:2GB RAM or Better
• Video:NVIDIA GeForce 8800 or Better / ATI Radeon HD3850 or Better
• Sound:DirectX Compatible Soundcard
• HDD:5GB Free Disk Space
• Network:ADSL / Cable Modem or Better
• Disc:DVD-ROM
• Driver:DirectX 9.0c

Via | Kotaku

Image: Cryptic

It seems like 505 Games has teamed up with Paramount Pictures to bring Grease to our Nintendo gaming platform of choice: Wii and Nintendo DS. As a big Grease fan, I have to say that I find the news intriguing, but I’m not quite sure what such a game might entail. Dancing? Singing?

According to a Paramount spokesperson, the game will take “full advantage of the Nintendo Wii’s motion-sensing controls and microphone and the DS touch screen.” And John Kavanah, the Senior Vice President of Video Games for Paramount Digital Entertainment added, “Grease is the ideal opportunity to reach a broad gaming audience who love to sing, dance and have fun with a party-style game.” So it seems like singing and dancing might be in the cards.

It will be really interesting to see what 505 Games/Paramount come up with in regards to this game. In the meantime, I’m off to play the soundtrack on repeat. Grease Lightning!

Via | GameGirl

Image: Nintendo

Attention all Resident Evil fans: the rumor mill is spinning with news that director Paul W.S. Anderson is already working on the script for the next Resident Evil film: Afterlife. According to insiders, the film will be set between Tokyo and Alaska and should be hitting theaters sometime in September 2010.

Actually, we can go a little more specific than that. How’s September 17, 2010? If you’re going to circle the date, though, do it with a pencil, as this is still firmly settled in the rumor camp and not quite in the official side of things. There’s also no news as to whether Milla Jovovich will be repirising her role. But hopefully we’ll find out soon enough.

Via | Kotaku

Image: Ubisoft

Raven Software has at last revealed the specs for its upcoming classic first-person shooter Wolfenstein. The game is coming out in August for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. If you prefer your games on your computer, no problem. Now you can take notes on what the minimum requirements are so you can be sure to have your system at the ready once the game launches. If you’re going for the Xbox 360 or PS3 versions, well, then you don’t have to worry about any of this.

For you PC gamers out there, here goes:

Software:

• Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP or Windows Vista(R) (Windows 95/98/ME/2000 are unsupported)
• Microsoft DirectX(R) 9.0c (included & required for Windows XP & Vista)

Hardware:

• CPU: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 3.2 GHz or AMD Athlon(TM) 64 3400+ processor
• RAM: 1GB RAM
• Video Card: 256MB NVIDIA(R) Geforce(R) 6800 GT or ATI Radeon(TM) X800
• Sound Card: 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
• HDD Space: 8GB (Plus an additional 800MB for Windows swap file)
• Media: 100% Microsoft Windows compatible DVD-ROM drive
• Internet: Broadband connection and service required for multiplayer

Via | CVG

Image: Raven/id/Endrant Studios

Microsoft invites their Call of Duty: World at War players to celebrate the 4th of July on Xbox Live. From July 3 to July 6 all Xbox Live gold members will receive double XP when playing the game. This offer is valid worldwide, so no one has to feel left out. In addition, Map Pack 2 maps will be made available on July 3 through a playlist update, which will integrate the new maps into the rotations.

So if you’ve got some free time before your 4th of July parties, or even during your 4th of July parties, log on in to Xbox Live and launch CoD. Double XP is a pretty sweet deal. Thanks, Microsoft!

Via | Ripten

Image: Activision

It’s official: Blizzard killed off LAN support for StarCraft II. No SCII LAN parties for you! Instead, Blizzard wants you to sign up to Battle.net and stay there. They hope that this move helps protect users against piracy, by offering a one-stop shop for all multiplayer needs. Mostly, it just sounds like Blizzard really, really wants you to sign up to Battle.net and will not rest until everyone has done so.

The official word from Blizzard PR’s team member, Bob Colayco is as follows:

“We don’t currently plan to support LAN play with StarCraft II, as we are building Battle.net to be the ideal destination for multiplayer gaming with StarCraft II and future Blizzard Entertainment games. While this was a difficult decision for us, we felt that moving away from LAN play and directing players to our upgraded Battle.net service was the best option to ensure a quality multiplayer experience with StarCraft II and safeguard against piracy.

Several Battle.net features like advanced communication options, achievements, stat-tracking, and more, require players to be connected to the service, so we’re encouraging everyone to use Battle.net as much as possible to get the most out of StarCraft II. We’re looking forward to sharing more details about Battle.net and online functionality for StarCraft II in the near future.”

Undoubtedly, this will likely cause some bitterness and resentment among gamers, but I’m somewhat certain it won’t hurt SCII’s sales any when the game finally comes out. Of course, there’s always Diablo III - which will also lack LAN support.

Via | Joystiq

Image: Blizzard

If you’ve managed to play through all of your games over the weekend and are searching for some fresh titles to add to your collection, look no further. This week sees quite a few decent games added to the shelves, and if you managed not to blow all your cash on last week’s releases, then you’re probably in luck.

June 30 -

• Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood - Xbox 360, PS3
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Xbox 360, PS3, PSP, Wii, DS, PC
• Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs - Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PC
• Mega Man Star Force 3: Red Joker - Nintendo DS
• Steambot Chronicles: Battle Tournament - PSP

July 1 -

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 - Xbox 360

July 2 -

• Infernal: Hell’s Vengeance - Xbox 360

Via | QJ

Image: Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood // Ubisoft