Well, it was also called “the coming surprise,” and, you know, ew. Alright, that was lifted out of context for a cheap laugh. Here’s the verbatim post on Mass Effect 2’s official fan page on Facebook:

Man, so much time tied up today in meetings and “secret stuff” I didn’t get any time with ME2 at all. =( Still with the coming surprise for next week on the ME2 website, I’m sure fans will forgive me for no update. Did I, Evil Chris Priestly, just drop a hint? Yes. Yes I did.

Read literally, that could mean it wasn’t Chris Priestly dropping a hint, but in fact it was Evil Chris Priestly his palette-swap nemesis from planet Zantrar 5.

Mass Effect on Facebook [via Hot Blooded Gaming]

Says Mathew Everett, the Pandemic Community Manager, in a message on Saturday afternoon:

I am very proud to communicate today that The Saboteur has officially gone “GOLD” on all 3 planned platforms (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 & PC). This has been a very difficult week for Pandemic Studios, but does not change the fact that a team of amazing people worked very hard to make The Saboteur a great game that fans will be able to enjoy this holiday season. As planned, The Saboteur will be available across Europe starting December 4 and throughout North America on December 8. Vive La Resistance!

Actually, it’s likely an Xbox 360 Controller for Windows – I doubt they’re using a console to display the video. It’s probably something their production team put together on a PC and gave Pereira the controller for ease of use.

But it is intriguing, I suppose. It also reminds me of how I completely screw up my replays in Madden and NCAA 10 because I’m moving the two sticks like an FPS camera.

Tom Burt, who owns #203 of the all-electric sports car made by the Silicon Valley company, wrote on Tesla’s “Customer Blog”:

A team of sound engineers from Microsoft Game Studios (some working on Forza, some on Project Gotham Racing) asked if I was willing to take my Roadster to a track so they could record a variety of sounds. Some time ago they had the opportunity to record Tesla motor noises when a prototype was being run on a dyno at Tesla. But the teams were excited about the prospect of recording other sounds, particularly tire skid and squeal noises, without the interference of loud engine and exhaust noise. Of course I said “yes.”

Burt provided pics of his miked-up ride, which you can see above. (There are more at the link).

Burt is listed on Microsoft’s official site as a corporate vice president and deputy general counsel for litigation. The Tesla Roadster did appear in PGR 4 (released 2007). Of course, why would they re-record the engine note if it wasn’t needed for a new game? It could also be that Burt misspoke or misunderstood who was asking for the audio.

We’ve reported on rumours of PGR 5 in development in the past, so this is not exactly surprising. Still, I’ve emailed Microsoft to notify them of Burt’s comments and ask them for one.

Microsoft Executive Confirms PGR5 in the Works [Kokugamer via GameStooge]

“We didn’t release the number,” Xbox Live GM Marc Whitten told VentureBeat. “I cannot explain to you why people would think it was a million people. It wasn’t a million people”.

So those who had money on it being one million, sorry. You’re out. Until the cold day in hell Microsoft actually discloses the figures, though, those with money on it being 999,999 or 1,000,001, you’re still in the running!

Microsoft’s Xbox Live chief on banning modders and browsing Facebook photos on TV [VentureBeat]

In a statement to G4, the French publisher said that unlike the original Wii game and its sequel No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle, No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise shan’t carry the Ubisoft logo on these shores. No reason given, apparently, but here’s to hoping Grasshopper Manufacture can find a friend for those of use interested in experiencing “Very Sweet Mode” stateside.

Ubisoft Not Publishing No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise (Aka No More Heroes HD) [G4's The Feed]

Gearbox Software released a batch of new media for the Borderlands expansion, content that looks like it would’ve been great to play on or around Halloween and will give my Siren a bluish hue that I’ll really enjoy. More reanimated screens below.

To be fair, the downloadable content for Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Dark Lord came out the same day the game was released on WiiWare, and Square Enix waited a whole two days before releasing paid DLC for Gyromancer, but much of it is every bit as ridiculous.

Like Dark Lord’s paid DLC, four of the seven items available for Gyromancer are items to use in battle to earn you an advantage over a foe. For 40 Microsoft points apiece, or $US0.50, you can purchase the Magic Key, Remedy, Magick Mirror or Hock of Meat items, each having some sort of beneficial effect on the game board.

Microtransactions don’t get much more micro than this, folks.

A bit more useful are the three new maps Square Enix has released for 240 points apiece. Each of the three maps — Dragon’s Haven, Rivel’s Trial and The Four — include new monsters you can add to your stable of fighting beasts. In The Four, you must defeat three guardian monsters before facing off against the strongest monster in the game. Well, the strongest monster in the game once you spend $US3 at least.

I’m all for downloadable content, but when it comes this soon after a game’s release and offers relatively little value it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

The new maps and packs for Gyromancer are now available on Xbox Live and Steam.

GameStop announced today that it would hold the “world’s largest” Modern Warfare 2 tournament kicking off November 20 both online and at 2900+ US GameStop locations. I wonder if the fact that it’s the world’s only Modern Warfare 2 tournament makes it the world’s largest…?

There are actually three different tourneys. The first is the US-only Xbox 360 one-on-one tourney where Round 1 takes place in-store, Round 2 takes it to Xbox Live and the finals go down in some as-yet undecided location — grand prize is $US5000. Then there are the International four-on-four tourneys for Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, which you can find at gamebattles.com/gamestop. The top four teams from each platform will go to the finals to duke it out for a $US10,000 grand prize.

Get more details here.

Image Cred

“The Duel” takes us back in time thousands of years to the dawn of the Covenant, where a shamed Elite defies his Arbiter fate and embarks on a mission of revenge against those that have wronged him. It all sounds so very Halo 2, doesn’t it?

“The Duel” features a striking classic watercolour anime look, courtesy of Production I.G, the studio behind Blood: The Last Vampire, Ghost in the Shell and FLCL.

Remember, the episode will only be available for 24 hours, so once Saturday ends, so does your chance to see it. Check out the full video schedule below to help plan out your next two months of Saturdays.

Halo Waypoint Saturday Video Schedule:

“The Duel” Nov. 21, 2009
Making of “The Duel” Nov. 28, 2009
“The Package” Part 1 Dec. 5, 2009
“The Package” Part 2 Dec. 12, 2009
Making of “The Package” Dec. 19, 200
“Origins” Part 1 Jan. 2, 2010
Making of “Origins” Jan. 9, 2010
Trailers of upcoming episodes Feb. 2, 2010