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Test Drive Unlimited 2 due on Feb. 8, pre-orders detailed
Test Drive Unlimited 2 developer Eden Games is betting you'll be all done with Gran Turismo 5 and ready for a new driving game by early next year, announcing plans to drop TDU2's opening flag on February 8. It appears the studio is using its extra half year of development time -- the game was pushed back from September to "Q1 2011" this past August -- to create an unbelievably complex pre-order incentive plan at several different retailers, broken down after the break. We'll parse it for you real quick right here, should you not have the time: GameStop pre-orders get the Casino DLC while every other retailer just gives you a car. Sure, Walmart's offer of an in-game Bugati Veyron Supersport 2010 is tempting, but it's not a whole freakin' game mode.
Black Friday: Kmart dishes cross-platform discounts
We're impressed by some of the already announced Black Friday deals, but not a single one compares to the bounty of enormous discounts offered by Kmart (which is totally different from S-Mart). Brand new games like Fable 3 and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood are going for $40, while game of the year contender Mass Effect 2 can be found for just $10. The deals apply to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii (NBA Jam for $30, anyone?), and PSP. And yes, before you go quickly clicking through the list of games (highlights after the break!) to see all the discounts, be aware that Madagascar Kartz (still Madagaskartz in our hearts) is on sale for $10. We know what you're getting in your stockings this year! [Image credit: Thomas Hawk]
Gibson fires Guitar Hero lawsuit at Wal-Mart, other retailers
Last we checked we actually weren't in the Twilight Zone, but quite frankly, the bigwigs at Gibson just might be. Seemingly out of nowhere, the famed guitar manufacturer sparked up a lawsuit against Activision claiming that Guitar Hero titles violate one of its patents. Now the company appears to be on the warpath, suing Wal-Mart, Target, GameStop, Amazon, Toys 'R' Us and Kmart in an attempt to get the game off of store shelves. Reportedly, Gibson took "this action reluctantly, but is required to protect its intellectual property." For the retailers that did comment, they chimed in only to say "we aren't commenting," and judging by the looks of things, the games are still widely available -- for now.
Kmart reportedly breaks Mass Effect street date
It's official - 2007 will henceforth be known as the "Year of Broken Street Dates." First, BioShock was sold a week in advance by Toys R' Us, then there were the reports of number of early sales of Halo 3 throughout Europe, then the recent Rock Band mix-up at Best Buy, and to top it all off, a number of lucky gamers have apparently gotten their hot little hands on copies of Mass Effect from Kmart - a full ten days before the game's official release date.As with every instance of broken street dates, there's no guarantee that your local Kmart will be selling the game early, or that they will have any in stock. But if you're as anxious as we are to board the SSV Normandy to explore the Milky Way (while making some sweet, sweet, FCC-approved love), then you'll make the trip to your local Kmart, braving the Saturday shopping crowd, and sightings of terrifying anthropomorphic light bulbs.[Thanks, Alex]
When good toys go bad II: toy cellphone botches "six"
There's acceptable ways to drop the H-Bomb and F-Bomb, and there's "when good toys go bad." Presumably turning a joyous, thrilling Christmas morning into one giant moment of awkwardness, a South Carolina mum was aghast when her son's toy phone, which was purchased from K-Mart as an innocent symbol of motherly love, vocalized "profanity" (mmkay?) instead of "the number six" when pressed. The phone reportedly shouts out numbers when the respective keys are mashed, but unfortunately for Brandy Cunningham, "six" didn't exactly turn out like it should have. Leading to eventual embarrassment, she claims her son has repeated the taboo vocabulary in places like "church" and "the grocery store," leaving the parent in quite a predicament. She even purchased yet another one just in case the phone was a one-time mishap, but found that not to be the case. A spokeperson for Sears / K-Mart has assured everyone that the company is investigating the incident and the toy itself, as it doesn't "intend to sell children's products that contain profanity." It's just a hunch and all, but we think somebody in the manufacturing line is going to have a little explaining to do if all this proves accurate.
