As a HUGE Joker fan, this saddens me. In a recent interview with IGN UK, voice actor Mark Hamill revealed that he won’t be revisiting the role of Joker after the release of Batman: Arkham Asylum 2. At first, he was reluctant to do the voice work on the sequel, saying, “My answer to (Rocksteady) for the sequel was; “Guys, we’re never going to be able to top the original” and that he had intended to leave the role on “a high note” with his work on the original Batman: Arkham Asylum.

However, once Rocksteady told Mark Hamill of their intentions for the sequel he agreed to reprise the role. “This will be my last, there’s no question about that,” said Hamill, “but it’s the last hurrah”.

After all the years he has done voice work for the Joker, I can understand why he may want to move on. Still, it’s a shame to know there will be no more Joker after this. Sure, someone else will take on the roll, but for me I feel Hamill’s work suited the “Clown Prince of Crime” perfectly.

On a more positive note, Rocksteady must have something amazing instore for the next Arkham Asylum game to have convinced him to voice the Joker just one more time.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, LucasArts is releasing a selection of fantastic new outfits and accessories for your Xbox Live Avatars.

Here’s a look of what will be available. In total, look out for the following: Imperial snowtrooper (male and female), Boba Fett (male and female), Lando costume with cape (male), Chewbacca (male and female), Rebel snowspeeder pilot (male and female), Han Solo Hoth outfit (male), Leia Hoth outfit (female), Bossk (male and female), C-3PO (male and female), AT-AT pilot (male and female), and props like a tauntaun pet, a ballcap with Yoda ears (male and female), and a lightsaber!

These will be made available today, Thursday the 20th of May 2010.

You can view the full range of the new Star Wars Avatar gear here.

I tried downloading it during my lunch break today but only got to about 75%! So I will have to wait until tomorrow to play it. I am very excited about this Monkey Island remake and hope it is the beginning of something wonderful; a re-release (and revamp) of a selection of classic Lucas Arts games such as Monkey Island 2 and “Day of the Tentacle”.

The Secret of Monkey Island is a strange “point-and-click” adventure game where you interact with people and objects in order to solve various puzzles. You “play” as the main character Guybrush Threepwood who wants to be a pirate. The game is full of great humour and characters and is guaranteed to provide hours of enjoyment and a memorable experience.

Download it now and let me know what you think! I will try and post more on this game after I have played it tomorrow!

Looks good, doesn’t it?

Whilst the resolution is said to be improved, it doesn’t quite look like Capcom have done as much work in the visual update as they did in Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix. I’m looking forward to seeing some screenshots soon to see how good Marvel vs Capcom 2 looks in high definition.

It’s certainly an interesting move by the game developers, but I’m sure it will receive a fair few downloads. Even without featuring Tera Patrick, this Saints Row 2 DLC is more than welcome by it’s fan base.

If you thought GTA IV was a bit too serious compared to earlier games, check out Saints Row 2 for some highly entertaining “sandbox city” fun (and chaos!).

Saints Row 2 – Ultor Exposed
Cost: 800 points.
Disgruntled Ultor microbiologist Tera Patrick holds the key to the corporation’s illicit research activities and revenue generating schemes. Help Tera dismantle the Ultor Corporation by exposing the megacorp’s seedy operations to the citizens of Stilwater. Battle through three all new co-op enabled missions. Commandeer new air and ground vehicles including an attack aircraft and luxury sports cars. Customize your character with new hairstyles, law enforcement uniforms and all new clothes. Also included are new Strong Arm and Gangsta Brawl multiplayer maps.

Originally I thought this game would just feature the Joker and loads of inmates/henchmen. I had no idea that there would be more! After a glimpse of Killer Croc I assumed that he might just be a cameo or sub-boss. Then there was Bane, and now there is Harley Quinn.

Who else will be joining the enemy roster? I can’t wait to find out. Who do you think will be the next villain to be revealed?

As you can see, Bane looks awesome! The developers seem to be doing an excellent job of capturing the true essence of Batman. The voice actors chosen will please Batman fans, as will the look of all the key characters in the game.

I really cannot wait for Batman:Arkham Asylum! For the other trailers, check out the links below:

Batman Arkham Asylum: March 2009 “Stealth Gameplay” Trailer
Batman: Arkham Asylum – Joker’s Trap Trailer

“In “See the Future,” players will be given the chance to heed the call for a hero to restore color and balance to the world, or let Albion fall to the wayside. Those who emerge victorious will receive the ultimate reward: a quest that provides a vision of Albion’s future and what lies ahead for those born into the heroic bloodline…”

The Fable 2 DLC is said to cost only 560MS points. A comforting price considering how a lot of companies are trying to bleed us dry with DLC at the moment.

Some of the new features highlighted in the upcoming DLC are:

Murgo: Having first met him during the childhood sequence of “Fable II,” Murgo returns to Bowerstone Market to bring an amazing array of new wares, including potions that can transform canine companions into new breeds.

The Ghosts of the Snowglobe Quest: Holding a disturbing secret, the small model village inside it was once a real town in Albion. The people who once inhabited it are now ghosts condemned to endless torment until the shadowy threat that cursed them is defeated.

The Cursed Knight Quest: Forever banished to a land beyond the dead, the Cursed Knight awaits a hero who has the strength and will to dress up in convincing costumes, even imitating a hobbe or balverine, to save him from his fate.

The Colosseum: The Colosseum puts even the Crucible to shame. Only the greatest heroes have triumphed here. Players’ abilities will be put to the test to prove themselves in combat once and for all, to win the ultimate in prizes.

So far this all sounds too good to be true. How or why are Lionhead doing this for so cheap? I have no idea, but I am really happy about this news.

More good news though is that Lionhead are also helping some of the more disgruntled gamers by providing some free DLC to help people earn the full retail 1000 gamerscore without the need to purchase the Fable 2 “Pub Games”.

So, for 560MS points we will soon have yet another reason to visit Albion. I can’t wait!

The Godfather II DLC will be as follows:

• The Pentangeli Map Pack: All-new Cuba multiplayer map and Junkyard multiplayer map. (540MS Points)
• Level 4 Weapons Bundle: Modern Dillinger, the .700 Magnum Impact, the Herzstopper, the MG-S1 Sniper Wolfe, and the Street Sweeper. (320MS Points)
• Jack of All Trades: Download Jimmy Lira – Lira starts out with the arsonist, engineer, medic, and safecracker specialties and comes equipped with a level 2 machine gun – the MP38. (320MS Points)
• The Corleone Bundle — All of the above (800MS Points)

So that’s about £10 to £15 for a multiplayer map, a playable character, and a few weapons. Why on earth were these not just included in the original game release? The answer is obvious, as so is the solution; do not buy DLC for EA games.

Godfather II should be out by next week (April 7th?), with the DLC coming out on both Xbox Live and the Playstation Network. I personally wont be buying this DLC, nor the game. Sure, my “protest” won’t affect anything much, but please spread the word about how EA are milking the crap out of gamers by leaving small features out that should be included in the original release.

Fable 2 is one of those games that you wish would almost never end. Whilst the news is very exciting, there wasn’t really much said about it.

Finally we’d like to address a question that comes up a lot;

“Will there be any more DLC for Fable II?”.

The answer is quite simple;

“Yes”.

This comes as no surprise after the recent announcement from Jonathan Ross (via twitter) about providing voice talent in “Fable 3″ (which a lot of us assumed was a mistaken statement about Fable 2 DLC).

We can only hope that more details will emerge soon. As soon as there is, be sure to come back here for the latest information