Microsoft pushes the original Xbox further into extinction with another update to the backwards compatibility list. Among the games included are Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee, Panzer Dragoon Orta, and (finally) Phantom Dust. It’s nice to see the addition of games people actually care about this time. Of course the complete list can be found on Xbox.com. The auto update doesn’t appear to have hit Xbox Live yet, which gives you time to start wiping the dust from their cases.

Rockstar Games has been teasing us for weeks, and today we finally got to 2nd base. The teaser trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV went live just hours ago, giving us a glimpse of what to expect from the first next-gen version of Grand Theft Auto. The graphics have drastically improved, which means we can say goodbye to mitten hands. It’s looking very promising so far. GameTrailers.com couldn’t have worse timing being down at the moment. The teaser trailer comes to you courtesy of GameVideos.com.

No other company has tarnished the reputation of movie-to-game adaptations more than LucasArts. Since the Star Wars franchise has gained more power than the Emperor, business ethics have gone from quality to quantity. Slap a Star Wars label on something, and people will buy it no matter how crappy the product is. Fortunately, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed isn’t based on one of George Lucas’ films. It’s one of the reasons this title is even worth mentioning.

For once, LucasArts isn’t forced to develop a game before its base material hits the big screen. The staff must be choking on the sweet freedom of extended deadlines. The Force Unleashed is the first Star Wars game to hit next-gen systems, and while LucasArts games usually limbos underneath the bar of mediocrity, this time the bar has been raised much, much higher.

Even those of us who’ve actually had sex are familiar with the rich story of the Star Wars universe. The Force Unleashed tells the story of the 20 year gap between chapters III and IV, and it’s during this gap that Darth Vader takes on his own apprentice. As the (still nameless) apprentice of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, you’re tasked with eliminating all the remaining Jedi following order 66. Everyone knows this will involve saber to saber death matches, and no matter how bad a Star Wars game has been, mastering the lightsaber has always been the highlight of the Jedi experience.

LucasArts has obviously taken notice to high demand of next generation gaming. This title is being developed with an impressive engine called Euphoria. Real world physics and updated graphics create a highly interactive environment to unleash your aggression as a Sith. It looks like we’re finally going to get the Jedi experience we’ve all been waiting for. The following video should should be able to speak for itself:

After playing the God of War II demo, I think I may have a man-crush on Kratos. The dude’s a bad ass. Sure, he’s in dire need of some anger management classes, but the “Ghost of Sparta” is a total chick magnet. His pimp hand is so strong he got Athena to help make him a god. She even hooked him up with some wicked cool armor and new blades to keep his bitches in check. Now that’s a sugar momma.

It seems good cooking isn’t a characteristic common to Greek women. They just can’t keep Kratos happy, and in his rage he wages war on city after city, pissing off the other gods in the process. It’s unclear why the gods of Olympus would be surprised at his behavior. Causing havoc is clearly on the job application for god of war. Apparently Kratos does his job a little too well.

When Kratos starts tearing apart yet another city and turns his back on Athena, she cock-blocks hardcore and starts taking away his powers. She also takes it upon herself to animate a colossal statue to set loose on Kratos. Pissing Kratos off is not a good idea. He immediately brings the pain to anyone unfortunate enough to stand within his reach.

It’s good to see SCEA didn’t fix what isn’t broken. The murderous symphony of death is still undeniably entertaining. This time around we’ll actually get to kill something with Athena’s blades (which shimmer a lustful gold). The arsenal of combos is tweaked a bit with the addition of some variables. L1 acts as the block button and switches up the action buttons to perform another set of death ensuing moves. They’ll come in handy during the over the top boss fights. Battles seem to go on forever, but it adds a lot of scale and makes the fight seem much more epic.

If a demo can make me ramble on like a little teenage girl, then the real game will be nothing short of amazing. The 13th is way too long to wait to start handing mythological creatures their asses. Considering they have one at all.

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