As we reported yesterday, EA boss John Schappert has promised something “far-reaching from Mass Effect” early next year.

It’s no secret that BioWare have set out Mass Effect as a trilogy, and this quick turn-around would corroborate the studio’s promise to that end.

 

Ubisoft have today announced that Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is in development for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Details are somewhat thin on the ground but a press statement released by Ubisoft suggests that the game will feature “cutting-edge technology, prototype high-tech weaponry, and state-of-the-art single-player and multiplayer modes. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier will go beyond the core Ghost Recon franchise and deliver a fresh gameplay experience, with an unparalleled level of quality that will excite long-time fans and newcomers alike.”

Here’s a roundup of today’s news found elsewhere on the internet:

"Big" Ubisoft announcement this week (eurogamer) - Ubisoft's gearing up for a headline-grabbing announcement this week.

Company community bods Aymeric Evennou and Kimi Matsuzaki both Tweeted in preparation.

 

As society moves towards what some optimistically refer to as a "global community", it's entirely likely that future generations will be unable to imagine a country, and immediately associate an item with it.

For all my years on this planet, I've been content in the knowledge that should I wish to purchase mouthwatering bratwurst, hand-crafted Lederhosen, or cars that have no indicators, Germany is the place to start looking. Likewise, if at any point, if the urge arrives to experience magnificent stone architecture, clever stand-up comedy routines and cirrhosis of the liver - perhaps in the same afternoon - then the only logical choice is Ireland. Some countries are just better at doing things than others.

So with this in mind, and casting a reflective and somewhat biased eye over our own country, just what can we be proud of as kiwis? It used to be that playing the "country association game" with a foreigner prior to around 2000 would generally yield "sheep" and "rugby". These days, it's "sheep", "rugby" and "that film that Peter Jackson played a hobbit in". We're really not on the forefront of the global stage when it comes to many things, so it's important that when we do find areas to excel in, we pick up the ball and run with it, and most importantly avoid using any cheap sporting clichés in the process.

 

The release of the hugely anticipated BioShock 2 is upon us, so Gameplanet and 2K Games have teamed up to give away awesome BioShock 2 merchandise, plus copies of the game, to six lucky winners!

Each prize pack will include the game, as well as:

• Rapture Failed T-Shirt
• Plasmid Badges and BioShock 2 Keyring
• BioShock 2 Artbook
• BioShock 2 Soundtrack CD

We have two packs for each of the three platforms (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC).

 

Fable III lead Peter Molyneux has said that he’ll be revealing many details regarding Fable III at this week’s X10 event in San Francisco and that we should be prepared to be “really upset.”

"We're making some announcements about Fable III and there's some... Wow, there's some very, very big things happening in Fable. Bigger than you think. And it's going to really upset people," he told Gamereactor (via Eurogamer and VG247).

Lucasarts and TT games have announced a new instalment in the LEGO Star Wars series, to be based on the animated Clone Wars TV series.

Titled LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, this third in the game series is in development for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS and PSP.

In the game, players can be either a Republic Jedi or a separatist, and will follow a story arc inspired by the TV series. Familiar faces from both The Clone Wars and the Star Wars movies will be present.

 

PC Gamer magazine has taken an exclusive look into Obsidian’s Fallout 3 sequel, titled New Vegas, and has returned with some fresh details.

Players assume the role not of a vault dweller, but instead a courier who is dug up by a robot in the Mojave Desert. (Presumably that’s your hand we see in the game’s teaser trailer.) You are nursed back to health by a doctor was a former vault dweller, however, and it’s he who provides you with a Pip-Boy.

Here’s a roundup of today’s news found elsewhere on the internet:

THQ: Facebook games are brand extensions first, profitable second (gamesindustry.biz) - THQ has said that keeping users engaged with its brands via Facebook is more important than creating profitable games for the social networking service.

The company hopes its Facebook titles – three of which are based on existing THQ franchises – can tide users over until the release of console games. CEO Brian Farrell said yesterday that its Facebook titles will launch before console versions of Red Faction and the next Saint's Row, due in the 2011 and 2012 financial years, respectively.