Morning news roundup

A bevy of interesting news this morning, linked below for your reading pleasure!

• Duke Nukem Forever coming 2008, original Duke Nukem 3D heading to XBLA soon, according to Kotaku
• Famitsu spills the beans on Mario Kart Wii, from 1Up
• Rock Band stage and light show first look, from Kotaku
• First Mass Effect DLC pack announced, at IGN
• More Street Fighter 4 character revealed by magazine scans up at Gamersyde
• Lucasarts The Force Unleashed to deliver "I am your father" level plot twist, from Kotaku.
• Zero Punctuation reviews Call of Duty 4, at The Escapist
• Assassin's Creed PC coming in March, is 'Directors Cut', from Kotaku
  

Red Faction, Drawn To Life coming from THQ

In a conference call today, THQ CEO Brian Farrell confirmed that a new entry in the popular shooter franchise Red Faction would be making its way to the XBox 360 and PS3 before April 2009. Being made by THQ's Volition, the studio responsible for the well-received Saint's Row, the game is expected to bring the series' famous destructible environments to next-gen consoles in spectacular fashion.


Also mentioned in the call was word that the DS title Drawn To Life would be making its way to the Wii. No specifics about the title were mentioned, but rest assured that we'll bring you more details as they surface!



Check out Gamasutra for more details from the conference call.

Devil May Cry 4: Review Roundup

Here is a collection of Devil May Cry 4 reviews that have recently appeared on the interwebs:

1Up (text)(video)
IGN XBox360 (text)
Gametrailers (SD)(HD)
IGN PS3 (text)(video)
Shacknews (text)
Eurogamer (text)
Gamespot (text)
TeamXBox (text)
Enjoy!

Battlefield Heroes details emerge

Sneaking up on the control point this afternoon is this post on the official Battlefield Heroes blog, from Producer Ben Cousins. For those not paying attention, Battlefield Heroes is a new entry in the popular Battlefield franchise, using an upgraded Battlefield 2142 engine, with a twist. The game will be free, instead being financed by advertisements and a series of microtransactions during gameplay- ie. you would have to pay real money to upgrade your weapons etc. In the post, details about the high-level goals of the game are revealed:

1. We wanted to return to the crazy unrealistic feel of Battlefield 1942 and Codename Eagle, games which we had both been fans of.
2. We wanted to make sure that players could ‘get to the fun’ easier this time - faster, cheaper and easier.
3. We were committed to ensuring that the gameplay would still feel like a legitimate part of the Battlefield franchise, with the core elements and feel preserved.

Head over to the official site to check out the rest of the details!