Duke Nukem Taking Forever

                It looks as though the return of Duke Nukem will have to wait just a little while longer, as Duke Nukem Forever’s release date has been pushed back.

                 

                The news hit the web in the form if a YouTube video created by Randy Pitchford, the CEO of the games developer.

                 

                Duke Nukem Forever was originally supposed to hit shelves on May 3, but delays have pushed the game back a little over a month. The games official release date as of now is June 14.

                

                It looks like 14 years isn’t quite long enough for this game to be in development.

Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City

Video game developer, Slant Six Games, is currently working on a new installment of the ever growing Resident Evil franchise.

The new Resident Evil game, which has been titled, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is set to take place at the time of the original zombie virus outbreak in Raccoon City. However, it is still unclear whether Slant Six Games, the developers behind the SOCOM Confrontation, will stay true to the aspects that made the game’s predecessors so popular.

According to the Official Xbox Magazine, the game will include 4-player team based gameplay, and new zombie artificial intelligence mechanics.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is set to release this winter for both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Aiding Japan

As news of widespread damage from an earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan fills news headlines, several organizations within the video game industry are offering aid to Japan’s relief effort.

Several organizations within the video game industry, such as video game information source, 1up, created a relief effort called, “Play for Japan.” The purpose of this effort is to help Japan by auctioning off several rare video game collectibles and donating all the proceeds.

Online video game retailer Direct2Drive is another company which is doing its part to help victims of this latest natural disaster. This company will use a dollar from every game purchased at their website to help Japan.

Even, video game studio juggernaut and Halo franchise developer, Bungie, is providing aid by donating money to the Red Cross relief effort in Japan. Bungie is generating donations by selling “Japan Quake Relief 2011” wristbands on their website and giving all the money directly to the Red Cross.

Japanese based game developer, Capcom, is lending a helping hand to its country of origin by putting Street Fighter IV on sale for 99-cents and donating all the proceeds to the relief effort.

For Playstation Network users also have a chance to help out Japan, with the new “donate to Japan” feature that allows gamers to donate through the Playstation Network.

For Japan every donation helps, and the video game industry has stepped up to help a country in need.

Guitar Hero Replacement?

                After Activision announced the cancellation of their Guitar Hero franchise, a void has been created in the video game world, a void that Ubisoft is trying to fill.

                 

                Ubisoft’s upcoming rhythm game, which has been titled Rocksmith, will feature an actual electric guitar and music by artists such as The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and Nirvana.  

                

                According to Ubisoft’s Vice President of Marketing, Tony Key, the experience that Rocksmith will offer is totally different from the party game experience offered by Guitar Hero.

                 

                "We will create a new generation of guitar players," Key said in an interview with IGN.

                

                This new title is projected to be released this September, and will feature a wide variety of songs, including ones that were not available in Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

Batman: Arkham City Release Date

                The mystery behind the caped crusader, Batman has just become a bit less mysterious as Warner Brothers has finally unveiled a concrete release date for their upcoming title, Batman: Arkham City.

                

                According to Warner Brothers, the game is slated for release on October 18 of this year, in North America.

                 

                For those of you who live elsewhere, the wait will be a bit longer. For Australia the release date is October 19 and according to Eurogamer, the release date for Europe is October 21.

Resident Evil 5 on the Horizon

              It seems as though four Resident Evil movies is not enough for Sony Pictures as they have announced yet another installment in the saga.

                 

             This film will be the fifth Resident Evil film released to date.

Apparently the worldwide success of Resident Evil: Afterlife, which according to Box Office Mojo, amounted to $236 million, had something to do with Sony’s desire to make yet another sequel.

According to Sony, the film is slated for release on September 14, 2012.