Following the fairly lukewarm reception of Brothers in Arms : Hell's Highway (a game that was much delayed, pretty seriously bugged for more than one platform and set in a period which we've all shot our way through at least 4-5 times), Shacknews reports that Gearbox have laid off between 15 and 26 employees.

Originally it was suspected that the Aliens : Colonial Marines game had also disappeared down the gaming toilet, but Randy Pitchford has since gone on record to confirm the game is still alive and kicking, as is Borderlands...

But, relax, guys - Aliens isn't canned. Also, Borderlands is shaping up to be sick and I think it's going to turn out to be really fresh and great. But, the proof is in the pudding, so to speak. So we're just going to have to keep our heads down and deliver.

The new mantra around Gearbox is: Quality, Focus, Performance.

Which means that until we ship our next game, none of this really matters. What needs to happen is that we need to just bring it and offer you guys a kick ass Borderlands game and a kick ass Aliens game.

If we kick ass, you'll check it out and hopefully give us some respect. If we suck, you'll tell us as you love to do.

Source - Shacknews

Thousands of customers who pre-ordered the Guitar Hero: World Tour band pack turned up to GAME stores all around the country today to find that the free bass guitar controller they were meant to receive was not available.

GAME staff were frustrated to find that the deliveries of stock could barely cover the pre-orders let alone demand for the game's full instrument pack. Furthermore there was no sign of the free bass guitar controllers that were to be added to the pre-order pack.

It is currently unclear whether or not the chain will be able to supply the extra contoller to all the customers who pre-ordered them.

Andrew Bryant packs his LEGO Bat Shark Repellent and joins the (plastic) dynamic duo in their fight against crime.

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Barry Hodgson dons his Spandex pants, rubs himself in oil just to review Smackdown Vs Raw 2009.

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Barry Hodgson joins the vault dwellers in Vault 101.

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A little over a year ago, in a major startling development for the industry, a game was released...  A relatively minor spectacle, it crept in from somewhere left-field relatively unnoticed and radically under-hyped, landing on a few different platforms.  It was called BioShock and it didn't like Widescreen monitors/TV.

Much hilarity ensued and after much accusation of widescreen-ism, 2K relented and patched a toggle into the game enabling everyone to see an extra 10^o of visualitude either side, allowing a glimpse of Jacks dislocated wrench shoulder where the weapon designer cut corners.  Anyway, after that minor debacle (satiated by a community hack arriving effectively on the day of release), the issue went away and everyone went back to gaming.

Fast foward to October 2008.  Far Cry 2 is released and there's a taste of deja vu in the air.

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Sony has posted details of the next PSP Firmware updates on their US Blog:

The PS3 update will feature Screenshot Grabbing (in supported games) as well as a new way to skip through Videos.

The PSP will get direct Access to the PSN Store from the XMB.

We last heard the PSP V5.0 Firmware is due to go live on Wednesday, but we've no idea when the PS3 firmware will go live.

The Main features of both are:

Let’s start with the v5.00 update for PSP. In this version, you’ll notice the addition of the PlayStation Network icon on the XMB. You can now sign up for PlayStation Network, manage your account and access PlayStation Store directly from your PSP - meaning you can download games directly to your PSP while connected via Wi-Fi. Getting games, demos and trailers while on-the-go has never been easier! Check out the screen below.

The current PlayStation Store on the PC will be down in the interim as we take some time to revamp. Don’t worry, it will re-launch soon after we’ve made some tweaks. Please keep in mind, if you already have a PlayStation Network account, simply sign in on your PSP using your existing information. The same account and wallet can be used on PS3 and PSP. You will be able to check out the PlayStation Store on the PSP soon, as we’ll have a video demo featuring Grace Chen posted soon on the Blog.

Update v5.00 adds a sleep timer option that can be used while you are playing music on your PSP. In addition, we’ve added a full screen keyboard option for text entry and have redesigned the background of the XMB. You’ll be able to find all of the information on Firmware v5.00 here once it goes live.

Now on to the PS3 v2.50 update. The latest features/enhancements include:

• Support for the PS3 Official Bluetooth Headset - we’ve told you about the upcoming Bluetooth Headset and SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation Bundle on the Blog. This latest firmware installment enables High-Quality (HQ) mode, which delivers clear and wide-band online voice chat. On top of that, an added on-screen indicator shows battery status, volume level and use of HQ mode.
• PlayStation Trophies interface enhancements - I know that many of you are busy collecting trophies and raising your PlayStation Trophy level. This update makes sharing and comparing your trophies with your friends even easier. On 1st part of the profile page you’ll see a symbol under level that represents level and the actual percentage towards the next level along with the existing level meter. The level symbol carries over to the trophy comparison screen where you will now be able to see your level, your friend’s level and the percentage towards the next level for both users along with all of the game by game comparison information you see today.
• Friend status – Offline friends on your Friends list will have information below their avatars that will indicate how long it has been since they were last online.
• Video – This update adds the Scene Search feature similar to the feature on the PSP. Activating this feature while viewing a video on the PS3 will break the video up into scenes that you can quickly access by pressing the X button. You can break the videos into one, two or five minute intervals. In addition, you can now choose to have all of the videos under the video section of the XMB play in sequence. Go to Settings then Video Settings to turn this option on.
• PlayStation Store – We’ve added a redeem codes option right on the store to make it easier to redeem your PlayStation Network Cards and promotion codes. In addition, PlayStation Network Sign Up and Account Management have been redesigned.
• Power Save Settings – You can now set your PS3 and wireless controllers to turn off automatically after set periods of inactivity. Go to Settings then Power Save Settings to turn on these features.
• Background Downloading - You now have the option to set the PS3 to turn off automatically after a background download or installation of content has completed. This option is available when you turn off the system from the button under [Users] while content is being downloaded or installed.
• In-game Screenshots - this tool will allow everyone to capture, share and in other words, immortalize their favorite gameplay moments. This will be supported on a game by game basis. Please check back to find out which games will support this feature.
• In addition to all of the features above there are some additional features and enhancements included in 2.50. Once the update launches, you can read all of the details here.

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