"I am a man with a mission," Junction Point founder and Epic Mickey developer Warren Spector at the opening keynote of PAX Prime 2010. His mission is to convince so-called "gamers" -- those who associate themselves as part of a specific cultural, outsider niche of videogame players -- to embrace growth and let the rest of the world in.

"We are an artform," said Spector, to applause. "For years I felt silly saying that. But no more. I am never going to feel awkward or strange about that, and I am no longer going to worry about society's judgement."

Nintendojo received word of the delay though they weren't given any reason for it. Its November 2 release date would have put it out the same day as GoldenEye 007 for Wii, arguably the biggest FPS release on the platform to date. It's entirely possible the game was delayed simply to avoid being lost in the buzz around GoldenEye or that of the crowded holiday release period.

Conduit 2, which will be playable for those attending PAX this weekend, will have support for not only MotionPlus, but the Classic Controller and Classic Controller Pro, if you'd rather play the game with a more traditional control scheme.

This narrows the game's release down from the earlier vague target of February, and makes a pre-order the perfect Valentine's gift for that Helghan-hating special someone in your life. Because nothing says "I love you" like brutal future warfare -- in three dimensions.

A press release making the announcement quotes a number of the artists, many of which point out that they had fun but also found it challenging or weird to sing in Simlish. "Singing in Simlish was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but it was a blast!" said Travie McCoy. Flo Rida said of his decision to contribute to the game, "I'm always trying to find new ways to reach different audiences with my music and The Sims 3 was a perfect way."

The console versions of The Sims 3 will be released on October 26, the same day the Late Night expansion will be made available to owners of the PC version of The Sims 3.

"Mafia II's average Metacritic score of 74 is well below expectations, and consumer interest appears to be waning, as the game's position has dropped in many best-seller lists in its first week," Pachter recently said (via Gamasutra). "With six years in development, we believe the game is unlikely to achieve profitability."

Gamasutra reports Take-Two CEO Ben Feder countered such claims during an investors call, saying, "We're very proud of the game." He later said, "Based upon the initial launch, we expect this to be another profitable title for Take-Two." Sales figures have yet to be released, though the release of NPD sales figures for August later this month should give us some indication of how well Mafia II sold. Its release so late in the month (August 24 in North America) could hurt its chances to rank highly, however, especially with Madden topping sales charts, according to EA.

The mode will apparently involve "soldiers" (which we assume means characters that'll play the same as single-player protagonist Isaac), and the series main enemies, Necromorphs. This would tie in with what EA CEO John Riccitello previously said about Dead Space 2's multiplayer being "innovative," in that it sounds like it'll try and replicate the horror atmosphere of the single-player game, while putting actual human beings in control of the horrors. This won't be the only multiplayer mode, either, as EA apparently also said there will be more modes to announce later.

GamerNode also says EA detailed some of the pre-order incentives that'll be offered for Dead Space 2, including an in-game "Rivet Gun" if you pre-order at GameStop, and (even better) the downloadable prequel Dead Space: Ignition for free no matter where you pre-order.

Stranger's Wrath was the last entry in the Oddworld series, and came out on the original Xbox in 2005. It featured a blend of third-person action and first-person shooting, with the stand-out feature being the use of "live ammunition" in the form of literally living critters like skunks and wasps. The remake will add improvements like updated graphics (with modern embellishments like "normal mapping and self-shadowing"), 720p HD support, re-mastered dialogue, and support for the PlayStation Move controller, in addition to other still-unannounced bonus features.

"Since word got out that we've been working with Oddworld Inhabitants there have been many rumors circulating about what we're working on," said Stewart Gilray, managing director of Just Add Water, in a statement. "Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is the first project in what we believe will be a long and fruitful relationship. Having the chance to update this great title and release it on PS3 is just a brilliant opportunity, not least for us, but for the fans too."