Microsoft was definitely on a roll the week before E3, coming out with their own "leaks" and surprises. A new Zune is on the way, as well as a new TV/video service for Xbox Live. Games galore and teasers more, and frankly, I think we just broke the week-before-drought-curse for E3 this year.

Don't take my word for it. Peruse below and see what you missed last week.

---

Gaming:

• BioShock:
• Hmmm.. Maybe this will get my mom to play BioShock. Prison Break's Wentworth Miller has dropped a hint that he's working on a new project, in one word: BioShock. Link
• Oh, BioShock 2's been dated already, by the way. Europe's getting first dibs for a change. Link
• Plus (see, there really was a lot of BioShock stuff this week), the Vita Chambers can be shut off, if you may be so suicidal in Rapture. Link
• It's time for another Amazon Gold Box Deal, and this week, we had some major discounts for Xbox 360 games. Did you get in on it? Link
• Karl called it, and we kinda all knew this was bound to happen. The proud Tomonobu Itagaki is back, and he's armed with a new team, and a new game for the Xbox 360. Link
• Star Ocean: The Last Hope Collector's Edition will also be coming to Europe. Link
• Another  Limited Edition was announced as well, this time for Australia, in the form of the Gears of War Xbox 360 bundle pack. Link
• We also caught a bit of Snow - and then some - in downtown LA, but this be for Square Enix' marketing strategy for FFXIII, and not the weather phenomenon. Link

Online:

• A few days ago, we bumped into a rumor alleging that Sky TV service will be coming on board Microsoft's console. Link And just in the nick of time, as the weekend was coming upon us, we gog the confirmation that the TV service really will be made available for XBL. Link
• More love from Rockstar is headed to the XBL, thanks to the newly-announced The Ballad of Gay Tony add-on for GTA IV. And there's a standalone episode collection, too, to boot. Link
• It's on! Bionic Command: Rearmed got a major discount on XBL. Link
• Meanwhile, Street Fighter IV fans are not feeling the love as Capcom says no to character DLC, invoking their right to "preserve the core game". Link

Industry/ E3 2009:

• 1-Microsoft combo: Zune Marketplace headed to XBL, Zune HD confirmed. Link
• Peter Molyneux is promising something big for the audience of E3, particularly at the Microsoft press conference. Got any ideas what this could be? I mean, apart from a possible new Fable title. Link
• QJ QuickPeek Special Edition: The E3 2009 software retrospective. How did the big three fare in terms of software, based on their promises at last year's E3, and how well they carried it out throughout the rest of 2008? Link

Rumors:

• And we have another BioShock-related news rumor, this time, on claims that there will be a novel coming out this fall. Not sure though if this could be the same novel that Bantam Books was supposed to publish a couple of years back. But probably not. Link

---

We're all geared up for our E3 2009 coverage, and we fully expect you to be right here along with us! Until then, just keep 'em jupmin.