If you've been pretty pissed about NBA 2K9 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) crashing left and right, you'll need this patch. This long list of tweaks and fixes go cover general features, gameplay, and all the way to online play. Be sure to read up on this so you won't have to regret playing and losing your progress to crashing.

If you're a Burnout Paradise (Xbox 360, PS3) player and you've got the Xbox 360 version under the hood, then you may have noticed some framerate issues after the Bogart patch came along. Well, you'll be glad to know that Criterion Games is on the case, and it has given us an ETA on the fix, so that we'll all be able to get back into getting those sweet takedowns. All the info you need is in the full article.

We all know that Funcom's Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (PC, Xbox 360) is shaping up to become one visual monster of a game. However, do you know how much hard work the devs are putting into creating this upcoming MMO title? In a recent devblog entry, Lead Designer Ole Herbjornsen talks about the development process of the game and all the technical details behind it. If you want to read more about this, check out our full article.

If you feel that you aren't getting enough bang out of your buck due to the rather problematic issues noted in Major League Baseball 2K8 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable,  Wii, and DS), then we've got some good news for you. 2K Sports has announced that it will be rolling out an update for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game which will take care of these problems. More details about the update in our full article.

Taken from a post on the Official Grand Theft Auto IV thread on rllmukforum.com, Rockstar Lead QA Neil Corbett explains the major differences between the two versions of GTA IV (for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360). You can find out exactly what Corbett had to say by reading the full article.

*UPDATE* Reports have come in that the whole Neil Corbett rllmuk post is fake, fake and fake. More in the full article.

More gremlins sighted, and no, they're not of the cuddly, cute kind that multiplies whenever they get water splashed upon them. Rather, they're the sort that mucks up what could be a fine piece of technology. That said piece of technology is Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed for the Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360 and PC - and the gremlins are the horrible lockups that the console versions of the title have been experiencing, as reported by both PS3 and Xbox 360 users. More at the full article.

There's been quite a buzz about Electronic Arts' Madden NFL '08, as the PS3 version runs at 30 FPS while the Xbox 360 enjoys smoother and faster 60 FPS. Heated discussions on the net have surfaced, leaving analysts to wonder if this commotion will actually make an impact. UBS analyst Ben Schachter believes it's going to be bad for Sony, but Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter begs to differ.

Investors and other people rolling in the dough to make big games possible aren't usually fazed with issues that gamers would cry on about, but Schachter is worried that "given Madden's popularity and the volume of this debate, we think this is a more meaningful negative for Sony than investors might realize."

Not only will a good number of gamers be wary about the PS3 being actually more powerful than the 360, but EA's decision to drop Madden's PS3 framerate (because of inexperience with the console, they said) may actually hurt Sony 'til the year ends. "It gives gamers just one more reason not to buy a PS3 this year following the slip of GTA IV. It is a positive for [Microsoft]," Schachter added.

However, Michael Pachter thinks "Analysts are too quick to criticize." He points at EA's lack of experience as the only reason why Madden is slower on Sony's machine, and expects EA to figure things out by next year.

"There are obviously PS3 games that look fantastic. It's not an issue with the PS3," Pachter commented after mentioning Resistance: Fall of Man, Motorstorm, and Call of Duty 4. He went on, saying "anyone who has [a PS3] knows it's awesome... I love my PS3 (and love my 360), and can't wait to watch '300' in 1080p."

Buy: [Madden NFL 08 (PS3)]
Buy: [Madden NFL 08 (Xbox 360)]

Haven't jumped into id Software's Enemy Territory: Quake Wars yet? For those who've been living under a rock, beta keys are flying all over. Let's not get into how much you'd want those. But if we really must, then here's a gameplay video to show you guys what you've been missing.

It's a complete package that you'd expect from a Quake game: cool weapons, badass weapons, and more awesome looking weapons. You'd be firing those sweet guns all over a wide environment, in an attempt to frag as much as you can. Oh and, there are in-game ads too. What this game doesn't have, however, is framerate drop.

Not a believer? Watch it yourself:

Buy: [Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars - PS3]

It was just yesterday when we shared with you a video interview of Ubisoft Montreal Producer Jade Raymond in relation to video game Assassin's Creed (PS3, 360, PC). Seeing how most of you are interested about Altair, or Raymond for that matter, we decided to share with you yet again another interview.

According to the young producer, they are finished with the game's development and focus has now shifted to design and polishing. According to Raymond, fans will be surprised with Assassin's Creed's depth in terms of graphics and A.I. One example she gave was the crowd's unique hand and facial animation. She added that they are also currently balancing out the game's various attack modes.

When asked about the similarities and differences of the PS3 and 360 version, Raymond commented that it's Ubisoft's goal to let fans on both platforms have similar gameplay experience. She mentioned that they tried making the PS3 version compatible with the SIXAXIS but it somehow felt weird so they ultimately decided against it. In terms of graphics, Raymond shared,

With PlayStation 3, currently, you can see maybe a slight difference in some of the textures. With Xbox 360 right now you may see a little bit smoother framerate, maybe a couple more frames per second right now. It's so negligible right now that unless you’re sitting there looking at them both side by side, you’re not going to see any difference.

Raymond also divulged that Ubisoft is considering downloadable content for Assassin's Creed but most of which will be added in the sequel as well as several PS3 Home features. There are no concrete plans for DLC right now but the producer hinted about "more stuff and cooler-looking swords or whatever."

Those who have been following Assassin's Creed for some time now know well that the game was originally scheduled to be released earlier. The delay was due to, according to Raymond, their decision to release the game on other platforms. The producer mentioned that they used to think that they didn't have the manpower to come up with two other versions.

When asked about a Wii version, Raymond revealed that they actually thought of doing it but that would entail a whole new set of key features so Nintendo's console is pretty much out of the picture now.

On a slightly off topic note, fans of Jade Raymond herself might be interested to know that she is currently playing LocoRoco on her PSP. She then plans to play God of War and Crackdown.

German gaming news website GameFront has managed to score some info on Free Radical and Ubisoft's upcoming shooter Haze courtesy of the June 2007 issue of Independent PlayStation Magazine.

According to GameFront, Haze runs on its own engine at a framerate of 30 fps. Loading times and "intermediate sequences" are supposedly nonexistent. It has four gameplay modes: online, offline, LAN, and split-screen. In single player, team members will be controlled completely by the computer. Oh, and the main character seems to have undergone a name change. While he was referred to as Jake Carpenter in previous interviews, the GameFront post mentions him as "Shan" Carpenter.

The weapons and gear available in the game include the following:

• BSW-72 Assault Rifle - fires armor-piercing 5.56mm uranium projectiles
• Trooper Assault Helmet - supplies real-time data to troopers on the battlegrounds while keeping constant contact with the base through a built-in communication device
• Nectar administrator - found on the neck of soldiers. Has up to five doses of Nectar, a "biometric substance" that greatly augments a soldier's combat abilities. Too much Nectar has side effects, though.
• SK3 Fragment Shells - ideal for clearing up massed enemies and destroying small vehicles
• Wilson D6 Pistol - equipped with 2x magnification and a laser target and holds 18 shots.
• Integrated Schutzpanzer - no idea what "Schutzpanzer" means exactly, but the description leads us to believe that this is the heaviest armor in the game ("withstands the most rifle and pistol balls")

Haze is slated for a multiplatform release on the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. A specific release date has yet to be announced, but some sites have the game's release listed as November.