Speaking on the impending release of Gears of War 2 in just a few days, Microsoft's Phil Spencer claims that the Xbox 360 has "led the industry with the best lineup of blockbuster video games" in each holiday season.

Suddenly, the sound of angry sackboys can be heard growling in the distance.

Let's take a quick breather from all the drama and seriousness of those LittleBigPlanet and interlaced PSP-3000 news items, shall we? For now, we celebrate gaming as a whole! To usher in the London Games Festival, we hear that Sonic the Hedgehog* was crowned king of video game characters, leaving the likes of Mario, Lara Croft, and Niko Bellic in the dust.

*Disturbing photo-ops of Sonic running around London included!

Still on the fence trying to decide whether to get a copy of the Gears of War 2 Limited Edition or not? You already know the freebies you'll be getting, but what about the actual contents of that bonus DVD? The BBFC sheds light on what we can expect: a whole bulk load of special featurettes and videos!

At the recent Gamefest event in Seattle, Xbox Live GM Eric Kilgore has confirmed that yes, developers will be able to incorporate the new Xbox Live Avatars into Xbox 360 titles. Don't think you'll be able to replace Marcus Fenix with your Avatar in Gears of War 2, though, as Kilgore also said that only games rated E10+ will feature Avatar integration. At first, at least. More in the full article.

Earlier, we had reported on the possibility of a US$ 130 Gears of War 2  bundle that supposedly would come with a replica of the lancer weapon from the game. Microsoft has clarified the matter though and, sad to say, that bundle may have been a misunderstanding. Learn more after the jump.

The flow of adaptation is not limited to having books being transformed into movies or videogames, or videogames being turned into movies. We complete the love triangle today as Epic Games and Del Rey Publishing reveals that they are adapting the beloved Gears of War video game title into a novel. Oh, and not just one. We mean a full trilogy. Check out the details at the full article.

 Remember those ice extras that we've reported before that the repackaged Gears of War is set to get? Microsoft has confirmed them and they'e set to come in a couple of discs. More importantly, a price cut has been revealed to make the deal even sweeter. Release and pricing information along with other details follow after the jump.

Epic Games has released their news update for their much-anticipated sequel, Gears of War 2. And not only did they give out the info, they also sent out four gorgeous new screens. Do check them out at the full article.

Few titles in the Xbox 360 2008 roster are quite as anticipated as Epic Games' Gears of War 2. If you want proof, look no further than the trailer in the full article which shows the first look at its gameplay. It's hard to imagine that the action in the original could be topped, but after what you'll see, you can sign up for the army of GoW 2 believers. Hit the jump, soldier.

Bummed about the fact that Gears of War 2 won't be getting a demo? Well, here's a little something to make you feel better, in-game footage of this upcoming title from Epic Games will be released this May. To find out more, head on over to the full article.