Another classic from console generations past will once again get a breath of life in the new hardware. Gameloft is now hard at work in bringing Earthworm Jim out of the ground and back in the surface, freshened up big time with an HD overhaul. We've got more details about our favorite worm's comeback, so stick around for the goods.

Earthworm Jim is getting ready for another adventure with Princess What's-Her-Name thanks to a deal between Gameloft and Interplay that has cleared the way for the former to develop, distribute, and publish an Earthworm Jim game for PSN, Xbox Live, WiiWare, and mobile platforms.

Mega Man 9 must have revived the retro spirit in Sega. The studio will be resurrecting several of its classic games from the Sega Genesis on both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, including the first three Sonic the Hedgehog games on the platform.

Details after the link.

Got space for some classic Sega gaming on your Xbox 360? we're letting the word out that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 originally of the Sega Genesis system is scheduled to be available this Wednesday on Xbox Live Arcade.

This second game in the series introduces Miles "Tails" Prower, Sonic's long-standing partner from both the TV series and comics. And by Sonic 3, you'll see him piloting a Biplane.

Also new to Sonic the Hedgehog 2 are longer stages, the spin-dash move, and 3D-ish bonus stages that literally has you tailing Sega's dynamic duo.

Dr. Robotnik will return as the main villain, along witha  new repertoire of bots for you to jump, roll, and plow through. We don't have any info on how many MS points Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will cost for the, unfortunately, so we advise the readers to keep alert for updates.

The 16-bit classic RPG-turned shooter Shadowrun got a new lease on life with its Microsoft Xbox 360 iteration, but in the aftermath of its release, critics find themselves with mixed reactions on how the game turned out to be. If you're one of the many fans who are having second thoughts on whether to get the game or not, this is your chance to make up your mind.

There's a demo of the FASA title right in the Xbox Live Marketplace and it features a lone map which you can use to play against bots or other users in public rooms. The array of weapons and magic you can use is pretty limited, but we still appreciate the fact that there's a free pop before buying or renting it.

Shadowrun was initially popularized in the SNES and Sega Genesis game systems as an RPG but Microsoft and the developers decided to give it a first-person makeover where magic meets mechanics. The most important aspect of the game, however, would have to be the fact that players from Windows Vista and the Xbox 360 could cross over using their respective Live systems for more fun.

Granted, the video game console is rapidly becoming saturated with the same genres: shooters, action, sports, sandbox. Innovation did happen, but a lot of it was stove-piped, locked within the genre rather than in the greater world of console gaming itself.

Brave is a title that bucks conventions and is willing to take risks. One more recent development was bringing the traditionally PC-centric real-time strategy genre to consoles, which until games like Full Spectrum Warrior and Battle for Middle-Earth II, were rather clunky and painful affairs. But now, we have Command & Conquer 3, and Ensemble is spinning Halo Wars up to speed.

In the same vein I'm taking another PC-centric game genre and looking at its chances in console gaming. Except this time, unlike RTS games, I'm less confident about its chances - not because it can't be done, but out of the fear that just like innovation, interests in console gaming are rather stove-piped as well. And for the most part, the console is locked to shooters, action, sports, and sandbox.

Pity, really. Consoles could be a potential breakout ground for the submarine simulator.

Thar she blows up, Cap'n. Appreciation - and cynicism - for console subsims after the jump.

While it's a lot harder to agree on which counts as the best of the best, pointing your fingers and laughing deviously at the worst of the worst is a pastime that almost defines the internet. Since you guys love making fun of things, here's something for you.

Below is a collection of what GameTrailers feels is the worst of the worst when it comes to consoles. It serves as proof that whatever problems you may have with this current generation's offerings, it pales in comparison to the garbage that other folks had to sift through during their time.

Think of this as history lesson on what not to do with gaming systems.

We've played that game before, right?
Re-imagining the classics for the new generation. This is RE-GEN.

With power comes evolution: shooters have gone from scrolling to full 3-D environments, from turkey galleries to smart, reactive enemies. Yet even the classics, with their scrolling and their shooting galleries, have virtues all to their own.

The Strike series from Electronic Arts is one of the most notable examples of the genre. A multi-directional, military-themed shooter, it became a hallmark franchise, particularly on the Sega Genesis. Even in that age of solid-state cartridges, Strike was known for its surprisingly challenging gameplay, and became known as the 16-bit "smart shooter."

After three successful 16-bit titles, and two CD follow-ons in the PSOne (as well as the Saturn and PC), Strike vanished; no more was heard. Perhaps it was a victim of its own success, having stuck too close to its core formula. Or perhaps EA lost interest (happened before, happened since). Pity: the series had quite the potential, even after five games. And especially today.

RE-GEN is all about second chances for the classic titles we loved. Can the power and capabilities offered by today's platforms, from the high-end PS3 and Xbox 360, to the innovative Wii, to the handheld wonders of the PSP and NDS, offer something new to resurrect the Strike series? This is the question we set out to answer today. Some things, after all, don't deserve to gather dust in the back of a shelf, when it has more to offer.

Time to go back in time, before going back to the future. Learn about the Strike series, and speculating its next-gen future, after the jump! Or discover what the Wii, the PSP, or the DS has to offer a Strike title.

Double Fusion's European Managing Director Frank Sagmier recently revealed that their firm may be acquired by a larger company in the next year or two, proving that game advertising is a fast-growing segment of the electronic entertainment business.

He highlighted the status of his company's niche by saying "clearly this is a business that is so prone to growth that big companies - and you've seen it with Microsoft and Google - would be very happy to get their hands on such a growing segment."

Sagmier refereed to Microsoft and Google's recent moves to acquire and franchise similar firms. Game advertising waters are relatively uncharted to conventional ad industry people, but with the break-out of the industry in recent years, multinationals have found themselves taking a dip.

Nike and Gatorade have both been actively bannering their wares in sports titles. Pepsi even took it to a weird level with its Cool Spot game in the Sega Genesis days and Pepsi Man in the original Sony PlayStation heyday. Now that gaming has become a more cohesive part of popular culture, game ad companies find their value rising.

Sagmier, however, warns that the market can be tough for people who aren't quite experts in the niche. Starting can be a really hard step and that's where a lot of upstarts stumble. "Bigger companies do not want to spend the resources, time and effort in a niche market until it becomes bigger, and by then it's too late. Therefore they buy," he explains.

Prior to his stint with Double Fusion, Sagmier worked with Electronic arts running major franchises like The Sims, FIFA and Harry Potter.

Libraries are cool. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a bookworm. Now, there might be even more reason for non-bookworms to ask for a library card and visit the establishment more often. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, that's what they say. Now, aside from the Library of Congress, it seems that other libraries across the country are getting on the same "preserve videogames" bandwagon.

The Campbell County Public Library in Kentucky just added a whole selection of various videogames into their collection of... media. Videogames are, after all, part of our cultural heritage. Anyone beg to differ?

As of now, the library is starting with a collection of over 50 games, and according to Anderson, the titles would be available for checking out within a week or two. Each branch of the library will host a different console: the Cold Spring branch gets PlayStation 2 games; the Fort Thomas Branch, Xbox 360 games; the Newport branch, Nintendo Wii games. (ooh, maybe they're deliberately doing this so as to separate the fanboys from each other - harhar! we kid!)

In each branch, there will be a rating board so that parents would know what games they could borrow for their kids. Cold Spring manager Dave Anderson says, though, that they won't be delivering "violent games with harsh language." [cue collective sigh of disappointment]

The selection will range from games like Kingdom Hearts (both I and II) and SpongeBob to Tony Hawk's Project 8 to Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007. Despite the "violent games" restriction, there'll also be racing games and PS2 ports of Sega Genesis games (like Sonic and Virtua Fighter) for the adults. Besides, upon some research, they found out the adult early-30s bracket made up the biggest portion of the gaming population.

Whispers of a Jane Austen videogame being sighted among the shelves are yet to be confirmed.