The hour is upon us… well not quite, but at least we know the date when the hour will be upon us. That’s right people: Grand Theft Auto IV had been dated to be released April 29th. The reason the game is taking so long is all thanks to the PS3, as Rockstar’s Jeronimo Barrera pointed out in an MTV interview:

“It’s really no surprise to anybody that the PS3 was definitely a contributing factor to [the delay].”

Thankfully now the progress on both systems are “neck and neck”, and the experience on 360 and PS3 has been quoted as “identical”.

via MTV

“Forgive me father, for I have sinned.”

“What did you do my child?”

“I spawn camped in a ladder match.”

“Ohh, a very serious crime my child. As penance you must watch what could have been, but never was - Goldeneye on the 360.”

*weeping* “Thank You father.”

A Microsoft insider has talked to 8Bit Joystick’s Jake Metcalf about the Xbox 360’s hardware failures. The insider is reported to be someone who was part of the consoles development and testing throughout its conception.

According to the anonymous source, the 360 was rushed out in order to get the drop on the PS3. The reason for the high failure rate was an under resourced development which resulted in ultra cheap heat sinks being used, incompatible hardware and poor construction. Worst of all, Microsoft may not have enough Xbox 360s to cope with returns this year.

He has some moderately comforting news that the current generation Xbox have a failure rate of under 10% compared to the old generation failure rate of 30%.

via 8Bit Joystick

While the Highlander trailer grabbed our attention this week, I wasn’t expecting any further updates on this one for quite some time. But lo and behold, a handful of tasty new screenshots have begun to make the rounds.

via Xbox360 Fanboy

Sega have released a patch for the Xbox 360 version of Virtua Fighter 5. The major feature of this patch is the ability to don mismatching clothing. In other words, you can wear different items of different player costumes at the same time.

Along with the patch, Sega have also provided a short FAQ for those hopeful fans. The disappointing news from that FAQ is that

For details on the rest of the recent patch, follow the jump
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Missing your fix of zombie hobos, exploding babies and grizzly blood splattered backgrounds? Maybe you need to check out this new video for Condemned 2. While the game looks to be coming along nicely I have two gripes with the video. Firstly the Mickey Rourke-esque tough guy voice is a little obsolete now that game protagonists have emotion and motive; and secondly, the blobs of texture that are meant to be rubbish or dirt make it look very last gen. I guess we will see how it turns out on its February 26th release.

via Game Trailers

Break out the black turtleneck sweater and beret, because this Friday Xbox Live Video Marketplace is featuring 45 short films from the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Of course the opportunity to thumb your nose at Hollywood big budget and harp on about penumbras is never free, with each movie costing you 160 Microsoft points (US$1.99).

For those without an Xbox 360 the films will also be available on iTunes and Netflix. If you truly want to stick it to the man or are just a cheap bastard then one film a day will be free on Sundance.org during the 10 day festival period.

via Joystiq

What with Duke Nukem Forever getting a trailer release it seems like it’s the season for releasing trailers of games that we thought were dead. This time it’s Highlander, that was initially announced in 2004. Like the Duke Nukem trailer this one is void of any game play and is of pretty crappy quality. On the upside the voice acting seems pretty good and it looks like it had some pretty intricate and expansive backgrounds.

via Game Trailers

Let’s face it, you and I will never be ninjas. No - don’t start on that “I have the will of a ninja” crap, it’s just not going to happen…unless my recently discovered loophole pays off. Gamerscore Blog are currently taking submissions for your very own achievement to be sent off to Team Ninja to be considered for Ninja Gaiden II. Surely by telling a ninja what to achieve you are not only a ninja yourself but a ninja leader! Genius, I know - now get submitting.

via Gamerscore Blog

This week’s Rock Band downloadable content is yet another mixed bag. The tracks in question are Blink 182’s “All the Small Things”, The Monkees’ “Last Train to Clarksville” and Sweat’s “Action”. The usual price of $2/160 Microsoft points each applies.

via Joystiq