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The Last Word May 31-June 4

Memorial Day can't slow down a busy week that saw Infamous 2 confirmed, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and DC Universe Online dated, NBA Elite explained, and Backbreaker reviewed.

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The Memorial Day holiday meant a short work week for many GameSpotters, though it might not be evident from the amount of new content on the site. News was especially busy, with a number of high-profile developments arriving just in advance of this month's Electronic Entertainment Expo. Sony finally fessed up to making Infamous 2, Square Enix slapped a release window on Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and DC Universe Online is set to bring massively multiplayer online gaming to the PlayStation 3 this November (a PC version of the game is launching at the same time). On the previews side, Electronic Arts revealed its eyebrow-raising adaptation of the next Harry Potter movie, casting The Boy Who Lived as the lead role in a third-person shooter. EA also explained the decision to retire the NBA Live moniker in favor of NBA Elite, and Natural Motion hit the console gridiron for the first time with its physics-based football title Backbreaker.

The Last Word May 31-June 4

FEATURES
This week saw the publication of the second and final part of GameSpot's Social Ties feature, which examines the growing prominence of games developed for social networking sites, such as Facebook. The feature looks at what big publishers like Electronic Arts think of social games and what the future has in store for them. Also, Video Game History Month ended on Monday, making this the perfect time to reflect on the month-long retrospective. Next year will see new entries in each of the Video Game History Month categories, so there's a chance for everyone's favorite game, person, or event to be commemorated in the future.

Social Gaming Feature Part 2
Video Game History Month

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NEW RELEASES
Shippin' Out May 30-June 5: Modern Warfare 2 Map Pack 2, Alpha Protocol
Tecmo Bowl Throwback tackles PSN
Snoopy Flying Ace takes off on Xbox 360
X-Scape makes it to DSiWare

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NEWS
Some parts of the site go a bit quiet before the big show each year, but news isn't one of them. Once E3 hits, the gaming world's attention will be split between a slew of blockbuster stories from every major console maker and publisher. As a result, it's not uncommon to see publishers announcing things in the weeks leading up to the event, sometimes to avoid competition for attention, sometimes to whet people's appetites for their games at the show. Other times those big E3 surprises simply leak. The possible leaks this week included the addition of Hulu to Microsoft's Xbox Live service and a product listing for a new PS3 hardware bundle. The official news was actually more interesting, as confirmation arrived that Infamous 2 was on the way, Square Enix talked Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Ubisoft teased that it will bring Assassin's Creed to an Egyptian setting, and Sony is sweetening the PSP Go deal with free downloadable games on both sides of the Atlantic.

Infamous 2 confirmed
Deus Ex: Human Revolution taking up arms early 2011
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock shredding 90+ tracks, new guitar
Big in Japan May 24-30: Super Mario Galaxy 2
Lord of the Rings Online to go free-to-play
Shogun 2 prepares for Total War
Red Dead Redemption co-op DLC releasing June 22
EA Sports Active 2.0 target of trademark lawsuit
New 250GB PS3 bundle Little Big Planet: GOTYE, HDMI cable - Retail Radar
Ubisoft teases Egyptian Assassin's Creed project
Def Jam Rapstar dropping in NA October 5
Company of Heroes Online deploying in North America
Jordan confirmed for NBA 2K11 cover
Ys Seven gets premium edition
EA to reboot NBA series
Hulu coming to Xbox Live?
EA touts Sports Active accreditation
Mytheon fated for July 13 launch
Level 5 opening Santa Monica shop
Activision launches indie game competition
Sony giving three free games with US PSP Go purchase
DC Universe Online due in November
Prince of Persia doesn't pop at box office
SCEE confirms UK PSP Go games giveaway
2 million iPads sold in under 60 days
Harry Potter bewitching Deathly Hallows - Part 1 this fall
NHL Slapshot winding up on Wii

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PREVIEWS
With the Electronic Entertainment Expo less than two weeks away, GameSpot's previews group has been working around the clock to bring new updates on upcoming games while preparing for the big show. This week's preview coverage is but an appetizer for the big show, so be sure to return June 14-17 for all of GameSpot's coverage of the single biggest event in the gaming industry at http://e3.gamespot.com.

Transformers: War for Cybertron Updated Multiplayer Hands-On
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Q&A
NBA Elite 11: Q&A With David Littman
Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 Updated Hands-On
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Hands-On Impressions
Spotlight On - Elemental: War of Magic & New Details

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REVIEWS
It has been a relatively quiet week on store shelves, so the reviews team has spent much of the past five days focusing on downloadable games. Highlights included Snoopy Flying Ace on the Xbox 360 and Planet Minigolf on the PlayStation 3, but this week's office favorite was undoubtedly the Deniable Ops Insurgency Pack DLC for Splinter Cell: Conviction. The PC version of that game is still proving to be problematic, unfortunately, but on the Xbox 360 the new DLC comes thoroughly recommended. Like the rest of GameSpot, the reviews team is now in E3 preparation mode, but don't worry, there will still be a good number of reviews going up next week.

Backbreaker (PS3, X360) Review
Doom II (X360) Review
Planet Minigolf (PS3) Review
Runaway: A Twist of Fate (PC) Review
Record of Agarest War (PS3, X360) Review
Snoopy Flying Ace (X360) Review
Splinter Cell: Conviction DLC (X360) Review
Voodoo Dice (X360) Review

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VIDEO
E3 2010 is right around the corner, but the GameSpot Live team is still hard at work bringing fresh content to the site. This week saw the team crank out a couple of new episodes of Today on the Spot, featuring games like Mega Man Zero Collection on the DS and a Madden NFL 11 exclusive interview. New trailers also hit the site this week for Killzone 3, Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1. GameSpot also got a chance to talk with Matt Tieger about the new game Transformers: War for Cybertron.

Today on the Spot: Mega Man Zero Collection
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 Debut Trailer
Killzone 3 Teaser Trailer
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions Villains Trailer
Deus Ex: Human Revolution E3 2010 Trailer
Transformers: War for Cybertron Interview: Co-Op Details

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