The Last Word: June 21-25

With the game industry having emptied its metaphorical ammo clip during the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the subsequent week was relatively uneventful. However, a steady trickle of leftover E3 previews, news, and yet more video features filtered in, as well as a review or two.

THE LAST WORD: June 21-25

NEW RELEASES
Shippin' Out June 20-26: Transformers: War for Cybertron
Big in Japan June 14-20: Super Mario Galaxy 2
MAG, Red Dead Redemption, Bad Company 2 DLC crush PSN
Tales of Bearsworth duo scare up WiiWare

NEWS
The biggest news story of the week was related to one of Microsoft's major announcements at E3. The software giant confirmed numerous retail reports that Kinect (nee Natal) will cost $150 when it launches on November 4. The PlayStation Network got some DC Comics action and is rumored to be getting support from TV-show-streaming-service Hulu--which is also reportedly coming to Xbox Live. Speculation that rock-anthem factory Queen might be the focus of the next Guitar Hero also surfaced, and depopulated Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward set up a hotline to take customer feedback. Please hold…

Microsoft prices Kinect at $150
DeathSpank swatting 360, PS3 week of July 13
3 million iPads sold in 80 days - Apple
UK government cancels gaming tax break plans
Counter-Strike: Source fires up on Mac
Hulu close to PS3 deal - Report
Guitar Hero: Queen rocking next year?
Halo: Fall of Reach comic adaptation inbound
DC Comics light up PSN
Nintendo to make 'serious' 3DS titles
Sega prepping core Kinect title
Studio Ghibli's Ninokuni coming to PS3 - Report
China bans minors from microtransactions
Infinity Ward opens feedback line
Iwata blames games, not economy for industry slump
Xbox Live Family Pack revealed
Ancel still working on Beyond Good and Evil 2
Free Realms registers 12 millionth subscriber
Big in Japan June 14-20: Super Mario Galaxy 2
Kinect playable at Microsoft retail outlets
Toews, Durant score EA Sports NHL, NBA covers

PREVIEWS
The week after E3 is typically one of the slowest weeks of the year from a previews standpoint. After all, developers busted their humps trying to get their lineups ready for the biggest US game trade show. That said, there were a few clean-up stories, including an exclusive hands-on of EA Sports' revamped basketball franchise, NBA Elite 11. Also on tap is a new look at Italian developer Milestone’s upcoming off-road racing game, WRC.

NBA Elite First Hands-On
WRC Hands-On

REVIEWS
After a week in LA reporting from E3, the reviews team has jumped right back into it this week and is busy playing catch-up. The only reviews actually posted were Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 and Transformers: War for Cybertron, but others currently in the works for posting next week include Trinity Universe, Singularity, Naughty Bear, Risk: Factions, Puzzle Quest 2, Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip, Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer, and many more.

Transformers: War for Cybertron (PS3, X360) Review
Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 Review (PS3, X360, Wii) Review

VIDEO
E3 2010 is over, but the GameSpot video content is not. The GameSpot Live team continues to bring more E3 content in the normally slow week after the conference has ended. On Thursday, there was a live episode of Today On the Spot, featuring games like Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, DeathSpank, X-COM, and more. Also new this week are video interviews for games like Test Drive Unlimited 2, X-COM, Mafia II, Spec Ops: The Line, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Stick around, because there will me more E3 2010 content hitting the site soon!

Today On the Spot - Sonic 4: Episode 1, DeathSpank
Test Drive Unlimited 2 Interview: Vince Farquharson
Batman: The Brave and the Bold the Video Game Interview
X-COM Interview: Martin Slater
Mafia II Interview: Jack Scalici
Spec Ops: The Line E3 2010 Interview: Cory Davis