Oh geeze.. Duke Nukem Forever is being completed by Borderlands developer Gearbox Software (as it was previously rumored to be) and is going to even be making an appearance at PAX this weekend. You all know what this means, folks. The end of the world is now upon us. As it was long fortold, the end of the world would come when Duke Nukem Forever was released, and now that very thing is coming to pass… crap.

According to the Wall Street Journal, which is obviously well known for its video game-related news, the game is due out “next  year.” Apparently, Gearbox Software picked up the game late last year and right now it’s in the “polishing” stage. Wow. We’ve been getting duped for the last year! This game was in development for at least a year without anyone being the wiser. That’s impressive. I mean, that’s Nintendo-scale impressive.

What still drives me nuts, though, is that this freaking game was announced back in 1997, but the last bit of footage we saw for the game looked pretty modern, meaning the freaking game was only probably in development for the last three or four years. What the hell have people been doing with this freaking game for the last thirteen years? Seriously, to anyone that still has their GameStop reserve receipt for this game (holy crap, they were still called Funcoland and Babbages back then…), lease film the reactions of the store clerks when you go to pick up this game.

All there’s left to do now is just kick back and watch this game become either a massive disappointment or GOTY.

Remember Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath? It was the last Oddworld game to come out, and it was one of the most creative FPS/Action games to come out during last gen, dare I say ever. Well, that awesome Xbox exclusive is making a comeback in HD… on the Playstation 3 (with added Move support). Bwut?

That’s some irony right there. Though, I suppose since the press release didn’t specify it as an exclusive, there’s still a chance it could come to the 360 (unless they think the original version is good enough). Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD hits the Playstation Network Easter 2011.

I’ve been curious about Telltale Games’ Back to the Future episodic series ever since it was announced. Now, I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Why? Because USA Today revealed some of the first details on the upcoming 5-episode series.

First of all, Marty and Doc Brown (voiced by Christopher Lloyd, hell yeah!) are in it; it will bring back the DeLorean, Hill Valley, and 1985; and the plot is being written by Bob Gale, the screenwriter for the BttF movies. All we need now is Biff confirmation and for the other original voices to jump on board… well I guess getting all those actors back would be asking a bit much.

File this one under “Aw Snap,” folks. It was just announced that a new Bangai-O game will be heading the the Xbox Live Arcade. For those of you unfamiliar with the game, go and find yourselves a Dreamcast and look up the original game and enjoy the glorious, explosive splendor. Or find the DS game and try that out… or maybe just watch a youtube clip from the original game.

Done watching it? Good. Now imagine that in freaking HD. That is why this is the best news I’ve heard all day. Better yet, the game will be out this fall, feature 100 levels and a level editor that will let people create and share their own levels over Xbox Live. I’m assuming the game will also feature online multiplayer support. Maybe offline too if we’re lucky.

Do you like Final Fantasy? Do you like MMORPGs? Do you like playing unfinished games with server crashes, game breaking bugs, and glitchy animation? If you answered yes to any of these, then do I have some good news for you. Square Enix annunced today that there will be an open beta for Final Fantasy XIV starting August 31 at 19:00PDT in North America, according to RPG Site.

No details yet on how many players will be allowed access to the beta and ravage Square Enix’s virgin servers like invading barbarians, but don’t expect everything to go down slowly. MMOs are notorious for thier technical problems at lauch, but hopefully having this beta will help Square Enix better smooth out the rough edges for the game’s actual release on PC, September 30th, with a collectors edition being released seven days earlier on the 22nd, and the PS3 version being released six months later.

So, anyone out there planning on giving this a try?

With Rock Band 3 on the way, an obvious question that should be on everyone’s mind is “So will I get to use my awesome realistic guitar on Ron Wasserman’s Rock Band Network songs?” Well, there’s some good news and some bad news… the good news is that Rock Band 3’s  pro drums, keyboard, pro keyboard, and vocal harmonies will be an optional addition to Rock Band Network songs. The bad news is that pro guitars won’t. At least not for a while. The reasoning is that because creating pro guitar levels is both a timely process for both the creator and the peer reviewers, it would hold up the production of a ton of RBN songs. So for now, because pro guitars are too complicated to make songs for, Harmonix is putting that option on an indefinite hold. However, they say that they’ll revisit the decision in about a year, so there may still be hope for it yet.

Sega decided to finally tell us the changes they made to Sonic the Hedgehog 4, causing its delay. Apparently Sega is actually listening to the fan feedback with this game and decided to completely redo Act II of the Lost Labyrinth Zone. This level originally was a poorly designed minecart ride (and before you ask, no, it didn’t play anything like a Donkey Kong Country minecart level). Now, the minecart portion is only a small part of the level and doesn’t use the screen-flipping mechanic. Meanwhile, the rest of the level has become an exploration mission in the dark where Sonic must use a torch to light his path.

Other smaller tweaks include blurring Sonic feet more quickly when he begins to run (which is good since his running really did look weird before) and more balancing of the gameplay to keep things challenging. I’ve got to say, I’m very surprised by Sega’s decision to listen to fan input for the game. I realize this is a game for the fans, but the fact that Sega is listening is just something I’m still getting used to. Maybe Sonic 4 won’t suck?

Recently leaked in the new Famitsu, Atlus’ Persona 3/4 team is currently hard at work at a new PS3 RPG entitled Catherine. If you love some Japanese craziness and J-rap, then you’re probably already sold on the game based on the trailer.

Hit the jump for my special screenshot picture-book explanation for the sexy/scary RPG’s story thusfar.

Oh hey, folks. Got seven minutes to spare? Well then grab a snack, kick back, and watch this fresh English Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep trailer. Can someone explain to me why they don’t just make the PSP screen full-screen for these trailers? It makes no sense when they have direct footage. It’s as annoying as those DS trailers where they shrink down the video so you can see both screens.

Oh, and did anyone else know that Leonard Nimoy was going to be in this game? Hell yeah!

Well this was pretty obvious for the longest time. Makes me wonder why they took so long to officially announce them, really; but either way, here they are. Dr. Strange villain Dormammu and Viewtiful Joe finally join the Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. Worth mentioning is the fact that Sylvia shows up for one of Joe’s supers which in itself is rather awesome. Also, in the screenshots after the jump, you can see Tron Bonne and her brother Teisel in the background. Does this mean they’re not in the game? Probably not.

Hit the jump for juicy MvC3 action.