The Last Word: May 24-28

The march to the 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo continued at a fevered pace this week with almost no signs of letting up. GameSpot's reviews team wrapped up a monster May with looks at Blur, ModNation Racers, Ultimate Fighting Championship 2010, and one of the first big games of June, next week's Alpha Protocol.

Video Game History Month wound down with looks at The Legend of Zelda, the original Game Boy, the coolest (and lamest) collector's editions of the past, Shigeru Miyamoto, and, in a nod to next month's big show, E3. Speaking of E3, the previews team put up some pre-show looks at a handful of anticipated titles, including Killzone 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Crackdown 2.

The Last Word May 24-28

FEATURES
GameSpot concludes its inaugural observance of Video Game History Month with a look at the career of Shigeru Miyamoto, the arrival of the Game Boy, the timelessness of The Legend of Zelda, and the chaos of E3. There's also one more photo feature, which includes a look at some of the best and most ridiculous collector's editions of years past. Also, be sure to check out the latest feature on social network gaming--a growing phenomenon that has some major backing from companies like Electronic Arts.

Video Game History Month
Video Game History Month: Collector's Editions
Social Gaming Feature

NEW RELEASES
Shippin' Out May 23-29: Super Mario Galaxy 2
ModNation Racers PSP zooms to PSN
Jack the Ripper tears up DSiWare
Doom II, Green Day demo lead XBL releases

NEWS
With the 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo just weeks away, some of the biggest news bits are being announced early to avoid a repeat of last year, when the surprise of Sony's PSP Go unveiling was spoiled time and again by leaks. This week saw two E3-caliber headlines dropped: Sony supporter Insomniac Games partnered with Electronic Arts to make a game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and Sony announced that Killzone 3 is in development and will support a stereoscopic 3D experience.

As if that weren't enough, Harmonix all but confirmed keyboard support for Rock Band 3 with its demo for Rock Band: Green Day; Microsoft dated Bungie's last planned game in the Halo universe, Halo: Reach; Ubisoft turned the keys of its Splinter Cell franchise over to its Toronto studio; and Sega and Nintendo announced their next Sonic and Pokemon games, respectively.

Pokemon multiplying on Wii, DS
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock confirmed, detailed
Big in Japan May 17-23: Lost Planet 2
Alien Breed: Impact scaring up PS3 and PC this summer
Final Fantasy Heroes of Light battling to DS
Lufia II casts a spell on North America this fall
Need for Speed World green-flagged for July 20
Sledgehammer pounding out Call of Duty FPS
Hitman sequel gets first-time Hollywood director
Mafia II Collector's Edition, preorder bonuses detailed
Sonic Colors bleeding onto Wii, DS
Natal shipping October 26 for $150?
Warner Bros. appoints head of digital gaming
Michael Jordan to front NBA 2K11 - ESPN
Mass Effect movie project now science fact
Insomniac goes multiplatform with EA Partners
Front Mission Evolved backpedals to Sept. 14
Rock Band 3 to tickle the ivories?
New Splinter Cell forming at Ubisoft Toronto
Next Guitar Hero due Sept. 19 - Retail Radar
Atari fiscal year ends $23.9 million in the red
Halo: Reach landing September 14
Killzone 3 shooting up PS3 in 3D
Dragon Ball: Origins sequel due June 22
Namco Bandai signs Knights Contract for PS3, 360
Splatterhouse hits the market for Halloween
Low PSP sales due to piracy - Sony

PREVIEWS
It was a big week for the previews team, from Monday's looks at Namco Bandai's slate, including Enslaved, Splatterhouse, and Knights Contract, all the way through to Friday's first look at Call of Duty: Black Ops. In between, the crew caught looks at everything from Killzone 3 to Kidz Bop Dance Party and posted new previews of BioWare's long-awaited Star Wars: The Old Republic, the Sims 3: Ambitions expansion, F.E.A.R. 3, and Crackdown 2.

Call of Duty: Black Ops First Look
The Sims 3: Ambitions Exclusive Hands-On
Star Wars: The Old Republic Exclusive Preview - The Sith Warrior In-Depth
Killzone 3 Hands-On Impressions
F.E.A.R. 3 First Look
Tom Clancy's HAWX 2: First Look
Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 First Look
Crackdown 2 Hands-On
Shaun White Skateboarding First Impressions
Clash of the Titans Hands-On
Puzzle Quest 2 Minigames Hands-On
Kidz Bop Dance Party Hands-On
Dragon Ball: Origins 2 Hands-On
Front Mission Evolved Q&A - More Story Details, More Gameplay Details
Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom Updated Impressions
Knights Contract First Look
Ace Combat: Joint Assault First Look
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 First Look
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Updated Impressions
God Eater First Look
Splatterhouse First Look
Aion: Assault on Balaurea Q&A

REVIEWS
Last week was always going to be an impossible act to follow. After all, it's not often that the GameSpot reviews team awards a 10, much less a 10 and a 9.5 in the same week. This week was no slouch though, and as copies of Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Red Dead Redemption flew off store shelves, they were replaced with the likes of Blur, ModNation Racers, and UFC 2010 Undisputed. Alpha Protocol, the first of June's big releases, was also reviewed this week.

Alpha Protocol (PC, PS3, X360) Review
Aqua (X360) Review
Blur (PC, PS3, X360) Review
Guns of Icarus (PC) Review
Metal Slug XX (X360) Review
ModNation Racers (PS3) Review
UFC 2010 Undisputed (PS3, X360) Review

VIDEO
As the GameSpot Live team started gearing up for E3 2010, things got a little crazy around the site. To start with, the week saw three new episodes of Today on the Spot, featuring games like Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 on the Wii, Puzzle Quest 2, F.E.A.R. 3, UFC 2010 Undisputed, Backbreaker, and more.

In the Video Reviews department, GameSpot gave critical appraisals in video form for Blur, UFC 2010 Undisputed, ModNation Racers, and Alpha Protocol. Finally, GameSpot’s Video Game History Month came to a close with the Nintendo Game Boy, Zelda, E3, and Shigeru Miyamoto. Stay tuned as GameSpot takes E3 head-on in the next couple of weeks.

Today on the Spot - UFC 2010 Undisputed, F.E.A.R. 3
Blur Video Review
UFC 2010 Undisputed Video Review
ModNation Racers Video Review
Alpha Protocol Video Review
Video Game History Month: Nintendo Game Boy