Late Night Consoling

Sony's popular online military action series will get another sequel as the company announced SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy Seals. The game takes place in Morocco, Poland, and Bangladesh and new technology is being incorporated to increase map sizes five or six times. Developer Zipper Interactive promised improved AI over the other two games and new methods of coordinating your AI teammates. SOCOM 3 is set to sail in the fall of this year.

Samurai Western: First up is a PS2 title that blends the Old West of the 1800s and samurai warriors. It's developed by Spike, the creators of the original Tenchu and The Way of the Samurai series, and is an action-adventure title. Samurai Western will ship in June and will be an enhanced version of the Japanese release.

Puyo POP FEVER: The popular puzzle series lands on the Nintendo DS, sporting an eight-player wireless mode and the single-cartridge download feature. It's set to release in the spring. A new Story Mode will be included and the Endless Mode returns, which allows you to theoretically play the game forever.

Riviera: The Promised Land: Lastly there is Riviera, an RPG for the Game Boy Advance. Seven Magi are on a quest to destroy their world in an attempt to thwart the invasion of demons. It boasts 30 hours of gameplay and will sell for $29.99 when it's released in the summer.

Microsoft Game Studios announced that new content for MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf is now available for download over Xbox Live. If you didn't buy the Limited Edition version of the game, the download includes the two maps bundled with it: Mountain High and Troubled Waters. You can get the download now.

A multitude of rumors concerning Microsoft's next Xbox hit the Internet today with the biggest rumor being that it will have a removable hard drive that attaches "in a really slick way, almost like the hood scoop on a muscle car." According to sources close to Gamesindustry.biz, this is proof that the xPod rumors are more fact than fiction, as the hard drive would be flash-based and sport a screen. Another rumor suggests that Microsoft is looking to make the system connect wirelessly to your TV. If you enter a MechAssault 2 sweepstakes on the Xbox site, during sign-up, it asks you to rate on a scale of importance "It is important that the next videogame system I purchase connects to my TV wirelessly."

A couple rumors concerning the Nintendo DS hit the web tonight as gaming blog Kotaku dished out two secrets. First, a wireless network rollout will occur in the near future with Nintendo hotspots being located around the country. Not only can you play games, but also download them as well. However, even more intriguing, is that Nintendo is working with the DivX technology to fit movies onto DS cartridges. It could hold over two hours of video and an animated movie is rumored to be the first release.

Empire Interactive revealed that the European demolition racer will crash into store shelves on June 14. It will have a few improvements over its Euro brother, most importantly Xbox Live support. More exclusive features will be announced in the future and when it ships, it'll sell for $49.99.

Ubisoft announced that the console version of America's Army, subtitled Rise of a Soldier, will find its way onto the PS2 and Xbox sometime this summer. They announced the game about a year ago, but have remained quiet ever since. Online action was confirmed, capable of handling up to 16 players. Secret Level is developing the console version.

No, not the original PlayStation, the PSX that is the hybrid PVR and PS2. Manufacturing of Sony's home entertainment device will be halted for the time being, most likely signaling that the device won't make its way over to the United States or Europe.

GameSpot rounds-up all the racing wheels you can use with Gran Turismo 4. GameZone spoke with a couple developers of Obscure. Xbox 2 News talks with Trip Hawkins. IGN chats with Ed Boon about Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks.