News and Notes from 7-8-10

So, here's some interesting tidbits I've picked up in the last day or two from various sites:

Bioware confirmed that Dragon Age will be releasing in March of 2011. This is a big one for me as I was a huge fan of the first game and the solid Awakenings expansion as well. They promise to have an updated graphics engine (one of the few things about the game that got critically picked on) and new combat mechanics. I'm looking forward to this one!

There going to be a downloadable Dead Space 2 prequel for the Xbox 360 and PS3. This is another IP I'm pretty stoked about. The first Dead Space was incredibly solid in my opinion, and I am really looking forward to more out of this series. There is talk that some of the accomplishments from this prequel will carry over into Dead Space 2 in the form of some pre-unlocked goodies.

Red Dead Redemption has 4 new downloadable content packages coming in the future. This was a game that has generated a lot of early Game of the Year buzz, and is likely to be one of my next reviews as I've finally had a chance to sit with it for an extended chunk of playtime.

IGN has posted about 1/2 of the player ratings for the upcoming Madden 2011 here. I am a sucker for football games and admit that I fall prey to the yearly incarnation of Madden almost every year. As a Lions fan (hey - don't laugh!) I'm looking forward to seeing what some of our young guys are going to be rated on there for my franchise mode.

The Star Craft 2 Beta has relaunched according to IGN as well. It has a new patch and some other tweaks in place for those interested.

And lastly, bad news for Assassin's Creed fans (raises his hand) - there next game in the series will not be releasing next year as had been speculated on many sites of late.