This week's downloadable games for PSN include the port of online-only shooter Blacklight: Tango Down and the direct-to-PSN North American release of Superstars V8 Racing -- a title which makes us desire tomato juice like you wouldn't believe.

Also, for Rock Band 3 owners, the Rock Band 2 import should be available now through the PSN. However, RockBand.com -- where you'll need to go for the code required for the process -- is currently down pending its (hopefully impending) relaunch, so sit tight!

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Could this be it? The long-rumored PlayStation Phone appears to have taken a giant leap towards being real, thanks to these incredible pictures sent to Engadget. Although the slide-out D-Pad and PlayStation face buttons make it look very similar to a PSP Go, the Android-loaded device is considerably more powerful, sporting a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 chip and 512MB of RAM. (The PSP, by comparison, has a 333MHz processor with 32MB of RAM.)

You can also see what looks to be the PS button underneath the D-Pad (with placeholder marking) and the big, rounded rectangle in the middle is reportedly a touch-sensitive strip capable of mimicking dual-analog input.

This prototype device certainly looks like the real deal, but the lack of a custom Android skin and any obvious PSP branding raises even more questions. When will this device be ready, let alone announced? How much will it be? Maybe most importantly, what kind of games will be compatible with it?

You must excuse Team Meat for looking a little loony upon the completion of the duo's Game of the Year contender, Super Meat Boy. "I can't even count the amount of times I had breakdowns and my wife had to convince me that I need to finish the game and I'll be okay," co-CEO Edmund McMillen told Eurogamer of the development of the game (which eerily echoes our experience of playing it).

"We get five or six hours of sleep a day, max," McMillen recounted. "As time drags on and you get sleep-deprived things get really crazy" -- perhaps explaining some of Super Meat Boy's loopy brilliance.

Despite the grueling development process of the two-man team's first commercial release (currently available and on sale for Xbox Live Arcade), Team Meat has no plans to hire more staff nor seek a publishing deal (which "seems like the most awful thing ever") for the next game -- and it "won't be Meat Boy," McMillen insisted. "It'll be totally new."

"We'd be lying if we said we hadn't talked about the next game, because we very much have," a pooped out McMillen confessed. "But thinking about it right now makes me want to stab myself in the stomach as hard as I can. With a gun."

Sony sent out a press release today to announce that October 26, 2010 marks the 10-year anniversary of the US release of the PlayStation 2. In that time, approximately 146 million systems have been sold worldwide, according to Sony. In the announcement, the publisher said the system was "responsible for raising the bar by introducing popular franchises such as God of War, Gran Turismo, Ratchet & Clank, and Metal Gear Solid, all of which live on as fan favorites and continue to make their way into the hands of new gamers to this day."

Okay, so Sony's memory may be a bit hazy (Gran Turismo and Metal Gear Solid actually debuted on the original PlayStation), but our own memories about the system are crystal clear. Join us after the break and discuss the system we can't believe is retro.

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Elemental: War of Magic's road to redemption is being paved with free stuff -- for those willing to take the ride. Stardock CEO Brad Wardell announced today on the game's forums that anyone who purchases (or already bought) the game before October 31, 2010, will receive the first two expansions to the game for free.

The company has been working to turn around the game's "disastrous" launch by showing it plans not to abandon the 4X strategy title. A major sign of support came earlier this month when Stardock hired Derek "Kael" Paxton as the studio's senior producer. Paxton is the creator of the popular Civilization über-mod Fall from Heaven.

Stardock plans to begin the beta testing of Elemental version 1.1 in early November. Owners of the game have the option to opt-in and find out how Elemental is evolving.

[Thanks, Chris P.]

Telltale's first episode of the Back to the Future game won't be free -- unless you've got power. Specifically, we're talking: "121GIGAWATTS" of power! That code, first spotted in the Blu-ray release of the time-traveling movie trilogy, grants access to a free copy of the first episode of the five-part series on PC or Mac.

Unless you're just "chicken," you can now make like a tree and register in advance for the free episode (which requires a Telltale account). Redeemers will be contacted in the future about when they can go back ... to the future -- in other words, this December.

Quick! Snap judgment: When you hear the term "dog outfit" with regard to Fable 3 -- a game widely known for its canine companion -- what do you think of? Perhaps an adorable little garment for your adorable best friend? Something gaudy and ostentatious -- you know, like horse armor?

That's a pretty logical guess, but keep in mind that we're talking about a series where lovers gravitate to the hero who farts the best. Logic isn't really Fable 3's strong suit -- as evidenced by the fact that the game's first premium DLC, the "Dog Outfit," is actually a costume worn by the player.

The getup will run you 160 Microsoft Points ($2), but that price should be justified by the strange looks your pet will give you when he sees you dressed as a giant version of himself. Not to mention the strange looks we will give you, because, hey dude, you just bought a dog costume.

[Thanks David!]

Two months after Konami announced that it had picked up the PS3 publishing rights for No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise in Europe -- with added PlayStation Move controls -- the publisher has revealed plans to release the same HD port in North America.

Heroes' Paradise is a high-definition version of Grasshopper Manufacture's Wii assassinate-em-up No More Heroes, with a few extra modes (including a cutscene viewer and a "Rebout" boss rush mode), new visuals and, for the North American and European releases, the choice between DualShock-based or Move controls. In addition, an announcement on the PlayStation Blog teases "additional boss characters that were not available in the original episode" for the PS3 version.

No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise will be released for PS3 in 2011 -- no plans for an Xbox 360 release outside of Japan have been announced. Of course, you could always go get the spectacular Wii version, which has been out since 2008, but if you've waited this long for an HD version, you may as well hold out.

[Thanks, Israel]

Cartoon Network's stable of characters will make the jump to stereoscopic 3D this spring thanks to an agreement with Crave. The publisher announced a deal through which it would release an "action-packed battle game" on 3DS starring characters from various current and classic Cartoon Network shows, including Ben 10, the Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Lab, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and not Adventure Time.

Developer Papaya Studios is also working on versions of the game for Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3 for release in holiday 2011, but without the appeal of new hardware, those aren't nearly as exciting!

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Konami's newly revealed Kojima Productions themed hardware slash software set isn't nearly as compelling as the previous limited edition Metal Gear Solid 4 PlayStation 3 bundle. That's because the new package is simply a stock 160GB charcoal gray PS3 console, a greatest hits version of MGS4 and a copy of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.

This admittedly not-so-special-edition offering (which is, technically, limited to an undisclosed run) hits Japan on December 16 for ¥37,980 ($467). You can get a 160GB PS3 ($300), MGS4 ($20) and Lords of Shadow ($60) by themselves for a grand total of $380 right now, without those pesky international shipping charges. The only thing you'll be missing out on: 20,000 Reward Points for use in Metal Gear Online. But if you really want to pay the $87 difference just for them, we're not going to stop you.

Nintendo has announced a few more details about the new Pokémon Center it's planning on opening soon in the heart of Osaka. The retail outlet, which will swing wide its colorful doors on November 26th, will stuff 2,500 different kinds of purchasable Pokémon goods and a "Union Room," where players can congregate to trade and battle, into 9,000 square feet of retail space, making it the largest Pokémon Center on this, our planet Earth. We want to go to there.

It sounds like a pretty huge ordeal, but it's kind of a waste -- all anyone ever does in those places in run to the front desk, heal their dudes, then run back out for more adventures and stuff.

[Image Credit: Ipin]

Here's a hypothetical situation you or someone you know has probably experienced at some point in your life: You and a friend are out at a restaurant or bar, and Wham's "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" comes on the radio. You remark how this is one of your favorite Rock Band songs, but your friend replies that this song, criminally, is not part of the Rock Band catalog. You argue about this point all night, ruining your dinner, drinks and, ultimately, friendship.

There's another way -- a better way, friends. A new, unofficial and free iPhone tool from developer Three Brothers Apps titled "RB Song List" lets you scan through the game's downloadable catalog on the go. Using this app, you could have resolved this hypothetical argument in seconds, and then spent the rest of the night talking about why the hell "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" isn't available on the Rock Band Store.

Chunsoft's latest DS game is a departure from both of the things the developer is known for (sound novels and Mystery Dungeon games). Zombie Daisuki ("I Love Zombie," or as Siliconera translates it, "Lovable Zombie") is an action-strategy game in which players use the stylus to circle groups of adorable rotting humans and direct them toward the malevolent humans who have made them this way. Your zombies will attack enemies on sight. It sounds kind of like a Pikmin or Little King's Story-style experience, except with minions that can be distracted by both raw meat and cute animals.

In addition to this zombie-wrangling gameplay, there's a multiplayer "deadsal" ("dead" plus "futsal") game and a boss rush mode for up to four players -- no doubt inspired by Monster Hunter. Chunsoft will unleash the zombie love plague on Japan in January.

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime wants to make sure you're not getting it twisted -- he's not competing with other game companies, but with the very concept of time itself. Speaking to Forbes recently, Fils-Aime explained that "It's all about time." Rather than just competing with the likes of Microsoft and Sony, Fils-Aime said, "I compete with Zynga, I compete with surfing the net, I compete with the newspaper." What about eating ice cream, Mr. Fils-Aime? Hmmmm?

Regardless, he does see one direct competitor to worry about: Apple. Fils-Aime rhetorically wondered, "Do I think that in the near term they can hurt us more than Microsoft? Absolutely." Though, despite astronomical sales of both the iPhone and iPod Touch, Fils-Aime believes that content will win the day, bringing up Dragon Quest IX as an example of a game that can "consume." He even pointed out that 14 of the top 20 selling games this generation originated with Nintendo.

Fils-Aime didn't point out Apple's bigger trump card -- its device does a lot more than play video games. We're confident that Nintendo isn't going anywhere anytime soon, but competing with a phone in terms of handheld sales? Not so sure about that.

Though many are now realizing its beauty in multiplayer shooters, the jetpack is a woefully underused tool in the FPS developer's work box. My love affair with the jetpack began many years ago on the PC with Dynamix's Starsiege: Tribes -- unfortunately, that love affair has taken a near 15-year, involuntary hiatus.

Halo: Reach went a long way in sating my desire for airborne multiplayer combat, but it looks like Section 8: Prejudice will go even further toward addressing that desire. Jetpacks abound -- like they did in the original Section 8 -- as do a glut of other variables to turn the objective-focused multiplayer into a rock, paper, scissors playground. But while I was excited by a lot of the gameplay ideas I saw in Prejudice, I was just as concerned about the dated visuals and subdued personality.

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If you've been considering checking out Cryptic's superhero MMO Champions Online, you ... well, you may want to wait. Publisher Atari has just announced that the game will transition to a free-to-play model in the first quarter of next year. The revamped Champions will feature premium content in the form of items, powers, costume pieces and Adventure Packs, though most of the content (as well as a few undisclosed perks) will be available to those who pony up the cash to be "Gold subscribers."

It may seem like a move of desperation, but that's not necessarily the case. Turbine set Dungeons and Dragons Online up with a similar structure last year and watched as revenues increased by a whopping 500 percent, which, as you math majors know, is almost five times better. The free-to-play conversion of Lord of the Rings Online met with similar success.