From GameStop:

“GameStop announced today a pre-order bonus for the upcoming sequel in the Star Wars saga, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. Fans who pre-order at Gamestop will receive the exclusive in-game playable Maulkiller Skin, available for Xbox 360 and PS3 only while supplies last. The skin allows gamers to play as Maulkiller, the fusion of two disparate Force users, Darth Maul and Starkiller, who quickly produced physical and mental instabilities that led to the unfortunate clone’s destruction.”
“In addition, customers who pre-order at GameStop will receive the exclusive Maulkiller Silver Saber Crystal while supplies last. This powerful crystal allows the player to consume less Force energy when using Force powers in order to devastate enemies.”

The previously announced poster isn’t the only thing GameStop is giving away as a pre-order bonus for Call of Duty: Black Ops–check this doozy out.

I bet your avatars are making reservations at NASA already!

American? Want exclusive stuff when you pre-order Halo: Reach? Do it at GameStop. Living the Spartan dream.

When you buy the Bungie shooter from the retailer, you get two exclusive pieces of armour: a Spartan Recon helmet with the Visor/Blast Shield and Multi-Threat Mjolnir Mark V(B) Armor.

Hear that? The sound of Halo nerds gushing with delight. But there’s more.

Bungie announced yesterday it was bringing back old-school multiplayer map Blood Gluch. The map was on the disc for Halo 1 and Halo 2, but not Halo 3’s multiplayer.

Watch the reveal for it below via a new episode of popular machinima Red vs Blue.

Halo: Reach releases worldwide on September 14 for 360.

In Naughty Bear, players take on the role of Naughty Bear, a bear driven to seek vengeance after the other bears don’t invite him to the big birthday party. Scorned for the last time, Naughty Bear becomes hell bent on manipulating and terrorizing the blissful bears inhabiting the Island of Perfection.

As Naughty Bear, players will wreak havoc on every stuffing-filled foe that crosses their path. Featuring an array of weapons, objects and scare tactics, gamers strive to earn Naughty Points as they inflict physical and psychological harm on Naughty Bear’s enemies. This all-new scare-based points system means players will win the most rewards for being deviant and maniacal. The variety allows for a completely new experience every time players pick up a controller and the ill-fated bears become more difficult to harass and terrorize as the game progresses.

Naughty Bear features more than 30 levels to unlock, with unique characteristics and weaponry encountered at every stage. Gamers can search the game world and collect all the hidden party items locked away by the other bears.

In this video the naughtiest of bears goes live action to do more damage after he’s already bed-ridden multiple teddy bears in the Intensive Care Unit.

Purchase Naughty Bear and receive a GameStop exclusive “Slasher Bear” skin. Available online and in-store while supplies last (See Pic Below).

Naughty Bear will be released on June 29th for the PS3.

The new, smaller, sexier Xbox 360 is in stores now, and if you know where to go it can be yours for as little as $90.

As a member of the Kotaku team not present at Microsoft’s 2010 E3 press conference, I do not get the new Xbox 360 for free, so as soon as I got home I contacted my local GameStop to see if they had them in stock. They do, and even better, they’ve got trade-in specials going for the original Xbox 360 that make upgrading a lot less painful.

I feel it bears mentioning that my local GameStop manager didn’t know about the new model until a customer called him asking for it, ten minutes after the Microsoft presser ended. For a company the regularly leaks information like a sieve, that’s rather impressive.

But we aren’t here to be impressed by secrets. We’re here to be impressed by savings.

Right now the Xbox 360 base unit is trading in for $100 store credit. That’s without hard drive and with one controller.

GameStop trades in the hard drives separately as they have to send them off to be cleaned. The smallest size, 20GB, trades in for $30, with the 60GB, 120GB, and 250GB netting you $35, $40, and $50 respectively.

Then there’s the network adapter. The new system has built-in Wi-Fi, so your wireless adapter is now obsolete. The white version trades in for $40, while the newer black version will score you $50 credit.

And let’s not forget the Edge card, which gives you an extra 10 percent store credit for accessories.

So, if you’ve got a 250GB Xbox 360 with the black wireless adapter, your trade-in credit works out like this:

System: $100
Network Card: $50 ($55 with Edge card)
Hard Drive: $50 ($55 with Edge card)
————————————————————————
Total: $200 ($210 with Edge)

With the new Xbox 360 selling for $299, that leaves only $90 to $100 unaccounted for.

Other items you can trade-in include wireless controllers at $25 apiece, and wired controllers for $20.

So yes, trading up to the new 360 isn’t as painful as it could be, and GameStop told me that if they sell out, they’ll let you reserve from the next batch, with the trade-in special still applying.

Of course you have your saved data to worry about, but that just means you’ll have to play your favorite games all over again, and who doesn’t love doing that?

Update: Someone named Fred informed us that GameStop will give you the trade-in price for your hard drive up to seven days after your purchase, meaning you can transfer your data and bring the drive back later and still receive the credit.

Thank You Mike Fahey from Kotaku!!

Thanks to Chili-Palmer for the Ad!

Microsoft says “We haven’t yet announced pricing details for Kinect,” but retailer GameStop is taking a stab at pricing the new Xbox 360 accessory, putting a $149 USD sticker on pre-orders. The new Xbox 360 bundles may be a better deal.

While Kinect by itself may fall under “too much,” if you’re jumping in for the first time, it’s a more attractive $100 investment.

GameStop prices a Kinect Arcade Bundle at $299.99 USD and a Kinect Elite Bundle at $399.99 USD. GameStop also puts a $59.99 USD price on two games, Kinect Adventures! and Kinect Sports.

LucasArts is giving Star Wars collectors something to drop an extra twenty on with the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II collector’s edition, complete with fancy packaging, digital goodies and a super-deformed Starkiller clone on which to store stuff.

Sure, Starkiller with a swollen head and/or USB interface sticking out of that engorged noggin is less intimidating than a Sith apprentice should be, but think of the content storage. Two whole gigabytes! Retailer GameStop is listing the collector’s edition of The Force Unleashed II at $79.99 USD, packing it with all this stuff. Worth it?

• Premium Collectible Steelbook
• Exclusive In-Game Content
• Three exclusive challenge mode levels
• Exclusive character skins
• Exclusive Lightsaber crystal
• Exclusive Mimobot USB Designer Drive Preloaded with Bonus Content
• Starkiller 2GB Flash Drive designed by Mimobot
• Digital art book, featuring insights into the art of The Force Unleashed II

The Collector’s Edition is only listed for the PS3 & 360.

Harlequins are set to become an even bigger nightmare then they already are in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood: a costume from the loony lot is up for pre-order.

Main character Ezio can travel about Rome in the costume if you place an order down for the game at a local GameStop in the US.

Nothing yet on any pre-order plans for the UK or elsewhere.

The game was formally announced last week by Ubisoft for a release this holiday season on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. It sees the continuation of Ezio’s story from Assassin’s Creed II.

Like some of the athletes its game depict, EA’s Project Ten Dollar appears to have gone on ‘roids.

Unlike those juiced-to-the-gills “athletes,” however, EA’s not being quiet about it. Instead, the publisher’s named its new program the EA Sports Online Pass, and has outlined the new big bad wolf to used gaming’s three little pigs with a handy FAQ.

The gist of it, though, is this: starting with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, EA Sports titles will require an Online Pass – one per game – in order for you to access any and all online features. This, of course, includes online multiplayer. The implication, then, is that if you decide to buy a used copy of EA’s latest ode to all things golf, you’ll have to shell out an extra ten dollars if you want play put-put on Xbox Live or PSN.

Interestingly, GameStop seems to have finally taken a long, hard look at the writing on the wall, and has decided to support EA’s new initiative.

“GameStop is excited to partner with such a forward-thinking publisher as Electronic Arts,” said Dan DeMatteo, Chief Executive Officer of GameStop in EA’s announcement. “This relationship allows us to capitalize on our investments to market and sell downloadable content online, as well as through our network of stores worldwide.”

The runway’s clear. Pigs, prepare for take-off.

Transformers: War for Cybertron is right around the corner, and with Pre-Order Exclusives being all the rage these days, the game will feature 2 known exclusives.  If you are planning to buy this game and you want to unlock an exclusive character for use with the game’s various multiplayer modes, then check below for the Pre-Order details.

Those who pre-order the game from Amazon will receive a code to unlock Demolisher, while those who would rather visit Gamestop, will receive a code for Shockwave.

Transformers: War for Cybertron is set right now with a June 22nd release date. Will you be taking one of these into the online arena and if so, which one?

According to Gamestop listings caught by Kotaku, the official Memory Sticks due on sale for Xbox 360 are to retail at up to $70.

According to pages on the retailer’s website, the 8Gb stick will cost $39.99, while the 16Gb will be worth $69.90.

This comes on the back of confirmation last week that 360 will be supporting USB flash drives as an external source of space, beginning next week.

Today GameStop announced a God of War III Sweepstakes that gives fans a shot at prizes even the Gods would envy. Want pizza for a year or the ultimate Sony Home Entertainment System? Maybe a VIP trip to a premier music festival or MMA experience in Las Vegas? GameStop is giving away four weekly grand prizes and more than 2,200 ungodly prizes through March 15 exclusively for GameStop pre-order customers.

Entering the “Be the Envy of the Gods” sweepstakes is simple. Fans can pre-order the game at any local GameStop or online at www.gamestop.com, and use their receipt code or online order confirmation number to enter. The code can be entered once a week on the website, www.gamestop.com/gow3, for a chance to win instant and weekly grand prizes.

For complete rules and additional details, visit a local GameStop retail location or www.gamestop.com/gow3. Note: Customers who pre-ordered the game prior to Feb.16 can go to www.gamestop.com/gow3 to register.

So to sum it up, if you order at GameStop you will receive the following:

• Phantom of Chaos Character Skin
• Access to the God of War III E3 2009 Demo
• 17×24 God of War III Poster (*In-store pre-orders only)
• Chance to win prizes in the Be the Envy of the Gods Sweepstakes

Guinness Book of World Records and Professional Gamer, Lil Poison Eleven year old Victor de Leon, better known as Lil Poison the Guinness World Record holder for youngest professional video gamer. An official Guinness World Records judge will be on hand to adjudicate an attempt on a video game record and present Lil Poison with the certificate if successful and conduct interviews.

Celebration of Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition 2010 Lil Poison, aka 11 year old Victor De Leon, will make an attempt on the Guinness World Record for the Highest Winning Margin in five minutes on Madden NFL 2010. Additionally he’ll take on expert gamers and gaming editors in a series of one-on-one challenges. He regularly defeats players more than three times his age and is fun to witness.

WHEN: Thursday, January 21st

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM –
GameStop Union Square

WHERE: GameStop

32 East 14th Street

Intersection of Broadway and
14th Street
between
University Place
and
5th Avenue

New York, NY – December 8, 2009 – Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is proud to announce an exclusive partnership with video game retailer GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) to offer exclusive in-game content for consumers who pre-order Red Dead Redemption on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft or the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system either in-store or online at www.gamestop.com. For the first time ever, consumers will have the power to vote for their choice of one of three in-game outfit challenges as their exclusive pre-order bonus on the retailer’s website.

“We’re privileged to have fans that are just as passionate about our games as we are,” said Alex Moulle-Berteaux, head of marketing for Rockstar Games. “Having fans choose their own pre-order bonus is a unique way to let them be a part of Red Dead Redemption.”

Players can vote to choose an outfit that will be earned by completing a unique set of in-game challenges. Once the challenges are completed and the outfit is unlocked, the outfit will uniquely affect how the surrounding world responds to the game’s protagonist, John Marston. Stay tuned throughout the month of January for new information about the outfits and their effects in-game.

For more information, log onto www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption.

Urgent Fury is proud to announce Boot Camp. 

Unlike Hell Week, this is your clan’s opportunity to experience the ins and outs of an actual Urgent Fury tournament.  Boot Camp is also a chance for Urgent Fury Staff and Admins to evaluate your clan’s ability to follow the basic procedures required of a clan to compete in any of Urgent Fury’s intense tournaments.
Each month, orders will be issued to up to 16 new clans each for: 

1. XBOX 360 – Modern Warfare 2
2. Playstation 3 – Modern Warfare 2
3. Playstation 3 – Socom: Confrontation 

Matches will be: 

1. Tuesday and Thursday or
2. Monday and Wednesday

 All clans will be assigned to a Regiment.  Your clan’s regiment will be based on your clan’s assignment orders.

Clans will battle each other and veteran clans for three weeks.  Each week, Staff and Admins will conduct a review and communicate anything that needs to be addressed.  At the end of the three weeks, a final assessment will be made to determine if all basic requirements have been met and that your clan was able to “Win with Honor or Lose with Dignity.”

Get signed up now! 

If you are new to Urgent Fury, go to http://www.urgentfury.com/uf_forum/index.php#24  to pick your console and your game and enlist in the hottest Tournament Community on the WWW.

First Boot Camps are slated to begin December 2009.

Poor, poor GameStop. As the gaming public’s anticipation for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 approached critical mass, they faltered in their loyalty, and took their business to small “mom and pop” game retailers who had broken the game’s street date. Fortunately for the retail juggernaut, Activision showed compassion for its plight, and agreed to let certain GameStops in a few Northeast states start selling the game before Tuesday in order to help combat these vicious local businesses.

We’ve been receiving tips all morning from folks living in New York and Pennsylvania (and Kotaku reports Ohio as well) stating that they were able to find the game on sale at their local GameStop. If you live in one of those Northeastern states, you might want to go ahead and call your local ‘Stop to see if it’s one of the stores which was granted special permission. If it is, then you can go straight to hell, you lucky jerk.

Source: Kotaku.com

If you still have not pre-ordered 2K Games’ Borderlands for the XBOX 360 and PlayStation 3, now is probably the good idea to go and pre-order it as Gamestop is giving away Weapon Pack codes that will be available as the game comes out. Borderlands is a role-playing first person shooter that will test your skills in shooting games as you mix it with RPG elements.

Well what are you waiting for? Pre-order now!