Kotaku has confirmed that the PlayStation 3 do-it-yourself platformer LittleBigPlanet is not only getting a sequel, but according to early details, is more than just a side-scrolling platformer. Media Molecule is creating tools that will enable players to create racing games, puzzle games, role-playing games and even real-time strategy games.

LittleBigPlanet 2 will also let players create and edit short films, record their own sound effects and manipulate the game’s camera to make customized cut scenes using Sackboys. Additionally, the game introduces the Sackbot, a customizable and programmable enemy unit.

Valve’s weekly update to Left 4 Dead 2 this week brings us Follow the Liter, a new spin on the gas guzzling Scavenge mode. Additionally, the game’s debut Mutation is going to be a permanent fixture.

Kotaku reports that voting for the regular institution of Realism Versus mode was a resounding “Yes!” The timing of that permanent change is still TBD, but factor in the usual amount of Valve Time. It remains to be seen whether this week’s Mutation, which spawns only one set of gas cans at a time during Scavenge mode, will be as popular, but we’ll soon find out.

Games Industry Biz reports that Darrel Rodriguez has resigned from his position as president of LucasArts, and is taking a number of his top executives with him. Although the company has made no official announcement, reports indicate that the staff were made aware of the departures at a meeting last week. At the meeting LucasArts stated that their development teams and business plans would be unaffected by the resignations.

It is unclear why Rodriguez left, but rumors indicate that Jerry Bowerman has taken over for him until a permanent replacement is determined.

Media Molecule officially took the wraps off its sequel, LittleBigPlanet 2, with this shiny new trailer. But how do you make a full sequel to a game that’s already had a sequel’s worth of free content updates?

The trailer gives us brief looks at racing games (one of which appears to involve players riding mice) and a Space Invaders-style shooter. You can even use a “Direct Control Seat” to alter controls, allowing you to control objects that are not Sackboy, “and make a game that doesn’t even remotely resemble” Media Molecule’s foundation.

LittleBigPlanet 2 will release for the PlayStation 3 this winter.

Pale-faced psychopath Kratos will return once again to smash mythological faces in the PSP exclusive God of War: Ghost of Sparta. In development with Ready At Dawn with assistance from the series’ creators at Sony’s Santa Monica Studio, the game is set after the original God of War and tells “the story of Kratos’ ascension to power as the God of War.”

God of War: Ghost of Sparta is scheduled for release later this year.

While development news about Sony’s PlayStation 3 MMORPG, The Agency has been sparse, Shack News reports that the company has launched a Facebook game, The Agency: Covert Ops, based upon the game’s universe.

The game is a standard Mafia Wars-type affair that has players building up an avatar and equipping it with new weapons and improvements for some asynchronous combat, minigames, and headquarters management.

Almost 1 million Wii owners have “participated” in the Netflix movie streaming system in the US, according to comments by Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime. Speaking on CNBC, Fils-Aime’s figures imply a faster sign-up rate than the Xbox 360, which took around three months to reach the same figure.

The Wii service was launched on April 12 and unlike its implementation on the Xbox 360 requires a disc provided by Netflix and does not display films in HD. The PlayStation 3 also required a Blu-ray disc to run the software at launch.

Source: Games Industry Biz

Two Worlds II, the second installment of the fantasy role-playing series, will ship to retail stores in the United States, Canada and South America on September 14, and to stores in the United Kingdom on September 17.

Expanding upon the original Two Worlds storyline, Two Worlds II offers the willing adventurer the experience of a perilous and daring journey throughout a magical land.

After being hospitalized for several weeks, THQ and Jakks Pacific founder, Jack Friedman, passed away yesterday at the age of 70. Friedman started THQ in 1989 and led the company for six years, when he left to found toymaker Jakks Pacific and served as chairman and CEO until March of this year.

The JAKKS Pacific board of directors released the following statement. “We are greatly saddened by the passing of Jack Friedman. He was a visionary leader who guided the Company with wisdom and keen judgment. Toys were his passion, and his legacy will live on in JAKKS Pacific. We extend our sympathies to his family.”

Capcom has apologized to PlayStation 3 owners for not warning them that a constant internet connection is required for their new downloadable title, Final Fight: Double Impact.

Users are required to be permanently signed in to the PlayStation Network to play the game, even in single player mode. A warning of this requirement was included in the European version of the game but not in North America and Asia. The issue gained notoriety following complaints on the IGN forums, which also pointed out that it was impossible to share the game across multiple accounts on the same console.

An alleged Capcom representative replied to the complaint, indicating that, “this was employed to combat the rampant ‘PSN Sharing’ that has been going on over the last year. We are not committed to do this with all titles moving forward but the only way to evaluate impact was to try it with one title first.”

The Just Cause 2 website has more news on the game’s first two DLC packs. In addition to today’s release of the Black Market Aerial Pack (which will give you a new Jet Fighter to play with, along with a parachute add-on to create a little more breeze), there will be a second round of DLC released next month. May 29 will bring the Black Market Boom Pack, with a Quad Rocket Launcher, Cluster Bomb Launcher, and an Air Propulsion Gun, which fires jet blasts powerful enough to send both soldiers and vehicles flying. Each pack retails for $1.99 on PSN or 160 MS Points at the Xbox Live Marketplace.

EA has announced that The Sims 3 is in development for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and DS, with all versions planned for fall release. The console versions promise all-new features, which include Karma Powers that determine whether your Sim can “get lucky” or experience an “epic fail.”

Each console flavor will be unique and sport different features. The PS3 and Xbox 360 editions will include Facebook connectivity, so you can share Trophy and Achievement updates with friends. The Wii version will feature an exclusive beach town, complete with its own residents, careers and “lifetime wishes”. The DS version will introduce a new Story Mode that allows players to go through a “complete life simulation.”

As Square Enix continues to expand globally, it’s starting to publish titles in Japan that aren’t traditionally “Square Enix,” like Modern Warfare 2 and games from its newly acquired Eidos subsidiary. According to Joystiq, the company has announced a new box label that will differentiate these “mature” Western titles from its usual slate of more innocent fantasy products – Square Enix Extreme Edges.

The Extreme Edges label will be used for Western-made games bearing CERO “D” (17+) or “Z” (18+) ratings, though Square Enix has yet to publish any CERO Z titles. The Z rating is legally age-restricted, and games bearing it are often not displayed in stores. Square Enix, however, will release Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days in Japan on August 26; a game that at least seems “edgy” and “extreme” enough for the new label and probably worthy of the CERO Z rating.

THQ and SyFy aren’t just making De Blob into a cartoon and Red Faction into a TV movie. Joystiq reports that they will also turn the TV show Ghost Hunters Academy into a game. In the new iPhone/iPad/DS title, players will “try out” for a position on the show’s team of paranormal investigators, visiting haunted buildings throughout the country and searching for ghosts. While no gameplay details have been revealed for the iPad or DS versions, the iPhone version will “utilize the device’s camera for an augmented reality feature.”

A couple of years ago, Maxis co-founder Jeff Braun decided it was a good time to start teasing us with the prospect of a new installment in the Oddworld franchise. While many have been since holding out hopes, series’ creator, Lorne Lanning, recently dashed them when he told G4TV that the next Oddworld had been put “on the shelf.”

“There’s a lot of shakeup going on [in the gaming industry],” Lanning explained, “and in that turmoil, we didn’t really want to put the Oddworld brand out there in the middle of it.”

There’s no need to take drastic measures just yet, however, as the Oddbox collection will bring the series’ four console outings to Steam later this year.