In this fourth developer diary for Fallout: New Vegas, the team at Obsidian touches on all of the various factions within the game, and the important role they play in both its story and gameplay.

In New Vegas, you battle your way across the heat-blasted Mojave Wasteland, the Hoover Dam, and the neon drenched Vegas Strip, where you’ll be introduced to a colorful cast of characters, power-hungry factions, special weapons, and mutated creatures. Choose sides from among the factions for the upcoming war, or take it all and crown yourself the King.

J Goldberg, the Volition Community Manager, is our guest this week for Episode #102 of the Avault Podcast. J brought with him information on all things Red Faction, especially the upcoming Red Faction: Armageddon.

No podcast episode would be complete without at least a little Borderlands chat, and this week’s conversation on Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution reveals some quite unexpected details. Does Turks not only play a girl, but play like a one? You’ll also get to meet our new host, Billy 2.0, and gain some insight into what the heck is going on with EA and the soon to be released Medal of Honor.

( listen now… )

For those unfamiliar with the game of tactical thinking and luck that is Rummikub, it’s a combination of Rummy and Dominoes that comes in a pretty but clunky briefcase which makes playing on the go a little awkward. Now available as DSiWare, the two player tile combination challenge no longer suffers from such portability challenges.

In this new version, you move your tiles by simply dragging them with the stylus, and you can play against a friend (or three) via Nintendo’s Wi-Fi connection. For each victory you earn medals, and when you collect them all you become the World Champion.

Zen Studios has announced that the latest Zen Pinball table expansion, Paranormal, is coming soon to the PlayStation Network. Weird creatures and haunting events await as players investigate mysterious and supernatural occurrences. The table also features a rotatable playing field with four different mini games, time portals with floating objects and four new trophies.

The action RPG DeathSpank will be available on PC for $14.99 on October 26, and starting today, gamers receive a 10% discount when they pre-order it via Steam. Developed under the direction of Ron Gilbert, the game combines humor and wit with action-RPG gameplay in an adventure through crazy quests in a world filled with eccentric characters. In addition to the pending PC release, a Mac OSX version is in the works, with an exact availability date yet to be announced.

And just when you thought there wasn’t another game show that could be crammed into the Wii.

Ubisoft and Ludia Inc., under a license from Disney-ABC Domestic Television, have released Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Players take the hot seat for a chance to win $1 million (sadly virtual) by correctly answering 15 multiple-choice trivia questions. And just like the contestants on the TV game show, players also experience the pressure of hearing the host ask the signature catchphrase: “Is that your final answer?” Unique to the Wii version, however, is a brand-new multiplayer game mode.

The four multi-player modes of Shaun White Skateboarding allow up to 8 players to skate together online, or 2 players can skate via split-screen locally. Additional features include the ability to play as the same character that you normally use in single player mode, and 4 multi-player only maps. Color your world as you skate your way.

Your Shape: Fitness Evolved is a fitness game for Microsoft Kinect, whose proprietary Player Projection technology actually puts your body into the game. You control the game with your voice and body as you create your fitness experience. Choose a personal trainer to help you meet your specific fitness goals, take a yoga or martial arts class, or play fun, family-friendly mini-games. As you exercise, you receive specific feedback on your every move. The video showcases the online integration feature.

Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 has gone gold for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. In addition to destructible environments and the usual signature moves, the title will also sport the new Raging Soul System that enables characters to enter a special state during which their combat abilities are increased to the ultimate level. The game arrives later this fall.

Capcom will release four new Dead Rising 2 DLC Theme Packs that will include new skills, weapons and some interesting looks for Chuck. In the next few weeks, players will get a chance to dress up Chuck as either an insane psychopath, a sleek ninja, a crazy sports fanatic or a hardened soldier. Each theme pack will be available to download via the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live to enhance your gameplay experience. Players can even mix and match the packs they have downloaded, and select the Ninja shoes, Sports Fan hat, Psycho jacket and Soldier of Fortune trousers, in order to get all of the abilities each pack offers and create the ultimate Chuck. The Psychopath Theme will be the first pack to drop, and arrives October 12.

Ubisoft and Ludia Inc., under a license from CBS Consumer Products, have released a new video game that’s based on the television game show Hollywood Squares. Making its debut appearance on the Wii, the title is now available at retailers throughout North America for $29.99.

Hosted by Tom Bergeron, Hollywood Squares features many elements of the TV show as two contestants play head-to-head in a bid to win money and prizes. Nine cubes make up the tic-tac-toe style board, occupied by Center Square celebrities Martin Mull, Kathy Griffin, Jeffrey Tambor and Brad Garrett. Celebrities are asked questions and reply via video footage from the show. Players judge whether answers are true or false, while incorporating “zingers” designed to fuel the fun. A correct answer earns the player a square on the board, the first player to mark 3 squares in a row wins.

ZeniMax Media just announced the closing of a $150 million investment by Providence Equity Partners in convertible preferred stock of the Company. The proceeds will be used to fund additional growth through increased game development, expanded publishing operations, and strategic acquisitions. Among the studios that develop games for ZeniMax are its subsidiaries Bethesda Game Studios (Fallout 3, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion), id Software (Quake, RAGE), and Arkane Studios. This new investment by Providence supplements an earlier investment of $300 Million made by the firm in October 2007.

In the sense of music anyway – we’re waiting to hear from Jason on how it plays!

Neocore Games and Paradox Interactive just released three metal songs created for their upcoming real-time strategy game Lionheart: Kings’ Crusade. Created by heavy metal band Trebuchet and co-produced by Paradox Interactive CEO, Fredrik Wester, the songs were designed to generate the sense of battlefield intensity required by such a title. It doesn’t matter whether you play Saracen or Crusader – the music aims to carry you to victory!

Kalypso Media USA has announced that Airline Tycoon 2, the sequel to their funny, business simulation game, is in development at B-Alive studios, and is set for a North American PC release toward the end of 2011. The title sees the player take the reins of an airline which they must bring to financial success. As well as managing staff, buying new aircraft and opening up new air routes, players must deal with crabby passengers and engage in corporate espionage against their competitors.

There is a rumor circulating about a new kid on the gaming console block. Technology blog CrunchGear claims to have received a document suggesting Panasonic is developing a new gaming system called the Jungle. CrunchGear’s article displays an image (left), which shows a portable device with a keyboard, single screen display and, possibly, two circular touch-pads or speakers. A new video seems to confirm the existence of the console at welcometo.thejungle.com.

The official Jungle website describes its mission as one to “create an ecosystem around online gaming.” Central to this goal is “a new mobile device concept designed specifically for online gamers. We’re also working with leading online game developers to create some exciting new content.” Could be something interesting to monitor!