EA and Klei Entertainment have announced that God of War writer Marianne Krawczyk will work on their upcoming downloadable 2D brawler Shank. Krawczyk is to “[lend] her expertise in crafting rich, well-developed characters [for] Shank’s tale of revenge.”

Krawczyk has said that she’s working with Klei Entertainment to create “a story that will allow gamers to explore a world where values like integrity and loyalty take on their own twisted meanings,” and that she’s “been able to flesh out our characters, and create a gritty, personal and unique story of full frontal revenge.”

Sony Pictures Animation has apparently picked up the rights to Rollercoaster Tycoon. No, you’re not trapped in some DC Comics’ Bizarro World, they are actually working on turning a Sim into a feature film. According to 1Up, Harald Zwart (2010′s The Karate Kid) is attached as the executive producer and possibly as the director, while David Ronn and Jay Scherick (The Smurfs) are attached to write what is to being pigeon-holed as a live-action/CGI hybrid.

Her Interactive has just announced that Nancy Drew: Trail of the Twister will release June 29. For the millions of Nancy Drew fans who love their Apple computers, Her Interactive is also releasing the game on the Mac for the first time, enabled by TransGaming’s Cider Portability Engine. The company will publish the game in a dual format disc that is playable on both Windows PCs and Mac computers.

Nancy Drew goes undercover as a competitive storm chaser in this new mystery, set in Oklahoma during tornado season. Teams are competing for a $100,000,000 prize for discovering a prediction formula for tornadoes, but something is not quite right. To solve the mystery of who is sabotaging the storm chasing team, Nancy is thrust into a world of wild weather, high technology, secret conversations, mysterious dealings, and ulterior motives.

In case you haven’t heard, Facebook and Zynga are having relationship issues, and Zynga has threatened to leave their first love and seek commitment elsewhere. This has been a hot topic of conversation on this week’s Evil Ed Podcast, and culminated with Ed inviting “Mr. X” from Zynga to be a guest on the show.

Mr. X shared that the pressure is getting pretty intense over at Zynga HQ as they prepare for what lies ahead. Since Facebook revealed their intent to homogenize the credit system and require players to buy game cred from them instead of the individual game companies, the two have been in negotiations, but Mr. X reports that these have not been going very well. He also stresses that compromise is essential, as one of the two companies will not survive a break-up. According to Mr. X, that company will be Zynga and NOT Facebook.

Personally, I’m with Turks and Mr. X. If Zynga takes their balls and forms their own site, I’ll find other games to play and things to do with my time. I don’t need another site to check everyday. How about you?

This week on Episode 78 of the Avault Podcast, Shawn Baxter, Capcom’s Community Specialist, joins us to share the Lost Planet 2 details. Shawn also explained what the Community Specialist does, why he’s special, and shared an interesting story on how he ended up in the industry.

The countdown to E3 continues with transportation and beer, and believe it or not there’s more to say about the Halo: Reach demo. The guys also discuss finding treasures in your own home dungeon, the odd backwards compatibility (or not) of the Sony consoles, Iron Man 2, taking your chicken to Wal-Mart, and of course, explore the potential departure of Zynga from Facebook.

( listen now… )

Destructoid reports that as promised, Valve released the Steam client for Mac this afternoon. The program is available for free, and can be downloaded from the Steam website. A small selection of titles is currently available, but according to Valve, a “new group of games highlighting an area of Steam functionality” will be released each and every Wednesday.

Matrix Games and AGEOD have released an improved and streamlined follow-up to World War One: La Grande Guerre, entitled World War One Gold Edition. Now gamers can experience the challenging strategy and detailed history surrounding the “War to End all Wars,” but without the trenchfoot!

World War One: Gold Edition is a standalone game but a large discount is available to customers who already own the original, and you can retrieve a coupon for $25 off of the price of Gold Edition. There’s also a free download available for update 1.07, which includes all the bug fixes, AI, gameplay improvements and non-graphical improvements.

Due to longer delivery times from the plant, the release date for Darkness Within 2: The Dark Lineage has been delayed 1 week to May 28. In anticipation of the upcoming release of the horror adventure title, Iceberg Interactive and developer Zoetrope have released a new trailer. The video shows off the dark feel of the game and the environments that can be downloaded via the Iceberg Interactive website.

The Dark Lineage is the second and final installment of the Darkness Within series.

Things on Wheels is now available at the Xbox LIVE Arcade for 800 MS Points. To celebrate the release, Focus Home Interactive reveals a little more of this racing game via this video that attempts to capture the spirit of the races themselves.

Drive miniature racers that include light Vintage cars, powerful Muscle cars or fast sports cars, and compete in dozens of crazy races. The tracks are loaded with shortcuts, ramps, loops and other surprises. You can also count on collectable bonus items to spice up the races and upset the final rankings.

Are you good at trivia? Are you confident enough in your own knowledge to venture a bet on whether or not you will know the answer against other players? Step into the Open Beta of The Big Bluff, and experience online multiplayer trivia that integrates the mechanics of Texas Hold ’Em Poker. Playable within Facebook and at TheBigBluff.com, the free-to-play online trivia game stands ready to pit your knowledge against others.

Similar to Texas Hold ‘Em Poker, a dealer will display three cards in the community hand – the first displaying the question category, followed by two hints at the answer. Players will then have the option to match the pot to continue playing based on the cards shown. The fourth card displays another hint, while the fifth and final card displays the question that players must correctly answer. Fold at any point in the game if you’re not confident in your ability to answer the final question, or bluff your way to the end and force your competitor’s hand. Call your opponent’s bluff and win bonus currency if they don’t know the answer.

Dive: The Medes Islands Secret is an upcoming 2D-action game that’s coming exclusively to the Wii this summer. The title invites players to investigate the mysteries of the deep as adventurer John Sanders, who is on a mission to unearth the long-since buried Temple of the Order of Medes Island. Through 10 levels and exotic real-world locations, including the Cayman Islands, Bermuda and Santorini, players utilize the Wii Remote to navigate 2D underwater puzzle landscapes in search of answers to the ocean’s greatest mystery.

As players complete level objectives, they encounter options to upgrade dive equipment including fins, air tanks and spear guns, necessary to reach the farthest depths of the ocean. New equipment grants the player new objectives and the ability to revisit dive locations for deeper experiences. Along the way, they confront dangerous predators including giant octopi, and sharks. Treasure, rewards and achievements await those brave enough to dive into the unknown!

A long, long time ago, the Dark King Onyx brought an age of darkness upon Dotnia Kingdom. Only by the bravery of a hero with a legendary sword was Onyx sealed in an orb, restoring peace to the world. But Fuelle, a powerful Dark Bishop, has stolen the orb, and with it, peace. Dotnia requires a hero once more! Can you live up to the legend?

The retro action-adventure 3D Dot Game Heroes is now available for the PS 3 at retailers across North America for $39.99. In celebration of the game’s launch, Atlus has released Mini-game Rap. The video focuses on the various mini-games players can distract themselves with while they’re procrastinating rescuing the kingdom of Dotnia.

Lost Planet 2 is now available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Produced by Jun Takeuchi (Resident Evil 5), the title is the sequel to the third-person shooter Lost Planet: Extreme Condition. The game features a campaign playable in both online four-player co-operative mode and two-player split-screen, plus 16-player online multiplayer. In every game mode, players can customize their characters with upgradable weapons, abilities, taunts, and parts. Additionally, the Vital Suits return with more variety, including some that carry two or three players.

Set over ten years after the events of the first game, the story of Lost Planet 2 begins after terraforming efforts have melted away the snow and ice of E.D.N III giving way to harsh deserts, lush jungles, and city environments. Players control their hero through six interconnected episodes, each seen from the perspective of a different human faction residing on the planet. Utilizing Capcom’s MT Framework 2.0 engine, the planet comes to life with foliage and structures that react to the massive explosions resulting from the battles that are taking place all over the planet.

Namco Bandai Games America has announced they will release two more Dragon Ball Z titles, Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team for the PSP, and Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this fall.

For the first time, Dragon Ball Z fans can enter into two vs. two combat in Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team. Play solo or team up via Ad Hoc mode to tackle battles in a variety of single player and multiplayer modes, including Dragon Walker, Battle 100, and Survival Mode. Dragon Walker Mode takes fans through the entire Dragon Ball Z story arc from the Saiyan saga to the Majin Buu. Battle 100 Mode requires players to both relive encounters and experience newly created situations from the Dragon Ball Z world with increasing difficulty.

Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 brings back the destructible environments and character trademark attacks and transformations the series is known for. These include signature Pursuit Attacks which enable players to initiate attack combo strings, juggling your opponent in a string of devastating strikes throughout the environment. Additionally, the sequel sports the new Raging Soul System which enables characters to reach a special state, increasing their combat abilities to the ultimate level. The title also sports more than 90 characters, 20 of which are brand new to the Raging Blast series, new modes, and additional environmental effects.

May is Zombie Awareness Month, during which many institutions and volunteers raise awareness about the dangers of the modern zombie infestation.

To do their part to protect the Beasts of Earth Eternal, local representatives from Camelot, Bremen and Heartwood have been dispatched into the world to warn the people and declare war on the zombies. Attacks are common throughout May, and the Beasts will need all the help they can get to protect themselves from the impending epidemic. Log in every weekend, beginning May 15, to participate in Zombie Awareness Month. Players can use the game’s multi-class system to choose exactly which method of undead disposal is right for them; be it fireball, ice blast or an axe to the head. Just remember – always be wary. Zombies may not be fast, but they are everywhere!