You thought the epic Forgotten Realms journey was over... you were wrong.

Will Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir be able to grab a top score from X-Play with it's new classes, new races and 3D world map? Find out as Blair Herter guides us through the review below.

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Will the seventh installment of the iconic Metal Slug series be able to garner a MISSION COMPLETE from the tough X-Play Review system? Find out in the review below.

Mission Start.

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Find out if the Red Fly Studio-developed Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars has what it takes to become a bonifide platformer on the Nintendo Wii.

What are your thoughts on this fungal foray in Wii gaming?

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Aaron Greenberg, Xbox 360's director of product management, said recently he expects the price of the PlayStation 3 to come down, and soon. 

"We absolutely expect the PS3 price drop to happen in the next couple of months," Greenberg said in an interview with Edge-online. "We're frankly surprised it's taken this long... I would expect they'd have to move on price, sooner than later, for sure."

Greenberg joins a chorus of analysts and industry watcher predicting a price chopping for the PlayStation 3. The reason for the prediction is simple: Some feel it's hard for the PS3 to compete with the 360 and the Wii when it's so much more expensive than either of the other systems. Sony has denied that they will be dropping the price of the PlayStation 3.

Anyone want to predict the date and amount of the next PS3 price drop? Leave word in our comment section. If you hit it on the nose, I'll send you a valuable prize: My undying admiration.

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It turns out the rumors of Hearst Corporation's UGO Entertainment purchasing Ziff Davis' 1Up Network were true. 1Up has recently posted confirmation of a story that was running wild (like Hulkamania) for the last few hours. The official company line is:

No official word was made on the fate ofElectronic Gaming Monthly ( EGM), but an internal memo was leaked stating that the January 2009 issue of the long-running magazine would be the last.

I'm thrilled for my friends at 1Up. Hopefully this means job security for them. I'm also sad to see EGM go. I've said it before, but I really can't imagine going to a newsstand and not seeing EGM there.

How do you guys feel about the news? Will you miss EGM as much as I will? Are you worried about the excellent 1Up changing as it goes to a new owner?

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First, Illinois tried to pass a violent game ban three years ago. That lame move was found unconstitutional by a stalwart federal judge.

Now the state that brought us Honest Abe Lincoln recently passed a bill banning alcopop (Bacardi Breezers, Mike's Hard Lemonade, etc.) beverages in children-centric video games -- that means any advertisement, promotion and or marketing of.

Have we ever seen an ad for Gordon's Gin and Tonic, or Wild Turkey, or Hooch in a game that's rated T or under?

No one is promoting that alcohol product placement is necessarily a good thing in a kids' game, but c'mon, Illinois. Don't you already have enough problems with that mop head of a governor of yours, Blagojevich and who you guys are going to put into Obama's senate seat?

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Yesterday, a six-year old boy stole his parents' car after missing his school bus. The ingenious lad was determined not to be late for school and figured breaking several laws was a fair exchange (I'm sure that makes sense for children ages 6 to...I don't know, 48). When questioned, the boy said he was able to pull off his heist through knowledge he gained from video games. According to The Associated Press:

The boy and his four-year old brother are currently in protective custody. There are a few takeaways here. The boy's hand-eye coordination must be pretty advanced for his age; while he didn't make it to the finish line, I'm totally impressed that he made it six miles. He's also very lucky that he wasn't seriously injured. Lastly, the parents should be in hot water for neglecting their kid, but they should also be dinged for letting a six-year old play an M-rated game. Unfortunately, someone out there is going to use this as an excuse to attack the "evils of gaming", but a youngster playing Grand Theft Auto is just bad parenting.

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Not all economic news is doom and/or gloom. Sony said sales of the PlayStation 3 were up 130 percent for the holiday season. They also report a nearly 40 percent increase in hardware sales for the 2008 calendar year.

SCEA vice president Ian Jackson said he's confident the company's momentum will continue into the new year. "2008 was a pivotal year for PlayStation with the best software line up in the industry, a dramatic expansion of PlayStation Network including the launches of the video delivery service and the beta of the PlayStation Home," Jackson said.

Although PS3 sales in November 2008 were down 18.8 percent from November 2007, the company claims that this was an anomaly due to November 2007's price-cuts.

So, basically, Sony says they're doing fine, even though they're currently running third in the console race. My question is: Is this proof that video games are a recession-proof industry, or is this Sony looking at their year-end numbers with rose-colored glasses?

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Developer FromSoftware (Armored Core, Tenchu, Enchanted Arms) and Microsoft dispatch a new batch of images detailing their latest ninja outing, Ninja Blade. Take on the role of Ken Ogawa and his team of shadow warriors as you take on the tall order of saving humanity from a mutating disease while figuring out why the hell your father betrayed you... rough.

Exclusive to the Xbox 360 this action game hits sometime in early 2009... then you can REALLY compare it to Ninja Gaiden yourself.

All Access: Ninja Blade 

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Capcom thrust-kicks some new artwork of everyone's favorite British-brawling-babe, Cammy White. Take a look-see at the other easy-on-the-eye images in our Street Fighter IV image gallery to see what all the hub-bub is about.

I hope you have your arcade sticks ordered from Amazon.com already, Street Fighter IV's February 17th console debut is within sight with the PC release to follow sometime down the road.