Will Herring

I wonder what would happen if Thomas Wolfe, the novelist who originally uttered that one "can't go home again," found himself in a GameStop circa 2011. I have no trouble grasping the underlying intention of his oft-used idiom -- that what's happened in the past should be left there, as it only lives on through our memories and lingering regrets -- but I've just wrapped up my fourth re-skinned video game re-release in as many months. And just like every other title I've recently re-discovered under deadline, the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection has transported me right back to where I was when I first played each of its up-rezzed entrants upon their original releases.

Video games are funny like that -- even years after their sell-by dates, they have a very distinct way of sticking with you long after the final cut-scene concludes and the credits roll. Sure, we never forget our first love, but we also never forget that panicked feeling of flight that struck our gut like a reticulated python when we first fought The End. But unlike Taylor Jennings in my fifth grade English class (Editor's note: I'll never forget you), video games are ever-present constants in our lives, easily accessible and ripe for re-examination at a moment's notice, assuming you have the proper hardware at the ready.

I've reviewed a small multiverse's worth of superhero video games over the last few years, and up until rather recently I'd felt the need to prompt each of them with a brief, cynical disclaimer: yes, games of the "long underwear" variety have a pretty unfortunate track record, and no, that likely won't change anytime soon. But then, back in late 2009, a dark horse (or Dark Knight, if you will) slinked out from the shadows and redefined damn near everything we thought we knew about the genre. Batman: Arkham Asylum wasn't just the best comic book game of this console generation; it was one of the most pleasing pieces of wish-fulfillment entertainment on the market. It was both a veritable celebration and an essential re-imagining of the Batman mythos, and it somehow made us feel like we were Gotham's Caped Crusader, in all his baddie-brawling, grapple-gunning glory.

And thus, a new high-water mark was set for cape and cowl-clad comic book games, and we, the collective fans, anxiously awaited whatever came next for the Batman and his ghastly gallery of madcap rogues. Batman: Arkham City, Rocksteady's first open world effort, swoops in to set that mark even higher with its creation of one of the richest, most dread-inducing video game environments I've explored in some time. The Dark Knight's much-anticipated follow-up is not only the finest game to be branded with the Batman license to date -- it's the best comic book game that I've played.

Are you an App Store aficionado with a penchant for old-school pugilism? Then today may be your lucky day. Hot on the heels of the hefty update that hit Street Fighter IV: Volt earlier today, Capcom Mobile has released Final Fight and the Street Fighter II Collection for iDevices everywhere.

In news that'll hopefully bring this whole unpleasant fiasco to a close, GameStop CEO Paul Raines sent out the following e-mail to GameStop customers:

"Dear GameStop customer,

Because, come on, it's not like you didn't see this coming, Google+ is in the process of debuting a bevy of social games from some high-profile developers, including PopCap, Zynga, Rovio, BioWare, and Funzio. As soon as the roll-out is complete, a "Games" button should appear at the top of your Google+ stream, which should grant you access to the following games:

As reported by the fine folks at Touch Arcade, the oft-delayed iOS port of Square Enix's Final Fantasy Tactics has finally gotten the go-ahead from our new world leaders over at Apple.

The port, which is in itself a port of 2008's absolutely fantastic War of the Lions for PSP, was originally scheduled to come out in September of 2010. And here we are, eleven months later, strangers to what we can only recall as a half-remembered dream. Will Final Fantasy Tactics even recognize us anymore when it saunters in the front door, youthful as the day it set off on its long, arduous journey of approvals and UI tweaks, while there we sit, aged, jaded, and hardened to the outside world? Will it be able to teach us to remember? To, perhaps, love again?

The Fourth of July is right around the corner, and while it's widely encouraged to be up to date on your American history before celebrating like a true American, who wants to spend their time mulling over dusty old textbooks when they could be out barbecuing?

Fret not, star-spangled readers--the GamePro editors threw together this handy graphical timeline of (streamlined) American history (via games). It dates back to the Declaration of Independence and continues through the 2008 presidential election.

Sony finally has issued an official update on the attack that felled the PlayStation Network.

In a post on the official PlayStation Blog, Sony's Senior Director of Corporate Communications & Social Media, Patrick Seybold, has issued an official statement regarding the PlayStation Network/Qriocity outage.

In preparation for the impending release of Disney Epic Mickey, the highly anticipated debut game from Warren Spector's Junction Point Studios, we've put together a basic primer on the ins-and-outs of some of the names and places players are bound to encounter in this upcoming animated epic.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

Created by animators Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks under contract by Universal Studios, Oswald's extensive filmography is fraught with legal battles and creative clashes. With the release of Trolley Troubles, Oswald's 1927 animated debut, Disney breathed life in to this cartoon hare a full year before the inception of his most recognizable creation. But following budget quarrels with producer Charles Mintz, Disney was forced to sign Oswald over to Universal, where he would undergo various visual and vocal re-toolings, evolving from Walt's pudgy lucky rabbit to a clean cut, celebrity voiced studio mascot. In February of 2006, an asset accrual through a deal with NBC Universal would return the rabbit to his original home for the first time in 77 years. Epic Mickey will be Oswald's first on-screen appearance in Disney's original character design since 1930.

As announced earlier today on the official Capcom Unity blog, Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune is heading up an entirely new multiplatform take on the Blue Bomber, with details set to be unveiled this weekend at the San Diego Comic Con.

"We are thrilled to finally be able to announce Mega Man Universe," said Inafune on the Capcom Unity blog. "This game will break the mold and challenge the conventional wisdom of what a Mega Man game can be. When fans finally get to see it, I believe they'll envision their most far-out Mega Man dreams coming true."

Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos recently revealed some of the most exciting additions to the upcoming Rock Band 3: fully functioning MIDI keyboard peripherals, new guitars, and an authentic "Pro" mode. Also revealed was the game's first 26 tracks.

"With the introduction of keyboards, we get to bring a ton of amazing new music onto the platform, which will help feed the appetite for music for years to come," Rigopulos told USA Today.

With Apple recently marketing its iPhone and iPod Touch portable devices as gaming platforms, casual gaming on the go has seen a bit of a twilight. Independent developers have been enjoying increased exposure thanks to low prices and easy availability on Apple's App Store, and with the recent rumors that Apple's soon-to-be-announced Tablet will also feature a wide variety of games (many rumored to come straight from top shelf developer Electronic Arts), it's become evident that the multimedia conglomerate has recognized the importance of the gaming dollar.

Joining in on the casual craze is Amazon's digital reading device, the Kindle. Amazon has announced a Kindle SDK that will allow developers access to Kindle-based PC, Linux, and Mac emulators for programming purposes. Amazon also announced a partnership with EA Mobile (The Sims 3, NFL 10) who are slated to start developing games for the Kindle. What these games are, and how they'll play on the greyscale Kindle are still a mystery.