Infinity Ward Director of Communications / Community Manager Robert Bowling reveals in his IAMfourzerotwo blog that he is currently readying promotional materials for a big Call of Duty 4 event taking place next weekend over Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. In his post he drops those two little words that CoD players (mainly those of us that suck) love to hear: Double XP.

I’m currently working on getting everything organized and together for an upcoming Xbox Live / PSN promotion we have coming up the weekend of Sept. 13th - 14th. Which isn’t this weekend, but next weekend. I will have exact details on what it is in the near future but I have a gut feeling it’ll have Double XP attached to it for all those hungry for some power-leveling on Call of Duty 4.

Bowling further explained that he is hoping to get the new playlists finished in time to make it one big promotion. Woot!

Double XP Is Imminent [IAMfourzerotwo]

Sometimes Facebook, Myspace, Bebo, Orkut and OpenSocial just aren't enough. Too much real world stuff, not enough gamerscore bragging.

Enter Raptr - a new social network for gamers founded by Dennis 'Thresh' Fong (he had to do something with all that prize money) that offers a way of tracking your friends and sharing what you are in to on several popular games networks.

Once you have signed in and chosen a nick, you can enter your IDs on Xbox Live, PSN, World of Warcraft, Steam and others, then start entering the games in your collection.

Where it can, Raptr will pull data from your various networks and update your profile with a list of your current games, achievements and the like. There are plugins for displaying your data on Facebook et al too, of course.

A free client for PC or Mac will display and update data from you and your friends in real time as well as suck data from any games you play on your box — less of an issue for most Mac geeks, presumably.

Raptr [via 1UP]

You want more Haze? You got it! Wait, you want more Haze? Really? OK, well, this week's PlayStation Store update for North America has it, with the "Destruction Pack" bringing seven new multiplayer maps and a new "Capture and Hold" game type. The Store also gets one of its biggest and most expensive titles to date in NFL Head Coach 09. Pricey! The full list of new goodies is after this.

Qore Episode 04: September, 2008 ($2.99 Issue, $24.99 Annual Subscription)

Games and Demos
NFL Head Coach 09 ($49.99)
PURE Demo

Add-ons and Expansions
Haze "Destruction Pack" ($9.99)
Rock Band tracks ($0.99 each)
* “Skullcrusher Mountain” by Jonathan Coulton
* “Shhh….” by The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets
* “Livin’ at the Corner of Dude and Catastrophe” - MC Frontalot

Rock Band PAX Pack 1 ($2.99) - includes “Shhh….” by The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets, “Livin’ at the Corner of Dude and Catastrophe” by MC Frontalot, and “Skullcrusher Mountain” by Jonathan Coulton.

Game Videos
Jeopardy! trailer
Super Stardust HD Tips video 1
Super Stardust HD Tips video 2
PAIN "Call Da Shot Mode" video
Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway "Making Of #3: Counter Attack"
Legendary Behind the Scenes Episode 1
Midnight Club Los Angeles trailer 2
Midnight Club Los Angeles trailer 3
Red Baron Arcade trailer
Saints Row 2 "Uncle Gary Motorcycles" trailer
Saints Row 2 "Uncle Gary Taunting" trailer

Movie and Television Trailers
The Ultimates Featurette
Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist Trailer
The Fall Trailer

Wallpapers and Themes
The Last Guy wallpaper

Witz! You there? Course you're not there. You're unconscious, lying dangerously face-down amidst a pool of your own fluids. As no doubt thousands of other Prinny fans are at the news that Disgaea's iconic penguin doods are set to star in their own game. Called Prinny: Ore ga Shujinko de Iinsuka?, it'll see you take control of a "1,000-Prinny squadron on their quest to help an extremely pissed-off Etna recover her stolen sweets", and is due for release on the PSN on November 20. That's in Japan, at least, as your guess is as good as ours as to whether this'll see a US release or not.

Disgaea's Prinnies Getting Their Own Game [1UP]

I'll say, it's about damn time Q-Entertainment's music-puzzle fusion title made it to the PlayStation 3! Lumines Supernova is an all-new installment of the game that has already graced the PSP and Xbox Live Arcade, and by all-new I mean mostly the same with a few new modes and skins! Along with the previously seen Skin Edit, Time Attack, and Puzzle Modes, Supernova also will also feature Dig Down Mode, which challenges you to reach the bottom of an already filled playfield, and Sequencer Mode, which allows players to create their own music using five different tracks with over 20 different sound loops each. The game is due out this fall, with the price yet to be determined. Enjoy the first screenshots from the game while I go try to get "Heavenly Star" out of my head.

The ultimate fusion of puzzle, lights and music arrives on the PLAYSTATION®Network this Fall

Indulge in the fusion of puzzle, lights and music! The latest installment to the blockbuster franchise from Tetsuya Mizuguchi and Q Entertainment comes packed with brand new skins and new modes, exclusive to the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system.

Lumines Supernova combines puzzles, block-dropping beats and video entertainment to create an addictively-fun gameplay experience that will keep you playing day after day. The game offers 40 skins in the Challenge Mode alone, with several brand new skins keeping the Lumines experience fresh. Choose from several different single player modes, battle it out with a friend or create your own background music in the all-new Sequencer Mode.

LUMINES SUPERNOVA - GAME FEATURES / MODES:

* Skins, skins and more new skins: Enjoy unlimited gameplay and unlock up to 40 stylish skins in Challenge Mode, including brand new skins

* All-new Dig Down Mode: Using the falling blocks, erase squares from a playfield already filled with blocks as you dig down to the bottom. Show off your digging skills as your completion time is ranked based on clearing 20 consecutive stages

* All-new Sequencer Mode: Create your own background music using the sound loops provided in the "Sound Bank" – drums, bass, synthesizer 1, synthesizer 2 and effects each come with 20 different loops

* Skin Edit Mode: Customize your Lumines experience by creating your own playlist with your favorite skins

* Time Attack Mode: Test your skills and see how many blocks you can erase in a given amount of time and compete with your own record

* Puzzle / Mission Mode: Act quickly with the falling blocks to create shapes/designs and clear the playing field in just a few moves (100 puzzles and 50 missions)

Developer/Publisher: Q Entertainment
Platform: PLAYSTATION®3 system (via PLAYSTATION Network)
Genre: Action Puzzle
Release date: Fall 2008
Price: TBA
# of Players: 1 – 2
Rating: RP

Show of hands, how many of you got Bionic Commando: Rearmed and then went out and found the ROM for the original Bionic Commando and played it? Tooling around on the Bionic Commando blog I found a link to two videos Gametrailers put up last week, splicing gameplay from both titles and highlighting some things you might have missed.

This is also to say that on Thursday I spoke for about an hour with Grin's Simon Viklund, Rearmed's creative director and the composer of its soundtrack. You should see something in-depth about that conversation in the coming week.

The second video is on the jump. Also, I've been meaning to ask this — when you enter a birthday at the stupid age verification prompt which one to you put in? If it lets me, I always do the date of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. More importantly, why the hell do you have to put it in for this game? You're not seeing any of the content that got it an M rating. (Kudos to Grin and Capcom, btw, for sticking with an M-rated game instead of stripping out or watering down its finale. It hasn't hurt sales.)

Bionic Commando Rearmed: Classic Gameplay Comparison [Gametrailers, via BionicCommando.com

I'll go ahead and say it up front: Ratchet & Clank is right up at the top of my list of greatest video game franchises of all time. Since the very first installment back in 2002. the series has consistently delivered engaging stories, hilarious characters, beautiful graphics, and - most importantly - amazingly solid and intuitive gameplay. Having recently brought the series to PlayStation 3 with Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Insomniac decided to ease the pain of the cliffhanger ending of that title by giving us Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, a small, downloadable nugget of a game meant to bridge the gap between Tools and the upcoming 2009 sequel. A noble gesture, but can a series known for its epic scope be condensed into a four-hour experience without losing some of its polish? I spent an evening with everyone's favorite (and only) Lombax in order to find out.

Loved
Good Old Gameplay: As essentially an extension of Tools of Destruction, Quest for Booty retains the same solid gameplay we've come to expect from the series, easy and intuitive from the get-go.

New Mechanics: The new tether ability of Ratchet's Omniwrench adds a fun new gameplay element to the mix, and the ability to pick things up and hurl them with the tool makes for some rather entertaining platforming puzzles.

Super Fuzzy Graphics: Quest for Booty uses the same graphics engine as Tools of Destruction, which means it is also one of the best looking games on the system, with graphics approaching CGI cartoon quality.

The Big Reveal: I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't already heard. I'll just say that the revelation at the end of the game regarding Ratchet's whereabouts may have elicited a tiny, girlish squeal. Don't go looking it up on the internet, just find out for yourself first hand.

Hated
A Little Short For A Lombax: Four hours just doesn't feel like enough time to spend in the Ratchet & Clank universe. I hate to say it, but I almost wish they'd just make me wait for the next game. I know the game is only $15, but for $15 I could go pick up a copy of one of the earlier, longer adventures and replay that instead.

Lack Of Variety: You won't find any side games in Quest for Booty. Just standard R&C; gameplay with a few new mechanics thrown in and countless pirates to kill. There are a few monsters to kill and some entertaining bosses, but for the most part it's prates, pirates, and more pirates.

A good game should leave you wanting more, but it also needs to give you a sense of fulfillment to counterbalance that want. While I thoroughly enjoyed the four hours I spent playing Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, I feel like all I accomplished was trading one cliffhanger ending for another cliffhanger ending. Instead of being its own game, it feels more like a really long teaser trailer for the next title in the series.

Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty is an enjoyable but far-too-brief look at what's next in one of gaming's greatest platform franchises.

Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, developed by Insomniac, published by Sony Computer Entertainment and released Aug. 21 on the PlayStation Network. Retails for $15.00. Played through entire game on normal difficulty.

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While this week's North American PlayStation Store update isn't as rich in content as last week's, it's still an excellent offering. If only because, when you browse down the list of available items, you see the text "You are the chosen one, a zombie hero from the Himalayan mountains, and it is up to you to rescue the last survivors on Earth by leading them to safety through zombie-infested streets". You're on the right track with this whole Last Guy thing, Sony. Also available today is Warhawk's latest update - the one that brings the hot jetpack action - with the rest of the week's items after the jump.

Downloadable Games

The Last Guy ($9.99)

Add-on Game Content

Warhawk Fallen Star Pack ($7.99)

Warhawk Booster Combo ($15.99)

Rock Band

* “She Does” - Locksley ($0.99)
* “Don’t Make Me Wait” - Locksley ($0.99)
* “Don’t Make Me Wait” - Locksley ($0.99)
* “All Over Again” - Locksley ($0.99)
* Locksley Pack 1 ($2.99) - includes: “All Over Again,” “Don’t Make Me Wait,” and “She Does” by Locksley.

Game Demos

NHL 09 Demo

SOULCALIBUR IV Demo

Game Videos

SOCOM Confrontation Extraction trailer
LittleBigPlanet Leipzig “Sackzilla” Trailer
Motorstorm Pacific Rift Leipzig Trailer
PAIN Trauma Mode Trailer
GT5 Prologue Play the Pros with Tanner Foust!
Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway Machine Gun & Bazooka Video
Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway Squad Gameplay Video
Facebreaker Audition Video #1
Facebreaker Audition Video #2
Facebreaker Audition Video #3
Madden NFL 09 Gameplay Trailer
Madden NFL 09 Madden Moments Trailer
Madden NFL 09 Play Call Trailer
Top Spin 3 Player Creator Trailer

Movie and Blu-ray Trailers

Quantum Of Solace Trailer
Prom Night Trailer

PS3 Wallpaper

The Last Guy Wallpaper (x2)

PSP STORE

PSP Themes

Cake Mania: Baker’s Challenge theme

PSP Wallpaper

PSP Wallpapers Series 1 wallpaper (x3)
Hot Shots Golf Open Tee 2 wallpaper (x2)
Cake Mania: Baker’s Challenge wallpaper (x3)