Square Enix surprised many when it announced during the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo that it was at work on a new massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Final Fantasy XIV Online. However, what gave cause for those raised eyebrows wasn't so much the online game's existence as it was the game's release date--2010.

Today, Square Enix took one more step toward delivering the game next year, announcing that it has begun accepting beta-test applications for Final Fantasy XIV Online. Those interested in testing the game prior to its full release can now register through the official Final Fantasy XIV Online Web site.

A look at the Eorzean countryside.

Currently, Square Enix is accepting beta-test applications for the Windows PC edition of the game only. As the game was formally announced at Sony's E3 press conference, Final Fantasy XIV Online has also been confirmed for the PlayStation 3. The publisher expects to have more information on the game's console testing phase in the near future. Square Enix has also indicated that it is "considering" bringing the game to Microsoft's hardware.

Final Fantasy XIV Online will be set in the realm of Eorzea, a world not seen before in any other installments in the franchise. Like in other MMORPGs, gamers will be able to explore the world after selecting from a variety of races, combat classes, and professional skills. More information on Eorzea's lore and backstory can be found on the game's site.

Ubisoft was light on details when it teased the first batch of downloadable content for Assassin's Creed II two weeks ago. At the time, the French publisher confirmed only that Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gamers can rejoin Ezio in late January's Battle of Forli and then again in late February's Bonfire of the Vanities.

Today, Ubisoft offered additional details and pricing information on the two DLC packs. Battle of Forli and Bonfire of the Vanities slot in as Sequence 12 and 13 in the Assassin's Creed II continuum--the two "corrupted" data files the game skips just before the finale. The first new sequence will be available for $4 (MSP320), while the second add-on costs $5 (MSP400).

By Sequence 13, Ezio is able to escape the authorities by hiding among corpses. He just has to make them first.

Battle of Forli sees Ezio teaming up with Niccolo Machiavelli and Caterina Sforza in an effort to withstand the Templars' siege of Forli. The DLC pack includes six new memories, and players will also be able to pilot Leonardo da Vinci's flying machine over Romagna.

Sequence 13--aka Bonfire of the Vanities--again sees Ezio teaming with Machiavelli as they work to subvert the evil machinations of the monk Savonarola. The add-on pack includes 10 memories to work through, a spring-jump ability for Ezio, and it also unlocks a new district in Florence.

For more on Assassin's Creed II, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.

This week, GameSpot announced that it has entered into a partnership with social-networking service Raptr. Starting next year, GameSpot users who sign up for the free service will have the option to display their Raptr gameplay data on GameSpot, as well as keep tabs on what their friends are playing in real time.

Raptr information that will surface on GameSpot includes users' game libraries, as well as statistics, scores, and achievements related to individual games. Raptr integration will also let GameSpot users track their progress in games or get suggestions from a game-recommendation engine.

Raptr's community features are coming to GameSpot.

Raptr's service also lets gamers quickly share information through social-networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as chat through their preferred IM client. The site is compatible with various online gaming platforms for the PC in addition to Xbox Live, allowing it to track data for games ranging from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to World of Warcraft.

Yesterday, Gearbox Software completed the first round of downloadable content for its postapocalyptic role-playing shooter Borderlands, launching the PC version of The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned. Today, 2K Games and Gearbox returned with more news concerning Borderlands DLC, announcing that the second add-on pack, titled Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot, will hit Xbox Live on December 29, with the PlayStation Network edition following on January 7.

Whereas The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned expanded Borderlands' storyline by adding in an abundance of zombies, Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot adds in a new survival gameplay mode. Available for both single-player and cooperative action, Riot Mode features three arenas in which gamers face off against increasingly frenetic waves of enemies.

"This is an entirely new game mode," said Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford in a statement. "Think ODST's 'Firefight' or Gears of War's 'Horde Mode' [with] cash, prizes and competition. It's like Smash TV in coop FPS, but in the Borderlands."

Mad Moxxi's a bit of a softy.

The add-on pack also introduces a new bank mechanic for storing found objects, as well as the opportunity to acquire two new skill points as quest rewards. As with the first add-on pack, Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot will cost $10 (MSP800). Also, as with the first, a PC edition of the expansion is planned, though 2K Games offered no release window for it.

For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Borderlands.

In November, Double Fine rolled out its first batch of downloadable content for Brutal Legend. A multiplayer-oriented add-on, Tears of the Hextadon added two new maps to the game's Stage Battle multiplayer mode, which plays out as a real-time strategy game. Today, EA and Double Fine announced the second round of DLC, titled Hammer of Infinite Fate, will arrive for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on December 17.

A substantially larger add-on than the first, Hammer of Infinite Fate offers four new Stage Battle maps, as well as a host of new customization options for protagonist Eddie Riggs and his hotrod, The Deuce. While the Jack Black-voiced protagonist will see only cosmetic options, the upgrades for Riggs' ride include the Oculus of the Lost, which serves as an in-game GPS, as well as the Eye of Sorrow weapon, which launches "black projectiles of doom."

Lightning bolts can't help but follow Eddie Riggs around.

The DLC also opens up six more heads to add to Mount Rockmore--an in-game counterpoint to South Dakota's Mount Rushmore--including Rima, Razputin, Dadbat, Hunter, Kage the Kannonier, and Double Fine studio head Tim Schafer. Gamers will also be able to acquire nine new achievements/trophies.

With the first expansion pack, EA gave the PS3 edition away for two weeks, before offering it at the same $5 price point as the Xbox 360 version. The publisher also appears to be cutting PS3 gamers a deal with the Hammer of Infinite Fate pack. Xbox 360 gamers can pick up the pack for MSP480 ($6), while the PS3 edition will be available for $4.99.

While the ludicrously deep discounts of last week's Black Friday sales may be gone, some of the nation's biggest retailers are still using deals to lure in gamers and thwart each other. As reported by Reuters, Wal-Mart is starting a promotional push for its gaming business, and Amazon is pushing back.

After the Black Friday frenzy subsided, Wal-Mart cut the prices on a number of the season's top titles by $10, offering Xbox 360 and PS3 games like Uncharted 2, Halo 3: ODST, Dragon Age (PS3 only), Tekken 6 (Xbox 360 only), Left 4 Dead 2, and Madden NFL 10 for $50 even. Wii owners weren't left out, as Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games and The Beatles: Rock Band are selling for $40 each. Reuters reports that the sale prices will run through December 24.

Wal-Mart and Amazon get along about as well as Sgt. Johnson and the Covenant.

In many cases, Amazon followed suit by dropping its own prices in line with the Wal-Mart deals, although certain deals (Uncharted 2, The Beatles: Rock Band) were not matched. Reuters reported that Target was also responding to the drops, but as of press time, its site didn't reflect any of the aforementioned deals. Instead, Target is offering FIFA Soccer 10 (Xbox 360 and PS3) and Dragon Age (Xbox 360) for $39.

Finally, for those in the market for new hardware, Reuters also reported that Wal-Mart will run a deal on the Wii next week. Customers who purchase Nintendo's $199 console from the retailer's brick-and-mortar locations from December 5-12 will also receive a $50 gift card.

[UPDATE]: With its rivals cutting prices left and right, GameStop shares took a beating Wednesday, dropping more than 8 percent to end the day down $1.97 to $21.87. The specialty retailer is fighting back, as it is listing Halo 3: ODST, Forza Motorsport 3, Left 4 Dead 2 (360), with $39.99 price points. The PC edition of Left 4 Dead 2 is also seeing a cut, selling for $29.99.

As anyone who finished the recently released Assassin's Creed II can attest to, Ubisoft has more stories to tell in its open-world action series. Gamers won't have to wait for Assassin's Creed III to get more action in the world of Altair and Ezio, as the publisher today detailed its first downloadable content plans for the second game in the series.

"Here are some florins. Two downloadable contents, please."

Ubisoft is prepping a pair of add-ons for Assassin's Creed II, with the first expansion (Battle of Forli) due in January, and the second one (Bonfire of the Vanities) following in February. The publisher hasn't announced details or pricing for either pack, except to specify that each downloadable content pack will require at least 1GB of hard drive space to install.

Assassin's Creed II shipped November 17 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and sold 1.6 million copies worldwide in its first week. It arrived in stores alongside two portable spin-offs: Assassin's Creed II: Discovery for the DS and Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines for the PSP. A PC edition of Assassin's Creed II is due out in early 2010, and an iPhone tie-in was also released last month.

After being banned from Sony's PlayStation Network during a game of Resistance: Fall of Man, a San Jose, California gamer sued the electronics giant, alleging a violation of his First Amendment rights. That case was dismissed in September, but the plaintiff was undeterred. In addition to filing in an appeal in that case, earlier this month he filed a new suit against Microsoft and Nintendo. In that case, he alleged that a broken Xbox 360 caused him undue stress, and that a Wii system update blocking access to the Homebrew Channel third-party program interfered with his inalienable right to pursue happiness.

Are the normal World of Warcraft fees any worse than those of the World of Warcraft Visa card?

With the big-three platform holders accounted for, the same plaintiff is now turning his attention to largest third-party publisher. The gamer, Erik Estavillo, provided GameSpot with copies of his latest civil suit, a case against Activision Blizzard filed this morning in the Santa Clara County Superior Court of California. A court clerk confirmed for GameSpot that the suit had been filed.

The suit comprises a handful of complaints against Activision Blizzard, specifically relating to the company's successful massively multiplayer online role-playing game, World of Warcraft. Specifically, the gamer accuses the publisher of maintaining a "harmful virtual environment" with "sneaky and deceitful practices."

He first takes exception to the game's $14.99 monthly subscription fee, calling it the highest of any MMORPG. He contends the fee is aggravated by the game requiring players to travel great distances at a slow walking or running pace, with fast travel options like teleportation stones and mounts only available to gamers who rise to an advanced level or purchase the game's expansion packs.

He also cited the game's resurrection process, in which players travel in spirit from cemeteries back to the spots where they died in order to revive themselves, as an unnecessary part of the game designed to cost gamers money. Other fees at issue include the charges (up to $25) Blizzard levies to change their characters' names, races, factions, or servers.

Beyond the monetary complaints, the suit also references the 2001 suicide of an EverQuest player, attributing it to a sense of alienation related to the game and mental health problems. The suit goes on to say the plaintiff has suffered from similar problems, including major depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and Crohn's disease, and he "doesn't want to end up like [the EverQuest player] did as he relies on video games heavily for the little ongoing happiness he can achieve in this life, via the gaming medium."

In addition to the suit, the plaintiff also wants a pair of celebrities to attest to the effects of alienation. The gamer is subpoenaing Depeche Mode's Martin Lee Gore "since he himself has been known to be sad, lonely, and alienated, as can be seen in the songs he writes." He is also calling Winona Ryder to testify, saying the actress' appreciation for Catcher in the Rye will make her a relevant witness "to how alienation in the book can tie to alienation in real live [sic]/video games such as World of Warcraft."

The gamer is asking for $1 million in punitive damages and a court order forcing Activision Blizzard to address the problems alleged in the suit. As of press time, representatives with Activision and Blizzard had not returned GameSpot's requests for comment.

Nintendo told GameSpot last week that it would be adding notable Virtual Console omissions Super Mario Kart, Pilotwings, and Super Smash Bros. to its classic game service this holiday. Super Mario Kart is set to lead off the cavalcade of classics, and gamers can now pick up the Mushroom Kingdom-themed racer for 800 Wii points ($8).

Elsewhere on the Wii's online shop, gamers can now find A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia. With the well-received rebirth out last month, the original A Boy and His Blob appeared on the NES and can be revisited for 500 Wii points ($5).

Aksys Games' Bit.Trip series sees a new installment released through WiiWare this week for 600 Wii points ($6). Bit.Trip Void continues the rhythm mechanics seen in Beat and Core, but this time allowing for free movement as gamers attempt to match the beat by touching like-colored blocks. Natsume's Harvest Moon: My Little Shop also makes its way to WiiWare this week for 1,200 Wii points ($12), as does Gevo Entertainment's Little Tournament Over Yonder ($8) and Lexis Numerique's Learning With the PooYoos: Episode 1 ($5).

Mario will have to win this one without a blue shell.

Nintendo's DSiWare Shop also remains busy this week. Gameloft's Castle of Magic can be picked up for 500 DSi points ($5), while Nnooo's myNotebook: Blue runs for 200 DSi points ($2). Nintendo also has five new Electoplankton installments on tap, each carrying a 200 DSi-point ($2) price tag.