Last night Activision held a press only event where they showed off several new multiplayer features for Call of Duty Black Ops. Leading up to the event they also said they had one surprise for everyone. Originally it was rumored that it was the announcement of a multiplayer beta but that was dismissed before the event began. What they did surprise the crowd with is certainly much cooler than some "beta".

The newest and perhaps most interesting mode in Black Ops is Wager Match. Instead of experience points taking you down a linear path to unlock equipment you now receive CoD Points. You can use these points to unlock new gear and content. While normal matches reward you with CoD Points it is in the new Wager matches that you will truly be put to the test. In these modes you "ante up" an amount your own points in the hopes of finishing the match in the top three and winning even more points. On the flip side if you play poorly you will actually end up losing your hard earned points you wagered.

Wager matches also bring a bunch of interesting variants that will surely keep people playing for awhile. There's a match where weapons are random and they switch out at regular intervals. One match has you using the crossbow and tomahawk to hunt down you foes. There's even a match where you only have one bullet and must kill to get more bullets.

With these cool new modes in addition to other new things like your perks affecting your character's appearance it truly seems like Treyarch is doing there best to rid themselves of the "second-best" name that has plagued them for many years.

In my continuing effort to somehow improve Spider-Man's mediocre video game reputation through sheer willpower alone, here is the latest video promoting his upcoming game, Shattered Dimensions. With the game scheduled for launch next week, here is the appropriately-titled Launch Trailer. It's pretty cool: You hear each of the four different Spider-Mens' voices for the first time. Did you know that all four actors voicing the alternate Spider-Men in the game have all voiced the character before in the Spider-Man cartoons? I thought that was a nice touch.

Anyway, I'm still hoping that Spidey will manage to beat the odds in video games next week the same way he so often does in the comic books. English developer Rocksteady did it with Batman last year in Arkham Asylum, so I'm crossing my fingers that Canadian developer Beenox does it with Spider-Man this year in Shattered Dimensions.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions will be available Tuesday, September 7.

The news of a Goldeneye remake was cool in concept but in reality I really wondered if people would want to go back to that style of game. After seeing this new "Reimagining" trailer I'm sold. The remake of Goldeneye 007 for Wii is not a simple higher resolution version of the game like the Perfect Dark XBLA port we saw earlier this year. This remake is an entirely new game with new mechanics, new levels and new gameplay.

Watching the video you will see all kinds of new things like stealth kills, what appears to be a mission set in a club and a complete revamp of the finale. It really looks like Goldeneye 007 is going to be a much different game than the Nintendo 64 classic and in this day and age I think that's a beautiful idea.

In the continuing series of Brink developer diaries the latest one, number four, brings us a bit softer look at the game as the team at Splash Damage describes how Brink ended up in its "hyper-realistic" art style. They also talk about a few of the unique areas in the game and where they drew inspiration from. Plus they proudly proclaim that they are bringing color back to first person shooters. Check it out below.

Many people scoffed at the idea of a new Assassin's Creed game only one year after last year's great sequel. However Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is looking more like a true blockbuster game with every new piece of information. The most interesting aspect of the new game so far has been the unique multiplayer that features players attempting to blend into the crowd and assassinate other plays discretely. However for people not wooed by the intriguing multiplayer options Ubisoft has released a video showing off some of the cool new features in the single player campaign. The video shows off several new ways to assassinate enemies as well as some of the unique features created by the game's new focus on recruiting and training other assassins.

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is being released on November 16 and is looking to be a true game of the year contender.

Not fit to just sit on their laurels Valve has been adding all kinds of features to Portal 2 that will drastically change the puzzles and really make you think. The one we are looking at today is the Repulsion Gel. This is a liquid matter that when jumped on will essentially bounce you the other way. A kind of liquid trampoline if you will. A couple ways to use it are shown in the video below but I'm sure Valve is keeping all kinds of tricks for the full game when it releases February 9.

In case you forgot, Goldeneye 007 will not be the only James Bond videogame to hit the market this year. Activision would like to remind you that James Bond 007: Blood Stone is also set to hit retail this November.

Developed by Bizarre Creations, Blood Stone is an original story set in the Bond Universe and will feature the voice talent and likenesses of Daniel Craig, Joss Stone and Judi Dench. In addition, the story is being penned by screenwriter Bruce Fierstien, the man behind the Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies and The World is Not Enough screenplays. He also wrote 2004's Everything Or Nothing for EA.

Blood Stone will consist of cover-based firefights, hand-to-hand combat and explosive driving sequences (something Bizarre knows a little thing about). The game will take players all over the world to cities such as Athens, Instanbul, Monaco and Bangkok.

Check out some of the action we can expect in Instanbul below.

With exactly two weeks to go until release, the PR train for Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions keeps on rolling with another new promotional video. Like last week's video that promoted the web-head's Scarlet Spider alternate costume, this one once again shows developer Beenox's love for Spider-Man and the Marvel Universe he inhabits.

Unless you are a serious Marvel Comics fan, you have probably never heard of the Negative Zone. Essentially an alternate universe to the one most Marvel heroes occupy, it is one of those places that can serve any number of functions depending on the needs of the story. Its function in Shattered Dimensions? To give Spidey a new uniform! Unfortunately, its similarity to the black suit in Spider-Man 3 conjures bad memories...

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions will be available on September 7.

The first two developer diaries for Brink discussed the game's story and the Parkour-like S.M.A.R.T. system in the game. Diary number three sees the guys at Splash Damage discussing the genre-bending going on inside Brink. The goal of the developers is to bring a cool narrative structure to the idea of a multiplayer game. The way Brink handles that is by using an AI squad leader who assigns dynamic missions to everyone that's playing. No two players are going to see the same types of missions to accept and the missions will change to match what's going on at the time and what other players are doing. To be honest it sounds similar to the AI director in Left 4 Dead but taken to a whole new level.

Whether you're playing on-line or off-line with friends or by yourself it sounds like Brink is going to be offering a unique mission structure that hasn't been seen before.

The first developer diary for Brink detailed the unique story that players would find in the game. The second developer diary gives some insight into the intriguing movement system in Brink. The S.M.A.R.T. (Smooth Move ment Across Random Terrain) system allows for all kinds of Parkour-type moves like wall-running and sliding under obstacles. The system looks like it will allow players to use their environments to traverse the world in newer and easier ways than ever before seen in a first person shooter.

Check out the video below.

One of the more interesting announcements from E3 this year was the remake of the Nintendo 64's GoldenEye for the Nintendo Wii. The new game is a reinvention of the first game including destructible environments, the use of cover and a change from Pierce Brosnan to the more recent Bond Daniel Craig. It also boasts multiple control schemes for those looking for Wiimote fun or those looking for classic controls.

GoldenEye 007 is releasing exclusively on the Nintendo Wii on November 2nd, 2010. Check out the newest trailer below to get a look at what lies in the multiplayer offerings.

I'm very impressed with the people at Runic Games. As gamers we are used to hearing quotes about how critically lauded your previous game was. However it takes a lot to admit your biggest faults and it takes even more to use quotes from reviews highlighting those faults. However that's just what happens with the first Torchlight 2 trailer. Luckily the trailer is not just promises and ideas as it also contains the first look at some exciting multiplayer gameplay in Torchlight 2.

The first Torchlight is a great game and the inclusion of multiplayer, an expanded world and four new classes to choose from Torchlight 2 is looking to outdo its predecessor in every way possible.

One of the biggest features that NBA 2K11 has been boasting about are the Jordan Challenges. You dive into 10 specific moments in Michael Jordan's career and try to match his amazing performance in those games. If you can beat all 10 challenges you will unlock a special MJ: Creating a Legend mode that allows you to place rookie Michael Jordan on any NBA team. Talk about your revisionist history.

NBA 2K11 hits the floor on October 5th, 2010. Check out the newest trailer below (making sure to keep an eye out for "His Airness") and hit the jump to see some screenshots.

Casual Spider-fans probably don't know what the Scarlet Spider is, but hardcore Spider-fans do, so they can appreciate this. While the overall quality of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions remains to be seen, the inclusion of the Scarlet Spider outfit as an alternate costume in the game (among many others) proves that the guys at Beenox are True Believers in their game's hero.

I sure hope Shattered Dimensions is good. A year ago, I was hoping the same thing for Batman: Arkham Asylum while I was posting every new trailer and developer's diary for that game. Fortune smiled on me then, because Arkham Asylum turned out to be one of the best games of 2009. Hopefully, lightning will strike the wall-crawler this year the same way it struck the Dark Knight last year. We'll find out on September 7.

In the latest trailer for DC Universe Online we get another look at this awesome looking MMO hitting the PlayStation 3 and PC this November. While other trailers have focused on the known heroes and villains you will interact with this one shows examples of some cool-looking created characters. There's also a lot of flying, wall-climbing, large vehicles being thrown and a bunch of other cool powers being shown off. Be sure to keep an eye on the background to spot some key DC locations like Arkham Asylum and the Daily Planet as well.

Every little thing I see about this game makes me think that this could be the MMO to finally break the barrier and gain widespread popularity with console gamers.