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.

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.

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.