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Over three dozen musical artists are re-recording some of their current and upcoming songs for inclusion in The Sims 3 on consoles and the latest Sims 3 PC expansion pack, Late Night. They're re-recording their songs because they won't be sung in English, but in the Sims' language of Simlish.

A press release making the announcement quotes a number of the artists, many of which point out that they had fun but also found it challenging or weird to sing in Simlish. "Singing in Simlish was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but it was a blast!" said Travie McCoy. Flo Rida said of his decision to contribute to the game, "I'm always trying to find new ways to reach different audiences with my music and The Sims 3 was a perfect way."

The console versions of The Sims 3 will be released on October 26, the same day the Late Night expansion will be made available to owners of the PC version of The Sims 3.

Seven45 Studios put out a full list of playable tracks for Power Gig: Rise of the SixString this morning. The full-band game will feature 70 songs, with exclusives from Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews Band, and Kid Rock.

In addition to a guitar controller that doubles as a fully-functioning guitar, Power Gig also lets you take your pick between vocals and the game's AirStrike drum controller. It's expected to launch in October of this year -- putting it pretty much head-to-head against Rock Band 3.

Feast your eyes upon the full list of Power Gig tracks below:

Crackdown 2 players have reported major issues with the recently released Toy Box DLC. According to posts on the official Ruffian Games forums (spotted by Shacknews), both the free and paid versions of the add-on are affected by bugs.

Upon acquiring the DLC, some players note that the game stalls on the title screen. Others report that unlocking certain Achievements can lead to the Achievement voiceovers repeating on an infinite loop -- eventually dragging the framerate down to an unplayable state.

Ruffian co-founder Gaz Liddon chimed in on the forum thread with an acknowledgement of the bugs, as well as offering some band-aid fixes while the devs work on a real solution. "We have confirmation of what the issue is now. The paid part of the DLC was incorrectly configured when mastered," reads his statement.

Activision is remaking the Nintendo 64 classic GoldenEye 007 for the Wii, but one man isn't convinced it's coming from a genuine enthusiasm for the game: original GoldenEye designer Martin Hollis. Speaking to Official Nintendo Magazine, Hollis accused Activision of making the remake primarily for the money.

"I imagine it is a business decision isn't it?" Hollis said. "This name is valuable, let's use it. I find it hard to picture Activision's top management being excited about the original and wanting to do it justice. In fact, I find it hard to imagine them being excited about any game. It's my perception that they are trying to be EA, only more so. I think they are doing a fine job at that."

Despite doubts about Activision's motivation, Hollis still offered support for remake developer Eurocom. "I know and like Eurocom. I think they are a good company. I'm confident they have done their very best," Hollis said.

Following comments made by Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter suggesting that Mafia II was unlikely to be profitable, Take-Two has come out and stated that it not only expects the game to be profitable, but that it's "off to a great start."

"Mafia II's average Metacritic score of 74 is well below expectations, and consumer interest appears to be waning, as the game's position has dropped in many best-seller lists in its first week," Pachter recently said (via Gamasutra). "With six years in development, we believe the game is unlikely to achieve profitability."

Gamasutra reports Take-Two CEO Ben Feder countered such claims during an investors call, saying, "We're very proud of the game." He later said, "Based upon the initial launch, we expect this to be another profitable title for Take-Two." Sales figures have yet to be released, though the release of NPD sales figures for August later this month should give us some indication of how well Mafia II sold. Its release so late in the month (August 24 in North America) could hurt its chances to rank highly, however, especially with Madden topping sales charts, according to EA.

Telltale has officially revealed the identity of its mystery game, titled "Poker Night at the Inventory." It stars Tycho, Max, Strong Bad, and the Heavy as they gamble over iconic items from their own respective worlds. The blog teases that Max, for example, gets excited over the prospect of winning the Heavy's gun -- which we're sure the Heavy won't like one bit.

The new teaser image (above) doesn't shed a lot of light on the subject, but if you're attending the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) this weekend, you can get a first-hand look at it. Telltale will be showing it off at at booth #3509. As an added incentive, if you pre-order the game, Telltale will give 25% off other purchases at the Telltale store.

In space, no one can hear you scream...unless you're screaming into your voice chat headset, probably. GamerNode reports (via Eurogamer) that at the annual GameStop conference in San Antonio, Electronic Arts evidently revealed a little bit more about Dead Space 2's previously outed multiplayer mode.

The mode will apparently involve "soldiers" (which we assume means characters that'll play the same as single-player protagonist Isaac), and the series main enemies, Necromorphs. This would tie in with what EA CEO John Riccitello previously said about Dead Space 2's multiplayer being "innovative," in that it sounds like it'll try and replicate the horror atmosphere of the single-player game, while putting actual human beings in control of the horrors. This won't be the only multiplayer mode, either, as EA apparently also said there will be more modes to announce later.

GamerNode also says EA detailed some of the pre-order incentives that'll be offered for Dead Space 2, including an in-game "Rivet Gun" if you pre-order at GameStop, and (even better) the downloadable prequel Dead Space: Ignition for free no matter where you pre-order.

U.K.-based developer Just Add Water has announced that as their first project in cooperation with Oddworld Inhabitants, they'll be bringing a hi-def remake of Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath to the PlayStation Network "next Easter."

Stranger's Wrath was the last entry in the Oddworld series, and came out on the original Xbox in 2005. It featured a blend of third-person action and first-person shooting, with the stand-out feature being the use of "live ammunition" in the form of literally living critters like skunks and wasps. The remake will add improvements like updated graphics (with modern embellishments like "normal mapping and self-shadowing"), 720p HD support, re-mastered dialogue, and support for the PlayStation Move controller, in addition to other still-unannounced bonus features.

"Since word got out that we've been working with Oddworld Inhabitants there have been many rumors circulating about what we're working on," said Stewart Gilray, managing director of Just Add Water, in a statement. "Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is the first project in what we believe will be a long and fruitful relationship. Having the chance to update this great title and release it on PS3 is just a brilliant opportunity, not least for us, but for the fans too."

L.A. Noire 'Debut' Trailer

Despite finally taking the wraps off of L.A. Noire earlier this year, Take-Two has decided to hold back the oft-delayed game once again.

An analyst previously predicted the delay after speaking with retail representatives, so the news comes as a little surprise. L.A Noire was announced way back in 2005, but has had a difficult development, to say the least.

Take-Two confirmed the delay in their latest set of financials, in which they reported net revenue of 354.1 million, a sharp increase from 2009. They attributed their success to the Rockstar-developed Red Dead Redemption, which has sold more than 6.9 million copies worldwide. Rockstar is also set to publish L.A. Noire.

With just a couple days to go before PAX, Ubisoft has taken the wraps off Outland, which is scheduled to make its debut this weekend (via IGN).

As it turns out, the upcoming game has nothing to do with the sci-fi film of the same name. Instead, it will be a downloadable platformer utilizing a color switching mechanic similar to that which is found in Ikaruga.

As in Treasure's classic shooter, it will be possible to switch between light and dark forms to avoid enemy attacks. In addition, light forms can only hurt dark foes, and vice versa.