If you wear this for your boyfriend and his initial response is "They've ruined a vintage piece of memorabilia!", maybe it's time for the two of you to have a Talk.

Industry and multi-console news

New media: Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball screenshots, Velvet Assassin screenshots and early gameplay footage, Legendary screenshots and gameplay footage

• Manhunt 2 has been cleared for release in the UK for a second time. The UK's Department for Culture, Media and Sport says they have no plans to intervene, calling it "a matter for the BBFC and the Video Appeals Committee."
• The Cyberathlete Professional League has ceased operations due to "the current fragmentation of the sport, a crowded field of competing leagues, and the current economic climate." Anything that eliminates use of the word "cyberathlete" can only be seen as a good thing.
• Next Generation has an interview with Ready at Dawn president Didier Malenfant.
• The recent economic downturn seems to be having little effect on the video game industry, with some calling it near recession-proof.
• Capcom has announced Plunder, a pirate-themed real time strategy game for Live Arcade, Playstation Network and PC.
• Mass Effect 2 will be 360-exclusive for "at least a short period of time," but the possibility of a multiplatform release hasn't been ruled out.
• The Iraq War veteran who fled his home after a session of Call of Duty 4 that may have triggered flashbacks has been found dead.
• EA says, not to anyone's great surprise, that their primary interest is Rockstar in the Take-Two takeover deal. The CEO actually responded to concerns about stifling innovation by remarking on how Maxis made the Sims after being bought by EA.
• Michigan is looking to pass a bill that gives tax breaks for film and video game production.
• New cars and islands are coming to Burnout Paradise, and the latter will be free.
• A new Pontiac ad pays homage to the classic arcade title Spy Hunter.
• The people making a movie based on Myst now have a production blog, though there isn't much there at the moment.
• A couple of new details about GTA4 have been uncovered by MTV Multiplayer -- the game will feature days of the week as well as the ability to drive in slow motion. The game also reportedly has 15 multiplayer modes.
• Lara Croft's newest adventure will be in a Tomb Raider online video slot machine.
• Video Games Live will be performing its first concert in Mexico this weekend.

PC and mobile news

New media: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky screenshots and video in DX10 mode

• The first expansion for Lord of the Rings Online has been announced, called the Mines of Moria.
• Bioware says Mass Effect 2 will come to the PC "as quickly as possible."
• IGN has a chart of the top selling PC games for February, with Call of Duty 4 still holding on to number one.
• A team of researchers has created an artificial intelligence in Second Life with the mind of a four year old. He'll fit right in then.
• D3 Publisher is considering bringing Puzzle Quest to the iPhone.

Nintendo news

New PAL Virtual Console titles: Operation Wolf and Super R-Type
New media: Mushroom Men screenshots and gameplay footage

• Renegade Kid's next project is called Moon, a DS sci-fi action adventure set on.. well, the moon.
• IGN has details on Bomberman for the Wii (this is apparently separate from the WiiWare title).
• The Twilight Princess hack has been updated to include support for the Wii's internal SD slot.
• It looks like WiiWare games can get add-ons, as an expansion has already been announced for one of Japan's WiiWare launch titles.
• MTV Multiplayer talks to Bioware about the challenges of making Sonic's friends likeable in their upcoming Sonic RPG.
• Remember that Snake has secret codec taunts in Smash Bros. Brawl. With all the other stuff in the game, I had actually forgotten to go look for them.

Sony news

New content: Toy Home expansion pack, Pain characters, Rock Band tracks, Guitar Hero III tracks (free)
New demos: Major League Baseball 2K8, Wipeout Pulse
New media: Haze screenshots

• SCEE reps say that Wipeout HD is being targeted at a Q2 2008 release.
• The PS3 has outsold the 360 for the second month in a row.
• The producers of the Metal Gear Solid movie plan on talking to Equilibrium director Kurt Wimmer about adapting the MGS movie script and possibly directing.
• Amazon's deal of the day is Skate for $39.99 They also have Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom for $27.99 and Lair for $38.99.

Microsoft news

New media: Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix direct feed gameplay footage

• IGN has a few screenshots and details for Mr. Driller Online.
• Halo 3's Team Hardcore playlist is being rebranded as the MLG Playlist.
• Kotaku has a feature on the Xbox Live Policy Team and how they operate.