SAN FRANCISCO – “Where does he get those wonderful toys?” That’s a quote from The Joker that gamers will actually be hearing for the first time ever in a LEGO videogame. TT Games is adding voices to its LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes game this summer. It’s one of many new features that the game will introduce this summer when it ships across all platforms.

Penny Arcade continues to expand. With PAX East coming up in April in Boston and PAX Prime set for later this year in Seattle, the comics are now helping educate consumers about game ratings. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has unveiled a new PSA campaign featuring artwork designed by the creators of the hugely popular video game webcomic Penny Arcade. The three-part national print and online campaign features caricatures based upon real parents and gamers, each of whom conveys a unique perspective about the ESRB ratings and tools like rating summaries and the ESRB mobile app. These ads will start appearing this spring in parent-focused and game enthusiast media outlets nationwide and can be viewed here.

I consider myself a pinball enthusiast.  Hell, how else could you explain my addiction to Zen Pinball 3D since its release last week?  Or, for that matter, my editorial that talks about the sheer importance of a rock and roll pinball machine with Stern Pinball’s upcoming AC/DC table?  And every time I’m in San Francisco or Las Vegas, I find myself visiting vintage arcades just to get a good game of flippers going.  That’s the sort of curiosity that led me to purchase 101 Pinball World in Nintendo’s eShop for the DS/3DS…a purchase I have since regretted.

When it came out a few years ago, Lego Batman struck a chord with both avid comic book fans and younger players, introducing the fun Lego dynamic to the DC Comics universe and allowing players to fight for both good and evil.  The game became an instant hit, so it should be no surprise that WB Games has announced a sequel, with Travellers Tales once again handling development.  What is surprising, though, is that the action isn't just limited to the Dark Knight's universe this time around.

Driven by fast-selling software Nintendo 3DS sells more in its first nine months than Wii did, capping a very good 2011 for the game maker. Whether they were on the go or at home, whether they played in 2D on the TV or in glasses-free 3D in their hands, gamers of all ages celebrated the holidays with Mario and Zelda. Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 for Nintendo 3DS not only became the fastest-selling titles in the history of their respective franchises when they launched, but they are now also the first Nintendo 3DS titles to sell 1 million units each in the United States. On the console side, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which also broke launch records, became the 45 Wii title to sell more than 1 million units in the U.S.

2K Sports is ready to play ball with Justin Verlander, ace pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. He’s the cover athlete for the upcoming Major League Baseball 2K12. Verlander was selected yesterd by his peers as the Players Choice Award winner for Player of the Year and American League Outstanding Pitcher. With baseball just around the corner, gamers can get a first look at Verlander in the new game in the video below.

GamerLive.TV (www.gamerlive.tv), one of the top independent video game and technology online news sites, today announced that it has signed a content syndication and distribution deal with Tribune Media Services (TMS), a global content-licensing agency and business unit of Tribune Company, to provide video game reviews, previews and features. Officially starting this week, TMS (www.tmsfeatures.com) will syndicate GamerLive.TV editorial content to its publishing partners.

With games like Mario Kart 7 and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword hot Christmas gifts this year, Nintendo fans have plenty of new titles coming to Wii, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DS in 2012. The game publisher has unveiled its line-up for the first quarter, which comes packed with some pretty big franchises. As some people hunker down for a long winter’s nap, Nintendo is getting things fired up.

After a slow start with a high price tag, Nintendo seems to have righted its portable ship with the price cut of Nintendo 3DS. In its eighth month on the market, the Nintendo 3DS system crossed 1.65 million units sold in the U.S., according to the NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States. This milestone puts the platform on track to surpass the first-year total of Nintendo DS, the best-selling game platform in U.S. history.

After a year of anticipation, after the breakout success of the first-ever Call of Duty XP live fan event, and after pre-order numbers that toppled even those of 2010’s mega-seller Call of Duty: Black Ops, the ultimate shot has at last been fired. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is now available at retail worldwide. Also launching today alongside MW3, is the revolutionary new social gaming network Call of Duty Elite, conceived expressly to help Call of Duty’s 30 million devoted fans Play Together Better.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) Foundation’s 14th annual “Nite to Unite – for Kids” gala raised $900,000 to support the Foundation’s work on behalf of America’s youth. The proceeds from the annual dinner, auction and charity casino night will enable the ESA Foundation, the video game industry’s philanthropic arm, to improve the lives of children through grants to a wide variety of organizations, as well as a college scholarship program.

The WWE is known for a few things; passionate fans, wild entertainment, and some of the greatest talent to ever step into the ring. WWE '12's roster continues to floor us with recent additions such as Brock Lesnar, Eddie Guerrero, Kevin Nash, and the like. But you can't forget the WWE's sexy Divas divison. Gone are the bra and panties matches of yesteryear, these girls are in it, to win it.