With The Amazing Spider-Man set to hit Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in a matter of weeks, Activision will be introducing the best of both worlds when it comes to the web slinger’s gaming adventures.  On the one hand, the development team at Beenox is handling the game, and you already know about the work they did on Shattered Dimensions and Edge of Time.  On the other, they’re going with the open level design that worked so well in previous Spider-Man games before that.  You can’t lose.

When Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 came out for Xbox Live and PlayStation Network a couple of years ago, it answered the prayers of dedicated fans seeking a 2D fix of their favorite hero, in favor of the forgettable 3D endeavors.  But at the same time, it didn’t quite “feel” right, with game mechanics being just a little bit off and the level design not quite being as good as the classic Genesis games.  So the developers did some tinkering and have come back with Episode 2, a game that’s much closer in nature to those classics.  But is it the ultimate Sonic experience?  Sadly, it comes up just short, but in different areas than the first game.

It's funny how the "little guy" can suddenly be propelled forward by the right project.  For the longest time, the team at Arkedo has been producing memorable platforming adventures for the Xbox Live indie games channel, including such titles as Jump! among others.  Featuring 8-bit style graphics, these guys have definitely felt an influence in classic gaming.  But now they've moved into the big time, as Sega is teaming up with them to produce the upcoming side scrolling action game Hell Yeah!, due for release this summer.

This summer will be a big one for Sega fans, as the company has recently announced that it is bringing back the Dreamcast classic Jet Set Radio for a whole new audience to enjoy.  Set to release in the next few months on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, the game will feature hours worth of skating and grafitti spraying fun, along with high definition visuals and most of the original soundtrack.  It's a party just waiting to happen, and you can bet that Beat and Gum will be in attendance.

It’s no surprise that literally every developer is trying something with zombies.  Activision is throwing a number of zombie-infested maps in its Call of Duty franchise; Capcom’s got more than enough undead roaming around between Resident Evil and Dead Rising; and so on.  But little did anyone realize what Sega would be doing with Yakuza, pitting zombies against gangsters in a battle for control over the city of Kamurocho.  While Yakuza: Dead Souls may not be as strong an entry as the previous games (its focus is much different), it’s still more fun than previously anticipated.

Say what you will about how much he's dragged his feet in the past with less-than-epic adventures, but Sonic is making a comeback for the better.  He's just come off a great new game with Sonic Generations, and later this year, he'll be hitting the open road yet again in the yet-to-be-confirmed Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing 2.  In between those two releases, he'll wrap up his Sonic the Hedgehog 4 saga with Episode 2, set to release next month for Xbox Live and PlayStation Network.

The organizers of Classic Gaming Expo announced today that the 2012 Classic Gaming Expo will be held August 11 and 12 at the recently renovated Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The show’s historic ties with Las Vegas, and specifically the Plaza Hotel, made it the obvious choice to play host to this year’s convention.

Sega and The Creative Assembly offer Total War: Shogun 2 fans the first expansion to the hit real-time strategy (RTS) sequel. The Fall of the Samurai offers a number of the modern weapons available on land and at sea. The expansion also introduces a new third-person mode, which offers direct fire-control over Gatling guns, cannon, and naval weaponry, and explores some of the new multiplayer options 

Once upon a time, fighting game giants refused to work with one another, instead competing for attention in the arcades with their own individual products.  But then someone got the crazy notion, “Hey, we should team up our franchises and see what comes up.”  And thus, crossovers was born.  Many companies have done it, including Capcom and SNK with their Capcom vs. SNK games, respectively, and soon Street Fighter x Tekken will be knocking around the streets, set for a release tomorrow.  But are you possibly ready for…Sega versus Tecmo?

Introduce Virtua Tennis at any given gaming party and you’re likely to get the same sort of reaction.  At first it’ll be one of surprise, with a few people saying, “A tennis game?!”  Then they’ll pick it up and start playing it for a few minutes out of sheer curiosity.  The next thing you know, players will be going at it for hours on end, taking on each other in singles or doubles competition and refusing to give up the controller.  That’s the way it worked with the original Virtua Tennis when it launched on Dreamcast, and how it also worked with Virtua Tennis 4 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.  Now there’s a version for on the go gaming you can have all to yourself.

If something’s good enough, you know someone will bring it back in one form or another.  For Sega, this is a common business practice, as it’s been bringing back several of its old-school franchise to the current game scene, in an effort to generate newfound success.  This includes a number of resurrected Dreamcast classics, along with the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and Virtua Fighter, which will come back this summer with Final Showdown on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.  Now another big game is coming back, and Professor K fans will want to listen up…

Sega’s House of the Dead games weren’t out to change the world by any means.  The company merely put them together to give arcade goers the chance to blow off dozens of zombie heads without feeling remorse or worrying about how the world would end up after we cleaned house.  You know, none of that Walking Dead crap.  Now, ten years after making its debut in arcades (and sometime later on Xbox and Nintendo Wii), The House of the Dead III has come to PlayStation Network, complete with Move support, some slightly updated graphics, and a few other features.  Is it still worth it?  Absolutely, if you don’t mind the carnage.