Although the Guitar Hero business unit at Activision is being shuttered, company executives left the door open for a return in the future, saying the brand would need to be “re-assessed” going forward.

There are also rumors circulating via Twitter from a BioWare employee that Freestyle Games, the developer of DJ Hero, was also hit with layoffs. However, it’s still unclear whether or not that franchise has also been dropped from Activision’s lineup.

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Bubble Ball, a physics puzzle game, knocked the smash hit game Angry Birds out of its top spot on the Apple App Store’s list of most popular free apps. While Angry Birds was created by a 17-person company based in Finland, Bubble Ball is the work of 14-year-old Robert Nay, an eighth grader living in Spanish Fork, Utah, who taught himself how to program and created his first website while in third grade.

His company, Nay Games, launched an iOS version of the app on December 29 and its popularity in the App Store quickly skyrocketed. As ABC News reports, “during the past two weeks, his free game ‘Bubble Ball’ has been downloaded more than 2 million times.”

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Launched just a couple of months ago, Facebook smash CityVille is not just the biggest game on the social networking platform, it’s the biggest Facebook game ever. CityVille averaged over 84 million monthly users this past weekend, which means it’s bigger than previous record-holder and Zynga stablemate FarmVille ever was: the latter’s high-water mark was 83.76 million users, a number it recorded last March.

It’s a faster-paced game than FarmVille, and, if anything, it’s even more aggressive in encouraging players to build in-game connections with real-life friends — a factor that’s bound to be helping its meteoric rise.

And boom town CityVille is looking set to grow even bigger. It continues to post gains of about two million players per day, according to blog InsideSocialGames, and fueled by the burgeoning popularity of Facebook in the U.S. and overseas the game could eventually top 125 million monthly players.

CityVille’s success is good news for the game’s developer, Zynga, which had been seeing a downturn in its total userbase over the latter part of last year. Almost all Zynga’s Facebook titles have posted gains over the last month, including FarmVille, though at less than 60 million monthly players, it’s a mere shadow of its former self.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops

Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PC

“Black Ops,” a Cold War-era first-person shooter, is the game to buy this season. The title, published by Activision, sold a staggering 8.4 million copies in its first month.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

PC, Mac

If you have lost a loved one to the huge time-sink that is “World of Warcraft,” you may want to think twice about getting them this latest expansion pack. “Cataclysm” brings new levels and races to the mass multiplayer online role-playing game. The expansion sold more than 3.3 million copies on it release date.

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

The latest game in this hit series has players slinking around the streets of Renaissance Italy as an assassin. “Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood” sold more than 1 million copies in the first week of its launch last month.

Gran Turismo 5

PlayStation 3

This racing title is a car enthusiast’s dream come true, with more than a 1,000 cars to choose from, including some of the most exotic roadsters around.

StarCraft 2

PC, Mac

For real-time strategy games, where you control combat units and armies and direct them against computer or human-controlled opponents, there is no better franchise than “StarCraft.” The long-awaited second installment has not failed to delight critics, fans and newcomers.

Fable III

Xbox 360

“Fable III” is the latest in a series of action role-playing games with a unique twist: the choices players make vastly affects who their characters become as well as the game’s outcome. You can choose to be noble or slaughter innocents, and thus determine your character’s moral compass. You’re also in charge of leading a nation, so you can tax your countrymen to death and get rich, or share the wealth.

Infinity Blade

iPhone, iPod touch

“Infinity Blade” is Apple’s answer to serious gamers who think the iPhone is only for silly, casual games. The action role-playing title, gorgeously rendered in 3-D, has players fighting it out, medieval style. Released on Dec. 9, it’s the fastest grossing app, selling more than a quarter of a million copies in just the first four days.

Angry Birds

iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android, Nokia N900, Symbian 3

It has become one of the top-selling iPhone games. Though it looks simple and cartoonish, “Angry Birds” is a fiendishly addictive and cute puzzle game.

Minecraft

PC, Mac

This indie title, downloadable for PC or Mac, is the year’s sleeper hit, with nearly 2 million registered users and more than 600,000 purchases of the game. The game begins with your character on an island struggling for his survival, but it soon becomes about building and creating more and more complex structures, with lots of creative license.

Civilization V

PC, Mac

This strategy game is the latest in the series from the great game-maker, Sid Meier. It’s “SimCity” meets the History Channel, where players take control of a prehistoric civilization and try to keep it advancing and developing.

Kirby’s Epic Yarn

Nintendo Wii

Iconic character Kirby is back in his latest adventure. “Kirby’s Epic Yarn” is not only a fun adventure title to play, it’s also fun to watch the arts-and-crafts aesthetic of the game as it, ahem, unravels.

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit

Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, PC

Like fast cars and outracing cops? “Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit”puts you in the driver’s seat in frenetic, high-speed chases.

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“The fifth map, Operation Hastings, will add a new avenue for gamers to show their superiority on the Battlefield featuring everything that makes BFBC2 Vietnam amazing: tanks, Jeeps, temples, boats and helicopters all in an environment featuring a distinctive bridge that separates the map into two main areas,” Vasconcellos said in a statement. “Though, it’s not as easy as all that. It’s entirely up to you to unlock this fifth map.”

Operation Hastings is a remake of the 2004 map from the original Battlefield: Vietnam. The new Vietnam expansion is set for release on December 21 and will sell for $15 or 1,200 Microsoft Points.

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No release window is provided on the site. Well, we guess that confirms the rumors we’ve been hearing about. The game is expected to be officially announced tomorrow during the 2010 VGAs on Spike. Mass Effect 3 releases for the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 platforms. This, of course, is likely placeholder data (evidenced by the PC release’s unlikely $59.95 price tag) and there’s no release dates, placeholder or otherwise, so it’s anybody’s guess as to whether all three versions will be released simultaneously.

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Now that AMC’s incredible “The Walking Dead” has ended its first season, you’ll need something to tide you over until the flesh-eaters rise again. Look no further than these three new iOS games:

Dead rising mobile: it’s the classic story: man travels to small town, discovers it’s been overrun by zombies, and holes up in the local mall–where said zombies arrive in wave after wave. Dead Rising Mobile ($4.99) won’t win any beauty contests, but it offers a few cool twists.

You can pick up anything (frying pan, golf club, park bench) and use it as a weapon. Plus, it integrates with Facebook and Twitter to notify friends when you bite the dust–and lets them “revive” you. You can even appear as a “named zombie” in their version of the game.

Nothing tops off a feast of brains like a nice ice cream cone. In the comedic, cartoony Zombies Ala Mode, you’re the soda jerk charged with serving the undead, which means catching falling scoops in the right flavors and amounts. The game is fairly simplistic–something kids will probably enjoy more than adults–but it’s a fun little diversion and completely gore-free. It’s currently on sale for $1.99.

ZombieSmash HD : A longtime favorite for the iPhone and iPod, the castle defense-inspired ZombieSmash will available in HD form for the iPad. on Dec. 16. The update makes good use of the iPad’s bigger screen, offering more zombie hordes and support for multitouch (for extra zombie-flinging goodness).

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The VGA 2101 Video Game Awards will air tonight at 8pm ET on Spike TV from the Los Angeles Convention Center featuring a bevy of stars from the world of video games, Hollywood and pop music.. The show will be hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.

Nominees for Game of the Year are: Call of Duty Black Ops, God of War III, Halo Reach, Mass Effect 2, and Red Dead Redemption.
Winners of the Video Game Awards 2010 happening tonight, December 11, will be posted as they become available. The 8th edition of the Video Game Awards is scheduled to air live on Spike.

You can also see what video games will be hot in the next year, with the category of Most Anticipated Video Game: Batman: Arkham City, Bioshock: Infinite, Gears of War 3, and Portal 2.

You can tune in to watch the winners in the more than 20 categories. Some of the games may not be appropriate for small children, so exercise caution if you are going to let your children watch the awards.

This year, games released between December 2, 2009 and November 23, 2010 are eligible to be nominated.

2010 Spike Video Game Award Nominees

Game of the Year
Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision/Treyarch)
God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment/SCE Studios Santa Monica)
Halo: Reach (Microsoft/Bungie Studios)
Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts/BioWare)
Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Games/Rockstar San Diego)

Studio of the Year
BioWare
Blizzard Entertainment
Bungie Studios
Rockstar San Diego

Best Xbox 360 Game
Alan Wake (Microsoft/Remedy)
Fable III (Microsoft/Lionhead Studios)
Halo: Reach (Microsoft/Bungie Studios)
Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts/BioWare)

Best PS3 Game
God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment/SCE Studios Santa Monica)
Heavy Rain (Sony Computer Entertainment/Quantic Dream)
ModNation Racers (Sony Computer Entertainment/United Front Games)
Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Games/Rockstar San Diego)

Best Wii Game
Donkey Kong Country Returns (Nintendo/Retro Studios)
Kirby’s Epic Yarn (Nintendo/Good-Feel)
Metroid: Other M (Nintendo/Team Ninja/Nintendo)
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo/Nintendo)

Best PC Game
Fallout: New Vegas (Bethesda Softworks/Obsidian Entertainment)
Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts/BioWare)
Sid Meier’s Civilization V (2K Games/Firaxis)
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (Blizzard Entertainment/Blizzard Entertainment)

Best Handheld Game
God of War: Ghost of Sparta (Sony Computer Entertainment / Ready At Dawn Studios)
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (Konami / Kojima Productions)
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (Nintendo/ Level-5)
Super Scribblenauts (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / 5th Cell)

Best Shooter
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (Electronic Arts/DICE)
BioShock 2 (2K Games/2K Marin)
Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision/Treyarch)
Halo: Reach (Microsoft/Bungie Studios)

Best Action Adventure Game
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal)
God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment/SCE Studios Santa Monica)
Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Games/Rockstar San Diego)
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo/Nintendo)

Best RPG
Fable III (Microsoft/Lionhead Studios)
Fallout: New Vegas (Bethesda Softworks/Obsidian Entertainment)
Final Fantasy XIII (Square Enix/Square Enix)
Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts/BioWare)

Best Multiplayer Game
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (Electronic Arts/DICE)
Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision/Treyarch)
Halo: Reach (Microsoft/Bungie Studios)
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (Blizzard Entertainment/Blizzard Entertainment)

Best Individual Sports Game
EA Sports MMA (Electronic Arts/EA Tiburon)
Shaun White Skateboarding (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 (Electronic Arts/EA Tiburon)
UFC Undisputed 2010 (THQ/Yuke’s Media Creations)

Best Team Sports Game
FIFA Soccer 11 (Electronic Arts/EA Canada)
Madden NFL 11 (Electronic Arts/EA Tiburon)
NBA 2K11 (2K Sports/Visual Concepts)
MLB ’10: The Show (Sony Computer Entertainment/SCE Studios San Diego)

Best Driving Game
Blur (Activision/Bizarre Creations)
ModNation Racers (Sony Computer Entertainment/United Front Games)
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (Electronic Arts/Criterion Games)
Split/Second (Disney Interactive Studios/Black Rock Studio)

Best Music Game
Dance Central (MTV Games/Harmonix)
DJ Hero 2 (Activision Publishing/FreeStyleGames)
Def Jam Rapstar (Konami/Autumn Games / 4mm Games)
Rock Band 3 (MTV Games/Harmonix)

Best Soundtrack
Def Jam Rapstar (Konami/Autumn Games /4mm Games)
DJ Hero 2 (Activision/FreeStyleGames)
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (Activision/Neversoft Entertainment)
Rock Band 3 (MTV Games/Harmonix)

Best Song in a Game
“Basket Case” by Green Day (Green Day Rock Band)
“Black Rain” by Soundgarden (Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock)
“Far Away” by José González (Red Dead Redemption)
“Goldeneye” by Nicole Scherzinger (GoldenEye 007)
“Replay/Rude Boy Mashup” by Iyaz & Rihanna (DJ Hero 2)
“Won’t Back Down” by Eminem (Call of Duty: Black Ops)

Best Original Score
God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment/SCE Studios Santa Monica)
Halo: Reach (Microsoft/Bungie Studios)
Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts/BioWare)
Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Games/Rockstar San Diego)

Best Graphics
God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment/SCE Studios Santa Monica)
Heavy Rain (Sony Computer Entertainment/Quantic Dream)
Kirby’s Epic Yarn (Nintendo/Good-Feel)
Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Games/Rockstar San Diego)

Best Adapted Video Game
LEGO: Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Warner Bros. Interactive/Traveller’s Tales)
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft Chengdu)
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (Activision/Beenox)
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (LucasArts/LucasArts)
Transformers: War for Cybertron (Activision/High Moon Studios)

Best Performance by a Human Male
Daniel Craig as James Bond (James Bond 007: Blood Stone/Activision)
Gary Oldman as Sgt. Reznov (Call of Duty: Black Ops/Activision)
John Cleese as Jasper (Fable III/Microsoft)
Martin Sheen as Illusive Man (Mass Effect 2/Electronic Arts)
Nathan Fillion as Sergeant Edward Buck (Halo: Reach/Microsoft)
Neil Patrick Harris as Peter Parker/Amazing Spider-Man (Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions/Activision)
Rob Wiethoff as John Marston (Red Dead Redemption/Rockstar Games)
Sam Worthington as Alex Mason (Call of Duty: Black Ops/Activision)

Best Performance by a Human Female
Dame Judi Dench as M (James Bond 007: Blood Stone/Activision)
Danica Patrick as Herself (Blur/Activision)
Emmanuelle Chriqui as The Numbers Lady (Call of Duty: Black Ops/Activision)
Felicia Day as Veronica (Fallout: New Vegas/Bethesda Softworks)
Jennifer Hale as Commander Sheppard (Mass Effect 2/Electronic Arts)
Kristen Bell as Lucy Stillman (Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood/Ubisoft)
Tricia Helfer as Sarah Kerrigan (StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty/Blizzard Entertainment)
Yvonne Strahovski as Miranda Lawson (Mass Effect 2/Electronic Arts)

Best Downloadable Game
Costume Quest (THQ/Double Fine Productions)
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (Square Enix/Crystal Dynamics)
Monday Night Combat (Uber Entertainment/Uber Entertainment)
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal/ Ubisoft Chengdu)

Best DLC
BioShock 2: Minerva’s Den (2K Games/2K Marin)
Borderlands: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx (2K Games/Gearbox Software)
Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadow Broker (Electronic Arts/BioWare)
Red Dead Redemption – Undead Nightmare (Rockstar Games/Rockstar San Diego)

Best Independent Game
Joe Danger (Hello Games)
Limbo (PlayDead)
Super Meat Boy (Team Meat)
The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom (The Odd Gentleman)

Most Anticipated Game
Batman: Arkham City (Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment/Rocksteady Studios)
BioShock: Infinite (2K Games/Irrational Games)
Gears of War 3 (Microsoft/Epic Games)
Portal 2 (Valve/Valve)

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Wondering what’s up with all the numbers on Facebook?

The idea is simple: send a Facebook friend a number, then they’ll write back in a status message that inclues that number what they really think of you.

As The Number Game explains on its Facebook page, ” Facebook users can ask their friends what they think about them by supplying them with a number. The friend then gives the answer, and attaches the number to their answer for identification purposes.”

One user shared the rules for the “number game” in a status update, writing, “New facebook game! Send me three random numbers to my inbox and I’ll tell you what I think about you in my status without saying your name.”

Have you participated? What do you think of the latest Facebook trend?

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If your PS3™ system software version is 3.55 (or later), you do not need to perform this update. To check the version of your system software, go to (Settings) > (System Settings) > [System Information]. The information is shown in the [System Software] field.

PlayStation®3 system software update will update your PS3™ system’s operating system to include the latest security patches, settings, features and other items.

You can update your PS3 through us.playstation.com/support.

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