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Codemasters has announced that it is at work to produce DiRT 2 on a variety of consoles in 2009. The follow-up to the critically applauded DiRT will be simultaneously released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PC, Nintendo DS, and Sony PSP. The sequel promises real-world environments and officially licensed rally cars and off-road vehicles. The Group N Subaru, a favorite vehicle from the first game, will be the first car players drive in the sequel. Codemasters also claims it will have online racing functionality and social features, though the company hasn't specified what those are quite yet.

Relic's made -- in my humble opinion, at least -- the greatest real-time strategy games to date. The original Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War not only tapped into my love for Games Workshop's fantasy/space lore, but it also presented a new type of strategy that amounted to more than just mobbing the right mix of infantry against your opponent. Company of Heroes, and its expansion, Opposing Fronts, continued to evolve the genre by adding destructible terrain, the option to retreat, and an array of minute details that made the outcome of battle feel more about who understood their units rather than who could click the fastest. But while Relic's evolved strategy into a perfect mix of micromanagement and large-scale conflict, they've never succeeded in making me care about my units. Enter Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2, Relic's upcoming sequel to the original DOW, and a game where youget to know your troops like never before.

Xbox 360 'NXE Avatar Daft Punk' clip
The New Xbox Experience has only been available in the wild for about a day now, but gamers have already come up with some unexpected uses for Microsoft's new custom Avatars: Music videos. Have a look at these two groovy videos Xbox Live user Tronic Games whipped up using only the new dashboard, some electronica, and a little imagination.

Last month, U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Seeborg dismissed a suit against Capcom's Dead Rising filed by the producers of Dawn of the Dead, reports GameSpot. The MKR Group, on behalf the producer of George Romero's horror classic, filed suit earlier this year, claiming the game's setting and theme were copied from the famous film. Seeborg saw it differently, saying that The MKR Group "has not identified any similarity between Dead Rising and any protected element of Dawn of the Dead." He goes on to say that "the few similarities MKR has alleged are driven by the wholly unprotectable concept of humans battling zombies in a mall during a zombie outbreak." Before we move on, reflect for a moment how awesome it is to hear the phrase "zombie outbreak" from a judge. Thanks, Capcom.

The election of Barack Obama as the 44th President met with dramatic response across the country. Along with the celebrations it fueled, the optimism of the moment got many people thinking about what the next four years could hold. Our own Sam Kennedy was so inspired, and stayed up into the wee hours of the morning after the election writing What Does an Obama Presidency Mean for Videogames? Michael Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), also sensed this as a moment for the collective consciousness of the American people, and put together his thoughts on the subject.