Whew! We're back. E3 took a lot out of us. And while we could have slapped together a version of Next Gen News for the previous two weeks, it would've paled in comparison to all the coverage we were gathering from the E3 showfloor. And to be honest, E3 is the video game industry's shining moment every year. Consider it the "O-Face" of the industry. The weeks following are the equivalent of rolling over and smoking that victory cigarette. Not a lot of exciting news gets released. But that's not to say the video game industry becomes some set from western film, with tumbleweeds blowing all over the place. Some news still hits, and we've gathered the juiciest stuff we could find for you here, for the return of Next Gen News!

Halo 3: ODST Price Hike is Uber Lame

This is definitely some sour news. Following the live demo of Halo 3: ODST at this year's E3, news broke that the once value-priced ODST would be seeing a price hike, marking the title up to the standard new release price of $60. When questioned about the increase in price, a Microsoft spokesperson said, "At the time of those statements, the overall scope of Halo 3: ODST was not yet finalized, and since then the project has grown increasingly more ambitious. We believe this standalone experience is much more than just an expansion. Halo 3: ODST provides a new campaign from the point of view of an entirely new character. Combine that with three new multiplayer maps, the entirely new cooperative mode called Firefight, and the complete Halo 3 multiplayer collection on a standalone disc, we feel this is a good value and tremendous addition to the Halo franchise."

Sounds like crap to us. Especially after Joe Stanton, a Bungie employee, told Game Informer, "we do not view this as a $60 title." Now we can respect a project growing in ambition and scope, and warranting more resources and a higher cost for costumers, but don't come out and prep gamers with the news the game would be value-oriented, and then retract the statement a few month's later. Also, ODST doesn't come with it's own multiplayer, the maps you're paying for, and the multiplayer you're getting are the same thing found on the Halo 3 disc and downloadable map packs already released.  For the gamers that already own that stuff, Halo 3: ODST is $60 for a new singleplayer campaign and a co-op mode. And trying to spin teh story into something it isn't is not helping Microsoft and Bungie.

Just in Time for More Killzone 2 DLC

And the train pulls into the station right on time. Available right now is the latest downloadable content for Killzone 2. The new map pack, entitled "Flash & Thunder," recreates two maps from the original Killzone, Southern Hills and Beachhead, from the ground up to utilize the power of the Playstation 3 hardware. The map pack is priced at $5.99 and if judging by the previous map pack release, six bucks is very much worth the download. It's also pretty cool that Southern Hills has a nuclear blast that goes off in the distance and if you find yourself caught in the fallout, you're toast.

Mirror's Edge 2 Being Worked On

Did you enjoy the original Mirror's Edge? Well if so, you'll enjoy this news. EA has a "small team" of individuals working on the sequel. Not much else is known besides the fact that DICE, the original game's developers, are involved. Even though the original Mirror's Edge didn't perform to the standards EA set for the game, it was still a distinct and bold new IP released in an industry that loves to take the easy way out with tried-and-true sequels. But isn't it irony if this fresh IP becomes victim to the clutches of franchising? And I don't mean Alanis Moresett irony, I mean real irony. But if DICE can work out the kinks in the original game's design, and learn how to tell a better story with better characters, a Mirror's Edge sequel is very much welcomed.