Developers vying for a slice of the rhythm game pie may soon find the cost to dig in to be increasing -- at least if they want players to nod along with music they know. According to Reuters, Warner Music's top exec Edgar Bronfman has come forward, stating that game companies should pay more to the music industry in order to include licensed tunes in their music-based games.

Says Bronfman, who compared the relationship to the likes of MTV or Apple's iPod, "The amount being paid to the music industry, even though their games are entirely dependent on the content we own and control, is far too small." Given Warner's interest in music currently flowing through both Guitar Hero III and Rock Band, not to mention the war that is about to unfold on living room stages later this year, it will be interesting to see who will 5-star this game of financial tug-of-war.

Namco Bandai's ridiculously cross-branded Soul Calibur IV has cut a deep swath into retail shelves worldwide, shipping not one million units but two since its July 29 debut.

Still, and not to make an example out of you, Namco, but really all of this chest puffery over units shipped is a bit overblown. It's like bragging about how many pencils you threw at the ceiling, rather than what's really important, namely how many stuck. Then again, we imagine it's difficult to look up and count while you're ducking under the desk from falling profits.

It's not the size of your explosion that matters, but rather how many random objects you can send flying about in realistic fashion. Microsoft Game Studios today announced a new "perpetual licensing agreement" with the physics connoisseurs at Havok, opening up the middleware outfit's suite of current and future tech to MGS and its development partners. Perpetual, you say? Sounds like someone is over their puppy love and is ready for a real commitment.

Havok's reputation for overturning tables in dramatic fashion is well known. A number of Microsoft's titles, both internally developed and published, utilize the technology already, giving us reason to believe that whatever Microsoft Game Studios has up its sleeves next, it's sure to have exploding barrels aplenty.

It's true that Phantasy Star of today is hardly recognizable to those who grew up playing with talking cats, but that probably doesn't keep Sega awake at night, especially given reports that its PSP RPG Phantasy Star Portable has been difficult to keep in stock since it was released in Japan last week.

The pint-sized version of Phantasy Star Universe has shown Monster Hunter-like momentum, apparently flying off Japanese store shelves, with both Wired and AkibaBlog reporting that 90% of the original shipment went out the door on July 31, the first day it went on sale. There remains no word as to when or if Sega will bring Phantasy Star Portable to PSP owners outside of Japan, but we'll continue to save our meseta 'til it happens.

When PS3 owners are left out of EA's Red Alert 3, they won't just be left wanting for the game's exotically tough real-time strategy. They'll also miss out on the video game acting debut of English actress/model/singer Gemma Atkinson, who will exchange her flimsy lingerie for something a little more formal as Allied communications officer Lt. Eva McKenna.

EA's PR machine tells us that Atkinson is best recognized for her work on the British soap Hollyoaks, as well as one of the region's most recognized models, though to be fair we're just going to have to take their word for it. The company also notes that she'll be on hand at the UK's M Festival gaming event this Friday, just make sure that when she talks you look into her eyes, and not upon her huge ... tracts of land.

Tales fans likely don't need extra incentive to secure a pre-order for Tales of Vesperia; the only question that remains is if they're happy with the regular version or want to pony up the extra gald for something shinier. Besides being wrapped in metal and artwork by series character designer Kosuke Fujishima, the $69.99 Tales of Vesperia special edition will also include a soundtrack CD celebrating a decade of console role-playing.

While specifics haven't been revealed, Namco Bandai notes that of the 25 songs included on the disc, a hefty 14 will be pulled from Vesperia, with the remainder coming from Tales of Symphonia (4), Tales of the Abyss (3), Tales of Phantasia (2) and Tales of Destiny (2). However, as much as we enjoy our ears, this limited offering is a step back from the Big Daddies and cat helmets we're used to, though we doubt that will stop fans from switching their pre-orders over in the run up to the game's August 26 release.

The PS2's library is about to get a bit more toxic, as Atlus announced that it will localize Japan's Poison Pink in North America, calling the strategy RPG by the less interesting title, Eternal Poison. In typical Atlus fashion, the game looks decidedly niche, though if its promise of "a uniquely dark aesthetic" and "classic tactical gameplay" isn't enough to win you over, note that each copy will also come packaged with a soundtrack CD as well.

Developed by Flight Plan, the studio behind Summon Night, Eternal Poison may be difficult to cure, but you have until the game arrives at retail on November 11 to get inoculated. Until then, check out some screenshots and the game's opening movie below.

Capcom's going out of its way to make sure its deliciously stale Mega Man 9 offers a true 8-bit experience, bugs and all. The company's Hironobu Takeshita recently told Gamasutra that the download will have the look and feel of a NES-era release, and that things such as sprite flicker have even been included as a -- thankfully optional -- feature.

"Yeah, there were some things, like you couldn't have more than three enemies on the screen at once, so we had to make sure that that's how it stayed in our game. In the part with the dragon with the flame, [there should be] flickering, and whatnot," noted the game's producer. "In the options of this game, you can adjust that, unlike the old games. We purposely put some of those old-school bugs into this game, so it does recreate that feel." Now, if only Capcom could emulate blowing into the cartridge we'd be in retro heaven.

There's something about this week's update to the Wii's Virtual Console that just seems off. Maybe it's the odd partnering of a blue marsupial and a lumber-swinging madman, or perhaps it's the noticeable absence of Samurai Shodown II, which SNK said last week would be among this morning's additions. While you work out some conspiracy theories, let's take a look at what new oldies are available.

• Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Master System, 500 Wii Points): While Sega's 16-bit original has been available for download for a long while, Sonic's 8-bit port changes things up with a handful of new stages, gameplay differences, and cruddier graphics.
• Splatterhouse 2 (Sega Genesis, 800 Wii Points): There's many ways that we could spend our time waiting to slip on the Terror Mask and bash demons' brains out in Namco Bandai's Splatterhouse redux, but really, what better way is there than to play through the arcade original's 16-bit sequel? The only right answer here is none.
  

The Bydo Empire just won't stay dead, as Australia's Office of Film and Literature has rated a previously unknown title called R-Type Dimensions for the Xbox 360. Little is known about the game other than it is being authored by Lode Runner dev Tozai, leading us to believe that the title, be it a shooter, strategy game, or some kind of R-Type-themed cooking sim, will be released over XBLA.

While R-Type Dimensions has yet to be rated by the ESRB, we doubt an official announcement is far behind. What we do wonder, however, is that if this does turn out to be a XBLA shooter, what the folks at Tozai know that Cave does not.

[Via GamerBytes]

Last year's Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia was one of the strangest titles we'd ever played from NIS America, and coming from a company that let us possess watering cans in Phantom Brave and do turn-based strategy as a side-scroller in GrimGrimoire, that's saying something. Offering equal parts role-playing and old school adventure, it was the included dating sim-style mechanics and the game's near-constant stream of sexual innuendo that gave Ar tonelico its unique, acquired tasted.

NIS America now drops word that it plans to release the sequel this December for the PS2. According to the publisher, this time around Ar tonelico 2 will challenge players by having them manage relationships between the game's sultry mechanical dolls known as Reyvateils, adding that "if their emotions are more closely synced, the stronger the magic becomes." We knew there was a reason to keep the PS2 around...magic lesbian robots.

[Thanks, Dennis]

Whatever form the next game in the Doom saga takes, it will do so with a name other than simply Doom IV. id's Tim Willits told Big Download during this week's QuakeCon that the previously revealed Doom sequel will still have Doom in the title, but will adopt some form of hellish subtitle instead of a number, roman numeral or otherwise.

The designer noted that the decision was made, at least in part, because the fourth game in the series will not be a continuation of the events seen in Doom III and its expansion. As for what we can expect from the forthcoming Doom something something, who's to say, though it'll probably involve demons, a shotgun and -- if Doom III was any indication -- us wetting the bed.

It's usually not until we roll out of bed on Monday morning that we find out what retro itch the Wii's Virtual Console will scratch. However, SNK has let the sword out of the sheath a bit early, confirming that next week's retro throwback will include arcade favorite Samurai Shodown II.

As great as SNK's 1994 2D fighter is, to say nothing about how much better it is than the original, it's starting to make less and less sense to pick up these Neo Geo titles piecemeal when SNK continues to bundle the games together at retail. It's hard to justify the digging through the couch for 900 Wii Points when we'll be able to pick up Samurai Shodown Anthology, which will include Samurai Shodown I-VI, on the Wii later this year for about $30.

After teasing its financial fortitude earlier this month, Activision continued to fill its already fat wallet during the most recent fiscal quarter, today announcing that the company more than doubled its profits to $59 million on record sales of $654 million, a 32 percent jump over the same time last year.

Unsurprisingly, both Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and On Tour played a key role in Activision's economic well-being, as did the tie-in with Dreamworks' Kung Fu Panda. Looking ahead, with Activision finally sewing up its mash-up with PC powerhouse Blizzard just weeks ago, the conglomerate now expects to report revenue of $636 million for the current quarter, and if we listen closely we can almost hear the coffers at Actilizzard bursting at the seams.

The online edition of UK gaming magazine Edge, formerly Next Gen, has come forward with what the proprietors feel exemplifies the top 20 game publishers the industry has to offer. Based on what we're sure represents a complicated formula of revenue, momentum, catalog, and review scores, the magazine found Nintendo to be the absolute crème of the crop, though we imagine it'll be difficult to make out the company's acceptance speech from beneath all that money.

Other notables include Actilizzard and EA, which took home the silver and bronze medals, respectively, while Midway managed to break out of Arkham Asylum just in time to claim the list's 20th -- and final -- spot.