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Here’s a (pretty much) direct transcript of the final moments of my recent conversation with Capcom’s Seth Killian-

Me-”There are rumors going around that March’s Mega Man 10 will have a co-op mode, and that Bass will be the third playable character. Wouldn’t that be cool? Huh? Wouldn’t it?“

Seth-”Um, yes. Sounds fun to me. I have to go now.“

Me- “…and with Mega Man 10 coming out in less than 90 days, must you continue the madness surrounding the elusive Mega Man 9 secret. Can’t you give us a good hint for a change? Is it an item, an animation, a secret area, or just a background object? I mean come on! Throw us a bone here!“

Seth- “Did I already say I have to go? Because I do. Anyway I will probably go to internet hell when I die for acting like such a tease, but no dice. I was actually thinking of spilling the beans at the launch of Mega Man 10, just so we can all move on with our lives, but I was asked not to. That said, I will at least keep my promise to acknowledge that ‘yep, that was the secret’ should someone discover it on their own…“

Here’s the thing though, he totally didn’t have to go. He really didn’t. So why’d he leave? Part of me thinks that maybe my breath started to smell (hey, it happens), and another part  thinks that maybe I was onto something with those Mega Man 10 rumors, and that Seth wasn’t ready to spill the beans yet.

So what do you think, will Mega Man 10 have co-op and Bass, or does my breath smell, or both?

One of my most anticipated DS games of 2010 is Dark Void Zero. Why? Because I trust Capcom when it comes to NES-era gaming. Other than a few outliers like Street Fighter 2010, I loved just about every title they put out on the NES.

As poetic as it is in theory to be fueled by faith alone, it’s even better to have your pre-release videogame excitement powered by stuff you actually know. As always, Capcom-Unity manager Seth Killian is there to help. According to Seth, “Dark Void Zero feels to me a little like a cross between NES Bionic Commando in terms of level design, and Section Z in terms of mechanics. Good clean platform-y, shoot-y fun.” I hope it has a soundtrack to match. Bionic Commando and Section Z have amazing music.

Speaking of which, Dark Void Zero’s soundtrack apparently had a lot to do with the game getting made in the first place. That whole PlayChoice-10 thing? Probably all a silly ruse. Seth says that “It [Dark Void Zero)] was one of those ideas that sort of started out as a joke while listening to Bear McCreary’s 8-bit mix of the Dark Void theme, like ‘wouldn’t it be funny if we did this?’… and then we actually did it.“

You go, Bear McCreary.

Videogame box art is rarely something to celebrate, but in Gran Turismo 5’s case it appears as though we should. This game could actually ship to retail this century.

At first glance (and subsequent ones for me) it looks like nothing remarkable is happening on the cover. The official release indicates differently. The red car featured in the lower center is described as “the gull-winged terror.” It’s a Mercedes SLS AMG, a car that can go really, really fast and a car that we’ll never, ever, be able to afford. Cute, right?

If you’re down with the car, hit the fold for a video and the gallery for some images of the thing. Those precious seconds spent should help take the edge off the yearning for this game to happen.

Until that magical day when BioWare announces Wrex Effect, it looks like we’ll have to get comfortable with controlling Mr. Blank Slate, Commander Shepard. But even though we can’t play as the rough and gruff space toad in Mass Effect 2, we can become him. Sort of.

Follow us, here. The Vanguard class in the Mass Effect universe is all about getting in enemies faces and then blasting off said faces with a combination of short-ranged weaponry and biotic powers. In Mass Effect 2 specifically, Vanguards will be able to use the “Charge” attack again, which makes Sheppard move around like The Flash after a cocaine binge. Nothing says proximity like a good old fashioned Krogan rush, right? Right?

Besides what little we have learned from the slew of recent Mass Effect 2 trailers, we really don’t know all that much about the new characters beyond their appearance and general traits/abilities.

Depending on if I end up hating or loving Thane and Grunt when this game finally hits, my answer could change, but as it stands I want this entire set of action figures minus Shepard. We know more about him than all these other characters, even Tali, but his facial region is giving off a weird vibe.

Considering how these things aren’t going to be ready until late August, I suppose I’ll have plenty of time to figure the logistics out. Hold on, I can just replace the Spectre with my Isaac Clarke figure! Feel free to release these toys right now, guys. Like, how does tomorrow sound?

Oh, and if you’re the super anxious type, you can pre-order the lot of ‘em at Entertainment Earth.

First Look At DC’s Mass Effect 2 Action Figures [Gamervision]

Mad Catz is entering the luxury gaming mice business. On January 6th, the third-party manufacturer announced plans to release a range of Cyborg-brand gaming mice in the spring 2010.

So, what’s in the mice? Just think premium features: high DPI, fast lasers, wireless options, and even weight systems.

A total of four mice were unveiled in the press release. Each lesser-numbered model scales down in terms of features and therefore price. The list of mice (and their individual features and price) is available below the fold. The information is taken straight from the release since we can’t verify the facts right now, but we will probably get our hands on at least one of these pups at CES this year. Stay tuned.

Cyborg R.A.T. 7 Gaming Mouse

• Features: Fully Adjustable; 5600dpi laser; Programmable; Weight System; USB powered
• Price: MSRP: $99.99 / £79.99 / €99.99

Cyborg R.A.T. 9 Gaming Mouse

• Features: Wireless, Fully Adjustable, 5600dpi laser; Programmable,; Weight System; Powered by Rechargeable Batteries
• Price: MSRP: $129.99/ £99.99 / €129.99

Cyborg R.A.T. 5 Gaming Mouse

• Features: Adjustable Length; 4000dpi laser, Programmable; Weight System; USB powered
• Price: MSRP: $69.99/ £49.99 / €59.99

Cyborg R.A.T. 3 Gaming Mouse

• Features: 3200dpi laser; USB powered
• Price: MSRP: $49.99 / £34.99 / €49.99

Tomorrow marks the debut of a new patch for the PlayStation 3 version of Rock Band 2. Y’know, the one that Xbox 360 owners have had for some time now? Uh huh. Well, it doesn’t really matter now; the update is almost upon us, and it’s got enough tweaks and additions to help ease the pain.

New Rock Band 2 PS3 features to look forward to include: the ability to sort by stars in Quickplay mode, an improved HO/PO system a la The Beatles: Rock Band, velocity sensitivity for those mad-expensive Ion Drum Kits, support for the Rock Band Network Store (which isn’t live yet), and also support for the wireless SingStar mics that can be found in Europe.

Again, this is obviously a bit on the late side, but Rock Band 2 is still very much a platform, and these improvements from Harmonix won’t go unappreciated.

Rock Band 2 PS3 Software Update [PlayStation.Blog]

If you’re just dying for the latest numbers coming out of Microsoft’s CES press conference, I’ve got you covered. Armchair market analysis was never as sexy as it is now.

Speaking to what I’m sure was a positively rapt audience, besweatered Microsoft CEO Steve “Bing” Ballmer explained that “nearly 10 million people have logged into Xbox Live’s nongaming applications” which include “Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Last.fm, Sky, Canal and Zune.” Those numbers become less impressive when you consider that a lot of those people probably logged on once to poke around and never returned to the services. Nevertheless, that’s a lot of Gold accounts — at $50 a year, Microsoft is looking at $500 million of revenue, not counting the ads that run on Xbox Live or Arcade sales. Woof.

There are also “39 million Xbox 360s around the world,” surely cornering that burgeoning “global middle-class” in Zimbabwe. 500 million games have been sold, raking in what I assume is an impressive $20 billion at retail. I presume that Steve “Natural Interfaces” Ballmer is rather proud of his company, but I don’t really have a good frame of reference — I got into this gig because I like Mario, and all those zeroes make my eyes cross.

I’m sure we have some number-crunchers in the audience, though. Quick hit: do you guys have any financial predictions for Microsoft in 2010?

[As posted on Japanator]

Are you planning to buy Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love for the PS2 or Wii this March? Haha! I kid, of course you are planning to buy it.

However, decisions must still be made for exactly which version of Sakura Wars to buy. Will you be getting the “premium” PS2 edition, which comes with an art book, poster, and (most importantly) a second disc containing the game with its original Japanese voice acting? Or will you be getting the cheaper, “standard” Wii edition, which only incorporates the English-localized dub?

Otaku and PS2 owners might find that choice easier (despite the English-only Wii version being ten bucks cheaper), but NIS-America has decided to throw in another factor to sweeten the pot for both platforms – more swag.

A deluxe, limited-run “Unforgettable Memories” edition of the PS2 and Wii versions of Sakura Wars has popped up on NIS-A’s online store, RosenQueen. This edition comes with a full-sized 80-page hardcover art book. That’s pretty spiffy for people who get disappointed when the art books that are barely the size of the disc case. Further, it makes the PS2 version even more premium than it already is, since it now has two art books.

Unfortunately, both super-deluxe editions are ten bucks more expensive, bringing the PS2 version up to $49.99 (from $39.99) and the Wii version up to $39.99 (from $29.99).

Are you planning to cough up an extra Hamilton for hot hardcover action?