The midnight launch for Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, and PC) has been confirmed by two retail stores, GameStop and EB Games. If you want to catch it, get yourselves ready for the long lines ahead in just a little over a month.

Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) is going black. EB Games Australia is reportedly offering at their online store the Assassin'sc Creed 2 Exclusive Black Collector's Edition, and is pegging it for a November 2009 ship-out.

After his purchase was made at an EB Games store, a gamer is outraged to find out that his Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock bundle was empty! What's worse, EB Games employee's hands were tied concerning the issue due to certain EB Games return policy.

Want to know more about this poor gamer's fate? Read on.

Store managers at the EB Games Conference this year were given a sneak preview to Assassin's Creed: a thirty minute demo and a comic book. The comic is very revealing of the game's plot and so here we stop and give a warning: the images behind the Full Article link below contain the scans of the comic and will contain spoilers.

Although the comic is short and reveals only the basic concept of the story, it's enough to spoil the whole experience of the game for some gamers. Those of you who will resist the temptation can just wait for the game and be safe in the knowledge that it does indeed look like Assassin's Creed is worth all the anticipation it has accumulated.

Assassin's Creed will be released for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 this November, and for the PC next year.

Not seeing much EB Games stores lately? That would be because it appears as though the merge of EB Games and GameStop sealed in 2005 is finally closing up all loose ties for good. Gaming Target reports that in Rochester, NY, two more branches of EB Games have been renamed to GameStop as of last week.

Although the merge happened two years back, both companies still retained their individual identities - until today, that is. Since GameStop acquired EB Games, the latter has been slowly assimilated into the GameStop profile, and today, it seems that the makeover is drawing its completion. Official announcements on the matter have yet to be given by the companies involved, but you yourself can check that EB Games stores have been silently "disappearing" from neighborhoods, and are instead replaced with GameStop stores.

But while EB Games will be sorely missed, we can only wish for good things to come out of this change. We'll be sure to keep you posted on more updates.

Those waiting for BioShock (Xbox 360, PC) to launch on August 21 will have another huge reason to go out and get it as soon as they can. Along with the Limited Edition package of the game comes a free three-track CD featuring remixes of the soundtrack done by Moby and Oscar The Punk.

Beyond the Sea, God Bless the Child, and Wild Little Sisters are songs from the 40s and the 50s which echo throughout the length of BioShock in their original form. Their tappy nature has become an inspiration for developers 2K Boston and 2K Australia to have them remastered to better suit the game's tone.

From the initially light songs, Moby and Oscar The Punk transform the tracks into twisted beats which will capture anyone who's ever played the game in an atmosphere which will make them feel like they never left Rapture.

Along with the game and the remix soundtrack, a Big Daddy figurine will be included as a collector's item. To complete the pack, a behind-the-scenes DVD will be right in the bundle, too.

BioShock Limited Edition will be available in GameStop and EB Games nationwide. The game takes place in an eerie world under the sea where mutants and technology hunt players down. To survive, one must create modified weapons, alter his bodily structure, and devise deadly tactics. BioShock is rated "Mature" by the ESRB and is published by the Microsoft Corporation.

Buy: [Bioshock (Games for Windows)]
Buy: [Bioshock (Xbox 360)]

We recently covered EB Games giving massive discounts on their products. GameStop looks to be jumping on the same bandwagon and has announced its already ongoing sale, dropping the price of the products they carry by as much as 50%.

Included in the sale are numerous PSP UMD movies, PSP games such as Dragonball Z Shin Budokai, Gamecubes with copies of Zelda: The Twilight Princess, PS2 Games, Xbox 360 games such as Eragon and Chrome Hounds, controllers, accessories and much more. Those who have been waiting to spend their hard earned simoleons cash, this may be the right time to head down to GameStop and avail of their promos.

You can check out the entire scope of their promo by clicking on our read link. Be sure to keep checking back here for more deals and promos from your favorite retail stores.

Up ahead is another major deal alert for North America's gamers. There's an upcoming EB Games/GameStop sale that will be going down this week, which will be displaying games and accessories for discount prices ranging from 25% to a whopping 50% off.

The sale is expected to kick in this May 27 (Sunday), and will end on June 16 (Saturday). Courtesy of Cheapassgamer (CAG), we've also managed to pilfer acquire an SKU list of the merchandise that'll be receiving the price cuts (make sure to read the fine print):

  

To clarify the list, reibeatall over at CAG further explained that viewers will want to read the first two numbers on the SKUs:

• 16 = GBA
• 18 = DS
• 19 = PSP
• 20 = XBox 360
• 21 = Xbox
• 22 = GameCube
• 27 = PlayStation 3
• 28 = PlayStation 2
• 64 = PC
• 80 = Accessories

That's all for the moment - make sure to set your calendars and clocks for the sales days. For the guys intent on taking advantage of this deal snippet, we wish them the best of luck.

We're always looking for great deals and here's something from GameStop EB Games that'll definitely pique your interest.

They're having In-Store Specials that are valid until May 17. The offers included are the PlayStation 3 that comes with a free SIXAXIS controller. Also, those who're planning to get Donkey Konga 2 can also get free bongos when they get the game. There's also a spot for DS trades and used GameCubes. You can also check out the video game titles that are marked down by US$ 10.

Anyway, you can check out the images above for the titles. And remember, the offers are dependent on title availability so if you see something you like, you better print out the coupons and visit a store at your earliest convenience.

Decent info here for you folks waiting for 2K Games' Bioshock. The Cult of Rapture site was recently updated with new information regarding the Bioshock Limited Edition Retail package.

First is a rundown of swag included in the said limited edition package: A Big Daddy Figurine, a "Making Of" DVD, and a soundtrack CD. The cover of the packaging will feature the winner of the Cover Art Contest ongoing at www.cultofrapture.com

Next is the price for all of that swag and the actual game. The package will damage your wallet for... only US$ 69.99 for the Xbox 360 version and US$ 59.99 for the PC version. Nothing surprising here as that price point is pretty much expected for most limited edition retail packages.

Now here's what could be the worrisome bit for some of you. It seems that 2K Games have signed a deal with Gamestop/EB Games and that all that limited edition goodness is exclusive to the said retailer. Not that we're dissing the said retailer; we're just noting that some of you have their strong opinions regarding them.

Strong opinions or not, still, it's a Big Daddy Figurine, which is tempting isn't it?