When we first heard that Bethesda was working on a Fallout 3 game we made a pledge to ourselves that we were going to stay completely spoiler free, that we'd go into the experience fresh, with no knowledge of what surprises awaited and what mysteries we would unearth. Sadly, it didn't take long for us to remember that we worked for a video game site, and trying to remain willfully ignorant of a major title was misguided at best.

But it's not too late for you, dear reader! You can avert your eyes right now. You don't have to read this exhaustive Q and A with Bethesda wherein they discuss everything from drug use and child murder to Fallout 3's inventory system! You can still ... you already clicked on it, didn't you?

Square Enix has a surprise RPG for the handheld gamer. No, it's not on the PSP or DS. Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes is an iPod exclusive RPG with a rather unique twist. You'll be able to transform your music collection into "Tune Troopers" that you can use in battle. Even cooler: you'll be able to level up your "Tune Troopers" simply by listening to the same song you created them on your iPod. You'll need the help of all your best MP3s, as you fight the Mechanical Militia and save your brother.

The iTunes download, available today, will retail for $4.99. The game will be controlled exclusively through the iPod click wheel and will be compatible with iPod nano with video, iPod classic and fifth generation iPod. While we haven't had a chance to play the game ourselves, we're certainly itching to give it a try. If you download Song Summoner, tell us what you think. Update: Trailer embedded, after the cut.

When Majesco announced last month that it would dedicate the bulk of its 2008 lineup to the Nintendo DS, we took this to mean that the company would do its part keeping store shelves stocked with casual games and cooking sims aplenty. We were unprepared, however, for the Cooking Mama evangelist to take up publishing duties for Away Shuffle Dungeon, the oddly named DS "roguelike" RPG from Mistwalker and AQ Interactive.

Offering a mix of both 2D and 3D gameplay, Away Shuffle Dungeon promises to cast players in the role of a lone hero branded with the unfortunate name, Sword, as he races to collect treasure and rescue prisoners caught in dungeons before they "reconfigure," hurting anyone left inside. The game also boasts some impressive credits, which include such luminaries as Final Fantasy sire Hironobu Sakaguchi and esteemed composer Nobuo Uematsu, as well as character designs by Sonic creator, Naoto Oshima.

Even so, we're still having a hard time getting over that title, and even now have simply begun referring to Away Shuffle Dungeon by a label more fitting its newly-named publisher. Readers, we give you Dungeon Mama.

Max Schaefer, co-founder of Flagship Studios, admits that things didn't go exactly as planned with its first title Hellgate: London; however, he believes the developer's sophomore effort, Mythos, is coming together much better. Schaefer tells Eurogamer (via GI.biz) that Flagship was "probably biting off too much" as a new developer with Hellgate and was rushed at the end, but with Mythos it's focusing on core features and taking time to polish.

Schaefer hopes Mythos can "put a dent" into some of the big MMOs out there and he believes the free-to-download-and-play model of the game -- with item sales bringing in money -- gives the developer a chance against the boxed subscription-based MMOs.

Microsoft has announced that Fable 2 Pub Games, a collection of three casino-style Xbox Live Arcade games that help you boost your money for Fable 2, is coming in August for 800 MS points (US $10). However, according to the press release, Pub Games is free for those who pre-order at participating retailers. The three games are:

• Keystone, a combination of Craps and Roulette
• Spinnerbox, an "updated take" on slot machines
• Fortune's Tower, a "press your luck style of game"

Also included is Shell, a tutorial for all three. Taking a route similar to Spore Creature Creator, Microsoft is also including the Pub Games in both the Standard and Limited Editions of Fable 2, meaning if you can hold out until the game is released, you won't have to shell out the $10. Fable 2 is due out "later this year," with recent hints of an October launch.

After much speculation and painful hours of sitting on pins and needles, Square-Enix confirmed that their chronometric teaser was, in fact, counting down to the big reveal of a Nintendo DS adaptation of Chrono Trigger. The countdown just ended, revealing the first pseudo-trailer for the game; following Squeenix's promise for a "newly revamped" version of what many consider to be the greatest RPG of all time, our hopes were high for a 3D remake, ala Final Fantasy III and IV -- though the trailer shows that the visuals will retain their charming 16-bit aesthetic.

The trailer doesn't show off the game's new features, like the new dungeon, wireless play and touch screen support -- though it does end by touting the Winter 2008 release window we'd previously heard. Hopefully, future media for the title will show us exactly why we'll need to purchase the game again (other than the fact that it's frakkin' Chrono Trigger) -- until then, we'll be anxiously awaiting Christmas morning, when we'll scurry to the foyer to discover that Ho-Ho has left us stockingfuls of heartwarming nostalgia.

Update: We've got the post-countdown trailer posted after the jump, courtesy of GameVideos.

While Japanese audiences will be playing Persona 4 this July, North American gamers won't have to wait long to wander the halls of Gekkoukan High. Atlus USA has taken time away from blowing things up with small explosives this holiday weekend to announce plans to bring Persona 4 to North America on December 9.

Sweetening the deal even further, the publisher also notes that each copy of the game will come bundled with a soundtrack CD featuring "select music" from the title, which represents the sixth in the role-playing series, and the latest to cling tightly to Sony's aging last-gen console. If, however, you're having trouble waiting until this holiday season to get your Persona fix, check out the game's English announcement trailer after the break.

All you Nerds worried about wasting Mounds of time waiting for Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise should stop being such Airheads. The anticipated sequel will be Star-bursting onto the scene on Sept. 2 in North and Latin America and Sept. 5 in Europe and the UK. That leaves plenty of Paydays for you Smarties to save up the $59.99 you need to buy it. That's not a Whopper of a price ... much less than the 100 Grands it would take to travel to ... Whatchamacallit ... Mars.

You see, piñatas are filled with candy ...

[Via X3F]

Well, that didn't take long. After Square Enix quietly launched a teaser website seemingly devoted to bringing fan fave Chrono Trigger to the Nintendo DS, we've managed to scrape our jaws off the floor just in time to see that the company has confirmed plans for the title, and that the game will ship in time for North American gamers to pull it out of their stockings this holiday season.

With the original having shipped some 2.5 million copies the world over, Squeenix calls the portable take on the 1995 SNES role-playing classic "newly revamped," promising a new dungeon and wireless play of some sort. Touch screen support is also promised, something we're getting plenty of practice at as we paw at our computer screens in eager anticipation.

While we don't know when we'll get our hands on Diablo 3 (our guess is sometime between Starcraft 2 and a Lost Vikings MMO), now is as good of a time as any to look back on the previous Diablo game. While you could download the full version at the Blizzard Store for $20 (and the Lord of Destruction expansion pack for $20 more), the try-before-you-buy enthusiasts at Big Download have tracked down the demo version for you to try out. We know there are a few Joystiq readers who never experienced Diablo 2. Folks, feel ashamed no longer, download here.

The MMO-obsessed at WoW Insider managed to get some hands-on time with Wrath of the Lich King's Death Knight class while at this weekend's Blizzard Worldwide Invitational. Take a look for impressions and information on the gameplay, skills and talents of this soon-to-be overused class.

• General gameplay impressions
• Blood spells and talents
• Unholy spells and talents
• Frost spells and talents

Don't forget to check out all of Worldwide Invitational coverage, from World of Warcraft to Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3.

Funcom announced today that Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures has entangled 700,000 players in its breast-reducing web. GameDaily reports that Funcom believes this makes Conan the #2 subscription MMO in the western world -- yeah, World of Warcraft is still #1 ... by a long shot.

According to NPD, Conan remains the top selling PC title in the US since its launch May 20. Funcom reported early last month it had shipped a million copies of the game to retail and now believes its current subscription numbers give it "significant development resources" to evolve the game over time. Hopefully this also means bugs that reduce anatomical parts will be caught in the future.

Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational is now officially over! In case you missed all of the excitement this weekend (or just want a handy recap), here are the highlights:

	Diablo 3 Yes, it's really official. Here's everything there is to know about the game so far: Blizzard introduces Diablo 3 Watch Diablo 3 teaser and gameplay footage Here are the first Diablo 3 screenshots Highlights from the Diablo 3 FAQ Diablo 3 information overload Joystiq chats with Jay Wilson on Diablo 3 Poll: What classes would you like to see return in Diablo 3? WWI08: Diablo 3 design fundamentals WWI08: Lore and art in Diablo 3
	Starcraft 2 There was only one Starcraft 2 design panel, but boy was it a doozie. Part 1: Zerg Part 2: Protoss Part 3: Terran Part 4: Q&A with Rob Pardo
	World of Warcraft Let's not forget about the MMO behemoth, whose presence comprised about 80% of the WWI. Blizzard's WWI 2008 costume and dance contest All World of Warcraft classes dissected at WWI 2008 WWI08: New WoW arenas, nonlinear dungeons and goodie bags A lot more information can be found at WoW Insider

At Blizzard's recent Worldwide Invitational, Diablo 3's World Designer Leonard Boyarsky and Art Director Brian Morrisroe got on stage in front of a crowd hungry for details on Blizzard's latest project to talk about combining art and lore to expand the world give the player a deeper and more engaging experience. Diablo is a unique fantasy universe in that instead of having Dwarves and Elves, it has Angels and Demons. The game's setting makes it a dark fantasy environment that the previous games had only scratched the surface of.

Q&A with Leo and Brian

Q: In the end of Diablo 2 we went to hell, killed him, smashed his Soulstone and essence of him, Bael, Maphesto ... how do we justify him coming back?
Leo: You don't know for sure that Diablo is coming back. [Ed: ... !] We don't want to divulge too much of the story, we just want to say that it will be entertaining when you come to it.

Q: In previous game you had quests to achieve to get, say the Horadric Cube. Will there be similar quests? Will we be able to get the Horadric Cube again?
Leo: The way the process works is we look into the story, look into the lore, and we want that to drive the gameplay and drive the quests. I can say there will be quests related to lore. In Diablo 2 they didn't just set out to say "let's make this great cube," it came out of the design process.