We log time with the very beginning of Platinum Games' frenetic shooter. We've gotten peeks here and there at Sega's upcoming action title Vanquish over the past few months, but not an opportunity for a proper sit-down with the game. That recently changed, as we got the opportunity to spend some quality time with Platinum Games' latest project to see how all the bits we've seen in the past come together as a whole. Playing through a work-in-progress PlayStation 3 version of the game, we were able to try out the first eight sections of the introductory chapter. Long story short, the whole thing painted an interesting picture of what to expect from this frenetic action game.

The follow-up to Ron Gilbert's DeathSpank has everything, from pirates and robots, to aliens and ninjas. Even though DeathSpank hasn't been out that long and summer is about to wind down, Hothead Games recently announced a follow-up game, DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue, which picks up right where our hero left off in the first game. According to Hamish Millar, the producer of Thongs of Virtue, the game was being developed in parallel with the first DeathSpank and is a much larger game in terms of content. Millar came by our office today to show us some new areas, as well as DeathSpank's arsenal of fancy modern-day weapons.

We try out 2K Marin's upcoming downloadable add-on for BioShock 2 that gives fans a final single-player adventure in Rapture. 2K Marin is putting the finishing touches on the last piece of downloadable content for BioShock 2--a single-player-focused piece set in Minerva's Den, an as-yet-unseen part of Rapture that takes place in parallel to the game's main story. We recently got some hands-on time with the early portion of the DLC, as well as a demo of some other aspects that showcased the mix of old and new packed into the studio's farewell to Rapture.

Trick-or-treating with transforming Halloween costumes should be the only way to tackle the scariest night of the year. From the minds of the developers over at Double Fine comes the role-playing game Costume Quest, one of several downloadable titles that the studio is working on. President and CEO Tim Schafer and project lead Tasha Harris stopped by the GameSpot office to show off their first game about a brother and sister who must rid the city of candy-stealing monsters. The charming art style and hilarious interaction between the siblings make this game ideal for just about anyone. Regardless of whether or not Halloween is your favorite holiday of the year, nothing beats transforming into a giant robot when all you had on was a cardboard box accented with tinfoil.

We get our first peek at the Michael Jordan-specific content in Visual Concepts' latest basketball game.

We take an exclusive flight deeper into HAWX 2's single-player campaign and try out UAV scouting and a little air-to-ground combat.The high-flying sequel Tom Clancy's HAWX 2 will let you return to the skies as an ace fighter pilot, but the sequel will have plenty of new toys to play with, including a wide array of different aircraft to fly from modern American, British, and Russian forces. In addition, the game will have all-new military tech that won't necessarily involve flying, such as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) drones, and it will also have a larger variety in its missions, including some that will challenge you to switch from midair dogfighting to bombing runs in a matter of minutes. We've tried out some of this new stuff and have new details to report. Please be advised that this story contains minor plot spoilers.