Imagine Square Enix's proposed takeover of Tecmo as a high school "romance." In it, Square is the suave campus hunk who professes his burning desire for Tecmo, the hottie who could have any guy (or girl) she wanted. But Tecmo not only shoots down the advance, she decides to "go out" with the scrawny, less attractive Koei instead.

She won't say why or even return Square's calls.

Square turns around and says, "Under such circumstances, the Company is unable to make appropriate modifications to major terms of the Proposal including the TOB price, and determines that it is extremely difficult to continue the discussions with Tecmo based on the Proposal. The Company, therefore, has decided to withdraw from the Proposal."

Blank stares.

"What I'm trying to say is I'm withdrawing my proposal to take you over," Square tells Tecmo, working his idea of emo for all its worth. Tecmo just smiles and says, "Hee! You're funny! Bye-eee!"

The End?

One of the more ... interesting Achievements in the Xbox 360 version of Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is the 50-point "Everybody Wants Some," which is earned by playing online with one of the game's developers, or someone who's already played with them. Yep, it's contagious. Actually, it's sort of like the STD of Live Achievements, if you'll pardon the icky analogy.

We think it'd be pretty cool to hear the 360 "Achievement Unlocked" sound in real life every time we came down with a cold or other ailment. Hear that Microsoft? Get on it – after all, you were all about "Live Anywhere." Mercs 2's devs will be playing September 5 through 12 using special easy-to-grok Gamertags, which we've listed after the break. Now, go forth and expose yourself to viral goodness.

There was a time – when he was working at Capcom, creating the likes of Resident Evil 2, Devil May Cry, and Viewtiful Joe – that Hideki Kamiya didn't say much. In fact, he hated doing interviews. Something's changed, because now that he's at Platinum Games, the historically low-key director is letting his true feelings out – about action games, at least.

Speaking to EGM, Kamiya said that, "I've never played Ninja Gaiden, and to be honest, I'm not that interested." Itagaki could not be reached for comment on whether or not he felt that epic burn.

So, what does the master designer actually like? God of War. "There's one game that I am paying really close attention to, that I think is a rival game, a good game, which is called God of War 3," he revealed, boasting, "I want to make a game that exceeds God of War's sequel." That game, he hopes, is his next: Bayonetta. In particular, Kamiya credits Sony's series with being "Very carefully made," saying, "Devil May Cry was a bit rough, but I think that there's no roughness in God of War." Pretty nice words, eh, Mr. Jaffe?

Samsung UK consumer electronics boss Andy Griffiths doesn't see a lengthy lifespan for the Blu-ray format. Speaking to Pocket-lint, he said, "I think it [Blu-ray] has 5 years left, I certainly wouldn't give it 10." 10 years as in the product cycle Sony has mapped out for PS3, which features Blu-ray as a core technology?

Griffiths' prediction could very well be accurate, but consider DVD, a format that is still going strong 12 years after the first player launched in Japan in 1996. To put things in perspective, Blu-ray players only hit the scene two years ago. With adoption of HDTVs continuing at a steady pace and that whole victory over HD-DVD thing, the format (for video, at least) has to have at least six years left in it.

A couple of weeks back during X08, we learned that the "fall" release time frame Activision had been giving for the latest Call of Duty installment actually meant "November." Today, the publisher narrowed it down even further to November 11. That's the date all console versions of Call of Duty: World at War will rumble into retail – except, of course, for the never-to-be PS2 version. Those hankering for an earlier taste of multiplayer flame thrower action should hit our post from earlier today on the upcoming October beta.

In what has to be the most totally original pre-order bonus ever, Activision is going to let anyone who "reserves" Call of Duty: World at War into a multiplayer beta planned for sometime in October. Oh, that's everyone except PS3 owners. The beta will be available only on Xbox 360 and PC, giving lucky paying entrants a chance to try out the game's new perks and squad system.

In "no purchase necessary" style, those not feeling the pre-order itch can try their luck by registering for a beta token lottery on the official Call of Duty site – that is if they can navigate through the Web 2.0 minefield of way too much stuff on the page.

Sony previously announced several planned pre-order bonuses for LittleBigPlanet, including custom downloadable "Sackboy" versions of God of War's Kratos and Heavenly Sword's Nariko. While the Ghost of Sparta went to GameStop, the official LBP blog has revealed that pre-ordering the game at Best Buy will land you a download voucher code for Nariko.

Both characters are über-spiffy, but, if you want both, you'll have to pre-order the game twice. No one's preventing you from avoiding it at one of the two stores when it's released, though. Oh no, certainly not us. Of course, you could always wait a bit for the characters to be made available for paid download via the PlayStation Store, something we're sure Sony would never think of doing, not in a million billion years.

Under the new leadership of Fatal Frame alumni Jin Hasegawa, Tecmo's Itagaki-less Team Ninja is poised to unveil its latest titles at Tokyo Game Show, IGN reports. Newly appointed Tecmo president Yasuhara Kakihara began a press conference in Tokyo today with an announcement that the studio has three new action games aimed at a "worldwide audience" prepped for TGS, which gets underway on October 9.

Tecmo has also firmed up its US release schedule for the rest of 2008, which includes the M.I.A. Wii title, Rygar: The Battle of Argus, listed for December. The remainder of the publisher's '08 slate includes: Robocalypse (DS, 10/28), SPRay (Wii, 10/28), and Tecmo Bowl Kickoff (DS, November).

It's good to be the king, er ... prince. Or, in this case, simply a pre-order holder for Ubisoft's upcoming Prince of Persia series refresh. The publisher has announced that anyone who lays down the cash (or plastic, or first-borns) to reserve the game will receive the Limited Edition – at no extra cost.

In an unusual step, Ubisoft is creating the LE for pre-orders only, simply as an incentive to pony up early for the game. Unlike other "special" or "limited" edition treatments of current-gen games, it won't come as a $10-$20 premium to advance purchasers – it'll run the standard $59.99. However, those who don't pre-order won't get the goodies, which include:

• Collectable Limited Edition packaging
  
• An exclusive look at the making of Prince of Persia
  
• A Prima digital mini-strategy guide full of developer's secrets
  
• A digital art book
  
• The original soundtrack scored by master composer Inon Zur

We're still chomping at the bit for Ubisoft to show off more of the promising action-platformer, but, for now, this most recent walkthrough video straight outta Leipzig will have to do.

The viral spiral marketing campaign for Spore has gone into full swing with only five short days until Will Wright's latest creation ... er, creation hits shelves. Billboards, bush shelter ads, and complete be-stickering of public places (Harvard Square shown above) are being spotted, and our buddies at Big Download are keeping track of them all in one big, weird gallery.

Many of the designs and slogans used in the ads have actually been lining the walls (and, actually, pretty much every surface) of EA Maxis' Emeryville, CA office during the game's epic development process. Now the entire world, nay, universe will get to see what we've been treated to during our various visits to Wright's home away from home.

[Via Big Download]

Vaultnews Shacknews caught up with Bethesda veep Pete Hines and Fallout 3 art lead Istvan Pely during PAX and asked the duo a whole mess of questions about – you guessed it – Fallout 3. One of the most salient responses came to a question regarding how the developer expects DLC quests for the game to shake out.

On the scope of DLC, Hines told Shacknews: "We want stuff that's going to be several hours. Not just like a one-off thing, but something like where you can download it and play it for X number of hours," further clarifying plans by adding, "It'll be similar to what we did with Knights of the Nine in Oblivion, where it's like whole new quest lines, new stuff, that kind of thing."

As for a post-launch DLC roll-out time line, Hines was non-committal, saying only that "we already have folks starting to look into what [the DLC] might be."