To be sold exclusively at Best Buy stores in North America and online beginning May 29th, Nintendo has revealed a special edition Wii U bundle for Splatoon.

A digital download code for Nintendo’s ink-blasting third-person shooter will be bundled up with a 32GB Deluxe Wii U console and a pre-installed copy of Nintendo Land for a retail price of $299.99.

Aside from the colorful, ink-splattered packaging, the Wii U console itself doesn’t appear to have a custom Splatoon paintjob or any other game-themed markings. That’s too bad, because a Wii U jazzed up with some squid and ink splats would have been pretty damn sweet. Not to mention even more enticing for someone like me who does not yet own a Wii U but is looking for a reason to finally buy in.

If you’re planning to pre-order LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham ahead of this fall’s launch, Warner Bros. just made the decision on which retailer to buy from more painful than it should be.

Six different bonuses are now vying for your pre-order dollar, each one exclusive to a specific retailer. Amazon is offering this Batgirl Minifig Keychain:

GameStop has the Plastic Man Minifig:

Order from Toys “R” Us to get The Joker Minifig Keychain:

Go to Target for a LEGO Batwing Miniset:

Choose Walmart for the LEGO Tumbler Miniset:

Or go to Best Buy to get the LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham digital comic book by Comixology.

I’m not pre-ordering this game, but if I did I’d probably go for the Batwing or Tumbler since I’d rather have a little something to build rather than a keychain or a non-Batman minifig. Which is your fav?

A new video for Lord of the Rings meets Assassin’s Creed action-adventure game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor has arrived today from Warner Bros. and Monolith Productions. This installment introduces the rune system players will use to upgrade Talion’s sword, bow, and dagger.

Tying in with the upgrade system, retailers Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, and Steam are each offering unique, exclusive runes to their customers. These retail-specific bonus runes include:

· Amazon – Deadly Archer Rune: Talion will deal extra damage when executing ranged headshots against Sauron’s Captains.

· Best Buy – Flame of Arnor Rune: Talion can ignite his blade by achieving a high combo count and incinerate his enemies.

· GameStop – Captain of the Watch / Hidden Blade Rune: “Captain of the Watch” character skin and the Hidden Blade Rune – Talion can deal extra damage when executing stealth attacks against Sauron’s Captains.

· Steam – Orc Slayer Rune: Talion will decimate Sauron’s Captains with increased damage from special attacks.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor launches October 7th for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II reportedly smashed pre-order records on the first day of its announcement. Now those customers with itchy pre-ordering trigger fingers know what they’re getting for their early buy-in.

Retailer-specific pre-order bonuses have been announced today and, surprisingly, they have nothing to do with in-game DLC. Here’s the current list of reservation offers:

– Amazon: Free Call of Duty: Black Ops II digital wallpaper with pre-order.

– GameStop: Free 2-sided Call of Duty: Black Ops II posters with pre-order. Free Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 prestige token for PUR members (X360/PS3 only).

– Best Buy: Free Call of Duty: Black Ops II dog tag with pre-order.

GameStop’s pre-order program actually goes even further. The poster is but the first bonus of a four-wave incentive program, with additional bonuses to be unveiled in July, August and October. I’m betting those ones will deal with DLC.

A Professional Edition for Hitman: Absolution has been unveiled today, a collectible pack including a copy of the game on PS3 or Xbox 360 (the artwork doesn’t show the PC version getting the professional treatment), a hardcover art book, an exclusive “making of” bonus disc, a clamshell box, and the “Agency Gun Pack” DLC containing immediate access to the Jagd P22G silenced pistol, while the HX UMP submachine gun and the SPS 12 semi-automatic shotgun. The official press release doesn’t drop a price, but browsing around online retailers appear to be listing it for $80. Hmmm…kinda pricey for content that’s often free with pre-order, but it looks sharp.

Speaking of pre-orders, Square Enix has lined up a selection of retailer-specific reservation bonuses, with even more bonuses to be announced in May. These are the ones that have been confirmed so far:

Amazon shoppers get the Bartoli Custom Pistol, an engineered precision weapon, complete with sight and silencer.

Best Buy shoppers get the Bronson 1928M SMG, a classic submachine gun with high fire rate and deadly stopping power.

GameStop shoppers get the Kazo TRG, the modern agency sniper rifle with upgradable scope and silencer.

Walmart shoppers get the Krugermeier 2-2 Pistol, an accurate, reliable stealth weapon with a built-in silencer.

Have you checked the weekly circulars for this first week of May? If so, you probably noticed an interesting commonality: Portal 2 is on sale EVERYWHERE!

Not even a full two weeks old yet, Valve’s ingenious portal puzzler sequel is already receiving deep price cuts at all of the major game retailers. Kmart and Amazon have the best offers going, both selling the console versions of the game for only $34.99. Best Buy and GameStop haven’t gone quite as insane, but are still slashing the regular $59.99 price down to $39.99. Amazon, Best Buy and GameStop also have the retail PC/Mac version chopped down to $29.99 (from $49.99).

It’s not uncommon to see games go on sale for $10 off shortly after release, but $20 to $25 bargain bin discounts so soon? That typically only happens to terrible and/or under-advertised games, and it’s usually a precursor for a permanent price drop. To see it happen to a hyped game like Portal 2 is surprising.

What could this mean about the early success of Portal 2? Has talk of the game being too short for full asking price (which isn’t true) induced a slower-than-expected start, leading retailers to mark it down to unload unsold launch stock? Are gamers choosing to buy the game digitally on Steam over retail? Has all the drama over the PSN hack attack scared folks away from buying the lead PS3 version? Or is it just a happy coincidence that all these retailers chose the same week to run the same sale?

Whatever the cause may be, consumers are certainly benefiting. So, if you haven’t picked up a copy of Portal 2 yet, do it NOW!

Kmart Weekly Circular [Kmart.com]
GameStop Weekly Ad [GameStop.com]
Best Buy Weekly Ad Circular [BestBuy.com]
Portal 2 Sale [Amazon.com]
Portal 2 Basically On Sale Everywhere for at Least $20 Off [Kotaku]

THQ and Volition have opened the floodgates on Red Faction: Armageddon pre-order bonuses, offering five different reservation deals depending on your choice of platform and retailer.

At GameStop and Amazon, console gamers get a free voucher for the upcoming vehicular combat spin-off Red Faction: Battlegrounds, which is scheduled for release on PSN and Xbox Live Arcade in April. GameStop customers will also receive a Commando Pack containing an armored uniform, dual laser pistols, and the Plasma Thrower.

Best Buy, on the other hand, is offering the Recon Pack that includes a recon uniform perfect for sniper and spy types, along with the Arc Welder and the XNG-5000 Nanite projectile launcher. And Walmart is handing out limited edition 24-page prequel comics / mini strategy guides.

Then there is Steam, where PC players can pre-purchase the game for a free (and gift-able) copy of Red Faction: Guerrilla.

So many different options — which will you choose?

Pre-Order Bonus Extravaganza! [Red Faction Underground]

The Nintendo 3DS launches in North America this weekend — Sunday, March 27 to be specific — and to celebrate Nintendo is hooking up with retailer Best Buy to throw a series of midnight launch parties at select stores across the U.S.

On Saturday, March 26 at 9PM EST through 2AM EST, the Union Square Best Buy in New York City will get the party started right with food, giveaways, music and, of course, hands-on Nintendo 3DS stations. The first 300 customers in line to purchase the 3DS will also receive a special carrying case to go with their shiny new handheld.

Beginning at noon, there will also be a 3DS sampler event held across the street in Union Square Park, with playable demo stations to be available for nintendogs + cats, Pilotwings Resort, Steel Diver, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition, Madden NFL Football, LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars and Asphalt 3D.

Other midnight events will be held in California, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington. Check Best Buy’s 3DS page to see if one of these events is coming to a store near you.

If you can’t make one of the launch events and/or don’t plan to purchase a 3DS on day one, swing by the nearest Best Buy anyway to sample the system in person at one of the 6,000 kiosks that will be in place at locations across the country over the coming months.

These are the four packs to pick from. The first two contain bonus armor and weapons for the two main characters, Caddoc and E’lara, and the second two come with additional content to use in the game’s dungeon creation system, Crucible. Choose wisely!

The Darkset pack, available when you pre-order through GameStop and GameStop.com, contains:

· Caddoc’s Darkset Armor – exclusive shoulder armor for Caddoc
· Caddoc’s Darkset Axe & Shield – exclusive Darkset Axe and Shield used by Caddoc
· E’lara’s Darkset Armor – exclusive magical artifact which improves E’lara’s magical abilities
· E’lara’s Darkset Light Sword – exclusive Darkset Light Sword used by E’lara

The Griffin pack, available when you pre-order through Best Buy and BestBuy.com, contains:

· Caddoc’s Griffin Bracer – exclusive magical artifact which improves Caddoc’s magical abilities
· Caddoc’s Griffin Maw Crossbow – exclusive crossbow used by Caddoc
· E’lara Griffin Hide Armor – exclusive armor used by E’lara
· E’lara’s Griffin Claw Bow – exclusive repeating bow used by E’lara

The Demon Pack, available when you pre-order through Amazon.com and Direct2Drive, contains:

· Demon Boss – Demon boss unlocked in Crucible
· Demon Level – Demon boss level unlocked in Crucible
· Annuvin – Annunvin character skin unlocked after completing the campaign
· Notch Axe – Caddoc’s notch axe unlocked

The Assassin Pack, available when you pre-order through Walmart, Walmart.com and Steam, contains:

· Assassin Boss – Assassin boss unlocked in Crucible
· Assassin Level – Assassin boss level unlocked in Crucible
· Seriphine – Seriphine character skin unlocked after completing the campaign
· Assassin Bow – E’lara’s Assassin bow unlocked

And here are a few new screenshots from the game itself.

[nggallery id=1385]

Instead of going with the usual soundtrack/art book/DLC item pre-order incentive for Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, Square Enix is handing out PSP decal sets to those who reserve a copy of the latest Disney-meets-Final-Fantasy mash-up. The decals come in pairs with both light and dark trims, and they apply to the left and right side panels on the back of the system, plastering your PSP with familiar Kingdom Hearts emblems.

OK… Yeah, I think I’d rather get an art book or soundtrack CD, or even a desktop calendar like the one that came with Dissidia. Can’t say I’m feeling the decals too much, though admittedly I’m not in the target age group for something like this.

Anyway… The typical retailer trio of Amazon, Best Buy and GameStop will be offering the decal set with pre-orders, so if you like them, pick your favorite retailer of the three and display your love of Kingdom Hearts for all to see.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep ships on September 7th for $40.