Microsoft 
is sending out some early holiday gifts to long-time Xbox Live users.
With the 10th anniversary of the online service upon us, the console maker has been sending some of its oldest subscribers a special present: A brand new, limited-edition Xbox 360.
Well, 
we know at least one part of Black Ops II’s near-future vision won’t be coming true.
While the Call of Duty series strives for a sense of authenticity amidst the over-the-top game scenarios — and it usually hits pretty close to the mark — current events are casting doubt on one feature of Black Ops II: the casting of former CIA director David Petraeus as the Secretary of Defense in 2025.
Three 
months after suffering a security breach that affected millions of players, Blizzard Entertainment is facing a class action lawsuit from users who say they should have been protected better.
Carney Williams Bates Pulliam & Bowman, PLLC, a law firm in the Central District of California, has filed the suit against the publisher on behalf of players. (It’s worth noting that no user financial data was reported taken during the attack.)
Link, 
the hero of Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda series, has gone through gender reassignment, and is now a heroine.
Well, at least in Mike Hoye’s house.
You 
could be forgiven for thinking the combination of Angry Birds and Star Wars is little more than an unholy marketing union. The mash-up, on the surface, at least, has potential disaster written all over it.
But like peanut butter and chocolate, it turns out this pop-culture odd couple works great together, and is certain to delight fans of both franchises. Available today for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, and Windows and Mac computers, it could actually turn out to be the Angry Birds game you were looking for.
There’s 
a lot we still don’t know about Halo’s Master Chief, but it’s safe to say very few of us thought he’d be a classic rock DJ.
Steve Downes has given the Halo hero his voice since the very beginning. When he’s not busy battling the Covenant, blasting the Promethians, or chatting with Cortana, you can find him on WDRV (“The Drive”) in Chicago.
Struggling 
publisher THQ is looking even more vulnerable after the company announced plans Tuesday to push back the release of its three biggest upcoming releases and suspend all earnings guidance for the foreseeable future.
The company also announced it had hired an adviser to help it review its options and find new ways to raise money. Investors were quick to punish the company’s stock, with THQ shares plunging 42 percent Wednesday morning.
In 
the end, things worked out pretty good for Harv Bennett, the Pomona, CA man who recently unearthed a copy of the incredibly rare Atari 2600 game Air Raid.
You might recall his story: After reading up about the scarcity of the game, Harv and his daughter Alana went treasure hunting in the family storage shed, excitedly finding Harv’s pristine copy amidst stacks of other Atari 2600 games. After verifying its authenticity, they put it up for bidding at video game auction site Gamegavel.com, hoping collectors would go nuts.
They did.
Another 
classic video game from id Software is on the way to movie theaters. Let’s just hope it turns out better than “Doom.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Castle Wolfenstein is ready for its close-up. Roger Avary, who co-created the story for “Pulp Fiction,” will handle the writing and directing duties. At present, there’s no estimated release date for the film.
Former 
Red Sox ace Curt Schilling’s bad luck in the video game industry didn’t end with the closure of his development studio. In fact, it could be about to get a lot worse.
The state of Rhode Island is suing the founder of 38 Studios — and several others — over the $75 million loan it made to the company, saying they “knew or should have known … that 38 Studios was destined to fail.”
Chris Morris: Journalist 