When the SmackDown vs. Raw series adopted the yearly naming scheme a few years back, many worried it meant the end of any sort of innovation and the start of annual roster updates. While Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 isn't a complete overhaul of the series by any means, a host of updates, and one new feature in particular, keep the game from feeling like just another by-the-numbers sequel.Borrowing heavily from some of the more recent sports titles, SVR initially skips the pleasantries of a menu and thrusts you directly into the ring with the brand new Training Facility -- the wrestling equivalent of a fighting game's training mode. Though wrestling games aren't quite as deep as most fighters, this mode gives beginners the chance to learn the game's mechanics at their own pace, while providing veterans a nice little SmackDown playground.

  Soon Ratchet and his robot buddy Clank will be hitting stores in Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, but long-time fans of the series have something to look forward to for their loyalty. Kotaku noticed that older Ratchet game save files unlock bonuses in the upcoming sequel. Having a save file of the previous disc-based game Tools of Destruction grants a nice bolt discount at Time's weapon-vendors. Meanwhile, if you have a save file from the download-only Quest for Booty, you get a sweet pirate hat (above) for your game's community avatar. This is only for the community section, however, which seems to mean Ratchet can't sport the fashionable headwear in the game's actual stages.We're not sure if this includes any save file, or only a completed one. If it's the former, simply borrowing the Tools of Destruction disc from a friend could grant you the discount easily. But Tools of Destruction was a well-made game on its own as well, so if you're going to attempt that somewhat underhanded method, you should probably just play it too.[Image courtesy of Kotaku.]

  By now, mandatory installs are a pretty accepted part of PlayStation 3 games, but one of the highest-profile upcoming titles will be install-free: Final Fantasy XIII. IGN reports that the game won't include a hard disk installation. Despite this, however, the game is said to be low on load times. Game director Motomu Toriyama claimed that the developer has concentrated from the start on keeping loading times low, and the only time a player will see a load is going between a town and a field. Besides that, the game is said to flow smoothly.This is all related to the PS3 version, of course. Since the Xbox 360 allows optional installations for all games, it would stand to reason that FFXIII would allow it. But seeing as the game is likely to take up multiple discs on the system, players might have to install one disc at a time when swapping. We'll have to wait for more details on how that will work, but for now the Japanese PS3-exclusive is probably more on the minds at Square.

  Looking to delve deeper into the world of Uncharted 2? Lead designer Neill Druckmann announced on the official PlayStation blog that an Uncharted prequel is coming to the PlayStation Store this afternoon in the form of an episodic motion comic.Titled Uncharted: Eye of Indra, this series of four video segments is set several months prior to the events of the first game. Druckmann promises that plenty of the voice actors from Uncharted 2 will be reprising their roles in Eye of Indra, but he wouldn't specify exactly who would be returning from the original cast -- other than Nolan North as Nathan Drake, that is.Like any seasoned drug peddler, Sony is giving the first episode of Uncharted: Eye of Indra away for free. The remaining three parts of the series will arrive in November, presumably for a fee -- though Druckmann hints that you may be getting more than just motion comics with your purchase. Perhaps Naughty Dog plans on bundling these videos with some form of add-on content for Uncharted 2?

  Would you be willing to pay to play Monster Hunter Tri online? According to MTV Multiplayer, Capcom is wondering the same thing.At the moment, Japanese fans must pay 800 Wii Points ($8) for one month of online play, 1500 Wii Points ($15) for two months and 2000 Wii Points ($20) for three months). That would be unlikely to go over well in North America, where only Xbox Live and massively multiplayer games like World of WarCraft have subscription fees.A similar system was in place for the PlayStation 2's Monster Hunter G, but was removed for the western release. When 1UP spoke with Capcom representatives at TGS, they said that based on the franchise's past history in North America, Monster Hunter Tri's online play would likely be free as well.

  Earlier this week 1UP editors Sam Kennedy, Tina Sanchez, David Ellis, and Thierry "Scooter" Nguyen ventured to a bar in San Francisco's Tenderloin district to get a first look at Army of Two: The 40th Day's multiplayer modes. Here are their impressions from that event. Sam: So last night we finally got to check out Army of Two: The 40th Day's multiplayer. I have to say, I really wasn't expecting much from it -- I mean, multiplayer really was such an afterthought in the first game -- but it seems EA is actually putting a lot of resources behind it this time around. There are a bunch of different multiplayer modes, and the one we played the most was Control, a sort of zone mode where the objective was to hold onto territory in strategic locations for as long as possible to gain points. What'd you guys think of that?

  Over the past year, Ubisoft has trickled out Assassin's Creed 2 information, from the new weapons and armor (and their cosmetic improvements) to the tweaks made to the game's overall mechanics. But during a recent press event in Florence, Italy, Ubisoft provided me with my first opportunity to sit down and get comfortable with the controls. Though I spent the majority of my time in the virtual world, I also got to hit the streets of the city and see actual locations that have been put into the game (look for a photo blog coming soon!).OpeningAssassin's Creed 2 starts off literally where the first game ended. You're staring at a wall of bloody graffiti as a brief recap of the first game's events goes by. You play as Desmond Miles, the descendant in a long line of professional assassins, and up until now, that's a life you had always avoided. But the evil Abstergo Corporation (a front for an organization bent on world domination and mortal enemies of the Assassins) kidnapped you in the first Assassin's Creed and attempted to delve into your memories with the Animus machine in order to recover the location of ancient, powerful artifacts. Then Lucy, your confidant from the first game steps onto the scene, a little bloody as alarms blare in the background. And that's when things start to get exciting.

  EA 2D is set to release Dragon Age Journeys today, a browser-based tactical RPG based on the upcoming Dragon Age Origins. If you're interested in picking up Origins, you might want to check it out -- there are prizes in it for you.According to a Q&A in the Dragon Age Journeys developer's blog, "By completing certain accomplishments in Journeys, you can unlock 3 items for use when you purchase a copy of Dragon Age: Origins for the PC, Xbox 360 or PS3.""By playing DAJ while signed in with your EA account, these items will automatically be added to your inventory in DA:O when you sign in with that same account. These entitlements work across all three platforms."

  Ignition Entertainment is bringing another Wii-exclusive Japanese RPG over to North America. The publisher has announced that they will be publishing Arc Rise Fantasia, the first console title by 7th Dragon and Luminous Arc developer imageepoch."We are absolutely thrilled to bring Arc Rise Fantasia to a western audience," said former 1UP editor and current Ignition Business Development Director Shane Bettenhausen."It's an ambitious Japanese role-playing game with deep gameplay, top-notch production values, and an unforgettable story line -- Wii owners have been pining for a massive fantasy epic and their patience will definitely be rewarded."

  Super Street Fighter IV will be arriving on consoles next year, but Capcom hasn't yet decided whether it will be getting a similar release in arcades. However, it wouldn't be hard to make the upgrade.According to Capcom's Seth Killian (via Kotaku), upgrading existing arcade machines is a simple matter of installing new software and changing the cabinet's artwork. It's a far cry from the days of Street Fighter II Turbo, when upgrading meant switching out dedicated boards.As a result, should Capcom decide to release Super Street Fighter IV to the arcades, the transition would be fairly painless, a Capcom spokesperson said.