It's no secret that the Xbox 360 received the lion's share of Modern Warfare 2 purchases during last month's retail blitz and Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg certainly knows it, telling us not too long ago that it was the "best November ever" for the console. So when G4TV recently asked Greenberg how a theoretical November 2009 without Modern Warfare 2 launching would have looked for the company in terms of console sales, we weren't shocked to see the Xbox exec say, "November without Modern Warfare 2 would have looked very different."

Besides the MW2-branded Xbox 360's affect on overall console sales ("hundreds of thousands," he claims), Greenberg guesses "we would have probably sold less consoles ... to be honest." In his eyes, MW2's launch was "an event" that convinced consumers to purchase the game over not just other games, but also over "buying an iPod or instead of going to a movie." Considering the game got its own branded drink -- though not the branded drink -- we think it's clear that the game has nearly reached Independence Day status.

We've been doing this Joystiq thing for a while now and, after sifting through years of traffic data, we think we finally know what you're all here for: shirtless Jake Gyllenhaal. It's okay, we're big fans of the guy's pecs, lats, abs, and peclatabs too. As such, we knew we had to post this behind-the-scenes look at Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, not for its juicy interview bits nor to see the picturesque locales where the crew filmed, but for those few seconds of Gyllenhaal in all his shirtless glory. The video is right after the break. You're entirely welcome, internet.

[Via Latino Review]

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Welcome to Joystiq's "Naughty or Nice" holiday giveaway extravaganza! It's simple: Just follow the instructions below to enter for your chance to win. Ah, but to win what? There's always a catch, isn't there? Each "Naughty or Nice" giveaway features two prizes: a totally sweet bundle of holiday cheer and, um, a lump of coal. Winners are selected randomly, we assure you. Of course, who's to say luck isn't dependent on virtue ... Have you been naughty? Or nice?

To enter this giveaway:

• Leave a comment on this post telling us if you've been "naughty" or "nice" this year. (Note: Your response will not affect your chance of winning any of the prizes in this giveaway.)
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec).
• Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day.
  
• This entry period ends at 12:00 pm ET on Tuesday, December 22. We'll randomly select two grand prize winners at that time to each receive QVC's "Nintendo Wii Gaming System w/ Accessories, Case & Games" (Item #E165361; product page), "Nintendo Wii Fit Plus & Accessory Kit w/ Mat & Balance Board" (Item #E165402), and New Super Mario Bros. Wii for Nintendo Wii (Total ARV: $597); and one first prize winner to receive Bass Pro Shops: The Strike w/ Rod and Reel Controller for Xbox 360 (ARV: $80) -- please check your emails!
• For a list of complete rules, click here.

Many thanks to QVC for our featured grand prize: A custom Nintendo Wii Gaming System Bundle and custom Wii Fit Plus & Accessory Kit Bundle. Even better? Two grand prize winners each receive both bundles. Better still? We're tossing in a copy of New Super Mario Bros. Wii for each winner -- call it the cherry on top.

Of course, the Wii isn't your only opportunity to experience compelling motion-based gameplay. One first prize winner will receive Bass Pro Shops: The Strike with an "extremely life-like" fishing rod controller for Xbox 360. (Xbox 360 system not included.) "Whether casting, jigging, setting the hook, or reeling a fish in, you'll be amazed by the sensitivity and feedback the fishing rod controller provides."

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What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. For more info on our policy, click here.

Microsoft's taken steps to appeal to the casual crowd, sure. The first was NXE, which brought us all things like Avatars and Netflix, with subsequent updates adding Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm. These are experiences meant to broaden the appeal of the Xbox 360 to casual gamers, a group that Microsoft spokesperson David Dennis told GI.biz is pretty tricky to hook.

Project Natal will play a big part in Microsoft's continuing goal to interest more casual players, Dennis said. He compared the interactive, controller-less experience to having the broad appeal of a title like Wii Fit -- something Dennis calls "an experience done right" that goes beyond the core yet still manages to "capture the imagination of the core." It's this dual-catering that Dennis thinks Natal excel at, as he predicts the hardware will enable experiences that the core will look forward to, as well as "casual game experiences that are easy to jump in and play."

In the interim, we offer Microsoft this ProTip for appealing to more casual players: Make more games with "Party" in the title. Who doesn't like a party?

This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. Here's what we learned from Naughty Dog's Evan Wells about Uncharted 2.

Are we going to see any campaign DLC?

Well, that certainly is a possibility but right now we're focusing on multiplayer. We're working on some new maps, we have a couple of new game modes in the works, and a lot of skins. So we're going to focus on that right now.

Has anything surprised you since launch?

Oh, completely. We've been updating our online functionality constantly. We have a new patch coming out later this month, we're improving the load times, we've added leaderboards, we've added clan tags. So really, we're continuing to expand on the online functionality.

We can see calling yourself a hero if you jump into a burning building to save the mayor's newborn son. That's heroism. But what if you're just one in a group of 3 million, as is now the case with EA's free-to-play (but not necessarily free-to-be-good-at) shooter, Battlefield Heroes? Can you really still be a "hero" then? Aren't you just more of a brave dude? Actual hero or not, everyone will get to enjoy a brand new, single-control-point map, "Sunset Showdown," released to mark the occasion.

Semantics aside, we'll be interested to see if the game can continue to grow after the afore-linked-to pricing changes, or if this is the last peak before a downward slide, into sunset.

There's nothing quite like the feeling of exchanging your very own hard-earned cash for virtual ducats, knowing you'll never get it back. As it turns out, Japanese publisher Square Enix is a big fan of your money, and has just introduced its own proprietary currency to Japan.

Named "Crysta" (not just the name of that questionable girl from your high school anymore!), the virtual money can be used for "online community games like Party Castle ... MMO Fantasy Earth Zero, and to purchase soundtracks off the Square Enix e-Store," according to Siliconera. No announcement has been made on whether or not "Crysta" will end up in North America just yet, but we imagine that Square Enix would be happy to take our money as well.

Sadly, pre-ordering a copy of Divinity II: Ego Draconis from GameStop won't net you any divinity. Or any dragons, for that matter. What you do get for putting your money down on a copy of the Xbox 360 sequel to Divine Divinity is some exclusive in-game armor and armaments, representing the Blood Echelon, "a select lodge of elite Dragon Slayers who have earned the highest of distinctions on the battlefield."

Both online and in-store pre-orderers will be entitled to look like they're in the Blood Echelon when they freely roam around Divinity II's landscapes, reading minds. But only if they buy the Xbox version: the PC release does not list any bonus items. Divinity II will be available December 29.

This trailer for Star Ocean: The Last Hope International, the new PS3 version of the once Xbox 360-exclusive RPG, starts off by introducing a bunch of characters. It's like the trailer is showing off that all these anime stereotypes and more can be yours if you just play the game. And then there's some fighting.

If you like the Japanese voice work you hear in this trailer (that is, if you don't mind not being able to understand it), remember that the International release will feature both English and Japanese voice tracks, in addition to several subtitle languages. It'll be out February 9, just before the spring 2010 release of an actually new tri-Ace RPG.

[Via Famitsu]

The average American viewed over 9 million advertising messages over the past decade -- logically, a few would stick out in your mind as being better than the rest. Advertising trade publication Adweek recently voted on the best piece of video marketing to be released this decade. Two video game ads you might remember made the final nominees: "Diorama," for Halo 3, and "Mountain," for the PlayStation 2.

Sadly, both of these ads lost to Honda's "Grrr" ad -- if only Sony's "Horrifying, Reverse-Weeping Baby" spot had made it into the list of nominees, the company could have brought home the gold.

[Via IndustryGamers]

EA has just announced that a new round of pummelers and pummelees have signed on for EA Sports MMA. The game's site lists seven new fighters in total: Cung Le, Gilbert Melendez, Robbie Lawler, Ronaldo Souza, Matt Lindland, Scott Smith, and Josh Thomson -- a few of whom have participated in UFC fights in the past. Considering the UFC president's stance toward EA's game, we have to wonder if their participation jeopardizes their chances with the UFC in the future.

We've also got a few in-game screenshots for you to train with. Practice your virtual arm bars by checking 'em out in the gallery below.

[Via @EASPORTSMMA]

Japanese gamers are braving the cold right now, waiting on line to pick up Final Fantasy XIII. Square Enix and Sony have partnered up to create a limited edition bundle that includes a copy of the game, a white controller, and a pink Lightning-emblazoned 250GB PS3 Slim system.

It's unlikely this system will ever be officially released outside of Asia. Unless you're looking to do some import shopping, these pics from Joystiq Japan's Ittousai are the closest you'll get to owning the first-ever special edition PS3 Slim.

Much like the comical co-host of The Tonight Show with Conan O' Brien, we were infuriated by Hugh Jackman's victory in the "Best Male Voice Actor" category during last week's Video Game Awards ceremony. That Vector Monkey was destined to land in the hands of Andy Richter, who, you may or may not know, provided the voice of Assassin's Creed 2's titular killer, Ezio Auditore de Firenze a Lamborghini et Manicotti Formaggio.

You can view Richter's outburst, as well as a bit of his work in the game, in the Tonight Show clip posted on the show's official site.

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After a strong 2009, Sony plans to focus its efforts in the coming year on some new initiatives -- notably the still unnamed and, with a "Spring 2010 release," curiously under-promoted PlayStation Motion Controller, 3D games, and the PlayStation Network. In a recent GamePro interview, Sony marketing head John Koller said the company will be focusing on these "three big pillars" going forward, and detailed its plans to expand on each. "I think the areas that are going to be really critical to our success will be family games, as well as shooters and sports games ... they're areas that quite honestly, I think Project Natal and the Wii are going to have trouble matching," he said of the company's motion controller plans.

Without getting too specific, the PlayStation Network will apparently be seeing the addition of "a number of very critically demanded features" in the coming year, while the company strives to reach day-and-date release parity between UMD-based PSP games and their digital counterparts from third-party devs on PSN. He even teased the concept of "placing you as a consumer into the game physically" -- an idea he called "the Holy Grail of gaming." We get the feeling 2010 is going to be kind of a weird year, folks.

Though we had little more than names to go on before, Ubisoft let some details slip today about the two forthcoming chunks of Assassin's Creed 2 DLC, due at the end of January and end of February respectively. In "Battle of Forli" ($3.99), you'll defend Forli (surprise) from the Orsi brothers with the aid of Machiavelli and Caterina Sforza. With six new memories, the DLC will allow you to "accomplish a daring rescue and prevent the Piece of Eden from falling into the hands of the Templars." Also, the flying machine is back!

In "Bonfire of the Vanities" ($4.99), you and Machiavelli will free Florence from "the grip of the mad monk Savonarola" by offing his underlings in ten memories. There's also a new district of Florence, and a new move for Ezio: the spring-jump, as if his similarity to Luigi wasn't already striking enough.

As many have speculated, the two additions fill in the missing sequences (12 and 13) from the game, meaning the DLC is a great buy for people who love murder and people with obsessive-compulsive disorder.