Crytek, the German-based developer responsible most notably for the Crysis series, has made significant improvements to its acclaimed game engine, CryENGINE 3. Eligible developers will be able to put the updated engine to work right away.

Take a look folks at the future of gaming visuals.

This week the PS3-exclusive release of House Of The Dead 4 and a beta for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Future Soldier get top billing. The store’s also the likes of Dead Rising 2: Off The Record, NHL 12 and Disgaea 3 for the Vita.

Those hungry for DLC may find sizable Uncharted 3 and Kingdoms of Amalur content packs to their liking.

Go on in and have a look.

LEVEL-5′s Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a title which lies somewhere in the periphery of most gamers most anticipated lists. Due in large part to the J-RPG’s seemingly requisite obscure title and yet more atypical narrative.

However fans able to look past the game’s inherent eccentricities will find some of the most eye-pleasing visuals the PS3 has produced to date. Have a look for yourself.

Few franchises are synonymous with a single gameplay mechanic the way that Max Payne is with ‘bullet time’. The tortured former NYPD officer has been evading and plugging ne’er-do-wells thanks to the subdued effects of father time since his PS2 debut.

With Max Payne 3′s mid-May debut fast approaching, Rockstar Games would like to give a look at the continued evolution of ‘bullet time’.

Chessboxing is a thing, so why not Grand Theft Chess? Maybe the name leaves a little something to be desired but given this week’s store update Grand Theft Chess could definitely work. Pure Chess and Grand Theft Auto Episodes From Liberty City make their debut for your gaming pleasure.

Other highlights include Stardrone Extreme for the Vita, Goldeneye 007: Reloaded and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II.

Go have yourself a look.

This week the our beloved store receives a bundle of Rockstar’s more popular add-ons in Grand Theft Auto IV Episodes From Liberty City as well as the ultra-stylized, hyper 2-D fighter, SkullGirls. But let us not bury the lead. Capcom brings us World Gone Sour. A Sour Patch Kids (yes the candy) themed platformer which conjures fond memories, perhaps not fond but memories none the less, of Yo! Noid and Chex Quest.

Other highlights include an Uncharted 3 map pack, a pair of Vita games and the defiant appearance of yet more Rock Band song downloads.

Take a look.

You may not know it but we stand on the precipice of one of the most important development decisions in video game history. One whose ripple effects will be felt throughout the industry moving forward.

If BioWare goes ahead with the purported changes to the Mass Effect 3 ending, it stands to set a damning precedent potentially hamstringing the creative integrity of future creative endeavors.

You’d think the apocalypse would spell the end of all things but that couldn’t be further from the truth in video games. The end of the world is right when the fun starts. Ubisoft’s I Am Alive hits the store today, putting players in the tremendously average shoes of an every-man hero clinging to life amid the desolation of the end of days.

Other highlights include post-apocalyptic racer, Wheels Of Destruction as well as brand-new downloads for the recently reviewed Street Fighter X Tekken, SSX and Asura’s Wrath.

Have a look for yourself.

PlayStation Plus once again proves itself to be worth your while with a bounty of 5 free games available for download this week. Holdovers and stingy spenders like myself will find it difficult to resist the temptation of the Plus.

Other highlights include multiple discounts on Mortal Kombat themed content, the debut of I Am Alive and the introduction of the Amazon Instant Video App.

Have yourself a look.

There really isn’t much to speak of hitting the store this week on the European front. Unless of course you’ve been pining to relive the salad days of the arcade with the likes of Metal Slug 2 and The King of Fighters ’96.

Highlights are hard to come by this week but there is a full game download for the latest in the always solid Tiger Woods PGA Tour series as well as plenty of DLC to pick through.

How about we go ahead and have a look?

An award-winning indie game appears on the store this week in the form of Closure. The puzzler brings over 100 reality bending puzzles for you to enjoy.

Also coming to the store are full game downloads of FIFA 12 and Supremacy MMA for the Vita. PlayStation Plus members will notice a bounty of discounts.

There’s something for everyone. Check it out.

Thanks to the Twitter savvy studio heads at Naughty Dog we’ve been granted a selection of very intimate, very disturbing close-ups of the infected which will hunt you down and haunt your dreams in the upcoming PS3-exclusive, The Last of Us.

They’re gross. Exceptionally, unforgettably gross.

For developer BioWare, Mass Effect 3 represents perhaps the highest degree of difficulty that any studio has faced leading into a project. With two stellar games already seeded in the public consciousness, the third and conclusive act in the Mass Effect series comes with heaps of well-earned pressure. BioWare’s ambitious directive to carry specific player decisions over the entirety of the trilogy also creates a unique set of circumstances and expectations surrounding the final chapter.

With that in mind you’d be hard pressed to find another studio anyone would rather trust with the biggest RPG release in recent memory than the Canadian-based studio. Chances are you started putting money aside for ME3 right around the time ME2 wrapped up, however those with lingering doubts should quickly put them to bed. Mass Effect 3 is a masterpiece that demands to be played.

This week the PlayStation Store says to hell with new games in favor of a selection of games you may remember or totally missed altogether. Three Assassin’s Creed titles are ready for download along with Rayman 3 HD. This is as good a week as any to whittle down that backlog of downloadable titles you’ve been meaning to play.

Other highlights include downloadable content for Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning and…let’s see here…a Vita demo. What can we say, it’s a slow week.

Who knows you may find something to your liking, head on in and check it out.

If you like yourself some PSOne era Final Fantasy get ready to open your wallet. Discounts for 7 the most beloved RPGs ever to come out of Japan hit the store with Plus members getting even steeper price cuts.

Other highlights include new DLC for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and a new Vita title.

Go on in and have a look.

Already successful in the literary and television realms, The Walking Dead begins the lifeless, meandering advancement to the PS3.

Every year the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) hosts the British Academy Video Games Awards to honor the best in video games from the past year.

Awards from 18 categories were presented to development studios who achieved excellence in 2011 at an event held this past Friday.

Coming off the success of the original LEGO Batman, Traveler’s Tales has discovered a way to improve the Dark Knight’s blocky experience. It’s very simple really, more super heroes.

The Man of Steel, Green Lantern, Lex Luthor and more get their LEGO makeovers. See how they look in the game’s announcement trailer.

The sprawling adventure that is Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning stands to receive a substantial addition next week with a download titled, “The Legend of Dead Kel”.

Have a look at the trailer before the DLC hits your PlayStation Store. Pirates, treasure and ominous mist abound.