This week we kicked off our month of exclusive Bulletstorm coverage, looked at some under-rated DS titles, and revealed the last two contenders in our Mario Madness tournament. We also watched the continued fallout of the Activision/Infinity Ward drama. It's time for the Week In Review!

Here were this week's top ten Game Informer exclusives:

1. Creating The Bulletstorm Cover:
   In this exclusive video interview, Epic art director Chris Perna explains the process of creating this month's cover art, lists some of the pulp sci-fi inspirations behind his creation, and professes his his love of nuclear lepers.
2. Painkiller Retrospective:
   People Can Fly's first shooter was Painkiller, and it was every bit as crazy as Bulletstorm looks to be. What was the inspiration behind the game? Perhaps this quote from creative director Adrian Chmielarz explains it best: "Pfffff. Dude. That was 2002! Hang on, what was the idea? Hmm. I was drunk..."
3. Mario Madness Championship:
   Readers have been eliminating Mario games left and right in our epic Mario Madness tournament, and we're now down to the two greatest Mario games of all time. Which games are they? And which title will reign supreme? Check the hub page to find out, and cast your vote for the winner!
4. Shameless Plug: Game Informer Nominated For A Webby:
   That's right, our website has been nominated for a Webby award, and we're taking this competition seriously. So do us a favor and vote for our website, then post a tweeter on HotBotDotYahoo to get your Facebuddies involved. I don't know what any of that means – or what a Webby is for that matter – but thankfully I'm not in charge of any design decisions for the website, either!
5. Under The Radar: DS Titles Worth Your Time:
   With all the crappy shovelware on Nintendo's handhelds, it's easy for quality titles to be overlooked by the gaming public. Annette Gonzalez set out to correct this problem by schooling gamers on what underrated DS titles are worth playing.
6. It's Under Control: Checking Out Parental Controls On Consoles:
   Jeff Cork has little kids at home, so sometimes he regales us with stories of being a parent. When those stories don't involve children pooping in their pants, they oftentimes detail the difficulties gaming parents can have with content that's inappropriate for children. In this feature Jeff takes a look at the parental controls on all three consoles, and sees how easy they are to use.
7. Overheard: GI Staff Quotables #9:
   Every couple of weeks Annette compiles a list of the most ridiculous quotes she hears around the Game Informer office for her blog. This most recent edition covers Dan Ryckert's amazing Civil War era beard, and the staff's disturbing love of wiener jokes.
8. Who Are You? Define Yourself With Gaming Math:
   This week Andy confessed his nerdy fondness for making up math equations to explain different video games, and soon dozens of readers pitched in their own humorous equations as well. Maybe these equations are the missing pieces to Stephen Hawking's Unified Theory of Everything...
9. Avalanche: From Mortal Kombat To Toy Story 3:
   Jeff Cork brought back a ton of information from his visit to Avalanche for this month's look at Toy Story 3. In this feature, he compiled the best random stories from the developer's past into one mega post. Jeff's tip for reading it? "Pack a lunch." Despite that glowing endorsement, there are a lot of interesting behind-the-scenes tidbits to be found here.
10. Splinter Cell: Conviction Review:
    Sam Fisher is back and grumpier than ever in the newest installment of the Splinter Cell franchise. This game has everyone in the office sneaking around in the shadows and smashing each other's heads into urinals during impromptu interrogations. But does that mean we actually like the game, or are we just inherently violent? Read the review to find out.

And now here are the top 28 news stories from the week:

1. Rumor: ‘Apocalypse Now’ Game In Development?
2. West, Zampella Form NewStudio, Sign With EA [Update] 
3. Red Dead Redemption: Gunslingers Game Hits Facebook
4. Interview: Zampella & West Speak On Respawn, EA Partners
5. New Developer Vatra Taking the Reins Of Silent Hill Franchise
6. Google Fills New Games Position
7. Fable III Introduces Co-op…With Benefits
8. First Look: Gears Of War 3
9. Pachter: Slim 360/Natal/250GB Bundle
10. Skate 3 Developer Diary All About The Meat
11. Average Developer Salary In 2009: $75,573
12. Blackhawks Hoist Cup In NHL 10 Sim
13. Yakuza 4 One Of Japan’s Best Selling PS3 Games
14. 2K Games Announces XCOM FPS Reboot
15. Frank West and Monster Hunter En Route To Lost Planet 2
16. Free Splinter Cell: Conviction DLC Coming Weekly
17. Most Boring Game Ever? Government Turns to Microsoft To Balance Budget
18. Syndicate Copyrighted By EA And Starbreeze
19. Lost Planet 2 Video Shows Off Crazy Desert Dwellers
20. How Natal Will Watch You And Your Family
21. Infinity Ward Bloodletting Continues
22. God Of War And Pokemon Conquer March NPD Sales
23. Modern Warfare 2 Now Second-Best-Selling Game Ever
24. Sam & Max Invade Team Fortress 2
25. NCAA Football 11 Turns To ESPN
26. Mario Gets Caught In The Clouds in Super Mario Galaxy 2
27. Infinity Ward Continuing To Fall Apart, According to Source
28. Bungie Unveils New Halo: Reach Multiplayer Modes

Be sure to also check out this week's regular features: The Game Informer Show 24, covering Splinter Cell: Conviction, Konami's lineup, and the Activision/Infinity Ward debacle; Replay, featuring everyone's favorite annelid, Earthworm Jim; Impulse Weekly, covering Final Fight: Double Impact and Military Madness: Nectaris; and this month's Game Informer Staff Page, featuring the crew's interests and dislikes. For more from our editors and the community, check out Blog Herding. See you next week!