Week In Review: 05/01

This week we covered the surprise partnership between Activision and Bungie, unloaded a ton of new Bulletstorm and Dead Rising 2 coverage, and severely chastised Dan for his Achievement hacking. It's time for the Week In Review!

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

1. Bungie/Activision Partnership Coverage:
   Considering what's happening at Infinity Ward, most gamers don't have a lot of love for Activision right now. But that doesn't mean the publisher's new deal with Bungie isn't in everyone's best interest – including yours. In our coverage of the announcement, we talked to Bungie about its upcoming plans, discussed the future of Halo, and even got Gearbox's Randy Pitchford to weigh in on the subject.
2. Red Dead Redemption: The First Few Hours:
   When Bertz told me that Red Dead Redemption is like a cross between GTA and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, I was sold – and more than a little jealous that we was already playing it. At least the rest of us have five pages of impressions to tide us over until May 18, right?
3. Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta: A Live Journal:
   On Friday, Miller dipped his toes into the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta and started blogging his impressions. He detailed the new customization options, the new modes, the new armor abilities, and a bunch of other new stuff. And unlike our Red Dead preview, this one only has to tide players over until May 3!
4. Special Edition Podcast: Bulletstorm:
   Remember when we asked you to tell us everything you want to know about Bulletstorm? Well, we listened, and answered as many of your questions as we could in this special edition podcast dedicated solely to People Can Fly's insane new shooter.
5. Dead Rising 2: The Evolution Of Chuck:
   In this exclusive feature, Jeff Cork takes a look at how Dead Rising 2's Chuck Greene changed during the development process. Be on the look out for the model that looks just like Aaron Eckhart – it's so similar it's spooky!
6. The Best Comic Book Games Never Made:
   Screw Spider-Man and Batman: This week Meagan took a look at cool comic books that deserve their own video game. My vote? The one with the naked zombie women...
7. Hands-On With Madden NFL 11:
   Gamers like accusing EA of releasing a new Madden every year with only minor tweaks to gameplay, but this year it's just not true. EA Tiburon has completely revamped how Madden NFL 11 plays. Are the changes for the better? Or will longtime fans be disappointed? Bertz has all the details.
8. Killing With Style: A Look At Bulletstorm's Skillshots:
   My biggest problem with first-person shooters? They never reward me for shooting players in the head after I've shot them in the testicles. Bulletstorm's Skillshots will correct this problem, and award players for a wide variety of other insane shenanigans. These examples should give you an idea of what to expect.
9. Unboxing Record Of Agarest War Limited Edition:
   Record of Agarest War is a game for perverts. Perverts who shell out even more money can get a limited edition packed with extra stuff. What kind of stuff? Jeff Cork details the game's disturbing contents in this hilarious unboxing story.
10. Achievement Scandal Rocks Game Informer Offices:
    Poor Dan Ryckert is a slave to his Achievement addiction, but this time he crossed a line: he used PC hacks to unlock Fallout 3 Achievements. Luckily, Reiner caught him in the act, and Commissioner of Vault Check-In Jeff Cork handed down a 50-day suspension! It's dramatic and funny at the same time! Be sure to also read Dan's blog post in which he admits his shameful actions.

And now here are the top 25 news stories from the week:

1. Supreme Court To Address Video Game Legislation
2. Thief Steals Super Street Fighter IV Tournament Footage
3. The Sims 3 Coming To Consoles This Fall
4. Mysterious Dead Space 2 Package Arrives At Game Informer
5. Inside Madden NFL 11 With New Screens & Vids
6. Activision Sued By New "Infinity Ward Employee Group"
7. Sackboy Joins ModNation Racers As Playable Character
8. Analyst: Infinity Ward Might Close
9. Jane Jensen's New Adventure Game Coming To 360
10. Activision Publishing CEO Resigns
11. Play Super Mario Bros. As Mega Man, Link, Samus, And More
12. Square Enix Discusses Final Fantasy V & VI On DS
13. NCAA Football 11: Making a Monument
14. Microsoft Game Room Updates On Indefinite Hold
15. What If Kratos Had Moved Beyond The Greek Gods?
16. The First Dead Space 2 Trailer Unveiled
17. California Man Becomes First To "Beat" Bejeweled 2
18. Uncharted 2 Art Book Is 250+ Pages Of Pretty
19. Steam Venting To Mac This May
20. [UPDATE] Call Of Duty: Black Ops Set In Cold War?
21. APB Gets Date & Unique Price Structure
22. Sony Registers Infamous 2 Website
23. Team Fortress 2 Celebrates 119 Updates
24. Mega Bulletstorm Screenshot Gallery
25. New Batch Of Halo: Reach Screenshots Released

Be sure to also check out this week's regular features: Respec Radio Ep. 8, Discussing WoW's new raid system; Replay, featuring Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain; This Week In Add-Ons, covering new DLC for Just Cause 2 and Dante's Inferno; and Impulse Weekly, covering Tecmo Bowl Throwback, Kick-Ass, and Puzzle Chronicles. Finally, Annette is back from her shoulder surgery, so if you're looking for more content from the editors, check out her latest Blog Herding post. Also, a special thanks to everyone who voted for our site in this year's Webbys! See you next week!