Xbox

News Roundup •••• CNN published an extensive and interesting piece about the genre of game commentary videos and its most popular producer, “SeaNanners.” I suppose it depends on the game, but it seems this whole “video games as a spectator sport” thing is gaining some traction. We did it, America. [ CNN ] •••• Domain registration clues have lead folks to discern that box office smash “The Avengers” will get a console tie-in game called “Battle for Earth.” With summer blockbuster tie-ins having a dodgy track record, let's hope this is more than just a platform-style runthrough of the film.

News Roundup •••• Wouldn't it be fun to buy a monthly fee for your Xbox and Kinect like you do with your cell phone? It looks like that's going to be an option for folks who want to pay $99 for hardware then shell out around $15 a month as a subscription fee. [ The Verge , h/t @ KingPajamas ] •••• Bethesda has been hard at work at “The Elder Scrolls Online” since 2007, but its existence was finally confirmed this week. The MMO will take place before the events of the console games, and from the early details released, seems like it will be your bog standard medieval fantasy MMO set in a world players already know.

Six months after the game's initial release, the whispers of the first expansion pack for Bethesda Softworks' "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" have finally been confirmed . The pack is titled "Dawnguard. " The name is, as far as we know, unique within the Elder Scrolls universe, and isn't referenced in any in-game literature (according to the very useful Elder Scrolls Wiki ). If you consider the "Dawn" part of the name, the location immediately seems to point to the northern Skyrim city of Dawnstar, which is near the edge of the current playable map. Of course, "Dawn" could point to time, not location.

News Roundup •••• Some extremely juicy details about the exciting “God of War: Ascension” have surfaced, with some nuts and bolts of how the new multiplayer mode will function. Add this to your list of “reasons I own a PS3.” [ USA Today ] ••••  Evidence is pointing to the first bit of long-awaited “Skyrim” DLC being a) not far off and b) having something to do with Snow Elves and crossbows. Let's be honest, the “Skyrim” DLC could be anything and we'd all buy it sight unseen.

News Roundup   •••• A trio of geniuses made an art installation that uses real-time traffic data to populate a “Frogger” arcade game. While obviously smacking of a classic “Seinfeld” episode , “5th Ave. Frogger” is a great exercise in “reverse gamification” (a term we possibly just invented). [ The Verge ] •••• ”Marvel's The Avengers” kicks off summer movie season next weekend, and predictably there are going to be multiple video game tie-in titles.

News Roundup •••• It was a busy week down in Bethesda, with the “Skyrim” developers trademarking the game's signature “Fus Ro Dah” shout. Crap, now I owe them $17. More pertient to gamers is the announcement that over 200 voice commands will be added via a free Kinect support download for Xbox 360 users later this month. [ PC Ga mer , PC Mag ] •••• ... but the National Academy of Video Game Testers and Reviews says “Minecraft” is better.

"Game Faces" is an ongoing series where we will look at the people behind the well-worn game controllers of Baltimore. They might be your neighbor, your elected official or your bartender. Whoever they are, they love games, just like you. Want to show us your "Game Face"? Drop us a line at gamecacheb@gmail.com or on Twitter, @ dave _ gilmore . Think of it as an 800-word version of #FollowFriday. Dustin Horning ( @ Dustbuster 420 ) has a life that would make a pretty good driving game.

In its own special way, my Xbox 360 let me know it was time for some spring cleaning this week. I could've danced with Bill Gates' minions and mailed in my system for service. Instead, like Sarah Palin, I went rogue.  Before we begin, let's get something straight: Microsoft didn't want me to do what I did to my Xbox. I had to break at least three different sticker seals that clearly stated that I was voiding any and all warranties by doing what I did. If you ever plan on sending your system to Microsoft for service or reselling it as a "pure" system, do not do what I'm about to describe.

News Roundup •••• Microsoft will not be announcing a new Xbox console at E3 this summer or "anytime soon. " I suppose it makes sense to wait it out until they've replaced literally every console that's gotten the Red Ring of Death. [ PC Magazine ] •••• The video game BAFTAs were held on Friday night in London, with "Portal 2" taking top honors. Since awards are super-relevant and worth arguing about, I'm going to note that I disagree with most of the winners.

News Roundup •••• Developers "borrowing" concepts from other mobile games (i.e. straight-up copying) is becoming all too common a practice. On an unrelated note, you should all hit the App Store and check out my new game, "Plants vs. Angry Zombie Birds. " [ New York Times ] •••• Gamers are petitioning "Mass Effect 3" developers BioWare to create a new, better ending for the smash hit game. People, the game just came out on Tuesday, and we lost an hour this weekend because of daylight savings.