Musical cues are often used to highlight or signify moods in games and films. Now a new video game is using color – or the lack of it – to symbolize oppression and freedom in the 1940s.

“The Saboteur” (Pandemic Studios, Electronic Arts), which hits stores today, is an action-adventure game based in Paris during the German occupation of World War II. You play Sean Devlin, a character inspired by the true story of William Grover-Williams, an English racer who joined the British special ops unit.

You’ll use a broad range of weapons, explosives and vehicles to throw the Nazis out of Paris. But it's the visual aspects of "The Saboteur" that are most interesting.

Lead designer Tom French's team made Paris black and white at the beginning of the game; color gradually bleeds in as players progress and sections of the city are liberated from Nazi control. French says it was a middle-of-the-night idea.

“We wanted to make the City of Light feel occupied [by the Nazis],” he says. “We wanted to suck the life out of it.”

French says the challenge was making black and white still look like it has depth and feel to it. Turning colors off makes everything flat, so French's team drew inspiration from the movie “Sin City” to make it look cool, he says.

If you think once you’ve ‘colored’ an area you are safe, guess again. French said Paris never gets completely colorized, and some parts turn to black and white again as the Nazi retake certain areas of the map.

“Once you take out a sniper, you never have to worry about him again,” he says. “But there is a point where the Germans take back a headquarters, turning it to black and white again.”

The design team traveled to Paris to get a firsthand look at the city and the buildings. French says they came away with a lot of information.

“I spent three hours in a cemetery imagining firefights,” he says. “We visited Resistance museums, taking pictures secretly and scribbling notes.”

They came away with more than 2,500 photos, but French believes it was worth it. “We wanted to give [Paris] an organic feeling.”

As with most games with wide-open spaces to roam, repetition of buildings can be a problem. The team used what French calls “Legos” to create buildings where they could mix and match different elements without having to create new buildings from scratch every time.

“Climb all the buildings,” French advises. “Use every square inch to make sure you experience the depth of the game.”

“The Saboteur” is available for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. It is rated M (Mature – blood, intense violence, nudity, sexual themes, strong language).

It was only a matter of time.

On the heels of "Dead Space's" successful debut last year, Electronic Arts has officially announced that the game series' storyline will continue with the creation of “Dead Space 2.” Hero Isaac Clarke will return to battle necromorphs with new weapons.

Visceral Games will be producing the new saga, which had been rumored for months. A press release from EA says that survival won’t be the only thing on Isaac’s mind in "Dead Space 2" – "this time, he calls the shots."

Released in October 2008, the original action-horror game won nearly 100 industry awards and received a score of 89 percent from gamerankings.com. Earlier this year EA released “Dead Space: Extraction”, a prequel story that was exclusive to Nintendo's Wii system in an effort to win over a new audience.

Executive producer Steve Papoutsis said, “Expect plot twists that will surprise you and a huge cast of twisted, disgusting monsters that are sure to scare the daylights out of you.”

“Dead Space 2” is being developed for the PS3, Xbox 360 and the PC. No release date has been announced.

As the holiday shopping season ramps up, video game console makers are keeping a wary eye on early sales.

Sony, maker of the PlayStation 3, claims it got off to a rousing start during the Black Friday week ending on November 29.  Patrick Seybold, Sr. Director of Corporate Communications, said the company sold more than 440,000 consoles, which was an “all-time high.”

Those sales numbers are up from October (320,600 units sold) and Seybold believes Sony's software will help sell its hardware.  “We have no doubt the momentum and demand will continue,” he said.

By contrast, Nintendo said it sold 550,000 consoles during the same Black Friday week.  It also announced its DS Lite and DSi portable gaming devices combined to sell more than 1 million units during the week.

In September Nintendo cut the price of the Wii for the first time, by $50 to $199.99.  Last year, the company shipped 800,000 Wiis to the U.S. for Black Friday week.

Microsoft has not made any announcements about sales of the Xbox 360 during the intense shopping week.  Aaron Greenberg, Director of Product Management, posted on his Twitter account that the Xbox 360 had its biggest sales week of the year.

When asked about hard numbers, Greenberg tweeted that Microsoft was waiting for the official industry numbers before commenting.  The game review site, Gamespot, extrapolated previously reported numbers from October to come up with approximately 124,850 consoles sold during this past Black Friday week.

UPDATE 2:13 p.m. ET: Facebook also will be accessible through the PlayStation 3 after the console's next firmware update. According to a posting on the PlayStation blog, PS3 users will have the option of automatically updating Facebook news feeds with trophy and PlayStation store activity. There is no announced date for the firmware release.

In an effort to blur the line between gaming and social networks, owners of Xbox 360s will have the chance to bash zombies and then post Facebook updates about it without leaving their consoles.

Microsoft announced that several social media and audio/video services can be accessed through the Xbox 360, starting today. The new features will be part of an automatic update, so when users turn on their consoles and the update kicks in, all the features will be ready for use. Most of the services are limited to Gold members, but a few are available to Silver members.

Facebook and Twitter have signed up to allow connectivity through Xbox LIVE directly from the console. All current features of the social networks will be available, and gamers will be able to share their favorite gaming moments (in supported games) with their friends.

In addition to watching movies from Netflix, as part of a previous deal, Xbox users also will be able to stream high-definition video through the Zune media player - coincidentally, also made by Microsoft. The Zune Marketplace, which includes the Zune Video player, is available to Silver members.

Also, as of today Last.fm joins with the new Xbox LIVE music channel, allowing for access to streaming music directly from the Xbox 360. The updated music channel lets users listen to personal recommendations from Last.fm’s dedicated menu on the console’s dashboard.

All Xbox users will be able to check out the new features during a “Free Gold Weekend” Friday, November 20 through Monday, November 23. Silver members will be able to try out everything that comes with Gold membership, including Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm.

When the Sony PlayStation 3 arrived on the scene, many users of the PS and PS2 wanted backward compatibility – the ability to play older games on the new console.

While Sony accommodated these players for a while, newer versions of the PS3 decided to drop backward compatibility. The move forced many users to hang on to their old consoles (and pray they didn’t break) to play the classic games they loved.

Sony has solved this problem with arguably one of the best series to come out for PlayStation: “God of War.” Starting November 17, the “God of War” collection (“God of War” and “God of War II”) will be re-mastered and available on Blu-ray disc for the PS3.

“God of War” features Kratos, a Spartan warrior, as he seeks revenge against the Greek gods who betrayed him. In the first two offerings, Kratos battles Ares, the God of War, and travels through Hades itself in an effort to free himself from the Gods’ reach.

A Sony spokesperson said the critically-acclaimed games will remain the same, but PlayStation Network trophies will be available to give users new goals to aim for during gameplay. Both games will be on one disc, but will play separately.

“God of War III”, a PS3 exclusive, also will make use of the trophy system and is scheduled to be released in March 2010. An “ultimate” version of the game, complete with an assortment of exclusive collectible and digital content encased in a sculpted replica of Pandora’s Box, will be available with pre-orders.

Buyers of "God of War III" also will receive a full-length movie documentary depicting the history of the franchise, game-inspired downloadable music and access to the Combat Arena, which contains an exclusive environment and up to seven unique challenges.

– Larry Frum, for CNN

"World of Warcraft's" 11.5 million players will soon need a new way to get to Azeroth.

Blizzard Entertainment, maker of the popular computer fantasy game, is requiring subscribers to sign up for the game through its gaming network, Battle.net, by November 11.

Current players of WoW, as the massively multi-player online role-playing game is informally called, have until then to create new Battle.net accounts. After that, the fantasy universe of Azeroth will be closed to them.

Battle.net offers a centralized account system that lets players manage all their Blizzard Entertainment games, including "World of Warcraft," in one place without having to remember multiple logins.

The upgraded Battle.net service is expected to merge many features that Blizzard plans to use in the future while helping players keep track of current games, opt in to beta tests and communicate more easily with each other.

"We really wanted to bring the Blizzard community together," said Rob Pardo, executive vice president of game development at Blizzard. "Our fans are more than just WoW fans. They are fans of Blizzard."

Pardo said impetus for the changes started with the company's plans for "StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty," a science fiction game set for release in 2010.

"The biggest thing for players will be the cross communication," Pardo said. "It will allow players to talk to others across the realm and across games."

Pardo also said the upgraded Battle.net system will offer better security for WoW players, some of whom have been victimized by thieves who infiltrate accounts.

Battle.net's authenticaton tool produces a unique, one-time code that gamers must use in addition to their password. The code can be obtained from a fob purchased from Blizzard or as an app downloaded to a mobile phone.

"Most players lose their account info by giving away passwords through phishing sites. Our mobile authenticator will assure security even if you lose your log-in and password," Pardo said.

– Larry Frum, for CNN

Netflix and the PlayStation 3 gaming console have joined forces to allow movies and TV episodes from Netflix to be streamed free of charge through Sony’s entertainment system.

While Netflix movies can also be streamed through the Xbox 360, it requires a gold account with Microsoft at a cost of $49.99 per year. This new deal with the PS3 requires no additional charges and is available to all PS3 users.

“Our goal is to rapidly expand the devices that stream to our members,” Netflix CEO and co-founder Reed Hastings said. Netflix claims it has 11.1 million U.S. subscribers.

Sony says it has sold close to 9 million units of the PS3 system in the United States. A free Blu-ray disc from Netflix is required to download and watch the movies and is expected to be available next month.

“The PlayStation 3 system has always been about more than just gaming,” said Jack Tretton, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America. “Whether you want to watch content on Blu-ray disc and DVD, download it from the PlayStation Network’s video delivery service, or stream videos instantly from Netflix, the PS3 system is the only solution that offers it all.”

Last week, a Microsoft spokesperson said the company has no plans to introduce a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360.

– Larry Frum

The ultimate time-consuming game is joining forces with the ultimate online time-wasting tool. "Civilization" and Facebook will combine to make a new game for the social-networking site.

Creator Sid Meier announced on Facebook that Firaxis Games is working on a new game called "Civilization Network." Meier said he expects the full game to be available in 2010, but he is seeking beta testers to help work out the bugs.

"Civilization" is well known for its turn-based strategy as the player guides a civilization from infancy to world domination. Created in 1991, the PC-based game has undergone 13 different transformations (including expansion packs and spin-offs) with the latest, "Civilization Revolution," launched in 2008 for gaming consoles.

Meier said the game will offer everything you enjoy in Civ in a fully persistent environment – you can play as much as you like, whenever you like, and it’ll be free.

Reactions among gamers range from excitement - and promises of joining Facebook just to play the game - to frustration that Firaxis isn’t developing the next version of "Civilization" for consoles.

Players who want to get involved in the closed beta will need to join Sid Meier’s Civilization Network on Facebook for more details.

– Larry Frum

A new survey of warranty claims by 16,000 game-console owners found that Xbox 360s failed for nearly 24 percent of their owners, compared to 10 percent of PlayStation 3s and less than 3 percent of Wii consoles.

Electronics warranty provider SquareTrade released the survey of failure rates and common problems associated with each console system. The results looked at data from the first two years of ownership, included only normal usage malfunctions and were randomly selected from SquareTrade's customer database.

While the Xbox 360 failed nearly one in 4 times, its error rate drops to just under 12 percent when the infamous “Red Ring of Death” - a hardware crash signaled by a circular red light around the console's power button - is excluded from the results. However, the survey points out that the RROD error is widely known to be covered by the Microsoft warranty and may not have been reported to SquareTrade. With that in mind, the warranty provider said the Xbox 360 failure rate could be as high as 35 percent.

The data also shows that the quality of Xbox 360 consoles appears to be improving. Since the third quarter of 2008, fewer problems have shown up.

"I think we've made it clear we stand by the quality of our product, and we will make it right by fixing the problem at no extra cost to you," said Xbox 360 and Xbox Live director of product management Aaron Greenberg in an interview with GameSpot. "But at the same time, we've been working hard to make improvements in the products we're currently making, so I really feel like most of this is well behind us."

– Larry Frum

Take-Two Interactive has agreed to pay $20 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over a sexual minigame that was mistakenly included in the 2004 title "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas."

The minigame, dubbed "Hot Coffee," simulates sex between title character Carl "CJ" Johnson and his in-game girlfriend after she invites him in for a cup of coffee. The sexual content was inaccessible without manipulating the game's code, but that didn't stop a media frenzy in 2005 when parents heard there was "porn" in their child's video game.

Ars Technica explains:

[Hot Coffee] led to a media panic because it was assumed the sexual content was easy for children to get to (it wasn't) or that sex games were becoming common in games (they aren't).

In 2005, several parents and one grandmother filed lawsuits against Take-Two Interactive claiming they felt defrauded because they did not know the game contained adult content, even though "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" was rated 'Mature' and not recommended for anyone under 17. 

Ted Frank of Overlawyered.com, who objects to the $20 million settlement, described the suits as "ridiculous:"

The lead plaintiff in the putative class action is an 85-year-old grandmother, Florence Cohen, who bought the game for her 14-year-old grandson, who may have his own claims for emotional distress when his ninth-grade classmates beat him up.

The class-action suit also alleged "Take-Two’s management was not cooperating or assisting with the Company’s audit" and "Take-Two falsely stated that the embedded pornography was 'the work of a determined group of hackers who have gone to significant trouble to alter scenes.'"

The Hot Coffee content was actually included in the distribution of the game. Developers attempted to remove the sexual content by disabling access when they should have deleted the code all together. Curious gamers discovered they could unlock the code by downloading a third-party modification (hack) from the Internet.

Following the Hot Coffee discovery, "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" was pulled from retail shelves, the ESRB rating was changed to Adults Only, and Take-Two Interactive's stock price dropped like, um, CJ's pants.

Will this $20 million settlement finally absolve Take-Two Interactive of the Hot Coffee scandal?