Hello videogame afficionados, and welcome to this week’s Sunday Sidebar. With next week being Electronic Entertainment Expo 2012, VGW towers are set to be a veritable hive of activity. This could be your last chance for a quiet break to soak up some longer-form journalism. If you feel tense, that’s okay. Take this opportunity to treat yourself, and to learn about yet another indie developer from Boston. This time it is the turn of Fire Hose Games, and more specifically their founder Eitan Glinert. Fire Hose Games, among other things, are responsible for the wonderfully unique Slam Bolt Scrappers on PlayStation Network. Read on! Hey Eitan! So, who are you guys?...

The Assassin’s Creed series has thus far featured only male assassins. From Altair to Ezio to the newest member of the Brotherhood, Connor, those hoping for a female protagonist have been let down. Now, however, a rumor has surfaced that not only will a companion game for Assassin’s Creed III be coming to PlayStation Vita, but that game will feature a female assassin for the first time in series history. The leak comes from a poster on NeoGAF, who claims the information will be in the newest issue of Game Informer. According to the community member, the game will be called Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation and will take place...

Club Nintendo, Nintendo’s rewards program for first-party purchases, has released documents stating that July 1st will signal the change of Coin values for several Wii, 3DS, and DS games. The Coin values, which currently reach as low as 10 Coins, will be extending a new low value to 5 Coins for select titles. Oddly enough, some titles will be increasing in value, while others are decreasing. Luckily, this comes out with enough notice for gamers to register their titles prior to the adjustment for games that are lowering in value. Also, it seems as though there are just as many upgrades as there are downgrades, so this could actually...

In a world where DLC is developed alongside most games, the fact that Skyrim‘s first piece of DLC still isn’t out almost seven months following the game’s release seems almost unheard of. The title was named Game of the Year 2011 by most outlets, and fans have been craving more since its November 2011 launch. Bethesda recently announced that the first piece of downloadable content, entitled “Dawnguard,” will be available this summer for $20. After a firestorm of criticism rained down upon Bethesda for the presence of bugs in Skyrim, it seems as though Bethesda wants to make sure the paying customers get the most polished experience possible this...

E3 is an interesting event; startling announcements, wonderful trailers, and seeing the state of the gaming world from those who are the life-force of it. One of the most wonderful (and amazing) things to witness is announcements of partnerships of developers that previously were Indie or only small outfits. One of these developers is making an E3 announcement that needs attention. Signal Studios, developer of the popular Toy Soldiers franchise, has been unknowingly dropping clues for months and next week during the event we finally get to hear the news. ‘What clues?’ you may ask. Let’s start with some tweets sent from the official Signal Studios Twitter account. These tweets...

The studio behind the successful Mortal Kombat reboot has announced its latest venture, a fighting game starring the superheroes (and, of course, the super villains) of the DC Comics universe. Before you throw your hands up in disgust, don’t worry, it’s not Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe II. The game, which is entitled Injustice: Gods Among Us, may look a bit like 2011′s Mortal Kombat, but it is far from the poorly-received fighting crossover from 2008. The trailer shows off destructible environments, environmentally-based weapons, and character-specific super moves that look to deal a devastating amount of damage. The screens and trailer also show off Batman, The Flash, Harley Quinn,...

Even though it was promised that the next details would come from Monday activities at E3, Game Informer decided to reveal a bit more information about the latest Gears of War title prior to the Expo’s start after all. Most notably, we now know the name of the upcoming title in the series. Gears of War: Judgment will have two covers in the upcoming Game Informer magazine. The main cover features a Baird being led away in handcuffs, while the alternate shows everyone’s favorite soldier/Thrashball player, Augustus Cole, in a similar situation. The images from the covers appear to support the theory that the next Gears of War title...

Fans of Battlefield 3 have a lot to look forward to this year, with three add-ons releasing in June, September, and “winter,” respectively. The first, Close Quarters, has been hinted at having a release date as soon as next week. The second, Armored Kill, will feature “all-out vehicle warfare on huge maps,” and will release in September. The final pack, End Game, has seen fewer details, and is set for release some time in winter. As for EA’s Battlefield 3 Premium service, a one-time $50 payment will supposedly get you exclusive in-game weapons and items, as well as access to all 5 of the planned expansions. Expect to hear a lot more...

Robotoki, the studio formed by Robert Bowling after leaving Infinity Ward, has revealed the first details about its upcoming project, Human Element. The title will fit into one of gaming’s most popular genre’s: zombie survival. Speaking with Game Informer, the former Call of Duty guru stated that Human Element, in stark contrast to the franchise he worked on at Infinity Ward, will have a strong focus on survival. “Their greatest strength is the fear that instill in us, the survivors, that unreasonable fear. Unreasonable fear that leads us to do unreasonable things to survive,” Bowling said. Even with that focus on survival, Bowling stated that the game will...

A listing for a Hitman HD Collection has shown up on an Italian retail site, 16 Games. The collection, which consists of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Hitman 3: Contracts, and Hitman: Blood Money, is listed for an October 15 release and has a price point of €29.99, or approximately $37. The listing was translated by Eurogamer to read as follows: “Enter a world of crime, sin and greed. Penetrate deeper into the recesses of the mind of Agent 47, the world’s deadliest assassin. Remaining anonymous, being quick and totally ruthless: these are the keys to a perfect execution. Follow Agent 47 while executing orders on behalf of slum-living criminals or on behalf...