The Week in Review & Rumor Round-up: PS2 Price Cut, Next Fable Not an RPG?, Sony Cloud Gaming-on-Demand?, and more!

The Week in Review news piece summarizes and highlights the most important gaming related news and rumors over the past week. This weekly article will keep you plugged in and in-tune.

EA’ s Dante’s Inferno is slated to get an animated film to coincide with its release in 2010. EA and Starz Media’s Film Roman have gotten together to create an animated movie based on the upcoming AAA video game from EA Redwood Shores of the section of Dante’s epic poem “The Divine Comedy” entitled “Inferno.” Taking players into the Nine Circles of Hell and back will be left to an all-star group of talent managing the project. “Film Roman’s Joe Goyette (“Dead Space™: Downfall”) is the producer on the project, Victor Cook (“The Spectacular Spider-Man,” “Hellboy Animated: Blood & Iron”) is directing and Brandon Auman (“Iron Man: Armored Adventures”) is writing.”

Sony gave gamers a break this week when it announced a price drop for the PlayStation 2. Now available for just $99 , the PS2 is looking to extend its lifespan through truly cheap hardware.

Sony also detailed firmware update 2.70 for the PS3. The 2.70 firmware update for the PlayStation 3 brings with it a new Text Chat feature. This will allow you “to chat with up to 15 online friends using the Wireless Keypad, on-screen keyboard, or other compatible keyboard peripherals.” This new text chat feature will be accessible while playing games and will also allow users to “even participate in up to three chat rooms at once.” Other additions to the PS3 include:

• Friends list on the XMB (XrossMediaBar).
• Sort your friends via their online status.
• Attach larger files to the messages you send to your friends (file size will increase from 1MB to 3MB).
• Additionally, a new video delivery service will be included on the PlayStation Store. “Video files you’ve purchased from the PlayStation Store can be backed up to an external storage device and then restored to PS3’s internal hard drive for playback – so you can clear up space on your hard drive and then restore the video anytime in the future.”
• Also, videos you’ve purchased for your PSP can be transferred to the PS3 for playback.

Nintendo stepped into the limelight once again this week, revealing that five games will be available for download on April 5 ^th for the DSi through the Nintendo DSi Shop. The quintet of games includes:

• WarioWare: Snapped – A mini-game compilation that takes advantage of the DSi’s cameras.
• Bird & Beans – Point-gathering casual title that has you collecting falling beans with an elastic tongue.
• Brain Age Express: Math – Not to be confused with Chili’s To Go, will feature math exercises and voice and image manipulation features.
• Master of Illusion Express: Funny Face – A magical title focusing on card tricks.
• Art Style: AQUIA – An underwater block puzzler.

In another revelation that benefits Nintendo, Konami has announced they are making a Wii-make of the original Silent Hill . Unlike most Wii-makes or ports in general, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is considered a completely new game, as it is a “complete reimagining” of the title. Not only will the game use the unique controls of the Wii, but the entire story will be shuffled around, with events playing out very differently than they did in the original. Also, the game will adjust itself to your play style in an attempt to make the experience more engaging and scary.

At the end of the week, we found out that the snazzy wireless Lips microphones are now supported by Guitar Hero: Metallica and Rock Band 2 on Xbox 360. Expect full support from every music title in the near future.

Rumors were nearly more prevalent this week than hard news. For starters, Fable creator Peter Molyneux revealed that the next Fable may in fact not be an RPG when he issued the following statement to Eurogamer:

“Whatever happens in the future of Fable, I don’t want you to think you know exactly what features are going to be in there. Don’t think about this as an RPG franchise –think about it as the world of Albion. There’s a niche for Fable as there’s humor in there and there’s a Britishness and I think we’ll keep that side of it. But whether it’s more action or RPG or MMO or some new genre–that’s what we have to do.”

Additionally, it has been speculated that expanded connectivity between the Wii and the DSi is coming via SDHC support . High capacity SD card (SDHC) support for Wii via Wii Menu 4.0 is only the beginning. According to the rumor, SDHC cards, loaded with games, will be used between both the Wii and the DSi. In other words, much like the inter-playability between PS3 and PSP, players will be able to transfer and play many Virtual Console and WiiWare games between the two consoles, preserving their latest game save all the while.

Finally, when the OnLive gaming service announcement was made last week at GDC, the industry seemed to get shaken up just a bit. Possibly in reaction to the proposed service, Sony has gone ahead and filed a trademark request for Sony Cloud. No details concerning the reason for the name have been given, but it is assumed that Sony may be sticking its toe into the gaming-on-demand waters.

Thanks so much everyone and we will see you next week!