Rockstar San Diego's oft-postponed racer Midnight Club: Los Angeles (PS3, 360) has suffered yet another delay, publisher Take-Two Interactive announced today.

Once slated to arrive on October 7, the game's release has now been pushed until October 21. In a conference call today, Take-Two CFO Lainie Goldstein explained that the delay was due to marketing reasons.

In related news, a new trailer for the latest Midnight Club game was released today as well, meant to highlight the man customization options available to virtual gearheads.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

Virtual world creator The Multiverse Network has announced plans to create a massively multiplayer online PC game inspired by the Joss Whedon-created, Sarah Michelle Gellar-starring television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Somehow playable in both a 2D Flash and 3D interactive environment, the game will be set after the conclusion of the television series, which saw the mystical and badass-inducing Slayer power spread to countless women across the globe.

That setting is "the perfect launching point for an MMOG where everyone will feel like they're an important character in the ongoing story," Multiverse co-founder Corey Bridges explained via GDN. No release date was specified, but the effort will hit beta this year.

However, as all loyal Whedon fans are surely aware, there can be no good without sacrifice. In this instance, GDN reports that the focus on the Buffy MMO comes at the cost of "delayed" development on Multiverse's other Whedon project, which is set in the world of the sci-fi western Firefly.

The Shacknews delay tag has gotten another workout today as Slant Six's PS3 online shooter SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation had its public beta test pushed back a few days.

The "good news," according to the SOCOM website, is that the final game is still on track for its October 14 release.

The "bad news" is that the preview for pre-order customers--originally set to launch yesterday--has been moved to Friday, September 5, and access for Sony downloadable video magazine Qore subscribers will not start until September 12. To make up for the delay, the beta has also been extended to October 5.

The North American release of GSC Game World's S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky (PC) has been delayed "a few days" past the promised September 5 date, a representative from publisher Deep Silver confirmed with Shacknews today.

The slip stems from a manufacturing issue specific to the North American edition, with Deep Silver forced to recall all copies that have already shipped to stores. The issue is apparently a printing error that saw the game distributed without CD keys, according to Bluesnews.

This delay will "probably" push back the shooter prequel's impending release on Valve's digital distribution platform Steam, though direct confirmation has yet to arrive.

The game's European release on September 5 is not affected.

A new release date for North America is not yet available, though several online retailers have the title tentatively slated for September 15.

Update: Harmonix has clarified that the Rush DLC may not debut for a few weeks. Another batch of as-yet-unannounced content will replace Rush for this week, with more details expected to arrive soon.

Original Story: While new downloadable content for the Xbox 360 edition of Rock Band has hit every Tuesday since the game launched last November, this week's DLC has been delayed due to an unspecified "technical difficulty," according to developer Harmonix.

The studio had previously revealed that this week's download would bring Rush's Moving Pictures album to the multi-instrument music game, at the cost of $11. The company traditionally releases entire albums in the last week of a month.

"There is a technical difficulty that is being worked out," community manager Sean Baptiste wrote on the game's official forum. "I'll alert you when it is all clear."

Harmonix has yet to state when Moving Pictures will now arrive. More details are expected by tomorrow, as downloadable content for the PlayStation 3 edition of the game generally arrives alongside the weekly PlayStation Store update on Thursdays.

Update: Left 4 Dead will hit North America on November 18, followed by a European release on November 21, Valve marketing VP Doug Lombardi informed Shacknews.

While the new date coincides with the 10th anniversary of the original Half-Life, Lombardi described it as an ironic coincidence, and explained that the game was delayed for fine tuning.

Original: The release of Valve's cooperative zombie shooter Left 4 Dead has been postponed until November 20, company president Gabe Newell revealed to Gamekings.

"Left 4 Dead is going to be released on the tenth anniversary of Half-Life, our first game," said Newell. "That will be on November 20th, the third week in November."

The oft-delayed title had previously been slated to hit PC and Xbox 360 on November 4. No reason was provided for the brief delay, though the crowded fall season--Gears of War 2 (360) arrives November 7--is believed to be a factor.

The release of Monolith's spooky shooter Project Origin (PC, PS3, 360) has been pushed out of this year and into 2009, the developer has revealed.

"We're going to release multi SKUs--so PC, PS3, 360, Q1 next year," art lead Dave Matthews told IGN during this year's Leipzig Games Convention. No reason was given for the delay.

Continuing the story set out in Monolith's F.E.A.R., the game had been expected this fall.

The worldwide release of GSC Game World's post-apocalyptic survival shooter prequel S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky (PC) has been pushed from August 29 to September 5, publisher Deep Silver announced today.

No reason was provided for the brief delay, which accompanied news that the game has gone gold and is now in the manufacturing process.

A free downloadable content update set to bring motorcycles to Criterion Games' open world racer Burnout Paradise (PS3, 360) has been slightly delayed.

An update on the PlayStation.Blog by Criterion producer Jeremy Chubb reveals that the content pack is now scheduled to arrive in September, marking a slight delay from its originally scheduled August debut.

Codenamed "Davis," the pack brings a day and night cycle and dynamic weather system to Paradise City, as well as 70 bike-specific challenges to complement the latest vehicle type to hit the title.

No precise launch date has been yet confirmed for either platform. The most recent update, "Cagney," hit the PlayStation 3 on July 10, with an Xbox 360 version arriving almost four weeks later on August 4.

Once slated to launch for a select few on August 1, the closed beta of Good Old Games--CD Projekt's DRM-free digital distribution platform focused on classic PC titles--has undergone a few changes, including a brief delay.

Instead of providing access to a select few, the beta will soon be accessible to anyone who applied, with GOG.com still accepting applications. However, beta participants may not receive a free game, as was once planned.

"We had a huge response to the site announcement and so we've had to rethink our beta plans a bit," marketing VP Tom Ohle told Shacknews. "We're not sure if we're going to be able to offer everyone in the beta a free game, but we do want to... Read more

The release date for the Disney-produced live-action feature film adaptation of Prince of Persia has been pushed back until 2010, ComingSoon.net reports.

The movie is currently slated to hit theaters on May 28, 2010, just in time for Memorial Day. Other cinematic releases around that time include Dreamwork's Shrek Goes Fourth and Marvel's Thor.

According to the site, Prince of Persia's previous June 19, 2009 release date would have placed it in close proximity to the next Michael Bay-directed Transformers sequel, Revenge of the Fallen.

Loosely based on the 2003 Prince of Persia game The Sands of Time, the Jake Gyllenhaal and Alfred Molina-starring film was written by series creator Jordan Mechner, with Mike Newell (Pushing Tin, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) directing and Jerry Bruckheimer serving as producer.

Thanks to K1Bond007 for the heads up.

With the Ghostbusters game currently lacking a publisher but definitely not cancelled, rights holder Sony Pictures is thinking about delaying its release until next year.

The publisher situation has provided "an opportunity to reevaluate the game release marketing strategy to potentially coincide with the 25th anniversary of the original film in '09," Sony Pictures informed Variety's Cut Scene.

Sony did not say if the possible delay could provide developers Terminal Reality and Red Fly with more time. While some may equate a later release date with more development time, finished games are sometimes delayed or held back for marketing purposes--a subject mentioned in the Sony Pictures statement.

Originally slated to debut this fall, Ghostbusters is slated to arrive on PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS. Terminal Reality is handling the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 editions, while Red Fly tackles the remaining versions.

Publisher Ubisoft has revealed that Tom Clancy's HAWX (PC, PS3, 360) has been delayed to early next year, according to CVG.

Developed by Ubisoft's Romania studio, HAWX was previously slated for a fall debut. The latest delay positions the upcoming air combat sim somewhere between January and March of next year.

The game joins a growing list of games delayed following E3 2008 and the seasonal quarterly financial reports, including Gearbox Software's Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway (PC, PS3, 360), EALA's Tiberium (PC, PS3, 360) and EA DICE's Battlefield Heroes (PC), among several others.

EA DICE's upcoming free-to-play PC shooter Battlefield Heroes has been delayed and is now expected to arrive late this year, publisher Electronic Arts announced today.

The ad-supported, web-based shooter was previously expected to launch this summer. During a conference call today, EA CEO John Riccitiello revealed that the game is now "launching at the end of the calendar year."

"We decided to increase its focus on some of the social networking features," Riccitiello noted, stressing that the studio hopes to incorporate beta tester feedback and implement new features. "The last thing we want to do is jab it in the marketplace."

Riccitiello seemed optimistic about the title's development despite the delay, adding that Battlefield Heroes "still feels like it's progressing much like we anticipated."

EALA's squad-based FPS Tiberium (PC, PS3, 360) has been delayed, publisher Electronic Arts today revealed in a conference call to investors.

Set in the Command & Conquer world, the title was pinned for a late 2008 release when it was first announced last December. The latest word from Electronic Arts positions the title in its 2010 fiscal year, which runs from April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010.

No further information was offered as to the cause of the delay.

The game was not present in EA's showcase at this year's E3 2008 exhibition, nor was the game mentioned in financial documents released today.

Namco Bandai's samurai anime adaptation Afro Samurai (PS3, 360) will hit retailer shelves on January 27 of next year, the developer announced today.

Namco Bandai had previously slated the title for a vague fall 2008 release date, marking a slight delay for the hack-and-slash title.

Based on the anime of same name, Afro Samurai features action gameplay with a pronounced emphasis on strategic swordplay and dodging. As with the North American adaptation of the animated series, the protagonist will be voiced by veteran actor Samuel L. Jackson.

Update: Gearbox Software has confirmed to Shacknews that Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway (PC, PS3, 360) has indeed been delayed until September.

"We'll be gold in August, but it looks like the actual shelf date will be in September," Gearbox president Randy Pitchford told Shacknews.

Though an exact date is still undecided, he noted that "late September is the anniversary of Operation Market Garden, so I think it would be really poetic if the game launched on the anniversary."

Pitchford added that the Limited Edition, which includes an action figure of Sergeant Matt Baker, "is really a nice one and quantities there will be limited, so now would be a great time for people who are anticipating the game to lock in a pre-order."

Original Story: Retailer listings for Gearbox Software's Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway (PC, PS3, 360) suggest the World War II shooter has been delayed by a... Read more

I am fairly confident that with Puzzle Quest: Galactrix (PC, 360, DS) developer Infinite Interactive is beginning the second phase of its master plan to destroy the world.

The first Puzzle Quest, Challenge of the Warlords, was a near-perfect blend of simplistic match-three-or-more-of-the-same-color gameplay. with a host of RPG-style mechanics like spells and experience. The result was an addictive tour de force that surprised nearly everyone, and eventually hit every major platform other than the PlayStation 3.

The sequel--now slated to debut early next year instead of the original fall 2008 date--looks to expand on all of that. Sure, the fantasy elements have been replaced by a sleek sci-fi aesthetic, the orbs are now hexagons, and now you have to worry about gravity dictating where new pieces come from, but the core gameplay is unchanged.

It's more than just matching up random pieces that happen to share the same color. Those aren't just a bunch of useless red blocks--lining them up could give you the red energy needed to unleash a destructive attack. So what's different?... Read more

Midway has delayed the release of its open-world Vin Diesel-starring driving-action game Wheelman (PC, PS3, 360) until the first quarter of 2009, reports Kotaku.

The oft-postponed game, once due in 2007 and then expected sometime this year, was apparently pushed to provide Midway Studios Newcastle more development time, and hopefully, result in a better product.

Ubisoft Montreal's next Splinter Cell title, initially announced as Splinter Cell: Conviction, has been delayed until Ubisoft's 2009-2010 fiscal year, the publisher confirmed today.

The stealth-action PC and Xbox 360 game is now expected to arrive between April 1, 2009 and March 30, 2010, instead of the previous estimated release between January 1 and March 30, 2009. Curiously, Ubisoft only referred to the game as Splinter Cell in the announcement, suggesting the Conviction subtitle may have been dropped.

No reason was provided for the latest postponement of the thrice-delayed title, which was originally slated to arrive in holiday 2007. Ubisoft noted that the push would help "bolster the line-up for fiscal 2009-10," though rumors have suggested the title was recently forced "back to the drawing board."