On the cusp of the ridiculously-awaited first trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV, Wired Magazine has published a tremendously focused and in-depth examination of the history of Rockstar Games and its parent company, Take-Two Interactive.

For those of you who don’t know, Take-Two is in the throes of corporate agony that will ultimately result in something bad for any fans of its games – the breakup and sale of some of its studios to some other publisher (Ubisoft? Electronic Arts?), bankruptcy, and/or the removal of the last few company officers who have been behind its best games.

What does all of this mean? A few things, really.

For fanboys of the GTA series like myself, it could mean that the newest installment may never see the light of day (unlikely but possible) or at least not have the same level of dedication and perfection that made Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, and San Andreas the masterpieces that they are. No matter what, most of the people responsible for those titles are long gone.

For sports fanatics (also like myself), it could mean that the only other player not named Electronic Arts in the sports game biz could cease to exist. Considering that the past year’s NBA 2K7, NHL 2K7, and MLB 2K7 were all simply fantastic, this would be an unmitigated disaster.

No matter what, the article should be required reading for anyone interested in the business side of gaming. It’s brilliant, so check it out.

Our very own Aaron Drewniak spoke pretty highly of Atari’s Bullet Witch, one of the latest action releases on Xbox 360. For those of you who actually took a leap of faith and picked up the game will be delighted to know that there’s a new downloadable pack currently available on the Marketplace. Contents include a new white witch costume for Alicia and a Bullet Witch theme pack. In addition, for a mere 20 points each, players can players can download an all-new mission (Dynamite Beauty) and two enhanced versions of the “Clad in Streaming Black” mission offering a heightened level of difficulty and ‘Great Spells’ unlocked at the time of play.

This content pack couldn’t have come at a better time since I just rented the game only two days ago. Who knows? Perhaps it will impress me enough to spring for the pack.

Well this should be interesting. Mario and Sonic will finally, after all these years, appear in a game together and it’s not Smash Bros. Brawl (yet). Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games will pit Mario, Sonic, Luigi, Knuckles, Yoshi, Tails and other, as-yet unannounced competitors, against each other. So far we know that they’ll compete in swimming, ping pong (table tennis, for the heathen), track events, and more for the game’s Christmas release.

Mario & Sonic is being developed by Sega, although there’s no word yet on which of their internal teams gets the responsibility, and will be available on DS and Wii. All over the internet, prayers of “Please be good, please be good” are floating to the heavens.

If Daisy doesn’t get Wario to break Amy’s knee with a lead pipe, I’m going to be very let down.

It’s been rumored for a long time and, most recently, was the subject of an oft-cited article in Game Informer. Well, folks, the sparse mist enveloping the Xbox 360 Elite rumors has dissipated, making it officially a reality. Is anyone surprised? From older hearsay coming from Gamestop SKUs to blurry assembly line photos, the path of these rumblings has been followed closely with the keen eyes of many.

Now you’ll actually have room to, you know, store the things that you download from Xbox Live

This thing is pretty sexy, I guess! Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited about the prospect in general, but I can’t be the only one that also loves the bright white design of the original. Still, 120 GB hard drive? Way overdue. This is, of course, a very smart move for Microsoft– mostly because it gives people a lot more space to put all of those TV shows and Live Arcade games they’ll inevitably download. And hey, with the way those crazy Microsoft Points are designed, you’ll be spending the excess cash on even more random stuff than normal!

You’ll also find HDMI support is now available, along with the standard inclusion of a Silver Xbox Live membership and a one-month Gold Trial. When you look at the price difference between the Premium and the Elite, it’s a pretty sweet deal as a whole. To sweeten the reality of the Elite, they’ve also announced the addition of digital content provided by A&E, ADV, National Geographic, New Line and Total Vid. Paramount and Warner Bros. have jumped on the HD content wagon, as well.

Is Microsoft catching up to an early hard drive space mistake they made with the system? Did anyone think 20 gigs would ever cut it? Honestly, if I can pay a reasonable price for the larger hard drive by itself, then I won’t be terribly bitter that I didn’t buy a 360 until last July with absolutely no inkling that something like this would surface less than a year later. Now for the hardball question: when’s Live going to be free?

By now you’ve heard the news that Devil May Cry 4 is going multi-platform, which should make everyone who owns a PS3, 360 and PC really giddy. Excited. Overjoyed. You get the picture. I have a confession to make… I’m not a genuine fan of the series, but perhaps the fourth installment sounds intriguing enough that I am willing to give it a shot.

Since I don’t know too much about the plot, you’ll have to forgive me in advance for offering you this baked verbatim of press release goodness which goes on to say: Devil May Cry 4 immerses gamers in a gothic supernatural world, where a new protagonist clashes with a familiar hero. As the new leading man, Nero, players will unleash incredible attacks and non-stop combos using a unique new gameplay mechanic, his powerful “Devil Bringer” arm.

(They really need to work on coming up with something more creative than… Devil Bringer.) Anyways, there’s a ton of screenshot galleries advertised on all the high-level sites who’ve been fortunate to check out preview builds — all of which prove that yes, it’s going to be a kickass looking game for your eyes to adore. Expect lots of action, mashy combos and an unique experience that you’ve come to love and cherish in a DMC game. Yes… even newcomers like me.