Last year's fantastic Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit took the
mercurial racing game franchise to dizzying new heights with Burnout-style
intensity and innovative social networking features.

But rather than ease up off the gas, EA is re-introducing pedal to metal by taking their act on the road.

Need for Speed: The Run, due out November 15 of this year,
hopes to marry the intense racing of Hot Pursuit with a cross-country,
Cannonball Run-style plot that takes drivers from San Francisco to New York.
According to EA, they'll "blow across borders, weave through dense urban
traffic, rocket down icy mountain passes and navigate narrow canyons at
breakneck speeds." Mustaches
optional, we hope.

So

Run a Kingdom!

Flip on your TV this week, and chances are pretty good you'll catch some of the ample coverage of Wills and Kate's impending nuptials. Barring substantial misfortune, Wills
can expect to be crowned King of England in a few decades -- but what's in
store for him and Queen Catherine once they take their thrones? Here are a
choice platter of games that'll give you a firsthand taste of the thrills (and
the spills) of the royal lifestyle.

Redbox Come this summer, that trip to the corner convenience store for a Slim Jim and a Coke will also give you the chance to check out the newest video game releases.

Redbox, whose vending machine rental kiosks revolutionized the film industry, is moving into the video game space with plans to begin offering titles at 21,000 locations starting June 17.

"Second to movies, renting and playing games is a huge part of the entertainment pie in this country," Mitch Lowe, president of Redbox, told Yahoo! Games.

It's not a rash decision for Redbox. The company has been testing video game rentals for almost two years now. In that time, over 1 million people have taken advantage of the service -- an

Was once on top. The Nintendo Wii has been a staggering success. Its combination of innovative control,accessible games, and inexpensive hardware colossally broadened the video games
market, reaching a new batch of consumers nobody else knew existed.

But its once-proud
sales are sagging, its software releases are fewer and further between, and its
competitors are closing the price gap. While an expected price cut might have
you thinking about finally picking one up, we suggest you reconsider. Here's
why.

-- It's technically dated.

By far the biggest criticism levelled at the Wii is in regards to its limited technical capacity. From day one, the system lagged notably behind the visual bar set by the PS3 and

Hottest Mobile Games

Ion's iCade — a game controller that turns you iPad into a retro-style arcade — might not single-handily turn the potentially productive tablet into a glorified game system, but it certainly helps. The long-rumored device now has a release date (May 31), price ($99.99) and even the option to pre-order through GameStop.

The tabletop controller docks your iPad and gives gamers eight buttons and a joystick to play with, so there's both substance and style here. And while the iCade's actual release is still some time away, it's never too early to start thinking about what apps will fit perfect with it.

Beyonce Knowles - Getty Images

She might be a major talent, but not everyone is crazy in love with Beyonce.

Top of the list is video game developer Gate Five, who are suing the entertainer for $100 million over a "bad faith breach of contract."

A summons filed Tuesday in Manhattan Supreme Court claims that Beyonce backed out of a deal to create a motion-controlled dance video game called Starpower:Beyonce. Gate Five alleges that out of nowhere Beyonce "made an extortionate demand for entirely new compensation
terms," a move that scared off investors, causing the developer to lay off
70 employees the week before Christmas and eventually abandon the game
entirely.

The dance game genre is booming business these days. A

Peyton Hillis He might not enjoy the name recognition of other Peytons, but he's got the cover.

In a live announcement on ESPN's SportsNation, EA revealed that fans have chosen Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis to be the cover athlete of EA's upcoming Madden 12, wrapping up a five-week tournament that featured representatives from every NFL team.

To nab the honor, the 10th-seeded Hillis had to overcome heavily-favored stars like Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers, Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan and eventual runner-up, Michael Vick, whom he trounced in a finals landslide by raking in 66 percent of the vote. Over one million fans voted in the final round.

Cleveland's rabid fans had a lot to do with

Dog Wars The video game industry has come under fire for violence before, but a new line has been crossed by a controversial mobile game.

Dog fighting, which is a felony in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, is now a free Google Android video game from start-up developer Kage Games.

Their title, Dog Wars, involves the feeding, training, and fighting of virtual dogs. Gameplay elements include injecting dogs with steroids, shocking them with electric collars, betting on dog fights, and shooting at police officers with guns during busts.

"Anything that in any way appears to promote or condone the serious, violent crime of dog fighting is cause for concern," says Dr. Randall Lockwood, senior