After 12 years in development, Blizzard has finally released its long anticipated game, Diablo 3. The game had a hellish start, and I'm not talking about its gameplay.

As with all online games, the first day of release is expected to have server issues as gamers flood in to play the newest game. Diablo 3, of course, is no exception. Gamers were marred with various server errors, preventing them from playing the game they've waited so long for. When the server goes down for a region, no one can play the game. And I literally mean no one. Even those who wish to play single player are unable to play if the server goes down. The issue is that Diablo 3 is an online-only game. You must remain connected to the internet to play the game. If you lose connection at any point, you get booted out of your game. And this is exactly what happened to thousands, if not millions, of people on its launch day.

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON - May 15, 2012 - SEGA® of America Inc. and SEGA® Europe Ltd. today announced the launch of Sonic the Hedgehog 4™ Episode II. This new entry in the Sonic 4 storyline has the iconic blue hedgehog taking on two legendary rivals with the help of one of his oldest friends, Miles “Tails” Prower. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II is available today on the PlayStation®Network and Steam for $14.99. The game will be available tomorrow on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 1200 points. On May 17, it will be available for iPhone and iPad on the iTunes App Store for $6.99.

“ Sonic 4 Episode II is very special because we’ve integrated community feedback into the game,” said Haruki Satomi, Senior Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA of America. “We have some of the most loyal and dedicated fans and I hope they enjoy this next chapter in the Sonic 4 saga.”

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II also offers players who have purchased Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I the exclusive chance to experience Episode Metal, a special unlockable story available to anyone who owns both titles on the same platform. Lead one of our hero’s greatest foes, Metal Sonic, across four reworked Acts from Episode I to learn more about how he survived the events at the end of Sonic CD™.

Sonic 4 Episode II and Episode Metal will also be coming to Android Device systems this June, and Windows Mobile Phones in July. For more information about the game, visitwww.sonicthehedgehog4.com.

About SEGA ^® of America, Inc.

SEGA ^® of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA ^® Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment. SEGA ^®’s global website is located at www.sega.com.

About SEGA ^® Europe Ltd.

SEGA ^® Europe Ltd. is the European Distribution arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA ^® Corporation, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. SEGA ^®’s global website is located at www.sega.com.

Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. "PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

It seems like Shin Megami Tensei fans will have to wait a bit for Persona 4: The Golden. This Vita version of the original PS2 game was announced last year, and is being released in Japan next month, but Atlus has announced that the North American version will not hit store shelves until Fall 2012. This is kind of disappointing, but I have faith that Atlus is bringing an amazing localization to the table. In addition to the dozens of hours of content from the original game, Persona 4: The Golden will feature a brand new character, and new story bits, making it one hefty package, so I'm sure it will be worth the wait. A strange bit of news, however, is about the trademark information for the game. Apparently, the Xbox 360 and its Kinect peripheral are listed in the trademark information for Persona 4: The Golden. I doubt this means anything, since it's a handheld port, but you never know. Check back for more news!

As a surprise to absolutely no one, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has been announced yesterday alongside a trailer. The trailer, having only been released yesterday, already has over 1 million views.

In an attempt to change up the formula, developer Treyarch has decided to take the game into the future... Well, near future. Treyarch plans to add new game modes including branching missions in hopes to break the stagnation that the series has been mocked for in the past few years.

Not that it really matters, the game will most likely make yet another few billion dollars as the previous games in the series have.

For all those out there who didn't see this coming or simply wanted an official announcement, Playstation All-Stars Battle Royal has finally been officially announced. The game will feature online play with up to 4 different players. Playable characterss include Kratos, Fat Princess, Sly cooper, Sweet tooth, Parappa da Rapper, and Radec, as well as other third party characters, and possible downloadable content, all in a nice 2.5D bundle. Look to this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo for more details on what is essentially the Playstation's own version of Super smash Bros.

A while back we informed readers of the newest addition to the tales series, Tales of Xillia.  At the time it was a Japan only Playstation 3 release with no plans to be localized at all. However recently its come to light that Namco Bandai has filed for trademarks in both Europe and the States. This means fans of the Tales series might be able to get their hands on the game fairly soon.

For those of you who need a refresher Tales of Xillia is a game that takes place in the world of Liese Maxia, a world where spirits and humans coexist. The game makes use of dual raid linear motion battle systems (DR-LMBS) to allow the player to partner up with a character and freely chain together attacks and spells for tons of damage. The world and characters are beautifully created, there are about 30 mins of exquisitely animated cut scenes to watch over various portions of the game, and unlike previous Tales games this with be the first mothership title to feature a behind the back camera view, allowing for a more lifelike experience.

In short Tales of Xillia is a wonderful addition to the Tales series, and I for one can't wait to get my hands on it.

Let me preface this by saying that I am a huge fan of music games as well as Rhythm Heaven for the Nintendo DS. That being said, it is no surprise that I was very anxious to play Nintendo's latest entry in the Rhythm Heaven series Rhythm Heaven Fever for the Nintendo Wii. So is this game a sharp masterpiece or does it fall flat?

Microsoft has released some news today that's sure to make Halo fans really happy. 343 Industries has announced that Halo 4 will be released on November 6, 2012. There's no word on whether this date is a worldwide release date, or just for the USA. Halo 4 is the first game in a new trilogy for the Halo series, and the first sequel in the series to be developed by a studio other than Bungie. Despite being a new trilogy, it picks up where Halo 3 left off, with the Master Chief and Cortana stranded in space, heading towards an unknown planet.