We suited up for another mission on the USG Ishimura, and this time we brought along a friend.

EA’s Dead Space challenged survival horror preconceptions when it launched last year, boasting spectacular graphics, nail-biting action, and strategic dismemberment. EA was so confident of Dead Space’s appeal that it began work on a Wii version even before the original game had shipped, and we got to finally try out the cooperative mode of Dead Space Extraction ahead of GamesCom.

“Some things, the more you understand them, the more you loathe them.”

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We put out the flames in this life-saving fire-person shooter.

Can you imagine a first-person shooter that has you saving people instead of pumping them full of bullets? Real Heroes: Firefighter plays like a standard FPS, but instead of carrying an assortment of guns on your back, you have a fire extinguisher. Your melee weapon is an axe, but you use it to break down boxes and bust down doors instead of giving the ol’ chop-and-drop to an evil dude. We had a chance to wield a hose and spray our life-giving water on a burning building today.

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We check out three new events (including Mario Kart on skis) as two icons continue to compete for Olympic gold.

We’re no stranger to athletic competition between hedgehogs and plumbers. Our hands/tush-on preview gave you a glimpse of alpine skiing and bobsledding, while our latest demo gave us the scoop on figure skating, ice hockey, and dream ski cross. It also revealed two new playable characters: Donkey Kong and Metal Sonic.

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Use your Legilimency skills to find out how the upcoming Harry Potter game is shaping up. Or just read this hands-on preview instead.

Have you ever wished that you could wave around a magic wand, proclaim “Accio TV remote!” and have your remote control come flying directly into your hand? Or perhaps your little brother is bothering you. How awesome would it be to cry out “Petrificus Totalus” and make him freeze up like a Popsicle? No, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will not let you repair your own glasses with a wave of the Wii Remote and a shout of “Oculus Reparo,” but it will come closer to simulating spellcasting than the Harry Potter games of yore. We met with Darren Potter (no relation) at Electronic Arts during E3 2009 to see how the game is shaping up, and got some one-on-one dueling time in as well.

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We get a look at this new Monkey Island adventure game being developed by Telltale Games for LucasArts.

E3 2009 is still under way, and one of the many games on display at the show is Tales of Monkey Island, the all-new episodic adventure game being developed by Telltale Games for publisher LucasArts. Tales of Monkey Island will be an all-new adventure series starring the classic characters from the lighthearted Monkey Island pirate adventure games, including on-again, off-again pirate Guybrush Threepwood, his lady-love Elaine Marley, and the dastardly ghost pirate LeChuck.

Who’s Making This Game: Telltale Games, a studio founded by LucasArts adventure developer refugees that has gone on to create episodic adventure games such as Sam & Max and Wallace & Gromit.

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