It's been a while since we last heard about Croteam's upcoming, decidedly non-cartoony shooter, Serious Sam 3 -- fortunately, a recent Destructoid interview with the developer's awesomely-named CEO, Roman Ribaric, has broken the cycle of silence. According to Ribaric, development on Sam's next outing is still on track. "Serious Sam 3 is happening for sure," Ribaric said, later adding, "it is currently planned to be finished in 2010."

We would never wish an ill fate upon anyone with a name as powerful as Roman Ribaric, so we'd like to offer this friendly advice -- finish that stuff in the latter part of the year. We're not kidding. Firmly grasp the first three months of your 2010 calendar, pull down as hard as you possibly can, and then don't release your game during any of the months you're holding. You're welcome in advance.

Alas, we've gone yet another decade without a single jetpack, hovercar, hoverpack or jetcar. We've got high hopes for unimaginable technological advancement in the 2010s -- for instance, if a recent advertisement for a bundle of LittleBigPlanet-branded PSP accessories that ran in MCV's latest "Digital Edition" is any indication, we're thinking that a new model of the old-school, UMD-equipped handheld might not be out of the question.

Proudly printed on the ad is a lineup of PSP models the accessories are compatible with -- including the PSP-4000. Now, this could just be a mistake on the ad designer's part, or it could be an accidental hint of things to come. Maybe not things as awesome as sky-based personal transportation, but hey -- we'll take what we can get.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

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This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. Here's what we learned from the voice of Chloe from Uncharted 2, and star of Farscape, Stargate, and more, Claudia Black..

So you've jumped genres from science fiction television shows to swashbuckling video games. How has that been?

Oh, I think it is all one in the same, isn't it? It is all part of the same genre. So I mean for me, it has been a very easy segue into this, and I think it has sort of corresponded at the same time with the industries starting to coalesce, too. You know, the film industry, which is sometimes considered, I think, to be a snobbish cousin of the gaming industry, is now really starting to take notice.

I'm sure the smell of money is helping a bit.

Yeah. I mean I think it really came to the floor when Van Helsing the film was kind of like the launch pad for the game, and the game was sort of more relevant and important, in a way, than the movie.

You've done a lot of video game voices, but was this the first time you did motion capture?

Yes, this was my first motion capture experience. I am a huge proponent of it because I think what impressed me about Naughty Dog's is that they respect and appreciate the magic that occurs over time between the performers. That you can have a great script, and you can have great voice actors in the booth, but you are never going to recreate that incredible alchemy that occurs with people in a room together. And they hired such amazing actors, you know, theater trained, very experienced actors to work together. And also, they were very specific and particular about whom they hired based on personalities because they wanted us to be a really tight knit family. And every single day it was fun. Every single day. And I know that games have become a very serious business, but they wanted the levity and the bonding to be the overriding essence on the set.

What is next for you?

Well I just wrapped up a little independent film called Rain from Stars which is written and directed by Steven Wallace and French Stewart, a wonderful comedic actor, and Jeremy London, Brian Krause ... a really lovely cast. It's called Rain from Stars, and is like 12 Angry Men meets Saw.

The acquisition of Eidos by Japanese publisher Square Enix earlier this year brought with it some strange consequences. Aside from the obvious Tomb Raider/Final Fantasy crossover that we all know is bound to happen, the above trailer for Just Cause 2 ends with a glaring Square Enix logo that still feels a bit out of place to us. Maybe it's the theme of deposing a South East Asian dictator, the pronounced "Engrish," and the musclebound American protagonist in the trailer -- or maybe it's just us being weird! Who knows?! We do know that the gameplay itself looks like a ripe barrel of monkeys and we're looking forward to its release on March 23, 2010.