This week was a week of disappointment, triumph and bundle packs. From October 12th to October 18th Blend Games provided gamers with a glimpse into Punch Out for the Wii, some Spore expansion pack news, and the heartbreaking delay of Sony’s first-party giant, Little Big Planet. There’s no sense in wasting words, so let’s get this show on the road.

Sunday
Blizzcon proved to make gamers angry with the news about Battle.net. And why shouldn’t gamers be angry? The new system – launching with Starcraft II – will have “certain” fees attached to some of its services. As if Blizzard wasn’t making enough with World of Warcraft. Click the link to find out how they plan to milk you loyal Blizz-heads out of your hard-earned cash.

Blend Games’ Rich Knight has an editorial up about his concerns for Wii’s Punch-Out. I wouldn’t blame anyone for having any concerns with Nintendo’s latest gaming affairs. But all hope is not lost. Read the full editorial to get the entire low-down.

Holiday bundles are a stir, and Microsoft has let loose with their Xbox 360 bundle pack. Whether you’re making due with a Pro Model or an Elite, the Xbox 360 is coming jam packed with content worth the price of purchase. Or so, it appears that way. Click the link to find out what you’ll be getting in the Xbox 360 holiday bundle.

Monday
The Call of Duty: World at War multiplayer beta launched on Monday for the Xbox 360. This means there will be plenty of pwnage to go around on Xbox Live up until the game releases in November. Windows gamers will have to wait shortly before getting their hands on the beta. Click the link to get all the details on participating in this experience.

New creatures and adventures are heading your way in two Spore expansion packs. As if you couldn’t find enough to do in a game that lets you create a universe all your own, there’s even more creature-creativity headed out of the studios of Maxis in the spring of 2009. But don’t settle for this brief description of what you’re getting in the ultimate creation-sim, click the link to find out the rest.

Champions Online, that really spiffy MMO rendition of Marvel Ultimate Alliance, has begun its beta registration. What could best be considered as the console version of City of Heroes, Champions Online features some really cool hero/villain dynamics. The only downside is that the current [closed] beta registration is only for one platform, and its between the Xbox 360 and PC. Click the link to find out which platform you won’t be testing this game on.

Tuesday
Barack Obama appears to like Xbox Live. Who knew? Well, know we all know. Find out what game Sen. Obama has ad campaigns running in so you know to avoid it if you want to avoid a potential in-game ad tax-hike. Click the link to find out more details.

A lot of gamers had a lot to say about the PS3's slim chance of dominating in 2010. The controversy certainly doesn’t end with the last paragraph of the article. See what all the fuss was about regarding this edgy piece.

GameCock, the newcomer publisher/developer, has been acquired by SouthPeak Interactive. Companies come and go, but what the heck is up with GameCock getting conquered by a mediocre-sized publisher such as SouthPeak? Yeah, I was just as surprised as everyone else. Click the link to find out what both parties had to say about each other and the merger.

Wednesday
Ghostbusters is no longer without a publishing home. Yep, after that whole merger between Activision and Vivendi Universal it appears Atari picked up the scraps one of the biggest video game publishers in the world forgot to acquire. See how it all it went down and why Atari grabbed the new game based on one of the most famous comedy-action franchises in history.

Blend Games’ writer Andy Keener drops some criticism and praise for Silent Hill: Homecoming. But did he give the game more praise or more criticism? Well, I’m not going to give anything away if you don’t already know. See what Mr. Keener’s final thoughts were on this horror/survival game.

Wednesday news rounds out with a look at the new Mortal Kombat versus DC Universe comic book. We have exclusive screen-caps of the comic, along with a trailer of John Tobias and his awesome take on classic comic book heroes duking it out with classic video game heroes. Definitely worth checking out.

Thursday
Blend Games’ Editor, Pete Haas, lays down some affordable ways to imitate your favorite games for Halloween. Hey look, there’s nothing wrong with a thick mustache, a red cap and some blue overalls. It seems to work wonders in the gay community, and it hasn’t been half-bad for Mario. Check out the rest of the story to see what cheap costumes you can make for Halloween.

Blend Games writing correspondent, Kurt Bieg, shares with the gaming community a few tips on game designing. The process isn’t easy and the steps for getting the game done is no walk in the park. So what is the upside to designing a game? Like I’m going to explain it here. You know the drill: click the link, read the story.

Friday
Really big news for LBP fans: the game has been delayed due to religious reasons. Oh snap, and here it is I thought that when they said a separation of Church and State, they meant Church and any video game located within a State’s retail outlet. Anyway, you might want to get the whole low-down on this fiasco if you haven’t already.

Round 2 for Casual Gamers vs Hardcore Gamers is currently underway. Check out which group of gamers does the industry justice when it comes to progression and innovation for gaming.

Saturday
Alpha Protocol, that spiffy little spy game, has received its first trailer. As usual, being the first trailer of the game means no gameplay at all. It’s an unspoken rule in the gaming industry, and I’ll be darned if it’ll ever change. Heck, people might actually get interested in the game if they showed gameplay footage the first time out. Now what company would possibly want that?

Namco released an update for Soul Calibur IV. The update enables both Yoda and Darth Vader on PS3/Xbox 360 versions of the game. Like previous iterations in the series, the characters were console exclusives. Read the full story to get the details on the update.

We round out the week’s news with an editorial on video game piracy. You can check the article out to see why gaming could still be affected by the world’s dire recession. Not a good way to end the week, but maybe next week will have a happier ending, eh?

Remember to stay tuned in with Blend Games for more news and information on the latest titles and happenings, or drop by he Blend Games Forum for discussions on hot gaming topics.