Now Siliconera (via Xbox360Fanboy) has discovered that From Software is selling a premium Ninja Blade bundle for 250 Microsoft Points that includes wallpapers and five ninja-themed avatar parts. Though this is the first instance of this happening, coming as quickly as it did after the NXE update, we're sure it won't be the last. As always, you can use your wallet to tell Microsoft if you think the deal is worth it.

"This is not just a holiday promotion for us," explained 7-Eleven category manager for gaming and electronics, "but a brand new product line-up that will be available year-round. We may not be a total entertainment destination ... yet, but we're hoping to expand our selection beyond the high-dollar, hot-selling games to include options for all budgets, like value-priced video games as well as DVD movies. For consumers wanting convenient one-stop shopping for at-home entertainment along with groceries and gas or who just want to avoid big-store shopping inconveniences, their local 7-Eleven store is open and ready."

In addition to Wrath of the Lich King, 7-Eleven is planning on selling the Guitar Hero World Tour band kit, Fallout 3, Quantum of Solace, Gears of War 2, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009, and Call of Duty: World at War. They'll also begin selling subscription cards for around 20 games and services ranging from Xbox Live to City of Heroes to Runescape.

In addition to the previously revealed three-pack from the Killers, Harmonix has announced several other artists that will be joining the band as next week's Rock Band DLC. Tracks from the Chris Cornell-fronted grunge trailblazers Soundgarden will accompany the Killers, along with legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen and metal group Lamb of God. As usual, these downloads will arrive Tuesday on Xbox Live and Thursday on the PlayStation Store, and will be available individually for $1.99 (160 Microsoft points) and in bundled three-packs where applicable for $5.49 (440 Microsoft points). The entire list of next week's offerings looks something like this:

• "Mr. Brightside" by the Killers
• "Smile Like You Mean It" by the Killers
• "Spaceman" by the Killers
• "Caprici Di Diablo" by Yngwie Malmsteen
• "Damnation Game" by Yngwie Malmsteen
• "Red Devil" by Yngwie Malmsteen
• "Jesus Christ Pose" by Soundgarden
• "Pretty Noose" by Soundgarden
• "Laid To Rest" by Lamb of God

Yet another diverse batch of songs as the Rock Band platform marches ever closer to the year-end goal of 500 songs. Between the awesomely laid-back "Pretty Noose" and Yngwie Malmsteen's trademark blistering solos, next week should be able to cater to a wide spectrum of tastes and skill levels. As great as some of these tracks are, however, we're more than a little bitter that we still don't have Texas Flood. Patience is not our strong suit when it comes to Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Retailers around the country are bracing for a slow holiday shopping season, but GameStop expects to do just fine. Gamasutra is reporting that although sales are dipping down for the year, causing the company to cut forecasts for the rest of the financial year, they still expect overall store sales to increase four to five percent compared to the previous year.

Speaking on the forecast cuts, GameStop chief executive officer Daniel DeMatteo said, "GameStop had a strong quarter. Sales have been very robust over the last several weeks, driven by strong new title releases such as Activision's Call of Duty: World at War and World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King and Microsoft's Gears of War 2." Later, he added that the company "continues to expect a solid fourth quarter in sales and earnings, albeit tempered slightly by the weakness in consumer spending."

But according to a report from the Los Angeles Times, that weakness may continue for at least another seven more months, with the Federal Reserve predicting that the recession could last until mid-2009 or later. If that happens, expect even more modest forecasts to be made by the specialty retailer for the next financial year.

Today VideoGaming247 reports that the rule only applies to new products, which means only games that are submitted for approval after January 1, 2009. In other words, if a game is submitted for approval in December but releases in January, no Trophies will be required. It also doesn't apply to old games, as the decision to patch in Trophy support is still being left up to publishers. We've heard mixed messages about this in the past, but it seems now that Trophy support being on a case-by-case basis for older games is the standard.

Trophies arguably haven't really become the institution that Achievements are for Xbox 360 owners -- after all, who ever heard of a "Trophy Whore"? Hopefully by making them standard operating procedure for the foreseeable future, more addiction-prone gamers will latch onto them, especially once they're supported through Home.

One half of the impending DLC two-pack is the Carson Extreme Hotrod, which is -- you guessed it -- based on a stereotypically souped-up 1920s roadster. It's also the fastest, most realistically handling car in Paradise City, according to Criterion. Both the Hotrod and the other mystery vehicle in this download bundle were apparently designed to "reimagine Burnout boost" -- a lofty goal considering how unrelentingly awesome that boost has always been.

Now that we're finally starting to get some (presumably) paid DLC in Burnout Paradise, it should be interesting to see how the game's fanbase reacts. Spending almost a year providing users with free updates has helped foster a tremendously loyal community for the over-the-top racer, so who knows how they'll respond to actually paying for goods and services.

The season of shooters is still going strong thanks to our early dive into the Killzone 2 Multiplayer beta. While the controls are a bit of an issue for David Ellis, he and Peter Brown both agree it may very well be the best-looking console shooter so far.

Tomb Raider: Underworld has a nice set of gams too, however. Nick Suttner and Sam Kennedy find Lara's latest adventure to be only slightly wanting.

If you're feeling in more of a gambling mood, Kotaku reports that popular online retailer Amazon is hosting a PS3 Customer Vote promotion. Users registered with Amazon choose from three bundles (above), after which the winning bundle is offered at the listed price for a random sampling of those who voted for it. It's not the most foolproof way to snag a cheap PlayStation 3, but the lowest bundles are priced at $199, so it can't hurt to try.

In our economic climate, expensive luxury items are sure to take a hit this holiday season, and game consoles as gifts are probably among them. We'll keep you posted if we see particularly good deals on consoles and games.

After January 10, the subscription fees will be waived. Additionally, Gamasutra notes that anyone who subscribed to the service before the announcement was made will receive three free months of City of Heroes and Lineage II, as well as a beta pass for Aion.

After the game itself hit the low price of $1 earlier this month, and executive producer Richard Garriott, the man whose name is on the box, departed a week later, this announcement seemed inevitable. Yet, since the game costs as much as a double cheeseburger and will eventually be free to play, why not give it a try for educational purposes?

Far Cry 2 has been a bit of a sleeper hit this season, selling reasonably well despite finding some of its hype dampened by the glut of big releases. You might have noticed that the information doesn't mention the PC version, where the series hails from. This could mean the DLC is only for console players, so time will have to tell if Ubisoft has any plans for an update to the PC version to match its console counterparts.