As the owner of a rescued dog, I tend to support PETA in its calls for animal rights. However, sometimes that organization has a tendency to go overboard. Like right now. The animal rights group has lodged a complaint against Electronic Arts and DICE's Battlefield 3 in press release form (via BF3Blog), calling out the game's "sadistic" treatment of animals as exemplified in an early campaign scene involving a rat's run-in with your combat knife.

I'm familiar with the scene in question, having played through it twice after failing the related QTE on my first runthrough. While I'd lodge complaint against that scene's ridiculously tiny "press the button now!" QTE window, the rat killing really doesn't seem like something that PETA or anyone else should be getting worked up over.

2K Marin’s XCOM reboot was originally slated for March 6, 2012. During an investor’s report, Take Two announced the shooter has been rescheduled to "fiscal year 2013." That pegs its release between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013.

Borderlands 2 is also a fiscal year 2013 title, which means it will be released within the same timeframe.

Next year, Take Two will release The Darkness II on February 7, 2012 and Max Payne 3 in March 2012. Both titles will be on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. Grand Theft Auto V is listed as "TBA" for its release window and platforms .

Here’s a list of prices for various titles announced by SCE. Please note this is not the complete list of games that will be available for the UMD Passport program.

Guilty Gear Judgment – 500 yen
Carnage Heart EXA – 400 yen
Pachipara Slot – Pachislot Sea Story in Okinawa -  1,000 yen
Akiba’s Trip – 1,000 yen
Tale of the Lost Promise – 1,000 yen
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable – 1,500 yen
Metal Slug Complete – 500 yen
Higurashi Daybreak – 500 yen
Atelier Viola – 1,000 yen
Street Supremacy (Tokyo Xtreme Racer) – 1,000 yen
Dynasty Warriors Portable – 500 yen
Dead or Alive Paradise – 1,000 yen
Colin McRae: Dirt 2 – 1,000 yen
Ever 17 ~ the out of infinity ~ 1,000 yen
Nanatama: Chronicle of Dungeon Maker – 500 yen
Silver Star Shogi Portable – 1,000 yen
Chameleon – 500 yen
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 – 500 yen
Patapon 3 – 1,000 yen
Gran Turismo – 1,000 yen
Nano Diver – 1,000 yen
Himehibi Princess Days Portable – 740 yen
Sacrifice of the Inescapable Room – 1,000 yen
The Promise I Made Over this Blue Sky: Paradise in the Palm of Your Hand – 100 yen
Everyone’s Reading: Masterpieces & Detective Stories & Ghost Stories – 500 yen
Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days – 500 yen
Makai Kingdom Portable – 1,000 yen
The Convini Portable – 1,000 yen
Evangelion: Battle Orchestra Portable – 1,000 yen
Kanon – 1,000 yen
Harvest Moon: Boy & Girl – 500 yen
Memories Off – 500 yen
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands – 1,000 yen
Onore no Shizuru Michi wo Yuke  – Free
Prince of Persia: Sands of Oblivion – 1,000 yen