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Dungeon Defenders‘ smaller-scale DLC, available on PC through Steam, will not be available for the XBLA or PSN versions of the tower defense action title. This content includes: current and future Holiday DLC, the New Heroes Pack, the Barbarian character, Assault Mission Pack, Nightmare Mode, Shops and more.

“After much thought and investigation, we’ve decided it’s unfeasible from both a technical and business standpoint to bring the PC-only content to the console versions,” Trendy wrote on its forums, as noted by XBLAfans. “This is for a variety of reasons including the massive restructuring of the current console game that would have to take place, the QA process necessary to prepare for submission, patch size limitations, patch stacking requirements, and the opportunity cost of pursuing other projects.”

Major expansion packs like “The Lost Eternia Shards: Mistymire Forest” DLC, of which there are still three more planned, will make their way to consoles. Although this isn’t the best news for fans on XBLA or PSN, the PC game goes on sale pretty consistently, so picking it up at a bargain shouldn’t be a hardship.

While just another game to some, last year’s Sonic Generations was a review course of Sonic‘s varied musical history. With a wealth of classic and modern remixes and an even larger vault of unlockable originals, the game laid out in plain sight just how much the music of a single series can change over the course of two decades.

While hardware limitations can breed highly focused creativity, the lack thereof allows for unrestrained experimentation. From the Genesis to the Dreamcast, we witnessed Masato Nakamura’s unforgettable themes replaced by a wide variety of tracks featuring live performances in a vast array of genres.

It sounds pretty good on paper. Sure, we got some enjoyable instrumental rock and jazz, but songs that sing about following rainbows and rap about chaos emeralds can make these games embarrassing to revisit. Still, I have to admire the many directions Sega was willing to explore with the series’ music. Sonic Rush in particular really shook things up thanks to Hideki Naganuma. His unique brand of sample slicing threw many disparate genres into a blender to make something really special.

The Sonic series is, of course, far from an isolated case when it comes to the musical evolution of a series. Take Street Fighter for example. If you were alive in the ’90s, you no doubt have Yoko Shimomura’s iconic Street Fighter II soundtrack forever carved into your memory. But with the exception of the Volcanic Rim stage, Street Fighter IV just doesn’t have the same level of melodic pull. Instead, it lays focus on heavy electronica with production values that far exceed its predecessor in ways that only streamed audio could allow. It may not be as memorable, but it’s nonetheless a mighty fine modernization of an old franchise.

Sometimes stylistic change becomes so severe that it borders on the unbelievable. If my younger self were able to hear the final boss theme of Super Mario Galaxy 2, he would never believe that the full orchestra and choir piece belonged to one of the portly plumber’s adventures. And yet, a large enough portion of the score is devoted to the bouncier feel of Mario‘s past that it became a beautiful marriage of old and new loved by all sane people.

Those same people don’t always take so kindly to change. Many feathers were ruffled when Castlevania: Lords of Shadow arrived from Spanish studio Mercurysteam. Óscar Araujo’s film-like score had more in common with Danny Elfman’s work on the 1989 Batman movie than what we’ve come to expect from Castlevania. In spite of the soundtrack’s overall quality, the deck was stacked against it as many longtime fans hungered for Michiru Yamane’s signature sound.

Chasing the past might seem like a good idea, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Sega tried to give fans what they wanted with Sonic the Hedgehog 4, and we all know how that turned out. The pseudo-Genesis soundtrack was in desperate need of a better arranger as evidenced by a fan-made rendition of the game’s first stage that Sega featured on its own blog (despite the video’s unflattering description).

That isn’t to say it can’t be done. Mega Man 9 and 10 were both very successful in capturing the spirit of the NES. In fact, I’d argue that Mega Man 9 even surpasses a few of the soundtracks it imitates, and Mega Man 10 was no slouch either. Chill Man’s stage has a level of complexity that almost feels like the composer is showing off.

Primarily, though, a soundtrack should always support the game to which it’s attached. Retro throwbacks only work on games that emulate or at least take inspiration from the games of our youth. As the industry matures, it’s only natural that the accompanying music will change to better suit what you’re seeing on screen. And as technology increases, so do the number of ways in which music can dynamically adjust to each situation.

They don’t make game music like they use to. It’s evolving, and that has its own advantages.

Death and dismemberment are nothing new in the eternal battle between good and evil. As we are taught from a young age, the forces of evil are forever ravaged by those of good. Heads are severed, bodies split in twain, souls imprisoned. As a general rule, however, such terms are rarely applied to the hero.

NeverDead attempts to buck the trend by giving us Bryce, an immortal demon slayer who finds himself constantly burned, electrocuted, stabbed, shot, sliced, digested and torn apart. Even when reduced to nothing but a rolling head, Bryce will always be ready for more. The question is whether you’ll be ready too.

Bryce’s immortality is central to NeverDead. Beset on all sides by demons of every stripe, he must shoot or slice his way through the horde, knowing that they could lop off any or all of his limbs at any time. As you might imagine, it’s pretty hard to swing a sword with no arms — and walking without legs, well, that’s just impossible.

A little mutilation isn’t enough to stop an immortal though, and Bryce can simply roll over his limbs to reconnect them or, given enough time, regenerate them entirely. It’s a unique mechanic that leads to a handful of inventive experiences. The best is probably Bryce’s ability to pull off his own head and toss it to distant locations, usually into air vents or otherwise inaccessible areas. Think of it like a really gross version of Metroid’s morph ball.

The novelty wears off, however, when you realize that, since Bryce cannot die, every single enemy is designed to dismember him at every turn. It’s not uncommon to poise for a killing blow, only to have a demon knock Bryce’s head off, cancelling his attack and forcing him to slowly roll his head back to his body. It is exactly as annoying as it sounds. Also, as a side note, Bryce may not be able to die, but you still get a game over screen if a certain enemy manages to swallow his head.

Most enemies can be shot to death with a variety of weapons collected throughout the game, but it’s rarely, if ever, preferable to simply cutting them down with Bryce’s sword. Aiming controls are very twitchy and, frankly, most guns aren’t terribly effective anyway — and let’s not forget that once you finally draw a bead on your baddie of choice, there’s a good chance that another baddie is about to take your head off. There are a few techniques Bryce can unlock that will increase the effectiveness of bullets, but I never found them worth it.

More often than not, it’s just easier to start slicing with the sword, which is accomplished by locking onto an enemy with the left trigger and swinging the right stick in the desired direction. Even as effective as it is, the swordplay isn’t very engaging, in my case devolving into a Mr. Miyagi-like mantra of constant side-to-side swings. The third combat option involves NeverDead’s destructible environments, which fall apart around Bryce as he shoots or cuts into them.

It’s possible to kill enemies with falling debris, though it usually seems to result only by accident. In fact, enemies will often destroy the environment themselves, causing debris to crush and kill other enemies. Using the environment as a weapon is a smart (and occasionally amusing) idea, but its execution feels about as haphazard as the debris itself.

It doesn’t help matters that combat scenarios all play out the same way: The exit is sealed off, enemies pile in and Bryce has to take them all out in order to clear the way. The setup is similar to other character action titles like Devil May Cry or Bayonetta, but where those titles bestow players with seemingly limitless techniques, Bryce’s repertoire is limited at best. Ultimately, it leads to a repeating cycle in which Bryce cuts down dozens of enemies, possibly forced to destroy several enemy spawning Hellmouths in the process and maybe capping things off with a mini-boss. Things get somewhat more interesting as Bryce acquires new optional abilities — particularly the ability to detonate his missing limbs like grenades — but fighting through what is essentially the same encounter over and over again wears thin by the end of the campaign.

There are a few genuinely well-designed bosses to battle, including a bizarre, three-headed monstrosity with the body of a cockroach and the heads of a rabbit, panther and crocodile. My favorite is probably Sangria, a fat demon with Elizabethan garb and an effeminate southern drawl. Heaven knows how an Elizabethan demon acquired a southern drawl, but far be it from me to complain. Boss battles are one of the highlights of NeverDead, though some of them are recycled to the point of boredom (I’m looking at you, electro-whale).

Beyond actual gameplay, the narrative weaved through the action won’t be winning any awards — prevent the resurrection of the demon king, etc. In particular, some of the dialogue is downright cringe-inducing. (“Here’s the elevator. I’ll press the button.”) Players should also prepare to hear the same one-liners repeated ad nauseam, with Bryce sometimes even spouting the same one several times in a row. Furthermore, while Bryce is memorable enough, the two main female characters — a by-the-books “agent” and a whiny pop singer — are about as generic as they come. Still, the story isn’t any worse than most action titles (quick, name the main villain in Bayonetta).

When all is said and done, NeverDead‘s immortality mechanic is certainly intriguing, as are its destructible environments. You may even develop an attachment to Bryce by the end of his quest. If the combat was more involving, and the destruction more deliberate, the developers at Rebellion might have been on to something. For now, in trying to tread new ground, NeverDead’s greatest success is in finding the middle.

Zone of the Enders HD is receiving a new animated opening from Gundam studio Sunrise. On a recent check of the footage, Hideo Kojima decided to tweet out some stills from the production. As Siliconera notes, Kojima captured the Vic Viper, Jehuty and Ardjet.

When you’re looking at trailers for Darksiders 2 or you see character art of skull-faced Death riding his zombie horse, wielding an enormous transforming scythe to murder countless monsters, do you ever think “I wonder what’s going on in his head? How does Death feel about all this?”

You’ll find out in May, when Del Rey Books releases Darksiders: The Abomination Vault, a novel by Ari Marmell. Set long before the games, it follows Death and War as they attempt to foil a plot to “resurrect ancient weapons of unimaginable power.”

As part of this deal, The “Random House Worlds” IP development group will handle the official IP “bible” for the Darksiders universe. We could have sworn there was already a bible about these guys.

Lest you haven’t bought Bastion yet, a title that made number five in Joystiq’s prestigious 2011 top ten, this just might be the week to do it. The game is available for $7.50 this week on Xbox Live, half the usual price. We think Rucks would agree when we say it’s a heckuva deal.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 comes out today in North America, but it’s already benefiting from simultaneous DLC releases with Japan. Due on Feb. 7, upcoming DLC lets players fight FFXIII protagonist Lightning, accompanied by Lt. Amoda. If you defeat her, she can join your party.

Siliconera reports that future DLC following this Lightning battle will include a costume pack and new story content (which Square Enix says will “enhance the experience and complement the narrative of FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 with storyline branches for key characters in the story,” with another coliseum battle coming in mid-March. That wacky Ezio costume will be in there somewhere, as well.

We know video games can offer deeply immersive experiences that affect our real-world emotions and draw intense reactions from our real-life bodies and minds. We know this, and finally the professional medical community is beginning to recognize our insight, with truly encouraging results, as described by GQ’s recent feature, Burning Man.

Sam Brown’s body was burned horrifically during his tour in Afghanistan, after his Humvee ran over an IED, GQ writes. He spent many months after the accident drugged out of consciousness on rave-grade hallucinogens and enduring the highest levels of physiological pain during therapy that no amount of morpihne could tame. And then a cognitive psychologist told him to play SnowWorld, a virtual-reality game full of snowball-chucking snowmen and penguins, while his skin was stretched, a procedure that normally garnered a score over 10 on Brown’s pain scale.

Playing SnowWorld, he gave the pain a six.

Hunter Hoffman, the psychologist behind SnowWorld, is working on further research into the art of pain distraction through video games, but already results such as Brown’s show great potential. Hoffman is using $7.5 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health to expand his research, including the incorporation of Second Life-style elements into video game therapy. Read the entire, captivating story at GQ.

Your super exclusive group of friends who took the time to get into the Steam Mobile beta? You can now totally tell them all to eff right off, as their exclusive group has just been blown wide open. In case it wasn’t clear, that means the Steam Mobile app for both iOS and Android devices is now available for all via iTunes and the Android Marketplace, respectively. How much, you ask? Why, it’s free, you silly goose! Go see for yourself on iTunes and Android here.

The online pass for SSX will not lock players out of multiplayer competition. Instead, it is used to lock players out of obtaining in-game credits used to unlock content.

EA tells Game Informer that players without the online pass will be able to compete and play in both of SSX’s online game modes, “Explore” and “Global Events,” but that credits awarded to those without the online pass in Global Events will be inaccessible and banked until they pony up the $10 for the pass.

EA concludes, “Economy balance makes it possible to unlock all available content and allows you to participate in all event drops across both Explore and Global Events, with credits earned solely in Explore.”