Another “accidental” fire at the uDraw factory...

THQ has endured a wretched run in recent times, with a string of underperforming releases such as de Blob 2 and Red Faction: Armageddon culminating in the disastrous flop of the uDraw peripheral for 360 and PS3. Worse yet, according to IGN, the plummeting value of its shares may yet see the company delisted from the NASDAQ stock exchange.

THQ is taking several measures to bolster the confidence of both the NASDAQ and investors, slashing 240 jobs (including 14 in Australia) and trimming CEO Brian Farrell’s base salary by 50% for the next 12 months. As reported by Develop, the publisher also claims to have no fewer than 17 games in the works, including six unannounced ‘core titles’.

In addition to the unannounced games, work will continue on Devil’s Third, from Tomonobu Itagaki’s Valhala Studios and Insane, from film maker Guillermo del Toro. Also confirmed as still in the pipeline are untitled projects from Assassin’s Creed creative director Patrice Désilets and Left 4 Dead developer Turtle Rock Studio. Gamers can also look forward to a raft of sequels and licensed titles.

Presented in glorious alphabetical order, New Media: Retail Roundup is your indispensible checklist of the home console and handheld titles arriving in stores this week. What will you be playing?

MICROSOFT Xbox 360 The Darkness II * Fallout: New Vegas – Ultimate Edition * Grand Slam Tennis 2 * Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning * Metal Gear Solid HD Collection * Victorious: Time to Shine

NINTENDO Wii Nothing 3DS Crush3D * Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games * Pac-man Party 3D DS Nothing

SONY PS3 The Darkness II * Fallout: New Vegas – Ultimate Edition * Grand Slam Tennis 2 * Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning * Metal Gear Solid HD Collection PSP Nothing

VARIOUS PC Fallout: New Vegas – Ultimate Edition * Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

New Media: Downloadable Digest is your handy reminder of the downloadable titles released during the past week.

MICROSOFT XBLA Double Fine Happy Action Theater * Rhythm Party Games on Demand Section 8

NINTENDO WiiWare TNT Racers Wii VC Nothing 3DS eShop Nothing 3DS VC Nothing DSiWare Castle Conqueror: Against * Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon

SONY PSN Nothing Minis Prehistoric Isle Full Games Kane & Lynch: Dead Men * Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days * Mini Ninjas PS1 Classics Nothing

VALVE Steam Fortune Summoners * Law & Order: Legacies * Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection * Pineapple Smash Crew * PixelJunk Eden * Serious Sam 2 * Star Trek Online

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Scribblenauts developer 5^th Cell has issued fresh gameplay footage of Hybrid. If you’re struggling to recall exactly what Hybrid is, you can probably be forgiven. Following its announcement in October 2010, the futuristic multiplayer shooter has maintained a remarkably low profile.

During its time away from the public eye, the game has apparently undergone something of a metamorphoses. The grim and realistic characters presented in the pre-rendered 2010 announcement trailer are seemingly no more. In the latest vision, the combatants appear to be far more vibrant, if not a mite cartoonish. Hopefully the decision was driven by artistic (rather than economic) concerns.

The new 90 second clip hints at the semi-automated traversal and cover system that promises to set the game apart from its many contemporaries.

The developer is yet to specify a release date for Hybrid beyond the ‘2012’ noted in the trailer. The game will be an XBLA exclusive.

NanoBITES captures those small but important morsels of gaming information that otherwise might slip between the cracks.

ITEM! Following the release of Resistance 3, Insomniac has informed VG247 that it has no further plans for the franchise. Even as Insomniac shifts its focus to Overstrike, series publisher Sony will continue the saga on Vita with Resistance: Burning Skies.

ITEM! After a dozen years of chasing subscribers, the creators of pioneering MMO EverQuest are finally preparing to roll out a free-to-play option. This strikes us as a sound decision. After all, if players haven’t ponied up by now, they probably never will.

ITEM! Final Fantasy XIII-2 is only just making its way onto store shelves, but Square Enix is already hyping the first wave of DLC. Lightning and Master Sergeant Amodar will see players battling enemies from previous Final Fantasy titles.

ITEM! It appears that downloading games for the Vita will be less expensive than buying them at retail. Shacknews is reporting that consumers will save 10% when buying direct from the PlayStation Network.

ITEM! In what can only be described as the continuation of a depressing trend for PC gamers, another high profile release has been delayed. As revealed by Joystiq, Prototype 2 is now set to arrive on PC in July, three months after the console versions hit.

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