Welcome to The Black List, your one stop shop for the stories published on the site this week.

MONDAY 1 NEW TRAILER Journey > Well folks, do you like sand? You do? Excellent, because do I have the trailer for you. Sand as far as the eye can see! There is white sand, orange sand and even red sand. You can fly over the sand, walk in the sand and even make the sand rise into the air. But that’s not all! Your avatar in this game is a strange genderless being. I mean, does it get any more artsy then that? READ MORE

MONDAY 2 REVIEW Child of Eden > If pop culture is any guide, the 80s and 90s were the golden years of computer hacking. This was an era in which penetrating the network of a nefarious corporation required you to fly through a realm of kaleidoscopic colour and clash with fearsome avatars in order to escape with the requisite data. Prepare to relive those halcyon days with Child of Eden, a game that understands that hacking has nothing to do with learning a programming language or poring over reams of code and everything to do with blasting barnacles from the hide of a neon whale as it glides majestically through cyberspace. READ MORE

TUESDAY NEW TRAILER Rock of Ages > When ACE Team came up with the idea of Rock of Ages, I imagine they were playing a lot of Super Monkey Ball and watching Monty Python’s Quest for the Holy Grail because that’s the exact vibe I get when watching this mad cap trailer. Poking fun at video games through the ages and busting out a great one liner (Rock beats everything!) this is one of the funnier previews I have seen in a while. READ MORE

WEDNESDAY NEW TRAILER Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning > Are you a fan of open world RPGs? If so, the latest Kingdoms of Amalur trailer has arrived to tickle your fancy. The trailer is full of reborn heroes, destiny, and just a sprinkling of the inevitable saving of the world. It also offers a glimpse at the some of the game’s narrative details, while also showcasing its enemy-filled environments. READ MORE

THURSDAY NEWS nanoBITES 54 > The first post Halo title to emerge from Bungie won’t be its mysterious multiplatform project for Activision. Instead, it will be releasing iPad strategy game Crimson: Steam Pirates under its recently established Bungie Aerospace label. Look for it on Thursday 1 September. This is just one of the stories in this week’s edition of nanoBITES, our ongoing feature devoted to small but important news items. READ MORE

FRIDAY JUST ANNOUNCED Black Knight Sword > There’s no stopping Grasshopper Manufacture. Suda51’s studio, which already has three projects on the go (Lollipop Chainsaw, Codename D and Sine Mora), has announced that it has commenced work on a fourth. Like Sine Mora, Black Knight Sword is a downloadable collaboration with Hungarian developer Digital Reality. READ MORE

Recent instalments of The Black List: 20.08.11 l 13.08.11 l 06.08.11 l 30.07.11 l 23.07.11

There’s no stopping Grasshopper Manufacture. Suda51’s studio, which already has three projects on the go (Lollipop Chainsaw, Codename D and Sine Mora), has announced that it has commenced work on a fourth. Like Sine Mora, Black Knight Sword is a downloadable collaboration with Hungarian developer Digital Reality.

The new game is a side scrolling 2D action game in which a fairy aids you in your noble quest to slay (rather than rescue) a princess. That’s a nice example of flipping the script, isn’t it? Perhaps we’ll soon see a game in which the hero is set upon by a horde of bloodthirsty boxes and crates?

In gameplay terms, Grasshopper has described Black Knight Sword as a “throwback to the classic platformers” of yesteryear, while the art style has been inspired by “puppet theatre” and European animation”.  This one could well be worth a look when it arrives on XBLA and PSN in the Australian summer.

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

ITEM! The first post Halo title to emerge from Bungie won’t be its mysterious multiplatform project for Activision. Instead, it will be releasing iPad strategy game Crimson: Steam Pirates under its recently established Bungie Aerospace label. Look for it on Thursday 1 September.

ITEM! We may be on our way to an R18+ rating, but if we needed a reminder that we’re not there yet, the Classification Board has provided it. As reported by Joystiq, the PS3 port of SEGA’s House of the Dead: Overkill has been refused classification due to the presence of content unseen in the Wii original.

ITEM! Sucker Punch is working on a standalone Infamous 2 spinoff. The PSN exclusive Festival of Blood will see New Marais overrun by a horde of vampires. Once again Cole has to save the day, even though he too has been turned into a vampire. Look for it in October.

ITEM! THQ’s forthcoming inSANE already boasts the talents of Guillermo del Toro. In an interview with MTV, the Pan’s Labyrinth director revealed that comic book artist Guy Davis, best known for his work in the Hellboy universe, will be contributing designs to the project.

ITEM! Fantasy themed Wii strategy title Little King’s Story is to receive a sequel. According to a story published in Famitsu (via Andriasang), the new instalment from Marvellous Entertainment will be coming to the PSVita. There has been no word as yet on a western release.

Recent instalments of nanoBITES: 18.08.11 l 11.08.11 l 04.08.11 l 27.07.11 l 21.07.11

Are you a fan of open world RPGs? If so, the latest Kingdoms of Amalur trailer has arrived to tickle your fancy. The trailer is full of reborn heroes, destiny, and just a sprinkling of the inevitable saving of the world. It also offers a glimpse at the some of the game’s narrative details, while also showcasing its enemy-filled environments.

With so many stand-out RPG releases recently, and with Skyrim waiting off in the distance, it’s admittedly a little difficult to get overly excited for Kingdoms of Amalur, especially with its decidedly generic aesthetic. We’re taught though, to never judge a book by its cover. With the game still a ways off, and with a number of talented individuals on board, including R.A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane, this effort from EA, 38 Studios and Big Huge Games may just offer a surprise.

We have a while to wait to see if that’s true though, with Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning slated for release in February 2012 on PC, 360 and PS3.