Any big game releases this week? No? Good. I’m not made of money.

Oh, wait. Black Ops II. Goddamnit.

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• NEWS: Hounded by 4chan regulars on his 50th birthday, Gabe Newell has let slip two things. Firstly, Source 2 is indeed in development. Though file leaks had confirmed as much, this is the first public confirmation of the new engine, which Gabe claims is not an extension of the existing Source engine but something entirely new. Secondly, he stated that Ricochet 2 had begun active development. He doesn’t actually mean Ricochet 2, the title used as an unspoken codename for Half-Life 3. Hopefully it will be worth the wait.
• NEWS: We don’t often see insightful analysis of our favourite medium, but author Brendan Keogh is stepping up to the plate with Killing is Harmless: A Critical Reading of Spec Ops: The Line. The book hopes to analysis the themes of Spec Ops: The Line, particularly its portrayal of violence. If you’d like to know more, head over to Critical Damage.
• VIDEO: Muddled online role playing game Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is hoping to win you back. Check out this End of an Era trailer to see how the rebuild is shaping up.

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• NEWS: Industry and adventure game legend Ron Gilbert is returning to the scene with The Cave. We already knew that. But what of the design philosophy? The story? Pancakes? Learn more on this SEGA Blog, where Gilbert has answered a series of fan questions.
• NEWS: Want to see more of The Last of Us? You won’t have to wait long. According to Geoff Keighley on twitter, Naughty Dog will be showcasing new footage at the 2012 Video Game Awards, which are set to screen early December.
• VIDEO: It’s not just amateurs who are using Valve’s commercial release of the Source Filmmaker.  Zachariah Scott, one of Bioware’s cinematic designers, has released a clever little video entitled ‘Bad Medicine’. Check it out below:

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• NEWS: As you probably know, the Wii U features video chat with friends. How does that video chat work exactly? Read the latest issue of Iwata Asks to find out.
• NEWS: Hankering for new screenshots for Atelier Totori Plus? All Games Beta have a few you might be interested in.