Last Friday, Microsoft triumphantly announced that Grant Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned had "eclipsed first-day revenue for all previous downloadable content on Xbox Live." The software giant also played up the fact that the Xbox 360-exclusive expansion--the first of two due this year--was the "highest-reviewed downloadable content ever from Rockstar Games." Profits for life, Lost forever! What Microsoft didn't do was offer any sales figures for The Lost and Damned, which won't be tracked by the retail-focused research firm the NPD Group. Today, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter stepped into the breach, estimating that the $20 add-on has sold more than 1 million units to date. The game-industry cognoscenti went on to predict that it will go on to sell more than 2 million units by October 31, the end of Rockstar Games parent Take-Two Interactive's fiscal year. Pachter went on to say that he considers Take-Two a "one-hit wonder." Luckily, that one hit is the Grand Theft Auto series, which the analyst is confident will haul the publisher's stock out of Wall Street's basement. Initially valued at $26 a share in Electronic Arts' rejected buyout offer last year, Take-Two stock was trading under $6 as of press time--still almost four times as much as General Motors, and nearly six times as much as Citigroup.

What we heard: During a February 11 earnings call, Activision Publishing president and CEO Mike Griffith talked about the year's Guitar Hero titles. Those included Guitar Hero: Metallica (due out March 29), Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits for consoles, and a new Guitar Hero DS game, identified this week as Guitar Hero: Modern Hits. Griffith also hinted that something bigger was in store for the billion-dollar rhythm franchise. "As we look at that back half of the year we expect to release the majority of our games," he declared. "Starting with the Guitar Hero franchise, we'll launch a major restage of the business, with all-new differentiated Guitar Hero products, plus the launch of DJ Hero, a line extension that enhances the franchise."

Viral teaser sites are about as fresh an idea as a reality show starring a washed-up celebrity. But that doesn't stop publishers from using them to build buzz for their games. Case in point: BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams, currently in development at 2K Marin. The sequel to the GameSpot 2007 Game of the Year finalist is apparently the subject of Somethinginthesea.com, an oh-so-mysterious Web destination that soft-launched yesterday. Set to a soundtrack of static-riddled radio transmissions, the site displays a wrinkled world map with a large X marked on the western coast of Ireland. The mark is dated February 20, 1967, seven years after the events of the original BioShock. On the upper right of the map are several photos, notes, and newspaper clippings bearing notations.

In June 2008, Konami delivered arguably the PlayStation 3's best exclusive title, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Sony is undoubtedly hoping to repeat that success in June 2009, announcing today that Sly Cooper developer Sucker Punch will deliver inFamous to the PS3 during the period. The city is your oyster. An open-world action adventure, inFamous presents the story of Cole, a normal-guy-turned-electricity-wielding mutant who must grapple with the responsibility of doing good and the sheer enjoyment of being evil. That choice, of course, will be left for the individual to make, as the game's open-world nature allows gamers to either save the fictional Empire City's denizens or whimsically wreak wanton carnage.

Riding high on the release of Square Enix's Star Ocean: The Last Hope, Microsoft's Xbox 360 made a rare appearance atop the Japanese console sales charts, according to sales figures released last week by Media Create. For the week of February 23-March 2, it was Sony's turn to bask in the light of a popular exclusive. Sega's PlayStation 3-only Yakuza 3 secured opening-week sales of 372,000, which helped vault Sony's console past the competition with 36,513 systems sold. Sony's PSP also saw a healthy sales bounce, thanks to the debut of Koei's Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce. With the beat-'em-up taking the second slot in Media Create's weekly accounting with 219,000 units, the PSP shifted 35,588 machines. Nintendo's DSi outpaced that figure by a scant few hundred units, selling 35,827 on the week, while the DS Lite sold an additional 11,774 units. The Wii sold 17,876 units during the period, while just 11,795 Xbox 360s were moved.

Assume the role of Union and Confederate soldiers fighting behind enemy lines in legendary battles

Your goal is to disrupt the armies of both the North and the South by any means necessary, including conducting train raids, stealing ironclad ships, stopping enemy supply lines, destroying enemy artillery and more

All events are drawn from the real life actions of famous partisans, scouts and rangers

Fight as a member of Mosby's Rangers, Sheridan's Scouts and Grant's Secret Service

Receive your mission commands from famous generals including Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Ulysses Grant

3rd-person action game with explosive militaristic combat from the film, plus loads of additional content

Iron Man alone battles armies of fighter jets, military tanks, armored Super Villains, and more

Direct power to different parts of Iron Man's suit, creating a variety of unique attacks

Open-ended battlefields create adrenaline-packed combat filled with unpredictable challenges

Freely move anywhere in the environment and make seamless transitions between ground combat and open air flight

Enhanced version of Saiyan Overdrive Fighting for all-new moves and combos

Select multiplayer mode, to become the bad guys

Jak is now equipped with upgradeable mods -- increase his firepower and use them strategically

Explore the Wasteland - an area five times larger than Haven City

All-new Dark Jak abilities and combos

Watch the transformation into Light Jak, bringin new moves, combos and powers with it

Realistic Ragdoll Physics allows gamers to witness a unique death for each enemy killed

Feel the adrenaline of the Black-Suited Spider-Man - Unleash new abilities and powers, but watch out -- the rush of intensified powers could overwhelm you

More freedom than ever - Enjoy unprecedented freedom as you swing through the city. Roam anywhere and explore the most massive, detailed New York City ever seen in a Spider-Man game

Battle 10 of Spider-Man's most infamous enemies from the movie and comics, including Sandman and Venom

All-new combat system - Empower both Spider-Men with suit-specific powers and abilities -- with new attacks and finishers for both Classic and Black-Suited Spider-Man