[News] Information Overload!

I'm trying to not post generic game news/announcements on here, but in the last half an hour I've just seen a few articles I feel are more than worthy enough to warrant your attention.

The fact I've come across all of this in such a short amount of time is pretty awesome. Anyway, I'll crack on:

Item Number One: Gran Turismo to include Top Gears Test Track
That line above pretty much needs no explanation. The creator of the fabled 'will-we-ever-see-it' Gran Turismo 5 has confirmed that the test track from the BBC's popular driving programme Top Gear is set to appear in the game. This had been rumoured at for some time now, with GT5 already having a service which will allow you to view archived Top Gear episodes. Linked from Kotaku here.

No word yet if The Stig will appear in game...

Item Number Two: HMV trialing Games Insurance

Again, do I really need to explain? HMV have rolled out to selected stores the ability to 'insure' your game purchases. From as little as a £1 your game will be insured for a year against being damaged or even stolen. Quite on how they plan on this being implemented is a little beyond me. GAME, Gamestation and HMV already have ways of protecting Hardware against damage, although not from theft. For a £1, it could well be worth it! Linked from MCV here.

Item Number Three: Halo Reach up for Preorder online. Comes in 3 flavours.
That's right. Although it hasn't got an official confirmed release date at time of writing, you can now preorder your copy of Halo Reach online. Hold on, their is more...

You've got your normal, everday copy of the game. You've got your Limited Edition version of the game. And then you've got the Legendary Edition, which includes all this:

Pretty neat huh? I know which version I'm preordering (more money than sense...I know I know, but it is pretty schweeettt). Linked from GAME's online shop, however spotted it also on sites like Play.com and so on.

Item Number Four: 8-Bit Linkin Park Game incoming

Point number 4 is a little more along the lines of BlastProcess.com. Linkin Park have teamed up with mobile video game developers Artifical Life to create a new iPhone/Touch/Pad game which doesn't look too bad! Dubbed Linkin Park: 8-Bit Rebellion, it plays like your standard side scrolling beat-em up of old, like say Streets of Rage. Featuring customizable characters, 8 bit covers of LP's biggest tracks and the reward of an exclusive Linkin track for finishing the game, this one could be one to watch!

Article I originally spotted on (yet again) Kotaku.com is here, with an another article including trailer here.