The first behind-the-scenes look at Epic Mickey 2 re-introduces the development team and the friendship between Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, as the sequel goes multiplatform and co-op.

Gamestooge has previously reported on the problems facing GAME in Europe, notable that they wouldn’t be stocking Mass Effect 3 and other recent EA titles, and that they had entered “Administration”, the European equivalent of bankruptcy.

Now the problems have spread to GAME Australia, where they have also entered Administration and texted customers to tell them that they will not be stocking Diablo III, quite possibly the most anticipated PC game of 2012. Making matters worse, they also told their customers that not only was the pre-order cancelled, but that they would NOT receive a refund.

“Due to the appointment of an administrator to our business this morning, it is with regret that I inform you all that our stores will not be receiving any stock of diablo 3 (sic). Because of this, we regrettably will be unable to fulfill any pre-orders. Also, we will be unable to refund any deposits paid towards a pre-order of diablo 3. If you need any more info, please email customerrelations@game.com.au”

It will be interesting to see how far they go with this, because while I am fuzzy on Australian law, I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to accept payment for a good or service and then not provide that good or service. The alternative is to take the entire Diablo III customer base and add them as yet another creditor to the Game bottom line making it even harder for them to get out of Administration.

We know that Microsoft hit the #1 spot for console hardware, selling 236,000 units and capturing 47% of the console market, the 14th month in a row that they have exceeded the 40% share mark. We know Sony didn’t out-sell last year on any platform.

And as far as hardware goes, that’s all we know. Nintendo has not yet released a statement.

So let’s do some math here: 47% is 236,000 units so 100% would be 502,128. Which means that the PS3 and Wii combined for around 266,128 machines. We know Sony said they didn’t out-sell last year, and the PS3 moved 204,300 machines in April of 2011 which means the absolute best they could have done is 204,299, which means the Wii is left with around 61,829.

Wow, no wonder Nintendo is remaining quiet. I will be happy to change these numbers if and when Sony or Nintendo make official statements.

But let this be a lesson to everyone involved as to why sales numbers need to be reported by independent 3rd parties. We have no numbers at all for the PSP, PSP Vita, DS or 3DS. Your guess is as good as mine there.

On the software side, first the good news. Anita Frazier announced that with 83,000 unit sales, Kid Icarus for the 3DS would have made the top 10 – if they had not combined cross platform sales. You can probably guess which of these games would have been less than 83,000 units had they been considered separately:

• 1.) Prototype 2 (360, PS3) Activision Blizzard – Less than 236K, perhaps significantly.
• 2.) Kinect Star Wars (360) Lucasarts
• 3.) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (360, PS3, Wii, PC) Activision Blizzard
• 4.) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 (360, PS3) Electronic Arts
• 5.) NBA 2K12 (360, PS3, Wii, PSP, PC, PS2) Take-Two Interactive
• 6.) The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings (360, PC) Warner Bros. Interactive
• 7.) Mario Party 9 (Wii) Nintendo
• 8.) Mass Effect 3 (360, PS3, PC) Electronic Arts
• 9.) Just Dance 3 (Wii, 360, PS3) Ubisoft
• 10.) MLB 12: The show (PS3, PSV) Sony
• XX.) Kid Icarus (3DS) Nintendo – 83K

I’m somewhat surprised that Prototype 2 took the top spot, but it’s worth noting another fun statistic… If it had gone against the best sellers from April, 2011, it would have ranked 8th. That really goes to show how weak this month was for sales.

Kinect Star Wars taking the #2 spot also surprises given the large quantity of hate regarding it on the Internet and the Han Solo Dance Party. Apparently casual Star Wars gamers weren’t turned off enough by it to refuse the sales.

To no surprise, someone let the air out of Mass Effect 3, and the Gamestop exclusive Xenoblade Chronicles for the Wii also failed to chart. This doesn’t bode well for the equally exclusive The Last Story due in July which is widely expected to be one of the last, if not the last, Wii game.

Several analysts are placing the blame on an early Easter which took a large quantity of gift-giving off the table for April. We should see sales bump up again, however, come June as students graduate from school and we also hit Father’s Day. Mother’s Day in May? Not so big for gaming.

Piranha Games has released a gameplay teaser showing off what to expect from their upcoming free-to-play online mech sim, MechWarrior Online. Players will be able to outfit their own mechs and join factions to battle across the galaxy.

Let us know how much you’re looking forward to this game.

After showing off the Gunzerker class for Borderlands 2, this time the Siren gets some developer walkthrough love.

According to Atari’s annual financial report, “Eden Games has been accounted for as ‘Discontinued Operations’ under IFRS 5, as the Company has started a divestiture process of the studio,” which essentially means that the developer’s assets from office supplies to game code are being sold.

This was probably inevitable, since the majority of Eden Games’ staff were let go last Summer. Ten former studio employees rejoined to form Blossom Minds in the weeks that followed.

As far as Atari’s goals, CEO Jim Wilson stated in the report:

“For 2012/2013, we will seek to expand further in the fast-growing mobile games segments and drive the company to further grow its online and franchise licensing businesses.”

Atari lost €3.7 million in the past year, which was an improvement from the previous year’s €6.2 million loss.

Since the Joker’s death Harley Quinn has become even more pathological, psychotic, neurotic, and vengeful – but most shocking of all, she’s no longer blonde, going for the gothic look.

The Harley Quinn’s Revenge DLC for Batman: Arkham City comes out on May 29.

GameTrailers has posted a new walkthrough video of the Gunzerker class in Borderlands 2. The walkthrough comes in two parts, the second one is after the break.

The full trailer for Assassin’s Creed III showing off Connor’s moves, attacks and voice show off some incredible action and a promise of thrilling story.

Let us know how much you’re looking forward to this game, which comes out on October 30, 2012 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

This week’s news items include:

• EA deals with Rock Band iOS debacle
• Microsoft “banned” in Germany
• Analyst predicts 3.5M sales of Diablo III in first year of release
• Report: Next Xbox already in production

All that, plus Reader Feedback and the Question of the Week, “What Kickstarter project have you backed or are most interested in buying?”

Listen in on the player below, download it directly here, or subscribe to iTunes!

Croshaw actually likes Prototype 2, much in the same way he likes Just Cause 2. You can faff about and still have fun.

Now, before I begin, I must reiterate that this is solely my opinion (and not that of any outside enterprise or corporation), but here it is, “Thank God!! It’s About Damn Time!”

While an initial gut reaction of pure bliss and extended fan-boy squeals might ultimately be called for, one must remember to remain objective. A careful examination of the facts in the most objective way possible reveals that this statement made by Tetsuya Nomura is merely the opinion of an individual and not the position of either Disney or Square.

I can (and do) just as easily share Nomura’s sentiment, but my (or Nomura’s) doing so in no way can be interoperated as any kind of hint about what may or may not be in production. In fact, as someone working in the games industry, I can emphatically state that we all go to great lengths not to say anything that might be interpreted as a leak or spoiler. It’s simply not our place to do so. After all, no one ever tells anything important to the kid in the school yard that can’t keep a secret.

The same is true in the games industry; if you get a reputation for not being able to handle confidential information it’s hard to see how you could get (or keep) a job. It’s nice to know that someone who could possibly one day be in a position to influence change feels the way I do (about Kingdom Hearts 3, not the ball gowns for boys thing).

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a letter to write to Santa begging for a copy of Kingdom Hearts 3 for Christmas; he must have lost the ones I’ve sent for the last 7 years

NCAA Football 13 is coming out in a few weeks, and EA Sports has released a trailer showing off many of the features, including the new Dynasty Mode.

Check it out and let us know what you think.

Microsoft Studios and Xbox LIVE have announced “Microsoft Studios Presents: Arcade NEXT”, a program that marks the release of four new downloadable games (1 each week) on Xbox LIVE every Wednesday from April 18 through May 9.

To celebrate and give gamers a deeper look into the next generation of arcade gaming, Microsoft Studios has teamed up with several popular YouTube gamers, known as the “Arcade NEXT All-Stars”, to host a live streaming gameplay event showcasing each week’s new release.

Ben Croshaw reviews two digital titles, the critically praised Fez and the critically mixed reaction I Am Live.