The widely pilloried ending to Mass Effect 3 may constitute false advertising on the part of developer BioWare, according to US trading standards group the Better Business Bureau.

A new blog post from its communications director Marjorie Stephens today directly answered complaints to that effect made by gamers to the US Federal Trade Commission.

According to Stephens, the offending statements are two pieces of marketing blurb from the game's official website:

• "Experience the beginning, middle, and end of an emotional story unlike any other, where the decisions you make completely shape your experience and outcome."
• "Along the way, your choices drive powerful outcomes, including relationships with key characters, the fate of entire civilizations, and even radically different ending scenarios."

"Did BioWare falsely advertise?" asked Stephens.

"Technically, yes, they did. In the first bullet point, where it states 'the decisions you make completely shape your experience', there is no indecision in that statement. It is an absolute."

However, she went on to argue that the case against the second sentence is not quite so clear cut.

"The next statement is not so absolute. It states 'your choices drive powerful outcomes'. A consumer would have to very carefully analyse this statement to come to a conclusion that the game's outcome is not 'wholly' determined by one's choices. This statement, really though, is very subject to interpretation."

Though just a blog post and not an official judgment from the organisation, Stephens did call on publishers to take more care when crafting marketing soundbites.

"The lesson to be learned here is companies should give careful consideration to how they word their advertisements. Otherwise, there could be detrimental effects, especially in the era of social media and online forums," she wrote.

Following widespread fan outcry at the game's controversial denouement, BioWare has announced a free DLC expansion that will add clarity to the story.

Weekly Vita sales have plummeted to an all-time low in Japan, with Sony's new handheld dropping below 10,000 for the first time since launch.

The system managed to shift just 8931 units in the country last week, down from 12,105.

How much lower can it go? The next software launch of any consequence is a remake of PlayStation 2 favourite Persona 4 due on 14th June. That should offer a bit of a spike, but it's hardly Mario Kart.

Elsewhere on the hardware chart, 3DS dominated as usual. Nintendo's system sold 72,115, down from 121,921 the week prior.

The only console to see a sales increase was the Xbox 360, which shot up nearly 300 per cent to 3764 off the back of Kinect Star Wars. Stop laughing at the back.

Here's the full chart, as seen on Andriasang:

1. 3DS: 72,115 (Last week: 121,921)
2. PlayStation 3: 19,370 (23,771)
3. PSP: 14,804 (18,356)
4. Vita: 8931 (12,105)
5. Wii: 7099 (9292)
6. Xbox 360: 3,764 (1317)
7. PlayStation 2: 1355 (1374)
8. DSi XL: 793 (941)
9. DSi: 743 (771)

It was a relatively quiet week for new software releases, with new PSP effort 2nd Super Robot Wars Z: Saisei-hen debuting at number one with 265,439 sales.

Last week's chart topper, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance fell to two with a massive 80 per cent sales drop-off.

The only other new entry worthy of note was the aforementioned Kinect Star Wars at 12, which managed to sell 6010 in its first week.

The full top 20 lined up as follows:

1. 2nd Super Robot Wars Z Saisei Volume (Namco Bandai, PSP): 265,439 - NEW
2. Kingdom Hearts 3D (Square Enix, 3DS): 42,231 (Life to date: 255,810)
3. Pro Baseball Spirits 2012 (Konami, PSP): 26,908 (87,049)
4. Pro Baseball Spirits 2012 (Konami, PS3): 26,886 (117,319)
5. Kid Icarus: Uprising (Nintendo, 3DS): 25,710 (205,415)
6. Super Mario 3D Land (Nintendo, 3DS): 21,996 (1,486,692)
7. Pokemon Conquest (The Pokemon Company, DS): 17,989 (285,597)
8. Monster Hunter 3G (Capcom, 3DS): 16,770 (1,375,179)
9. Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo, 3DS): 16,024 (1,637,655)
10. Mario & Sonic at the London Olympics (Nintendo, 3DS): 10,364 (122,967)
11. Yakuza: Black Panther 2 (Sega, PSP): 10,356 (141,948)
12. Kinect Star Wars (Microsoft, Xbox 360): 6010 - NEW
13. Devil May Cry HD Collection (Capcom, PS3): 5887 (61,604)
14. Harvest Moon: Land of Origin (Marvelous AQL, 3DS): 5844 (160,607)
15. Mahjong Dream Club (D3 Publisher, PS3): 5701 - NEW
16. Wii Sports Resort Wiimote Plus Pack (Nintendo, Wii): 4810 (910,448)
17. Hatsune Miku and Future Stars: Project Mirai (Sega, 3DS): 4679 (129,297)
18. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo, Wii): 4622 (3,543,434)
19. Monster Hunter Portable 3rd PSP the Best (Capcom, PSP): 4387 (232,809)
20. Nintendogs + Cats (Nintendo, 3DS): 4299 (533,026)

The Australian Classification Board has rated a previously unannounced game called Joy Ride Turbo for release.

As reported by CVG, Microsoft is listed as publisher for the title and it's classified G - "Caution: Gaming experience may change online".

There's no further information included in the listing, though some kind of follow-up to widely unloved Kinect racer Joy Ride seems like a safe bet. We're chasing Microsoft for clarification now.

"It's not that Joy Ride doesn't work - it works perfectly well, within its own clear limitations - it's just that it's not something you'll want to play more than once or twice, with or without a pad in your hands," read Eurogamer's 5/10 Joy Ride review back in November 2010.

1992 was the year Bill Clinton became US President, Charles and Di split and, on the 11th April, when Nintendo launched its new console in the UK. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System cost £150.

UK Nintendo fans had been waiting nearly a year-and-a-half for the console's launch (nothing unusual at the time) ever since the Super Famicom first released in Japan in November 1990.

The SNES would go on to sell over 49 million units: less than its predecessor, but enough to make it the clear winner of the generation. The Sega Mega Drive, its main competitor, sold 39 million, the TurboGrafx-16 sold 10 million.

The SNES provided a fine home for some of Nintendo's much-loved classics, with the developer's most high-profile franchise represented from the off in the excellent Super Mario World.

But the SNES would also become a birthing ground for other standout series. Futuristic racer F-Zero quickly flew the flag for new Nintendo franchises, while Pilotwings, Star Fox and Super Mario Kart followed.

Nintendo also stunned with strong continuations to existing series, such as Super Metroid and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

It was a system that saw plenty of success from non-Nintendo developers too. Capcom's various Street Fighter 2 versions sold over 10 million combined units, Killer Instinct helped put an increasingly-impressive British developer named Rare on the map, while Japanese RPG powerhouse Square was busy pumping out classics such as Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana.

It was Rare that would provide one of the SNES' best-loved and graphically most stunning titles in the console's autumn years: Donkey Kong Country. It had the looks of 32-bit and CD-ROM based consoles and the second-best sales of any SNES game, behind only Mario himself.

Long-time Massive Attack producer Neil Davidge is composing the score for Halo 4, developer 343 Industries has announced.

The Bristol-born musician is the first new composer to work on the series since the first game launched back in 2001.

Davidge has enlisted a 16 man tenor/bass choir, 10 female Bulgarian vocalists and a full 50 piece orchestra to help him realise his vision, and is currently recording at London's famous Abbey Road Studios and Angel Studios. See them all in action in the clip below.

As well as being a key creative force in the last three albums from veteran trip-hop outfit Massive Attack, Davidge has also done film score work, including contributions to the Clash of the Titans soundtrack.

"As a passionate Halo fan, I'm incredibly honored and thrilled to have the opportunity to compose the score for Halo 4," commented Davidge.

"Music has always been at the heart of what makes Halo so captivating and iconic. With Halo 4, we want to build upon the franchise's amazing legacy and create a score that captures the awe and wonder of the Halo universe, and reinforces the deeper and more emotionally impactful journey Master Chief will embark on."

343 Industries' first proper entry in the Halo series is due out on Xbox 360 later this year. Take a look at our recent Halo 4 preview for more on how it's shaping up.

It was all going so well for HTC. Having helped Google make its Android dream a reality with the appropriately named HTC Dream (the first mobile to feature the friendly green robot), the Taiwanese company enjoyed a string of hardware hits - such as the HTC Hero and HTC Desire - which saw it assume pole position in a rapidly expanding marketplace. Then Samsung happened.

The Galaxy S became a million-seller and HTC's challenge faltered. 2011's phone releases only provided disappointment, and the company has recently gone as far as to admit that "our product offering...could have been better", after posting its biggest profit fall in a decade. Clearly, it's going to take something special to dig HTC out of this particular rut, and if you're going to use one word to sum up the One X, 'special' is a pretty apt choice - thanks in no small part to the introduction of NVIDIA's quad core Tegra 3 processor.

Having sampled the blistering speed and responsiveness of the Asus Transformer Prime, it's relatively easy to be seduced by the power of quad core technology. While most dual core devices offer more than enough processing muscle for everyday use, there's always that desire to have as much capability under the hood as is possible. As one of the first ever quad core phones, the HTC One X represents a significant forward-step in the world of mobile technology.

Simply put, the 1.5GHz Tegra 3 chipset is a beast: the One X barely stuttered when dealing with tasks that would bring other Android handsets to their knees. Multi-tasking is swift, 3D games run silky-smooth and HD video playback is entirely stutter-free.

We wouldn't want you to just take our word for it, though. When put through the usual benchmark tests, the One X smoked the competition with truly startling regularity. Quadrant rates HTC's phone above the likes of the Galaxy Nexus and Samsung Galaxy S2 (hardly a shock when you consider both are dual core handsets), and even places it above the mighty Transformer Prime.

AnTuTu offers similar results, although it still has Asus' tablet sitting pretty at the top of the pile. The One X is without a doubt the most technically adept phone that money can buy right now - but such astonishing power comes at a considerable cost.

HTC One X Specs

The first quad core handset of 2012, the HTC One X boasts a 1.5GHz Tegra 3 quad core processor, 32GB of internal storage and a pin-sharp Super LCD 2 display. Fashioned from a single piece of polycarbonate, it's thin and light, and the superb 8 megapixel camera offers brilliant image capture and 1080p video recording. The catch is that the phone's battery struggles to adequately satisfy the demands of all this amazing technology, and heavy usage means charging more than once a day.

• Dimensions: 134.4x69.9x8.9mm
• Weight: 130g
• Processor: Quad core 1.5GHz Tegra 3
• Graphics Core: UPL GeForce
• Memory: 1GB system RAM, 32GB internal flash storage
• Display: 4.7-inch Super LCD 2 with 720x1280 pixel resolution (312 ppi)
• Camera: 8 megapixel rear camera with autofocus and LED flash, 1080p HD video recording and stills. 1.3 megapixel front camera with 720p video
• Inputs: Multi-touch capacitive touch-screen, ambient light sensor, accelerometer, gyro, compass
• Cellular Connectivity: 3G (Micro SIM required)
• Other Features: 3.5mm headphone jack; Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n); Bluetooth; Micro USB 2.0, HDMI-out connection; non-removable Li-Po 1800 mAh battery, HTC Sense 4.0 user interface

With Great Power There Must Also Come... Poor Battery Life?

Smart phones have always struggled when it comes to battery stamina; the days when your trusty Nokia could last for a week on a single charge are long gone. However, even to seasoned Android veterans that are accustomed to having their phones tethered to a wall socket at least once a day, the HTC One X's appetite for juice is alarming.

As you might expect, the first day we spent in the company of the phone was focused largely on playing games, watching movies, surfing the web and generally putting the device through its paces as emphatically as possible. We managed to completely discharge the battery in around two and a half hours. This isn't typical usage of course, and we did have the brightness ramped up to maximum. Still, it serves as a worrying indication of the phone's ravenous power consumption. Even when we reverted to a less demanding usage pattern, the One X was gasping for a refill after around ten hours.

The Tegra 3 chipset is based around a 'four plus one' arrangement, with a single companion-core present to take the workload off the more power-hungry quartet. In reality, this setup didn't seem to really converse any battery power - although it's hard to be certain of which activities are taxing the quad cores, and which are being handled by the solitary one.

Another worrying side-effect of the One X's raw power is overheating; after just five minutes of playing Grand Theft Auto 3, we noticed that the back of the phone became incredibly hot - certainly more so than other Android devices we've used, such as the Galaxy Nexus and Xperia S. If nothing else, quad core phones are going to make excellent portable heaters - at least until the architecture is scaled down onto smaller production processes (Tegra 3 utilises a 40nm process, with next-gen mobile chips slated for 28nm/32nm).

"The 1.5GHz Tegra 3 chipset is a beast: the One X barely stuttered when dealing with tasks that would bring other handsets to their knees."

As you might expect from a quad core powered handset, the HTC One X comprehensively bests the smartphone competition on the Quadrant and AnTuTu benchmark tests with only the Transformer Prime tablet commanding any kind of advantage.

Android 4.0 Meets Sense 4.0

HTC's Sense user interface was arguably the first of its kind to illustrate to smartphone users that their handsets could offer so much more than dull, grid-based menus and static widgets. Bursting with animation and blessed with some truly gorgeous design, Sense played a huge role in helping HTC to gain a massive slice of the Android market. However, recent versions of the UI have started to buckle under the weight of new features, and the intuitive feel that was present in the beginning has slowly been lost.

HTC has responded by streamlining version 4.0 of Sense, while at the same time making a concerted effort to incorporate the new features of Ice Cream Sandwich - the very latest version of Google's Android OS. You'll find the gimmicky-yet-cool Face Unlock feature, which allows you to gain access to your device using nothing but your fizzog. There's also a neat data counter built directly into the OS itself, so you can see how many megabytes you're consuming on a daily basis, and set limits to ensure you don't run over your contract allowance.

By far the most significant change in Android 4.0 is the removal of the 'Menu' and 'Search' buttons. In their place lies a single multitasking button, which opens up a separate list of all the apps you currently have running. You can long-press and swipe these out to close them down and improve performance, although it has to be said that this is rarely necessary, thanks to the brute force of the monstrous quad core CPU.

While Sense 4.0 is definitely a step in the right direction after the rather muddled version 3, it's still a good deal more complicated than the 'stock' Android experience provided by the Galaxy Nexus. It's worth remembering that the more customised an Android UI skin is, the longer it takes the manufacturer of that skin to upgrade it when a new version of Android is released. If you want to keep abreast of the latest developments in Google's mobile ecosystem, you might be better off with a stock handset like the aforementioned Nexus.

"The more customised an Android UI skin is, the longer it takes to upgrade when a new version of Android is released. A stock handset like the Galaxy Nexus may be preferable for swifter OS updates."

Designed for Desire

HTC's 2011 phones were hardly ugly ducklings, but they failed to get the pulse racing in the same manner as their rivals. The One X is a different story: the smooth polycarbonate body grants a lightweight yet durable exterior, and the Gorilla Glass display runs almost edge-to-edge vertically, making for a device that arguably looks just as attractive switched off as it does switched on.

Although the One X is roughly the same size as other large-screen Android phones, its overall weight of 130 grams is surprisingly dainty. The lack of a user-serviceable battery no doubt has some part to play in this, along with the absence of microSD storage support. You've given 32GB of space to play with; beyond that you'll need to make use of Google's cloud storage options or the popular Dropbox service.

Another space-saving move is the inclusion of a Micro SIM slot, which is popped open using a small metal tool included in the box. The Micro SIM is a long way off being an industry standard, but with Apple and Sony also supporting it, you're likely to see more phones taking this route in the future - for better or for worse.

In terms of screen quality, HTC has made an interesting choice for its latest flagship handset. Within the mobile world, a debate is currently raging as to which screen type provides the best image. Samsung's Super AMOLED technology - as seen in its own range of phones, as well as the Sony PlayStation Vita - delivers astonishingly sharp contrast and deep, bold blacks. Its Achilles' heel is inaccurate colour replication. The One X is packing the big rival to AMOLED: a second generation Super LCD. While it can't boast the same depth of contrast, colours are generally more faithful. We're also pleased to report that viewing angles on the One X's display are excellent.

With a high definition resolution of 720x1280 and a pixel density of 312ppi, The One X offers a considerable step up from the iPhone 4S' famous Retina screen. Almost every activity is enriched by that gigantic 4.7-inch display, from browsing the web to flipping through family photos. Of course, such a prestigious panel also adds to the One X's battery woes, and the fact that the default brightness setting is around 50% proves that HTC is aware of this problem. Having said that, even at half power, the screen has plenty of visual punch.

"Titles like Grand Theft Auto 3, Fruit Ninja and Muffin Knight look amazing, but games designed to take advantage of NVIDIA's new quad core CPU boast even more striking visuals."

Guaranteed Gaming Greatness

It goes without saying that the HTC One X provides a peerless platform for all your Android gaming needs. Able to handle both 2D and 3D experiences without even breaking a sweat, the Tegra 3 chipset - with its GeForce graphics processor - delivers impeccable performance.

Titles like Grand Theft Auto 3, Fruit Ninja and Muffin Knight look amazing, but games designed to take advantage of NVIDIA's new quad core CPU boast even more striking visuals. Third-person blaster Shadowgun looks every inch a modern-day home console release (complete with shaven-headed space marine, naturally), and factors in impressive water and particle effects.

Of course, playing a lot of these games on a touch-screen is less than ideal, but thankfully Android 4.0 supports both Bluetooth and USB pads. If you've got the correct adapter and spare Xbox 360 controller, then you can turn the One X into a portable console. Hook up to the TV using the HDMI-out capability and things become even more impressive.

Camera Capabilities

We could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times we've been genuinely impressed by the capabilities of your average mobile phone camera. The impossibly thin frames of modern handsets leave little room for high-tech optics, and the end result is usually snappers which get the job done, but don't take your breath away.

The eight megapixel camera on the One X is an exception. It offers stunning image capture and a surfeit of features, including Instagram-style filters, panoramic shooting, High Dynamic Range imaging and even a mode where you hold down the shutter to take a series of shots, and then pick out which one you think is best. The One X also earns points for boasting superlative HD video capture up to 1080p resolution. You can even snap still images during recording.

"Right now, the One X has few serious rivals. It's blessed with a gorgeous screen as well as an attractive design, and it houses a terrifying amount of power within that svelte and lightweight frame."

Some random photography showing off the quality of shots you can expect from the HTC One X's excellent built-in eight megapixel camera.

HTC One X: The Digital Foundry Verdict

It's hard to believe that less than twelve months ago, the mobile arena was still reeling from the introduction of dual core phones. Now that quad core power is with us, it's hard to envisage what to expect from the next generation of mobile hardware. While the iPhone's development is carefully managed by Apple, the Android sector of the market is essentially made up of warring factions, each trying to out-quaff the other with new tech and features. While the One X is unquestionably the most impressive device of its type right now, you can bet that in less than six months it will have been gobbled up by an even bigger fish.

That's the future though, and as of right now, the One X has few serious rivals. It's blessed with a gorgeous screen as well as an attractive design, and it houses a terrifying amount of power within that svelte and lightweight frame. Its biggest failing is the inability to provide an adequate level of stamina to see the average user through an entire day before charging is required, but those of you who cannot bear to have anything but the most advanced tech in your trouser pocket will almost certainly forgive this failing.

Mass Effect 3's Extended Cut will expand the game's endings with "a sense of personalisation" specific to your playthrough.

Saved your favourite characters? Killed everyone? BioWare suggests you'll be offered more chances to see the consequences of your actions on the game's finale.

"We wanted to give the players a sense of personalisation with the endings," producer Mike Gamble revealed during the Mass Effect 3 panel at PAX East. "Many people mentioned that some of the choices they made in the game are not necessarily reflected in the ending scenes. We're definitely going to focus on things like that.

"We want to make sure that when you see the ending of Mass Effect, you now have the information and context to be satisfied."

BioWare is still targeting the "generic summer" launch window previously announced for the free expansion, but said the add-on will offer a decent amount of content. "It's more than just a few cinematic scenes," Gamble added.

"We're currently building it right now, our cinematics team is on it. Our writers are heavily involved. It's coming together."

Gamble reiterated BioWare's previous stance that the new content would not "re-imagine" the current ending or add a new one. So why wasn't the Extended Cut part of the game already?

"The dev team stands by what was released in the core product, and we're very proud of it," Gamble concluded. "It was important though for us to listen to the community, and a lot of that feedback didn't come until the game came out. Once we were listening we decided to include the extended cut. It wasn't in the game because we didn't know there was such a huge demand for it, to be honest with you."

Bethesda will re-release seven-year-old first-person shooter Quake 4 on Xbox 360 in June, it's announced.

In the US the game launches on Tuesday, 19th June with a new $19.99 price point. In Europe, it launches on PC and Xbox 360 (as has been pointed out, the game's already available here on Steam for £15. We're checking with Bethesda now to find out what its new PC re-release means).

"If you didn't pick up an Xbox 360 at launch, it's possible you might have missed out on one of the system's best launch titles, Quake 4," Bethesda said.

"With it becoming harder and harder to find a new copy of the game, we're happy to announce we're re-releasing it at a low price of $19.99."

Quake 4, developed by Raven Software in collaboration with series creator id Software for publisher Activision, launched in 2005 on PC then, later, on the then new home console Xbox 360. It was released on Steam in 2011.

From the bygone days of Mario Paint to the recent success of Art Academy via countless scribbles in PictoChat and Letter Box, Nintendo has often offered gamers a little bit of culture. Or the chance to draw obscene pictures and show your friends.

Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto is no exception to the Nintendo-wide love of art: here he is touring the world-famous Louvre to test out the gallery's new Nintendo-designed 3DS tour guide.

Hitman Absolution publisher Square Enix has revealed the game's Professional Edition, a limited edition version of the game available on all three formats - PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Included is a copy of the game in a clamshell box, a hardcover art book, a making-of DVD and a code to unlock three in-game weapons.

The in-game content, named the Agency Gun Pack DLC, offers advanced access to weapons provided by Agent 47's Agency, all of which offer upgraded laser sights or silencers.

Included is the Agency Jagd P22G, a modern top tier pistol, the Agency HX UMP, a high-calibur SMG, and the Agency SPS 12, a semi-automatic shotgun.

The Professional edition is available to pre-order now. There's no £800 option to include Agent 47's suit.