Yep, I'm as surprised as you. This showed up on the official Mass Effect Facebook page yesterday, and obviously coincides with Toy Fair in New York this week. But Hasbro has said nothing about the "Galaxy at War" edition of Risk. BioWare says the game is on shelves in the fall.

The tactical espionage action of Metal Gear Solid meets the world-conquering strategy of Risk for Australia-nuking, Outer Haven-occupying fun with RISK: Metal Gear Solid. You can get it now. And now might be a very good time to do so.

RISK: Metal Gear Solid, detailed right here and here, turns the conflicts of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots into a tabletop battle for world supremacy. It's available in limited edition form—a little over 2,000 copies will be made, they say—right now, shipping in November.

Let this serve as a reminder for the Solid Snake fans at Kotaku (who might want to play a more enjoyable multiplayer game of MGS4 sometime) to grab a copy before they're gone.

RISK: Metal Gear Solid Limited Edition [USAopoly]

First unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year, here's our first look at the retail version of the game that blends the strategy of Risk with the game design of Metal Gear Solid... No, it doesn't come with cut-scenes.

The game goes on pre-sale on Oct. 3, for $49.95. The game takes place in the near future after war has become privatized and instigated by "third-parties," according to the press release.

In the game, players command one of the five Private Military Companies (PMCs) who have risen to power and face off against an army of foes. To win, you must launch daring attacks, defend yourself on all fronts and boldly sweep across vast lands.

The game board has six zones and 42 territories. Among the game contents are: 275 custom plastic playing pieces representing five private military companies, neutral armies and cities, a custom Outer Haven battleship and game board, 8 Boss Cards, 40 Drebin's Cards and 42 Territory Cards and 8 Rewards that can be earned. The packaging for Metal Gear Solid Risk features custom artwork by Yoji Shinkawa, Art Director of the Metal Gear Solid franchise.

Let's have a look why don't we. Remember to click on the bottom corner of each image to view it full-sized.

The classic board game Risk is getting a turbocharged (and somewhat controversial) update in the form of Risk: Legacy. In Legacy, players will permanently mark up and change their boards, each round leaving the battlefield permanently altered. Sounds… kind of epic, actually.

The game's designer, Rob Daviau, hopped onto the BoardGameGeek forums to talk about the changes, and gave a really great breakdown of all the things he's going for. In the post, he ponders a lot of broader concepts that carry over to video games, and offers a pretty cool look at how and why he's breaking some fundamental rules.

There are no do overs in life. Some decisions just make you who you are.

This led us to wondering why games always have to reset. Why are they a medium that always goes back to start? Movies and books are static forms of entertainment meant to be viewed but not altered. Games, by nature, demand that the user create the experience. We wanted to push that boundary to have lasting effects. Now you really create the experience. This game is not art to be hung on a wall but a leather jacket to be worn around until it has its own unique story.

It is one thing to play a card in a game to gain an advantage. It is entirely different to play a card and then rip it up, banning it from the game forever (I know that none of you will actually rip it up). Or to mark a territory that will change its destiny from here on out. It's a different decision process. How important is that card now? Will it be more important in a future game? Will you have it then? Is this the time? Is it worth it?

So while this is a non-digital, non-graffixxed board game we're talking about, it raises a lot of interesting questions about permanence, gameplay, and overarching design. Definitely worth giving it a read, at least if you're a Nerdy McNerdlinger like me.

Risk: Legacy Designer Notes [BoardGameGeek]

Metal Gear Solid is getting its very own version of Risk, "the game of strategic conquest," adding Private Military Contractors, a movable continent, the cast of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and the option to launch a nuke from Metal Gear Rex.

Konami and USAopoly semi-officially revealed Risk: Metal Gear Solid at the San Diego Comic-Con this week, but only showed a prototype of the board game's box and a sneak peek at its Field Guide. USAopoly later offered specifics to Kotaku on how Metal Gear gameplay will be integrated in Risk, including just how Solid Snake's trademark cardboard box might lead to world domination.

Risk: Metal Gear Solid will be played on a standard world map, but will also feature a new territory, Outer Haven, the massive battleship that at one point served as a base of operations for Liquid Ocelot. Players who occupy Outer Haven in the board game will be able to move their territory around the map, targeting more remote landmasses like the Australian continent.

Players of Risk: Metal Gear Solid will also have long range attack options, should they acquire the Metal Gear Rex. That sculpted unit is capable of launching a nuclear strike on a territory from far away, adding a new tactical consideration to standard Risk gameplay.

Other twists on Risk include the use of special units like Solid Snake, who can sneak through occupied territories; the Rat Patrol, which boosts the attack power of a group of units; Roy Campbell, who helps players acquire additional Drebin Points currency during the game; Raiden, Liquid Ocelot, Big Momma and more. Add to that about 40 Drebin Cards, which add additional special attacks and defenses to the game like a Guns of the Patriots blitz, blackmailing, hacking systems and more.

Risk: Metal Gear Solid lets players control one of five PMC groups (Raven Sword, Praying Mantis, etc.) as they try to occupy territories and complete objective-based gameplay goals. Each army will be represented on the board physically with PMC infantry and gecko pieces.

For Risk fans, it sounds like the Metal Gear Solid spin on the traditional rules will add some wild variations. For the Metal Gear faithful, it sounds like a great way to get to know a classic board game.

Risk: Metal Gear Solid is expected to be released in November, estimated to cost about $40 USD in both Limited Edition and Standard Edition variants.

"Snake? SNAAAKE?! It's your roll." You too can make this ill-conceived attempt at a joke with the forthcoming Metal Gear Solid-themed edition of classic strategy board game Risk, a game not surprisingly titled Risk: Metal Gear Solid.

Board game maker USAopoly—makers of Risk: Halo Wars!—will bring the military conflicts of Metal Gear to tabletops, seemingly borrowing the aesthetic and Private Military Contractor themes of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.

Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima tweeted about the existence of the new board game at Comic-Con today. Konami reps tell Kotaku that Risk: Metal Gear Solid is not officially announced just yet, nor was the game playable at Comic-Con. All USAopoly and Konami brought to the convention was an empty box and the promise of more to come.

Konami reps told Kotaku that we'll hear official details on Risk: Metal Gear Solid in the next two weeks.

Risk Factions, EA's mutation of the classic board game of world domination, is coming to Facebook, bringing the war between humans, zombies, cats, yetis and robots to your social circle.

Spencer Brooks, creative designer on the browser-based port of Risk Factions, which was first released on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in 2010, says this instance of the Risk spin-off promises "the best player versus player of any social game out there."

"We're going for total ownage here," Brooks says, adding "we won't have watermelon farming in our social game."

Brooks said at an EA event today that Risk Factions for Facebook will add "a whole set of special weapons that add a great level of strategy to the game," including donkey cannons, mermaids on segways and cat dander bombs, each unique to one of the strategy game's factions.

Risk Factions for Facebook is currently in beta testing. It's "coming soon" to the masses who want to pit cat versus zombie with the people they poke.

Foursquare, the hot social network expansion that ... does ... social things ... yeah, actually, that's sort of the problem. Sensing an opportunity to make the "check-in" utility for Twitter "more compelling for long-term use," some people have used it to turn New York into a giant game of Risk.

Foursquare, if you don't use it, employs GPS-enabled smartphones to check you in at places like bars and restaurants. What World of Fourcraft does is invite users to pick a faction (the five boroughs), and then checking in somewhere else in New York amounts to putting a plastic soldier on the map in Risk. An algorithm then determines which faction controls the area.

Right now World of Fourcraft, built by a seven person team, has about 100 players. Mashable spoke to one of the developers, who said he's thinking about adding a leveling mechanism that makes power users' check-ins count more toward claiming territory for their faction.

Clever Foursquare Hack Turns New York City Into a Giant Game of Risk [Mashable]

Humor in video games can be a brutally serious thing.

The very nature of creating something funny makes finding a publisher for a big-budget funny game nearly impossible.

"The process of getting a $30 million game signed with a publisher is the process of removing risk," said Tim Schafer, one of Double Fine Productions' resident funny men, and founder of the video game studio. "You start out with your idea and then they're like, 'Hey, what about this thing that might alienate people?' So you take that out, and you take this out and this out.

"But humor is always going to be risky, because the joke is always risky, people might laugh and they might not. So often in games it's the obvious thing to go."

But that hasn't stopped Schafer and his team at Double Fine from making funny games, and finding success doing so. They've been so successful, that last week Schafer was able to convince another great video game humorist, Ron Gilbert, to join his team.

Gilbert and Schafer have a long history together, one that goes back to the 90s when they created the epic funny adventure game The Secret of Monkey Island. News of the two once more working together brought a tidal wave of positive reaction from gamers.

"I'm a huge fan of both of these guys," wrote one reader on Kotaku following news of the hire. "I have very fond childhood memories of the first Monkey Island. Now maybe my daughter will be able to experience a game the same way I did, in the early 90s."

Gilbert has never been far from creating funny video games. While he worked on a more serious adventure game and a real-time strategy title, humor is what typically informs his games. His latest title, DeathSpank, has players taking on the role of the dense lead DeathSpank as he strives to save the world by collecting magic thongs.

With elements drawn from popular action game Diablo and plenty of references to Monkey Island, it is a pitch-perfect blend of humor and action, something Gilbert was aiming for.

"I'm incredibly happy with it," Gilbert said. "My biggest concern with it was the humor. Humorous games haven't done really well. They've gotten knocked a lot. I'm incredibly happy with how DeathSpank has done and how it has been perceived.

"Humor is very hit or miss. Even with the funniest thing ever, there is someone who will hate it. Humor is just like that."

Both believe that the increasing popularity of smaller, cheaper downloadable games could lead to a renaissance for funny video games.

"Humor might have a better place with the new game industry where you have Xbox Live Arcade titles and download titles and things that can hit mixed audiences," Gilbert said. "Then the people who enjoy the humor can kind of gravitate toward it and the people who don't, they don't."

While some developers have argued that comedy is hard in video games because of the level of interaction, both Gilbert and Schafer believe the opposite is the case.

"I always thought the interaction was what made it funny," Schafer said. "You just have to write something funny when you're in a game standing in front of character holding a gun and they don't say anything."

Funny moments in games happen all of the time, Schafer said, developers just don't always take advantage of them.

"I was playing through Grand Theft Auto IV and I accidentally knocked over a woman in the street and my character was standing on her head," he said. "It was so ridiculous and I wish my character would have said something funny right then."

The industry doesn't have a lot of go-to funny men because it's relatively young, Gilbert said.

"There are a lot of people who write movies and televison who are incredibly funny, who spend years honing that," he said. "It's something we need to grow into. I think as the video game industry grows and attracts more people we will see more of that."

So for now studios like Double Fine Productions are putting aside the larger games for smaller, more targeted titles.

"It's never been easy," Schafer said. "As the budget gets higher it gets more difficult to pitch a specific game and get it made. So we don't need to make those sorts of games, we'll make smaller games.

"But I think we will make bigger titles again down the line. If we come up with an idea for a big game then I'm sure we'll work on it."

"We are plotting our own course through the creative landscape of games."

Well Played is a weekly news and opinion column about the big stories of the week in the gaming industry and its bigger impact on things to come. Feel free to join in the discussion.