Good gravy does Batman: Arkham City have some fine voice-acting. Almost every character in the game, from the biggest crime bosses to the littlest thugs, is played by an actor who delivers his or her lines with gusto and energy. It goes such a long way towards making Arkham City feel vital and believable, and towards making Arkham City the terrific experience that it is.

The cast of Arkham Asylum was top-notch, and many of the actors from that game return to reprise their roles in the sequel. But with such a fleshed-out rogues' gallery, there are a lot of new faces, as well. I thought it'd be fun to turn to Arkham City's IMDb page and put faces with voices. I left out any characters whose appearance comes as a surprise—these are just the folks that most people already know about.

Onward!

Kevin Conroy as the Batman
What more is there to say about Conroy? Reprising the role he's played so well in numerous Batman outings, from The Animated Series to Arkham Asylum, Conroy continues to kill it as the Caped Crusader, effortlessly conveying Batman's psychotic determination to triumph over evil, even in the face of his own destruction. Be sure to check out our own Evan Narcisse's interview with Conroy from last week's Comic-con.

Troy Baker as Two-Face
Baker is becoming something of a known quantity in video game voice-acting, playing Vincent in this year's Catherine and more notably, playing the protagonist, DeWitt, in next year's highly anticipated Bioshock: Infinite. I chatted with Baker some at PAX, and he is a totally cool dude, clearly into games, how they're made, and how acting can make them better. Check out him and his Infinite costar Courtnee Draper as they get really super into capturing a particularly emotional take for Bioshock: Infinte.

Stana Katic as Talia al Ghul
Katic is well known for her role as Kate Beckett in Castle (in which she acts alongside geek hero Nathan Fillion), and brings some nice gravitas to her part as Batman's occasional love-interest-slash-super-challenging-megalomanic Talia al Ghul.

Mark Hamill as The Joker
Doubtless the most talked-about performance in the game (and perhaps in gaming), Hamill goes to town on his part as The Joker with terrible ferocity. What a performance. And it sounds like it may well be the last time he takes up the Joker's mantle. If it is, what a note to go out on.

Corey Burton as Hugo Strange
I can't quite figure out why there aren't any good pictures of Mr. Burton out there, but every search turns up the same couple of headshots. Anyhow, when I hear Strange's calculated, menacing voice, I don't really picture this guy, but there you go. Voice acting!

Wally Wingert as The Riddler
Wingert is another old voice-acting pro, doing voices for a number of recent games. But my favorite role of his has got to be Rufus in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Ruuufus! Oh wait, that's the wrong movie.

Tasia Valenza as Poison Ivy
Ivy makes a limited appearance in Arkham City, but Tacia Valenza reprises her role from Arkham City with flair.

Danny Jacobs as Victor Zsaz
Jacobs might give my single favorite performance in the game, in a different kind of role that plays itself out over the course of Arkham City's story. I always liked Zsaz, one of the more jacked-up villains in the Batman universe, and I wanted to see more of him in Arkham City. Got my wish!

Grey DeLisle as Catwoman
A singer and voice-actress, Grey DeLisle does a fantastic job playing the sultry, vengeful, borderline psychotic feline ninja Catwoman. [Update:Holy crap you guys, I had no idea she played Azula on Avatar: The Last Airbender. No wonder Catwoman rules!]

Jim Piddock as Alfred and Calendar Man
Well there's an unusual role-pairing. Alfred appears in the game only over Batman's earpiece, but it's still nice to hear the crotchety old guy on the other end of the line. Calendar Man, however, is in the game, and is tied to a tricky achievement, too. Jim Piddock is something of a Hey! It's That Guy, mainly due to his appearance in Christopher Guests' films like A Mighty Wind and as the commentator in Best in Show.

Maurice LaMarche as Mr. Freeze
LaMarche brings a great solemnness to his performance as Mr. Freeze, one of my personal favorite Batman characters. Nice to see him in the game without getting lost in the shuffle among all the other super-villains.

Tom Kane as Commissioner Gordon and Mayor Quincy Sharp
With a more limited role in this game than he had in Arkham Asylum, Kane still brings a good amount of desperate gravitas to his performance as Gotham City mayor Quincy Sharp.

Tara Strong as Harley Quinn
Another of the most enjoyable performances in the game, Strong runs the gamut from angry to tragic to sad to turned-on, lavishing each line in Harley's trademark ridiculous accent.

Nolan North as The Penguin
This one came as a surprise, given how Mr. North has been typecast in the eyes of many as Uncharted's Nathan Drake, or at least, a "Nathan Drake-Type." He is all but unrecognizable in his role as Penguin, re-imagining Oswald Cobblepot as a savage cockney street thug with a Bat-sized bone to pick.

Fast Company, the business magazine read by movers and/or shakers, uncorked some outside-the-box advice for companies stuck in a rut. Harmonix Music Systems is on the list, it seems, because of stagnation in the music gaming genre, not necessarily because it's spinning its wheels, but whatever. They are being advised to make, wait for it, a shooter.

Marc Nesbitt tells Fast Company that Harmonix should spare no expense in creating "the world's first immersive shoot-'em-up, where gamers move their bodies to take cover." This game would be Kinect-controlled.

Nesbitt correctly notes Harmonix has a head start on developing for Kinect. In fact, it has experience making a big seller for Kinect. It's called Dance Central, and Nesbitt (then with MTV Games, which sold Harmonix late last year) was actually the game's senior producer.

Dance Central sold more than 2.5 million copies, plus a lot of DLC, and its sequel arrives next week. So, advising Harmonix to jump aboard Kinect like it was a lifeboat, hasn't it already done that?

This is an excerpt from a longer item appearing in the print edition, so maybe there's something more that got lopped out in a really zealous edit. Still, all the other suggestions, for companies like Honda, the NBA and Quiznos, are daring, but they fit the character of the product for which they are best known. Suggesting Harmonix make a shooter comes off a little tone deaf.

Six Companies That Should Take the Plunge in 2012 [Fast Company]

If you only want to hear the video game part, skip to the 1:00 minute mark of this video of things Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney didn't really say.

The whole thing is funny. It looks like he's saying some crazy stuff. But it's all a trick.

"Mitt Romney" - A BLR Soundbite [YouTube, via Twitter]

Keep your hopes low, people. Nintendo has gone and updated their virtual shops again with new games that it's tough to be excited about.

Shall we check out this week's additions?

eShop (3DS)

Double Dragon
Publisher: Nintendo
Price: $3.99
Fight your way through hordes of enemies to save Marian. Join Billy as he fights enemies using various punches, kicks and throws, as well as a multitude of different weapons, in order to save his girlfriend, Marian. Many enemies – some with powerful weapons – will try to stop you from reaching the end of each stage, some with powerful weapons to defeat you with, but if you can knock them down, you can make their weapons your own. Various bosses will block your way at the end of each stage, but if you're strong enough and possess the skills to defeat them, the path to Marian will be cleared for you. Can you defeat your enemies and save your girl?

Dreamworks Halloween Collection (movie shorts; not games)
Publisher: Dreamworks
Price: $1.99 per video
FYou've seen them on Nintendo Video... now download them for keeps. "The Pig Who Cried Werewolf," "Night of the Living Carrots" and one more surprise video coming soon, all with your favorite DreamWorks Animation characters, available at the Nintendo eShop. Each video is priced at $1.99.

DSiWare (DSi, 3DS)

Castle Conqueror: Revolution
Publisher: Circle Entertainment
Price: $4.99 / 500 DSi Points

You are a member of a family of military geniuses who came from the Empire, and have lived on a beautiful island for many years. The Empire then arrived on the island and now control everything, and are seeking valuable resources and gold. They have ruined the island's environment and have hunted down and killed the tribal people; some of whom are your friends. You must now stop the Empire and protect your people by becoming a commander and leading your people against the evil Empire. This is a revolution for you and the entire island!

WiiWare (Wii)

Fish Tank
Publisher: iFun4All
Price: $5.00 / 500 Wii Points

You probably know exactly what video games are and how to play them. However, if you haven't played the iFun4all's FishTank yet, you can't really say that you have seen everything! FishTank is a combination of a very popular Match 3 genre with a puzzle video gamestyle. It is an arcade-style matching game but instead of matching gems or blocks you collect shoals of colored fish. In order to do that, you need to build up a combination of four or more identical fish and press a corresponding button to remove them from the net. The gameplay goes horizontally – not vertically as you might be used to.

Children of Andy Robertson, writer for Wired's GeekDad blog, reached their limit of videogame time over the weekend, but did not want to stop playing Skylanders.

The kids continued to play with their action figures, but weren't allowed to integrate them with the Skylanders: Spyro's Adventures videogame any more. So, what did they do with their time?

The children and their father spent the next two hours creating the rules to a version of Skylanders chess based on the different characters' skills.

What began with accidentally knocking over pieces to a chess game quickly turned into a new, detailed version of the classic board game that the children grew to love.

I think it's great to see this kind of creativity from kids especially when videogames are the inspiration. This wholesome, fun experience is part of the reason we recommended Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure to families.

I hope the kids spread this to their friends, and that it incites more creativity. It could work towards reversing the negative image videogames have as mindless entertainment for today's youth. Mind you, everything should be done in moderation, but gaming can help spur the imagination, as seen in this case.

Make sure to hop over to the GeekDad blog to read the full rules and give the game a try, if you have enough of the toys.

Kids Invent Skylanders Chess [Wired]

In one of the outlines for the movie Return of the Jedi, Han Solo died. Princess Leia would have to lead her own people while Luke went off on his own.

This "slightly more bittersweet" ending "would have allowed the characters to reach a natural conclusion," Gary Kurtz say in an interview included among the DVD extras to the documentary The People Vs. George Lucas. (Watch the clip above to hear him elaborate.)

What does Gary Kurtz know? Well, the guy was the producer for the first two Star Wars movies, the ones grown-ups tend to prefer. He didn't produce Jedi.

The critically-acclaimed The People Vs. George Lucas amusingly explores the love-hate relationship fans have had with Star Wars creator George Lucas, who has been tinkering—angry fans would call it "meddling"—with his beloved creations for decades. The people promoting the October 25 Lionsgate DVD release of the film gave us this exclusive clip, which is excerpted from a fresh interview footage of Kurtz. Other DVD extras include a music video not-so-tastefully called "GL Raped our Childhood" and a featurette shot at Comic-Con called "The People Vs. Star Wars 3D".

Would have you preferred the version Kurtz describes?

Game shop employees here are assembling a "Dovahkiin" statue that will promote sales of Skyrim.

For those of us who've never worked in retail, this is a novelty! It's like seeing how the magician does his tricks. Neat.

Bethesda marketing man Pete Hines' Twitter feed

The bar is high. There's already Senran Kagura, a game about ninjas with big boobs, made explicitly to show jiggling jigglies in 3D. So far, that's the watermark. Enter a new challenger.

The game is Onnanoko to Misshitsu ni Itara ○○shichau Kamo Shiranai ("If I Were Locked in a Room with a Girl, I Might BLANK"). It's a locked room game, and the object is to get out. And stare.

According to Famitsu, the game is divided between the real world and the dream world. The real world is set during a school festival, and the goal is get a girl to go out with you. In the dream world, you're locked in a room with a girl, and you both try to escape.

As with most locked rooms, there's a puzzle solving element to getting out. Players are also, Famitsu reports, able to check out the girls from various angles. Perhaps, "If I Were Locked in a Room with a Girl, I'd LEER" might be a better title?

More Here [D3P]

The early reports, and later confirmation, of Muammar Gaddafi's death at the hands of Libyan rebels flashed on news channels, websites, Facebook and Twitter this morning. And by next week people will be playing the computer game version of the death.

Kuma Games, the people who turned the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden into a virtual recreation that could be played by gamers around the world, tell Kotaku that they're planning to do the same thing with the capture of Sirte, Libya and the death of Gaddafi.

Little is known yet about the circumstances surrounding the death of the Libyan dictator, first reported early this morning by rebels in the town of Sirte. Video filmed by a bystander shows that Gaddafi was captured alive near Sirte, his home town. But within minutes he had been pulled from the vehicle to the ground, and apparently shot.

Kuma Games tells Kotaku that the team is creating a mission surrounding the capture and death of Gaddafi and that it will be another episode of their KUMA\War game with some "new technology going into it." They plan to release the episode Tuesday.

"It will be about the Libyan rebel fighters' mission to capture him and end the war," a spokesperson said. "We will let you know more as we go. It's a little crazy over here, as you can imagine."

I spent part of a day watching the developers work through the details of bin Laden's death in May as they rushed to turn that mission around in less than a week.

Kuma Games made a name for themselves as a company that blended the timeliness and topicality of breaking military news with the immersion and interactivity of video games. Some of the nuance of real world events are lost in translation, though. For instance in the case of the bin Laden mission, players took on the role of equally balanced opposing forces tasked with either defending or capturing bin Laden.

More than 150 all-time NBA greats in a variety of new game modes set in New York City are coming to NBA 2K12, 2K Sports has announced today.

There is no release date yet, but the content will be available for download on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, costing you 800 MS Points and $9.99, respectively.

The content will feature a new, cell-shaded art style and will take place in New York City's Times Square.

Some of the big names mentioned by 2K Sports are the ones you might expect: Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Dr. J.

You'll be able to play pick-up games, from 1-on-1 to 5-on-5, as well as games that stray from the usual basketball experience, such as H-O-R-S-E.

If you want to use that NBA My Player I know you've been working on making into the next Jordan, you can pit him against the legends as well!

2K also states that you can unlock current players to use with or against the legends in the mode, so you can mix and match your favorite past and present stars.

Keep your eyes peeled for the official release date of this downloadable content, it sounds pretty interesting!