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For some Halo 4 gamers, it will pay to play. Microsoft has partnered with American Express for a new promotion that gives eligible card holders coupons and credits for tying their account to Xbox Live and playing 343 Industries’ new shooter.

Cardmembers in the United States and United Kingdom who sync their American Express card with their Xbox Live account will receive coupons to establishments like AMC Theatres, PacSun, and Carphone warehouse. Additionally, all card holders who sync their card with Xbox Live will receive an automatic credit of $10 in the US or £10 in the UK.

On top of that, American Express cardmembers who play Halo 4 will be rewarded with credits and coupons for their in-game achievements. Those who complete the single-player campaign on Normal or harder difficulty will instantly receive a $25 statement credit (£25 statement credit for those in Europe).

Further, if a player is one of the first 25 people in the US or one of the first 5 in the UK to complete the campaign alone on Legendary difficulty, they will be entered to win a trip to the 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo.

For more on the promotion, check out the American Express landing page. Halo 4 is due out worldwide November 6. GameSpot’s review of the title praised its story, combat mechanics, and competitive multiplayer, but lamented its fleeting Spartan Ops missions.

Crytek is looking to its past for a preorder bonus for next year’s Crysis 3. Publisher Electronic Arts announced today that those who reserve Crysis 3 will receive a code to download a free digital version of the 2007 original Crysis.

Gamers who preorder Crysis 3 for Xbox 360 will receive a code to download the Xbox Live Arcade version of Crysis, with PlayStation 3 players receiving the PlayStation Network iteration, and PC gamers getting a code to download the game through Origin.

Crysis currently retails for $20 on Xbox Live, PSN, and Origin.

Players who preorder Crysis 3 will not only receive the original Crysis, but will also be upgraded to the Crysis 3 Hunter Edition. This upgrade gives players day-one access to the game’s new Predator bow weapon, as well as the Hunter Nanosuit module.

Crysis 3 is due February 2013 for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. For more on the game, check out GameSpot’s previous coverage.

Resident Evil 6 players who did not preorder the new shooter missed out on three Mercenaries mode maps. Now, those environments are available to all.

The three maps–High Seas Fortress, Rail Yard, and Catacombs–are now available for purchase on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for $1 each.

Catacombs was previously only available for those who preordered at GameStop, while Amazon customers received the High Seas Fortress environment, and Best Buy purchasers scored the Rail Yard space.

More DLC and tweaks for Resident Evil 6 are on the way. Capcom last week announced that a camera-adjustment update is scheduled to arrive sometime in December alongside a new No Hope difficulty and the Ada Wong campaign.

Additionally, new game modes called Survivors, Predator, and Siege for Resident Evil 6 are in the pipeline. No release date for this content has been announced, though the modes will launch as timed-exclusives for Xbox 360.

For more on Resident Evil 6, check out GameSpot’s review.

Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel will take gamers on a trip to Mexico March 26, 2013. Electronic Arts not only announced the release date for Visceral Games’ new co-op shooter today, but also revealed that all preorders will be upgraded to the Overkill Edition.

The Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel Overkill Edition includes early access to three “Overkillers” contracts. EA did not offer much in the way of detail concerning these, saying only that these variations have been designed with “maximum rampage” in mind.

The Overkill Edition also packs in the TAH-9 sidearm and Double D automatic shotgun, as well as a special Overkill-themed mask and outfit. Lastly, the preorder bundle includes a Day of the Dead-themed assault rifle, as well as a similarly themed outfit and masks.

It was not mentioned if the offerings in the Overkill Edition will be made available to those who do not preorder Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel.

A co-op shooter developed by Visceral Games Montreal and running on DICE’s Frostbite 2 game engine, The Devil’s Cartel is aimed at “resetting” and “refreshing” the franchise. In the game, players will find themselves in Mexico, battling as two operatives working for the Tactical Worlwide Operations (T.W.O).

Players will be dropped into the middle of a drug war, tasked with an assignment “full of corruption and deceit.” Gamers will be able to “unleash the power of ultimate destruction” and must work together to see victory over “ruthless opposition.”

The Devil’s Cartel sports online and split-screen co-op, as well as an upgrade and customization system that is “deeper and more advanced” than in previous games. The Devil’s Cartel is the third entry in the franchise, which debuted in 2008 with the original Army of Two, and was followed up by 2010’s Army of Two: The 40th Day.

For more on Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel, check out GameSpot’s previous coverage.

According to Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, it may be a myth that next-generation game development will be more expensive and complicated than it currently is. Speaking during a post-earnings conference call recently, Zelnick said Take-Two is not expecting to book additional expenses with the forthcoming arrival of new consoles.

“We don’t have a ramp up of operating expenses for next-generation,” Zelnick said. “Do we believe the titles to be a whole lot more expensive to make for next-gen? And the answer is we do not. In many instances we believe that it may be somewhat easier to make titles for next-gen, depending on how the technology comes together.”

Elsewhere during the call, Zelnick responded to a question regarding when next-generation consoles from Microsoft and Sony will arrive. He did not offer a specific window, but made clear that Take-Two is expecting a console transition sooner rather than later.

“We are very mindful of an upcoming transition and the consumer behavior puts a fine point on that,” he said. “Because as we head into the maturation of the cycle, we see tie ratios [games sold per console] come down, and you’ve seen what happens when that happens.”

Zelnick added that the maturation of the current console cycle will have a minimal impact on Take-Two because gamers will buy high-quality titles no matter how late in the console cycle it may be.

“It fits very well with our stated strategy, which is we try really hard to do only the highest quality titles; the titles consumers will show up for without regarding to where you are in the hardware cycle,” he said. “And that way we can really benefit from a large install base, which we already have, [and] which will grow larger through the holidays.”

Zelnick concluded by saying it is paramount that Take-Two develops “must-have” games, because if it doesn’t, consumers will seek out other titles from competitors.

“And we are, while not immune, we are less at risk for the lower tie ratios because we are putting out must-have products,” Zelnick said. “If we don’t put out must-have products, we too will be hurt by the fact that people are more selective with their purchases as we head into the end of the cycle. And everyone in our company is mindful of that, not the least our creative teams.”

Hurricane Sandy ripped through the northeast United States this week, laying waste to Atlantic City’s famed boardwalk, toppling a New York City construction crane, and knocking out power for millions.

The storm is also impacting online functionality for all Guitar Hero games and several Call of Duty titles, Activision has revealed.

Activision community manager Dan Amrich explained through the One of Swords blog recently that players may experience connectivity issues with the following games until power is stabilized at Activision’s New York-based data centers:

–Call of Duty: World at War (all platforms)
–Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PlayStation 3)
–Call of Duty: Black Ops (PlayStation 3, PC, Wii)
–Guitar Hero (all titles and platforms)

According to Amrich, Activision is working to restore complete functionality “as soon as possible,” though no specific timeframe was provided. An update to the Activision support website does not offer much more, stating only that the hurricane has impacted multiplayer gaming.

“Due to the hurricane that affected the East Coast of the United States, multiplayer gaming with some of our online title is experiencing connectivity issues,” the statement reads. “We appreciate your patience.”

Battlefield and Mass Effect publisher Electronic Arts is seeing red. The company posted a $381 million loss for the three-month period ended September 30. This represents a 12 percent greater loss than the $340 million hit the company took during the same time last year. Total revenue for the period came in at $711 million, down slightly year-on-year from $715 million.

EA CEO John Riccitiello offered deeper color on the losses in a post-earnings conference call. He said the industry is currently in an unsettled period, and alluded to next-generation consoles from Microsoft and Sony helping to spur sales in the time ahead.

“The game sector is in a volatile period of change and transition–awaiting new catalysts for even more rapid growth,” Riccitiello said. “Since the San Francisco Giants won the World Series, I’ll use a baseball analogy: EA doesn’t win every inning, but we put a lot of runs on the scoreboard and we expect to finish the season at the top of the standings and to continue to do so for years to come.”

Later in the call, EA Labels boss Frank Gibeau shed some light on the recently released Medal of Honor: Warfighter. Gibeau said the critical reception for the game “fell below our expectations.” He added that EA will continue to push the game during the holiday season through marketing and other sales execution strategies, including the upcoming map pack tied in to Sony Pictures’ new movie Zero Dark Thirty.

The Fellowship will be assembled again next month on consoles. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has announced that Lego: Lord of the Rings is available today for 3DS, DS, and PlayStation Vita in North America, with a launch for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and PC slated for November 13. The game will debut in Europe ten days later on November 23.

Lego: Lord of the Rings is based on Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy and will follow the storylines of each film, using dialogue from the movies. Unlike the Lego Harry Potter franchise, which was split over two games, the entire Lord of the Rings saga will be told in one entry.

The game follows Frodo Baggins and the unlikely fellowship that sets out from Rivendell on a dangerous journey to destroy The One Ring and bring peace to Middle-earth. Throughout Lego: Lord of the Rings, players will enter the Mines of Moria, climb the Misty Mountains, and battle orcs, uruk-hai, and the nasty balrog.

In keeping with the staples of the Lego franchise, Lego: Lord of the Rings will be peppered with lighthearted interpretations of the source material, with gamers tasked with solving puzzles along the way. Character players featured in the game include Frodo, Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Sam, Merry, and Pippin.

In other Middle-earth news, Lord of the Rings Online is coming to Mac five years after the game launched in 2007. Speaking to The Unofficial Apple Weblog, Turbine vice president of product development Craig Alexander announced that a Mac client for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game will be available sometime this week.

[Update]: Infinity Ward has updated its official Twitter feed with the following statement regarding the news story, below. “Interesting news today, but it’s not true,” said Infinity Ward reps. “We’ve not talked with any voice actors, so all news is speculation.”

The next chapter in the Call of Duty franchise, Black Ops II, isn’t out until November 13th, but already another game in the series is being readied. Modern Warfare 4 is in the works, at least if voice actor Bill Murray is to be believed.

The actor, who has played Captain Price in the previous two games in the series, told This is Xbox that he is set to reprise his role soon. He said, “Yeah, on Monday I am off to meet Infinity Ward about the next game, Modern Warfare 4, I’m doing work on the sequel to Modern Warfare 3, it carries straight on and I only ever appear in the Modern Warfare games…”

News of another entry in the Modern Warfare franchise should come as no surprise. Traditionally, development duties on the Call Of Duty series are split between Infinity Ward and Treyarch, with each studio producing a game every two years.

Infinity Ward’s last game was the critically acclaimed Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Since then the studio has remained largely silent following the loss of head Jason West and Vince Zampella, as well as outspoken creative strategist Robert Bowling,

Black Ops II is due for release worldwide on November 13 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. PlayStation Vita game Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified is due out also on that date, with a Wii U version following as a launch title for Nintendo’s new console on November 18.