Good Game: BioShock Infinite, Madden NFL 11, Dragon Age DLC, Black Ops, Crimson Gem, and more!

Good Game is a new column bringing you the latest news in video games and casual gaming.

I've spent the last decade or so monitoring developments in entertainment for my professional life — first for AE and now for EntertainHer — but somewhere along the way, I turned into a gaming geek. First it was The Sims and city-building games on the PC; then all types of games with my nieces on XBox, PS3, and the Wii; and now iPhone/iPad games — and I love them all, from Mass Effect 2 to Little Big Planet, Uncharted 2 to Scrabble, Bad Company 2 to Bejeweled.

Well, almost all. I just can't get into Facebook games like Farmville. Please don't hate me.

The popularity and proliferation of games and platforms means a lot of gaming news. This column is designed to justify all the time I spend gaming cut through the clutter and bring you an overview of the latest gaming news and reviews. Not all news or all games will be mentioned — there's only so much I can cover — so feel free to add any news I've missed in the comments.

Oh, and if you want more gaming news and reviews, be sure to check out ThumbBandits.com, run by AE vloggers and gaming experts Tracy and Angela; and GameShark.com's podcast "Jumping the Shark," co-hosted by AE writer Danielle Riendeau. It's one of my favorite gaming podcast's.

Now on to column!

News and Announcements

The big news this week is the unveiling of BioShock developer Irrational Games's next project: BioShock Infinite, a mystery set in 1912 in a city in the sky.

Former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt has been sent to rescue Elizabeth, a young woman imprisoned in Columbia since childhood. Booker develops a relationship with Elizabeth, augmenting his abilities with hers so the pair may escape from a city that is literally falling from the sky. DeWitt must learn to fight foes in high-speed Sky-Line battles, engage in combat both indoors and amongst the clouds, and harness the power of dozens of new weapons and abilities.

The trailer is just plain awesome:

Is it 2012 yet?

For more details about BioShock Infinite, which is scheduled for release on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC in 2012, read my lengthy blog post about it.

The first art for Batman: Arkham City (Fall 2011), the sequel to the popular Batman: Arkham Asylum game (Xbox, PS3, PC), was released this week, and it includes Catwoman!

No word on whether we can actually play as Catwoman, but it's cool just to have her in the game. Watch the new trailer on the game's official site, and see more photos on GameInformer.com.

Ubisoft announced CSI: Fatal Conspiracy (October) for Xbox 3650, PS3, PC, and Wii. It's a mystery involving five new connected cases written by the same writers from the television series, and Ray Langston (Laurence Fishburne), Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) and Nick Stokes (George Eads) are among the characters you can partner with in the game. No mention yet of whether we'll see Sara (Jorja Fox). Regardless, given that none of the CSI games have been that great, I'm not rushing to buy this one when it's released.