Metallica will be the second band to get its own game following the June release of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.  Unlike Aerosmith, the game will not follow the band’s rise to stardom, but instead follow a new band as it tries to make it on the road with the legendary rockers.  “There’s a historical element involving some memorable gigs we have played, but it’s not something that follows a chronological timeline to a tee,” says drummer Lars Ulrich.  “We kind of wanted it to be a little bit more about who we are now than a who-we-were-in-1986 type of thing.”

In addition to playing from the large catalogue of Metallica songs, the game will include appearances by over twenty guest acts ranging from artists that inspired the band or have toured with them.  The list of artists include Queen, the Foo Fighters, Alice in Chains, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bob Seger.

In addition to the new game controls introduced in World Tour, a second pedal will be available for those wanting the full Lars Ulrich experience.  There is no word yet if the game will be sold with any special edition guitars or drum packages, but odds are likely it will.  Guitar Hero: Metallica will be available on the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 systems.

In addition to great world premieres, the show will honor legendary game designer Will Wright with the first-ever Gamer God award for his achievements in the gaming industry.  Wright is behind such titles as Sim City, this year’s Spore and the upcoming The Sims 3.

Nominees for Game of the Year include Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Gears of War 2, Fallout 3, LittleBigPlanet and Grand Theft Auto IV.

Jack Black has had an incredible year with blockbusters Kung Fu Panda and Tropic Thunder.  “Jack is a huge gamer and a former performer and winner on the ‘VGAs’ having taken home Best Performance By A Human - Male in 2005,” said Casey Patterson, Spike TV’s senior vice president, event production and talent development. “We’re thrilled to have him as our host. With a record 10 world premieres including Brütal Legend starring Jack, it will be a big night and wild ride!”

The Caped Crusader returns in Batman: Arkham Asylum coming next year for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

The story, which was penned by Emmy-winning Batman writer Paul Dini, begins with Batman escorting The Joker to the infamous Arkham Asylum.  There, a trap is set by the super-villain inhabitants.  Batman must use all his skills to survive and keep Gotham’s worst criminals from escaping.

Rapper 50 Cent returns in virtual form for 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, a sequel to the 2006 release 50 Cent: Bulletproof.  50 Cent: Blood on the Sand puts gamers in the role of 50 Cent and features intense 3rd person action shooter gameplay, online drop-in and drop-out co-op multiplayer, brawler combat with interactive counter-kills, along with vehicle and helicopter combat. Developed by Swordfish Studios using the Unreal 3 game engine technology, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand will also include eighteen exclusive new 50 Cent tracks, as well as previously released songs and music videos. The game will feature the voices and likenesses of 50 Cent and G-Unit’s Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo and DJ Whoo Kid.