I was in Pittsburgh this past weekend to film The Dark Knight Rises...as an unpaid extra. It wasn't as glamorous as you may be imagining. I sat in a stadium for 12 hours while 90-degree heat melted my will to live.

News Blips:

Borderlands 2 info reveals a new cast of playable characters. First, the lineup of player characters from the original will be in the new game but only in cameo roles. The sequel will spotlight a new cast, including Salvador the dwarven Gunzerker, who possesses the ability to dual-wield any two weapons on the entire planet of Pandora. Second, the developers have vastly improved the enemy A.I. And third, Claptrap will return in some form. I also heard from a random man screaming on the streets that the final boss will be Sonic the Hedgehog. Or maybe I’m just practicing shoddy journalism. [Gamenyusu]

For those about to rock Seattle, the PAX Prime 2011 schedule is live…also, we salute you. That Mecca of gaming culture is upon us once more, and a finalized itinerary is in our hands. Highlights include the keynote from Twisted Metal developer David Jaffe and the Retrogame Roadshow -- an Antiques Roadshow-style panel that asks, “Are your old games actually buried treasures?” Don’t forget to leave time in your schedule for a shower or two. PAX will invade Washington state’s biggest city on August 26-28. Here's the full schedule.

Speaking of PAX Prime, Starhawk will be playable at the video-game convention. The Penny Arcade Expo isn’t all panels and booth babes attractive female “video-game representatives.” The show will also showcase the space-combat follow-up to Warhawk. The PlayStation Blog interviewed Senior Producer Harvard Bonin, who coughed up plenty of details about the game’s extensive multiplayer modes, public beta, and a new system for attaining skills. [PlayStation Blog via Shacknews]

The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary website is live. Hey, you like Zelda. I know you do, you know you do, and Nintendo knows you do. That’s why that company revamped Zelda.Nintendo.com to represent the series’ 25th anniversary. There is a cool animated header that gives an overview of all the games in the long-running franchise. Surprisingly, those CD-i adventures didn’t seem to make the cut. Fans can also get information about the upcoming Zelda Symphony. My favorite part is a video of Nintendo’s E3 symphony performing Zelda music at the 2011 expo. Yes, I did listen to it while writing today’s Blips.

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