Dante’s inferno was one of the books I had to read in literature class back in the day. I can’t say it was one of my favorite books and I wished it were a movie instead so I didn’t actually have to read it. Students today can crib for the quiz with a new video game from EA based on the book.

The game is based on part one of the Dante Alighieri classic, “The Divine Comedy.” The game will put players on a mission to move through the nine circles of hell including high school, college … I mean limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery.

It’s hard to believe after being around for well over a year that Crysis is still one of the best looking video games on the market. The follow up to the original Crysis, Crysis Warhead, was equally lush graphically, even if the story line wasn’t as good.

EA and Crytek are now offering a free trial period to get players to try out Crysis Wars, the online shooter version of Crysis. Crytek and EA also announced that they would release a Crysis Maximum Edition that has Crysis, Crysis Warhead, and Crysis Wars in one box on May 5 for $39.99.

Unless you are a pretty serious game geek, you may not recognize the name Will Wright. Wright is the guy behind some of the most popular game franchises in PC gaming including SimCity, The Sims, and Spore. Wright has been with EA since it purchased Maxis in 1997.

EA and Wright have announced that Wright will be leaving EA to start a new firm called Stupid Fun Club. EA will be a major investor in Stupid Fun Club and Wright will run the company. Stupid Fun Club will be an entertainment think tank with the goal of developing ideas for multiple fronts.

We already gathered that Nintendo’s Wii MotionPlus controller add-on was somehow tied to the launch of EA’s Grand Slam Tennis game, but it now looks like the two may be not just swell pals, but bestest buddies. According to a listing over on Amazon.de, the add-on will be available in a bundle with the game (in Europe), which will cost you just over $70. It launches on July 2nd.

Joystiq speculates that the move could also be the excuse Nintendo has been looking for to delay its Wii Sports Resort game, which was supposed to come bundled with MotionPlus.

Electronic Arts wants to have more Wii cred, so they are unveiling the new EA Sports Active exercise package, and they hope that it soars past the Wii Fit as the best-selling fitness title on the console. EA claims that you will benefit from a more serious workout with Sports Active compared to Wii Fit.

EA’s exercise routine will focus on cardio and strength improvement challenges, and can be played by a single person or as a group. There’s also a new peripheral. A specially designed leg strap that will hold the Nunchuk while you hold the Wiimote in your hand. This lets the software track both upper and lower body movement with more accuracy.

One of the best games that I have played for the Nintendo Wii was Boom Blox, the game from EA and Steven Spielberg. The game has single and multiple player modes that were cool and innovative. The multiplayer action was particularly fun and can be played by up to four players at once.

The follow-up to the game has been announced and it is called Boom Blox Bash Party. The game features the solo and multiplayer play that the original offered, with more of it this time around. EA says that there are over 400 new levels of puzzles to be solved with some of them in space and under water.

One of the coolest games that was available for the PS3 and Xbox for the holiday season in 2008 was Mirror’s Edge form EA. The game is called a first-person action adventure and has players taking the role of Faith as she runs, jumps, and slides across the rooftops of a future city.

EA has announced that Mirror’s Edge has now shipped for the PC. One of the big changes from the console to the PC is that the PC version fully supports NVIDIA’s PhysX physics processing to bring more features and realism to the game.

I have mentioned before that I have been a big fan of the Need for Speed series since it first debuted years ago. My favorite title in the series was Need for Speed Most Wanted. I really liked the chases where you run from the cops in the cars you customize yourself.

The series got away from the cop chases and went more “PC” with Need for Speed Pro Street and as cool as that game was, I missed the chases. Need for Speed Undercover brings the police chases back to the series and EA announced this week that the game is now shipping.

Last weekend I downloaded the Mirror’s Edge demo for my PS3 and spent a bit of time playing. The game is very cool and fun. You are a free runner that moves atop the buildings in a massive city delivering messages.

To get from one place to the other you have to run, jump, and fight your way there across rooftops. The game has a very cool premise and offers very original gameplay. EA announced this week that it has shipped Mirror’s Edge to retailers worldwide.

I have been a big fan of EA’s Need for Speed franchise for years. Most of us have probably played the games and though that it would be cool to do those things in real life; aside from crashing, running form the cops and being arrested that is.

EA has announced that it will be bringing some of the cool Need for Speed action to the real world in a live racing event to be held next summer called Need for Speed Live. The event will last for a full week and include racing, drifting, and video game competitions.

I have talked before about how cool I think Burnout Paradise is. The game has great graphics and great gameplay to go along with it. One of the best parts about Burnout Paradise is that Criterion is always working on new download content that is normally free for owners of the game.

EA has announced a new box set of the game called Burnout Paradise The Ultimate Box. The game has the Burnout Paradise original content plus comes with the Cagney and Bikes updates pre-installed. Also included with is a new party game called Burnout Paradise Party.

Video games are at the top of many holiday wish lists and the holiday season will be here before you know it. One of the most anticipated video games of the holiday season on the PC, PS3, and Xbox is Dead Space from EA.

EA has announced that Dead Space has already gone gold. The game will ship on October 14 for the PS3 and Xbox with PC gamers getting their version on October 20. EA is offering nothing special for PC gamers, but console owners who buy in the first two weeks will be given a special suit.

I am a huge fan of PC gaming, not that I don’t do my share of console gaming. If a title is available on multiple platforms though, I prefer it on PC. Recently the number of exclusive PC titles has been very slim, but EA and Crytek are changing that with one doozy of a PC exclusive.

EA and Crytek announced today that Crysis Warhead will be available in retail stores on September 18 as a PC exclusive. Crysis Warhead marks the second installment in the Crysis universe and the first game was tons of fun. As fantastic as the graphics in the original Crysis were, Crytek promises even more this time around.

EA has dominated the football video game genre for years and is the only NFL based video game available. EA is marking the release of Madden NFL 09 with a special event called Maddenpalooza that will celebrate the anniversary of the franchise and the launch of Madden 09.

EA says that Maddenpalooza is a celebration of music, sports and gaming fans and the event will be hosted at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on August 11. The event will run from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. the day prior to the official August 12 launch date for the game.

This week EA announced the release of Boom Blox for the Nintendo Wii, the first game created by the company in partnership with Steven Spielberg. The game takes players through a destructive path of blowing their way through puzzling challenges in 5 different “worlds” as a single player, co-op or multi-player modes for up to 4 players at a time.

The game features more than two dozen “blocky” characters, each with their own personality and of course with Steve Spielberg involved there ended up being a lot of “explosive action” throughout the game. Through funny gestures by the characters and using some potentially destructive tools in the game such as bowling balls and fire hoses players can bust their way through the challenges.