Too Human and Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise release dates, that Gears of War 2 footage played live, and Fable 2 coming soon… honest.

Forget the motion sensing controller, it didn’t happen. Instead Microsoft treated press in San Francisco yesterday to a sneak peak of GOW2, and as expected the skinny on the new Banjo Kazooie and Viva Piñata titles plus everything we can expect this ‘holiday’ (Christmas). In alphabetical order then:

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts: November will find the bear and bird duo constructing vehicles out of random parts. You’ll need these to navigate the enormous world.

Fable 2: It’s 10 times the size of its forerunner, and supports multiplayer trekking. Microsoft is promising this for Christmas.

Gears of War 2: Untold Brumaks and Reavers face Marcus Fenix and the gang. Retailers are taking pre-orders for the November release.

Ninja Gaiden 2: Gamerpics packs (100 MSP) and Themes (150 MSP) are available now from LIVE Marketplace. The game is released 6 June.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One: How much more anal can you get? None more anal. Could be a laugh though.

Too Human: Confirmed for 29 August in the UK. It’s a sci-fi action adventure with RPG undertones and online multiplayer support.

Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise: Out this September, bringing 100 new piñata species and co-op via Xbox LIVE. It uses the Xbox LIVE Vision Camera to scan in VP playing cards, a bit like Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance card e-Reader.

And that’s that. Merry Christmas!