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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Description

Yet to be released Call of the duty modern warfare 3, is the one of the highly demanding games of the season. Developed by the infinity ward, sledgehammer games and Raven software- all of these are developing different versions of it. This one is the advanced version of call of duty modern warfare 2.

About The Game

It’s out an out first person shooter game. It is seen something like the call of the duty: World at War, where the enemies come at fixed places and the players go in for an endless fight. While this one is little tactful, the enemies pop up from anywhere, all depending upon your present position. The multiplayer maps will of course be made available too. Activision is the publisher of the game, which is third one in the series of call of the duty games.

Story and the Character

The trailers were out in May, but the way the comments were made; this will definitely be a success. It involves three campaigns – Black Tuesday, mind the gap, and hunter killer. Sandman, Derek West brook, a pair of delta force is now playable characters.

The basic story revolves around the Russian federation who invades the USA . And they are still hateful for others includingEngland, France etc. The gamer will fight against the wave of enemies. As they move on, they face challenges with every passing wave and also earn money to get arms, and ask for help, as they gain points when they kill the enemies. You also get a break after every stage crossed, to regroup with your playmates or reload your weapons.

Modern warfare 3 has an excellent view to fight the enemies with no exact goal. Though with multiplayer systems, you just need to fight many and kill them. Made on the previous engine IW 4.0, the latest mw3 has also been designed for color blind people who love playing games.

It runs on 60 FPS and functions on, windows, XBOX 360 and playstation 3. Promotional events will be held in the month of September, to reveal the multiplayer system. Don’t miss this version of call of the duty. If you play alone you can be in control but if you have a partner, the experience will be much better, with weapons, and a strong communication in Spec Ops.

It truly makes you a part of the battle field, where you fight everyone and enjoy the unique experience in the virtual land. Planned to release on 8th of November, 2011, this one can give you an overwhelming experience. With this, you can swim underwater, use AC-130, or use money to buy Helicopters. Call of the day modern warfare 3 is the most anticipated game of 2011.

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Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir Expansion Description

Neverwinter Nights 2 (NWN2) is a computer role-playing game set in the fantasy world of the Forgotten Realms, one of the popular campaign settings of Dungeons and Dragons. It takes the player from the tiniest of villages into a sweeping tale of danger and war, chronicling their rise from a peasant to a full-fledged hero of the Realms, defending it against one of the greatest threats of the age. Build a character that suits your style of play - good or evil, chaotic or lawful, with any number of skills, feats and professions available at the click of a button. Whether lobbing fireballs and researching forgotten spells as a powerful Wizard, hacking a trail through legions of orcs as a Fighter armed only with a battle axe and your courage, or taking on the role of a Rogue that can slip into the shadows at a moment's notice, the choice is yours. Choose your alignment, your allies, your companions, and how you want your character to develop... design the character you want, role-play the way you want, and carry the battle to the enemy.

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Neverwar, chronicling their rise from a peasant to a full-fledged hero of the Realms, defending it against one of the greatest threats of the age.
In Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer, players are transported back to the Forgotten Realms shortly after the events detailed in the original Neverwinter Nights 2. Following the climactic battle against the King of Shadows, the player awakens alone and stranded deep beneath the earth. Surrounded by a horde of evil spirits, the player embarks on an epic adventure that reveals his true destiny. Set in harsh, spirit-rich Rashemen, near the powerful nation of Thay, Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer will present players with an exciting new campaign; epic levels; dozens of new feats and spells; new races, base classes and prestige classes; new companions; new weapons, armour and crafting options; hordes of new monsters; and enhanced modding tools.

 winter Nights 2 Expansion Pack: Mask of the Betrayer Description

Neverwinter Nights 2 (NWN2) is a computer role-playing game set in the fantasy world of the Forgotten Realms, one of the popular campaign settings of Dungeons and Dragons. It takes the player from the tiniest of villages into a sweeping tale of danger and

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 Neverwinter Nights Platinum Edition Description

 Neverwinter Nights Platinum opens up a new world of magic and mystery to you. Explore a world where magic weapons, mighty beasts, unthinkable monsters and amazing challenges are waiting at every turn. Features the original Neverwinter Nights and the Shadows of Undrentide and the Hordes of the Underdark expansion packs. Three new chapters of storyline in all-new settings, far from the Sword Coast Incredible new skills like Tumble and Appraise, help you on your journey Amazing new weapons and enemies -- Use your Holy Water and Choking Powder against Medusas, Sphinxes and Cockatrices Also includes the Aurora Toolset for creating your own universes, quests and storylines. 

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Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark Description

When first looking through the manual and checking out all the new feats, classes, and powers available in this expansion, I thought that they were way too obscenely powerful and would throw off the game's difficulty balancing. However, even with a godlike character, the challenges found in the Hordes of the Underdark are no joke.

The adventure included in Underdark is one of the better official campaigns. Since players start at level 15, all the NPCs react to them as a legendary hero from the beginning – a nice change from the standard RPG opening. In all the time I spent playing Hordes, I didn't kill a single rat, maggot, or slime. In the very beginning of the quest, there's a blue dragon – which incidentally fell quite easily to Enserric the Longsword (who is quite the character himself, and has some of the best lines in the game). That's an example of the power levels involved here.

Hordes allows characters to reach level 40 (!), twice the old level cap, and doesn't disappoint in ways to make your hero über-powerful. Epic feats give you such silly abilities as turning into an ancient dragon or completely dodging one attack per round, no matter what. The six new prestige classes are fun to play as, though some are a bit underpowered compared to others. Items scale up with you as well, and can grant some really sickening bonuses. Enserric, for instance, heals you for five hit points every time you hit something; though five HP isn't a whole lot when you've got 230 to begin with.

This expansion adds quite a bit of stuff for lower-level heroes as well. New crafting skills allow players to customize their equipment even more than before. Some of the prestige classes can be accessed as early as level six, and lots of new scripts have been added to give players greater control over their henchmen. Heroes can have two followers rather than the previous limit of one, which lets you have some semblance of an actual party even in single-player. Despite the new and vastly superior control, however, they still tend to run off and die when you're not paying attention.

Mod makers will enjoy the improvements on the already comprehensive toolset. BioWare has also added a number of scripts to the game which allow for better interaction and combat. Of course, these upgrades will help regular players as well, in the form of better modules to adventure through.

Owners of Neverwinter Nights are punishing themselves by not getting Hordes of the Underdark. The amount by which it expands the game in every direction is truly epic.

Concept:
Allow heroes to reach utterly stupid levels of power, and give them suitably ridiculous tasks

Graphics:
Somewhat improved over the original, particularly the textures

Sound:
Same old Neverwinter sounds. The battle music gets awfully old

Playability:
The improved camera control is very welcome, and the whole interface is a little smoother around the edges

Entertainment:
There's no better way to dork out to the max, online or off

Neverwinter Nights' first expansion, Shadows of Undrentide, was certainly an engrossing tale, and a great addition to the universe, but for how much I enjoyed that adventure it pales in comparison to Hordes of the Underdark. Sure, this expansion looks slightly better than the last, and manages to add in an assortment of new goodies for level-up junkies like myself, but what really makes this game for me is that it revolves around the Drow and all the dark creatures of the D&D universe. You just can't help but love Mind Flayers and those evil elf beeatches. If you managed to miss out on Shadows, you should do yourself a favor and make sure you check out Hordes, as it represents some of the best storytelling going on in the PC world. Even if you don't care about the plot, you can always just make some crazy powerful characters and tear it up.

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Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide CD Key

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Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide Description

Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide offers role playing fans even more D&D features than the groundbreaking original. Additions include new skills, including Tumble and Appraise; new feats, such as Divine Might, Extra Music and Bullheaded; new weapons, such as Holy Water Flasks and Choking Powder; new prestige classes, like Harper Scout; new monsters from the D&D universe, including Medusa, Cockatrice, Sphinx, and Female Fire Giant; and dozens of new spells. In addition, the expansion pack equips amateur module makers with additional content for the Neverwinter Nights Aurora Toolset, the groundbreaking software included with the full game that allows players to create their own universes, quests and storylines. The toolset will be augmented with all new tile sets for creation of new environments as well as new "Wizards," or automated guides, to help gamers build and play adventures of their own creation. 

Features:
n Neverwinter Nights, your city is under quarantine as a deadly plague decimates the population is running amok. You are sent on a quest to find a cure. Journey through ancient dungeons, battles deadly monsters & learn the skills you need to become a mighty warrior. Hire your own muscle or join other adventurers to form war parties -- or go onlin and control a multiplayer adventure as Dungeon Master! 

Neverwinter Nights - Shadows of Undrentide takes you to frontier town of Hilltop, where a young apprentice sees her mentor killed & strange artifacts taken from his home. Swearing revenge, she is swept into an adventure that will leave the fate of Hilltop and the Silver Marches in her inexperienced hands. Travel eastward, crossing the deserts to face a dangerous enemy while gaining new skills like Tumble and Appraise. Discover new weapons and items Holy Water and Choking Powder -- you'll need

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Game Background

Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight is the final installment in the Tiberium Saga of the long-running real-time strategy (RTS) PC game franchise Command & Conquer. Centered around the infamous faction based struggle for, and simultaneous protection from the valuable, but dangerous energy source known as Tiberium, C&C 4 features classic RTS gameplay based in resource management, unit creation and battlefield strategy. Add to this new features including 5-on-5 online multiplayer support, a mix of new and classic units and exciting RPG lite gameplay elements, and you have a worthy final release in a series that over the years has epitomized the RTS genre.Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight is the final installment in the Tiberium Saga of the long-running real-time strategy (RTS) PC game franchise Command & Conquer. Centered around the infamous faction based struggle for, and simultaneous protection from the valuable, but dangerous energy source known as Tiberium, C&C 4 features classic RTS gameplay based in resource management, unit creation and battlefield strategy. Add to this new features including 5-on-5 online multiplayer support, a mix of new and classic units and exciting RPG lite gameplay elements, and you have a worthy final release in a series that over the years has epitomized the RTS genre.

Story

In the year 2062, humanity found itself on the brink of extinction. Tiberium, the mysterious, alien crystalline structure that infested Earth for decades and caused years of relentless conflict between the Global Defense Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod, was close to rendering the planet uninhabitable. In the midst of this crisis, Kane, Nod's prophetic leader, emerged from seclusion to deliver GDI the message that he had developed a system that could control Tiberium and harness its power. But he could not build this "Tiberium Control Network" without GDI's cooperation. Thus, the two opposing factions—GDI and Nod—found themselves in a desperate and unlikely alliance to stop Tiberium from extinguishing mankind.Now, after 15 years, the network is nearly complete. Tiberium is under strict control and the revitalized Earth is on the cusp of a new age of prosperity and progress. It is only now that the world's citizens begin to seriously ponder why Kane chose to help, and what he will want in return. Kane. GDI. Nod. Tiberium. How will it end? These questions and more lead to the dramatic final act of the 15-year Tiberium saga in Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight.

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The game's executive producer said Kaz Makita: "the PC version of FIFA series will bring a lot of new ideas.We will bring to the PC version of FIFA 11, quality gaming experience, innovative game modes and better picture quality. ”

Optimized for PC engines will control each player can set players free movement and other actions, co-ordination between players will be able to make more complex.360 ° control system with the lead of the game, those with technical superior player can, with your own personal breakthroughs each other's defense.

After two years of development, the host version of the engine has been optimized for PC version, let us look at optimized PC Edition of the FIFA 11 how high.

Screenshot of the game before:

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Sims 3 Description

The Sims 3 lets you immerse truly unique Sims in an open, living neighborhood just outside their door! The freedom of The Sims 3 will inspire you with endless possibilities and amuse you with unexpected moments of surprise and mischief. Your Sims can roam throughout their neighborhood, visit neighbors’ homes, and explore the surroundings. They can stroll downtown to hang out with friends, meet someone new at the park, or run into colleagues on the street. If your Sims are in the right place at the right time, who knows what might happen?! New easy-to-use design tools allow for unlimited customization to make truly individual Sims. Determine your Sims’ shape and size, from thin to full-figured to muscular—and everything in between! Choose your Sims’ facial features, their exact skin tone, hair eye shape and color and select their clothing and accessories. Create realistic Sims with distinctive personalities. Select from dozens of personality traits and combine them in fun ways. The combination of traits you choose—brave, artistic, loner, perfectionist, klepto, romantic, clumsy, paranoid, and much, much more—help shape the behavior of your Sims and how they interact with other Sims. Your Sims can now rise above their basic set of every day needs. They are complex individuals with unique personalities. Build your dream house or design the ultimate home. Customize everything from floors to flowers, shirts to sofas, wallpaper to window shades. It’s fun and easy to change colors and patterns giving you endless personalization options. Or you can populate your Sims’ neighborhood with pre-designed buildings and furnishings. Which of your Sims will live in high-end mansions, cool bachelor pads, ultimate dream homes or low-cost cottages?

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Call of Duty:Modern Warfare 2 Description

Modern Warfare 2 is a first-person tactical shooter and the sixth entry in the popular Call of Duty series. True to its name and following the lead of its predecessor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, it places players in modern combat settings, as opposed to the WWII environments of the earlier Call of Duty games. This modern approach brings with it new weapons, action and options. Coupled with a variety of gameplay modes including single player, multiplayer and the co-op Special Ops Mode, it is destined to be one of the most popular games of 2009 and a worthy addition to the Call of Duty series.

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Game Description
The best-selling and most critically-acclaimed football game of all time returns for a new season -and it's still on top form. A completely new game and graphics engine brings with it a whole new level of realism and control, as well as a host of new features demanded by the fans. The world's premier football sim goes up a league Create your own custom chants to play online Players are modelled more realistically than ever Fight for possession with the new 360 degree collisions The FIFA games are already renowned for their depth and accuracy but the new Pro Passing controls bring the onscreen action even closer to the real thing. Combined with improved man-to-man interactions this not only looks like football it plays like it too, with all its subtlety and intricacy. It's not just the on-pitch action that's been improved though, as the new career mode ensures the most comprehensive player manager simulation ever seen in a sports game. With new player models and body types, new customisations options and new online modes this is the ultimate version of the ultimate football game

Gameplay

X3: Terran Conflict is a single player, first-person space-based simulator where the player can explore and expand in a constantly changing environment. The player can navigate his/her ship across numerous sectors owned by the various races (Argon, Boron, Split, Paranid, Teladi, Xenon, Kha'ak, Terran, Pirate and Yaki) which are connected through devices termed Jumpgates, allowing for large-scale travel in the game universe. The entire game universe holds thousands of persistent stations and ships, with a varying economy which the player is encouraged to take part in through trading, construction, and in some instances combat. The game is open-ended, and the player is free to explore and perform various tasks at will, unless a mission instructs otherwise. There are several alien races which the player can interact with, through these interactions shaping his relationship with the races, becoming either friend or foe. Some races are presented as a constant threat where friendship is not an option. Each race has a military presence across the universe and skirmishes can break out without the player's involvement.

The player is capable of acquiring many different types of property, such as ships, stations, and factories. Ships can be piloted manually in the first-person by the player, or can be ordered to perform various tasks on their own such as engaging in combat and trading. Ships can also be grouped together to form wings, where they attempt to perform a task assigned by the player together without the player needing to order them individually. The number of assets the player can own is not limited by the game. Types of ships range from small scout ships equipped with light weaponry and shielding to large capital ships with various capabilities, which can be used for offense, factory construction, ware production or other purposes.

Combat can range from dogfights between small ships to large fleet battles involving many ships, small to large alike. There are several classes of weapons available for use, such as beam weapons, energy projectiles, ammo-based projectiles which must be kept stocked with the appropriate ammunition, various types of missiles, as well as mines. Each ship is usually capable of equipping a wide array of weapons, usually limited by the constructing race and ship size.

Several space installations are available to be built by the player. They can include factories, trading stations, stationary weapon platforms, and more. The player can also build a Headquarters, capable of many different tasks ranging from ware storage to ship construction. Factories can be built basically anywhere in a sector, usually to provide income to the player through the sale of the wares it produces, or the production of wares directly for the player's use. Wares can be bought from stations for a certain cost, and be either sold at another station (usually for a profit) or to be used by the player. Certain wares are required at each type of station to produce the stations product. As an example, crystals are required at Solar Power Plants to produce its product; energy cells. Basic wares such as minerals, food, and energy go though several stages of production at various factories to become more advanced products, such as weapons, satellites, and drones.

Both plot and generic missions are offered and take place in the universe itself, usually with some kind of reward for the player. Local events may alter the players experience of the mission. The majority of missions are not restrictive, and the player can perform normal activities after the mission has been accepted and may call upon any available property to help with the objective.

As the game progresses, many more features are made available; such as connecting multiple factories to share resources, and training marines to board capital ships.

Dead Space from EA is sure to please any action-adventure gamer looking for a bloody battle against deadly aliens.

Dead Space for PC begins when a massive mining ship, the USG Ishimura, comes in contact with a mysterious alien artifact and suddenly loses its communications with Earth. Engineer Isaac Clarke is sent to repair the Ishimura's communications, but arrives to find a floating vessel that has become a complete bloodbath. The crew is mutilated and infected with an ancient alien scourge.

Clarke's repair mission is transformed to one of survival as he fights to save himself and return the artifact to the planet at any cost.

Unlike its predecessors, Dead Space 3 will reportedly feature scenes less like the one above and more like something out of Lost Planet 2.

Electronic Arts has yet to officially announce the game, but after the success of Dead Space 2 and EA's interest in establishing DS as a big franchise, it's inevitable. An Israeli news show recently showed footage of an EA office where a Dead Space 3 sign could be seen, and now a source has filled Siliconera in on the first details about the next game in the series.

Rather than be set on a spaceship, Dead Space 3 takes place on Tau Volantis, an icy planet that Isaac crash lands on. He finds he isn't the only survivor on the planet and learns that Ellie Langford is alive and has left for another location with a group of people. Isaac eventually meets a new character named Jennifer before facing enemies that were called "the hive mind" by the source.

Dead Space 2 was released this past January, more than two years after the first game was released in October 2008. There have also been two spin-offs: Extraction for PS3 and Wii and Ignition for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

The cut-scenes break up the pacing, but when Space Marine gets going it turns into a whirlwind of violence. Captain Titus, like all space marines, is super human, and can turn waves of enemies into a gory mess. To this end you're constantly given an array of weaponry to use, enabling you to adapt him to your play style. Ultimately though, it all comes down to a combination of shooting and melee combat. As enemies close in you soften them up with grenades and firearms, then switch to your trusty hammer, axe or sword when you're ready for a blood bath. The melee combat feels good; simple enough to not be confusing, and empowering to watch. 
Space Marine's combat shines, but there are times where Relic doesn't give you enough to fight. Setting is important in 40k, but parts where you're just gawking at the scenery drag a bit. Thankfully later stages get increasingly elaborate with their encounter design, providing both a visual spectacle and a lot of strategic options. 

Dead Island's day one title update may wipe some of users' save data, thanks to incompatibility issues thrown up by the game's embarrassing PC launch balls-up, the game's publisher has admitted.

A statement from Deep Silver handed to horror site Daily Dead explained that it had done its best to avoid save files being compromised but in some instances players will lose their progress.

"We tried every avenue possible in order to avoid fans having to wipe their saved games… this update may cause incompatibilities between the incorrect version of Dead Island that was released and the fixed version and cause a wipe on saved games. "

However, it went on to offer advice on how to claw back some of your lost data.

"When the game opens, select New Game -> Select the same character as you were using before, and then there will be an option for 'Chapter Select' which will allow the player to jump to the last chapter they were playing in."

The problem initially arose when a ported development build of the game was mistakenly uploaded to Steam. The correct version is now up and ready to download.

Deep Silver is planning a good-will "make up" offer for those affected, with details expected later this week.

Dead Island is waiting for you ...

We got the opportunity to interview Hale on the busy show floor and were instantly put at ease by her open enthusiasm for the event. At her own suggestion, we huddled into a quieter corner of the convention center to talk about her inspiration for playing FemShep and being an A-List celebrity in the gaming world.

Where do you draw inspiration from when voice acting?

The character description as a start, then there’s storyline and the director, producer and writers will tell me about where I fit in it and what this moment in the storyline is. That’s where I get my specifics for the moment and I’ll plug them with “Okay, what’s the noise level”, “What just happened”, “Where are we going”, “Who are we talking to”, “Were are they from”, “What’s my relationship with them”.

For someone like Commander Shepard, have you drawn inspiration from pre-existing characters in sci-fi?

I draw inspiration from people and things that have happened to me and inevitably that informs what’s on the page. My primary inspiration is what’s on that page, what that writer intended, and of course it’s informed by things I’m inspired by. Right now I’m diggin’ on BBC America’s Battlestar Galactica reruns. It’s the most genius series ever. I love that show, it’s very inspiring.

According to your recent New Yorker write-up, we know you’re not a gamer and only briefly played Mass Effect. Were you excited to reprise your role as Commander Shepard?

Absolutely excited. Even though I’m not a gamer I’m invested in these stories at least as much as you guys are who are avid gamers because I help create it. I’m super invested in it. My job is to live as that person as vitally and as honestly as I can so you as a gamer can have a really great experience. I was thrilled when Shepard came back.

 Hale is also the voice of Star Wars: The Old Republic's Jedi Satele Shan

What about roles in voice acting gets you excited? Do you have a preference for playing certain types of female characters?

A lot of what I get excited about is the production team. Who’s my director, who’s my writer, who are my producers, is there new technology involved, are we breaking through some new ground, is the character as a character breaking new ground? FemShep has turned out to be breaking new ground which is awesome. I love the leadership thing, I love setting an example that way. But, not to sound self important at all.

I also love outrageous characters,  things like Powerpuff Girls. Some of the characters I got to play in that were psycho and over the top. And my fellow cast too, working on Wolverine and the X-Men shows has been incredible.

Have you ever met your male Commander Shepard counterpart, Mark Meer?

I have not! We quite recently just connected via telephone. We had a business question to answer for each other and it was great. It was great to talk to him, such a nice guy.

So there’s never been any interaction about his thoughts on Shepard vs. yours?

Nope, not yet! Bring it!

 Another recent role for Hale was Bulletstorm's Trishka Novak

Looking at your IMDB list you’ve done a ton of work. Have you gotten recognized by voice? Maybe at a drive-through? Telemarketers?

People don’t realize they’re recognizing my voice. What they do say to me is, “You look familiar!” Their brain automatically translates that they think they know me but they must assume they’ve seen me before rather than heard me because it’s not in our paradigm to say, “I’ve heard you before!”

So, PAX! Have you been here before?

Never. First time.

What do you think of it?

It’s amazing!

How do you feel about being surrounded by people who will recognize you by your voice?

Nervous? (laughs) No, I’m basically sort of a shy person. It’s incredible because I’m looking around and seeing a few games I’ve worked on and it’s great to see the end users, if you will? Not to use a cold label, but just to see the human beings who enjoy the work.

 The official FemShep for Mass Effect 3

And this might be one of the few places where you may be recognized as like an “A-List” celebrity...

(laughs) Holy crap! An A-List celebrity?! Shut up!

Well, in this world, if you think about it, with videogames because you’ve voiced so many... you’ve voiced Samus, you’ve voiced Shepard...

(laughs) From Samus to Shepard, yeah...

And not to say you’re not an A-List celebrity in your own right, just to put it in generic Hollywood terms...

No, no, it’s actually neat to be somewhere where my work is valued. That’s an awesome feeling. I kind of feel like, “Oh yeah, we’re all in the same boat.” These are my people. We are each other’s crew. We all hang together.

Has there ever been a moment where, on any project, you’ve been given a line or something to say you don’t agree with?

I have a couple of characters that I do that are very iconic, and I won’t name them, but I will absolutely speak up if there’s something that’s been written ‘cause quite often with those characters they get worked on by third parties outside writing for them for a toy or something and I’ll say, “You know, this is not an approach this character would take. She would say it this way.” 

The stuff for Shepherd I don’t touch, especially with BioWare. The way the system works you don’t mess with the words, you say them exactly as written. Some games, some jobs, some animated series there’s some room to ad-lib and it’s fantastic when that happens. It’s great to take the blinders off and go, “Woo! Let’s play!”

What’s your favorite thing about Shepard?

Ha! That’s she’s a leader, she kicks ass and she can do it just as good as the boys

Above: Here's the box-art!

Of course, inscrutable character puzzles aren't the only way Capcom's building awareness for Street Fighter x Tekken; the company's also keeping up a steady stream of public events aimed at reminding you that the development heads of Street Fighter and Tekken are both skilled brilliant game designers, skilled pretzel-tossers, and freaking crazy, like a damn fox. All things you want in a designer, right?

Recently, Kris Rey interviewed DICE’s Patrick Liu at PAX. Kris started off the interview with a very bold statement when he said “Battlefield 3 looks amazing. It’s one of the best looking games ever.” Liu, in response, shed some light on what makes Battlefield 3 the visual spectacle it is. Liu said “We’ve developed Frostbite 2 now since Frostbite 1. We added a ton of stuff. We basically rewrote a lot of the rendering from scratch. We added different rendering. Real time radiosity on the PC, it produces amazing in-door lighting. [For] the scale of the maps, we implemented new streaming technology, so we make bigger maps than we have ever been able to before.” Rey said that one of the most impressive things about Battlefield 3 is the use of volumetric smoke and fog.

I can’t disagree with Kris, Battlefield 3 does look phenomenal on PC, but I wonder how the console versions will turn out. In terms of graphics, PS3 is getting Uncharted 3 the sequel to one of the most beautiful console games ever, in my opinion. On the flip slide, Gears of War 3 comes out in a couple of weeks for Xbox 360. Will battlefield 3 look better than those exclusives?

I guess we have to wait and see, but I think that gameplay comes first then graphics. Meaning that how a game controls is more important than how it looks.

You will get to experience the beauty of Battlefield 3 first hand on all platforms, some time this month.

If you’re as psyched for Battlefield 3 as we are, then you should check out our BF3 section

Duke Nukem Forever bombed critically, if not commercially. Despite the vocal protestations of the Duke Defense Force, who want to make those game reviewer bastards pay for shooting up their hero, most of the talk on the internet and elsewhere seems to focus on just exactly how terrible the game was. In the midst of all this condemnation, Duke Nukem 3D, the classic that gave rise to DNF, seems to have found itself caught in the crossfire. It's worth taking a step back and examining just what made Duke 3D so amazing. What did it do that its other, 2.5D cousins did not?

In many respects, Duke 3D was overshadowed by Quake a few months later, and the revolution in level design that D3D sparked is easy to forget. Until Duke 3D, very few first-person shooters even attempted to ground their levels in real world locations. Wolfenstein hardly looked like a European castle, Doom's levels had more in common with Costco than they did a Martian base; and who know what the hell the levels in Hexen and Heretic were supposed to represent. Before Duke 3D, the only games of note that modern players would recognize as an FPS which also used "real-world locations" with any fidelity were Terminal Terror, Congo: The Lost City of Zinji, and William Shatner's Tek War, and none of them did it particularly well.

Duke 3D made it seem as if games could do anything. If a game could have fully functional mirrors, pool tables, and light switches, the holodeck should be just around the corner, right? In retrospect it seems kind of silly and simplistic, but revolutions in gaming often make the future seem closer than it really is.

This is one area that Duke Nukem Forever gets right and where it remains true to the spirit of the original. Interactive environments are not something that FPS games have emphasized for the past decade or so, and Duke can not only play with any number of items, but players are encouraged to find them all as each one increases Duke's health. Sure there are a few missteps (like picking up s*** out of a toilet) but for the most part it works.

Duke 3D did more than just 'work.' The levels were amazing beyond their interactivity. Despite being on the 2.5D Build engine, the creators of Duke 3D were able to integrate a surprising amount of 3D gameplay into their designs, and where they couldn't get the tech to cooperate, they faked it. Rooms on top of rooms, vertically oriented levels, and enemies coming at you from all directions at once were impressive feats not of technology in '96- after all, Quake's free Qtest had blew away anything DN3D did- but of level design. It would take years before FPS designers really started to rival Duke's levels.

When the levels didn't carry Duke (let's face it, the second episode has a few stinkers) the jokes did. The humor in Duke consisted mostly of references -- to Aliens, to Terminator, to cult classics like They Live and Army of Darkness. These references weren't made in a vacuum. To truly understand why Duke 3D earned its laughs, you have to remember what life was like for geeks in 1996. The internet had yet to truly take off, the idea of geek chic seemed absurd, and most fans of sci-fi movies and schlocky horror films enjoyed them in solitude or with a very small group of friends. Duke's desire to kick ass and chew bubblegum was a dog whistle to nerds everywhere. Yeah, he was a walking Arnold Schwarzenegger parody, but he was also one of us. The references worked because they communicated this very specific message from the developers.

I caught a TV airing of They Live -- the 1988 horror film that originated the bubble gum line -- in seventh grade. I thought it was amazing, dumb in a self-aware way, and hilarious. Do you think any of my peers got it? Talking about it at school in the days after taught me that nobody cared about ironic yet dumb '80s action flicks, just like nobody cared about Aliens, Terminator, or Star Trek. There may have been others who enjoyed those things in the mid-nineties, but to a 13 year -old in Montana they might as well have been on Mars. My peers might not have cared, but it was obvious to me that the developers at 3D Realms understood. Their references were funny because they let the audience in on the joke and communicated that they were just like us.

The references in Duke Nukem Forever accomplish the exact opposite. In the intervening 14 years, the reference as humor device has been beaten to death. As the phenomenon of the reference morphed into the "meme," it lost its meaning. A reference made for the sake of making a reference isn't funny, it's embarrassing. I'll prove it:

It's a trap!

With its combination of humor, level design, and interactivity, Duke 3D earned its place as a classic and the mediocrity of its follow-up shouldn't overshadow its accomplishments. In the intervening fourteen years, the development saga of DNF earned a larger spot in fans' minds than the original game itself, and it's likely that its high-profile critical and commercial failure will ensure that when people think of Duke, they think of DNF. Which is a damn shame.

It's impossible to talk about Duke 3D without talking about its depiction of women. The idea that aliens were 'stealing our chicks' sounded just as dumb fifteen years ago, and anti-violence advocates would seize on Duke's ability to kill the in-game captives and strippers just as they'd seize on anti-sex worker violence in GTAIII five years later.

Despite such violence, the game was not nearly as shocking as Duke Nukem Forever's Hive scene. There was no rape or implication that the women secretly enjoyed it. That being said, there are probably a number of other factors at work that explain why the industry didn't bat an eye at a game that allowed players to kill innocent women for no reason at all.

The average players and reviewers of Duke 3D were young men and a certain amount of male privilege played into their perception of the game. To most players, the game was just dumb fun- because from their perspective it was, and they were blind to any deeper meaning or subtext. At the same time, the game's low fidelity made the violence less shocking than it would have otherwise been. The world of Duke 3D was made of low-res sprites that amounted to crude cartoons. The strippers in the game weren't exactly titillating even to a 13 year old in 1996, and their inclusion seemed more like a crude joke than an honest attempt to excite anyone. Finally, there was the fact that players were encouraged to do all they could to save the women. One stray bullet meant more enemies to fight as the new aliens would spawn to avenge the death of their victims.

Despite these mitigating factors, it's hard to imagine a carbon copy of Duke 3D's treatment of women being welcome today. Most hardcore game designers have not exactly gone out of their way to make their titles a more welcoming place for women -- just look the "armor" that most women wear in RPGs. However, that doesn't mean the medium hasn't made great strides and a game featuring the appearance of naked women bound to stakes who's only purpose is to be ogled, or accidentally killed would hopefully not be greeted with the same warm welcome Duke received in 1996. The appeal of the strippers and women in Duke 3D was that they enhanced the level of interactivity like the other objects in the world. Players of the game quite literally objectified the NPC women. To most players, they were nothing more than objects, and while that's hardly a good thing, that kind of objectification goes on outside of video games in all other media every day. With the objectification being so common, it's hardly shocking.

Compared to DNF, where Duke says "you're fucked" to women who've just been raped and are begging him for forgiveness before he shoots them in the head or watches them die screaming, Duke 3D's strippers and street walkers seems downright quaint.

As is customary for each Call of Duty release, a more expensive version will be available at launch for Modern Warfare 3. At the very least a Hardened Edition is planned, and its contents may have been leaked today.

The photo above, purportedly showing an advertisement for a European version of MW3's Hardened Edition, was sent to Wired, revealing that buyers will get a free year-long subscription to Call of Duty Elite. Additionally, it includes a special version of the disc with art that's different from the regular version; a special founder status on Elite that grants an exclusive in-game emblem, playercard, and XP boost for clans, plus extra weapon camo and more; a SteelBook case; and a limited edition "field journal" that sounds like it recaps the Modern Warfare series. There is also one of two bonuses depending upon which platform you buy the game for: an animated timeline theme for PlayStation 3 or a special ops juggernaut costume for your Xbox Live Avatar.

The only thing that's been made official about the Hardened Edition, aside from the name, is what the box itself looks like. The picture below was tweeted by Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling last month.

The $80 Hardened Edition of Modern Warfare 2 didn't have quite as much to it; its main features were a steel case, an art book, and a code to download the original Call of Duty. There was, however, the more expensive Prestige Edition also available that included all of that plus a pair of working night vision goggles.

The free subscription to Call of Duty Elite might be the most interesting perk of the bunch. We still don't know how much the premium aspect of Elite will cost or everything it will provide. There's a great deal of free stuff that everyone has access to, with those who opt to pay a fee also getting all "playable game DLC" for free and access to premium web content, including what's being worked on by DumbDumb, Will Arnett and Jason Bateman's production company.

The price of Modern Warfare 3's Hardened Edition has yet to be announced. Its contents will be officially revealed at this weekend's Call of Duty XP event in Los Angeles.

Battlefield 3 falls on the more realistic end of the spectrum when it comes to depicting what it's like to be a in war. Of course, it's not going to be anywhere near an exact simulation of what that experience is like, and one thing that is physically possible in real life but won't be an option in BF3 is the ability to shoot innocent civilians.

Speaking with Rock, Paper, Shotgun, executive producer Patrick Bach said he thinks games are "on the verge" of being able to be political or make a point about the moral aspects of war, comparing it to "where movies were in the 30s or 40s."

At the same time, he's concerned about giving players the freedom to do absolutely anything, as he thinks "if you put the player in front of a choice where they can do good things or bad things, they will do bad things, go dark side -- because people think it's cool to be naughty, they won't be caught...

"In a game where it's more authentic, when you have a gun in your hand and a child in front of you what would happen? Well the player would probably shoot that child."

Assuming that to be true, it won't be the players that take the blame in the media. He says it'll be DICE, and that's why it has "to build our experiences so we don't put the player in experiences where they can do bad things."

In light of what happened with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, it's easy to see why this concern would arise. RPS notes that Bach never specifically referenced it, but it's hard to talk about this subject and not think about MW2's infamous "No Russian" level (pictured above) where players assumed the role of an undercover agent who goes through an airport with terrorists gunning down countless unarmed civilians. The scene can be skipped altogether; alternatively, players can go through it with or without shooting at civilians, as it plays out the same way regardless.

This led to attempts to ban the game in Australia, while others attempted to draw a connection between the level and a tragic terrorist attack in a Russian airport earlier this year. (The latter despite the attack involving a suicide bombing, not terrorists shooting at people.)

"Me personally, I'm trying to stay away from civilians in games like BF because I think people will do bad," Bach continued. "I don't want to see videos on the internet where people shoot civilians. That's something I will sanitize by removing that feature from the game."

"That doesn't mean that I don't want people to feel that war is not good," he added. "...We are trying to do something that is more mature. Mature not being gore -- some people confuse the two. That's childish actually, to want more blood."

It was one thing to be upset about Ninja Gaiden 3 ditching the ability to behead and or dismember opponents because those are bad guys you're attacking in a much different context. It's a different argument when it involves shooting innocent people in a game, though some would say it's not a big deal because it's just a videogame. Which side of the argument do you fall on? Are you disappointed with this restriction in Battlefield 3, or will you never give it a second thought? Let us know in the comments below.

Valve is usually thought of as a PC-centric company, though in recent years it's made more of an effort to bring its games to consoles. Even so, PC still managed to be the best-selling platform for Portal 2 when compared with both consoles, Gabe Newell has revealed.

Speaking about trying to anticipate which platform will do best, Newell told Gamasutra, "We can never predict; I mean we just try to build good games and then we tend to be surprised. Portal 2 did better on the PC than it did on the consoles; Left 4 Dead did better on the consoles than it did on the PC.

"So you know we don't try to guess, because we're not sure what value there is to guessing. We've never had a situation where we said, 'We really, really want to build something that is more popular for the console guys.' Because usually we have a bunch of other higher priority problems we want to solve. So we're glad that people want to play our games wherever they want to play."

That the PC game outsold the console versions might not be especially surprising, but keep in mind that the PlayStation 3 version featured support for Steamworks and included a free copy of the game on Steam. I know I wasn't the only one to opt for the PS3 game who then played through on PC, but apparently more people were interested in directly picking up a PC copy. Given how many sales there were both at stores and on Steam for the PC version, maybe that's not such a shock.

Regarding the surprising amount of Valve support for the PS3 version, Newell said he's happy "with what the customers are telling us, and our Portal 2 customers on the PlayStation 3 are really happy. So I feel good about that." He added that he thinks PS3 Portal 2 customers are "going to be more happy in the future as we take advantage of the capabilities that we have on the PlayStation 3 that we don't have on the 360."

The first downloadable content for Portal 2 was planned to come out on all three platforms for free this summer. Earlier this month, Valve said it'll be out in mid-September, which it points out is still summer.

Cue the game's gameplay trailer debut, seen above. It shows a brief recap of what the original Counter-Strike and Counter-Strike: Source look like before moving on to show about 30 seconds of gameplay footage.

Ahead of the game's showing at PAX Prime this weekend, more details on the game were given to Kotaku, including a list of new weapons (Decoy Grenade, Molotov, IMI Negev, Taser, Tec-9, Mag-7, Sawed-Off, and PP-Bizon) and the old maps making a return (dust, dust2, aztec, nuke, inferno, italy, office). The cross-platform play referenced in the video will be between PC, Mac, and PS3 players, who are free to use the PS3 controller, PlayStation Move, or a mouse and keyboard to play.

Also worth noting is the new Casual mode intended for newcomers or those looking for a, well, more casual experience. In it, weapons and items don't cost money, you're free to voice chat with every player on the server (irrespective of their team), and spectate other players from either team after dying.

A PC beta is set to go live in October. Those at PAX (and the Eurogamer Expo next month) will be able to get a beta code to guarantee that they'll be playing before the game is officially released.

Bach was responding to a question about whether or not the 360 version will be playable at the upcoming Eurogamer Expo.

While Bach wasn’t sure which version would be shown, he stressed that there’s nothing to fret about in terms of the TV SKUs.

“We are showing more and more console, and the reason for that is that we want to show people that there is a console version,” he said.

“We have shown it on several occasions and people seem to be happy with it. Of course, the super-high-end PC version is better when considering the detail of the visuals, which is kind of what we were striving for: adding that height to the high-end PC.

“We want to show off the console version, and people shouldn’t be too worried about it. We are shipping it on console.”

We were given hands-on time with the PS3 version in Sweden today, playing the co-op mission shown at gamescom earlier this month.

Bach added that the game’s beta will happen “soon,” and will definitely take place “before the game ships,” with a fellow DICE staffer pointing out it has previously been announced for September.

Eurogamer Expo takes place in London on September 22-25, and Battlefield 3 is expected to be the most prominent game of the entire event.

Battlefield 3 is due on PC

Yesterday we posted a huge list of all the weapons in Battlefield 3, and today it’s vehicle time. DICE has released a list of confirmed vehicles in Battlefield 3. In total, Battlefield 3 will ship with 22 unique vehicles and 30 vehicle specializations, spread out across the different tanks, helicopters and jets.

Activision will be on hand in Cologne to show off Modern Warfare 3's Spec Ops Survival mode, the wave-based co-op 'Horde' mode new to this year's game.

Social gaming platform Call of Duty: Elite will also be on show.

To have a go, just head over to Booths B20 and B30 in Hall 6 of the Koelnmesse.

"Gamescom continues to be one of the foremost destinations in the world for the interactive games industry and represents a remarkable opportunity for Activision to showcase its upcoming portfolio of titles," said Thibaud de Saint-Quentin, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of European publishing for Activision.

"We're thrilled to be able to reach such a devoted audience of consumers and look forward to making a big impact during this year's show. Excitingly, as a platform for entry into the unprecedented Call of Duty $1 Million Tournament, I urge all local fans to enter the qualifying event on the show floor for a chance to represent this continent on 3rd September in LA."

We've already played Spec Ops Survival, and you can check out what we thought in this month's issue of P3Zine.

As has been previously announced, Modern Warfare 3 is due to get its first multiplayer reveal at this year's Call of Duty XP event, held in Los Angeles on September 2nd and 3rd. The game will also be playable in the UK at GAMEfest in September.

Somewhere there’s a group of lunatics that want nothing more than to see Valve work on Half-Life 3.  In fact, a few of them came out in droves over the past week, protesting at the company’s headquarters to voice their complaints.  While we wait a little while longer for that eventual classic to simmer and reveal itself (2012 is a fair guess), we have another classic franchise to keep us busy.  The Half-Life spin-off Counter-Strike is back, priming for a premiere on the downloadable front next year.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (also dubbed CS: GO for those of you who don’t feel like spouting out its full name) is a reconstruction of the classic game series, featuring a wealth of incredible, first-person, tactical action.  This is by no means a remake, but rather a fresh celebration of the series that will no doubt attract old fans of the series, as well as plenty of newbies.  It’s currently slated for a launch on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and Steam (for both Mac and PC).

The goal of the game is simple—work alongside your fellow players and survive the wrath of the other team.  Out in the field, they’ll have just as many tactical advantages as you, including plenty of long-lasting firepower and tons of weapons.  Valve is working closely with a fellow Seattle-based developer, Hidden Path Entertainment, to assure that the quality of the game remains just as intact as previous versions for PC and Xbox.
remains just as intact as previous versions for PC and Xbox.

The game will deliver a fresh mix of old and new content.  Various maps will be included and upgraded from the original game, such as Dust, Dust 2, Inferno, and Nuke.  In addition, new maps will also be included, adding spanking new content that everyone can get into.  The four main weapons in the game will return, along with a bevy of new ones, with plenty of pistols, shotguns, sub-machine guns, and heavy machine gun rifles to go around.  Bouncing Molotov cocktails and decoy grenades, which give off interesting shotgun sounds to startle enemies, will also be included, so you can really make a bang over the course of each battle (and boy, do we mean bang).  Some of this content MIGHT be cut out of the final release, as Valve is still making a few decisions here and there on player structure.  They’re also wondering if full Kevlar gear should be included, along with a defuse kit for an individual player in each round.  We’re pretty sure they’ll make some fair choices, though.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Counter-Strike game if there weren’t some kind of detailed multiplayer initiative.  While we don’t know exactly how many players will be supported in each match, what kind of upgrade system will be included, or if online leaderboards will somehow play a part, but rest assured, with Valve on the case, it’ll be evenly measured, exciting.  It will no doubt be legendary to those who have spent countless hours on previous Counter-Strike games (or for that matter, Team Fortress 2 in The Orange Box package).

CS: GO will be playable next week at the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, Washington, and we’ll be sure to take it for a test drive as soon as we can.  Be sure to check back for full impressions and other details very soon.  2012’s looking like a great year to do some killing—or be killed, depending on whom you run into on the battlefield.  CS is a GO.

You can now pick up a 3DS for $169.99, $80 off the old regular price. To go with it, GameStop is offering $10 off a number of 3DS games including Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars, which is one of the best games on the system to date. And many Kalypso games are 66% off on Steam and Dead Space 2 on PC is less than $12.

Indie title Frozen Synapse is on sale in more than one place, namely Steam ($12.49) and GamersGate ($9.98). A demo was finally released this week if you're uncertain that it's something you want to invest in, but by many accounts, it's an excellent game.

Section 8: Prejudice is half price ($7.49) on Impulse, and Steam is holding a big sale on Kalypso games. That means you can get 66% off many of its games like Tropico 3 ($6.79 for the Gold Edition) and Patrician IV ($10.19), although you may want to hold off on the former with Tropico 4 not too far off.

Other deals of note include Dead Space 2 on PC for $11.95 at Direct2Drive and Evil Genius, a personal favorite of mine, for $3.98 from GamersGate.

Read on for a look at this week's deals and let us know what we missed in the comments below.

Amazo

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor -- $20.99 (from $29.99)

Mortal Kombat -- $39.99 (from $59.99)

Sonic Colors -- $17.89 (from $29.99)

Direct2Drive

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood -- $15.95 (from $39.95)

Dead Space 2 -- $11.95 (from $29.95)

Need for Speed: Shift 2 -- $14.95 (from $29.95)

Alice: Madness Returns -- $24.95 (from $49.95)

Red Faction: Armageddon -- $32.95 (from $49.95)

GamersGate
Frozen Synapse -- $9.98 (from $19.95)

Frozen Synapse (w/ soundtrack) -- $11.98 (from $23.95)

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light -- $7.48 (from $14.95)

Tomb Raider Legend -- $3.74 (from $14.95)

Mafia II -- $7.49 (from $29.95)

Trine -- $1.99 (from $19.99)

Dragon Age II -- $22.95 (from $59.95)

Empire Earth Gold Edition -- $2.39 (from $5.99)

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Platinum -- $7.98 (from $19.95)

Ground Control 2 Special Edition -- $2.39 (from $5.99)

Evil Genius -- $3.98 (from $9.95)

STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl -- $6.78 (from $19.95)

GameStop

Save $10 on select 3DS games (Ghost Recon: Shadow War, Rayman 3D, and more)

3DS Explorer Kit -- $19.99 (from $29.99)

WWE All-Stars (360/PS3) -- $49.99 (from $59.99)

WWE All-Stars (Wii) -- $39.99 (from $49.99)

Good Old Games

Zork games -- 40% off

Impulse

Gothic Bundle -- $19.99 (from $79.99)

Section 8 Prejudice -- $7.49 (from $14.99)

Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale -- $9.99 (from $14.99)

Baldur's Gate Complete -- $4.99 (from $9.99)

Icewind Dale Complete -- $4.99 (from $9.99)

Neverwinter Nights Diamond -- $4.99 (from $9.99)

Atari 80 Classic Games in One -- $4.99 (from $14.99)

THQ Ultimate Bundle -- $99.99 (from $294.83)

Steam

Frozen Synapse -- $12.49 (from $24.99)

Kalypso games -- 66% off select titles

Aion: Assault on Balaurea -- $7.50 (from $29.99)

Dungeons -- $13.59 (from $39.99)

Tropico 3: Gold Edition -- $6.79 (from $19.99)

The First Templar -- $13.59 (from $39.99)

Patrician IV -- $10.19 (from $29.99)

MUD TV -- $6.79 (from $19.99)

Who's That Flying -- $2.03 (from $5.99)

Earlier today, word got out that two fans were picketing Valve's headquarters in Washington. But what is it that they want? Half-life, of course.

For those who thought it was a joke, Bungie's Jason Sussman tweeted the image above (via IGN) this afternoon. It shows Valve boss Gabe Newell standing with the two fans and each of their signs: "Canada 4 the Release of Half-Life 3" and "Half-Life 3... is it Left 4 Dead?"

Chances are this won't have any impact on Valve's release schedule (which is to say, it won't). It's been almost four years since the most recent game in the series, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, was released as a part of The Orange Box in October 2007. It hardly gave fans any closure, and it clearly wasn't intended to finish Gordon Freeman's story arc.

The episodic releases were intended to speed up the delivery of Half-Life games after the franchise saw a six-year gap in between the release of the first two games.  came out less than two years after HL2, and Episode Two followed less than a year-and-a-half after that. Valve has remained tight-lipped about Episode Three (or a full-on Half-Life 3) ever since, releasing Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, Portal 2, loads of new Team Fortress 2 content, and Alien Swarm since The Orange Box's release. It's currently at work on Defense of the Ancients 2, coming later this year.

When most recently asked about the subject of Episode Three/Half-Life 3, Gabe Newell answered, "If you know enough to ask the question, you know enough what the answer is."

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was originally released for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 in North America on March 2, 2010. The first-person shooter was developed by EA Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment (also known as EA DICE or DICE), who previous worked the previous games in thee series including Battlefield: Bad Company, Battlefield 1943in addition to the upcoming Battlefield 3.

July wasn't a strong month for the games industry in terms of new, physical sales at retail in the United States. In fact, it was the worst month since October 2006 using that criteria, although it's not all bad news if you look at the entire year, according to the NPD Group. Duke Nukem Disappears in the worst month for new game sales since October 2006.
"Despite the very rough month, new physical retail sales are down just 4% year-to-date and based on seasonality trends observed over the last 10 years, which have been remarkably stable year-in, year-out, industry sales in this particular channel are poised to land in the flat to -2% range once the total year is completed," reports NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

The Xbox 360 was again the best selling console with 277,000 units sold. It, along with all other platforms, saw a decline compared with last July. Impressively, this was the first time the 360 had seen a year-over-year decline since December 2009. The drop is said to be due to the fact that last July was 360's biggest month of 2010 (outside of November and December) because of strong sales of the slim Xbox 360 console, which launched in June.

Every platform, 360 included, sold worse than it did on a per-week basis in June, accounting for a total of $223 million generated by new hardware. That's down 29% compared to last July's $313.8 million.

DS and 3DS sales combined "were about flat to last year," according to Frazier. That can't be blamed on the upcoming price cut, as it was only announced on July 28, meaning it would have only impacted about two to three days covered in this report.

In a statement, Microsoft boasted about having the best selling console in 13 of the past 14 months, as well as a a 45% share of all current-gen console sales in July. By my math, that means Wii and PlayStation 3 combined to sell about 338,555 systems in July, which likely explains why neither Sony nor Nintendo decided to announce hardware sales figures for the month.

A statement from Sony's Patrick Seybold highlighted the PS3's 18% increase in peripheral sales over last July, attributing this to interest in PlayStation Move and its Sharp Shooter accessory.

Nintendo's announcement mentions that Just Dance 2, which sold 120,000 units, is now the eighth Wii game to sell over 5 million units in the U.S. That's twice as many as the PS3 and Xbox 360 combined can claim. The other seven Wii games to surpass 5 million units sold are Wii Play, Mario Kart Wii, New Super Mario Bros., Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit, Wii Fit Plus, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

The software side dipped 17% from last July to $336.2 million, though keep in mind there were 12 fewer games released this July versus last year. NCAA Football 12 sold 15% better than NCAA 11 in July 2010, making it the best selling game in the country when combining sales across all platforms. It was followed by Cars 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and Lego Pirates of the Caribbean. The top three games from June -- L.A. Noire, Duke Nukem Forever, and Infamous 2 -- all dropped outside of the top ten for the month.

Next month may suffer from the late release of Madden NFL 12. As August 30 falls inside the NPD's reporting period for September, you can expect a big drop off for August numbers as compared with last year. In 2010, Madden 11 "comprised 28% of new physical retail software sales," a pretty massive chunk to suddenly have moved to a different month.

Update: Shadows of the Damned, after a rough June, only sold 14,000 units in July, according to Joystiq. Catherine, another quirky title, fared much better with 78,000 units sold, just below Mortal Kombat's 85,000.

When you hear the word "puppet," it might not sound particularly exciting. But a lot of work went into Wheatley, as documented on the blog of deviantART user ~TRP~Chan. Work began on the Wheatley look-alike in July, with the final product coming together just recently. Besides looking exactly like the real (virtual) thing, it has a sound module loaded with quotes of Merchant's voice from the game.

Following Portal 2's release, Merchant talked about how surprised he was by the overwhelmingly positive response. Playing the villain wasn't something he was used to (the agent in Extras isn't such a bad guy, he's just an idiot with a fun ringtone), and the entire process of recording was "really exhausting."

Now Wheatley can live on in a way other than just the game. I don't think I'm alone in saying: I want one.

Activision is holding the first ever Call of Duty fan experience over the Labor Day weekend in sunny Los Angeles, California and we want to help you attend! Call of Duty XP is an event catering to hardcore and casual COD fans alike, attendees will have a wealth of exciting activities to participate in over the course of this 2-day event:

Much like the beta for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the Revelations beta will be open only to PlayStation 3 owners. The games were made and came out by YUBI Game Company,and they are AVG games also belonged to PC games ,you can have a try!

The easiest way to get into the multiplayer beta is to be either a PlayStation Plus or Uplay member. (Uplay is Ubisoft's free online service.) The beta will be open to either service's members from September 3 through September 11. It's referred to as a "timed exclusive," which makes it sound as if non-members will be able to get in on the action after this period. Ubisoft wasn't forthcoming when asked to clarify what the date and timed exclusive talk means, only saying that more information on how long the beta will last is "coming up."

Details on what the beta entails are laid out on the Ubisoft forums. The beta client will be available for download prior to the actual launch, which should help testers to avoid slow download speeds on launch day. There will be four modes in the beta (Wanted, Manhunt, Deathmatch, and Artifact Assault), all of them available from the start, to play on three maps (Knight's Hospital, Antioch, and Constantinople). Nine characters and eight abilities are available for use, including the new tripwire bomb.

The level cap is set to 30 and unlockables have been scaled to fit within this limit. In other words, what you unlock and when during the beta isn't indicative of when you'll get those things in the final game, set to come out on November 15.

Well I have some good news for you. Today I popped into my local store to discover that they have confirmed exactly what the ‘Classified Intel Pack’ version of the title includes. While they currently have no confirmed pricing, they expect it to be the same, or £5.00 more than the standard game, and if Black Ops is anything to go by, this November isn’t going to be cheap!

The currently available to Pre-Order Intel Pack edition of MW3 is set to contain –

•     -Mini-Modern Warfare 3 Strategy Guide (BradyGames produced)
•     -British Special Forces Avatar Outfit
•     -Excusive Item that will be revealed soon!

Hopefully the guide will come in handy when trying to track down all the collectables that the game will no doubt include, while my avatar is dressed up in his suitable attire. The other top secret item though it a mystery though, hopefully some kind of in game unlock maybe?

Getting a firm grasp of Elder Scrolls 5:Skyrim's scope in under an hour is an absolutely impossible feat -- I don't care what any other preview says, period. Bethesda has crafted such a large and all-encompassing realization of the Elder Scrolls universe in this newest installment, that dipping your toe into the pool only results in your entire leg being dragged into the water by the game's vicious undercurrent.

The character creation alone could easily clutch players within the intricacies of every single detail of their avatar. Ranging from a selection of races, each have received a considerable facelift not just in terms of fidelity, but in tone. The high arched brows of Elves now imply a sinister touch to their character; the slick scaled skin of the Argonians lavish a specular sheen unique to their race alone. The Khajiit emanate plumes of fur from every patch of their body, and Humans have distinct and recognizable features that separate them as races. This serves as an example of how every shortcoming that you could have thought of from Oblivion seems to have been fully addressed in its long awaited sequel. 

Rather than discuss or spoil quests and the like, I'm going to touch on the fundamental of how the game actually plays. The combat in particular is probably what most people are interested in experiencing, and the added weight and sense of gravity -- thanks in a very large part to Skyrim's completely rehauled animation system -- constantly remind the player that they are firmly grounded in every engagement they take. A swing of your sword is an act of will and its weight -- whether it be a claymore or a simple dagger -- can be felt via the rattled perspective of your character in first person view, or the counterbalance of his stance in third. Each effort to try and connect a blow results in the drainage of the player's constantly recharging emerald-shaded Stamina meter. While tapping the trigger to slice at your foe marginally affects your gauge; charging your swing by holding down attack hits the meter in a big way which then results in a bigger payoff if your enemy has the misfortune of being caught in the arc of your assault. A strike is a decisive and fulfilling victory every time you connect a blow in Skyrim.

Extending into archery, the hollow clinks and sliding shaft of an arrow lining up on your bow as you take aim get heightened again by Skyrim's constant and conscious effort to make every action you perform have weight behind it. Releasing the arrow from the tightly pulled twine of your bow snaps the wooden bolt away from your view at such a realistic and accurate trajectory that you'll be tempted to shoot the bark off trees just to go retrieve your arrow and do it again.

Rounding out your ability set is Magicka, which gets given an entire quadrant on the game's cardinal-based options screen. Setting flames to the environment scorches both terrain and objects indiscriminately as you go about your own "scorched earth policy." Your Magicka meter goes through the same time/strength/risk/reward mechanic as its green counterpart (Stamina); if each fist is armed with a spell, then expect the results to be doubled, but your use of Magicka to be halved. Much like combat, the reward for playing big in Skyrim has its drawbacks that permeate across its systems of design.

  But perhaps the biggest improvement is simply the way the game communicates all of its vast levels of information to the player. Taking its cue from the cardinal bearings of a compass; the directions of north, south, east, and west take on layered meanings in Skyrim's world. Skills, maps, weapons, and magic fill each direction respectively, and carry the player logically to the next subset of menus they can further deliberate on. From here, the process of accessibility is simplified again with the implementation of a "favorites" system. Tagging a favorite piece of gear, weapon, item, or spell ushers each selection into a dial of options easily accessible anytime during gameplay by using the D-Pad. Much like the rest of Skyrim's design, once you wrap your head around how the mechanic works, the appreciation for all the trimming of the fat seen in Bethesda's prior games quickly becomes evident.

   The funny thing though, is that Bethesda knows they have lightning in a bottle with Skyrim. They know that even in the alpha build the press were allowed to play -- in its buggy and often crash-riddled condition -- that anyone with a controller in their hand would merely grimace at the event of a crash and immediately restart the game with anticipation for their return to the evergreen thickets of Skyrim's mountains. The only thing Bethesda didn't know, was that Skyrim would blow a fuse in the suite they had rented out, causing everyone in the room to exhale a large sigh as they realized that this time, there wouldn't be a return to the snow encrusted bluffs of Tamriel's northern territory. This time, the umbilical cord to Bethesda's fantasy RPG really was cut.

Since being released in May 2010, Red Dead Redemption has impressively sold in more than 11 million units. That accounts for the number of games sold to retail, as opposed to the number sold through to customers. It was announced as a part of Take-Two's financial results for its first quarter of fiscal 2012, which ran from April 1, 2011 through June 30. But now,the reality is that :Duke Nukem to be Profitable as Red Dead Ships 11 Million.The Duke Nukemis an FPS & PC game,and it was designed by Realms Company and came out by Apogee Software Company,it's wonderful!

Net revenue was down to $334.4 from $375.4 during the same period a year ago. That's no surprise, as fiscal 2011 enjoyed the strength of Red Dead's launch, whereas L.A. Noire -- while doing very well with 4 million units sold-in -- couldn't match its success. This all contributed to a GAAP loss of $8.6 million, as compared with income of $27.4 million last year.

Before you go blaming Duke Nukem Forever for the decline, Take-Two said it expects the game to make money despite the... poor critical reception. Strauss Zelnick said today, "Although it received disappointing reviews from critics, the release is projected to be profitable for Take-Two."

Things were somewhat helped by Red Dead's Undead Nightmare expansion. It was made available on disc along with two other expansions (Legends and Killers, Liars and Cheats) last November and has shipped 2 million units. That figure doesn't account for digital sales, an area that saw net revenue of $24.6 million. That's a 49% year-over-year increase and is attributed to Red Dead, Borderlands (with its four expansions), L.A. Noire, and others.

There were several mentions of games that have yet to be announced during today's conference call, which is nothing unusual. But given that Rockstar is believed to be working on Grand Theft Auto V, those unannounced projects become much more intriguing. A recent rumor indicated development was "well underway" and that a 2012 release for the next GTA is "pretty likely." We've seen a fair amount of evidence pointing towards a new GTA, and Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter has weighed in previously on how soon he expects it to come. Matters changed when key Rockstar employees extended their deals with Take-Two, delaying any rush to get the game out before their contracts expired.

Take-Two today said it expects non-GAAP income to exceed $2 per share in fiscal 2013 (which runs from April 1, 2012 through March 31, 2013). During a conference call, company executives were asked if it's possible to reach such a figure without a GTA game's release. That particular point wasn't addressed, and the games that are set to come out during that timeframe like BioShock Infinite and Borderlands 2 were instead highlighted. Still, that number does reveal that Take-Two is expecting a big year, and one way to ensure it happens is to release a new GTA game.

The most popular digital games distributor has yet to begin selling one of the most highly anticipated games of the year. Since Crysis 2 was first pulled from Steam, we've noted that Battlefield 3 had been conspicuously absent from the service and, in fact, was never at any point available for pre-order. Since then, Dragon Age II has also been kicked off, and in both cases the move was due to arrangements with how downloadable content is sold. EA has finally offered up an official explanation for why Battlefield 3 is missing from Steam, and it's the same sort of thing we've heard before.

"Gamers can pre-order Battlefield 3 at Origin.com as well as over 100 digital retailers worldwide," reads a statement on the EA forums. "EA offers games to all major download services. Unfortunately, Steam has adopted a set of restrictive terms of service which limit how developers interact with customers to deliver patches and other downloadable content. No other download service has adopted these practices."

This echoes what EA's David DeMartini recently said about Dragon Age II's removal, which came right after the game's first big DLC pack, Legacy, started being sold in-game (as opposed to through Steam and other digital retailers). He had previously suggested the moves were due to Steam's business terms in a statement explaining EA's policies on digital retailers.

"We are intent on providing Battlefield 3 players with the best possible experience no matter where they purchase or play their game, and are happy to partner with any download service that does not restrict our ability to connect directly with our consumers," the statement continues. "We hope to work out an agreement where Steam can carry Battlefield 3."

So EA hasn't ruled out -- at least publicly -- the possibility of selling Battlefield 3 on Steam. For now, though, it's probably happy to push Origin as the best place to pre-order, what with the early beta access and other bonuses it's offering.

Another EA game, Alice: Madness Returns, was slightly delayed in making it on to Steam back in June. It did end up on there after a few-day wait, although the delay was never explained. The two games that have been pulled altogether were already out when they were removed, whereas Battlefield 3 isn't out until October 25. It's unclear exactly what Battlefield is doing that violates the terms of service, but perhaps it's the aforementioned pre-order bonuses that are to blame.

Valve has been quiet throughout all of this, opting not to speak on the situation. Regardless, we've requested a comment and will update on the off chance that it decides to offer up a statement.

Although the player impact engine was over two years' worth of work, so we knew to get to the next level of physical interaction, we had a big job to do.
1UP: While it wasn't completely static, the momentum of the game would often come to a halt with the cut-scenes...

DR: So that was one of the things we wanted to do with the player impact engine: try to keep it as smooth and fluid as we can. One of the things we have this year are quick throw-ins -- if the ball goes out of play and the team and the players are all set up correctly, you'll be able to drop straight into a throw-in. And also with the injury system that we've put in this year, if the players play the ball out of play because of injury, you'll get a drop ball after as well. We're trying to add authenticity with that.

1UP: Are you doing anything with handball calls? They were very sporadic and inconsistent in FIFA 11.

DR: For last year's game we put handball in; it's an option you can switch on or off -- it's defaulted to off on purpose. It's really difficult to do handballs because obviously in real life if you're moving your hand out of the way on purpose, then they generally won't call it. We know exactly when it hits your hand; that's not a problem. What is a problem is whether it's deliberate or not, and whether you're making an effort to get your hands out of the way, and that's more of a challenge. So we've not done a great deal of work on handballs this year, but we've done a few tweaks and tunes; but it's not really a massive priority for us at this time.

One of the reasons I always enjoyed the Dungeon Siege series is because long, drawn-out plot explanations aren't necessary when beating the crap out of people and collecting loot. That, or I have distorted and fond memories of Dungeon Siege 2: walking up to my character's destroyed farm, and immediately being told to pick up a weapon and kill anything that attacks me. Beat up a bunch of people? Sure, I can do that. Combat has always been the best part of these games for me. This time around, an overarching storyline gets half-heartily forced down your throat.

Dungeon Siege 3 borrows the conversation-driven storytelling approach from Mass Effect, without having as much of an influence on what occurs. Sure, there are moments where you can choose what sort of response is merited, or what action to take on, say, a prisoner of war, but these options are limited. To be frank, the fruition of your choices aren't made apparent until the very end of the game -- and with lifeless storyboard cut-scenes no less. Because of this strange disconnect (from realizing the impact of your decisions until the end), the story seems easily dismissable.

Initially, I did my best to pay close attention to the storyline. Yet the first hour or two makes this task a bit grueling; my main gripe is with how much time it takes to fill you in on what's going on. The cut-scenes are long and dull; they throw so many awkward names at you; and it's particularly challenging when you're with a co-op partner and are waiting for the dry presentation to end. Of course, this issue gets mitigated with the cut-scene skip option. Other factors that help a bit include plenty of scattered book segments to pick up and read that provide additional morsels on what's going on around you (somethingI enjoyed in Dungeon Siege 2); and how lore gets s collected and can be read at any time in the menu screen when I had confusion.

Luckily, the pace eventually picks up with the offering of side-quests and interesting boss battles that actually hook me. For the sake of getting myself into more combat situations (not for story elements), I play every single side-quest I came across -- which then gets me addicted to leveling up Katarina (one of four playable characters, and the typical ranged character while the other fulfill similar magic and melee roles) and discovering how useful each of her abilities is. It's not until my encounter with a Lescanzi witch that I start to warm up to taking dialogue choices seriously. Another interesting layer is how Dungeon Siege 3 gives players a chance to perform "deeds." Based on the decisions made in discussions with other characters, the game then awards you with additional stamina, agility, and so forth. In the case of the witch, I give her ownership of a manor -- which results in a boost to my will stat.

Strangely though, my most boring experience of the campaign happens during online co-op. I start a new campaign with a friend, and Dungeon Siege 3 surprisingly doesn't accommodate appropriately for that. The tutorial screens never appear unless you are playing alone. I initially had no idea how large of an oversight this is until I have my co-op partner drop out of my game. It's a shame too, because I believe the first few hours I loathed would have been spared of irritation if this wasn't the case. For instance, when my friend and I first level up, we feel lost on how to upgrade our character's abilities. Which result in us making a lot of careless decisions -- unlocking skills with little thought. Also, I realize later rather than sooner how to utilize all of Katarina's combative talents, once I make it through all of the tutorial screens alone.

The most meaningful piece of advice I can give you (from personal experience) is to choose your co-op partner wisely. An hour's worth of discovered loot and acquired gold was put to waste in less than a minute when my cheeky coworker Jose visited a shop -- I learned the hard way that your teammate can sell the items you don't have equipped at any time. Oh, and money is shared with the whole party as well; I only noticed this when I tried to equip a new midriff-revealing corset for Katarina -- I witnessed every item disappear suddenly.

If Jose wasn't playing with me online, I could have punched him. On the upside, it's easy to have friends drop in and out at any time -- so I quickly told him to get the hell out. From there on out, I continued on alone. Initially, I worried that I would have a hard time getting through each quest without help, but the game compensates via a lot of save points. On top of that convenience, my A.I. party member needed revival only a handful of times during my entire playthrough.

Obsidian's attempt at adding story elements fails to impress this time -- which stands out even more due to how plenty of other RPGs (especially Obsidian's) pull off a much better narrative. At most, the combat remains as fun as ever, and I enjoy playing the campaign as Katarina -- seeing how quickly she drained health bars with her guns becomes a satisfying experience. It's just unfortunate, though, that other factors such as the not-very-engaging story or the awkward co-op mechanics mar the "kill whatever that moves" experience of previous games.

Following Grimbley's presentation, I play an early build of NFS: The Run and drive though a dangerous stretch of interstate near Death Valley titled, "Run for the Hills". Grimbley couldn't give me any specifics regarding the story at this point, but he hints that due to certain circumstances Jack has lost time in his race across the country. More importantly, playing through the demo, I get a closer look at how races actually feel in the new NFS. Each one is point-to-point, and in this demo I run through a typical Sprint race -- where I have to pass a specific benchmark of cars in order to succeed. The target gets listed clearly on the top left of the screen, and slowly counts down as I pass my racing rivals in a smokin' Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

According to Grimbley, the team wants to go after the most "badass" versions of each car for their game. The E3 demo featured the magnificent Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snake, and EA has announced other cars like the BMW M3 E30 Sport Evolution and McLaren MP4-12C through its community Facebook page. The shiny Porsche I drive handles about as well as I'd expect it to, since this isn't a racing simulator; I deliberately swing out its rear end to drift into an upcoming U-shaped turn. The car handling itself feels a little "slide-y," but still manageable. After putting on a pretty entertaining (mainly to myself, anyway) show and blowing past 90-percent of my opponents, I completely wreck after an awkward jump -- just one car short of the passes required to finish my race. The built-in rewind feature would have helped me avoid this disaster ending, but starting from a mid-race checkpoint feels like the right penance.

Visually, the build I play hits all the right marks. The surrounding desert hills look dusty enough even at this early pre-alpha state. The track itself features a mix of hairpin turns, straightaways, dangerously narrow short-cuts, and oncoming traffic. The course doesn't feel like the open world of a Criterion game, but Grimbley says that focusing on point-to-point races allows the developers to craft the drives and think about every camber, bend, and sequence. He also mentions that Autolog has been integrated as well, and through it you'll keep friends aware of your progress.

Grimbley says there are other types of races in NFS: The Run, but I only get to see one of them for this demo. The list I'm shown earlier in the presentation lists Time Attack, intense 1-on-1 Rival Battles, Cop Pursuit (because you can't make a NFS game without high speed car chases escaping the fuzz), and Survival -- which he doesn't really go into great detail about, but a trailer hints at escaping an avalanche as a possibility. Grimbley does clarify that there won't always be a natural disaster involved for every Survival race.

Big action moments (a.k.a. the scripted sequences) rounds out Grimbley's list, but you already saw plenty of that at E3. In hindsight I guess EA's backpedaling on NFS: The Run should've been expected. Their first presentation focused on how they tried to make the game different. Now, the focus of EA's messaging shifts to how it's still a racing game. At least what I see today feels like the game is finally heading in the right direction.

Our play session began with choosing Shepard's class (soldier, adept and sentinel were the three options available) and distributing skill points to our squad. At first glance the level-up system looks the same as Mass Effect 2's system, but we soon saw that it's much deeper than before, with branching skill trees within each stat.

When you add a point to a particular stat, a sub-menu pops up where you can further choose what direction you want that stat to take, starting at the fourth level of each stat. For example, adding a point to combat mastery might let you choose between an offensive or defensive boost on one level, and on the next level you might choose between a boost to special ammo damage or weapon power damage. And for biotic powers, would you rather have increased damage or quicker recharge times? Because each new level is an either/or choice, you can't just max everything out – you must decide how each character will take shape and what his or her specialties will be.

With class and stats out of the way, we began the mission in earnest, which was the same mission we saw in the E3 demo where Shepard must protect a female krogan that Mordin is escorting in some kind of medical pod. Liara and Garrus joined Shepard as squadmates, but disappointingly, Liara only had a little flavor dialogue during the mission, and Garrus had none at all. I asked about Garrus after the demo and I was assured that he would have plenty to say later, so not to worry – but it was still a letdown not to hear him say anything.

As waves of Cerberus agents attacked, the most obvious difference in the combat is the new cover system, which was difficult to get used to because we're so familiar with the old controls. In short, it feels very Gears of War. Hitting the A button near cover makes you take cover as usual, but when you're away from cover pressing A makes Shepard do a dodge roll in the direction you point the analog stick. The rolling animation looks bizarre at first, because we've never seen Shepard move like that before, and it looks especially weird when you roll him toward the camera to dodge backwards. It doesn't look bad, just really different compared to how Shepard moves in the previous two games.

Also like Gears, when you're behind cover, you can use the analog stick to bring up arrows on screen that allow you to jump from cover to cover by hitting A. This proved particularly useful when we had to quickly flank a couple of Cerberus agents with riot shields so we could attack them from their vulnerable sides. By the end of the demo we were still adapting to the differences in the cover system, so it's still hard to say whether the Gears-style will be an upgrade or a downgrade overall, but so far it seems to work well for navigating combat zones quickly and stealthily.

Speaking of gunplay, we also got a good look at the improved return of weapons customization. Instead of accessing weapon upgrades through Shepard's inventory, you can select up to two add-ons to any weapon at the weapons load-out locker, which was located within the level during the demo, but we assume there will also be a weapons locker on the Normandy too. Upgrades seem to work like they did in the first Mass Effect, but the interface for choosing upgrades is much easier to use. The menu here gives you a remarkably physical sense of the gun itself, as if you were really looking at a gun on a table with the upgrades laid out before you. You can see what each upgrade actually looks like on the gun and see how it affects the stats of the gun all on the same screen.

Other than the changes to the cover system and the addition of the omniblade melee weapon (which honestly, we didn't get a chance to use much here), the rest of the mission played out like a typical mission from Mass Effect 1 or 2, where we progressed through the base to find Mordin. It almost felt a little like the Archangel mission from ME2, because the hull integrity of the krogan's medical pod decreased over time, shown by a health bar at the bottom of the screen, so we had to move quickly to reach it in time.

Right as we reached Mordin and the krogan, a giant Atlas walker mech appeared out of nowhere and the demo suddenly ended, much to our dismay. We can only assume that a boss battle with said humongous mech followed, but we'll have to wait until another time to find out. Like the E3 demo, our hands-on time at Comic-Con just left us wanting to see and play more, so we hope to have more opportunities to play Mass Effect 3 before it releases in March of next year.

Above: What a GameStop pre-order gets you

If you want more than that – and you probably do – simply pre-ordering isn't enough. It's all about where you pre-order. GameStop, Amazon, Best Buy and EA’s own Origin download service each have “exclusive” content to offer on top of the Karkand DLC, with the most lavish offerings coming from Origin. Opt for EA’s download service, and you’ll get exclusive open beta access this September, as well as an in-game 870 combat shotgun and a beret. You’ll also get the Physical Warfare pack, which grants access to the Type 88 light machine gun (with a trusty bipod for stability), the KS sniper rifle flash suppressor for sneaking, armor-piercing flechette ammo and the semiautomatic DAO-12 “Shooting” Shotgun (we may have made its nickname up ourselves).

GameStop’s offerings are the next-most-generous, with pre-orders netting the Physical Warfare pack (but no beta access). PowerUp Rewards members also get a free Battlefield 3 digital strategy guide from Prima. Meanwhile, Best Buy pre-orders include The SPECACT Kit, which includes eight multiplayer weapons and uniform skins, one for each class (so nobody gets their feelings hurt).

Amazon orders get a pack of five exclusive multiplayer dog tags. This is the worst one.

If you don’t pre-order from GameStop or Origin, don’t worry; the Physical Warfare pack will be given to all players, for free, sometime later this year.

Above: The multiplayer skins from Best Buy

Battlefield 3 isn't coming out until Oct. 25, so you’ll have plenty of time to decide who to give your money to. And while EA says that, right now, the game has 10 times the number of pre-orders that Battlefield 2 did when it was three months from launch, there's no real limit to the number of copies that can be sold.

How can someone start an article about F.E.A.R. 3 and not mention its origins? Few years ago when I was younger, had more hair and was full of ideas and dreams, a new FPS caught my eye. It was F.E.A.R, an FPS that was developed by the talented Monolith team - the same studio that was behind some incredible games like Shogo, No One Lives Forever, Blood and Tron 2.0. F.E.A.R. was meant to be one of the best horror-themed first-person shooters and featured amazing AI, great fire-fights, engrossing story and mind-blowing graphics. It also featured the first slow-mo effect we’ve ever seen in an FPS. It was refreshing, original and scary. It was one of the best games of 2005.

Fast forward some years and here we are today with the third p of the series. F.E.A.R. 3 is the final chapter and ties up some loose ends that were introduced in the previous parts and expansions. So let’s see how does it run with a modern-day PC. As always, we used an overclocked Q9650 (4.2Ghz) with 4GB DDR2, a GTX295, Windows 7 64Bit and the latest version of ForceWare.

At first, F.E.A.R. 3 was not performing as well as we’d expect. There were major framerate drops
here and there, and we were wondering why the game was behaving this way. We thought that we were CPU limited, but after taking a closer look to the CPU usage, we’ve found out that the game doesn’t require a fast CPU. So what was the cause of this abnormal performance? Apparently, the game’s SLI profile is not good. When we tried to run the game in Single-GPU mode, we’ve witnessed better performance without frame drops and GPU usage. We’ve decided to contact Nvidia to find out whether there was any issue with the game’s profile and the company confirmed that the profile is bugged. A new, proper, profile will be included in the next WHQL version of ForceWare, so those of you with SLI systems should definitely run the game in Single-GPU mode.

A single GTX275 is sufficient for F.E.A.R. 3 as we didn’t encounter any slowdown at all with maxed out settings at 1080p. However, we should note that we didn’t enable any kind of AA. Those of you who want to get constant 60fps with high levels of AA will definitely need a more powerful card. F.E.A.R. 3 is based on a heavily modified version of the Despair Engine, and its CPU requirements are pretty low. As you can see above, our CPU wasn’t stressed at all. We didn’t notice any slowdown even when we tried to simulate a dualcore system. F.E.A.R. 3 will run on a wide range of PC configurations, which is good news for all those that are stuck with old CPUs.

Graphically, the game is a disgrace, and you can easily tell that it was primarily developed
for consoles. There are a lot of low resolution textures and when we say a lot we mean… a lot. There is no ambient occlusion and the environments seem bland and washed out and there are pre-baked shadows all over the place. A lot of light sources don’t cast shadows and there are a lot of blurry post-process effects. Interactivity and destructibility are limited once again, and some outdoor environments look as bad as those of some low-budget games. They are THAT bad. There was also a 30fps movement bug that was transferred from the console versions. It was, however, fixed via a patch. Moreover, some glowing light sources are awful. But who cares about the lighting system… just take a look at the following screenshot. Are those supposed to be steps? Really Day 1 Studios? Was that the best you could do? Yikes!

All in all, F.E.A.R. 3 looks awful and doesn’t require a high-end PC. SLI users will need to run the game in Single-GPU mode until Nvidia fixes its profile. Given the fact that SLI wasn’t working correctly and that our one core was already maxed out, we didn’t test 3D Vision. Those of you stuck with old dualcore systems should not worry, as the game won’t stress your CPU. And we are saddened by those disgraceful visuals because underneath them, there is a good game with great fire-fights, AI and an interesting story.

Enjoy the following screenshots and if you liked this Performance Analysis, please Donate Us or click on the ads located at the top of the page. This gaming site is currently at its infancy, and we’d really appreciate your donation. It doesn’t matter how much you donate us. This will give us the strength and the motive to bring you more complex and interesting performance analyses.

Kalypso Media released today a new trailer for Dungeons: The Dark Lord, the standalone add-on for the evil dungeon builder game by Realmforge and Kalypso, adding a new story-driven campaign and multiplayer. Dungeons: The Dark Lord is slated for a September 2011 release on the PC. Enjoy the trailer after the jump!

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Blizzard has just announced a new edition for Starcraft II. StarCraft II: Starter Edition allows anyone to play the following Starcraft II content for free. Yeap, you read that right. What’s more interesting is that you can play MP matches for free with this Edition. Consider it an extended demo of Starcraft II if you will, but this is something huge and was really unexpected. And all that is required to enjoy this free version is a Battle.net account and Internet connection.

The Starter Edition gives players access to the first three campaign missions on Mar Sara, and then gives the player the ability to choose a fourth mission – either the first mission offered by Dr. Hanson or the first mission offered by Tychus Findlay in the campaign.

Players will also get access to a pair of Challenge Missions, a selection of multiplayer maps, and a custom-game map. The multiplayer and custom game maps available may be cycled from time to time.

In addition, Starter Edition players can earn achievements within the available content; can view profile, ladder, and achievements pages; and can access many functions of the map editor.

No matter how your team has done this season, we've got something to make you look forward to next season. Even Arsenal supporters.

Lucky old us were recently invited out to Vancouver, Canada, to go to EA Sports' HQ to get a first look at the forthcoming FIFA 12 (you knew it was coming, right?). And because we knew we'd get a chance to grill the developers on what's new this year, we thought we'd take your questions straight to them.

So we asked you for your suggestions on what you'd like to see in the new game via Facebook and Twitter, then took these over to Canada and hurled them at FIFA supremo Dave Rutter like a Rory Delap bullet throw-in.

Only we didn't need a crafty towel at the side to dry our hands as we did it. Though we did need to takea run-up... But that's just the writer's peculiar interview technique...

FEETS OF STRENGTH

Despite EA Canada's attempts to throw us off our mission via a fire alarm as we were interviewing Dave (true), we've got the dev's responses to what you want to see and we're sure you want to know what's happening with the new game, what's being added and why FIFA 12 is already looking like a real humdinger. We're impressed by what we saw. So much so that we've forgotten about our team's relegation last weekend.

The most significant news is that there's a new physics engine. The devs are calling it the new 'Impact Engine' and essentially it means the game will be more realistic. This new tech means there'll be less 'clipping' - that's where players' body parts unrealistically contact and 'ghost' through someone, and not where a sly fullback like Gary Neville trips up a speedy winger.

Players will collide in more realistic fashion than ever before and you can really boot the opposition up into the air now - time a challenge incorrectly and they'll cartwheel into the sky like a cheerleader.

Midfield hardmen will weep with joy at the news, as the likes of Didier Drogba roll about on the floor in proper pantomime fashion. Get ready to boo a lot more loudly with FIFA 12. Coupled with the improved physics, there will also be refurbished 'Precision Dribbling' - a term coined by the devs to explain how skilful players will be able to better utilise their close control of the ball.

You'll be able to 'shield dribble' with strong players with good technique: this means keeping the ball under control but placing the player's body between the opponent and the ball. It was in FIFA 11 but didn't work very well so few people used it. Now they will.

OUT OF CONTROL

Players will also use more contextual dribbles and touches to keep control of the ball, particularly when near the sideline - the top pros don't just let the ball run out of play, unless they play for Bristol Rovers...

The devs also noticed that in real matches skilful players might take many slight touches of the ball in a confined area. If you tried this in FIFA 11 you'd end up moving across two-thirds of the pitch. No more. The devs are hoping this will encourage creativity in the middle of the park in a Barcelona style, and add a new pace to the game.

And coupled to the precise dribbling is another major change: gone is the holding down of A/X to 'press' the ball. Instead this will get your defender to 'contain' an opponent.

By that we don't mean that they'll bound and gag said attacker; instead they'll run alongside their prey, patiently waiting in the best defensive position rather than charging in. It's all part of a drive to add more timing and skill to tackling, making defending more engaging. So Vinnie Jones will enjoy playing FIFA as much as Leo Messi does.

The developers are hoping that their improved 'Tactical Defending' will make online players want to play as defenders in Be A Pro 11 vs 11 games. We're not so sure about that, but it does sound like the gameplay will be suitably deepened and given the variety needed to progress the game from FIFA 11.

PRO GROW

As well as some big improvements to the presentation, including new menu screens (woo!), a cool new TV-style game build-up and a new camera angle, a more TV-like angle that will both show off the players better and look more like a game on the box, the devs are also upgrading the player intelligence.

Calling it 'Pro Player Intelligence', this refers to how CPU-controlled players will be more aware of their own and their teammates' abilities. Fabregas will launch raking passes. Teams will utilise the long ball to Crouchy.

It'll have an effect on players' off-the-ball runs and will mark out the difference between great players and average journeymen more, between Real Madrid and Burton Albion. EA say it will "realise the fantasy of playing with real football stars".

It'll also have an effect in your Virtual Pro games because your teammates will adjust their behaviour according to what you're good at/not good at. And this will then have a knock-on effect to career mode transfers where players with certain attributes are sought.

EA are giving FIFA 12 a tagline of 'Revolution, not evolution' emphasising their big changes. Although some improvements do sound a tad similar (such as the AI) to some of FIFA 11's refinements, we're genuinely impressed by what we've seen so far and we're cup-final-excited (though not a cup final involving Stoke) about the prospect of getting to play it.

Once we get some good hands-on time we'll know if it's worth piloting our team to glory in next season's league and cup. Better lace up the virtual boots again.

EA has sent out the first details of the limited edition of Need for Speed: The Run.

Racing from San Francisco to New York against 200 other drivers in the game, the limited edition gives players an edge with access to three elite cars - Lamborghini Aventador, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and the all-new Porsche 911 Carrera S.

It also features five exclusive challenges "offering players the chance to one-up their friends and master their driving skills while earning bonus rewards and achievements".

A brand new chunk of Need For Speed: The Run gameplay hit the net last week, showing all but a few cut sections of an entire race

EA's racer isn't set to hit shops until November 17, but it'll be available for public hands-on time at this September's TRAX car show at Silverstone.

EA is offering early access to the Battlefield 3 multiplayer beta as a perk for anyone who pre-orders the game via its Origin service.

 "Players who pre-order the game from Origin will be granted early access to the Open Beta for Battlefield 3 when it goes live in September 2011," it says on the Origin store page, boasting of its Origin exclusivity.

DICE confirmed last week that there will be two trials; the closed, invite-only alpha trial for which you are able to register your interest, and a more open beta trial for those who purchased a beta-labeled copy of Medal of Honor or the Limited Edition version. Invites for the Alpha trial have already started arriving in email inboxes.

Read up on DICE's trial plans through here, and head through the source link to check out Origin.

Battlefield 3 will "probably" ship with an online pass system, DICE's Patrick Bach has told GamerZines, but there's still some confusion over how the team plans to implement it.

Talking to us last week, Battlefield 3's Executive Producer told us that players would "probably" need to register a code included in the box to access the game's multiplayer, "but I don't think it's an online pass, I think it's our own backend. I'm not sure I want to call our system an online pass."

Confused? So were we.

We asked Bach directly whether DICE would be locking second hand players out of the game's multiplayer unless they were to buy an online pass separately, to which he replied, "I think we are".

An EA representative then asked us to pick up the conversation at "another time".

Of course, if Battlefield 3 were to ship with an online pass, it may automatically give Modern Warfare 3 the upper hand.

Modern Warfare 3's publisher Activision has made it clear that it will never charge players to access Call of Duty's multiplayer and has yet to include an online pass system in any of its games.

P3Zine Issue 50For our latest Battlefield 3 coverage, click here to download P3Zine Issue 50 for free.Bach, however, denied that the inclusion of an online pass with Battlefield 3 would give Modern Warfare 3 an advantage, saying that Battlefield games have "always had a code in the box in one way or another".

"The whole idea is that we're paying for servers," continued Bach, "and if you create a new account there is a big process on how that is being handled in the backend. We would rather have you buy a new game than a used game because buying a used game is only a cost to us; we don't get a single dime from a used game, but we still need to create server space and everything for you.

"We want people to at least pay us something to create this because we're paying for it. It was actually a loss for us to have new players.

"Hopefully people understand why. It's not to punish people. To us it's compensation."

Battlefield: Bad Company 2, which released in March 2010, shipped with a VIP Pass, a code that gave new buyers access to additional content free of charge.

The vast majority of games published by EA within the past year, however, have shipped with an online pass system which blocks second hand users from accessing the game's online multiplayer unless they purchase a pass from Xbox Live Marketplace or PlayStation Store at an additional cost.

Other publishers have since followed suite, including Warner Bros and Codemasters, with Sony and Ubisoft both due to introduce their own online pass systems with Resistance 3 and Driver: San Francisco next month.

It seems like every time Blizzard announces something Diablo III related, there is a giant uproar of unhappiness from the fans who have been following Diablo III news since Blizzard first announced its development. 

Today, fans have a lot of Diablo III news to debate over.  With recent announcements of a player-to-player auction system and that you can only play Diablo III while being connected to the internet, there is plenty for fans to complain about, but is it really that bad?  Let’s take a look at some of the announcements regarding Diablo III, and see if they are good or bad for players.

The most recent news is the introduction of an in-game, real-world cash auction system.  We’re all used to in-game auction houses, but nothing like what Blizzard is introducing in Diablo III.  For the first time, a game will incorporate a player-to-player auction system that will allow players to buy and sell in-game items for real-world cash.  The idea of buying items for cash isn’t anything new.  Plenty of free-to-play games have in-game stores where players can buy items from the company for cash; it’s how the company makes money.  This system, however, is groundbreaking because it allows players to buy and sell from each other—in a regulated environment—and not from some sketchy, foreign website run by gold farmers.  Not only does this system ensure that players won’t be getting scammed, but it also enables Blizzard to get their share of the profit when an item is sold. 

Ultimately, the decision to include this real-cash system comes down to profit.  The fact is, when you create a game that lets people trade items that are both rare and valuable, you create a black market.  This black market is usually in the form of a foreign-run website, where players can go and purchase items or gold for cash.  Not only do the people who are forced to play for hours to “gold farm” face health dangers (this is a big problem in foreign countries), but from a business stand point, Blizzard gets no cut of the profit from this. So rather than just ban players who rely on this “black market” or banish the people who gold farm, Blizzard is embracing this.  The fact is, people are going to do it, so why not incorporate it into the game and make a little money off of it?

The way Blizzard is incorporating it into Diablo III isn’t going to break the game structure at all, either.  It will still be a self-sustained, player-run economy.  Players will be charged a flat fee to list an item (similar to Ebay).  If that item sells, there will be another flat fee paid to Blizzard.  The price of the item has no effect on the fee, and the “nominal” fee will dissuade players from dumping everything they find on the auction block.  Blizzard won’t be selling items directly to increase revenue, and since the drops are random and only players can sell to other players, the economy is self-contained.  Pardo did say that cosmetic items may be sold on the market.

The auction house will allow people to purchase items for gold in one house and cash in another.  After you sell an item, you can either remove the money from the game and use it in the real world via a third-party company, or keep it in the game to use on other auctions, Blizzard games, subscription fees, or Blizzard merchandise.  Blizzard seems to be handling the currency issue in a smart and safe way.  Blizzard will be limiting the auction house to one per currency.  If you’re in a country that uses euros, for instance, your auction house is shared with other euro-using regions.

It looks like Blizzard is taking the “If you can’t beat em, join em” approach to gold/gear farming.  Pardo stated: “What’s the difference between a player that plays the game a lot and a gold farmer? They’re really doing the same activity.  If you are doing an activity where all you’re trying to do is generate items for the auction house, you’re not making someone else’s game experience poorer. If anything you’re making the game better, because you’re generating items for the auction house that people want to purchase.”

Basically, people are going sell it and people are going to buy it.  So why not just include it into the game and provide a safe, legit way to do this without the fear of being ripped off or banned?  It’s not going to break the game.  You don’t have to buy or sell for cash, if you’d rather stick to in-game currency.  For those of you who think it will kill the point of Hardcore mode, Blizzard has already announced that hardcore players won’t have access to the real-money auction house. 

Personally, I like the idea of being rewarded for my hard work and time spent in the game.  This system enables the people who really put time into the game to be rewarded.  Those who don’t have the time to farm endlessly for gear are still able to enjoy it through purchases.  Who knows, this could be a great summertime job for some of you hardcore gamers out there.  Who said you’d never amount to anything playing video games?

On to the next bit of news coming from Blizzard, which is that the game will only be accessible if you are connected to the internet.  I get why people are upset.  Nobody wants to be constricted or told what to do with their game.  After all, we are the ones who shell out the money for it.  If I want to play the game without being on the internet I should damn well be allowed to, but at the end of the day, does it really matter?  How often is your computer not connected to the internet?  My computer at home is always connected.  We’re at the point where it’s impossible to find a place that doesn’t offer internet.  Even Starbucks and Mcdonalds offer internet!

Honestly, I don’t see the big fuss over this DRM, aside from connection drops causing you lose your progress.  I can see how that is annoying, but if it combats hackers, dupers, or anything else that ruined Diablo 2, then I am all for it.  Not to mention, always being online allows Blizzard to incorporate plenty of additional elements to the game, such as a persistent friends list, cross-game chat through the RealID system, persistent characters stored server-side, PvP and game matching, drop-in/drop-out co-op, larger item stash, an auction house, an achievement system, and a banner system which allows you to display your successes in the game.  It’s not like Blizzard is the first to adopt this form of gameplay either. Capcom and Ubisoft have both used this same DRM in their games.

What are your thoughts on the real-world cash auction house?  Are you for or against the online-play only?

Crysis 2 was already made my GPU scream when I tried to play it at Ultra DX11 settings. The beautiful Crysis 2 graphics only achievable on a powerful PC put consoles to shame. The community of Crysis 2 will now take the graphical intensity of Crytek's amazing game to new heights with the Black Fire Mod. Seen in the two videos below, the Crysis 2 Black Fire Mod enhances the visual fidelity of the game, including shadows and textures.

The official hub for the Black Fire Mod can be visited here, where you're given instructions on how to install it.

Here are some GIFs that show before and after shots of Crysis 2 with the Black Fire Mod.

There has been a great deal of complaining that the console versions of Battlefield 3 don't look quite as beautiful as the PC version. It's no coincidence that the PC version is what was shown for months, and given how far we are into this console cycle, it's expected that PC games will look better than their console counterparts. Besides the visual disparity, another difference is the decreased player limit -- up to 64 players can go at it online on PC, while only 24 can do the same on consoles. As a result, DICE says that levels have been somewhat compacted to make them play better.Ensuring the game is as fun as possible is the thinking behind all of these moves; it's not that DICE is "evil or stupid."

Speaking with German site GameZone (as translated by CVG), DICE Executive Producer Patrick Bach defended the choices that have been made regarding Battlefield 3 on consoles. He emphasized that the different versions are "more or less the same," as they run on the same engine and technology. The goal isn't to offer a dumbed-down game on consoles.

Bach said trying to make the games identical is "really, really hard," but it's a matter of finding compromises. "We tried to get more players in [to the console version] but then you need to scale down all the graphics, scale down all the destructibility, and sometimes you need to scale down all the map sizes."

Regarding the last point, Bach said maps are "more or less" the same. With fewer players on consoles, though, DICE has "tried to compact them slightly to keep the action up." It's a reasonable thing to do, and Bach noted, "If you compare it to Battlefield: Bad Company 2, the maps weren't really small on console. We actually had huge maps even for console. We have the same kind of angle on it right now [in Battlefield 3]."

24 players is still more than many games -- and more players doesn't necessarily make for a better game, Bach argues. He has a point, even though console fans are still going to be frustrated over getting what they feel is an inferior game.

"Everything is a compromise," Bach said. "It's not that we're evil or stupid. We didn't choose not to have more players -- we would love to do 64 players on console but then we would have to cut away so much; people would get very upset that it looked worse, played worse and wasn't as fun as the PC version. We would never do that because the fun is always more important."

That includes the inclusion of jets, something that might not have been possible on consoles had they tried to bump up the player limit.

Battlefield 3 will be out for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on October 25. An open, multiplatform beta is set for September, and a tech-focused alpha test is currently ongoing. 

Space Marine is challenging the long-running joke in video games that our hobby has become dominated by personality-less, indistinguishable space marines. It's running headlong into that notion with the dark and violent Warhammer universe, and a single soldier leading the charge. But this franchise was born out of competitive play with other human beings. So what is developer Relic doing to embody that in a virtual game?  We checked out Space Marine's multiplayer to find out:

"Space Marine’s multiplayer can be divided into two distinct categories: gameplay and customization. Given Warhammer’s pedigree of giving players endless choice when it comes to personalizing and managing the countless units that comprise the various armies available to players, it’s no wonder that Space Marine features a deep character customization system that lets players tweak, color, and outfit their soldiers--Space Marines and the evil Chaos Space Marines--in 1.8 billion potential ways."

But don't worry, customization isn't the only Warhammer tribute Space Marine employs. Combat is brutal and tactical, encouraging classes to work together to destroy the enemy. If you want to know more about that though, you'll just have to check out the full Warhammer 40k: Space Marine multiplayer preview!

As long as computer games, consoles, PC tech’ and anything that offers an alternative or a reason to be loyal to a specific brand, there will be flame wars an aruguments. We are going to look at the latest argument to take center stage in the battle between Modern Warfare 3 with its 60 frames per second and Battlefield 3 having 30 frames per second and ask, does it really matter?

What Is Frames Per Second?

This is the refresh rate and the speed of which the image displayed is shown. So, the higher the refresh rate, the smoother the image – right? Well, yes and no. There are many processess and other issues that can cause a choppy frame, such as: Latency (imput lag – when excessive pre-processing causes delay from player imput to computer response), Motion Blurring – without realistic motion blurring, you can have a game running at 100 FPS but, without adequate motion blurring stringing together images which reduces the gap between frames, you’re left with a choppy image.

The Difference

Battlefield 3

Modern Warfare 3

You have to realise that each game is developed in a specific way so it can perform at its optimum level for the hardware or platform it’s using. Battlefield 3, which features huge, lush landscape, 24 player online carnage with a vast array of vehicles and truly stunning graphics, really is half a decade ahead of its time – so, to give you the best experience playing Battlefield 3, the developers have locked it at 30 FPS 720p native resolution and it still looks amazing, even on dated consoles (Crysis 2 anyone? Yup, 30 FPS 720p). The only compromise DICE have made, is to scale the number of online players from 64 to 24.

While the comparison’s and arguments will never die, the notion that Battlefield 3 will be inferior due to visual fidelity running at 30 FPS 720p is nonsical and out-right silly. Locking the frame rate at 30 FPS means a consistant experience running at peak performance with incredible lighting effects and state of the art rendering techniques. Running with variables, like Modern Warfare 3′s 60 FPS means that in high-load performance situations that 60 FPS may dip below 30 FPS and that you will notice with potential screen tearing and maybe some other issues. ,the difference, I’m sure you will agree is negligible.

Modern Warfare 3 has been developed around its engine to run at 60 FPS, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be better or worse than a game that runs at 30 FPS, only that it has been designed to run that way to reach its optimum performance.

Both games will be great in their own right, they will be running at peak performance and both will maximise the stregnths of the hardware it’s running on.

If you want my opinion? I’d take the fixed Frames Per Second over a variable one for stability during gameplay. Considering this with the negligible visual differences between 30 and 60 FPS, I think Dice have made the right call.

Robot Entertainment announced today that Orcs Must Die! will be available on Xbox LIVE Arcade and PCs later this summer. The game will be playable at the upcoming 2011 San Diego Comic-Con which runs from July 21st to 24th. Robot Entertainment also announced that it has chosen Microsoft Studios to publish and distribute the game.

Patrick Hudson, CEO of Robot Entertainment said:

“Players on both Xbox LIVE Arcade and PCs will get their chance to massacre orcs by the thousands soon. We’re excited that Microsoft shares our orc bloodlust and will publish the game.”

Robot Entertainment also announced today they will be releasing an Orcs Must Die! prequel comic book. The single-issue comic tells the story of a world endangered by savage monsters and of the heroes that rose up to drive them back.

Orcs Must Die! will be playable at the Xbox Lounge on July 23-24 in the Hard Rock Hotel during Comic-Con. Limited print editions of the prequel comic will be available to players at Comic-Con at no charge. The digital version of the comic will release later this summer, also at no charge.

In case you were unaware of, Orcs Must Die! is an action-strategy game that challenges players to defend fortresses under siege. The game features a wide variety of traps and weapons to choose from, a vibrant look, addictive gameplay, and a blatant disregard for the welfare of orcs.

The open-ended nature of the Elder Scrolls series has been somewhat of a double-edged sword in the past. While the lack of hand-holding and clear story objectives in Morrowind – and to a slightly lesser extent Oblivion – brought a sense of liberation to some, it also spelt intimidation to others who struggled for a sense of purpose without obvious checkpoint markers dragging them through the narrative. It's something that Bethesda is certainly aware of, but the developer is only making some slight tweaks to its open-ended formula.

"I don't know if we're concerned about it," says lead producer Craig Lafferty. "We'd certainly like for people to be able to finish the games. We've gotten better at sort of guiding the player along – almost like the carrot on the stick – guiding them towards how to finish the main quest. But really we make these huge open world games so you can go where you want, be what you want, play what you want, so if you don't ever finish [the main quest] but you're still having a great time then that's fine too. We've heard stories of players playing 200-300 hours of our previous games without ever finishing the core narrative."

At least 100 of those hours will be spent staring enigmatically into the distance.

One of these 'carrots on the stick' is the new Clairvoyance spell that draws a path along the ground to your next objective. Another nice feature of the game is the dynamic class system, which essentially means your character will level up and evolve in an organic manner depending on your actions – so you can just pursue the things that you're interested in and your character will automatically mould to your style, eliminating the need to get bogged down spending stat points.

One of the best aspects of Oblivion was its abundance of water-cooler moments – because there was so much to see and do off the beaten path, there was always plenty to talk about with friends who were playing the same game at the same time but in an entirely different way. Like that time you became a vampire, or when your friend happened upon a body floating in a stream with a suicide note tucked into his pocket. Then there was that quest – 'A Brush With Death' - that transported you into a painting in search of a missing artist. It was a watercolour water-cooler moment!

"There's definitely lots more stuff like that," says Lafferty. "We don't want to give anything specific away to spoil it, but we've got a big open world to go anywhere and do whatever you want, on top of the main quest which is about 30 hours long. We still have the guilds – so the mage's guild, the thieves' guild, the fighters' guild, those are back. The mage's guild takes place in the College of Winterhold. So we have that as well as 150 handcrafted dungeons, and probably over 500 individual activities to do in the world so there's a lot of that as well as the main focus of the story."

Dragons are the big bosses of Skyrim and the battles with them appear to be suitably intense – at least if the climactic encounter in the game's E3 demo is anything to go by. You can use magic to summon electrical storms to combat them in the air, and when you inflict enough damage upon them they'll crash to the ground with all the heft of a mythical jumbo jet – carving out deep grooves in the earth and churning up dust and topsoil as their hulking bodies grind to a halt. Then once they're dead, you consume their souls and inherit their power. But the dragons will always come back.

"They're not limited, they're like any other creature in the game, they're not scripted – you can come across them as you play through the world but they don't go away," explains Lafferty. "It's not like you can defeat all of the dragons and they'll cease to exist – they'll always be there in the game. And they're also a central focus to the story – it's the first Elder Scrolls game with dragons - and you're dragon born, you can speak the language of the dragon. So it's just trying to figure out why the dragons are back, why they're special and how does that play out in the world?"

Are all of the dragons in the mythical land of Skyrim evil, or will you be able to tame them for the purposes of fighting alongside you? Bethesda is keeping tight-lipped on the subject for now.

"We're not really getting into a whole lot of specifics about that," says Lafferty. "But they're not all out to kill you, let's just put it that way."

Thus we're willing to bet that there will be friendly fire-breathers to summon using one of your 'dragon shouts' – calling on a friendly dragon to fight an enemy dragon would be the definition of fighting fire with fire. Plus the game's mountains look like they'd take an absolute dragon age to ascend on foot or horseback, but on the back of a saddled dragon it could be a short flight to the summit. It's probably unlikely, but mountable dragons as DLC would definitely have us opening our virtual wallets post-release. How about it, Bethesda?

We wonder what the view is like from up there?

The map of Skyrim is said to be roughly the same size as Cyrodiil in Oblivion, but thanks to a complete overhaul of the game engine since then Skyrim is infinitely more detailed and lush in appearance, with an incredible draw distance that doesn't just extend out into the horizon but upward to the peaks of the towering mountains that loom large over the landscape.

"We made Oblivion and then Fallout 3 on the current gen of consoles, so we've learned a lot more about how to bring a lot out of the current systems," says Lafferty. "So now we have a new UI system, a new animation system, a new renderer, the radiant story and then the world itself, so all these things kind of combine and as a result the world of Skyrim really feels like a solid place you can get lost in."

Just how much is there to do and see in Skyrim? With 280 perks to unlock, five major cities to explore, over 300 books to find, 150 unique dungeons to loot and some 500 individual activities to indulge in, it would truly appear that the sky is the limit.

So, you just got done vacuuming the living room and sat down to read a book with your younger sister when a fairy floats out of the pages and transports you into the fairytale world. Now, you have to defeat an evil wizard. What kind of weapon do you get? A legendary sword?

 No, you brought your vacuum cleaner.

 Don’t underestimate it. This isn’t an ordinary flying dirt devil. The vacuum in Kyuiinfires lasers and whips enemies behind it with an extension cord. I think that sums up the concept of Kyuiin in a nutshell.

MonkeyPaw Games will release Kyuiin in North America as a downloadable PsOne import. Being a horizontal shooter with a quirky concept, Kyuiin should be more import friendly than some of MonkeyPaw’s other releases. Look for it when the PlayStation Store updates next week.

Call of Duty: Elite will add a premium layer of content onto Modern Warfare 3, but multiplayer will remain free.

As suspected, COD: Elite will be a premium service offering extra content for a monthly fee, not an attempt to charge for multiplayer gameplay. In fact, some of the content offered on Elite, such as a Facebook-like social networking aspect, will be completely free.

"COD ELITE is free, for all players, some paid aspects TBD. Absolutely NO fee to play #MW3 multiplayer. Detailed reveal coming tomorrow AM," tweeted Infinity Ward creative consultant Robert Bowling Monday night. " #MW3 multiplayer is free to play as it always is."

According to the Journal, Activision executives expect the monthly cost for COD: Elite to be less than that of Netflix's lowest-level service, which costs $8/month. In exchange for that fee, subscribers will get access to more map packs and analytical tools that will allow players to gauge their in-game performance according to kills by weapon type and other factors.

Speaking with the Journal, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said the service is intended to supplement the Call of Duty experience, and emphasized that the multiplayer aspect of Modern Warfare 3 will remain free. He also said that customer service for Elite is so extensive, that the service couldn't be supported for free.

[UPDATE] Activision has now formally announced Call of Duty: Elite, saying "many key features" of the service will be free. It also confirmed the premium level of the service will include "a wide range of state-of-the-art services, exclusive entertainment programming and all-inclusive game content for less than the cost of any comparable online entertainment service currently in the market." The company did not, however, announce the price of the service.

Activision also revealed that Elite will be the stage for a variety of Modern Warfare 3 competitions, as well as undefined "events." Both types of festivities will see the doling out of both in-game and real-world prizes to winners. A just-released trailer for the service (see below) reveals that Elite's social aspect will let players form groups and clans, as well as share films of themselves in action.

A public beta for Call of Duty: Elite will begin this summer using Call of Duty: Black Ops, with sign-ups already under way at http://www.callofduty.com/elite. However, when the service launches on November 8, it will be "fully" integrated with Modern Warfare 3, allowing for two-way communication between Elite and the game. That means that actions made in Elite--which can be accessed via mobile devices, PCs, consoles, and games themselves--will affect users' in-game experience.

I'd love to be able to say that Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker achieves this lofty goal, but ultimately it falls just short. But then, it wouldn't really be a Metal Gear game if it didn't suffer from one or two glaring flaws, would it? To its credit, though, Peace Walker is the best thing to come from Hideo Kojima's long-running series since Metal Gear Solid 3, despite a handful of compromising shortcomings.

Click the image above to check out all Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker screens.

That Peace Walker would have to make some compromises is a given; it is a PSP game, after all. No slight intended to the system, but the PSP lacks either the horsepower or range of controls of the PlayStation 3, which played host to the most recent entry in the series. Yet despite taking a technological step backward, Peace Walker does an admirable job of reproducing both the spirit of MGS3 and the control mechanics of MGS4 to the furthest extent possible.

Certain Metal Gear standards have been streamlined or removed altogether in order to make the game play as smoothly as it can: Camouflage feels largely irrelevant, and it's no longer possible to crawl. For the most part, however, Peace Walker seems to have been designed with these limitations in mind -- in fact, the entire game feels very deliberate in its design. It was clearly intended to be a thoroughly portable experience above all else, and this is the source of its main appeal.

Far too often, portable iterations of console-based franchises are either grossly simplified in design or else attempt to do too much and ignore the realities of handheld gaming; the Metal Gear franchise is hardly innocent of these crimes. In Peace Walker, Kojima Productions has reduced Metal Gear to its essence -- sneaking, fighting, and watching -- and rebuilt it from the ground up to work on PSP. It carries over a few elements from its direct predecessor, Portable Ops (such as the base-building and mission structure), but by and large the developers have looked to other portable series (most overtly Capcom's Monster Hunter) for inspiration. The result is a game that offers up a quintessential Metal Gear experience, yet which feels perfectly at home on a handheld system.

At the heart of Peace Walker's design is the relationship between its single- and multiplayer components...or rather, the fact that it doesn't really have single- and multiplayer components. The entire game, be it the main story or the extra content, is divided into bite-sized missions that can be tackled solo or with up to three friends (with a handful of exceptions). Peace Walker can ostensibly be completed by a single person, though a sizable percentage of the extra missions (which greatly outnumber the story missions) are nearly impossible to complete alone. And even for the less daunting missions, you'll have a much easier time earning S-rankings with a friend or three in tow.

Click the image above to check out all Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker screens.

This doesn't always work to the game's advantage, though, and herein lies one of its most significant failures. Like so many other games designed around co-op play, Peace Walker doesn't scale its difficulty according to the number of players. This is fine for the extra content, but it also makes for a handful of poorly-balanced story missions that can become infuriating sticking points for one person to tackle alone.

The bosses in particular suffer from this issue, and in fact Peace Walker's bosses are the lowest point of the game -- a real let-down in a series famous for its imaginative boss encounters. Don't expect to test your wits against clever super agents with flamboyant code-names this time around; Peace Walker's bosses are strictly military mechs and A.I. constructs, and they're all designed to be beaten by four people using sheer brute force. Worse still, the game's interface limitations severely hamper boss fights; Peace Walker's control schemes are a fair improvement over those available in Portable Ops, but they work best in slow, methodical stealth situations. In white-knuckle battles against towering mechs, they're often Snake's deadliest foe of all.

Okay, enough about level editors, already. Who is Joe Danger? He's a dude playin' a dude disguised as another dude! No, wait, that's Robert Downey, Jr. from Tropic Thunder, what the hell am I thinking? Joe Danger is a former motorcycle daredevil aiming to make a comeback on the motorcycle daredeviling circuit. He looks kinda like Leisure Suit Larry, but make no mistake: unlike Larry, Joe's actually got game...with the ladies.

Click the image above to check out all Joe Danger screens.

And with everyone else, too, I'd wager. Hello Games has cleverly taken the core elements of the Super Mario Bros. series -- multiple routes through a level, mutually exclusive challenges for replayability, and a high difficult level -- and integrated them into a motorcycle racing engine. Each level features multiple objectives (and often multiple paths) that are impossible to complete on a single run -- for example, beat a certain time and/or collect a certain number of stars -- so you'll end up racing the same tracks again and again. It's a good thing, then, that Joe Danger is colorful and fast-paced, with a pervasive sense of joy in its design. It's impossible to describe in the black-and-white confines of a review like this one, but more than anything, as you play Joe Danger, you'll get the feeling that the dudes who made this game infused it with a real love of the form. Sounds very touchy-feely, I know -- but sometimes it's good to get touchy-feely...with the ladies.

Now, love aside, Joe Danger isn't without its flaws. First off, the damn thing is too hard. While it's an innovative design feature to cause jumping to happen when you release a button (specifically the "duck" button), it's so counterintuitive that it would've taken a monumental feat of self-deprogramming to make it feel instinctual for me. Moreover, a lot of the challenges require too much repetition to surpass. If, like me, you're a completionist, prepare for hours of narrowly missing time trials and frustratingly whiffing that one trick you need to get the high score. But hey, that's me. Another, more minor problem is the sound design. While the music and sound effects are jaunty enough at first, the lack of variety combined with my compulsive need to complete everything -- and therefore repeat levels again and again -- made wonder if I shouldn't just use the mute button...on the ladies.

At the end of the day, though, Joe Danger is a truly enjoyable game with some minor quibbles. You can pick it up and race in five-minute sprints when you feel like killing a little time, or you can drill down into it with the level editor and the myriad unlockables. Considering the penny-ante cost of this title, if you're at all interested in racing, platformers, or fun generally, you'd be crazy not to give Joe Danger a try.

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Among the few additions MMZC offers over the standalone games, the most important is the option to play through the entire series in sequence. The Zero games remain the most story-driven niche of the entire Mega Man franchise, picking up a century after the Mega Man X series and ultimately building to a very conclusive finale that brings unambiguous closure to the tales of heroes X and Zero.

Click the image above to check out all Mega Man Zero Collection screens.

This mode also reduces the difficulty level considerably -- something many gamers will welcome, since the Zero games had a tendency to cross over the line between "ferociously challenging" and "downright spiteful." At the same time, you're left with the nagging sensation that you're not getting the full experience -- the action tends to be a little too easy, and the Cyber Elf collection system which made the games so compelling is completely gone. In that sense, the story mode feels almost like an appetizer designed to whet your appetite for the individual games.

Click the image above to check out all Mega Man Zero Collection screens.

Beyond the arrangement mode, MMZC's only other significant extra is an art gallery that's unlocked as you complete various challenges. Otherwise, it's more or less four GBA games running in a DS wrapper: No new graphics or sound, no relocalization to restore the missing blood and goofy typos in the U.S., not even an expansion of the screen boundaries to take advantage of the DS's slight resolution advantage over the GBA.

So, basically, MMZC gives gamers four good (and increasingly rare) action games in a straightforward package. The presentation won't blow anyone away, but the convenience of having the entire series on a single cartridge -- and one that, unlike the GBA versions, can be played on a DSi -- counts for a lot.

Powered by Unreal Engine 3, Hunted will be released for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Windows PCs. The companies have not yet issued a release date.

Most video game developers are hired hands for publishers and not represented by talent agents. As such, landing the top game developers behind one of the industry's biggest franchises marks a coup for CAA. At least one of the other top Hollywood agencies was looking to sign West and Zampella since they lost their jobs last week, according to a person familiar with the situation.

It's no wonder the entertainment industry's top agencies were clamoring to sign the duo. According to UK ChartTrack, Modern Warfare 2 just passed Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to become the second highest-selling videogame in UK history (Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training on DS still holds the top spot). And according to Activision, the Call of Duty franchise has generated more than $3 billion in revenue.

The game will also offer new multiplayer modes, including Undercover Cop, Cops & Robbers, and Arcade to go along with the existing Fragile Alliance mode.

The demo begins with a bathroom interrogation scene that allows gamers to go Jack Bauer on a source, before shifting to a warehouse loaded with armed guards. In the warehouse, Parizeau demonstrated the mark and execute system, marking traps and guards at different ranges before hitting execute and unleashing Fisher in a John Woo-like rapid-fire sequence.

Light and shadow will still be a critical element of gameplay, Parizeau said, and this time around, Fisher will have a gaggle of new gadgets to manipulate environments. For example, the producer demonstrated Fisher using EMP grenades to knock out lighting in certain areas and pounce on guards blinded by darkness. "These tools allow you tip the balance in your favor," Parizeau said.

Gamers interested in taking part should head over to the game's official web site and click the "Apply for Beta" button. Need for Speed World ships this summer for the PC.

The Singularity synopsis from the developers:

In Singularity, you will fight your way through an ever-shifting environment haunted with time ravaged creatures, while sudden time waves hurl you back and forth between 1950 and present day. Use your wits and the perfect weapon-the Time Manipulation Device - to unravel the conspiracy on the remote island of Katorga-12.

In detailing the impact the switch to digital will have on the environment, Ubisoft said that producing one ton of paper for game manuals consumes an average of two tons of wood from 13 trees, with a net energy of 28 million BTU's. That's equivalent to average heating and energy for one home for an entire year.

The Assassin's Creed and Ghost Recon developer also announced that, starting with Splinter Cell: Conviction for the PC, the company has switched to 100% recycled DVD cases for all of its PC games.

"Eco-friendly initiatives are important to the global community and introducing in-game digital manuals on Xbox 360 and PS3 is just the latest example of Ubisoft's ongoing commitment to being a more environmentally conscious company," Laurent Detoc, president of Ubisoft North America, said in a statement.

Brink features 8-member squads, with AI friends and enemies seamlessly being replaced by players as they log-on. And when a player goes idle, they can even enable AI to temporarily take over their character. "You won't be earning any Experience Points during that time, but we want to give players the break option," Ham said.

"Not only are the enemies more ruthless and surprising, but your teammates are more self reliant and useful. In Brink, you won't have to babysit your AI squad mates and make sure they do their jobs. Actually, if you're not doing well, they'll babysit you!"

Brink is set for release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows PC on September 30.

Other voice actors have helped fill out the cast of characters. Futurama voice actor Maurice LaMarche told Kotaku he would be playing Mr. Freeze, and Stana Katic tweeted she will be playing Ra's al Ghul's daughter and Batman love interest Talia.

Two Face, Mr. Freeze, Talia al Ghul, and via the game's first teaser trailer, the Joker, are confirmed. And with Talia involved, can Ra's himself be far behind? Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 (for lack of a better title) is being developed for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, and does not yet have a release date.

Play with a friend and have even more fun as you lure zombies in using strategic items like a toy helicopter or a firecracker. Once the zombies have gathered, your friend can rain bullets from above or shoot at a strategically-placed gas tank to create a deadly explosion that will take out masses of the enemy.

Along with the co-op mode, Capcom also provided details about its Dead Rising 2 DLC prologue, Case Zero. The full-game's new protagonist, Chuck Greene, is introduced in the standalone DLC title, trapped in the desert town of Still Creek with his daughter. According to Capcom, Case Zero bridges the gap between the two titles while giving players a taste of the new gameplay experience to come in Dead Rising 2.

Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is an Xbox Live exclusive. Capcom has yet to announce a release date or pricing, but the full Dead Rising sequel is set to ship on August 31 in North America for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows PCs and in Europe on September 3.

No other details were provided in the post, and BioWare and Electronic Arts have yet to make an official announcement of the DLC. So aside from the title, the only thing to go on is the add-on's price. At 400 MS Points, Darkspawn Chronicles is the same price as the Return to Ostagar DLC, released on January 29. Ostagar gave gamers a chance to return to the battlefield where Duncan fell and take revenge on the encamped Darkspawn and pick up the armor and weapons of the dead King.

We'll let you know when we learn more about Darkspawn Chronicles.

UPDATE:
Electronic Arts has issued a press release detailing the new DLC. From EA:

For the first time ever, fight as the darkspawn in BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins. In the new downloadable content pack, Dragon Age: Origins Darkspawn Chronicles, players have the chance to experience life on the dark side, playing as the corrupted army of the Blight, enslaved to the will of the Archdemon. In North America, Darkspawn Chronicles will be available for the Xbox 360 videogame system for 400 Microsoft points and PC for 400 BioWare points on May 18th, and on PlayStation Network for $4.99, with its launch date to be announced later.

The Darkspawn Chronicles offers players a look at an alternate history in the Dragon Age universe. Darkspawn Chronicles begins as your character dies during the Joining ceremony, and the Grey Wardens now march under Alistair's command. As a hurlock vanguard, you alone hold the power to make thralls of their fellow darkspawn and drive them into the heat of battle as Denerim burns! This adventure gives you command of genlocks, hurlocks, shrieks, and even the mighty ogres.

Key features include:
--Imagine a world without heroes, where the greatest among you never became a Grey Warden

--Play through the Fall of Denerim from the perspective of the darkspawn

--Complete the module and unlock an epic darkspawn item for use in Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening

--Use the "Enthrall" ability to recruit any darkspawn you encounter into your party

From Ubisoft:

Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2 plunges fans into an explosive environment where they can become elite aerial soldiers in control of the world's most technologically advanced aircraft. The game will appeal to a wide array of gamers as players will have the chance to control exceptional pilots trained to use cutting edge technology in amazing aerial warfare missions.

The image Vidic mentioned is a symbol for fans of the franchise to post to indicate they side with the Templars. But why would Assassins join forces with the franchise's antagonists? According to reports, Brotherhood will feature a multiplayer mode, and it's likely, given the Vidic posts, players will get to play as Templars.

Kotaku came across placeholder box art for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood yesterday evening, materials Ubisoft has since confirmed are legitimate. The blurb on the box art reads:

Live and breathe as Ezio, now a legendary master assassin, in his struggle against the Templar order. Lead your own brotherhood of Assassins and strike at the heart of the enemy: Rome. And for the first time, take part in an innovative multiplayer layer allowing you to embody an assassin of your choosing and define their killing style.

Ubisoft would only confirm the box art was legit, declining to provide further details on Brotherhood. However, the developer did say it would officially reveal the title next week. We'll keep you posted.

To tout the partnership and get the pre-orders rolling, Valve and 2K are offering a special promotion: gamers who order Civ V from Steam will receive the Cradle of Civilization Map Pack: Mesopotamia. The pack includes the Fertile Crescent with the Nile River valley to the west and extending east down the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys to the Persian Gulf. And in true Civilization fashion, you will be able to conquer it all.

Sid Meier's Civilization V is set to launch this fall. The standard edition will retail for $49.99 and the deluxe $59.99.

We'll pick our favorite at noon on Tuesday, May 11th, so be sure to get your entry in before then. Please note that you must be over 18 and live in the United States to be eligible to win.

Wondering exactly what you'll win? Here's a complete list:

• ME 1+2 Bundle
• Aion
• Titan Quest Bundle
• Vampire Masquerade Bloodlines
• Sid Meier's Pirates!
• Civilization 4 complete
• SimCity Societies
• SWAT 4 GOLD
• Fallout 3
• Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
• Divinity 2
• Chessmaster 9000
• Defense Grid
• Majesty 2 The Fantasy Kingdom Sim
• The Settlers: Rise of Empire Gold
• Trine
• Guild Wars Nightfall
• Grand Ages Rome
• AI War Fleet Command + Zenith Remnant Bundle
• Europa Universalis Rome Gold
• Dark Fall Lost Souls

We look forward to reading your submissions, and good luck to everyone who enters!

Baer's Brown Box, what would become the Odyssey.

"The individuals of this year's class of outstanding inventors have shaped our future and their remarkable achievements will surely inspire a whole new generation of like-minded dreamers to see the worth of hard work and passion," Edward Gray, president of the Board of Directors of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, said in a statement.

Becoming a Hall of Fame member is just one of Baer's many accolades: In 2005, he was given the Legend Award by G4; in 2006, President George W. Bush presented him with the National Medal of Technology; in 2008 he received the Pioneer Award at the Game Developers Conference; and also in 2008, Baer won the IEEE Masaru Ibuka Consumer Electronics Award.

The studio is still on track to release Iron Man 2 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii on May 4.

We'll know for sure just how big Kratos is in North America when the NPD Group releases its March videogame sales report on April 8. One thing appears certain, with Final Fantasy XIII and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 reporting multi-million unit months, March should prove to be a huge rebound for the slumping videogame industry.

According to Ronjini Mukhopadhyay, a public relations rep for K2 Network, Hong's original idea has "morphed into something bigger than us." Hong is now seeking the required signatures to become a candidate of the Independent party and will be formulating his real platform in the coming weeks.

In an election that already includes an artist, a car salesman, and a college student as candidates to replace a former actor as governor, Hong's videogame publisher title doesn't sound so out of place. Further, with an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and a successful, rapidly growing company in his hands (GamersFirst now boasts 23 million members in 160 countries) Hong has the pedigree to match up with any of the Independent party candidates already on the ballot. And that's no joke.

For the sake of accuracy, Wada's announcement was specifically for Japanese PlayStation Network. No official word on a U.S. release, but is there really any doubt?

We'll know for sure just how big Kratos is in North America when the NPD Group releases its March videogame sales report on April 8. One thing appears certain, with Final Fantasy XIII and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 reporting multi-million unit months, March should prove to be a huge rebound for the slumping videogame industry.

According to Ronjini Mukhopadhyay, a public relations rep for K2 Network, Hong's original idea has "morphed into something bigger than us." Hong is now seeking the required signatures to become a candidate of the Independent party and will be formulating his real platform in the coming weeks.

In an election that already includes an artist, a car salesman, and a college student as candidates to replace a former actor as governor, Hong's videogame publisher title doesn't sound so out of place. Further, with an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and a successful, rapidly growing company in his hands (GamersFirst now boasts 23 million members in 160 countries) Hong has the pedigree to match up with any of the Independent party candidates already on the ballot. And that's no joke.

For the sake of accuracy, Wada's announcement was specifically for Japanese PlayStation Network. No official word on a U.S. release, but is there really any doubt?

From Atomic:

For the first time, virtual warriors can punch holes through floors to get the drop on enemies below, breach both interior and exterior walls, crush enemy fighters by collapsing ceilings and balconies, and even shoot away individual bricks to create shooter's holes.

Gamers will play as CIA Special Activities Division operatives and use accurate weapons, gear, and unspecified "spy gadgets" to take out their enemies. Breach also features an active cover system that allows players to instantly attach to cover, peak out, pop in and out, and blind fire.

Atomic said Breach will be available for download on Xbox Live this summer offering "the kinds of innovation and features expected in a full packaged game." We'll keep you posted.

The details are still being ironed out, Smith said, but credits earned will then be used to increase a player's Military Rank (which replaces Halo 3's Ranking system) and purchase customization items in Reach's new "Armory."

Bungie intends to keep players busy, issuing daily and weekly credit challenges to be achieved in multiplayer and campaign modes, and there will be plenty of goodies available to spend those hard-earned credits on in the Armory. And all customizations a player makes to their Spartan will be reflected in the multiplayer and campaign modes, including in-game cut scenes.

Smith also described how the Player Investment system will track a player's style of play, awarding long-lasting Commendations for sniping, melee, and driving achievements, and using that data to better match players in multiplayer games.

Halo: Reach is scheduled for a fall release. The online multiplayer beta kicks off on May 3 and can be accessed through the Halo: ODST menu.

In addition, anyone that takes part in the demo and purchases the full retail package of Lost Planet 2 will be given immediate access to the Machine Gun SP which fires three-round bursts.

The Windows PC version of Lost Planet 2 is set to ship in the fall.

Powered by Unreal Engine 3, Hunted will be released for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Windows PCs. The companies have not yet issued a release date.

The Turtle Rock website doesn't offer any new insight into these events, or explain the circumstances of the company's resurrection, but does have some nice rootin' tootin' visuals and links to a recently released "side project", an iPhone application called Garage Buddy.

Whether or not Turtle Rock Studios gets back into developing mainstream games or sticks with mobile apps remains to the be seen. It was also heavily involved with Counter-Strike: Condition Zero back in the day.

Back from the dead.

The demo begins with a bathroom interrogation scene that allows gamers to go Jack Bauer on a source, before shifting to a warehouse loaded with armed guards. In the warehouse, Parizeau demonstrated the mark and execute system, marking traps and guards at different ranges before hitting execute and unleashing Fisher in a John Woo-like rapid-fire sequence.

Light and shadow will still be a critical element of gameplay, Parizeau said, and this time around, Fisher will have a gaggle of new gadgets to manipulate environments. For example, the producer demonstrated Fisher using EMP grenades to knock out lighting in certain areas and pounce on guards blinded by darkness. "These tools allow you tip the balance in your favor," Parizeau said.

The demo will be available for download exclusively on Xbox Live on March 18, and Splinter Cell: Conviction launches for the 360 and PC on April 13.

Gamers interested in taking part should head over to the game's official web site and click the "Apply for Beta" button. Need for Speed World ships this summer for the PC.

Over on EA's official Battlefield blog, the company posted a Q&A that detailed the work it has done to address the most prominent issues gamers have been having on all platforms. Most notably, the company stated: "EA Online has been adding more capacity to handle the high number of player connections to EA servers. This is an ongoing process but we currently have enough capacity to handle all BFBC2 connections."

Jump over to the Battlefield forum for more details on common problems and EA's fixes.

The Witcher 2 has not yet been given a release date, and as of now it is a PC-only title. Those of you interested in learning what's in store for Geralt should check out the exclusive preview at Gamespot.

UPDATE: CD Projekt Red has officially announced The Witcher 2 will also be an Xbox 360 and PS3 title.

Born the son of a poor immigrant, Vito is a beaten down Italian-American who is trying to escape the life of poverty that consumed his childhood. Vito, along with his lifelong friend, Joe, will descend into the world of organized crime. Looking to escape the life of hardship that his father led, Vito dreams about becoming a "made man," and together with Joe, will work to prove themselves to the Mafia as they try to make their names on the streets. However, the two quickly realize that life as a wise guy isn't quite as glamorous as it seems.

For those of you headed to PAX East, Take-Two also announced the game will be playable by the public for the first time at the sold-out expo, which kicks off tomorrow in Boston.

"BlizzCon offers us a great opportunity to meet with our players and share our enthusiasm for gaming with one of the most passionate communities in the world," Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard, said in a statement. "We're looking forward to providing another great show filled with entertainment, competition, and the latest information about Blizzard Entertainment games."

Details about ticket availability and pricing will be announced on the official BlizzCon web site in the near future. The company did state tickets will be sold in much the same way as last year, meaning a Battle.net account is required, and tickets will be sold to the lucky few that queue into the system first.

Ryan Scott: So, to kick this off, let's talk a little bit about you and your history. You worked on a few Blizzard titles -- and you're a renowned StarCraft player as well, right?

Tom Cadwell: I'm terrible now, but that's OK. So my background is, I was really into StarCraft in college. I played really competitively, and I was a top player for a while -- I was really good with the Protoss [faction]. And then I started developing games. I made a small title in college called Strifeshadow; it was a real-time strategy game, and then I moved on to work at Blizzard for about three years, as the balance guy on Warcraft III. And then on World of Warcraft, I worked on a bunch of systems and content polish and some other interesting things. After that, I went to business school; I wasn't really sure why at the time, but it's proving more useful now. I was a producer at Red 5 Studios for a while, and realized I hated being a producer and just wanted to be a designer -- so I took the opportunity to be Riot Games' design director.

Ryan Scott: That said, let's talk about League of Legends. Right off the bat -- do you think Riot jumped the gun with its release? It was sort of lacking in some important features, like spectator mode, draft mode, and replays -- which you guys have talked a lot about since launch. In any case, what do you think about LoL's launch?

Tom Cadwell: I think we made the right decision. You know, once upon a time, game development was about releasing a monolithic product when it was ready, and then you marched on to the next thing, and didn't look back. But these days, you want to create a really fun experience for people, one that they're going to enjoy and stay loyal to. And while I want replays and observer mode as much as you guys, getting those done along with everything else would have delayed us a lot. We felt like we had a really fun product that stood on its own, and we felt like it was ready to launch. With the growth we've had in our users, we've been pretty successful, and we are going to build those features, and more features after that. So, I'm happy with the decision we made, even though I understand why some users were disappointed at those specific features not being included in the launch.

Ryan Scott: Were you ever apprehensive about the microtransaction-based revenue model?

Tom Cadwell: Yes! I mean, it was a big decision. No one had really done a free-to-play model for a competitive, hardcore game. We felt like we had a solution that worked, but it's scary to jump off the cliff and not know if it's going to work or not. It was a big risk -- but it was one that was really successful for us. We got a ton of users into the game, and they've been very loyal in supporting us by opting in to buy skins or permanent access to champions. And we're also happy that our users understand we're not selling in-game power, or being unfair or unbalanced [with the model]. When we first explained the model, a lot of players had that concern, but we don't hear that much [anymore], because we've been very careful to mitigate that.

Ryan Scott: With regard to the "we don't sell power" stance... I almost feel like you kind of do in a way, because you have the Influence Point boosts. Have you ever thought about cutting out that middleman and straight-up selling runes for real money?

Tom Cadwell: We thought about it. As gamers, a lot of us felt like we probably wouldn't be super-thrilled with it, so we decided to go more indirect there. And the advantage you get from buying Influence Point boosts is not that large in the grand scheme of things. I have a pretty good rune book, and I haven't used the boosts, other than the free one I got from being a high-rated player in the beta. There's nothing in the game that you can't earn in a reasonable space of time -- it's not like some of the free-to-play games where you have to grind for 20,000 hours to get something. We wanted LoL to be an honest commitment to gamers, so we didn't do a pay-to-win thing.

Ryan Scott: To get into some nitty-gritty design topics, it definitely seems that you've iterated on your matchmaking system quite a bit, in ways that players don't really see. As many players certainly know, it's derived from chess' ELO rating system. Has that system proven very difficult to implement? Obviously, it was originally designed for a one-on-one game, and you've applied it to a five-on-five game with enormous amounts of variables...

Tom Cadwell: Regardless of what system you use, it's hard for it to figure out "Well, who caused the win and who caused the loss?" in a team game. In a one-on-one game, you can make a pretty good guess -- either somebody played really well, or somebody played really badly, so you just assign the blame and it works out. It's much harder in a team game, because to be accurate, you have to figure out who's causing the win and who's causing the loss. That said, we're pretty happy with how our system (which has a number of improvements on top of ELO to make it work for a team game) is working out. Over the next couple of months, we're going to be adding some additional analysis tools that can more rapidly figure out who is actually causing the win and who is causing the loss, in a really smart way. We contracted a guy who has a kind of a computational biology background to do some data-mining and analysis on that. We're going to go through each champion and look at things like what a good Chronokeeper looks like, and what a good Soraka looks like. We'll use that to help clue us in on new players and people who are less competitive, so we can more quickly get people up to that skill level. The bottom line is, it's a hard problem.

Ryan Scott: The hardcore guys on the forums have pointed out plenty of perceived unfairness in the matchmaking system (grouping high-level players with much lower-level ones and such). Do you ever feel like they have a point -- that these perceptions do the matchmaking system a disservice, even if the math behind it is sound?

Tom Cadwell: We know [the system] is effective because we've looked at the results, and the predictions are pretty accurate in general. There are always cases where a bad match happens. I agree with you, though -- I think your point about perception is important, and that's why we're going to be rolling out some changes pretty soon where the game tries to match you with people who are both around your skill and around your summoner level. Right now, it just looks for people of the same skill level, and we see that, say, level 13 versus level 30 actually ends up being pretty fair, on average, when it's looking at just your skill. But it's perceived, like you say, as being unfair. So we're going to be adding these tweaks to reduce people's hesitation, and get them to believe that the matchmaker is [playing] fair.

Shot from the live-action Future Soldier trailer released today.

"We don't look at it just as a videogame brand," Adrian Lacey, a producer on the film, told Variety. "For us, it's very much an entertainment brand. Videogames talk to a lot more people than they did a while back. It's a much bigger audience so we're trying to bring more people to it."

According to Variety, the Future Soldier short film will be released in multiple formats in the fall.

In the upper right corner of the screen, a circular, clock-like gauge appears to be filling up, most likely counting down to whatever it is the site is teasing as players earn platinum trophies in God of War III. As our friends at IGN pointed out, PSP game God of War: Chains of Olympus had a similar teaser site, so a new Kratos adventure on Sony's handheld could be in store. Our money, however, is on DLC. The question has been bandied about for some time, and we believe the teaser site will eventually tell us DLC is coming for God of War III.

Batman also won for best Gameplay and Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 took home the public vote for best game. EA Sports FIFA 10 won two BAFTAs for innovation and evolution of the franchise, and Valve's Left 4 Dead 2 was named best Multiplayer.

Nintendo mastermind and Mario and Link creator Shigeru Miyamoto took home BAFTA's highest accolade, the Fellowship. In accepting the award, Miyamoto said, "Our imaginations and creativity should be the only limits and that is what makes our industry a joy and a dream to work in."

Visit the BAFTA web site for the full list of winners and nominees.

I've spent the last week playing through Final Fantasy II for the first time through the Wii's Virtual Console, and it's been a lot of fun to experience it, totally fresh, in an emulation of its original American release. I can easily see how this installment in Square's long-running series became such a fan favorite, as it transitioned the wildly popular role-playing franchise from Nintendo's 8-bit hardware to a machine with a lot more power to take advantage of. Even just the opening scene -- employing Mode 7 scaling techniques to present a pseudo-3D view of the world while airships soar through the sky -- I can still appreciate for its artistry and technical achievement here, nearly 20 years later. It still looks great.

But I wasn't really ready for this game to have so many little quirks.

Yes, the numbering in the game's name is weird again. This one is more commonly called Final Fantasy IV today.

Take the translation, for starters. It's been pretty well documented that this first stab at bringing the game's script into English was pretty rough, but I always thought that just meant a few chuckle-worthy lines like the famous "You spoony bard!" got through into the final product. I didn't realize that the whole game was filled with grammatical errors and weird dialogue exchanges. It's a bit of a turn-off.

Then there's a ton of character turn-over. I'm used to some switching around in the ranks of your core adventuring party from those other SNES RPGs I listed up above, but Final Fantasy II feels like the most inconsistent of them all -- characters come and go with ridiculous speed, sometimes only joining you for the length of a single dungeon crawl before the plot carries them away from playability. It feels almost worthless to spend time investing in leveling anyone up, because it's like you're always only five minutes away from them leaving you anyway.

And then there's the total lack of challenge. Again, I knew enough about this edition going in to remember it was an "Easy Type," a toned-down, less-difficult edition of the Japanese original created as a concession to RPG-inexperienced American players in the early '90s. Every town in the game even has a "training room" to tutorialize the uninitiated. But I didn't realize just how easy this Easy Type would be -- it's almost comically simple at times. There was one major boss in the middle of the adventure that I killed in one hit. No joke.

Along with the DLC announcement, Quantic Dream today released the second patch for Heavy Rain. According to the company, this patch addresses the freezing and crashing problems some players have experienced and will improve the overall stability of the game.

GameSpy: What was the goal that Quantic Dream had when they set out to make Heavy Rain?

David Cage: It was to create an experience based on emotion, for an adult audience. And breaking with most of the conventions, most of the traditional videogame rules. So it was about trying to reinvent a way to interact, not using patterns and loops but really trying to use contextual actions and discovering what it takes to create an experience where your actions, where you tell a story through your actions and not through cut-scenes. So that was what we tried to discover.

GameSpy: Heavy Rain is obviously a game about the decisions that you make. Were there ever times that you considered not giving players the ability to reload at all? Because it seems like you were really trying to emphasize that each choice you make matters.

David Cage: You know, when you create a game and people buy it, it's [bad] to frustrate them, even when it's for their own good. So the decision I made in the last month of the project was not to frustrate them, but rather to evangelize, and to explain that the best way to experience Heavy Rain was to play it in one walkthrough, bearing with the consequences of your actions. I'm really glad, because most of the people I talk to, or what I read on the forums, is really... even if people lost some characters, they still go until the end and want to see everything that happened in this configuration. And then they go back and replay, and I think that's the best way to experience Heavy Rain.

GameSpy: That was actually what I was going to ask you. In my review, I said that it was very important that the first time you play, no matter what happens, it happens, because it's your characters and it's your story. Fahrenheit -- the last game you did before Heavy Rain -- was a story-heavy game, too. Was the goal with Heavy Rain to make it even more of an interactive movie than Fahrenheit was?

David Cage: I never wanted to create, really, an "interactive movie," or a "cinema" experience. I really wanted to create an emotional experience, that was my only goal. So it's true that I used storytelling, characterization, visual narrative to achieve this goal, but all I wanted was to trigger different types of emotions than the ones that you usually find in games. In games, you often find adrenaline, stress, frustration, competition, anger, fear, but I wanted to explore how it was possible to trigger, you know, empathy, sadness, making you feel uncomfortable, feel depressed -- the kinds of things that you never find, never feel in games.

GameSpy: A lot of people are skeptical when they hear that the game's mostly played through quick-time events. Has that been something that your studio has worked to refine time and again in order to give it more of a tactile feel? How have you learned about using these sort of inputs from your past games like Farenheit?

David Cage: Well, you know, all this quick-time-event stuff was really big before people could actually play the game. But now that people can play the game, and we read all the reviews and checked on the forums and talked to gamers, and no one complained about it. On the contrary, they thought it was a really immersive way to feel [like you're] at the heart of the action. So yeah, we learned a lot from Fahrenheit. It didn't work in Fahrenheit, as action sequences, because they were really out in front of you and you couldn't see exactly what was going on. The actions were actually disconnected, whereas here, it works exactly the opposite way. Heavy Rain started from a blank page; we decided that each action on screen should be triggered by you, and that we should use all of the controller. We should use the sticks, the buttons, the triggers, the Sixaxis, and make you really feel like you're doing the actions, that these actions are different and that each action scene is choreographed. Everything is really like in a movie, except that you're in control of the timing of what's going on. And we made sure there's a consequence to every single action you take. So, for example, if I'm supposed to throw a punch, if I succeed, I would immediately see the result... but if I fail, I see the result immediately as well. That was the most important thing for me.

GameSpy: The faces are something that a lot of people have talked very positively about in Heavy Rain. What was the hardest part about actually getting those emotions to come across on faces? What sorts of problems does that present?

David Cage: We had a lot of technical issues, but also some issues with the acting and the directing, because it's a lot of technical constraints to do real facial animations. Many games out there just do a key frame animation for the face, which is fine when you do 20 minutes of cut-scenes -- but when you do four or five hours of dialogue like we have to do, in 16 different languages, you need to find another solution. So everything was motion-captured, which implied many different things regarding directing and how you work with the actor on-stage. So in many ways, it was quite similar to the work done on Avatar, with performance capture for the movie. We faced probably very similar issues. But at the same time, I'm quite pleased with the result, because it seems that people feel the emotions that the characters convey, and it seems that the characters are believable, people can find empathy for them, that was the most important part.

For those of you not up to speed on the latest tricks, "My Name is Earl" star and former pro skater Jason Lee will appear as Coach Frank in the game's new Skate School. And once you learn the ropes from the Tracer, you can hit the streets of the newly designed city of Port Caverton, a place Black Box calls "a true skater's paradise."

If Port Caverton isn't quite your style, an in-game editor allows players to drop objects anywhere in the city or start from scratch and create their own plazas and ramp parks. User creations can then be uploaded and shared with friends via Xbox Live or PSN.

After its North American release on May 11, Skate 3 is slated to ship worldwide on May 14.

Over on EA's official Battlefield blog, the company posted a Q&A that detailed the work it has done to address the most prominent issues gamers have been having on all platforms. Most notably, the company stated: "EA Online has been adding more capacity to handle the high number of player connections to EA servers. This is an ongoing process but we currently have enough capacity to handle all BFBC2 connections."

Lady Gaga was the other news surrounding Harmonix today. The reigning pop queen's Track Pack, including "Bad Romance," "Just Dance," "Monster," and "Poker Face" will be available for download on March 16 for the Xbox 360 and Wii, March 18 for the PS3. In addition, South Park's take on Lady Gaga's "Poker Face," featuring Eric Cartman on vocals, will also be available for download.

The official release underlines the 13 letters and a single number to create "drattmannh0nee." The mysterious announcement immediately lit up Portal forums and blogs across the Internet as posters tried to work out the potential meaning.

As it turns out the 14 characters are another username/password for the Valve BBS which was discovered earlier this week. This, of course, leads to more cryptic tomfoolery -- check out this forum thread over at Facepunch.com for the incredibly detailed blow-by-blow.

The Valve announcement coincided with a cover story on Portal 2 from Game Informer. The magazine does not reveal many details other than to say it is "a standalone, full-price retail release" with "new gameplay mechanics, storyline, and some surprising new twists." We'll keep you posted.

"This latest Rock Band title aims to encapsulate the spirit and energy of a band that has sold more than 50 million records worldwide and been hailed as one of the best live acts touring today," MTV Games said in a statement.

Give me back my son!

Considering Dragon Age: Origins was in development for nearly seven years, a full-blown sequel just one year after the original was released seems premature, particularly considering the game's most talked-about flaw, dated graphics, is linked directly to its engine. However, according to a January post on Joystiq, that's exactly what BioWare is working on for its Dragon Age sequel:

Dragon Age: Origins presents strong evidence that great games can overcome gawd-awful graphics, but BioWare isn't about to test that theory -- and the limits of our forgiveness -- again in the sequel. "I think one of the key things we're working on in Dragon Age 2 is the technology," BioWare VP Greg Zeschuk recently told Joystiq. "I can confirm that we're doing a lot of work on the Dragon Age engine, and doing a lot of stuff to pump it -- to make it visually super hot."

We'll let you know when we hear more from EA and BioWare about Dragon Age 2.

"The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition really resonated with gamers young and old thanks to its classic storyline and updated gameplay features," LucasArts' President Darrell Rodriguez said in a statement. "We're adding even more great new features in this sequel and can't wait for classic Monkey Island fans and newcomers alike to experience perhaps the most beloved installment in the franchise ever."

For PS3 gamers who missed out last summer, LucasArts also announced that the first Monkey Island special edition will soon be available for download on PSN.

- Image courtesy of CNET

Rhode led a series of live demonstrations that illustrated Move's capabilities. In the Sports Champions game pack, Sony demonstrated how two motion controllers can be used simultaneously to create sword and shield battles in Gladiator Duel. Playing Table Tennis, the company successfully showed how the system is sensitive enough to replicate hard and soft shots as well as topspin and slice. And in Motion Fighters, Sony demonstrated how flicks of the wrist won't do when a real punch is required.

Social games like Move Party were shown, illustrating how the Eye camera and Move controller can be used to create augmented reality family games, such as Paint Brush and Wacky Barber Shop, and then Sony pulled out two of its big guns. In LittleBigPlanet, developers played cooperatively with one person using Move to flip blocks and move platforms, while a partner controlled SackGirl moving through the environments with a standard Sixaxis. And in SOCOM 4, developers demonstrated how Move could be used to aim and fire weapons while a second controller could be used to control direction.

All the games demonstrated are still in pre-alpha, Dille noted, and will only improve when Move launches in the fall. On packaging and pricing, Dille said the details were still being hammered out, but Sony does plan to release a Move Starter Kit, including Eye camera, Move controller, and game for less than $100.

"We're paving a path from the Wii household to the PS3 household," Dille said. "We're planning to design games that target all genres and audiences, including core gamers, and we're treating this like a virtual platform launch. This will be our biggest effort of the year."

Well, probably.

Taking the old "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" rule at face value, Sony Santa Monica has done very little to alter how things work, though there's been a bit of welcome polish on nearly every facet of gameplay. That is, if you were expecting a revolution in terms of design, you'll be sorely disappointed. But, if you simply wanted more of what has made the series so great up to this point, you're going to be quite happy indeed.

Click the image to watch our in-depth video review.

What has worked in the past largely still holds true here in great fashion. God of War III practically redefines what the word "scale" means with regards to videogames, as it throws you into scenes with Titans that are larger than entire levels in some other games. The scope of some of these sequences is nothing short of astounding, with playable sequences that take place on creatures the size of a skyscraper. Sony Santa Monica has been promising this all along, but even when you know what sort of experience you're in for, you'll still be blown away by the immensity of some scenes.

While size is a hugely impressive aspect of the game, more than anything else, God of War III is a tour-de-force in terms of its visuals, and it's even more brutal than any of its predecessors. Yes, this is a very M-rated game, one filled with blood, gore and detached limbs, but what's important is that it all makes sense. Greek mythology was filled with violence, and Kratos' latest doesn't hold back in all the right ways.

The combat is just as responsive as ever with big, massive combos that you'll always feel completely in control of. You can cancel out of almost anything and go into a block or roll, making defensive maneuvers a strong (and very necessary) part of your arsenal. One subtle tweak this time around is that the old Square-Square-Triangle combo that ends with Kratos whipping down the Blades in a big overhand motion isn't as easily abused as it once was. This is partly due to the fact that you'll find yourself surrounded by more enemies than ever before, requiring that you utilize your area attacks more often, but it's also because enemies can be more aggressive. If you're in their sights, they're probably attacking, which makes the combat a little more balanced between blocking, rolling and attacking; that's great. It's not a huge change, but it's certainly very welcome.

Kratos looks incredible (and deadly).

One problem with past God of War titles was that despite the fact that you'd pick up a handful of other weapons along the way, in large part they weren't very useful as your blades seemed to almost always be more effective. That's been fixed this time, and all three of the other weapons you acquire are good in almost any situation. That's even more true thanks to the fact that you can now switch between them on the fly, mid-combo, allowing you to string together big sequences will all four weapons in use.

My only complaint here is that two of the three additional weapons that you'll earn are extremely similar to your blades. They have unique powers and slightly different moves, but by and large, they're more of the same. The Cestus (the pair of big metal gloves that you've no doubt seen previously) is really the only weapon that's truly unique, and fortunately those are both useful and great fun to take into battle, but it's hard to not wish that your other pickups were as different at the Cestus.

Games like SOCOM 4 showed promise, perhaps, and interactive toys like the EyePet elicited a few giggles from onlookers as they watched players squirm around the floor, flailing their arms in synchronized confusion with a polygonal chia-chimp. But all in all this was not the revolutionary new motion controller Sony hinted at during last year's E3 presentation. This was a soulless party game stick surrounded by a gaggle of half-concocted ideas and missteps. And until we see some really big guns roll out to justify its existence, this will be an all-too-familiar road to traverse.

Gerald Villoria: This might come off as closed-minded Neo-Luddism, but I believe the industry's movement towards a motion-controlled future is ill-advised. I predict that PlayStation Move will enjoy a similar level of success to the EyeToy; take that as you will. I understand the reasoning behind Sony's decision to try and play catch-up to Nintendo's innovation. You can't underestimate the buying power of the grandmas and soccer moms anymore: Nintendo's success with the Wii has expanded the audience, and it's only natural for Microsoft and Sony to try for their slice of the pie. But I also know what I like, and after getting my hands on the PlayStation Move and its first batch of games, I just don't feel that Sony has me (or my tastes) in mind.

The games on display ranged from family-friendly party games and shooting galleries to simplistic combat sports and bowling. Basically, all the kinds of experiences you've already had access to on the Wii since it launched, only now they're in HD. SOCOM 4 was the only announced game that grabbed my interest, but watching the presenter play the game turned me back off. He didn't have fine accuracy (forget about headshots), and he also seemed to struggle with shooting enemies in the periphery. If I'm playing a shooter (or any game, really), I'll take a mouse-and-keyboard or standard gamepad over the Remote and Nunchuk (or PS Move and Sub-controller) every single time.

But then Nintendo and Game Freak did something devious: they sucked me back in again. Curse those guys ticking my gadget fetish with the bundled Pokewalker...

Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver are the two latest games in the Pokemon RPG series and are remakes of Pokemon Gold and Silver that existed on the Game Boy Color. On the surface the two games are virtually identical to each other, but each houses different species of Pokemon to make them unique. Game Freak did more than give the experience a new coat of paint with the 3D engine from Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum; they also added things to discover during the massive quest. Most importantly, the new Pokewalker gadget brings a welcome twist to the familiar franchise, making HeartGold and SoulSilver a bit more attractive to those who've already experienced the series several times over the last 14 years.

If you're new to Pokemon don't worry -- just like the previous games in the series, HeartGold and SoulSilver do an excellent job weaning you into the addictive gameplay that the series is known for.

HeartGold and SoulSilver follow the exact formula of the Pokemon RPG: you're on a quest to become the best Pokemon trainer around. In this world, all creatures are Pokemon, and you have the ability to catch wild Pokemon and bring them into your collection of fighters. Each Pokemon has strengths and weaknesses against other Pokemon because of their type -- water types are stronger against fire types, bug types strong against grass types, etc. -- and that's where strategy comes into play.

The game's design is rooted into the older Japanese RPG style consisting of random battles and turn-based menu-selection fights. But the game continues to be as engrossing and addictive as ever because of the sense of personal gratification. The thrill of finding rare Pokemon, the satisfying "click" of catching an elusive creature, the feeling of accomplishment when you've completed your Pokemon collection. Even with the countless clones that have attempted the same style, no other game has been able to do what the Pokemon RPG does even a decade and a half later.

Last year, Nintendo resurrected Punch-Out!! on Wii and while it was a lot of fun and looked great, it was a little disappointing that there was only one new character. So if you want more Punch-Out!! with all new bosses and a change of scenery, enter the ring with Rage of the Gladiator. This WiiWare offering takes the arcade boxing game's formula, sets it in a vaguely Roman coliseum, and pits players against a mob of inventive and colorful bosses. Rage of the Gladiator is a lot of fun and it's surprising how much content developer Ghostfire Games was able to squeeze into WiiWare's 40MB size limit.

From a first-person perspective, you face off against each villain, memorizing their patterns and exploiting weaknesses. Players have a choice of three different control schemes, allowing you to play with the remote held horizontally for an old-school NES experience or with motion controls if you want to get your arms swinging. Either way, you basically have four attacks: high left, high right, low left, and low right. You can dodge side to side, bring up your shield to block, and also jump over low blows. Finally, each hit you land on your opponent will add to your energy bar, and once it's filled a certain amount, you can unleash powerful spells and combos.

Amit the Charmer, one of 10 bosses you'll face in Rage of the Gladiator, can transform into a gigantic snake.

You need to watch each boss closely so you can learn their tells, catch them off guard, and land a few punches when you can. It's as addictive and satisfying a formula today as it was in Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! back in 1987. Avoiding attacks often requires very quick reflexes and you can count on losing to most bosses on your first try, but I was always up for another go after being knocked out. This is one of those games where you'll find yourself leaning left and right in your seat, actually trying to dodge the in-game attacks.

I think the audience that will most enjoy Rage of the Gladiator, though, is a younger gamer crowd. A lot of the dialogue and voice acting is a bit cheesy in a Saturday morning cartoon sort of way. While it may cause some adults to roll their eyes, this is really a great game for pre-teens.

Rage of the Gladiator features top-notch production values, especially for a $10 WiiWare game. The bosses are well animated, each speaks many lines of dialogue, and some nice lighting effects add flair to the battlefield. Even the audience cheering you on looks better than you would expect.

Ghostfire Games definitely had a lot of fun designing the 10 bosses. No two are alike, inspired by monsters and warriors from various mythologies and eras. Naginata is an evil ninja, for instance, while the Sea Witch is a riff on Medusa. Lord Vensor is a dark magician who calls meteors to rain down on either side of you, making it difficult to dodge his sword. After you've beaten them all, the story continues in Challenge Mode, where you have to face them again in more difficult variations.

One of my favorite parts of Rage of the Gladiator is the upgrade system. After each victory you receive three upgrade points you can spend to learn new spells and improve your abilities. There is a pretty extensive tree to work through, allowing you to both customize your fighter and enjoy constant rewards.

Closing Comments
Rage of the Gladiator succeeds at taking the familiar Punch-Out!! formula and placing it in an ancient battle coliseum. If you were disappointed that Punch-Out!! Wii didn't include more new fighters, well, here are 10 new ones to get to know. The production values on display here are impressive, especially for a WiiWare game. Multiple control schemes offer something for both fans of old school and motion controls, the game looks great, and lots of voice acting brings these bosses to life. Keep in mind, though, that the often silly dialogue and voice work will probably appeal mostly to younger gamers. But Rage of the Gladiator is up there with the best that WiiWare has to offer.

We are currently a small team of experienced developers setting off to develop an exciting new IP. It's an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of something important, but at the same time we have established teams in Redwood Shores and Salt Lake City to back us up. I believe that by nature, people in our industry tend to seek out challenge and adventure. They want to be a part of something where their talents will be stretched and developed. That's the kind of project that we're building.

We searched the EA jobs board in hopes of gleaning a few bits of additional information, and while we did find postings for the positions Bell mentioned, the only detail we could find referenced applicants needing to have console experience. Whatever this groundbreaking project is, we won't be seeing it anytime soon. According to EA's art director description, "We have yet to create a single piece of art, so you'll be in right on the ground floor."

Sharkey says: It's a safe bet Will Wright is involved somehow. Any guesses what EA has up its sleeve?

Paul Hellquist: Um, I think... I think it did and it didn't. I think a couple of months before it came out, based on focus testing and people around the office getting the chance to play it for the first time, it became pretty clear to us that we really had something that grabbed people. But there was a long time during the course of development where we were... We were questioning ourselves a little bit about it. We were fairly confident that it was going to be something that people would latch onto, but it took a while for it to come together. Once it did start to come together towards the end, we could tell that we were gonna get a hit. We had a great E3, and that really solidified, in our minds, that we were going to have a successful title.

Borderlands before the art style changed.

Paul Hellquist: Yeah, there were some trying times, for sure, but we kept on working through it and working with 2K and everything came together. There were definitely some times there where we were unsure about what the future would bring.

Paul Hellquist: Oh, it was really exciting for everyone involved, to really explore our own creative universe. We love working on all those franchises as well, but it was super exciting for everyone to come up with what Pandora and Borderlands was going to be all about. So that was really exciting for us. And it continues to be. We just, we can't stop making this game, essentially. We've got so many different ideas for things that we'd love for people to experience with Borderlands that we just want to keep working on it.

Paul Hellquist: That, I think, is a decision that's still up in the air. We're going one at a time here. Especially after number two. We had one and two planned, at the end of development of the regular game, we had an idea of what we wanted to do for one and two. Then we took a little bit of time to see what people were responding to when we were deciding to do General Knoxx. Now we're in that phase again, we want to see how people respond to this one, and what sort of things that they're looking for from Borderlands. Then we'll make some decisions about whether or not we're going to work on another DLC pack.

Borderlands before the art style change.

Paul Hellquist: Well, we had come out and started talking about the game when we thought it was going to be ready at a certain point in time. Then it took us a while longer to get it right. By the time we were starting to understand when we were going to be landing it, after games like Fallout 3 that had a similar premise, and went with a very realistic look and feel, it made us think for a second about, "Are people gonna notice our game? Are people gonna want to see more of our game?"

So that was the timeframe when we started looking into doing some new, the new art style. The artists and some of the level designers got together and said, "What would be something that would stand out among this crowd?" They really just went back to their original concept drawings, and started looking at what got them so excited at the very beginning. They realized, "Well, what if we made the game actually look like these drawings? Render like these drawings?" Instead of just interpreting those drawings and making them more realistic. So the programmers, artists, designers, level designers, they all got together and worked for a couple of weeks to get the technology we needed from the rendering side and the visuals we needed in order to support the new style.

It was a really interesting process, and just like Randy, I think a lot of the other people in the company who were working on other projects -- like Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, that was in development at the time as well -- the people working on those games were saying, "What are they doing over there? Did they feel like starting over?" And then there was a company meeting where the Borderlands team unveiled the new look to everyone, and it was one of these looks where, we saw some screenshots around the office of it, but until you really saw the game working and moving with the new rendering and everything, you didn't really know. Once the whole company saw it, everyone was just blown away and really knew that that was going to be a big deal for us, really made it stand out. That reinvigorated the team to finish the game.

Starship Defense looks like it was sketched with a pencil.

In order to build weapons you'll need to harvest energy from defeated enemies. The bad guys leave behind energy pods that slowly float towards the bottom of the screen and you can pick them up by swiping them with your stylus. The entire game is controlled with the stylus, a method that works very well. Tap an icon to open your build menu, tap the gun you want to make, and then tap where you want it to be added to your ship.

Enemies hover above your ship on the top screen, Galaga-style. Before they make their attack you'll see a dotted line indicating the path they'll take so you can plan accordingly where to build your defenses. The final wave of each level is a powerful boss ship that will continue making passes and blasting away until it is defeated. But you aren't alone in your quest -- your helpful robot assistant will provide advice and comic relief.

There are 30 stages to be completed and at times your path with branch off so you can choose which stage to tackle next. Some stages aren't required to play, but they may provide valuable upgrades if you take the time for the detour.

What first caught my eye with Starship Defense was the striking visual style. The game is mostly black and white with mere outlines representing the various ships and weaponry. It's a bold look that really sets the game apart from other tower defense efforts. Thankfully, I found the game also highly entertaining, so it's got more than just good looks.

Closing Comments
Starship Defense is the best tower defense game on DSiWare. It's cheap, it's got great visuals, and the concept is different enough to make the game standout in a crowded genre. If you're looking for a good strategy game to download, this is it.

Shoot someone with a ball of fire and they scream in pain while searching out the nearest water source to douse the flames. When you discover their corpses afterward, you'll find the skin charred black and red, as much meat as human. If you've got a Little Sister with you she might chime in happily that you've made a toasty human marshmallow from this mess. Using regular guns offer similarly grisly effects, leaving dark crimson spatters on walls and on their fraying clothes. These nasty rewards are made sweeter because of the skulking villainy of the Splicers. You'll hear them commiserating over corpses or bickering about ADAM before they turn on you with shrill cries of blood lust. The game gives you every possible tool to reciprocate the carnivorous reception. If there was a replay feature it might as well be a snuff film simulator.

In the first BioShock this fun gameplay was framed as a yarn of survival and self-preservation. The people you were entreated to help were conveniently placed along the cookie trail to the exit door. I grew sick of the repetitive violence after a few hours because I didn't believe in my reasons for being there. I had no idea who I was supposed to be or what life I was fighting to survive. I also didn't believe that I could unlock a power to hypnotize a Splicer so he would attack his enemies but I couldn't negotiate with one or try and pass myself off as one to circumvent conflict. I reached a moral breaking point. I didn't want to have to kill anything else, warped demon person or not. Ken Levine told Brian Crecente this wasn't a critique of Objectivism as much as a rendering of violent extremism. "It's a cautionary tale about wholesale, unquestioning belief in something," he said.

BioShock 2 puts its violence in the exact opposite context. Your odyssey of extermination is not for self-preservation but to rescue a young girl for whom you play "Daddy." Splicers come to embody the obstacle separating you and your own Little Sister. It's a sort of inverse Milgram experiment in which the more inactive I am the more potential damage I cause the innocent on the other side of Rapture. Even when I started to get tired of the meat conveyor belt, I felt a moral imperative to press on because I never felt like it would have been right to let Eleanor be sacrificed.

The gather sequences offer a nice mechanical representation of this theme, asking you to construct as safe an environment as possible for your helpless Little Sister corpse draining needs. All of the consequent action happens on your periphery, and the enemies now largely ignore you, which makes the sequences that much more frantic. The sense of no longer being the focal point gives these moments a helplessness that amplifies the story's sacrificial overtones. I'm still forced to behave like a violent psychopath, but BioShock 2 gives me a glimmer of hope in the eventual freeing of an innocent. It's a clich� and a fantastic delusion, but it's a marked improvement over the first game's masculine nihilism.

In many other ways, BioShock 2 remains as clunky and old-fashioned as the original. When you're not busy killing people, you can explore the richly detailed bedrooms, playpens, and foyers of Rapture. As you stumble around in the ruin, you'll discover a wealth of gold-tinted items of varying use. There are audio logs, potato chips, coffee thermoses, ammo, and enough whiskey to make your vision go blurry for 5-10 seconds (I'd demand a refund). The variety of items is impressive, but it quickly starts to feel like a fake-job.

There is no real interaction in the game, you move your aiming cursor over the shiny thing and hit a button to magically absorb it into the appropriate cache. This starts to feel especially absurd in firefights when I can just mash a button while scurrying for cover and in a few seconds have gotten some money, machine gun bullets, a medical kit, and a pack of cigarettes all without literally having had to go through the necessary motions of scavenging. This is an absolutely absurd system held over from the first one, itself a holdover from the grungy days of late 90's PC game design.

In the days of System Shock 2 variety counted as depth, but in 2010 variety is meaningless without a sensorial representation. Ambient exploration in a detailed environment can be a rewarding enough mechanic on its own. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories makes fantastic use of this idea, connecting realistic animations to in-world behavior. When you open a door, you literally push it forward with the analog stick, peer in, and then push all the way to enter the room. When you pick up an item, it's not lost to menu abstraction. It becomes a real, physical part of the game that you can rotate and inspect using the benefit of the Wii remote's motion controls. There's no benefit from this system in terms of winning or losing, but there's a terrific impact in terms of immersion.

Adding a system of environmental interaction for loot gathering, door opening, and item examination would have imbued the pretty visuals with a more realistic weight. It also would have encouraged a slower and more circuitous approach to combat. In the same way that the gather scenarios encourage a few minutes of tactical preparation and game planning before plunging in, adding real environmental interactivity could have encouraged slower movement and more careful observation of your surroundings. Instead, the arcane PC interface from ten years ago is kept in place and only the most unbelievable actions (i.e. those directly related to attacking people) are given weight.

Will you find a reason to murder them?

Another frustrating disconnect is the idea that you're playing a reanimated corpse in a giant metal suit who moves with the same basic speed and fluidity as the non-confined human in the first game. The default movement is a bit slower, but you're given a speed boost tonic early on which basically equalizes things. It's an obvious concession to player convenience, but that doesn't make it the right thing to do. It gives players all the benefit of Big Daddy power without any of the constraints of limited mobility.

To balance this, your health meter is remarkably vulnerable. In the second level of the game I was killed trading melees with a Splicer. Even though he was in a shirt and tie and I was in a giant metal suit with a drill arm, his punches were capable of taking almost an eighth of my health per swing. That's good for keeping combat balanced, but absurd for creating a consistently believable world. At a certain point competitive convenience has to give way to ambient realism. I'd rather feel like I had a realistic weight and impact in a believable environment than I would feel like a hyperkinetic ubermensch.

Killzone 2 forced me to deal with limited movement speed and a discombobulating sense of aiming momentum to recreate the hardships of fighting while carrying around a constrictive load of war machinery. Kane and Lynch added a level of bullet sail and inaccuracy to the aiming system to make you feel like you were always doing things wrong. You can use these most basic of gameplay systems to communicate with the player and not just service their need to constantly win against the AI. If you're going to make a game about something more than winning and competition it's okay to amend the competitive mechanics for the sake of thematic expression.

If there's a moral to be taken from both BioShock's it's that the means matter as much as the ends. There's nothing wrong with Andrew Ryan's rugged individualism nor Sophia Lamb's collectivism but the extremes to which they go to justify these ideals is phantasmagorical. The gameplay is a mirror of that visceral phantasmagoria. There's only one way out of Rapture, and that's through killing. When I played the first game I chose to save every Little Sister I met. I didn't care about the morality system and I didn't bother upgrading plasmids till near the end of the game. Those few seconds of sweet strings and bright white light were the only moments of respite from the rancor and decay all around. It wasn't a moral choice but an aesthetic choice, my instinctual rebellion against the art design.

I did feel a terrible conflict killing Big Daddies, even more strongly in the second game. In this moral toilet world of brutality, they were the only creatures that didn't want to kill me. I could walk by them and they didn't care. They offered a glimpse of co-existence. But to get to that pretty few seconds of rescuing the baby vampires, I had to become a Splicer and attack a docile creature. It's a much more incisive mechanic than the actual harvesting, all the scripted double-crossing, or the dramatic hucksterism of "Would you kindly?"

The game gives me a completely optional opportunity to enrich myself but forces me to adopt the selfish aggression of those people I'd just been thinking were so purely evil a moment ago. There's no choice but to kill Splicers. Progression is impossible without it, so that act can't have any moral consequence to me. The encounters with Big Daddies are neither manslaughter nor self-defense. They're first-degree murder and I chose it every time, and I didn't even care about the upgrades. In BioShock 2 I did it for the delusion that the fleeting relief was something I could keep with me, like a homeless man tending to a beloved rat. Maybe, I'm alone in this, but I'd rather play a homeless man with a rat than a brainwashed killer. BioShock 2 kind of splits the difference. It's a small victory, but, for me, it still counts.

The Issue: One of my favorite multiplayer maps is Terminal. In the past two weeks, over roughly ten hours of online time, I've played Terminal only twice. Twice. Meanwhile, I keep getting cycled into Skidrow and Derail -- good maps, sure, but perhaps it's too much of a good thing. For those like myself who play in a "hopper" such as Ground War (which cycles between Team Deathmatch and Domination modes) too often we see just one game type repeatedly. I had one night recently where I only played Team Deathmatch and not a single game of Domination over the course of two hours.

The Solution: Map randomization needs refinement. Currently, more than half the players must vote down a map in order for it to be skipped. Lessen the number of votes required to skip a map. There should be a "like/dislike" option added. Let gamers give thumbs up for the maps they love and then give those heavier rotation for the week than those which people continually show dissatisfaction over.

As for game types, the easiest solution is to make it so that you never play the same game mode twice in a row. Or that you never play it more than twice in a row. Force some balance. The system is searching for the quickest match, so ensuring everyone never plays a string of the same mode in a row might be difficult, but there's no reason anyone should play the same game type for hours on end without a sniff of another mode.

The Issue: In objective-based modes, many players do nothing to help the team win. Too many people treat every game mode like Team Deathmatch and are only concerned with increasing their kill count. Completing objectives earns you experience points (XP), but it's not much more than what you get for focusing on killing opponents. This results in a breakdown in gameplay that turns what should be team-based affairs into free-for-alls.

The Solution: Increase the points earned for completing objectives based on the number of teammates nearby. Right now, everyone earns 150 points for claiming a domination point, regardless of the number of players securing the spot. For each additional member, add 25 points of XP. While it is harder to claim a spot alone, there should be a reward for getting your teammates to help out. If four people can earn an extra 75 XP by taking a spot together, then they will be more likely to coordinate and ensure everyone survives. True, you are "paying" people to be teammates. But it would work.

The Issue: The grenade launcher which attaches to assault rifles is dubbed the N00b Tube because it's an easy way for new players to get kills. Unfortunately, the N00b Tube is an overpowering tool that removes skill from Modern Warfare 2. Most perks and weapons have some counter. Tired of being targeted by predator missiles? Use the Cold-Blooded perk and become invisible to air attacks. Getting rocked by grenades? Equip the Blast Shield to survive explosions. But the N00b Tube is an instant killer with impressive splash damage that has no true counter. In unskilled hands, it is deadly. In expert hands, it's nearly unstoppable. And if the player is using the Scavenger perk (restocking ammo from the dead), they can have a near limitless supply of grenades to launch at other players.

The Solution: Lessen the amount of splash damage, lower the accuracy and offer fewer XP for N00b Tube kills. And how about this option -- a N00b Tube-free playlist so that gamers have the option of avoiding these types of cheap kills more easily.

The Issue: You can't play Modern Warfare 2 for long without being subjected to idiots who take the anonymity of online play too far. Racism, sexism and homophobia run rampant in Modern Warfare 2 to the point that many turn off the headset and never talk or listen to anyone. While Microsoft and Sony have some policing elements built into their online services, it's clearly not enough. A bunch of idiots are ruining Modern Warfare 2 and at some point it's up to Infinity Ward to reclaim its game.

The Solution: Create a zero-tolerance playlist. Consider it a family zone. If you play on this list, it is expected that no inappropriate language will be spoken and no offensive comments be made. Everyone else can still play in the regular games and be idiots, but folks who are sick of the racial slurs have a place to go. Let the players police this family fun zone. Three strikes (votes by competing players) and you are out for good.

The Issue: When I play Modern Warfare 2, it's usually for 2-3 hours. I've rarely made it through an entire play session without getting dropped out of a match at some point. Latency can be a critical factor in a player's effectiveness. Even the slightest variations in game speed between people can mean the difference between life and death. Modern Warfare 2 should be about skill, but quite often it comes down to who has the stronger connection.

The Solution: There's no one simple solution for this and I am not a technically savvy person. This one will take some hard work and dedication from Infinity Ward, but a balance needs to be struck so that players are competing solely on skill. I've never been dropped from more online games than I have in three months of playing Modern Warfare 2. And I have a solid connection. It's not good enough for the biggest game of 2009.

What do you think about Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer? Is it a flawless diamond, or could it use a bit of polish? Let us know what your experience has been with MW2, and what changes you'd like to see Infinity Ward make to its amazing online shooter.

Click on Optimus to watch the intense new trailer

The game controls kind of like Gears of Wars, but there's no cover system.

The Decepticon campaign is a prequel to the Autobots one, but they can be played out of order if you prefer. According to Tieger, the setup works perfectly because you first wreak havoc as the Decepticons, unsettling the balance of power, and then you come in as the Autobots when all seems lost and fight to undo the damage. "The bad guy hatches an evil plot to take over universe. Then the good guy resets balance of power back to neutral," he says.

Where graphics are concerned, High Moon Studios has unabashedly stayed true to some winning conventions. The title runs on the Unreal 3 engine, which allows for gigantic, detailed environments and equally enormous robots complete with gritty realism. "There have been some significant challenges in making an all-metal world," says Tieger, but the presentation generally satisfies. The city is very interactive. You will often see citadels crumbling in the background as the battle intensifies and as you ride never-ending elevators down into the planet's core, you will marvel at the scope of it all. Indeed, in a boss fight with Omega Supreme, you strafe around a huge arena as the truly epic enemy shoots missiles your way -- you're about as tall as the ball of Omega's ankle. It all looks pretty good. Still, if you were to ask us to describe the style, there's no getting around the fact that War for Cybertron looks like an Unreal-engine game with Transformers, for better and worse.

It also plays a lot like a Gears of War variation -- with some notable exceptions, of course.

You control the Transformers with the left analog stick and aim with right. They move as you might imagine the big robots would -- they're heavy, but they've also got speed, especially with regard to transformations. "We needed to make sure he game felt tighter, snappier, and that you're transforming more as a combat strategy," says Tieger. And you can transform at any time and anywhere by pressing the L3 button. If you want to run down a forever-stretching hallway instead of race through it on wheels, you can do that, but it'll take a lot longer. Although the transformations are incredibly fast -- really, really zippy, in fact -- you can interrupt them with melee or shooting if necessary, at which point the animation blends perfectly into your chosen action.

"The foundation about everything we put together was about controls feeling tight and snappy and even where we put the transformation button," says Tieger.

You can carry two different weapons and up to three grenades, assigned to a button, at ay time. And you've got two skills -- the cool down and the resource. For example, Optimus can slide into foes and also execute a war cry, which will power him up, layer a new reticule on-screen and then enable him to target away. Melee combat is assigned to R3 button like the Call of Duty series. It seems a little weird to push in the thumbstick to trigger an energon blade attack, but it works and the controls are customizable if that's simply not for you.

Transform into cars, trucks, tanks and jets at will.

Here is where War for Cybertron is nothing like Gears of War, though. There's no cover system whatsoever. And there's not much of a lock-on mechanic, either. Certain weapons like the rocket launcher allow for auto-targeting, but for the most part you'll be aiming on your own as you make your way through the war torn and battle-scarred universe -- not necessarily a bad thing given the controls appear to be tight and responsive. You can also jack into turret systems, which is really well done. As you do, your Autobot or Decepticon becomes the turret -- a literal extension of the gun. If you prefer, you can rip the massive weapon from its station and carry it around until the bullets run dry.

In lieu of taking cover, High Moon wants gamers to transform and there are all kinds of vehicle types at your disposal. Cars, trucks, tanks and of course jets. To answer your next question, yes, Jetfire and Starscream are in the game and fully playable. So are the impressive likes of Skywarp and Thundercracker, for that matter. All the craft -- even the cars -- can hover when necessary. High Moon felt it pertinent to implement this feature so that gamers could easily get around the environments, effortlessly strafing left and right. As soon as players drive forward, though, the vehicles drop back to the pavement, their wheels lock into place and they drive as normal.

The cars are exceptionally fast on the ground floor, allowing for drifts and big air over jumps. All of the characters have been completely redesigned compared to either the Bay movies or previous Transformer cartoons or games. The Autobots all look like concept cars -- smooth, sleek. Meanwhile, the Decepticon models have more on common with big, menacing muscle cars. Controlling the jets looks particularly fun as you can float in the air, then zoom forward toward a platform, transform mid-flight, land on area, jack into a turret and shoot down some enemies, disengage and then take off into the air again. It's seamless and incredibly quick.

War for Cybertron is not a single-player-only affair. The entire game can be played cooperatively by up to three players. Indeed, even in the solo campaign, the artificial intelligence controls your two remaining party members as you run, drive, fly and gun you way through missions. "I believe the campaign level reaches its zenith when you're playing with real people," says Tieger of the cooperative play.

The game runs on the Unreal 3 engine and looks pretty good.

And then, yes, there is a multiplayer mode. And of this, High Moon Studios is staying fairly quiet. What it will say is this. "We have been all about multiplayer since the first minute we started. It's not tacked on. It's one of the pillars. A full chunk of what we've put together here. A serious hardcore gamer multiplayer experience that people will playing long after it ships."

The team has the Unreal 3 engine in its side. It has also created every asset to work over a network. Tieger adds that the group plays multiplayer every day from five o'clock to six and confirms that a plan to extend replay value through future downloadable content is already underway.

We will have much more on War for Cybertron as the game draws closer to release, but everything we've seen of it so far has our hopes high for a licensed title that delivers without sacrificing on lore or gameplay.

"Our goal from the beginning was to make a great game that was also a Transformers game," says Tieger. Here's hoping the team succeeded.

Don't forget to watch the new trailer. It's a pretty amazing treat for Transformers fans.

The Cyberchrome case, created by XCM, is designed to give your PS3 a futuristic reflective appearance, perfect for those that want their consoles to stand out among the crowd. Little official details are known about the aftermarket upgrade, but it appears that the case is in fact a full replacement shell and not just a snap-on cover. Just keep it out of direct sunlight or you might blind yourself.

The Cyberchrome case carries a MSRP of $69.99 and is in stock over at Total Console.

Pandora Radio
Publisher: Pandora Media
Price (as of 2/26/10): Free
Download this app

Pandora is an unparalleled music source. This Internet radio service is one of the world's most popular music destinations for good reason. It's easy to set up your very own personalized stations so you listen primarily to the bands and music genres you like, but Pandora's smart DJ pulls. I cannot tell you how many forgotten songs and new bands were introduced to me by Pandora. The free iPhone app works just as well as the website, easily streaming music through your device (as long as you have a connection) and its integration with iTunes right on your handset means you can buy new tracks with just a few taps.

Beat It!
Publisher: Glu
Price (as of 2/26/10): $2.99
Download this app

We named Beat It the best iPhone music game of 2009. And unless somebody steps up their game, it might end up coasting through 2010 as a top choice, too. Beat It is a rhythm-puzzler. You must recreate music on a grid, tapping in notes and beats until you successfully mirror the sample track. Over time, tracks grow more complex, adding new instruments to the mix. As you match the music, the backgrounds explode in color and light with a distinct 16-bit aesthetic that will please classic gamers or any fan of cubism. Glu recently updated Beat It so the music making mode now lets you share created clips with friends and other players, which was our lone sticking point with the original release. So now, it's pretty much perfect.

Shazam / Shazam Encore
Publisher: Shazam Entertainment
Price (as of 2/26/10): Free / $4.99
Download this app

Many of the best apps are those that offer a solution to a problem that wasn't exactly pressing, but present all the same. Shazam identifies music. We've all caught the back half of a song on the radio, loved what we heard, and then screamed at the DJ for not telling us what it was called or which band performed it. Quickly fire up Shazam, point your device at the speaker, and within seconds, the app tells you the name of the song and the band, as well as offering links for buying the track or sharing it with friends. Like Pandora, Shazam is about exploration. As you tag songs you like, Shazam starts offering recommendations. The Encore edition of Shazam will cost you, but it offers increased speed and additional features, like a car mode that monitors the radio and keeps a running playlist.

RjDj
Publisher: Reality Jockey Ltd.
Price (as of 2/26/10): $1.99
Download this app

Your iPhone or iPod Touch is already loaded up with your music, but why not make a little of your own? RjDj is a reality mixer of sorts. Though there are a number of downloadable songs to pull into RjDj, the thrust of the app is to using the noises around you to affect the tracks. You can also move your fingers around scene to change the song, creating new sounds. It's a trippy little app and one that is easy to sink a lot of time into if you connect with it. You'll bust it out when you go to new places to see how the ambient sounds of that environment affect the music. You can save the music you make with RjDj and either listen to it later or share it with friends via the usual social networking suspects. This is precisely the kind of crazy-cool app that makes the iPhone such a unique experience.

I Am T-Pain
Publisher: Smule
Price (as of 2/26/10): $2.99
Download this app

Auto-Tune is everywhere now, for better or worse. Smule's I Am T-Pain lets you use a simple version of the voice-altering software that defines hip-hop artist T-Pain's sound. Using the iPhone mic or an mic input on a Touch, you record your voice (either by itself or over a backing track) and then run it through Auto-Tune. You select keys to determine the results. Using freestyle mode over no backing track is a fun way to make little messages for friends, but I Am T-Pain is much more engaging when you sing over a backing track, really experiment with the Auto-Tune settings to create something unique, and then share it via Smule's global network. (Really, there is a globe you can spin to select I Am T-Pain creations from all over the planet. And this app is indeed global.) Oh, and lest we forget: shawwty.

Although we intended to just highlight the absolute top five, we cannot help but steer you to one more music game that is also worth your attention. Though not the best in class, it has all of the elements to be one of the best rhythm games on the App Store with revision and the addition of new artists:

Riddim Ribbon feat. Black-Eyed Peas
Publisher: Tapulous
Price (as of 2/26/10): $2.99
Download this app

Tapulous is the most successful music game publisher on the App Store, thanks to its catalog of Tap Tap Revenge games. However, the Guitar Hero-like gameplay of just tapping notes as they stream down the screen is just no longer fresh. That's where Riddim Ribbon comes in: this is a cool riff on the rhythm game. Instead of touching notes, you tilt to steer a marble through lines that represent the song. Depending on which route you take at branches, you mix the song. PlayStation 2 gamers will see hints of Frequency and Amplitude in Riddim Ribbon, but considering those were the first music games by Harmonix (inventors of Guitar Hero and Rock Band), that's pretty good inspiration. If you don't like the Black Eyed Peas, there are additional tracks to unlock in Riddim that may be more to your liking. Plus, Tapulous has franchise plans that will branch out into other genres and artists.

What are your favorite music apps and games for the iPhone? Share them below because these lists are not static. With thousands of apps dropping into the App Store every month, the next great music app could displace one of these five in the near future.

If you were to buy Bad Company 2 solely for the single-player campaign, you might come away a bit disappointed. That's not to say it's particularly bad in any way, but it doesn't feel impressive enough to stand on its own as a great experience. Once again, the multiplayer game is the star of the Battlefield show.

Watch the video review.

The single player campaign follows the story of a rag-tag bunch of soldiers as they traipse around the world on the hunt for a mythical weapon of mass destruction which absolutely must not fall into the hands of the Russians. It's a typical story of unlikely heroes as they attempt to save the world, and it will take you across a great variety of locations that range from frozen mountains to densely packed jungles.

These gorgeous locales are the first thing that will spring out at you as you begin the fight. The vistas and skyboxes look nearly photorealistic in many situations, and DICE did a wonderful job blending the particle effects and game objects in the foreground with the more static backdrops. The result is a sense of depth that few videogame worlds can offer.

Things become more impressive yet when the action kicks in. Returning from the last Bad Company game are nearly fully destructible environments. If an enemy soldier is holed up in a second story bedroom taking potshots at you, all you have to do is send a rocket at that wall and he'll either wind up dead or fully exposed. The same line of thinking applies to just about anything you see – send enough firepower at it and you can watch it crumble.

Once you're done ogling the smoke trails or mountain ranges in the distance, you'll start to notice that Bad Company 2 has taken a few cues from the Call of Duty franchise. The last Battlefield game was the first to introduce a fully fleshed out storyline and it stumbled a bit in the process. The humor was goofy and over the top, the open mission design was a bit too open, and everything seemed coated in a dense fog. A lot has changed and improved for the sequel.

The backdrops are breathtaking.

The big change comes with a more streamlined and cinematic approach to the action. The dialogue is less overtly inane, though it does offer its fair share of humor, and the level design feels more straightforward. While the last Bad Company game couldn't hold my attention, this one kept me interested and having fun from start to finish.

It shouldn't come as any surprise that this Battlefield game has some great mechanics. The guns react well, and sound fantastic. The vehicles handle smoothly and really do a great job of making you feel like the king of the battlefield. The instant-respawns and med kit injections of the last Bad Company have been replaced by the more standard checkpoints and regenerative health bar and that makes the challenge of war feel more realistic.

To top things off, the AI squad mates at your side act like real soldiers in battle. They'll press the attack while you flank and hold off the enemy while you duck behind cover to recuperate. Many games slap you in a squad of largely ineffective soldiers and let you do all of the heavy lifting. Bad Company 2 is a refreshing change of pace in this regard.

Of course, if you want to start nitpicking, there are plenty of instances to call out. Some of the details and little pieces of the environment stream into view a bit late. There still are no arms drawn on screen when driving a vehicle, causing a poltergeist-like steering wheel to move on its own. On the Xbox 360 version, slow loading from the disc causes the player to be locked out for as much as five seconds from throwing grenades or using the knife when picking up a new weapon or changing kits (this issue went away when installing the game onto a hard drive)

These are mostly small complaints and, for me, the campaign's only real troubles rest with the presentation and pacing. The B-Company (known as Bravo Two in this game) squad returns with you filling the shoes of Preston Marlowe. At your side is a crew of largely one-dimensional characters who are good for a laugh every now and then. This cast exists mainly to deliver one-liners and to direct you through the battlefield to the next objective. It's hard to even think of them as people after watching them take a rocket propelled grenade to the face and then get up and go right back into the fight.

Though the action has been streamlined, it feels like Bad Company 2 just missed the "epic" feeling that it seems the developers were going for. Part of the problem is in the direction of the cutscenes, but mostly I feel like it rests with the non-stop high-intensity approach to gameplay. In a given level, you can do everything from sniping soldiers to manning a turret on the side of a helicopter to calling in air strikes – all in rapid succession. You're something of a Rambo super-soldier, well versed in every facet of war. With the constant action, it feels like there is very little tension building outside of the game's opening moments. There's tons of variety to the gameplay and all of it is a great deal of fun, but it doesn't quite come together to be a top tier experience.

Explosions are quite common.

And with such a frantic campaign pace, it is over in short order. I blew through the game in just a few evenings of lazy play, probably clocking in under six hours. A collectible weapon system does offer a reason to go back for a second or third run, but this isn't the kind of campaign you'll be returning to again and again.

For many, the shortcomings in the campaign won't matter one bit. These people come for the multiplayer online game, and that's where Bad Company 2 delivers. Here the destructible environments of the campaign take on new meaning. Your target might be waiting inside a shack. An enemy squad may be using a tower as a staging point. This can all change with just a few well placed explosives as you literally level the playing field. It adds an extra tier of strategy to the game as you struggle to work through extended fights, adapting your approach to the fight as the world around you crumbles.

That's just the first level of strategic planning this shooter offers those that work well together. Battlefield has long been known and adored by gamers as the franchise that offers epic, large-scale online fights and plenty of vehicles to take into battle. That tradition continues here. Personally, I've always held it in such high regard because of how it is inherently team-based. The very layout of the game is designed to encourage players to work together, straight down to awarding extra points for working with your teammates.

Little squads can be created, segmenting larger teams into strike forces which can each play a specific role. Then within that squad, players can choose between four load-out kits that range from the light machinegun toting medic to the heavy weapon specialist engineer. Each has its own weapons and unique tools that allow you to set yourself up as a small but integral part in the team's success. It's a game that requires a cool head and open lines of communication just as much as it does a deft hand, and that just makes the victories that much sweeter.

Who doesn't want to catch a ride?

What struck me as most impressive with Bad Company 2 is how flexible the multiplayer game is. The class system allows you to choose what your approach to battle will be. It's the maps and modes included in this package that allow you to choose exactly what kind of game you want to play. There is a huge difference between the giant and extended team Rush games – an attack and defend mode which plays out across expansive maps and features vehicles heavily -- and the tighter Squad Deathmatch games which can feel just like your standard frantic and close-quarters shooter. If you care for something in between, you can just hop into a Conquest game to try your hand at the classic Battlefield fight over specific areas controlled by raising and lowering flags. Regardless of your mood, it feels like Bad Company 2 has something for you.

And if the game itself isn't enough reason to keep coming back, perhaps you'll find yourself hooked on the class upgrade system. New weapons and gadgets can be unlocked, as well as little perks to give you an edge in the fight. Those familiar with Call of Duty (And at this point who isn't?) will be right at home with the system that rewards players for completing small challenges as well as winning games or simply playing well and getting a lot of kills.

Closing Comments
Those looking at Bad Company 2 as only a single-player game might come away disappointed. It's an action packed, gorgeous, and explosive game but it doesn't quite come together into a campaign for the ages. It more feels like an added bonus to the multiplayer game and for those in search of that, this is a great choice. Bad Company 2 as an online shooter is flexible and engaging, offering several features that the competition can only dream of. If you're looking for a more strategic and team-based change of pace, look no further. This is the game for you.

Final Fantasy XIII Is an RPG. Sort of.
There were only the slightest murmurs of discontent when Mass Effect 2 lacked an inventory system. For the most part, gamers were just happy that the convoluted menus from the first game had been removed. However, taking towns out of Final Fantasy seems like a much larger step. The developers are already playing defense on the decision, and reassuring the fans that it will help them to enjoy the story even more.

No matter how you feel about the decision, it will invariably put an extreme focus on Final Fantasy XIII's battle system.

Ryan Clements: From my limited experience with Final Fantasy XIII, the battle system is very promising. Although players only manage control of one character at a time, there's plenty to do during battle to stay alive. Final Fantasy XIII could arguably have one of the most fast-paced, frantic systems in the franchise, as characters move around the screen constantly, attack quickly and die easily (if you don't watch their health meters).

As your character's action gauge fills during combat, you can select any number of actions which require a certain number of segments from the gauge. This takes some effort to micromanage, and things get even more hectic when you consider the Paradigm system, which allows you to switch the roles of your party at any time during battle. If your heroes are taking a beating, for example, you might Paradigm Shift to a set of roles that incorporates multiple Medics or a Sentinel, which is a job based on defensive techniques.


Yakuza 3 is, Like, Epic
Some gamers are in the know. They may have played the first two Yakuza games, or even imported the third installment from Japan. What they know is that the Yakuza series is no slouch when it comes to presenting a deep, action-packed adventure. The third game in the series includes the kind of detail that you'd expect from only the biggest releases in America. But so far this title hasn't received nearly the amount of attention it deserves.

Think of it as a modernized Shenmue with way more action. Think of it as the Japanese Grand Theft Auto. Whatever you do, don't let this console exclusive slip through the cracks.

Greg Miller: If there's a game coming in March that's flying under the radar and has absolutely no business being there, it's Yakuza 3. After coming out in Japan a while ago and wowing the fanbase with crazy beatdowns, good looking cutscenes and more side missions than you could shake a katana at, gamers in the United States had to beg and plead with SEGA for the title to reach the West. Now that's it's almost here – just a matter of days – it's all quiet on the Western front.

What the hell, people?

Yakuza 3 is a PlayStation 3 exclusive that puts you in the shoes of Kazuma, an ex-Japanese gangster of sorts. You were running an orphanage, but some old friends are getting shot, and it's up to you to stop it. Mix the street wandering of GTA with a healthy dose of random battles and powers to level up, and you have the beat'em up known as Yakuza 3 – but it's more than that, and that's why this thing should have countdown clocks on retailer web pages and fans frothing at the mouth. You understand that this is a game where you're building a special move meter so that you can get people on their knees and smash them in the face with a baseball bat, right?

A game with a world so rich you can buy ramen in one store and get drunk in the bar next door on real world liquors that come with facts and trivia about the drink. A game with a heartfelt story involving shootings, murder and strippers told through stunning cutscenes. This is the stuff fanboys were built for.

God of War III Sets a New Graphical Standard
Heavy Rain may have won critical acclaim and the hearts of gamers everywhere, but everyone knows that Sony's real heavy hitter is still waiting to be unleashed. Simply put, God of War is going to be the game that makes people run out and buy a PlayStation 3 based on nothing more than seeing the game in motion for the first time.

We've seen the demo, the trailers, and the screenshots. We saw what the development team accomplished on PlayStation 2. We're willing to bet the farm that this game will blow you away visually. At this time we aren't able to officially confirm anything new about God of War III aside from our latest preview, but we did ask Executive Editor Chris Roper if our assumptions about mind-blowing graphics are correct. His response:

"Yes."

Red Steel Totally Redeems Itself
Four years ago the Wii was an extremely exciting proposition. Gamers were ecstatic about the possibilities of what could be accomplished with a motion controller. Now we'd be able to wield a sword, throw a ball, and knock out a foe using accurate motion tracking. The resulting software wasn't always exactly what we were expecting.

But now, with Wii Motion Plus and a sequel to one of the console's most anticipated titles the system has the rare opportunity to redeem itself with the hardcore.

Craig Harris: The Red Steel name may be a little tarnished from the original, arguably crummy, 2006 release, but I'm convinced that after Red Steel 2 hits shelves in late March, the franchise is going to be a lot more noteworthy. I've been playing the near final game for a couple weeks now and, while it still has a few quirks here and there, it's a far, far more immersive first-person action game than the Wii launch title was.

The Wii Motion Plus really adds the tight, intuitive sword fighting movement that the design absolutely needs. It's also incredible to look at, easily one of the Wii's most visually impressive games to date. This is top-notch work and if everything holds up all the way to the end, don't be surprised if this ends up one of 2010's top action titles.

Grand Theft Auto: El Paso
Oh, did that get your attention? Because what we're really talking about is Red Dead Redemption. Sure, this one isn't out until April, but we're that excited about it. Red Dead Revolver was a decent game, but aside from the name it had very little to do with the sequel being released this Spring. This game gives players unprecedented freedom to live inside of a western. It is subject matter that has a deep and intriguing mythology, perfect for an open world game.

Erik Brudvig: Sure, it's easy to call Red Dead Redemption the GTA of the Wild West, what with Rockstar at the helm and all. That wouldn't entirely be accurate, at least from what I've seen. Red Dead adds more traditional RPG elements – even going so far as to include a morality system – than most people would expect from a developer that built its reputation on virtual gang violence.

Light Trax has another mode called Freeway where you'll have a time limit to generate speed and energy by riding other line's streams, hopping off the "highway" by off-ramps that show up to take you to other parts of the level.

Like other Art Style games, Light Trax will most likely hit the WiiWare shop for a price of about 500 to 600 points, the sweetspot for high-concept, simple looking games like this.

Fight the music.

Got that basic idea down? Good. So, imagine you're creating all your own imagery and inserting it into those rules. Fun, right? Now, imagine creating your own rules – what question mark boxes do, how things move, and so on. It sounds complicated (and it definitely can be), but when you look at it as a step-by-step process, it's easier to see how the pieces fit together.

This is what has me so jazzed about WarioWare D.I.Y. As a guy who builds levels in LittleBigPlanet and pretty much solely uses his DSi for Flipnote Studio, the aspect of creating these minigames to share with my friends (and the world) is nothing short of exhilarating. See, you can only create these levels on the DS, but you can play them on the Wii version of the game as well as share them with other local DS systems or online pals via Friend Codes. If that's not good enough, you can submit levels as part of Nintendo's weekly contest. Just like the Mii Channel, Nintendo's going to hold weekly design challenges that give the world a basic idea to work with and then pick up to 48 of the best microlevels to share. In addition to those free, winning levels will be two free developer-created levels and "big name games," microgames created by videogame industry movers and shakers.

All of that weekly content is going to be absolutely free, and once you have it, you can break it apart on your DS to see how it works and even use the assets in your own creations. That's incentive enough to pick up the game even if you're just playing and not creating; if you just love WarioWare, you're going to have a near-endless supply of microlevels with this game.

Aside from creating levels, the DS can also create music and comics. The four-panel comics are simple enough to picture – you get to input a title and description that shows up on these little book covers that show up before the four-panel opus – but the music is a bit more difficult. Here, you get five tracks to drop tunes on so that you're creating original stuff to be used into you games or elsewhere. See, even if you don't put the tunes into your games, you can play the tracks at will or play a minigame inside them. If you choose the minigame, you'll need to guide the little guy from Balloon Fight over the notes while avoiding obstacles and traps to keep the song playing uninterrupted. If you choose to just listen to the music, Balloon Fight guy gets really big and just runs over everything in his path as the music plays.

Comics!

For me, WarioWare D.I.Y.'s DS and WiiWare release dates on March 28 and 29 (respectively) can't come soon enough. I want the DS version so that I can create and play on the go while I'll use the Wii version to showcase my levels and steal the content from the exclusive microgames that'll be on that platform.

Do I need both? No. Do I want both? Hell yes.

Bring the fight to every Gobul you see with our video.

Picking the axe/sword hybrid from my equipment box was a bit of a break from tradition for me; generally, I'm a sword in each hand type of hunter, however, there are no such weapons in this game. See, the past few games have been all about refining Monster Hunter's pieces, but Tri is taking the gameplay mechanics and starting over in a way. There are new weapons, new areas, and new monsters. In fact, only three monsters are returning from prior games -- the Rathalos, Rathian, and Diablos – and they're being joined by new mammoths like the Gobul I faced off against today.

The Gobul I faced off against underwater.

Yep, today's demo launched me beneath the waves of the Monster Hunter world, and the experience was pretty sweet because – if I haven't mentioned it before – Tri looks really good visually. Topside, there are a bunch of different characters, a moving set of massive gears in the online gathering hall, and a really great merging of colors and detail. Underwater, the same stuff applies. Whereas things are sunny, sandy and bright in the lobby I explored before my quest; once I started my mission deep in the forest, things were darker as the light was obscured by trees. When I dipped my head below water, the view got a bit cloudy as the light had to fight through the waves. Fish swam by, seaweed reached up from the floor, and the massive Gobul swam out of the murkiness in front of me.

If you haven't been following the Monster Hunter Wiki with a passion, the easiest way I can describe the Gobul is as a cross between a catfish, a blowfish, and one of those fish with the lights that hang off of its forehead. The Gobul has the hanging lantern to attract prey and stun it with a flashbang (in typical Capcom fashion, you rock the joystick to wake up from the attack), the spikes of a blowfish when it puffs up its back, and the whiskers of a catfish. It also has a long spiky tail that I can't relate to any fish I've ever seen, but I do know you can hack it off in battle if you like. Anyway, swimming works like you might expect with the blessed right analog stick controlling your dive and rise while the left stick controls which way you're going and such. There's no air meter or anything to worry about, so you're free to swim around and hack at the enemies you might face.

The fight went the way most multiplayer Monster Hunter battles go at videogame events. The noobs got trampled while trying to straight up stab the creature to death, some experienced players put down floating shock traps and lured the beast towards them, and I walked the line between trying to only attack when the time was right but still managing to get stabbed by the Gobul's blowfish spikes every now and again. Eventually, my questmates fell back and I followed the monster into the next section of the map. There, the beast crawled onto dry land and added another dimension to the fight... a dimension where he killed me.

After falling, I returned to the online gathering hall, where I could arm wrestle, dine, and get drunk with whomever was wandering around the place. Today, there were just a few folks in the area, but when the game goes live, Capcom says it'll be packed with players just like yourself looking to grab quests off the board and venture out into the unknown. You'll be able to communicate through preset phrases, your own custom phrases, an onscreen keyboard, a USB keyboard, and WiiSpeak. So, yeah, you'll be able to talk to your party members with little trouble, and that's just one of the reasons I'm excited.

Under the sea! Under the sea!

After my short, short demo of Monster Hunter Tri, I can honestly tell you that I've never been more excited for a Monster Hunter game, and I really want Capcom to wrap this one up and get me a copy. With my PSP hunts always feeling as if they were lacking in some area, Monster Hunter Tri seems set to deliver an experience worthy of the hype – plus, there's an actual tutorial this time around so newcomers will know how to play the game.

If you're aching to get your first dose of Monster Hunter Tri, you don't have to wait much longer. Free demo discs packing the game's Great Jaggi and Qurupeco Hunts are going to pop up at your local GameStop on March 8, 2010. The game itself launches both as a standalone title and as a bundle with the Classic Controller Pro (which is the one you want) on April 20, 2010, but I'd expect IGN to have more coverage before then, so keep on checking back.

Sin & Punishment Star Successor heavily revolves around a combo system, since your score can be posted to a worldwide leaderboard via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. Blasting a string of enemies bulks up a score multiplier, but if you take a hit that extra boost in score will get knocked down. It's all about perfect play because you can show off just how well you did to the rest of the world. The high score will note how you obtained it: next to the score is an indicator that notes the control scheme, whether it was Wii Remote/Nunchuk, Classic Controller, and GameCube controller.

This incredibly over the top shooter hits the Wii in the US in just a few short months.

But you know what? That's not really a bad thing. Super Mario Galaxy is still the best damn game on the Nintendo Wii, so to get more of the best damn Wii game is still a wonderful thing indeed.

Many of the levels feature a lot of the mechanics that were revealed in the E3 trailer. You can now encounter Yoshi in a variety of platforming challenges. He can do all the same Yoshi things he's been doing in other Mario platformers: eat enemies, flutterjump to reach higher platforms, and take one for the team if an enemy gets too close for comfort. He can also consume "blimp berries" that'll inflate him like a balloon, letting him float up to higher areas as he exhales the extra air. You can have him hold his breath with the A button to let him float in place. Dash Peppers can be consumed to give him a boost in speed, which then lets him, in some levels, run up walls. As long as he doesn't bump into objects while on fire he'll stay on that surface.

One of the things I wished the original Super Mario Galaxy had was more forced perspective side-scrolling levels. And in this demo of the sequel, Nintendo does not disappoint. Not only did I play some really clever gravity focused challenges (the gravity shifts from down to up depending on the backdrop, the floor becoming the ceiling and vice versa), there were also some awesome "rolling log" levels with 2D platforms cut within the cylinder. In these levels, you can pretty much fall forever…or at least until you land on a safe platform.

There are also side-challenges to earn additional stars: I found a hard-to-reach pipe that whisked me off to a mini-game where I had to pick up a fire flower and smash all the crates on a specific platform within 30 seconds. This was not easy. It took me at least six tries to figure out the layout and the proper plan of attack to smash them all…and even then I barely had a single second to spare.

One of the hardest levels I played was one where you had to flip a network of platforms by flicking the Wii remote in order to collect 100 purple coins within 4 minutes. You have to land on a platform and jump towards a gap, flick the Wii remote to rotate the shared platform into the gap you're jumping to. The deeper into the level you got the harder the challenge. Rolling bombs would suddenly start following the platform network and you had to flip the platforms -- while you were still on them -- to detonate the bombs in order to move forward.

Many of the televisions demoing Super Mario Galaxy 2 had headphones attached so we could hear the audio for the sequel. While I didn't hear much in the way of orchestral pieces (though the trailer definitely spotlighted a remix of the Super Mario Galaxy theme) the game does have some great audio. There's lots of throwback pieces, including the early level themes ripped right out of Super Mario World.

The game utilizes the Super Mario Galaxy engine so there wasn't much in the way of new visual effects, but the strength of the engine still shows that the Wii is capable of a lot of cool graphic techniques and styles. So while the visual impact has already been played out in the original game, that's not to say I'm disappointed in the look of Super Mario Galaxy 2…it's easily one of the most beautiful Wii games to date. It's just not much of a stretch from the already beautiful Super Mario Galaxy.

I absolutely can't wait to sit down and play the full version of Super Mario Galaxy 2 when it ships later this year. More of the best game on Wii might not have the same first impression as a fresh Wii project (read Metroid Other M), but I'm still totally excited for this sequel.

Second Take from Matt Casamassina

I had the pleasure of playing through a nine-level demo of Super Mario Galaxy 2 at Nintendo's Media Summit event in San Francisco this morning and afternoon -- both of them, really, as I spent so much time on and off the game kiosk exploring stages and mechanics familiar and new alike. So what to write about the sequel that even now is my favorite Wii game and indeed one of the best titles in a decade? Well, to put it simply, Nintendo's Tokyo studio has once again created a wholly polished, engaging, beautiful platformer that pushes the hardware, utilizes the controller well and still looks better than just about anything on the console. But so far, the sequel is evolutionary, not revolutionary. As Craig Harris wrote in his own impressions, that's not necessarily a criticism.

The demo itself lacked any cinematic flair with regard to cut-scenes and interface. The front-end was altogether missing -- a simple level selection screen -- and as Nintendo explained, some of the presentational bells and whistles are still to come. For example, I noted that much of the music sounded MIDI-esque in my live-blog coverage of the Summit and company reps later informed me that there will be an orchestrated soundtrack, but it's not ready yet. Still, the game showed more sparkle and attention to detail than the bulk of retail releases.

The levels, from first to end: Sky Station Galaxy, Spin-Dig Galaxy, Hightail Falls Galaxy, Tall Trunk Galaxy, Upside Dizzy Galaxy, Bowser Jr's Fiery Flotilla, Supermassive Galaxy, Bowser Jr.'s Fearsome Fleet, and Flip-Swap Galaxy. Yes, I can take notes with the best of them, thank you very much.

The majority of the stages shown took place to earthy backdrops rather than some of the spacey locales in the first game. I was excited to see how Nintendo upped the ante with regard to gravity-based puzzles in the sequel, but sadly these types of stages were not demoed at the Summit. Oh well -- something to look forward to then. What I did see were some really fresh areas built around existing Galaxy gameplay fundamentals and a few new items and characters.

Obviously, the drill. I've seen it, you've seen it -- everybody's seen it. Now that I've played around with it, though, I feel it's definitely a worthy addition to the platforming environment. After Mario acquires the item, he can use it just about anywhere to drill from one side of a globe to another. In some cases, some clever puzzles encircle the concept. For instance, a huge pillar with a star might rest on the underbelly of a planet. There's no way for Mario to reach the stretching obstacle unless he travels to the opposite end of the world and then drills through and directly into the pillar, coming out right-side up on the other end. This technique is also used frequently against bosses, many of whom sport weak spots on their underside -- convenient, sure, but fun nevertheless.

Then, Yoshi. Eggs litter some levels and if you crack them open, your old friend appears. Mario can ride Yoshi as he's always done. Hold down A button when you jump and Yoshi will flutter through the air temporarily before falling back down. Much better, though, is the character's able tongue, which can snap out and grab onto all kinds of objects -- star bits, various enemies, hanging latches, and so forth. In one stage, Bullet Bills fly toward Mario and Yoshi, the latter of whom can swallow them whole with his tongue and then spit them back out again. This is all done quite brilliantly with the Wii remote. Point at the Bills, lock on, and then suck in with the tap of a button -- press it again to fire back. It's great and really fun. I'm looking forward to more challenges based around Yoshi's other abilities, too -- the demo offered glimpses at the speed-enhancing dash pepper and the blimp berries, allowing him to float.

The game's selection of worlds remains ever dazzling. In Supermassive Galaxy, everything is huge, be it Goombas or the actual platforms that Mario runs across. And I really do mean enormous. A typical baddie is about 20 times bigger than the plumber, for example. And in Flip-Swap Galaxy, a timed purple-coined challenge, the difficulty met my expectations. Nintendo's mascot had to run across a series of flippable platforms -- shake the Wii remote and they either turned over and disappeared or reappeared -- without falling through or off the ledges, all the while avoiding giant Bullet Bills and other obstacles. It was incredibly hard but equally fun. Nintendo's own Bill Trinen -- supposedly a seasoned gamer -- tried all afternoon to make it through the stage but failed miserably time and time again before he fled the premises crying like a wee girl. That's my story and I'm sticking to it, anyway.

You can probably already see from screens and the trailer that Galaxy 2's visuals do not offer a great leap over the original. That said, its predecessor still looks fabulous and the sequel delivers the same caliber of art and technology with brand new themes at every turn, not to mention a particle system that somehow looks even better. (I was particularly amazed by a sandstorm that blew through an area.) And of course the fluidity held strong without a single hiccup that I could perceive -- that's 60 frames, not 30, by the way.

I suppose some gamers will be disappointed that some grand new game-changing mechanic has not upended the Galaxy license with this sequel. It seems a valid complaint based on what I've seen so far. But as such a fan of everything the original accomplished, I'm thrilled to see more of the same, not disappointed. And the very fact that we're getting this game so soon has me really excited.

Samus rocks the Bottle Ship in behind-the-back third-person.

But I've played through the entirety of the Media Summit demo twice and I'm really pleased with the game that Nintendo and Tecmo have erected to replace the Prime titles -- at least, so far. Other M is a very different endeavor full of nods that harken back to the Super Nintendo days. It's incredibly fast. Action-packed. Amazingly cinematic -- offering what is easily the most revealing look at Aran as a character since her inception, which for uber-nerd-fans like me is a true gift. I found myself smiling at all of the phenomenal cut-scenes and the fact that Samus herself takes on genuine depth and layers via an inner-monologue, all of it voiced convincingly. But it's also got the exploration factor and that eerie, lingering sense of isolation that permeates the Metroid games. It's all wrapped in a beautiful graphical package that stomps all over the majority of titles filling Wii's library.

Be warned: Spoilers ahead.

The game opens with a lengthy pre-rendered cinematic, already a presentation win for Nintendo, a company too often unconcerned with such niceties. Space debris. Stars twinkling and fading in the immense darkness. Then, comets rain down on a series of ships and lumbering stations, all of which explode on impact. The outline of a little, blonde baby floats in the aftermath -- it's very 2001-esque. The baby ages, its hair growing in length, and before too long it is a full-blown girl, and then it's Samus.

The scene fades to a closeup of Aran in her trademark Varia Suit, now remade with Japanese sensibilities. Slimmer, more polished, but with all the artistic pop of the Retro games -- just very different.

"Why am I still alive?" Samus asks from inside her suit.

The camera pans backward and it becomes obvious that she's in the middle of a great battle -- the very same historic standoff between the bounty hunter and Mother Brain at the finale of 1994's Super Metroid. (Other M takes place a short while after these events in the timeline of the series.) Having just destroyed Ridley and Kraid, Aran is nearly defeated in battle by Mother Brain but is saved at the eleventh hour by a baby Metroid, which supercharges her suit. All of this is shown by way of an ultra-crisp cinematic depicting a truly enormous, hulking version of Mother Brain as its equally giant eye centers on the betrayal and then it obliterates the Metroid hatchling before Aran.

Tiny, glowing particles -- presumably the remains of the baby Metroid -- fall on Samus as Mother Brain attacks and the heroine dodges out of the way and then lands on the ground once more in a pose designed to illicit cheers.

"Mother. Time to go!" Samus shouts and then unleashes a powerful blast from her trademark weapon.

Take enemies down with a special move after you stun them.

The scene fades again and Samus awakens to find herself in a hospital, dressed in her Zero Suit, her hair wrapped in a ponytail.

"Okay, Samus. Everything normal," some geek in a uniform says.

"I awoke to the familiar voice of a quarantine officer," Samus says via inner-monologue. "A dream. I had been reliving the tragic moments of my recent past. Thanks to the hyper beam, which was given to me somehow by the baby, I laid rest to Mother Brain." Of course, the explosion also took down the station, as well as everything nearby.

Other M begins at this point. The geek tells Samus to walk through a door so that training can begin. In the room, she cinematically triggers her Varia Suit -- it simply appears over her Zero Suit as energy envelops her body and it looks fantastic, of course. Now you're ready to play.

The controls are surprisingly uncomplicated. You hold the Wii remote sideways (most of the time, which I'll get to) and finger the D-Pad to move Samus. Digital controls, I know -- but they work very well within the context of the game. Oftentimes, the presentation is quasi-two-dimensional, meaning that despite the fact that the levels are constructed via polygons and full 3D, the viewpoint unfolds via a 2D angle. Samus can walk in and out of the foreground even as she runs left and right. There's a lot more to it than that, though, because the structure of the world enables her the ability to run sideways at one moment and then directly forward via behind-the-back third-person the next. The camera very competently follows the action regardless of your choices or placement, although there are the occasional quirks that need management -- for instance, the character might sometimes walk into the screen as she seeks a door, which is not ideal.

The 1 button shoots her beam. Hold it down and she'll unleash a powerful charge attack. You'll quickly find that while there's no real lock-on system from third-person mode, the heroine very accurately auto-targets the nearest enemy. Simply face her into the general direction, press the 1 button and your chances of success are very high. The 2 button, meanwhile, is used for jumping. Press the A button and Aran will go into morph ball mode, at which point she can lay bombs every time you tap the 1 button. If you hold down the 1 button here, you'll drop a single power bomb, capable of burning up everything in the room in a powerful nuclear light. The controls feel very responsive and Samus moves through environments extremely fast -- an attribute of the character missing from the Prime games.

There's more, though. Yes, some pro-tips -- for example, if you charge your beam completely and then switch to morph ball, Samus will automatically lay four or five bombs circling her perimeter, which is a great way to quickly dispose of enemies. But if pyrotechnics are not your thing, you can also play defensively. When enemies shoot projectiles, you can cinematically dive out of harm's way if you tap any direction on the D-Pad just before impact. Works flawlessly and looks good, too. Time it just right and Samus can pull off reversals on alien attacks, too. And if you beat an enemy into submission, you can also perform a thrilling finishing move complete with a sweeping camera that spotlights Samus as she cinematically disposes of the poor creature in question.

Here, though, is where the gameplay mechanics take on a few distinguishing facets. At any time, and anywhere, if you point the Wii remote at the screen, the action will change to the first-person and you'll be able to take direct control over Aran's beam as you might in the Prime games. There are some differences, however. First, you can't move around in the first-person -- you can only look and shoot. Tap the A button to very rapidly shoot down foes on a static screen. Hold B-trigger and you can actually look around in a full 360-degree radius. The latter is amazingly useful for examining rooms because you will oftentimes see crevices, vents, and more that cannot be easily observed from the quasi-2D viewpoint. It's also useful because when you've got the B-trigger held, you can lock onto potential targets and fire missiles (and presumably other weapons, as you gain access to them) at objects and enemies. In the demo, I blew through cracked walls and also shot the tentacles off a frozen boss.

Utilizing the Wii remote in this dual fashion is extremely uncommon and there's certainly a very small learning curve to the process -- one more likely to seem difficult in the heat of intense battles. But I have to note, it works really well and I like it. The aim sensitivity on the Wii remote is fast and very reliable. However, I would like the ability to set my turn speed so that I could crank it up a little higher during those situations when I want to thoroughly examine all areas of a room. Right now, it's a bit slow for my liking. (I tried to access the options menu but it was completely disabled.)

As Samus finishes with her initial training, she reverts back to the topic of the Metroid which saved her life.

Is it possible to have sex with a JPEG image?

"Not even a fragment. None of the baby remained on me. I knew it to be true but still couldn't help looking at my palm for a sign. Never again would I encounter the baby. Never. The finality of it stuck me once again." Somehow, I get the feeling this probably isn't entirely true given the name of the game.

The bounty hunter eventually walks into a huge, circular meeting arena and reports to a packed audience: "Mission completed. The planet Zebes was annihilated and all Metroids were exterminated."

The scene fades once more and Samus is gliding through outer space in her trademark hunter-class ship. As the cinematic zooms through the glass of the ship and into her cockpit, overrun with futuristic gadgetry and interfaces, more inner-monologue drives the story.

"I don't know how much time passed. Days went by in their quiet way. People's recollections of Metroids and Space Pirates grew nebulous over time," she notes.

Then an SOS signal calls out in her cockpit, and she follows it to "a remote part of space" where a Bottle Ship lay dormant. She flies to and boards it, all the while reminiscing about the baby Metroid -- the SOS signal reminds her of a crying baby. "It was as though it was crying specifically for me," she monologues.

After you deplane your craft somewhere inside the gigantic Bottle Ship, you spot another huge vessel off within the distance of its hull. Now you're in control, but from the first-person. If you point you Wii remote at a symbol on the distant vessel, Samus reads it: Galactic Federation. Your ex-comrades. As the bounty hunter explores deeper into the Bottle Ship, she's shot at and eventually finds herself at a standoff with some Galactic Federation soldiers, all of whom immediately recognize her.

"Remember me?" says one of the soldiers. And no, I don't -- this is the same guy from the E3 trailer and the subject of much speculation by Metroid fansites ever since. Turns out, his name is Anthony Higgs and he fought alongside Aran in the Federation before she defected.

"There's only one person who calls me Princess and that person is Anthony Higgs of the Galactic Army," Samus monologues.

Then she sees Adam Malkovich, her former commanding officer.

"Yes, there was a time when I was enrolled in the Galactic Federation army. And then I.. well, I was young and inexperienced," Aran monologues. And as the result of a "certain incident," she left the armed forces -- whatever happened, it didn't end well. Malkovich is standoffish and guarded. He tells his men not to reveal details of their mission to an outsider.

"The word he so obviously chose -- outsider -- pierced my heart," says Samus. "I can still feel it there today."

Looking for traditional 2D-style Metroid? Here it is.

The group discovers a dead scientist forever sleeping on a grated walkway on the ship and as it approaches a little, green bug crawls out from underneath the body and scurries off. One of the soldiers shoots it and it splatters. Then, more of the same bugs appear on the wall -- not just one or two, but hundreds and then thousands. They form together into one enormous boss with flailing tentacles, and that's when the the demo boss fight begins.

Malkovich authorizes the use of ice weaponry to attack the creature. So far at least, Nintendo and Tecmo seem to have relied upon the commander as the logic of the weapon system. In the demo, Aran doesn't really upgrade her weapons, but she will only utilize certain ones with permission of Malkovich. It's an interesting change that explains the enhancement system without following the traditional formula.

The boss fight is best played in third and first-person, the former to move out of harm's way, cinematically sidestep deadly tentacle attacks and more and the latter to target its tentacles after the group has frozen them, lock on, and then blow them off one-by-one. It's a very satisfying, atmospheric sequence and if it's indicative of encounters to come, Metroid fans are definitely in for a treat.

After this encounter, Samus is accepted as part of the team, which disperses into different quadrants of the huge, sprawling ship so that it might discover exactly what is going on and ultimately stop the threat. Samus ventures off through a series of fabulous super-futuristic rooms and hallways illuminated by dazzling shades of high-tech lighting in all colors of the rainbow from red and green to blue and pink. A very advanced lighting system is in place to render realistic glows, and the particle effects are every bit as detailed. There are also niceties such as specularity on shiny objects and structures, giving a certain sheen to environments.

When Samus encounters a slim shaft leading straight up, she's able to kick-climb to its very top -- simply tap the 2 button to jump as you shift from the left to the right and back again on the D-Pad. When enemies come pouring out of a vent system in the floor, she can change to morph ball and drop into the crevice, where missile or energy tank upgrades await. The design of the world -- stretching in every direction, separated by doorways (some of which are locked), multi-tiered -- facilitates exploration, which was a previous point of skepticism for me. Nintendo reps on hand said that the demo only represents the very beginning of the game -- by comparison, the first 45 minutes of Metroid Prime, at which time exploration has only just begun. Based on that, I do indeed expect a grand adventure worthy of the series. My feeling now so far is that Other M plays a lot like a Super Metroid reborn with 3D elements -- there's really no way to criticize that.

I was skeptic, but now I'm a believer. People, this works. It's fresh. It's fun. It's stunning. We've waited decades for a few tasty morsels about Aran's history and now we'll get to watch it all unfold in cinematic glory as we take out the Space Pirate trash and explore an immense, lush world -- all with blazing fast controls. I will be counting the days until June because Other M has leaped to the top of my must-have list.

Don't forget to check out our new Metroid: Other M media below.

Second Take from Craig Harris:

I don't know what else I can add to Matt's impressions that haven't already been said already, but I'll try.

I'm impressed with Metroid: Other M. Very impressed. I was nervous about the project after seeing the trailer at E3 since it wasn't exactly clear what direction Team Ninja was taking the new game. But after playing through the somewhat short demo, I'm really jazzed for the final product.

I think the one thing that surprised me most about the game is the control scheme: you play Metroid: Other M in the classic orientation on the Wii remote…no nunchuk. The downside is that Samus is in a persistent run as you explore the environments without any analog control, so that looks a little goofy. But it's really interesting how they use the pointer for on-the-fly first person view. Need to look down at the hallway you're running through in a side-scrolling? Simply point at the sensor bar and you see it through your visor.

I am a bit worried about this control scheme since there was one area where you had to fight off enemies in the third person but then target specific areas in the first person, so swapping back and forth got a little clunky. But hopefully the designers keep the viewpoint swapping for the exploration and not for the combat in the later missions.

The voice acting for non playable characters is not so good, but at least Samus' first speaking role is well cast and well read.

I'm glad that the introduction irons out exactly where this sits in the Metroid canon: it's a "sequel" to Super Metroid. It was awesome to see the ending to that game recreated in a well-rendered and directed cinematic, and I'm sure the demise of Mother Brain isn't the last time you'll see that creature…they modeled it for more than the cutscene, I'm sure.

It's coming in June? What a great summer this will be.

Project Diva Arcade

Project Diva aside, the biggest titles for Sega this year were video only. As reported here last week, Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown was announced through a teaser trailer that demonstrated new moves and costumes for the cast. While not sharing specifics, director Daiichi Katagiri promised this to be the "ultimate form for Virtua Fighter 5."

Grab from the Final Showdown trailer.

Sega also unveiled Border Break 1.5, an update to its first high end Ringedge title, and Sengoku Taisen, a new card game in the vein of Sangokushi Taisen. Sega partner titles included Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code, a 2D fighting sequel that uses Ringedge's cheaper counterpart, Ringwide.

Melty Blood runs on some pretty high end arcade hardware.

Similar to Sega, Namco Bandai's biggest AOU title was video-only. Following a week-or-so of teasing, the company unveiled its latest Gundam fighting game, Gundam Extreme VS. Beyond the title and a few screens, details were not shared for the Fall 2010 title. The game makes use of the PlayStation 3-based System 357 arcade board, so expect far better visuals compared to the past Naomi (that's the Dreamcast board!) titles.

Gundam VS Extreme -- will the move to PS3 hardware make it look like this?

Namco Bandai also had Dead Storm Pirates, a pirate-themed gun shooting game with a moving cabinet, and Wangan Midnight Maximum Tuned 3DX Plus, the latest entry in its Wangan Midnight series of street racers.

Shootable pirates in Dead Storm Pirates.

Casual games have been the rule over at Taito since the "No Kou," or "No Thought" series was unveiled a couple of years back. At this year's AOU, we got two new entries in the series. Gaia Attack 4 is a four player shooting game that promises simple gun shooting. Hopping Road Kids is a followup to Hopping Road, with a smaller cabinet that will make the game easier to play for kids. Arcade operators can link up the kids and standard versions of the game to have kids hopping alongside their parents.

Konami somehow manages to bring new entries in its Bemani series to every AOU event. This year saw updates with such names as GuitarFreaks XG, DanceDanceRevolution X2, and jubeat knit.

Jubeat Knit

But the big star in the Konami booth, and likely the biggest attraction at the show overall, was Metal Gear Arcade. Following its announcement at last year's E3, the title at last saw its playable debut at AOU.

Metal Gear Arcade is based off PS3's Metal Gear Online, the online component to Metal Gear Solid 4. It looks just like that title, except everything can be viewed in 3D via special 3D goggles. The goggle unit also includes head tracking support, allowing you to control your sites by directly turning your head. You aim and fire with an actual gun peripheral, which also includes a stick for making your character move.

Other features include over 80 weapon customizations and cross arcade play in case your local branch doesn't have a full 8 cabinet setup.

While the 3D display may appear to be MGA's star attraction, it's actually an option for players. The cabinet has a button for toggling off the 3D effect. For those who just object to putting on 3D goggles that have been worn by hundreds of other people prior, Konami is also planning on setting up goggle vending machines in arcades.

If you're outside of Japan, where the arcade scene is pretty much dead, you probably shouldn't expect to see these games -- in their original environment, that is. Home ports for titles like Gundam VS are a given (we'll even guess a PS3 release is on the cards given the board). Metal Gear Arcade sounds like it could make for a sweet update to Metal Gear Online once Sony kicks off its 3D initiative on PS3 later this year.

Roasted.

The basic, default control scheme will be familiar to anybody that's played any of Gameloft's previous shooters, such as NOVA and Modern Combat. The virtual stick is still quite good and aiming by dragging a finger across the screen is definitely workable. Where Global Front starts to suffer, though, is button fatigue. At one point, I counted ten virtual buttons on-screen: move stick, shoot, sprint, grenade, ironsights, crouch, contextual action, weapon select, pause, and audio toggle. Whew. That's a lot of real estate taken up by inputs and until you have a full grasp on where everything is, you must take your eyes off the action to find exactly what you need to tap. Some of the buttons are just too close to each other, too. Too many times did I want to fire on Nazis from cover, only to accidentally tap the edge of the jump button, which vaulted me over my defensive position and right into the line of fire. To be sure, NOVA handles much better – and much smarter – than the overly busy Global Front.

What you cannot take away from Global Front, though, is its good looks. Gameloft knows how to squeeze performance out of the iPhone. While NOVA is slightly more impressive thanks to its fantastical worlds (I still love that run across the zero-G exterior of the ship, regardless of where Gameloft ripped it from), the scenery in Global Front is amazing. The soldiers and vehicles are also nicely constructed. However, Global Front's voice acting is pretty poor. I'm sorry, but Wilson and the rest of the cast sell their lines about as well as John Wayne playing Genghis Khan in The Conqueror.

Finally, Gameloft includes a full-featured multiplayer game in Global Front that's loaded with maps. Up to six people can play together online. While it would be great if it was over-the-air so you could play anywhere, sticking to online play at least guarantees fewer dropouts and other multiplayer bugaboos.

Closing Comments
Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front is a big improvement over the original Brothers for iPhone, but if you want a shooter for your iPhone, I have to push NOVA to the top of the pack. It’s just a better game. If Global Front wasn’t such a hand-holder and let you actually strike out on your own a little (and if Gameloft throttled back on all of the on-screen buttons), it would be a much better play. Still, with its great set pieces, Global Front remains better than most shooters on the App Store.

Click here to see Lazy Raiders in action.

Diggabone isn't the only thing affected by all your spinning and flipping. Anything that isn't nailed down will slide and roll around the maze, and most of these objects are hazardous. Boulders threaten to flatten the doctor, TNT boxes might blow him up, and thieves will steal his treasure. Lazy Raiders is a pretty tricky game, requiring you to watch both Dr. Diggabone and the many dangerous objects, all at the same time. You have unlimited lives, though -- a wise design choice that keeps Lazy Raiders from being frustrating.

Your primary goal in each level is to reach the golden pickaxe and dig your way to the next level. But there are several other factors you'll need to consider if you want to earn a gold medal. Grab the axe in as short a time as possible, pick up all the gems lying around, and clear all the traps and you'll be sitting pretty on the leaderboards. The fact that you have unlimited lives means you can relax and take as much time as you like to complete each level, but getting gold takes considerably more work. This gives Lazy Raiders a lot of replay value, as you can return to any previously completed level whenever you like to try and improve your score. The 75 levels will keep you busy for a while. Lazy Raiders is sort of a one-trick pony so it may not hold your interest throughout all of those mazes. But what it does, it does very well.

While Dr. Diggabone is the official star of the game, Lazy Raiders also lets you play with your Xbox Live Avatar. At any time you can choose to swap out Diggabone for your virtual you, which is a neat little feature. Lazy Raiders also has an attractive art style and smooth animation.

Closing Comments
Lazy Raiders is a charming little action game with a unique twist that will be new to most players (really, how many people remember Cameltry?). The clever challenges it throws at you can be tricky, but the game is tuned perfectly so that you can either stroll through meeting the bare minimum requirements or really dig in and try to get those gold medals. Exploring Lazy Raiders won't yield anything revolutionary, but you will find a good time.

Even this screenshot doesn't do the size of the world justice.

To uncover the truth, you'll align yourself with any or all of the three rival factions operating across the island chains. If you do dirty work for them, they'll get information for you. Simple. Each of the factions is ostensibly working to overthrow the new – and despotic – President and seize control of Panau. Each has its own political agenda, but for the moment Rico's CIA handlers seem pretty happy for him to help whoever he wants, as long as he's fomenting unrest.

So how does this change the gameplay? Well, in the original game, villages and towns were 'liberated' and drug cartels destroyed by essentially going in guns blazing and shooting anything that moved. A huge number of the non-story missions were basically the same thing, and – as you can imagine – it didn't stay fresh for long. Just Cause 2, on the other hand, retains a similar kind of mechanic, but expands it out into a much broader role in the game.

Just Cause 2, you see, is all about Chaos. The more chaos you sow, the more Chaos points you earn, and the more Chaos points you earn, the more stuff – Agency and Faction missions, Strongholds and black market gear - you unlock. Now, Chaos can be unleashed in a number of ways, such as by completing missions, but the most basic way is by destroying government property.

Panau seems to have some kind of Magic Pudding for attack choppers. No sooner does one get blown up, than another one appears!

Every village and military compound in the game has government structures, from water towers and generators to communication equipment, statues of the new president and gas tanks. This gives the game more of a freeform feel – you can take out any government property you come across at any time, but it still amounts to much the same thing – blowing stuff up and killing any opposition.

Now, you'd think that swanning into poor village communities and blowing up their water towers would be a pretty bad way to get the people on your side and wanting to overthrow the government, but there's little doubt it would create chaos, so we'll let that piece of logic slide. It makes even less sense, however, when you're earning Chaos points by blowing up said structures within a faction's own stronghold.

But then, this game – once again – really is about the mechanics, with the side missions taking a creative back seat. Take the factions as an example. There are three on the islands: the Ular Boys (who want to kick all "foreign devils" out of Panau and want no Western influence… why they'll still hire Rico we have no idea), the Reapers (a revolutionary army looking to "break the shackles of oppression") and the Roaches (another hard-ass crew that will do what it takes to achieve their goals).

Not content with merely surfing vehicles, Rico can now move to several other positions. All the better to shoot you in the face from, my dear.

Now, you'd think Avalanche would make an effort to really differentiate between them, but they might as well just be clones of one another for all the practical difference it makes. You're still taking on somewhat generic missions and you're still blowing up anything owned by the government. As if to really drive home how little difference the faction makes to the gameplay, the first mission for each after you sign on requires you to capture a stronghold for the faction, and is basically the same thing three times in a row.

In each one you get choppered in and dropped off with a squad of faction members. You shoot anything that moves until you get to the gates of the compound, which are shut. Your squad mates tell you you're the only one that can open them so you grapple inside and open the gates. You shoot everything that moves before reaching a terminal that one of the faction members has to hack to gain control of the facility. There's a mounted gun right next to it, which you man and use to defeat a couple of waves of enemy soldiers, one or two armoured vehicles, then a helicopter with the compound's commander inside. Mission accomplished. Three. Times.

Now, this is clearly just the formula for the stronghold missions (as the game progresses you take more strongholds), but why would we want to do the same exact thing every time? And this, more than anything, illustrates why bigger isn't necessarily better. Big is fine - if you can keep us entertained.

We're hoping the final game will have a wide array of things to keep us interested. Right now we've unlocked a number of missions for each of the three factions, a few racing/checkpoint challenges and, of course, every one of the 368 locations to discover in the world has Chaos to be sown, but for all that quantity, there's not a great deal of compelling gameplay in terms of mission design. Even the main story missions have been the usual 'go here, destroy this', 'find some dude, protect/escort him, get info' affairs.

Thankfully, while the mission variety may not have evolved to the degree we'd have liked, the movement mechanics really have been taken up a notch from the original. In the first game grappling and parasailing were cool inclusions, but didn't quite go far enough. Yes, you could grapple cars and reel yourself in and onto the roof before parasailing off. Yes, you could grapple up to helicopters and ride on the wings of planes. That was all cool, but at a fundamental level players were limited in how they could use the grapple – you couldn't grapple buildings or the environment.

Plane sailing. (RDRR.)

All that has changed in the sequel. The new mechanics are fantastic, giving the player a huge array of new tricks thanks to the ability to grapple absolutely anything that's within range, and to use the grapple in quite versatile ways. At a basic level you can use it to quickly pull yourself to a vehicle, to yank an enemy soldier off a sniper tower, or to quickly scale a building. Getting a little more creative, you can actually use the grapple gun to tether two things together. Being pursued by an enemy vehicle across a bridge? Shoot the vehicle then the side of the bridge and you'll tether the two together, resulting in the vehicle being yanked back, up and off the edge. You can also do things like tethering an enemy to a gas canister before shooting the canister and watching it pull him around.

Exploring the game's Asshole Physics is all well and good, but the reality is that it's actually simpler to just shoot out the tyres in the first example and shoot the guard in the head in the second. Where the grapple mechanics really come into their own, for us, is in getting around. If you're coming under heavy fire and need to make a quick getaway and there are no vehicles about, you can simply grapple the ground or a nearby building, then activate your parasail as you reel yourself in. Not only does this get you airborne and moving fast almost instantly, but you can then continue to pull yourself along with it. Simply by grappling the ground ahead you can propel Rico forward, remaining close to the ground and moving quite quickly. You can use this technique to quickly move about enemy installations and even to climb mountains.

It may ultimately be a long-winded way to kill a guy, but points for style.

It's great fun and reminds us a lot of the web-slinging in the better Spider-Man games – it brings a real sense of freedom and empowerment, and encourages experimentation. It leaves the player with some cool moves up his sleeve, such as deftly ghosting a car from above as it moves along a road, before targeting it and then reeling in to commandeer it. Or getting away from a pursuing attack helicopter by parasailing through the jungle, remaining below the canopy the whole time.

In the end, though, will this be enough? Well, that remains to be seen. Despite our reservations, there's a lot to like about Just Cause 2. As you progress you'll unlock more and more weapons and vehicles. And like the original, these can be bought and airlifted in to almost any location. They're all upgradable too, which is a nice touch, with vehicle and weapon parts crates to be found all over the world. Collecting these may not have the addictive quality of Crackdown's Agility Orbs, but they're certainly another reason to see all that Panau has to offer. And as your firepower ramps up, so too should the gameplay.

Just Cause 2 is certainly one of the largest and most freeform games around, and while we're not yet convinced about the long-term gameplay merits of the missions and of creating Chaos, we did have a lot of fun with it, and we are looking forward to playing more. And if nothing else, the grapple/parasail combo really is a stroke of genius.

Check out the Just Cause 2 Freedom & Chaos trailer.

The first season of Fringe may have been a bit uneven, but it's at its best when delving into the mythology and exploring the deeper mysteries of the characters and their relationship to the strange cases they have to solve each week. This high-quality Blu-ray is great for those who want to cherry pick the best episodes or watch a few back-to-back without delay.

We'd have liked the set to have included more commentaries, but we get it -- J.J. Abrams and Orci/Kurtzman are busy conquering Hollywood's blockbusters and taking our box office dollars as spoils. Overall, Fringe's season collection offers plenty of bonus material to keep viewers busy for days.

Alternate realities are the new flash forward.

And the show's production values approach feature-film quality, as evidenced by the slick visual and gloomy audio presentations. Fringe needs all the fans it can get right now. We encourage you to join in and discover just what the hell an Observer is.

Behold them! BEHOLD THEM WITH THINE EYES!

In typical Blizzard Entertainment fashion, the two different plush toys – representative of the two World of Warcraft factions – were both completely imbalanced. For starters, the Wind Rider Cub is at least a few grams heavier. That means that the Horde is getting more content for the money they pay. It also has more hair, a badass hook-tail and two teeth. The Gryphon Hatchling has none of these things. This is a slap in the face for all Alliance players.

As if to rub salt in the wound, the Gryphon Hatchling is a few grams lighter than the Wind Rider Cub, meaning that the Alliance can theoretically carry more of them before their arms snap off. It also has wings that are separate from the arms (which basically constitutes an entirely extra set of limbs), and one thumb per hand! Extra digits are a slap in the face for all Horde players.

Finally, each one comes with a little tag with a code that can be redeemed for in-game pets. The pets are account-wide, and Horde and Alliance players can use both the Gryphon Hatchling and the Wind Rider Cub. This clearly breaks the lore and is a slap in the face for all players everywhere. This needs to be fixed immediately, Blizzard, or else I will cancel my subscription to your free things that you send me.

Slap in the face.

In closing, they are very cute, and if I had a girlfriend, I would probably get one for her but keep the pet code for myself.

Click here to watch the video review.

The action will feel familiar to anyone who played Assassin's Creed 2. That's not a criticism – free running and pulling off impressive assassinations make for some of the most satisfying experiences in recent gaming. Battle of Forli threw a bunch of escort missions at us, but you'll get a more traditional Assassin's experience here. The lieutenants are all holed up in interesting areas and Ezio must use different tricks to get to them, keeping the experience from becoming repetitive.

Bonfire isn't as polished as the original retail game was, though. You'll notice strange audio pops here and there, lip synching is sometimes off, and sound seems to be completely missing from a couple cut scenes. There also isn't any setup at the beginning. Whereas The Battle of Forli explained that a corrupted memory sequence had been fixed, when you fire up Bonfire you'll merely find new missions available.

Spring boards have been added to rooftops to add more variety to Ezio's free running. They don't have much effect on gameplay, but they're fun to mess around with. Also, there are new viewpoints to discover and templar lairs to run through. This episode is roughly twice as large as Battle of Forli, but unfortunately it still doesn't add new achievements or trophies.

Closing Comments
I wouldn't call Bonfire of the Vanities a must play, but there are certainly worse ways Assassin's fans could spend four bucks and a couple hours. This is a fun little side story that lets us kill a few more bad guys in Renaissance Italy. The audio glitches are disappointing and more effort could have been put into presenting the story, but keep your expectations in check and you'll have a good time at this bonfire.

Rating	Description
out of 10	click here for ratings guide
7.4 Decent	OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average)

Unlike the iPhone OS, which is offered only on Apple's first-party hardware, the Windows Phone 7 Series exists as a multi-device platform that is expected to be made available on products from several major manufacturers. The Windows Phone 7 Series platform taps into the graphic-intensive design of the Zune HD's user interface, but adds a far wider array of applications, including social networking, media, and gaming. One of the most distinguishing factors of the Windows Phone 7 Series OS is that it allows users to create custom contact "pages," which are actively updated with a person's social networking services, media updates, and more. While the concept of aggregating social network updates, and other user-generated content, the Windows Phone 7 Series does it with what appears to be unprecedented level of efficiency and user friendliness. Moreover, the Windows Phone 7 Series platform allows for new Xbox Live integration that has not been achieved on any other system, including Xbox Live game support.

Although specific devices supporting Windows Phone 7 Series and the pricing and release date information therein have not been announced, at this early stage it seems possible that platform could be the basis for the first sizable iPhone rival. Assuming the price is right and the hardware in question packs enough of a technological punch to take on the iPhone, the Windows Phone 7 Series platform could be a force to be reckoned with. Not to mention, since the system is expected to be supported on multiple devices, its market dominance hinges on cumulative sales, not the success or failure of a singular device. Granted, taking a wider platform approach could be regarded as a cop out since Apple has been able to maintain a grapple hold on the market with a single device series, but the potential for one rock star product remains.

There are plenty of ways Windows Phone 7 Series can go wrong – poor device support, irregular OS compatibility, etc. – but being the bright-eyed optimists we are, we've got high hopes for Windows' most recent mobile brainchild. Do you share our enthusiasm for Windows Phone 7 Series? Or do your allegiances lie exclusively with your current smartphone?

Isn't that cute? The Darwinians think you're a god.

While the premise and back story have depth, the toolset players have to work with is very straightforward. There are only three units to build, and your time is heavily weighted towards the Squad unit. This is the one unit players directly control, and in each area of Darwinia much of your time will be spent marching them around and blasting the evil viruses to kingdom come. All the shooting action gives the game a bit more of an arcade feel than many strategy titles. The Darwinians act like lemmings and will blindly follow the orders of whichever one you designate as their leader. Each area has specific objectives that must be completed, but it's usually a variation of: 1. Clear out the viral infection, and 2. Repopulate the area with Darwinians.

The original Darwinia on PC threw players right into the conflict with little explanation. Introversion has added an introduction to this version that serves as a helpful tutorial and explains the basics of creating units and shepherding the Darwinians around. Even with this intro, though, the level objectives can sometimes be esoteric and I could use a little more hand-holding throughout the game. Darwinia+ can also be plodding at times as the Squad units, which I mentioned are your primary tools, march very slowly. Getting them from point A to point B sometimes feels like a chore. Squads are controlled like a dual-stick shooter so the camera locks behind their shoulders when selected and this can sometimes cause problems getting a good look at your environment.

But Darwinia+ is a great package. Not only does it include the original campaign (which is lengthy) it adds the multiplayer expansion Multiwinia, extending the experience for as long as you like. Multiwinia supports up to four players over Xbox Live in skirmishes like Domination, King of the Hill, and Capture the Statue. This is really its own game with an entirely different rule set than Darwinia. Introversion also added very cool bootloaders that randomly cycle when you start the game, as if you were loading a computer game from the '80s. These blasts from the past will be a treat for retro gamers.

Multiwinia is a lot of fun but its single-player mode could be more robust. A match ends without any fanfare and your records aren't visible without maneuvering to the leaderboards. This could have been another campaign to work through if we had to unlock the next match or were given something to work towards. Note that I'm referring to the single-player mode of Multiwinia, not Darwinia (two halves of the same game).

The Squad, shown here, will be your primary weapon against the virus.

The sound design deserves special recognition. Electronic artist Trash80 composed the soundtrack, a fantastic journey into moody electronica. The ambient sounds of Darwinia also bring this computer world to life, from the digital marching of the Darwinians to the shrieks of the dying virus. When you pause the game, the sound effects grind to a halt like a record slowly stopping on a turntable. It's little touches like these that reveal the care and effort Introversion put into Darwinia.

The game world is presented as sort of an undeveloped wireframe virtual reality. It's an artistic choice but Darwinia does look a little cheap to me. The graphics aren't offensive but other games are doing the retro look in a more appealing way, like the XBLA game Rocket Riot. You'll also encounter a lot of slowdown when the battlefield gets too crowded.

Closing Comments
Darwinia+ is one of the most impressive packages available on Xbox Live Arcade. For $15 you get two complete games set in a fascinating virtual reality. There are some minor issues that bog the game down from time to time, but they are easy to overlook considering how much care and thought went into the overall package. Everything from the music to the intro bootloaders to the Darwinian's culture has been meticulously crafted for an experience unlike any other game out there. You'll definitely want to invite these little guys onto your hard drive.

Sega has taken the wraps off Project Needlemouse, and the publisher is positioning the game as a proper sequel to the series' Genesis genesis and Sonic the Hedgehog 3, specifically. The publisher has released a new trailer for the game, revealing its official title: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1.

You can check out the trailer below, and think about the fact that the PS3 and Wii versions of the game will use motion-sensitive controls. It's scheduled to release sometime this summer.

Fresh off of the release of Final Fantasy XIII in Japan, Square Enix revealed that they are currently working on five unannounced projects in the latest Famitsu issue. The publisher said that two of those are planned for 2010.

Furthermore, Square Enix is expected to make an announcement related to Dragon Quest later this summer.

We're going to have to hold on to our Cactuars a bit longer before any official details drop. Expect to hear more at this year's E3 and Tokyo Games Show.

A new Vagrant Story please...

m_nMaxRenegade=1900
m_nMaxRenegade = 1900
m_nMaxParagon=1957 m_nMaxParagon = 1957
m_srXPFormat=340881 m_srXPFormat = 340,881
m_srSpendTalentPointsMessageXBox?=348754
m_srSpendTalentPointsMessageXBox? = 348,754
m_srParagonRenegadeMessageXBox=3?48755
m_srParagonRenegadeMessageXBox = 3? 48,755
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m_srSpendTalentPointsMessagePC = 3? 48,753
m_srParagonRenegadeMessagePC=348?755
m_srParagonRenegadeMessagePC = 348? 755
m_srSpendTalentPointsMessagePS3=?348755
m_srSpendTalentPointsMessagePS3 =? 348,755
m_srParagonRenegadeMessagePS3=15?3007
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The source code controversy found its way to the BioWare forums, where believers pegged it as "bullet-proof" evidence Mass Effect 2 would be published for the PS3. BioWare's community coordinator Chris Priestly chimed in on the discussion with this fairly conclusive statement:

The Unreal?Engine is cross platform, hence the PS3 code.
This was brought up back in Mass?Effect 1 days as well.
Mass?Effect is for the PC and Xbox 360.
LOCKDOWN!

Do I level up for shooting down rumors?

Parents and consumers should know that the game contains a fair amount of "cheesy," and at times, creepy voyeurism—especially when users have complete rotate-pan-zoom control; but the game also contains bizarre, misguided notions of what women really want.

The unusually subjective ESRB summary made it onto the ratings board's website in the morning before being cleaned up and reposted this afternoon. ESRB spokesperson Eliot Mizrachi also issued a statement apologizing for the "error."

Our intention with rating summaries is to provide useful, detailed descriptions of game content that are as objective and informative as possible. However they are ultimately written by people and, in this case, we mistakenly posted a rating summary that included what some could rightfully take to be subjective statements. We sincerely regret the error and will work to prevent this from happening again in the future.

Dead or Alive: Paradise for the PlayStation Portable is scheduled to be released in the second quarter.

Is that a felled tree trunk?

From our side, we're going through our own studio organization and trying to make sure all these old games are out there so that we can lead by example, but we're also communicating with all the third-parties about the success of the Final Fantasy games, and other PS1 and PS2 classics. By all means, I think people can look for more of that because once the third parties see how this works, it's just found money.

Good news for PS3 owners hoping to download the classics. But the news is not so good for those hoping Sony will expand on its handful of "full" PS3 titles available on PSN:

No, I don't think so -- at least, not any time soon. ... Maybe this point will come at some time, but today to download 50 gigs of data before you play a game, you could probably go buy a car, bring it home, put your family into it, drive to the store by and bring the game home by the time you [could download it].

Read IGN's full Q&A with Dille here.

The full game, including a single-player campaign and seven multiplayer modes, is set for launch on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on February 16th in America and February 19th in Europe.

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 -- 11.86 million
2. Wii Sports Resort -- 7.57 million
3. New Super Mario Bros. -- 7.41 million
4. Wii Fit Plus -- 5.8 million
5. Wii Fit -- 5.44 million

The data includes portable/handheld videogame software sales, which declined steeply everywhere except in Japan (down 25% in the UK), but the folks at Top Global Markets target dissolving PS2 sales as the mitigating factor in the overall decline: PS2 games experienced a freefall of 57% in 2009.

User created content means making trials for your fellow players. You'll be able to select arenas, monsters and modes and stuff them into a challenging romp that can be downloaded by all from a central server.

They then rate the experience, placing you somewhere on a leaderboard. Scaling that, and collecting silver to spend on new toys to populate trials with, will provide a meta-game.

The Trials of St. Lucia DLC is set to launch on April 29th.

That looks painful.

IGN: So you do think that PS3 will overtake Xbox 360 in sales at some point, then?

Peter Dille: Yeah, we do. I'm confident we'll be around in 10 years and I can say that because we've done it twice. PS3 will be around in 10 years and probably much longer than that. I have my own opinion, but I'll ask you the question. Do you think the 360 will be around in 10 years?

IGN: My personal opinion is no.

Peter Dille: Yeah, and that's my personal opinion. I think that would be the personal opinion of most responsible opinion makers. We can be passionate fans, but I don't think they'll be around in 10 years so I'm very confident we'll pass them within that time frame.

Whether Dille's predictions turn out to be true remains to be seen, but based on the history associated with the lifetime sales of the PlayStation 2 console, it's not beyond the realms of possibility. Microsoft, on the other hand, will surely be focusing on current-day sales of the 360, and even a new replacement system in the long term.

Here to stay? Prolly.

Tap out or die.

Speaking of created dudes, Undisputed 2010 is going to pack more than 100 fighters, and none of them are going to be made from the creation mode like 50 percent of last year's roster. Every UFC athlete in the game will be given the photo-realistic treatment. If you're looking to make your fighters (or at least your repertoire) more diverse, sways, ducks and leans have also been added to this year's game to make everything that much deeper and more realistic.

If my preview's sounding a little bit like a list of stuff added, that's kind of because that's what I was given tonight. Although the virtual Swick/Thiago welterweight bout was on a bunch of different TVs, developers were talking over it while playing so the match was moving at demonstration speeds and wasn't that amazing before ending with Thiago tapping out to an arm bar. It did look sweet – the graphics are no doubt sharper than last year, as sweat clung to the fighters' chests and blood spurted out as punches rained down on Thiago's face – but that was about it. To drive home that TV presentation, the match ended with the fighters in the ring in post-fight outfits such as Swick's "Dethrone Royalty Texas" shirt.

It wasn't shown, but a THQ press release makes it sound like UFC Undisputed 2010 is making a serious play for one of the best online fighting games. In this year's game you'll apparently be able to form "fight camps and leagues, train like real-life UFC fighters and go online to compete against other camps." There will be online co-op sparring sessions that dictate your credibility, popularity and the types of sponsorships you get. On top of that, this year's career mode will include the "Game Is Watching You" system, which will "track every action and use this information to dictate in-game commentary, opponent intelligence and overall career progression."

UFC Undisputed 2010 is giving you new modes such as Title Mode (fight through a weight class to earn and defend a belt), Title Defense Mode (complete milestone challenges on your road to stardom) and Tournament Mode (16-player individual and team).

Cage move!

Personally, I'm excited for UFC Undisputed 2010, and tonight only fanned the flames. The game looks good on an eye-candy level, but it's the kicking to the curb of the rigid animations that has me really excited. I noticed that the chain link of the cage didn't bend when a body was shoved up against it, but hopefully those types of touches can be amended as we lead up to Undisputed 2010's May release date. Because, if they can and all the stuff THQ says it has added actually gets added, this game should kick the crap out of last year's title.

There is also jiggle physics for the octagon girls. I thought you should know that.

Click above to see some action from Madden Bowl XVI.

As I stood outside the roped off area to watch the players duke it out in the virtual realm, it was obvious who was a gamer – or at least a Madden player – and who wasn't. I was told prior to the event that Maurice Jones-Drew (MJD) was a heavy favorite (not just because he plays for my favorite team, the Jags) to take the crown and judging from his first-round dismissal of the soft-spoken Chris Johnson, it seemed like the predictions might come to pass.

Miles Austin's first round matchup against Santonio Holmes was likely the strangest of the evening. While I didn't actually see it happen, during my interview time with Miles he said he lost by virtue of a game of rock-paper-scissors. Naturally I thought he was kidding. Far from it. Apparently in the official Madden Bowl rulebook (yes, there is such a thing) it states that if there is an audio/visual issue or if a system crashes, the victor is determined by the age old game of chance. Poor Miles was up by a few scores on Holmes when his TV went black. After a spirited game of rock-paper-scissors, the wide receiver from the Cowboys was dismissed. Thankfully MJD beat Holmes in round two.

After meeting him, I'm now a Jared Allen fan.

Other first-round matchups included Jared Allen – who told me that he had never played Madden prior to Madden XVI, and it showed – getting dominated by a surprisingly talented Patrick Willis and Percy Harvin going down to Chad Ochocinco. Speaking of Chad, he had one of the worst attitudes coming into the event that I've ever seen from NFL talent (and I've interviewed plenty of them over the years). Rumblings throughout other members of the press indicated that he was peeved by the traffic and arduous drive to the event. Cry me a river, pal. At several points during the tournament Ochocinco demanded McDonalds. Why, I don't know. Someone from EA Sports was actually nice enough to fight through Miami's insane Super Bowl traffic and go get him his fast-food – likely in the hopes it would better his spirits – but by the time food arrived (before the event or the tournament was over, mind you) Chad was long gone.

This lackadaisical approach to combat and gameplay quickly lulls you into a hazy experience where everything blends together and nothing is particularly memorable. To be sure, there is a whole slew of traditional RPG game mechanics tossed into Glory of Heracles, but it's hard to care about any of them. None stand out as original or impressive, and none feel all too important in the grand scheme of things.

Everything from crafting weapons to polishing rusty equipment to adding upgrades to weapons and armor is present here. Some of these traditional game elements have nifty hooks to them, such as praying at temples and statues devoted to the Grecian gods to learn new skills and spells. You can even upgrade the casting power of spells, performed during combat with little touch screen mini-games. Of course, when the game quickly breaks down to repeatedly hitting the auto-battle button to plow through random encounter after random encounter, none of this really matters.

Without a compelling story, interesting characters, or exciting combat to drive things along, there isn't much reason to keep going. Those looking for a functional RPG to pass the time will find exactly that here, but little more.

Closing Comments
The Nintendo DS is home to some heavy hitters in the classic role-playing genre, many of which would be better options than Glory of Heracles. There isn't anything fundamentally bad about this RPG, and it does present itself in a fairly stress free manner. It meets expectations, but never strives to impress. And that leaves it with long stretches of gameplay that would best be described as simply boring.

Rating	Description
out of 10	click here for ratings guide
6.5	Presentation The story is rarely interesting, but the menu and upgrading systems function quite well.
7.0	Graphics Fully 3D with a nifty camera that makes exploring towns a breeze. The dungeons and towns are very basic and uninspired.
5.5	Sound I found myself turning the sound down in favor of my own soundtrack far too often to call this good.
6.0	Gameplay Boring is the word that comes to mind. Everything is functional and all of the classic RPG elements are here…but that doesn't make it fun.
6.5	Lasting Appeal If you find Glory of Heracles more thrilling than I did, then you're looking a fairly long game.
6.0 Passable	OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average)

While watching the trailer for Wrath of the Lich King we got to mess around with the control panel, switching the Crystallizer and Surround effects on and off. The Crystallizer setting brought smaller sounds like the clinking and shifting of Arthas' armor to the forefront. Meanwhile, the Surround effect opened things up for a wider soundscape.

We also got to see the ear cover options menu, which lets you set the LEDs to whatever color you want and change things like brightness and rate of pulsing. All very customizable, and that extended into the equalizers and hotkey options. We're excited to see just how deep the customization goes.

One concern we have is the headset's heft, or rather its lack thereof. From seeing the headphones in pictures you'd expect them to have some metallic parts and weigh a ton, but they're just plastic and surprisingly light. The question is: is that a good thing?

If you have any burning questions about the headset, post them in the comments below, and be sure to check back with us for our full review.

Q Entertainment suggested that it might be a possible in a recent tweet (via Kotaku), "What would a game like Rez HD sell for on PSN? $15? This is no indication that it's happening, but we're researching if its feasible."

Speaking with 1UP about the possibility of a port, former editor James Mielke reiterated that it's "purely hypothetical" at this point.

"We're doing our best to gauge fan interest via things like our Twitter account, online polls, news stories, etc. This is literally a situation where the game will only happen if there's enough demand, and by "enough" I mean we'd have to do more than just break even on recouping development costs," he said.

A PS3 port wouldn't be easy, Mielke noted, due in part to the significantly different architecture between the two systems. Such a project would "take a lot of work," and would "require the supervision of one or more of Q's production staff."

"Time is money, and people are valuable resources, so between the cost of assigning people to this project, and hiring a team to handle the game's conversion, the resulting effort adds up very quickly in terms of development cost."

At the moment, the Xbox 360 version is available for 800 Microsoft Points ($10), which would be $5 less than on the PS3. Mielke cited factors such as development costs, the fact that it's still Sega's IP (thus earning it a share of the profits), and the overall need to turn a profit on the venture as key factors behind the possible price point.

He stressed that "we're not trying to insult anyone's intelligence by inquiring about a $15 price point. We're just asking for fan feedback, which is more than you could say about a lot of companies. We're reaching out to see what's reasonable."

"If we did release at $15, it'd be within anyone's rights to boycott the game, to wait for a price drop or a sale special, or to go out and get an Xbox 360 and download it for a few bucks less out of principle. But as I said, we're not trying to gouge anyone."

"If we never port Rez HD to PSN, it's because we determined there either wasn't enough interest or because we didn't think it'd help the company to do so, when we could be focusing our efforts on new experiences and new IPs."

Thus far, the response to the possibility has been "encouraging," Mielke said, "The majority of the gamers who are interested view the $15 idea as reasonable, with a few of the vocal minority saying that it's too high, and of course, higher than the XBL price tag."

"Believe me, I understand that people always want things cheaper if possible, but tell that to Square Enix, who continually re-release old Final Fantasy games at premium prices"

Any port would be much the same as the original and the remake, but Mielke called possible support for the Trance Vibrator through the PS3's USB ports "an interesting idea." As support for the peripheral would require additional time and resources though, Q Entertainment would have to "weigh whether it would be worth the effort."

If you're interested in a PlayStation 3 port of Rez HD, Q Entertainment is still gauging interest via its Twitter account, and Mielke can also be contacted through his blog here on 1UP. We'll let you know if we hear anything else.

Mistwalker has been enjoying a healthy relationship with Nintendo, co-developing various RPGs for the DS. This will be the developer's first trek onto the Wii, so we'll be curious to see how they make use of the motion controls. We'll keep an eye out for more details, including U.S. release plans.

Details are still scarce, but the announcement makes it relatively clear that this will be a continuation of the main Pokemon RPG series and not a spinoff like Pokemon Ranger or the Mystery Dungeon games. They also promise brand new Pokemon to capture, but that's pretty much a given.

Even if this currently unnamed Pokemon title hits Japan within the year, that doesn't necessarily mean we'll be seeing it in the U.S. anytime soon. The localization process for the series has historically resulted in a release gap of roughly six months or more between the Japanese and North American launches. So if you absolutely must catch them all in 2010, then you'd better warm up to importing.

Bioware co-founder Dr. Ray Muzyka seems pleased with the news. "Mass Effect 2 is poised to be one of the biggest games of 2010," gushed the general manager of EA's RPG and MMO division. "We could not be more proud of the game's universal acclaim and early commercial success."

Sure, these aren't exactly Modern Warfare 2 sales numbers. Then again, you can't expect every blockbuster to hit 4.7 million in its first 24 hours.

Yep. Part of Konami's promotional efforts for Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker include this new, free-to-play game called Metal Gear Solid: Piece Walker. It's a puzzle game in the most literal sense, tasking players with guiding tiny men in painted cardboard boxes to the appropriate spot on a grid -- eventually forming an image of something from the Metal Gear universe. Pearl Jam fans might find it a bit reminiscent of the tie-in that showed up around the rerelease of Ten last year.

The real kicker here is that there's a full multiplayer mode, which allows up to four players to compete to solve the most pieces of the same puzzle. Victory earns the user points, and they can spend those on special items to help turn the tide of battle. There's even stat tracking and a leaderboard.

Yeah, it's a pretty weird way to promote a videogame. But is it any weirder than The Pain from Metal Gear Solid 3 turning a swarm of bees into a Tommy gun? Didn't think so.

Daily Fix Video February 5, 2010

- L.A. Noire Set for Both PS3, 360    - Perfect Dark On XBLA    - No More Live For Original Xbox    - Friday Giveaway!

"I want to assure you that the best is yet to come for Xbox LIVE," Whitten continued "I believe we'll look back on 2010 as a landmark year in gaming and home entertainment, and I couldn't be more excited about what we have in store with "Project Natal" and LIVE."

Read our impressions from the launch of the service on the original Xbox in 2002, and shed your tears in the comments section below.

• Price: $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360)

"The Who Super Bowl S-mashup" joins 15 previously released tracks available in theRock Band music library (Press Release Link), from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees. Those songs include "Won't Get Fooled Again" featured on the original Rock Band disc and "Pinball Wizard" featured on the Rock Band 2 disc, as well as "Amazing Journey," "Baba O'Riley," "Behind Blue Eyes," "Eminence Front," "Going Mobile," "Leaving Here," "Magic Bus," "My Generation," "Real Good Looking Boy," "Sea and Sand," "Summertime Blues," "Who Are You" and "Young Man Blues," all released as downloadable content in the Rock Band Music Store.

Rock Band continues to satisfy music fans' and gamers' voracious appetite for rock with more than 1000 songs available to play via disc and download as well as 60 million paid song downloads since its launch Nov. 20, 2007. The Rock Band Music Store allows players to preview and purchase downloadable individual music tracks, packs and albums from the vast selection of offerings available to date without ever leaving the game as they build their own custom Rock Band library.

Rock Band 2 is available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and Wii system. Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 system and Wii versions support downloadable content.

Rock Band and Rock Band 2 are rated "T" for Teen (lyrics, suggestive themes) by the ESRB. Music downloads are not rated by the ESRB.

For more information on Rock Band 2 and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.

About MTV Networks
MTV Networks, a division of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of entertainment content, with brands that engage and connect diverse audiences across television, online, mobile, games, virtual worlds and consumer products. The company's portfolio spans more than 150 television channels and 400 digital media properties worldwide, and includes MTV,VH1, CMT, Logo, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite,Nick Jr., TeenNick, AddictingGames, Neopets,COMEDY CENTRAL, SPIKE,TV Land, Atom, GameTrailers and Xfire.

About MTV Games
MTV Games is dedicated to creating, marketing and publishing high-quality, innovative interactive products that are relevant to the MTV audience and complement the core values of the MTV Networks brands.

About Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.
Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., based in Cambridge, MA, and established in 1995, is the leading developer of ground-breaking music-oriented videogames. Harmonix was founded by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy, who formed the company to invent new ways for non-musicians to experience the unique joy that comes from making music and have pioneered music and rhythm gaming in the US. For more information please visit: www.harmonixmusic.com.

Plasmids Video

Electrobolt: Useful through the entire game, Electrobolt stuns enemies and makes them more vulnerable to melee swipes. It'll knock security bots out of the air in one hit and disable cameras and turrets, giving you time to dart in for a quick hack job. It's also the plasmid of choice if an enemy is standing in a pool of water, dealing extra damage to all those with wet feet. If it's upgraded once, you get the option to charge up the Electrobolt to turn it into a chain lighting attack that arcs from target to target. The third upgrade eliminates the need to charge the attack to get it to chain. Now, if you charge the plasmid before firing, it'll unleash a lighting storm from your hand that continuously fires, damaging and stunning everything in its area of effect. This also sucks Eve as long as it remains active.

Telekinesis: When equipped, this plasmid lets you manipulate objects in the environment so you can shoot them back at enemies to inflict damage. It's also useful for pulling out of reach ammunition or health pickups from hard to reach places towards you. Also, larger objects that you keep suspended in midair can function as shields. The second level upgrade boosts the damage you do when you hit an enemy with an object, and at level three you can actually pick up some of the smaller enemies in the game and hurl them at targets.

Electrobolt lighting up the room.

Cyclone Trap: At its base level, this plasmid lets you set a whirling vortex on the ground that -- when triggered by enemies -- launches them high into the air, dealing damage, which is useful especially during Little Sister defense sequences. Bumping this up to level two allows you to infuse individual cyclone traps with other plasmid effects. So if you want to add lighting, fire, or ice to your traps, you can go right ahead. By upgrading it to level three, you'll gain the additional ability to set traps on the ceiling and along walls.

Hypnotize: Probably my most used plasmid, this one at its base level causes splicers to attack each other. So if there are two in a room, you can hit them both with this thing and they'll battle to the death, or until the effect wears off. It's not really effective against a single splicer. However, upgrade this plasmid to level two and the splicers you hit will become friendly targets and fight for you for a little while. At level three, you gain the ability to turn Big Daddies and brute splicers into compatriots for a little while.

Decoy: This plasmid can be used to summon a phantom image of yourself in Rapture, which works to divert enemy attacks for a little while. Upgrading it has the nice effect of actually reflecting damage back at any attackers who get drawn in, and at its maximum upgrade level the reflected damage is also fed back to you as health. Pretty useful in a jam.

Telekinesis can fling bodies when fully upgraded.

Security Command: With this plasmid you can paint enemies to be targeted by security bots and cameras. This lets you trigger camera alerts for wandering enemies from a distance as well as serves as a control mechanic for any of your hacked security bots. At level two this lets you summon friendly bots at any time, and the last upgrade turns the bots into 'elite' versions of the basic friendly fliers. In combination with the Handyman tonic that lets you repair bots, this can be a great way to get around Rapture without having to use the Vita-Chambers or reload your game.

Click here to see what a musical platformer looks like.

The fact that you have to jump to attack is one of the biggest problems with using the guitar controller. By default, you swing the neck upwards to leap, as if you were triggering star power in Guitar Hero. As you might imagine, in a platformer like this the constant thrusting of your peripheral gets old fast. In the options menu you can turn on a help button that allows you to jump with the second guitar fret button (the red one). But this is still pretty awkward since you move left and right with first and third frets.

All of this becomes much more manageable with a regular controller but you're left with a less-than-exciting game. Chaining guitar strums together in order to attack monsters is interesting but it isn't enough to make Fret Nice a compelling experience. By design, you have to return to each level multiple times to earn enough medals to unlock later stages. But instead of inviting you to explore new areas with each visit, like Mario 64 did, you just run through the same level again and it feels a bit tedious after a while.

Fret Nice also misses opportunities to reward players. At the end of each level you make your exit by leaping onto a moving helicopter. As you fly away you have a chance to shoot a few bells and create a familiar melody. But nailing them all provides no discernible accolades. Players have to reach a certain score on a level to receive a medal, and giving us a point boost for successfully shooting the bells at the end would give us something to aim for.

What Fret Nice has going for it are great audio and visuals. The super catchy geek rock soundtrack is some of the most memorable videogame music I've heard in a while. I particularly love the '80s action movie theme that plays when you leap onto the moving helicopter at the end of each stage. The appealing art style replicates the look of paper cutouts and lends the game a lot of personality. There is also a wide range of character customization options available in the game's stores.

Closing Comments
A great soundtrack and unique art style can't save what is ultimately a failed experiment. Using a guitar peripheral to control a platformer is just as clumsy as you would imagine. Drop the gimmick and Fret Nice becomes much more playable with a regular controller, but then you're left with a pretty run-of-the-mill game. Kudos to the developer for trying something different, but different doesn't always mean fun.

Iwata also commented on the push for 3D gaming, which his competitor Sony has been advocating. "I have doubts whether people will be wearing glasses to play games at home," he said. "How is that going to look to other people?" Finally, Iwata continued to distance himself from recent reports of a successor to the DS, as well as the persistent HD Wii rumors. "I question whether those features would be enough to get people to buy new machines," he said. He did mention that Nintendo is working on new hardware, but didn't give details.

The two episodes were temporarily Xbox 360 exclusives thanks to a little encouragement on Microsoft's part -- $50 million worth, to be precise. That deal appears to have run its course, however, and with all the talk of lower-than-expected sales of the expansions on Xbox 360, it shouldn't be too surprising to see them turning up on other platforms.

Look for both GTA Episodes on the PlayStation Store, the Games for Windows Live Marketplace, and at retail on March 30.

This is similar to the recent Dr. Pepper partnership with EA for DLC in its games, including Mass Effect 2. Drink manufacturers have made game-branded products before, but we're betting they'll see more success with these recent promotions that offer in-game rewards. As a move that encourages more purchasing with the promise of small, free in-game trinkets, it's a win-win for soft drink companies and publishers alike.

Interestingly, the date for this PlayStation 3 exclusive places it only a week after the release of Final Fantasy XIII. The RPG isn't exclusive to the PS3 anymore, but its legacy and development are still strongly associated with Sony and it's set to be a marquee title for the console. Fans who can only afford one will have to make the choice, though we're sure more than a few will spring for both and feast on ramen for a while.

Unfortunately, that's all we know so far. The announcement didn't include a price or date for the DLC. And though the press release touts the raised level cap, it didn't mention what the new cap will be. We also have to wonder if new class abilities will be available, or if the skill points acquired will go towards filling out more of the existing skills. We'll keep our ear to the ground for more details and keep you posted.

I think Capcom itself put it best in their lengthy explanation of why it's not really feasible to bring it over here, "This is not a "spend $750K localizing, $500K on cost of goods and $500K on marketing, ship it and you're done" type of project the way many of you are making it out to be."

"The resources Japan has dedicated to MHF are considerable. They are indeed part of an entirely new business unit for that territory (called our Online Business Unit). They are the tip of the sword. We are not and it will take some time before we are able to allocate/get approved the necessary resources. For fans, that’s the unfortunate reality."

The other unfortunate reality is that Monster Hunter is not a hugely popular brand in North America, which should be obvious by now. Making Monster Hunter the "tip of the sword" of an effort like the one in Japan would be an untenable business risk on Capcom's part. It's not the non-entity it used to be, but we're not talking about Call of Duty here.

If Capcom were ever to release a true Monster Hunter sequel for the Xbox 360 (or PS3) though, they could drum up some serious interest in the west. It would certainly have a better chance of drumming up casual RPG fans than the PSP versions, and the co-op play would really have a chance to shine (assuming that Capcom didn't go for the "double subscription" angle they're taking in Japan). So if they're serious about continuing to grab the attention of westerners, why aren't they making a true Monster Hunter game for high-defintion consoles that have an actual chance to be released in North America?

Well, I have two thoughts on this. The first is that porting Monster Hunter Frontier to the Xbox 360 is Capcom's way of testing the waters in Japan. It won't be as easy as porting a standard game (we are talking about an MMORPG here), but I have to imagine that it's easier than creating a new game from scratch. It could be that Capcom is interested in making a true sequel for the Xbox 360 or PS3, but that they want to see what kind of response it would garner first.

My other thought is that Capcom really is interested in bringing this whole thing over to North America, and that this is there first step in doing so. If that's the case, then it might be a smart move. It could just be me, but an action-oriented Monster Hunter MMO seems like it would have a better chance of finding an audience on the Xbox 360 than the PC. Who knows, maybe this is Capcom's next big step in pushing the brand over here. If that's the case, we may be in for a treat.

There is, of course, a third possibility -- Capcom doesn't actually give a damn about North America when it comes to Monster Hunter, and they just want to find a way to continue exploiting one of Japan's most popular brands. That would be counter to their recent strategy of pushing the Monster Hunter games in North America though, building up the franchise's popularity bit by bit. In porting Monster Hunter Frontier, I wonder if they aren't paving the way for a true sequel that will be popular in both countries, which would be a true coup.

In the end, I think this news is only relevant to western gamers insofar that it might be a harbringer for an HD Monster Hunter 4. It really is tough to imagine Capcom going all out in porting a Monster Hunter MMO at this stage of the game. But if this is a glimpse at things to come, count me interested.

Both bundles highlight classic Irrational Games franchises, with the Freedom Force bundle containing the original game and its sequel, Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich, and the X-Com bundle containing Apocalypse, Enforcer, Interceptor, Terror from the Deep, and UFO Defense. And again, each bundle can be yours for less than the price of the national average for a gallon of gas.

And lastly, if you have ever, ever, ever so slightly deeper pockets, you can also get Tropico 3 for $13.60 this weekend as well. The deals end Monday, so get 'em while you can.

"No, no, no. I have a point of view and that's about as much as we have," Moore said. "[From] Howard Stringer down, Sony has made it a strategic imperative for the company. And when Sony does something of that nature then we as a company need to sit up and take notice. But believe me there's nothing going on right now that would say I'm ready to demo a 3D sports game. Nothing at all."

So what are Peter Moore and EA Sports almost ready to do? Demo what they have in store for Microsoft's Project Natal and Sony's motion controller. "We're getting in sync with Sony's motion controller and Project Natal with what Sony and Microsoft want to do with their publishing partners, so stay tuned for further information on that as we get closer to the date," Moore said. "And as you can imagine, EA being EA we're going to have our core intellectual property represented in some shape or fashion on those platforms."

In other words: Can we expect to see a big EA Sports showing for Natal and Sony's wand, probably at E3? Smart money's on yes.

Sony may be making a

Reach is NOT a Natal title and is being developed expressly with the traditional Xbox 360 controller in mind.

Myth: The crosshairs in Reach are off-center.

Sorry folks, you won't be perpetually leaning to the left nor will you be navigating multiple cross-hairs for various purposes.

Myth: Every weapon in Reach will be "hit scan."

Here's the real scoop, straight from Sage Merrill, sandbox Design Lead for Reach: "Most of the primary human weapons were moved to hit scan while the Covenant weapons remain as various speed projectiles."

Currently the Magnum, DMR, Assault Rifle and Sniper Rifle are all hit scan, but other weapons such as the Shotgun and Rocket Launcher are, for obvious reasons, not. When the beta hits this spring you'll be able to get up close and personal and see for yourself.

Myth: The HUD in Reach is yellow.

The same pre-alpha build that didn't feature final textures, geometry or decorators also included one of many earlier iterations of the HUD (which even today is still getting tweaked and refined). As of now it's no longer yellow and sources say it won't be returning, either.

Myth: The Assault Rifle has a 600-round capacity, and the Magnum tops out at 50.

That's what it shows in the screenshots, but you should always take that stuff with a grain of salt. Not only are all of those parameters in flux as the team continues to test and tweak, but when us community dudes get into a build, we're often turning on all kinds of freaky cheats to make sure we can get the right shots in time to deliver. If that means we want to rip through a sequence without having to scrub for ammo, we might flip some dials of our own.

Myth: Players will be able to pilot the game's newest aerial vehicle, the Falcon, in campaign and multiplayer.

Yup.

You can find a few more myth debunkings in Bungie's post.

- Bungie

When Bungie released this screenshot featuring crosshairs on the left, the rampant speculation began.

I was talking about fashioning Link's Awakening with a feel that was somewhat like Twin Peaks. At the time, Twin Peaks was rather popular. The drama was all about a small number of characters in a small town.

So when it came to Link's Awakening, I wanted to make something that, while it would be small enough in scope to easily understand, it would have deep and distinctive characteristics.

Tezuka notes that Link's Awakening was the first game in the Zelda franchise that featured a "proper plot" and had a story running throughout the entire game. "Twin Peaks" also served as a catalyst to introduce "suspicious character types" into the game, including various unrelated Nintendo characters like Mario and Kirby.

The Triforce is not what it seems.

- EA

"While digital outreach to Facebook, Twitter, and online bloggers is a core part of our marketing strategy, we felt that advertising during the Super Bowl is an excellent way to introduce this new IP to a massive cross-section of people who are likely already familiar with the dark and twisted 'Divine Comedy,'" Gibeau said.

"Hell Awaits" will premier in the fourth quarter of Sunday's big game on CBS, and will hit the shelves in the U.S. on Tuesday, February 9.

Miggs: So. Red Dead Redemption. Will I be let down like I was by Grand Theft Auto IV?

Gerald: Wow, loaded question there, buddy. Why not ask me why if I'm still beating my dog? Like GTA4, Red Dead Redemption takes an open-world approach to game design, so appreciating it will come down to whether or not you're into wide-open spaces, dusty saloons, and all your typical Wild West locales. What specifically do you want to see Red Dead avoid that bothered you in GTA4?

Miggs: Cell phones. I don't want to be in the middle of a mission and have a carrier pigeon land on my shoulder because my little buddy wants to go hang out at the saloon. Speaking of saloons, are there multiple towns in the open world? And are there brothels?

Gerald: You've got a one-track mind, man. This is the Old West, so I'd expect that you can find women to carry off into the sunset at the local saloon, but I don't believe that you'll be finding any brothels in Red Dead. I actually asked about risque content in RDR, and I was told point-blank that you won't find any really naughty stuff in the game. Sorry, buddy!

Click the image above to check out the latest trailer.

As far as the towns go, while I only got to see the town of Armadillo, I learned that RDR is split into three large areas, and they're comparable in size to the larger areas in the GTA games. It's pretty ambitious, building something so big when your fastest method of transportation is the horse. Well, I guess you'll be able to ride a train back and forth between areas, but I'm just guessing at this point. During my hands-on session I was getting around strictly on horseback. The horseback riding was a little difficult for me to pick up at first, but eventually I got the hang of it -- and those horses look great, better even than the ones in Pony Friends 2 and Petz: My Horse Family.

The towns look pretty sweet, though I'm just basing this on what I saw of Armadillo. The local townsfolk hang out on their porches to pass the time, sipping whiskey and hoping for a good gunfight to brighten their day. You know, I've watched enough westerns to know that shootouts break out in the middle of the street pretty much 'round the clock, so I damn sure wouldn't be hanging out on my front porch and looking for someone to start something. I'd be sleeping in my bath tub and praying for some way to exceed the average life expectancy of 27.

In Armadillo, I visited the Sheriff's place and joined up to help the local old fart law-man rustle up some bad guys. Sure, the towns aren't as bustling as San Andreas or Liberty City, but you should still be able to find stuff to do.

Miggs: Is there anything innovative about the combat mechanics, or is it the "lock-on and shoot" combat that we're used to?

Gerald: You played the first Red Dead and I didn't, so you'll have to tell me. It's a pretty typical third-person shooter with typical western guns, including an ancient-looking sniper rifle, old-school Molotov cocktails, and a sweet double-barrel shotgun.

Players with a broadband Internet connection and a decent computer should be able to access the title, which will contain more than 30 licensed leagues and 500 clubs. As with the mainline FIFA games, players will be able to acquire players, upgrade skills and build up their dream team.

Like most "free" experiences, there is a micro-transaction angle. Users will be able to acquire unique apparel for their players for a little extra cash, and "additional content will be designed for the game based on feedback by fans."

Beta testing for FIFA Online will kick off February 3, with an English language version scheduled to launch in June -- just in time for the World Cup.

If you want to register for the closed beta, you can do so via the official site.

Originally planned for release in early January, Ostagar was delayed, then stealth released, and then pulled after errors cropped up. BioWare recently had similar, but less pronounced difficulties with some day-one DLC for Mass Effect 2. Due to an unspecified error, that character and his associated mission became day-two DLC instead. Whatever the issues with the 360, BioWare seems to be getting better at navigating them, so hopefully we won't see this kind of thing in the future.

Originally planned for release in early January, Ostagar was delayed, then stealth released, and then pulled after errors cropped up. BioWare recently had similar, but less pronounced difficulties with some day-one DLC for Mass Effect 2. Due to an unspecified error, that character and his associated mission became day-two DLC instead. Whatever the issues with the 360, BioWare seems to be getting better at navigating them, so hopefully we won't see this kind of thing in the future.

The Zero games were praised for carrying the torch of old-school (read: hard) Mega Man platforming while Capcom buttered its bread with the profits from the Mega Man Battle Network games. This will be the third Mega Man series compilation, after the Mega Man Anniversary Collection and Mega Man X Collection. These three compilations will account for almost half of the total number of Mega Man series in existence, so at least we're making progress. Now cross your fingers for an official homage to Mega Man Legends.

IGN's version of the Super Bowl - videogame style.

I've done a lot of these over my years at IGN, but this sim of Sunday's big game was easily the most exciting I've ever seen. If the real thing is anywhere near as exhilarating, the football world is in for one hell of a treat.

1st Quarter
The Saints came out absolutely on fire for Super Bowl XLIV. They took it to the Colts in the first quarter with two touchdowns and a field goal, all of which went unanswered. Brees scored 30-yard and 48-yard touchdown passes and Hartley tacked on a 42-yard field goal for good measure. If the game continued like this, the Colts would be in serious trouble. Thankfully, things would eventually change.

2nd Quarter
The end of the first half was nowhere near as enthralling as the beginning. The Colts were able to answer back with a touchdown of their own thanks to a 27-yard scamper by Addai who finished with just 53 yards on 16 attempts for the game.

Click above to watch our highlights from Super Bowl XLIV.

3rd Quarter
The start of the second half was as quiet as the end of the first with the lone points coming from the Saints in the third quarter. Hartley booted a 26-yard field goal with 26 seconds left on the clock to give the Saints what seemed to be an insurmountable 20-7 lead heading into the final quarter.

4th Quarter
In what can only be described as the greatest fourth quarter comeback in Super Bowl history, the Colts came roaring back with two unanswered touchdowns. The first was an easy two-yard run by Addai, the second marked a colossal mistake by Brees as Indy was able to intercept him and return it 41 yards for the touchdown. The score was then 21-20, Colts. All seemed lost for the Saints as the clock ticked below one minute. In a last-ditch effort, the Saints scampered 40 yards down the field in just 30 seconds to kick a 42-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining.

The score sat at 23-21 with the Saints in front as the Colts returned a Saints pooch kick. It was on the second play from scrimmage, with 13 seconds left on the clock that Peyton Manning hit Dwight Clark for his fifth and most important catch of the game. Clark was able to break a few tackles and scamper down the field for a 68-yard touchdown, sealing the victory for the Colts. For whatever reason, Indy decided to go for two (Madden's questionable AI at work). They failed and the final score wound up being 27-23 with the Colts outscoring the Saints 20-3 in the fourth quarter. Peyton Manning took home MVP honors with 256 yards on 16 for 22 passing and one touchdown. Drew Brees actually had more impressive numbers with 300 yards on 17 for 27 passing and two touchdowns, but it was the last drive by Manning that put him over the top.

I think everyone can agree that if the real Super Bowl XLIV can live up to this type of showing, it will go down as one of the greatest Super Bowls in history. Best of luck to both teams!

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The Unreal?Engine is cross platform, hence the PS3 code.
This was brought up back in Mass?Effect 1 days as well.
Mass?Effect is for the PC and Xbox 360.
LOCKDOWN!

Do I level up for shooting down rumors?

In the first entry, UGO's Tracey John talks with God of War and Calling All Cars director David Jaffe about Whitney Houston, Disneyland hats, the TV show Brothers & Sisters, and a Meryl Streep movie. In his words: "These are all very girly answers... I'm fully aware of that. But it's what I like, ya know?"

But then he also talks up Darksiders and Bill Maher, just to confuse you. Check out the Celeb Selects story on UGO to see the full list.

Darwinia+ takes everything that made the original PC game so popular and adds new tutorials, control options, a retooled user interface, and Xbox 360-specific features like Avatar Awards. The developers have gone as far as to label this their "Director's Cut" of Darwinia -- "the best possible version" of the game, according to Introversion.

Look for Darwinia+ on February 10 for 1200 Microsoft points, or about $15.

These are all second-hand accounts, so take them with a grain of salt -- accuracy and even honesty are always factors when dealing with reports like this. That said, it's possible that both reports are accurate, and the first interview with Kitase could have simply been an older one. Either way, the verdict now seems to stand at downloadable content of some sort coming to the RPG, so we'll keep you updated when and if we hear more on what it will be.