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L.A. Noire Tech Trailer
Bringing Characters To Life

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Delayed
You Can Thank Final Fantasy XIV

Crysis 2 Screenshots
The Latest 'n Greatest

Mass Effect 3
View The First Teaser Trailer!

Friday, December 17, 2010
Crysis 2 - Be The Weapon Trailer Features Lots Of SP Gameplay
- 13 Comments
I probably won't spend too much time beating up on single player aliens, but I'm still keeping some hope alive in my heart that PC version of Crysis 2's multiplayer will be a fun and more evolved experience of the original:

EA Wants You To Know: It Gets Better
- 10 Comments
The "It Gets Better" anti-bully / discrimination campaign has a new participant, EA:

I really hope this campaign is making an impact, especially with so many big name participants. I'd like to think that kids attitudes can change, or at least more "white knights" will emerge that help look out for those that are subjected to bullying for any reason.

EA PWNED Episode 2 Teases Several Upcoming Games
- 0 Comments
In episode 2 of EA UK's PWNED the crew gives an insider look at DICE studios in Stolkholm Sweden, People Can Fly's Bulletstorm, Fight Night Champion, and even The Sims: Medieval.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - Vietnam Launch Trailer Out Now
- 9 Comments
If you pre-ordered Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - Vietnam from the EA Store or Steam you'll be able to play this bad boy tomorrow:

IGN already has a review up of BFBC2: Vietnam, giving it a 9.5/10.

The Bethesda Podcast Episode 6: Enter the Dragon
- 0 Comments
Over on The Bethesda Blog you can check out the team's newest podcast during which Todd Howard speaks up a bit about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Howard also talks about hitting up the VGAs, keeping secrets, where to find out more about Skyrim in the coming weeks, and tells a story about John Carmack.
Star Wars: The Old Republic Designing Coruscant and Fan Q&A;
- 0 Comments
For BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic Fan Friday they feature some new art work, a blog entry from World Designer Eric Young, and some community Q&A.; In the Q&A; they reveal some little details on subjects such as PvP levelling, beta testers, server types, character customization options, end game and more.


Naked Orcs Give WoW Raid Mob A Good Teabagging
- 1 Comment
Good lord, this one of those things that nightmares is made of. Thanks to PC Gamer for pointing out that a massive group of naked Orcs decided to take on a level 85 NPC called "Gamon" in World of Warcraft. The results was a whole lot of level 1 fireballs and a flattened Gamon. It's pretty amusing to see, whether you're a WoW fan or not.

Blizzard 5-Year Plan Leak Reveals "Titan" Next-Gen MMO
- 5 Comments
A week or so ago Blizzard's Five-Year Plan was leaked, revealing Blizzard's new MMO which is codenamed "Titan", along with release schedules for a StartCraft 2 expansion, and Diablo III. According to MMOGameSite, the leak likely originated from Blizzard's offices in China following the release of the general manager over there. The leaked documents put Diablo III down for a Q4 2011 release, StarCraft II expansion and Phoenix campaign for the same period, another StarCraft II expansion in Q1 2013 and Diablo III expansions in 2013 and 2014.

The World of Warcraft movie was also listed, showing a release period of Q4 2012, and another WoW expansion to release in Q2 2012, and then another in Q4 2013. But the big bopper on the list is "Titan", Blizzard's next MMORPG which is set for a Q4 2013 release, according to the leaked doc. At least part of the information has been confirmed, "Titan" is real and it is Blizzard's next MMO. Destructoid managed an interview with Blizzard's Frank Pearce at the VGAs in which they managed to yank a little info. You can view the interview video here, and below I've transcribed the little piece on "Titan".

Destructoid: What is Titan? Are we supposed to know about that?

Frank Pearce: The media is not supposed to know anything about that, it's our next-gen MMO and we've only started talking about it in a limited fashion because we want to leverage the fact that we're working on something like that for the purpose of recruiting and getting some of the best talent in the industry on that project.

Top Games For Windows Live
- 4 Comments
Major Nelson lists out the top Games for Windows Live based on unique users for the week of December 6th. And in non-PC news, the top played 360 game right now is Call of Duty: Black Ops, top arcade title is Pinball FX 2, and top indie game is The Impossible Game Level Pack.

1 GTA IV
2 Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II
3 F1 2010
4 Colin McRae : Dirt 2
5 Street Fighter IV
6 Fallout 3
7 Resident Evil 5
8 Halo 2
9 Bioshock 2
10 Batman: Arkham Asylum
11 Dead Rising 2
12 Red Faction Guerrilla
13 Blacklight: Tango Down
14 Lost Planet 2
15 Gears of War
16 Viva Piñata
17 Tinker
19 FlatOut UC
19 Quantum of Solace
20 Battlestations: Pacific
It'sa Me, Mario -- And I'm Free!
- 3 Comments
The FilePlanet Blog is sporting two lists of some interesting game freebies, and first up is a collection of Mario Clones. Yup indeed, five tasty Mario clone games that are available for free download. They look pretty good as well. Secondly, FilePlanet also rings off a list of Free Racing Games to stuff your stockings with this Christmas. Once again, some nifty looking little gems.
Hardware & Tech Roundup
- 0 Comments
SOE Fan Faire 2011 Dates Announced
- 0 Comments
SOE has pegged down a date for Fan Faire 2011; and it's back to Bally's Las Vegas for July 7-9. I'm sure we'll hear more about "EverQuest Next" at this event, so yay for Fan Faire! Activities will include:

  • Special announcements and sneak peeks of upcoming SOE titles
  • In-game tournaments and live, game-themed competitions and quests
  • Developer forums, panels and roundtables
  • Goody-bags, giveaways and other fun items!

Tickets will go on sale early this Spring.

Steam Weekend Deal - 50% Off Worms Reloaded
- 0 Comments
This weekend on The Big Steamer you can score 50% off Worms Reloaded. For $9.99 USD you can enjoy a little "turn-based comic mayhem".


World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Free Trial Now Available
- 7 Comments
If the early reviews haven't convinced you yet, now is your chance to try out World of Warcraft's third expansion, Cataclysm for free. Blizzard is now offering a 10-day free trial for current and past subscribers. All you have to do is activate it on your account page and for ten calendar days, you will have access to the new Worgen and Goblin races and the new zones, Vash'jir and Mount Hyjal.

You can find out more about the deal from the FAQ on the Blizzard website.

Rift: Planes of Telara "Iron Tomb" Screenshots
- 0 Comments
Here are some screenshots from another zone revealed in Trion's upcoming MMO, Rift: Planes of Telara. The game is currently in closed beta but no release date has been announced.

The Wardens of Freemarch are dead and buried in the vast catacombs of the Iron Tomb, but their eternal rest has been undone as cultists from the Endless Court have invaded this sacred place in search of a powerful artifact.


"Lucius" Teaser Trailer
- 2 Comments
Lace Mamba Global has released a teaser trailer for the upcoming 3D horror adventure game developed by Finnish developer Shiver Games, Lucius. In the game, you control Lucius, who after a pampered early childhood, finds out that he is the son of the devil at the tender age of 6, and starts a life of mayhem.

Not for the weak of heart and definitely not for the young.


Popcap Spreads Cheer With These Plants vs Zombies Desktop Wallpapers
- 3 Comments
Popcap sent Santa over early this year, bringing all of you five high resolution desktop wallpapers no matter if you've been naughty or nice!


Daily Distractions
- 6 Comments
In Other News... Birds Are Now Slightly Less Dumb
- 16 Comments
As a kid I was Mr. Adventure, and would go around the local woods and lakes to explore the wilderness. I'd search for bugs, animals, even nature's oddities like little spore balls that you could kick around or squeeze to make them puff loads of nastiness. I cringe now thinking about how many of those spores made their way into my lungs, but what can you do. I also had a thing for trying to find milkweed during the summer because the plant seemed to have magical properties of some sort at the time. I know now it's all crazy, but back then the Ultima series had me convinced that if I managed to find the right reagents in real life that I'd be able to conjure up some wicked spells.

When I wasn't hunting for spell materials I'd go out looking for animals. One of my favorite things to do was catch little pond creatures. Our lakes as a kid used to have bullfrogs, and by using a fishing bobber (don't worry, no hooks) in the water I'd eventually get a frog to come by that would try to eat it. I'd then just slowly reel it in over a submerged net and yank up. I never hurt the little guys, but for those brief moments they'd become my pets and enjoy complimentary belly and back rubs. Turtles on the other hand just required pure speed to catch, they weren't as agile as bullfrogs and I wasn't one to be afraid of actually going into lakes to catch them leaving the shore.

Now my sister on the other hand preferred staring at boring caged birds for some reason, and enjoyed the company of several parakeets and cockatiels. I always thought they were dumb as bricks though, especially because every so often they'd manage to find some way to get stuck to each other and would then proceed to scream like mad for several minutes. I know I know, but it wasn't until later that I learned that there was more to it. It was the very same reason that our dog used to "dance" with people sometimes.

Anyways, I've actually found something for once that makes me think birds are for good for something other than eating. Check out this little gem, seriously this little guy is a badass:

What did you guys enjoying doing in your childhood years, besides playing video games of course?

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Thursday, December 16, 2010
Monday Night Combat PC Available For Beta Play For Pre-Orders
- 5 Comments
If you've pre-ordered Monday Night Combat from Steam, then you can now jump into the beta action. Pre-order is going for 10% off, bringing the total to $13.49 USD; and the game launches on January 17th.

Monday Night Combat is a class-based, third-person shooter… and the most popular lethal sport of the future! It blends intense combat, finishing moves, and gameshow-like challenges and rewards to produce an action experience unlike any other. Why fight for “honor” or “duty” when you can fight for the real American dream: cash, fame and endorsements?


L.A. Noire Tech Trailer Brings Characters To Life
- 14 Comments
Much like we saw in Heavy Rain, Rockstar utilized advanced motion capture technology to literally bring real world actors and actresses into L.A. Noire -

Crysis 2 Single Player Screenshots
- 29 Comments
That is all.


Age of Conan Newsletter #28
- 2 Comments
Feels like it's been forever since we've seen a new Age of Conan newsletter, and it's viewable online here. AoC update 2.1 notes are up. The patch introduces the brand new PvP map "The Call of Jhebbal Sag" including a new PvP ruleset called "Conquest". Dynamic social events such as horse racing have gone into place, a rare White Tiger mount is available for purchase, and they've got some holiday stuff going on as well.
IGN Publishes Best of 2010 Awards
- 27 Comments
These award-thingies seem to be going up earlier this year, which makes me a bit nervous about getting our own 2010 Reader's Choice Awards up! Anyhoo, IGN has posted their Best of 2010 Awards on all platforms. Here are the PC award winners:

Best Story
-Mass Effect 2

Funniest Game
-DeathSpank

Best Competitive Multiplayer
-StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

Coolest Atmosphere
-Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Most Addictive
-World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

Most Innovative Gameplay
-Mass Effect 2

Best Character
-Illusive Man (Mass Effect 2)

Best Visuals
-Mass Effect 2

Best Soundtrack
-Mass Effect 2

Best Bang For Your Buck
-Fallout: New Vegas

Most Challenging
-ArmA II: Operation Arrowhead

Best Quick Fix
-Bejeweled 3

Best Horror Game
-Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Best Blockbuster
-StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

Best Fantasy Game
-Darksiders

Best Sci-Fi Game
-Mass Effect 2

Best Strategy Game
-StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

Best MMO
-World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

PC Game of the Year
-StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

Fallout: New Vegas "Dead Money" DLC Trailer For Xbox 360
- 6 Comments
I probably shouldn't post this video in protest of the Fallout: New Vegas DLC "Dead Money" being an Xbox 360 exclusive... but I suppose it could be released for the PC some day. Doesn't matter, the DLC will probably suck. /Snicker. Personally, I wouldn't take it if they paid ME.

Blur Developer In The Activision Firing Line
- 7 Comments
According to a post on Develop, Activision has confirmed its Liverpool-based studio Bizarre Creations could be getting the axe, which means 200+ staff could be out of a job within 90 days. Develop was told that the Project Gotham developer has been put on three months' notice while Activision explores its options regarding the future of the studio. According to Activision, the company made a substantial investment in Bizarre Creations' racing game Blur and the game did not find a commercial audience.
The Latest Scoops On The Gawker Domino Effect
- 4 Comments
BBC News updates folks on the Gawker hack which triggered mass password resets at a number of major websites. Since the big hack attack, Yahoo, Twitter and LinkedIn have become the latest to ask users to change their login details. Additionally, Blizzard has also tried to "minimize the effects" of the Gawker breach by asking World of Warcraft players to reset their passwords. Many companies have also taken steps to identify users at risk and warn them before an exploit can take place. A spokesman for LinkedIn said it necessary to take "proactive security measures" to screen users thought to be in danger.

Gnosis, the group that went all hack-happy, stated it was protesting Gawker's arrogance when it published account details of 1.3 million Gawker users. Some interesting stats have come up as a result of the attack as passwords were analysed. Dig it...

The most popular Gawker user password was "123456", followed by "password" and "12345678". Other common terms, used by hundreds of people, included "monkey", "qwerty" and "consumer". According to a study by computer security company Sophos, 33% of people admitted using the same password for every single website they visit.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Delayed
- 10 Comments
Originally scheduled for release in the first portion of 2011, Square Enix has announced that Deus Ex: Human Revolution will not see the light of day until some time after April 2011. Reasons stated for the delay include a crappy current fiscal year and wanting to further polish Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

“With weak sales performances of console game titles that have been newly released during the current fiscal year as well as harsh market feedback regarding a key title, the Group recognises the reinforcement of development capability in our digital entertainment segment as our most critical managerial issue.

“We therefore have decided to spend additional time to further polish our upcoming game, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, resulting in a shift in release timing from our prior plan of the current fiscal year to next fiscal year.”

Guess the Final Fantasy XIV flop broke the bank!

TERA Unveils The Human Race
- 5 Comments
Upcoming MMO TERA has some new screenshots to show off today as Frogster unveils further details about the Mystic, the Sorcerer and the Human race.

The Mystic and The Sorcerer: Dancing with Magic

Amongst the various classes found in TERA that are focused on magic, you can find the Mystics; mages possessing the ability to use ancient magic in order to summon creatures which can fight alongside them, curse their enemies or heal allies.

On the other hand, you can find the Sorcerer. This powerful warrior focuses the power of elements through a floating disc and blasts all of his opponents. Players are warned: there is a good reason not to cross in front of a mage disc…

The Human Race: Ligare Humanum est.

If there is one race available in nearly every single MMORPG out there, it must be the Human race. Everyone knows them or has heard of their stories. But in TERA, humans are a bit different.

Mankind in TERA has been transformed and deeply influenced by the curse of an angry god. As a result, for thousands of years, Humans have been condemned to live as nomads and cannot settle: wandering from continent to continent , they meet the other habitants of Tera, sealing friendships or suffering slavery.

However, when arose the threat of the Argons, metallic creatures threatening the universe of TERA, the Humans put to good use of their patience and pragmatism which their long exile had taught them. They are at the origin of the creation of the Valkyon federation and try to federate as many of the races they met during their long journey as they can, with only one objective: repelling the Argons.

TERA is currently being developed by Bluehole Studio and will be released in 2011 by Frogster in Europe.


Elemental: War of Magic Major Update Released
- 5 Comments
The newest update for Elemental: War of Magic should be titled "go big, or go home", because yeah... it's huge. We're talking tons of fixes, plus some other desirable changes and additions like:

  • New Spells (new spells and spellbooks added to make magic more unique and strategic).
  • More monsters from the beginning (exploring the early world just got more exciting).
  • Population as a resource (players must consider how their population should be used).
  • Multithreaded AI (AI now has a separate thread so it can plan its strategy while the player is taking their turn).
  • Updated UI (nearly every screen and interface has been improved).
  • Rebalance (core stat mechanics were reworked and every unit, piece of equipment and monster was reviewed and tweaked).
  • Global Mana System (instead of having mana per unit, mana is a player resource).
Epic Games Releases Unreal Development Kit with iOS Support
- 0 Comments
With the latest beta of Epic's Unreal Development Kit, developers will find the added bonus of new tools for making iOS games and apps, such as Epic’s free “Epic Citadel” App, which has been downloaded to more than 1.5 million iOS devices.

“Epic Citadel” introduces the setting for “Infinity Blade,” the all-new action adventure sword-fighting game for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad from Epic’s ChAIR Entertainment available now at the App Store. Released December 9, “Infinity Blade” has already been named IGN Entertainment’s iPhone Game of the Year.

Until now, only select Unreal Engine 3 commercial licensees have had access to the engine’s world-class mobile game development tools, which bring top of the line, triple-A visuals to handheld gaming platforms. The release of UDK with iOS support marks a major breakthrough because now anyone can work with the same toolset used to create Epic’s blockbuster “Gears of War” series of games as well as the graphically stunning iOS releases “Epic Citadel” and “Infinity Blade.”

1C Having 60% Off All Games Holiday Sale
- 0 Comments
1C has announced 60% off all games from the 1C Digital Store. From December 14 until December 24 you can score savings on titles such as King's Bounty: Crossworlds, Theatre of War 2: Battle for Caen, Men of War: Red Tide, Theatre of War 2, Rig N' Roll, Necrovision, Star Wolves 3 and more.
Bloodline Champions Enters Open Beta, Pre-Orders Also Open Up
- 5 Comments
Funcom and Stunlock Studios announce open beta for Bloodline Champions, the multiplayer arena game which is set to launch in mid-January. Over 200,000 players are already in beta, and now it's open to everyone. Bloodline Champions is also available for pre-order.

Launching in mid January, gamers can now pre-order the game in order to get exclusive pre-launch rewards, including four new bloodlines that were just added to the game. These new bloodlines are now available to play for anyone who preorders the Titan edition or the Bloodlust upgrade of the Champion Edition. Through open beta, players will also earn Bloodcoins, which they can use to purchase exclusive in-game items and even new bloodlines.


Shift 2 Unleashed Limited Edition Pre-Order Bonus Details
- 0 Comments
Shift 2 Unleashed will receive some Limited Edition pre-order loving. Players that pre-order will receive three exclusive cars: the Nissan Silvia spec.R Aero (S15), the Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV, and the Lamborghini Murciélago LP640. The game, which is launching in Spring 2011, features 40 career events and will connect friends for head-to-head races.

The 40 events include Single-Type race events where a driver’s skill is pushed to the limits as each player competes in the same make of car; Old vs. New Challenge events in which classic cars go head-to-head against their modern counterparts; and Manufacturer Showdown events that pits some of the most iconic car rivalries against each other in an all-out-battle to prove which car is the best. SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED takes the revolutionary true driver’s experience of the SHIFT franchise and ups the ante with an all-new rendering engine and graphics overhaul, innovative helmet camera, night racing, and authentic degradation of tracks and cars.


New Batch of Black Prophecy Screenshots
- 5 Comments
Gamigo's Black Prophecy Assistant Product Manager has posted up some new in-game screenshots from the upcoming space-action MMO. Otherwise known as the game that I was supposed to have beta access to already (hint, hint! ;).

Our intelligence drones have sent some interesting visual material from the battle zones near the Triamon system. The material has been declassified by the High Command for pilot training purposes. More intelligence reports will follow shortly.


Freejack Holiday Event & Update Announced
- 0 Comments
Parkour racing game, Freejack, celebrates the holidays with a special event and a free update. The free-to-play title from Game Bridger Entertainment now features new holiday-theme clothing items and accessories, a new track, and an increase in experience and currency rates.


Hydrophobia Purification In Progress
- 2 Comments
Dark Energy Digital, the developers of Hydrophobia, appear to have some big plans in the works for Hydrophobia. Apparently there were nearly 250 reviews (online & print) for the game; some of them good and some of them hard to stomach. After listening to the community they have decided to act, and will be laying out the game plan in a press release this coming Monday.


Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 Getting Free DLC This Month
- 0 Comments
Konami has announced details of a free DLC for PES 2011, which will be released on December 21st. The DLC will be available for the PC, 360 and PS3, adding a number of new items to the game. Twelve kits have been updated within the game, including those of the Ireland national team, and some French clubs sides. Similarly, ten new licensed boots styles from manufacturers such as adidas, Puma, Umbro and Mizuno have been added.


Club Neverdie Reborn in "Next Island"
- 4 Comments
Two weeks after selling his old virtual playground in Planet Calypso, virtual world entrepreneur Jon Jacobs has opened up another Club Neverdie on Next Island, another free-to-play virtual world described as a tropical island paradise where time travel is the main attraction. This one reportedly cost over a million dollars to develop and among other things, has venues designed to host vehicle racing events and the Massive Multiplayer Online World Championships.

Both planets were built using the Entropia Universe engine and use the same business model, a "real cash economy" which allows players to buy ingame currency for real money and to get it converted back to cash. Theoretically, you can make money in the game without putting in anything but as old-timers will tell you, making any significant amount of money will take months or even years of grinding.

The exception is if you're an investor like Jacobs, who bought an asteroid in Planet Calypso in 2005 for $100K and developed it into the original Club Neverdie. The virtual property was a source of income for years as land owners in the game get to charge other players a tax for hunting on their land. He finally sold it a couple of weeks ago for $635K, making a neat half a million in profits.


The Morning Juberish
- 29 Comments
I finally got to see the Dexter season finale. I miss him already. Lucky bastard gets to kill someone every episode. I wonder if Dexter killed someone in real life if the courts would go easy on him. Anyone who's seen the show knows that he only kills the bad people; he's like a superhero! I hope he does kill someone in real life, then we'll get a freebie season without having to wait a year!

Daily Distractions

Thanks to GameFrosting for the roundup!