Announcements

If you are finding yourself heading off to college later this year and need a computer or maybe you are already taking classes and need a new computer, now would be the time to make that purchase. Microsoft announced that beginning on May 22 until September 3 if you purchase a new Windows 7 PC that is valued at $699 or more you will receive a free 4 GB Xbox 360 S model at participating retailers. All you have to do is show your proof of college student ID or make a purchase online using your .

Earlier this week Alan Wake 2 rumors were stirring around the internet and Remedy has confirmed to Eurogamer that the next Alan Wake will not be a retail version of Alan Wake or DLC. "Fans of the franchise will be excited to learn that yes, more Wake is coming! But to be absolutely certain to avoid confusion, this next Wake instalment will not be Alan Wake 2. And neither will it be DLC,” - Oskari Hakkinen, Head of Franchise Development Instead Alan Wake: Night Springs is rumored to be an Xbox L

It appears that Marcus Fenix will be searching for his scientist father in the highly anticipated final chapter where the Fenix story unfolds in the upcoming shooter from Epic Games, Gears of War 3. The full trailer will air on May 28 during the Champion League's Final after the final whistle. If you can't wait an extra week to see the campaign reveal trailer, then feast your eyes on a tiny bit of a teaser. http://youtu.be/1Prqt6Qv60Q via Joystiq

OnLive has announced that Duke Nukem Forever will be launching on their game streaming platform coinciding with the games US launch on June 14th. Partnering with Gearbox Software and 2K Games, they have also announced that with each pre-order, you will receive either a free game or the OnLive Micro Console. This deal is very similar to things they have done in the past with high profile game releases. John Spinale, OnLive VP of Games and Media had this to say: If you have ever wanted to try O

The announcement of Modern Warfare 3 made many Call of Duty fans rejoice, but that happiness went away when it was followed by the little fact that Modern Warfare 3 is being handled by two different developers instead of being directly developed by Infinity Ward. Infinity Ward is providing assistance on some level and now rumors are flying that there is a big reveal on the way. No exact details have been released regarding the big reveal rumor other than a huge number 3 in green appearing on th

We interrupt our regularly scheduled news posting to bring the earth shattering news of the day. The social app makers behind Farmville, Petville, and anything else ending in "ville" and "wars" has announced that they will be partnering with the "Born This Way" singer Lady Gaga for a new game that will be a relative to Zynga's successful Facebook game, Farmville. "Gagaville" will debut on May 17th and Zynga announced via their the Gagaville Facebook page that the game will have sheeps on motor

The fine folks at Zen Studios are holding a tournament for fabulous prize packs going to the top 3 scorers on the new Mars table for Pinball FX2. There will also be random entrants for prizes like Mars candy bars, DVDs, and game codes. Take a look at the full press release below and go check out the new table. Be sure to let us know what you think of the table in the forums. Also, be on the lookout for our forthcoming reviews of Zen Studios games. Pinball FX2 Mars Tournament April 29 – May

What was speculation has now been confirmed by Major Nelson.  Hulu Plus will launch tomorrow on Xbox 360 and for one week (Through May 6th), it will be free for all US Xbox Live users.   That's right, thanks to Jack's Links beef jerky, everyone (Gold and Silver) will get to try it out for free.  Now go mess with Sasquatch while watching SNL and The Simpsons. Source:  Major Nelson's Blog

The fiscal year ending in March 2011 has proven to be a bloodbath for Nintendo as their loss of earnings has been reported. Nintendo's shares dropped 66% and according to Joystiq, this marks the third year for profit declines which is not what Nintendo previously predicted. Also reported from Nintendo's camp is that the previously rumored "Wii Successor" will be at E3 in the form of a playable model.  Nintendo has the new console that is supposedly more powerful than the Xbox 360 and Playstation

Lace up your running shoes and stretch those muscles, because Rare is looking for you to race into the record books. On Saturday, April 23 gamers from all over the world will have one chance to break the Guinness World Record for "the most people running a virtual 100m dash at one time."  All you have to do to participate is download your entry in the form of a free Xbox Nations gamer picture.  Turn on your console on April 23, make sure that Kinect is running, pop in Kinect Sports, and complete

According to IGN, Nintendo will be revealing a new console that is higher powered than the Xbox 360 and PS3 at this year's E3. Game Informer is also claiming the same thing by citing mulitple sources and that the new console will be able to run games at HD resolutions. The new console is expected to get a 2012 launch and Nintendo is supposedly hoping that they can bring back third-party developers and "hardcore" fans.

One of the most successful casual gaming companies in the industry is bringing a new slightly edgy studio into the mix.  PopCap Games announced that their new studio "4th & Battery" will be situated in Seattle and that the name comes from where the studio is located. Jason Kapalka, Co-Founder and Chief  Creative Officer at PopCap Games says to "expect weirdness" from the new label that gives their designers free range. "4th & Battery is a purely experimental, creative label with none of

Retailer GAME Australia has revealed the new DLC map "Escalation" coming to Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops before Activision had the chance to announce details about it. The flyer, which has since been taken down contains a release date of May 3 and shows that the content will feature five new maps with one of them appearing to be a Zombies map. via VG247

News about the new under developement title exclusively for the Kinect, Rise of Nightmares has been rather quiet since Sega announced the horror game at the Tokyo Game Show in 2010.  Sega can now thank the ESRB for not only letting the plot out of the bag, but also doing so in the "breast" describing way possible. According to the ESRB description of the game, Rise of Nightmare will can contain: "This is a horror-adventure game in which players assume the role of an American tourist who must r

Gearbox, in a "very special" announcement video, have pushed the release out on Duke Nukem Forever from the original May release to June.  See the video below: Some may worry, but we here at Gamercide have full faith in Gearbox and know they need the extra time for making sure this game gets the polish it deserves.  It also gives us more time for the impending demo, whenever that comes out.

Do you have a little gamer living in your house or know of a child who is interested in working in the gaming industry?  If so, then this little piece of news might interest you. From now until May 10, Microsoft will be accepting submissions for the Kodu Cup 2011 that uses Microsoft Kodu Game Lab technology for the PC and allows younger gamers to develop a game fron the ground up and according to Lili Cheng, the General Manager of Microsoft's Future Social Experiences Labs will help promote crea

Fans eager to get their hands on the next chapter of the Batman: Arkham series can rejoice.  Warner Bros. has announced the Europe, Australia, and North America release dates. The caped crusader and Joker hijinks will be available for gamers to enjoy in Europe on October 21, Australia on October 19, and North America on October 18. via Joystiq

Major Nelson announed today that Xbox Live is looking for help from Xbox Live users for network testing in order to improve service. In the Community Channel on the dashboard you will find a new "Xbox Live Labs" tab.  You can sign up for the volunter testing from there and with each test you complete, you will receive three different avatar awards that include a lab coat, crazy lab hair,  and a brain helmet.  You will also hear everybody's favorite "blip" giving you three zero point achievements

Gaming retail giant GameStop and the successful online gaming website IGN have merged together in an effort to attract more gamers to do what else, but to visit their websites if that was at all necessary. The details laid out from Kara Swisher's blog, All Things Digital describes the merger regarding the advertising end. Both websites will be sharing traffic as well as advertising their ads on the other website including buttons on IGN for e-commerce buys from GameStop.

[caption id=" align="alignright" width="204" caption="GameInformer][/caption] Lara Croft, everybody's favorite busty female heroine is about to go back in time to revisit her past. Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix issued a statement today regarding the entry into the famed series. ""Forget everything you knew about TOMB RAIDER, we are exploring things that have never been done before in this game, "This is an origins story that creates Lara Croft and takes her on a character defining journey li

If you have a family of four that have seperate XBL accounts, then this might be the deal for you.  Announced today via Major Nelson's blog, is the Xbox Live Family Gold Pack that allows the purchase of four 12 month Gold memberships, for the price of two. What all comes with the $99.99 Family Gold Pack?  Four XBL Gold memberships, access to the family center, gifting Microsoft point allowance which allows gifting of Microsoft points to your family members, activity reports, and deals on family

Looking to get a new Xbox 360 this holiday season?  Major Nelson announced on his blog, the Xbox 360 Holiday 2010 Bundle. The bundle which will be shipping to stores "over the next few weeks" featues the sleek redesigned Xbox 360 250 GB console, a copy of Forza 3, and a redeemable code for a full game download for Alan Wake. The bundle costs $299.

The final round of Gamercide's Get Your Ghoul On Contest has come to a close.  Who did the Grim Reaper pick to receive the final prize? InfernoParadox!!!!! Congrats go out to InfernoParadox who will be receiving a copy of Dead Rising 2 with a t-shirt that comes rolled up like duct tape.  Many thanks to everyone who participated in the contest.

Round two of Gamercide's "Get Your Ghoul On Contest" has come to a close. Who did the Grim Reaper pick to receive a copy of Castlevania: Lord of Shadows?   Evildawg731!!!!!!     Congrats go out to Evildawg731.  The Grim Reaper wants to thank everyone who has participated in the contest.  Remember, Dead Rising 2 with a T-Shirt is still up for grabs.  For more information on how to enter, please check out Gamercide's Get Your Ghoul On Contest.

EA announced yesterday that they are planning on releasing a new multiplayer mode for their successful hit Medal of Honor.  The mode, "Clean Sweep" will have gamers relying on their skill and their teammate's skill in this elimination style gameplay.  The new mode will come with 2 new multiplayer maps, Bagram Hangar and Khyber Caves, as well as redone maps for fan favorites, Diwagal Camp and Kabul City Ruins.  The mode is scheduled to release on November 2, 2010 and will be free to those of you