Articles: News

Industry Analysts Have Tough Words for Activision's Guitar Hero Demise

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:05:34 +0000

Ever since Activision's announcement of giving Guitar Hero the boot, analysts have not been afraid to let some harsh words fly towards Activision.

Speaking to Gamasutra, M2 Research senior analyst Billy Pidgeon said that Activision, "pretty much driven the franchise into the ground with title after title after title."

There is no denying that statement. Countless numbers of Guitar Hero games have been released quicker than two rabbits can go at it during a single night session since the first Guitar Hero released in 2005.

According to Eric Handler of MKM Partners, the market for these games just isn't there anymore.

"It had a great run, but it also had a steep fall and the customer demand just isn't there,

"That money can be spent on something that has better returns. I don't disagree with the decision."

For the final slap in the face, Handler goes on further to say that gamers prefer Call of Duty and World of Warcraft instead of games that aren't going to be popular.

"Mid-level titles are just getting killed in the marketplace,"

"Would you rather spend an extra $10 or $20 million on something that's not going to be a hit or on a Call of Duty or World of Warcraft?"

Hopefully Activision can learn from their mistakes with release after release of Guitar Hero, but unfortunately with five different studios now working on the Call of Duty brand, Activision is setting Call of Duty up to suffer the same fate as Guitar Hero.

via Gamasutra

Dumbass of the Day - Kid Threatens School Massacre Over XBL and Gets Arrested

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:37:32 +0000

This Dumbass of the Day is an unnamed teenager from Maryland pretending to be a student from Berkeley Heights High School in New Jersey. This dumbass thought it would okay to play a prank on the other teen and threaten to shoot students at Berkeley Heights High School after gaining the other teen's login details.

During a Madden NFL online third party transaction from a website not associated with Microsoft or EA, the not so funny prankster was able to gain the Berkeley teen's XBL account information. The dumbass logged into the account and sent almost 100 messages out to students at Berkeley Heights threatening to bring a gun to school the following day and would be shooting fellow students.

Parents who saw the messages quickly alerted authorities who traced the messages back to the Berkeley Heights student who denied sending the messages. Police were able to get to the bottom of the story by using Prosecuter's High Tech Unit and help from Microsoft. That is when they discovered that the Berkeley student's information was being used by someone else from Maryland. The unnamed dumbass was located, arrested, and charged.

We are now awaiting an earth shattering report from Fox News about how Madden NFL made this Maryland teenager be a dumbass.

via County of Union NJ and MSNBC

Metro2033 for Free if You Preorder Homefront on Steam

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:47:15 +0000

Steam announced that PC Gamers who preorder Homefront through them will receive a free copy of Metro2033. Gamers will also get a day one unlock for the Air Assault Drone for use in multiplayer.

Homefront is set to release March 15th, 2011.

via Steam Community

Call of Duty Gets a New Studio, Again

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 11:17:39 +0000

Five studios are now responsible for Activision's Call of Duty franchise. Newly added Beachhead joins Treyarch, Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer, and Raven.

Beachhead will be concentrating on digital content for the long running successful series.

Looks like Activision wants total and complete domination in the world of Call of Duty.

via IGN

Halo 5, but Where's Halo 4?

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 10:38:46 +0000

[caption id=" align="alignright" width="391" caption="via Eurogamer][/caption]

Eurogamer is reporting that the Channel 4 News Team recently caught a glimpse of what appears to be an unannounced Halo 5 game along with an icon for Project Gotham Racing during a recent demonstration by Microsoft's Jonathon Cluts of hidden Kinect technology.

During the demo, Cluts is showing how he can change walls in a futuristic house. He passes by icons and chooses Grandma's Room. Clearly on either side are icons for "Project Gotham Racing" and "Inside Halo 5".

This all could have been a marketing scheme cooked up by Microsoft or maybe there actually is a Halo Kinect title in the works.

via Eurogamer

Even Isaac Clarke Can Be On Kinect

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 10:18:17 +0000

A video has been uploaded by Youtube user kick755 that shows him playing Dead Space 2 with Kinect and a Wii remote in his right hand.

In the video, Isaac Clarke responds what seems to be perfectly to kick755's movements, mirroring him exactly. If this video is legit, it does help to prove that games that are not sports or recreation types can respond well to Kinect.

via KinectHacks

Dumbass of the Day - Sony PR Tweets Hack Code

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 09:38:57 +0000

Yes you did indeed read that correctly. This Dumbass of the Day hails from Sony's camp and is the fictional PR man that Sony made up for commercials and gave "Kevin Butler" his own Twitter account. Unfortunately for whoever is running the Twitter account, they might be at the unemployment line today.

Tweeted back as a reply to what was assumed to be a Battleship joke was the hack code for the now fixed "jailbreak hack". Sony has been trying to keep the details of this hack a secret for an ongoing court battle as they attempt to locate all of the hackers that have used this code.

The tweet has since been deleted and it looks like Sony will need to create a new face for PR, as the fictional Kevin Butler has just sunk his own battleship.

via engadget

Batman: Arkham Asylum Miniseries Comic Covers Events Between Arkham Asylum and Arkham City

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 11:56:27 +0000

[caption id=" align="alignleft" width="194" caption="Image via The Source][/caption]

Batman fans who are eagerly waiting to get their hands on Batman: Arkham City will be able to read about the events that transpired between the video games, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City.

The six part miniseries picks up one year after Batman: Arkham Asylum ended. Readers will find the Warden turned Mayer, Quincy Sharp shutting down the deranged Asylum and building a city to house the lunatics of Gotham.

The issues will be on a comic book stand near you beginning May with issues 1 and 2 being released during in the same month.

via The Source

Why Conan Said "No" to Microsoft

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 10:35:52 +0000

During the Conan O 'Brien fiasco, Microsoft made an attempt to get the late night comedian to do shows for Xbox Live, however Executive Producer Jeff Ross revealed that Microsoft really did not show any plans for what they planned to do with Conan and instead signed with TBS.

"A lot of the conversations were 'well, it's a show, but it's not a show and there are no breaks, but maybe there are breaks and it's not 60 minutes, it's this' and nobody really knew what it was," Ross told Morris. "So it was really going to be a leap of faith to jump in with these guys and figure something out which we didn't know. Plus there were 100 people of jobs and that didn't bode well for that."

Despite rejecting Microsoft's proposal, Ross said that he is amazed by what the technology titan is trying to do.

"You meet with these guys and they show you all this stuff that they're developing and it's mind blowing,

"I think it's coming and it's big. It's just that we weren't in a position at that point to figure out what it was."

There have been rumblings for months now that Microsoft wants to add a television/cable service and they have been in talks to do so with companies trying to get this service started. Gamasutra hinted that it's possible to see the launch of some kind of cable service this holiday season.

via Gamasutra

Help Out Child's Play Charity - Bid on LittleBigPlanet Shoes

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 09:57:14 +0000

KyozoKicks who makes video game themed shoes, is holding an auction over at ebay where 100% of the proceeds will go to one of the greatest charity's known to man, Child's Play Charity.

The colorful shoes feature custom designed LittleBigPlanet images and are all hand painted. The size 9.5 men's shoes are currently sitting pretty at $305 with five days left to bid.

via MediaMolecule

Xbox Live Arcade - Party Time!

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 08:03:22 +0000

Xbox Live Arcade is throwing a party and you are invited! The Xbox Live Arcade House Party begins on February 16th with the release of the prequel to Contra: Hard Corps, Hard Corps: Uprising and ends on March 16th with Full House Poker that is replacing fan favorite, 1 vs. 100.

Other games being released during this XBLA shindig are:

February 16 Hard Corps: Uprising, 1200 Microsoft Points
February 23 Bejeweled Blitz, 800 Microsoft Points

March 2, Beyond Good & Evil HD, 800 Microsoft Points

March 9 Torchlight, 1200 Microsoft Points

March 16 Full House Poker, 800 Microsoft Points

via Major Nelson

Gamercide's Magicka Streaming Trivia Giveaway

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 23:44:36 +0000

We here at Gamercide love Magicka. So much so that we want you to have a chance to play it, too. This Friday and Saturday, from 10PM Pacific onwards, we will be streaming the game and giving away codes for it. All you have to do is watch our stream, courtesy of JustinTV (thanks to Dateranoth for the excellent design for our streaming page), and answer some trivia based on the game as we play it.

4 codes will be up for grabs at 10PM PST on Friday, 2/11 as Dateranoth plays, and another 5 will be available the next day, 10PM PST on Saturday, 2/12 as AudaciousKevin (yours truly) takes over. So if you miss out on day one, there will be more codes for you to win the next day. Just pay attention to the stream as we play, and be the first to get the questions right, and the game is as good as yours. Please note that, due to potential lag, the winner will be decided based on who the broadcaster sees post the correct answer first in the chat log.

Thanks to the publisher of Magicka, Paradox, for providing some of the codes for us, and of course Arrowhead Game Studios for developing such a great game.

Winners will be gifted the game through Steam on the PC. Feel free to check out the Steam demo, as well. Even if you don't win, the game is well worth the ten dollar asking price.

Hope to see you there!

Dead Space 2 DLC Screens

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 11:51:04 +0000

Screenshots have been revealed by EA and Visceral Games for the upcoming DLC, "Severed" for Dead Space 2. The DLC will be available for the PS3 and 360. No news on if PC users will get it.

via GamesRadar

MTV Games Is No More

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 11:39:34 +0000

In some unexciting news today, an official announcement was made by MTV that stated that MTV Games is done making video games after Harmonix was bought by Harmonix in December of 2010.

A rep stated to GameSpot stated that "MTV Games has ceased its publishing operations but has not been completely dissolved," and only a small crew remains in New York for the time being.

With that earth shattering announcement, we can now all get back to work.

via GameSpot

Customizable Controls Coming to Dead Space 2 After Visceral Games Hears Disabled Gamer's Request

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 10:39:11 +0000

Gareth Gath who suffers from cerebral palsy made a request to Visceral Games to add customizable controls to the PC version of Dead Space 2. Gath who has to play Dead Space 2 using a mouse with his chin is upset that he cannot assign the "walk forward" command to a mouse button. After his story made it through the internet, Dead Space 2 players started a petition to get his request heard and Visceral Games has indeed heard the request and are actively working on a patch to add customizable controls to the game.

According to Joystiq, Executive Producer Steve Papoutsis said that the team is "passionate about getting this fixed and are hard at work on it."

"Dead Space 2 PC Players,

The Dead Space 2 team is aware of the issue that disabled players are having with Dead Space 2 PC. In fact a number of folks on our team are so passionate about getting this fix done that they are currently working hard to allow players to re-map key bindings to the mouse which should help disabled players enjoy the game.

I'd like to say I'm very proud of the people on the Dead Space 2 team for coming in today and jumping on the fix first thing. Working with such a talented and compassionate group of people is incredible and makes me proud to be a part of the Dead Space 2 team, Visceral Games, and Electronic Arts.

In addition to the key binding fix the patch will include other fixes for PC players. Thank you for taking up the cause for our disabled players and letting us know about this problem. Once the patch is fully tested we will announce a release date."

The petition that gained the attention of Visceral Games, gained over 20,000 signatures before it was done.

via Joystiq

Dumbass of the Day - Mom Blames Microsoft for Son Spending Money on XBL

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 09:40:33 +0000

Hailing from the UK, we have Dawn Matthews and her 11 year old son Brendan Jordan. Brendan Jordan recently went on a spending spree and spent a total of $1,743.49 on XBL all while using his mother's credit card. His mother, 37 year old Dawn Matthews is blaming Microsoft despite the little fact that she provided information to her son's account.

Matthews, who's son claimed he did not know that the charges were going to his mother's bank account had the following to say regarding her son's expenses.

"When I put my card details in 18 months ago I thought it was just for his membership to play online with his friends.

I work two jobs just to look after my family and pay the bills so I cannot afford all these extortionate charges.

A thousand pounds isn't that much to people like Bill Gates, but for a single mum it is a lot of money that I don't have."

Microsoft has responded by saying, "With over 30M Xbox LIVE members across the world customer complaints of this nature are extremely rare.

Microsoft's goal is to provide parents and caregivers with tools and resources to manage their children's gaming and entertainment experiences so that they can play in ways that are safer, healthy and more balanced.

To accomplish this, we've built-in parental controls in every Xbox 360, work closely with retailers and recently launched the Play Smart, Play Safe website as an online resource for families.

It should also be noted that LIVE accounts registered for children's use have online activity automatically defaulted to off, these can be enabled by the parent should they wish in the Family Settings section."

Acording to the mother, Jordan, the 11 year old big spender told his mother that when he found out about the charges that occurred over a time period of six months, he did not want his Xbox anymore.

"Brendan is 11 and knows his times tables but it was only when I explained to him that he realised how much money he had spent.

When I showed him he burst into tears. He unplugged the Xbox and said he didn't want it anymore.

I haven't punished him because he feels bad enough and I know he won't do it again.

It is ridiculous to allow someone of his age to make payments without any checks being done.

When he is in gaming mode he can't be thinking about the money. You can't put all that responsibility on a young boy.

It is impossible to monitor everything your children do. These companies should take some responsibility. They take advantage of vulnerable people."

Next time before you sign up your child for an Xbox Live account, fully read and understand the parental controls before placing blame on the easiest target. This is not a case of "Microsoft you suck, you are to blame for everything going wrong in my life", this is a case of parent stupidity and dumbassery. For that very reason, you Dawn Matthews are receiving the Dumbass of the Day.

via Daily Mail

Halo CE Remake Announced

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 10:16:57 +0000

Fans of Master Chief prepare to get your pants wet with sheer excitement. A remake of the game that put Halo on the path to taking over the world is officially being remade for the Xbox 360 and will be releasing on November 15, 2011 which happens to be exactly ten years since the release of the original.

Saber Interactive who is responsible for Time Shift, is taking over the reigns of the remake. Halo CE will be getting a full visual overhaul supporting 1080p and 3D televisions as well as new art assets will be added. It has also been announced that Halo CE will not be a product of the Reach engine.

No other major details have been released since the announcement.

via Joystiq

Dead Space 2 Amazon.com Deal

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 10:01:29 +0000

If you are looking to continue Isaac's adventure in the Dead Space series with Dead Space 2 then you might want to check out Amazon today.

Amazon is running a deal for only today where you can purchase a copy of Dead Space 2 (regular edition) for $39.99, that's $20.00 off for those cannot do simple math.

Released on January 25, 2011, Dead Space 2 continues the story of engineer Isaac Clarke who has lost his memory of the past 3 years and is also battling dementia in a hospital located on Sprawl. Dead Space 2 caused a minor outrage with dedicated fans not appreciating Visceral and EA adding Isaac's voice to the game, because in the original Dead Space Isaac never spoke which fans have stated added to the overall tension that the game can build up in some situations.

Whether or not his voice actually changes the way you experience Dead Space 2 is up to you to decide.

via Thrifty Nerd

Deal of the Week - Retro Shooters

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 09:27:56 +0000

The following retro shooter titles have been discounted for this week's Deal of the Week for all gold members.

Duke Nukem Manhattan Project - 400 MS points, regularly 800 MS points
Space Invaders Infinity Gene - 400 MS points, regularly 800 MS points
Geometry Wars 2 - 400 MS points, regularly 400 MS points
Serious Sam HD: TFE - 400 MS points, regularly 1200 MS points
Serious Sam HD: TSE - 400 MS points, regularly 1200 MS points
Galaga Legions - 400 MS points, regularly 800 MS points

The deals are good until Monday February 14.

via Major Nelson

Get Your Speedos Ready - Michael Phelps is Coming to a Kinect Near You

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 10:51:06 +0000

Calling all Michael Phelps fans. Blitz Games and 505 Games are bringing the 16 time olympic medal swimming champ exclusively to Kinect this June.

UK based Blitz Games who released the statement regarding the upcoming motion based swimming based game has said that the game will be "exhilarating, but physically demanding" did not disclose how they intend to make sure that gamers receive the best physical swimming workout via Kinect that they can deliver. However they did mention that gamers will have to "accurately master the different swimming strokes and techniques needed to become a pro".

The game sports Career Mode which will train the player and lead you into tournaments with the ultimate goal being swimming against Michael Phelps. According to GamingBlend, other gamers will have the opportunity to jump into the action and either go against the clock or challenge each other. No news on whether this will over XBL or just local.

via Blitz Games and the Official Website for Michael Phelps: Push the Limit

Call of Duty Black Ops Double XP Weekend - February 4-6

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 10:11:16 +0000

Confirmed from by a tweet from Treyarch's Community Manager, Josh Olin is news that this upcoming weekend will be a double XP event for fans of their latest entry into the Call of Duty series, Black Ops.

The double XP event will be the first for Black Ops and will be for all platforms.

via USA Today and Josh Olin's Tweet

Dumbass Quote of the Day - Treyarch's CM Josh Olin Blames Gamers for the State of the Industry

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 11:35:30 +0000

While many websites who reported about this little gem of a quote from Treyarch's Community Manager, Josh Olin, raved and agreed with him, there will be no brown stained lip action here. In fact I find the following quote down right sad.

In an interview with NowGamer, Olin talks about Black Ops and the new map pack that released on February 1, First Strike. At the end of interview that was going rather well, NowGamer asks, "What, in your mind, is the biggest problem facing the games industry today, and if you had the power, how would you fix it?" Olin's response,

"Personally, as a community manager who lives in the media or social media world every day, I think the social culture of video games is moving in a more negative direction as technology and social media continues to grow. Rather than growing with it, the trend seems to be devolving. More and more gamers seem to forget what this industry is all about.

It’s a creative industry – the most creative form of entertainment in existence. Too many developers who try new things are getting burned by “pundits” and angry entitled fans who look to be contrarian, sometimes simply for the sake of being contrarian. The only thing this attitude aims to achieve is stunt that creativity and innovation even further, which is something that no rational gamer looking to be entertained would want to do."

While I understand that some developers aim to please their fans and sometimes cave to newer gamers who play their games, that is not a reason to say that we forget what this industry is all about. After all, we are the reason that every single one of you in the industry have a cushy job to go to when you wake up in the morning. We are the ones that spend hundreds of dollars on a video game through actually buying the game and various amounts of DLC that either there wasn't "enough" time to put it in or you just want to simply nickle and dime us and of course like little obedient pets, we buy and cry "thank you sir, can I have another?". To say that we forget what the gaming industry is all about is a huge slap in the face Mr. Olin.

Has anybody ever thought that when developers try to get "creative" and change things or add new things into an already just about flawless game that we simply don't want them and just like the saying, "don't fix what ain't broke?" we don't want you to change a thing. However in the name of "creativity", things are changed and in the end your fans that followed you through thick and thin are not happy and apparently we are forgetting what the industry is all about by asserting our unhappiness and sometimes rather downright disappointment for a game that just plain sucks.

For this quote and your reasoning behind it, Josh Olin, Community Manager for Treyarch, you receive the Dumbass Quote of the Day.

via NowGamer

The Annual Gamercide.org's Giveaway Results

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 10:15:53 +0000

Our annual giveaway was held on Saturday, January 29 with some heavy hitting prizes that included prize packs, a Kinect, Netbook, and more that were all donated by our members. In case you missed it, here is the recap courtesy of our member, Kira Onime.

For the more colorful version of the recap, visit our forum.

1st - Game of Choice from Sky

Winner is : Cody

2nd - 2 1600 MS Point Cards from Elite Effect

The winners are......LG and AudaciousKevin!

3rd - Invicta Watch from LG

The winner is.....mbkerr!

4th - 12 copies of Osmos via a Steam Gift from Dat.

The winners are....

-Sayterra (Captain Concussion's woman)

-MadManMike

-PipMagnet

-LG

-Jarlan

-UnderxOath

-Elite Effect

-Akourah

-PK

-GG

-Bacon (gets a Mac copy)

-CoyandChris

5th - CoyAndChris Stupdendously Spectacular Steam Superprize ($100 to spend on Steam Games of your choice)

The winner is....vectordream!

6th - Art Spieglman's "Maus" from Super Kev.

The winner is.....Bogeh!

7th - 8 copies of NyxQuest via a Steam Gift from Dat!

The winners are....

-Sedington

-AudaciousKevin

-vectordream

-Irish

-Sky

-LKM 1349

-Captain Concussion

-LG

8th - Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena from Ban!

The winner is.....Super Kev!

9th - Pac-Man Championship DX code for the PS3 from Frustrated Fury!

The winner is....mbkerr!

10th - 250 GB HDD loaded with 5 movies of your choice from Bacon!

The winner is .... Syc!

11th - 1600 MS Point Card from Pogre!

The winner is.....Bacon!

12th - 9 different Xbox 360 Games from eminutia!

The winners are......

BioShock - PK

COD2 - Sky

COD3- TC

Dark Sector - UnderxOath

Oblivion GOTY - vectordream

Prey - Pogre

Mass Effect - Jarlan

Rainbow Six Vegas - Ban

13th - World of Keflings XBLA code from - Assassin!

The winner is.....mbkerr!

15th - The Humble Bundle 2 Pack from Dat!

The winner is.....CoyandChris!

16th - Brand spankin' new Xbox 360 Kinect

The winner is........Stealthy!

17th - Prize is 7 copies of Just Cause 2 (PC) from Dat!

The winners are....

-Sky

-Elite Effect

-Jarlan

-UnderxOath

-AudaciousKevin

-Sed

-MadManMike

18th -Gamercide staff pack

Alan Wake

BioShock 2 Limited Edition

Command Conquer: Red Alert 3

Tropico 3

Soul Calibur IV

Wet

1600 MS Points Card

.AltF4_ToExit

19th - Red Faction Collection for the PC from Dat!

The winner is.....PipMagnet!

20th - 4 Blacks Ops Bandannas from LG.

The winners are....

-GG

-Sed

-UnderxOath

-CodyHD

21st - It's the Netbook from Rincon and Isa!

MadMikeMan

22nd - Dragon Age: Origins with Dragon Age: Awakening from AudaciousKevin!

The winner is......Stealthy!

23rd - Killing Floor Bundle from Dat!

The winner is....Akourah!

24th - One Month Subscription to XBL from Super Kev!

The winner is......Dat!

25th - One Red Dead DLC Code from Bogeh!

The winner is......Capt. Concussion!

26th - 48 Hour Trial of XBL from Super Kev!

The winner is.....Sayterra (Capt. Concussion's woman)

27th - Prize is Darksiders for the 360 from AudaciousKevin!

The winner is.....Elite Effect!

28th - Tomb Raider Legend for the PC via Steam Gift from Dat!

The winner is Irish!

29th - Never Winter Nights 2 Platinum Edition (Steam) from LG!

The winner is Sky!

30th - Spawn's Stupendous Stuff

***Games***

Final Fantasy 7, 8, 9, and Anthology (PS1)

Tales of Monkey Island DVD (PC)

Crackdown (360)

Just Cause (360)

Earth Defense Force 2017 (360)

Conflict Denied Ops (360)

***Random Swag***

Duke Nukem 3D Mousepad

Splinter Cell thumbdrive

Random Xbox Codes (Avatar items, in-game items, etc.)

The winner is....Pogre!

31st - Dark Void from AudaciousKevin!

The winner is......Super Kev!

32nd - One Year Gold Subscription to XBL from Ban!

The winner is.....Sed!

33rd - Plants vs.Zombies that includes Peggle and Zuma from Ban!

The winner is......LKM 1349!

34th - PK's Prize Vault!

-=[360 games]=-

Prototype

Fracture

Splinter Cell: Double Agent

CSI: Hard Evidence

Xbox LIVE Compilation (UNO, Pac Man Championship Edition, Boom Boom Rocket and Feeding Frenzy)

The Bourne Conspiracy

Street Homecourt (UNOPENED)

The Club

Full Auto

Grand Theft Auto IV

The Burger King Collection (Sneak King, Big Bumpin' and Pocketbike Racer)

-=[Misc gaming swag]=-

*Xbox LIVE lanyard (Given to me by Burty, many eons ago. Please treat it well)

*Brutal Legend cell phone charm

*2 Brutal Legend iron on patches (very biker-y)

*Series 1 of Dead Speed collecting cards, in wrapper, never opened. http://www.dead-speed.com/

*A thing from the game, Singularity. I don't know what it is. If you win this, and find out what it is, please tell us. It has a magnet or something, and it's still in the plastic, never opened. I think it lights up, possibly. I dunno.

*Gnarly Brutal Legend sticker. It's really high quality and still in its plastic, never opened.

*2 retro postcards for Battlefield, sent to me by the CM of EA. Really nicely done.

* Issue #1 of the Mirrors Edge comic.

The winner is.......TC otherwise known as TownCryer!

35th - Natural Selection 2 from Dat!

The winner is......Sed!

36th - a Black Ops code for your avatar from Bogeh!

The winner is....eminutia!

The Exclusive Crysis 2 Mulitplayer Demo Coming to an Xbox 360 Near You

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 15:15:55 +0000

On January 25, Xbox 360 Gold members will get to experience the beta version of the Crysis 2 mulitplayer.

Team Instant Action and Crash Site will be the gameplay modes available. In Team Instant Action, two teams battle it out to see who can come out on top with kills and in Crash Site, gamers will find themselves fighting against enemies in order to save alien pods. Skyline will be the only map available for the beta.

Crysis 2 is coming to an Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on March 22.

via Gamasutra

Infinity Ward vs. Activision - The Battle Continues

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 11:06:54 +0000

The drama continues to unfold between Activision and former Infinity Ward employees Jason West and Vince Zampella. EA has now entered into this legal equation after an email surfaced that showcases a possible private deal made between EA, West, and Zampella on delaying "The Stimulus Package" map pack for Modern Warfare 2 when Battlefield Bad Company released.

The email from EA's Lincoln Hershberger that was sent internally throughout EA read, "A couple months ago, I asked Vince to hold back their map pack until after we launched (he owes me one). Given that they've already made a billion, he was cool with that, obviously Kotick took it as being belligerent."

EA's spokeperson Jeff Brown has said that the email "was obviously sarcasm. It's clear from the email this was a joke and they never spoke. We explained this to lawyers at Activision - who apparently don't have much of a sense of humor."

West and Zampella's lawyer has dismissed these charges saying, "a desperate attempt ... to find some basis to justify its misconduct and refusal to pay what it owes."

Activision who is taking this email seriously has asked for an addition $400 million in "actual and punitive damages" to be added to the lawsuit.

via The Escapist