Gamercide News

Do you like to play open ended sandbox-styled games like [insert any open-ended game here]? According to DICE's Patrick Bach who is serving as the Executive Producer to Battlefield 3, you are in the minority because sandbox games just plain suck. "In some cases they aren’t, but in most cases sandbox games are hardcore, boring, hard to get into and they are not very popular." You hear that kiddos? If you play GTA, Saint's Row, Red Dead Remption, or even Battlefield 2: Bad Company that DICE worked on that is considered "sandboxish" then you are playing a game that is at the bottom of every gaming barrel. via Edge Online Click here to view the article

Yesterday a hacker who goes by the name of "Predator" claimed that he hacked into the Xbox Live account of Stephen "Stepto" Toulouse who happens to be the head of the Xbox Live Enforcement Policy Team and said that he only wanted to help Microsoft. Toulouse who spoke to Joystiq regarding the incident is telling a far more disturbing story. "He got an old cell phone [number] of mine, and yeah, he called it occasionally". Toulouse then played it for Joystiq who said that they could not print the expletive and derogatory filled message because it was not suitable. Toulouse later said, "I have a six minute one where he and his friend discuss all the different ways they're go…

Gears fans anxiously awaiting for the September 20 release of Gears of War 3 might find the following little nugget of information bitter sweet. Executive producer Rod Fergusson spoke to CVG and said that fans will finally get closure to the Marcus Fenix story, however the universe within Gears will go on. "We're not blowing up the world so Sera and the Gears universe will live on, but for us we didn't want to betray our customers and community by having a cliff-hanger ending where you're like 'argh I just got duped, now I've gotta wait until the next game. We wanted to have closure, we wanted people to have some satisfaction that they were along for this ride and they …

Kameo: Elements of Power, a colorful launch title for the Xbox 360 in 2005 almost had a followup with Kameo 2, but Rare cancelled the game in 2009 before it got off the ground. Artwork has surfaced from the planned sequel that shows Kameo would have gotten a more "womanly" appearance had the game had lived to see a release. via Eurogamer Click here to view the article

All this week Sega has been teasing about "big news" coming to Sonic the Hedgehog's Facebook page. Fans of Sega's favorite blue chili dog eating hero start tapping your feet, because Sonic is back in a new game coming to the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 later this year. The colorful 3D teaser trailer which you can view checking out Sonic's very own Facebook page, shows Sonic speeding along, leaping from platform to platform only to make one big jump and another blue Sonic appears beside him. Does this mean the new game will be co-op or has Sonic gotten a speedy doppleganger? via Sonic the Hedgehog's Facebook Click here to view the article

Do you love watching the sweaty bare chested men of the UFC duke it out in the Octagon splattering blood across the mat and found yourself wishing that you could do that without having to leave your living room? Thanks to THQ, now you can. THQ announced that they are launching UFC Personal Trainer for the PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360 sometime this June. The mixed martial arts trainer was designed by the National Academy of Sports Medicine and three MMA trainers including Mark DellaGrotte, Greg Jackson and Javier Mendez who throughout their training careers have worked with top UFC fighters gave their input to the excerise based game. According to Lead Designer Troy Sheetz, i…

"We weren’t an independent studio making ‘our’ games anymore – we were making games to fill slots. Although we did all believe in them, they were more the products of committees and analysts. The culture we’d worked on for so long gradually eroded just enough so that it wasn’t ‘ours’ anymore", said the Creative Director with Bizarre Creations Martyn Chudley during an interview with Edge where regrets and the option to buy Bizarre back after Activision closed the 17 year studio in February 2011 were explained. During the interview Chudley details how it was making games for Activision and that they were just "fill slots". "I don’t think the atmosphere differed too much d…

F2P games or Free to Play games have seen much success in the world of PC gaming especially lately with social games such as Mafia Wars and Farmville where you can play the game for free, but in order to enhance your gaming experience you need to purchase special items or upgrades. How would you like F2P games to come to Xbox Live? According to IGN that might be happening very soon. A trusted source close to IGN is claiming that Xbox Live will be adding these style of games soon which will "allow publishers and developers to release games through the service for free where users can then purchase additional content, such as weapons, experience points, in-game currency, …

While the hardcore fans of the long time running survival horror series might not be happy with recent announcements regarding Slant Six's take on the Resident Evil world in their entry into the series, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, a new trailer has surfaced showcasing the return and possible demise of Leon Kennedy. Confused? Don't worry. Slant Six claims in the latest edition of OXM that depending on how you play the game you can kill fan favorite characters changing Resident Evil history and this in no way is a "numbered" Resident Evil game. via Examiner Click here to view the article

Have you been trying to train Fido to go bring you a can of beer from the refrigerator so you do not have to leave your couch during an intense session of gaming? Or has your wife become your personal beer grabbing waitress over the years allowing you to beat that level you were stuck on for weeks? Fido and your wife can now relax thanks to the Octane 120 Driving Pro Beer Arcade. Designed by Dream Arcades, this frothy gaming brew beast can hold two five gallon beer kegs and contains a cup holder that is perfectly placed with a tap above for an easy refill. The at home arcade is mainly designed for gamers who love racing games and the 1080p HD projector arcade itself com…

For a limited time only, purchase a Kinect sensor on Amazon and receive 50% off of "select" Kinect titles. There are a couple of workout gems in the pile of mostly rubbish "select" titles like Your Shape Fitness Evolved and The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout. The other titles aren't even worth a second glance or a mention. via Amazon Click here to view the article

"Unfortunately, the circumstances didn't allow us to make a 360 exclusive," stated Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon in a statement to Eurogamer regarding the question that left many wondering why the Xbox 360 did not get an exclusive character like the Playstation 3 version did with one of Sony's most recognizable characters, Kratos from the God of War series. With the tight lippedness that is going on around NetherRealm Studios many are speculating that NetherRealm wanted to include Master Chief or Marcus Fenix however their contract with Sony regarding the exclusive Kratos has some underlying terms about what the term "exclusive" meant or that Microsoft wants to add an ico…

Zombie lovers unite. This week's Deal of the Week are items to help wage your war against the zombies in Dead Rising 2. Dead Rising 2: Case Zero - 200 MS Points Dead Rising 2: Case West - 400 MS Points Psycho Skill Pack - 80 MS Points Soldier Skill Pack - 80 MS Points The Deal of the Week ends on May 2. via Major Nelson Click here to view the article

How about this for adding some zombie loving spice to your DLC ? Activision has announced that George Romero, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Robert Englund, Danny Trejo, and Michael Rooker are all in the "Call of the Dead" Zombies mode map for the latest piece of DLC for Call of Duty Black Ops, Escalation which is due out May 3 on the Xbox 360. All of the celebrities have not only provided their voices, but their characters also look nearly identical to the real life version of themselves. via Joystiq Click here to view the article

The always under fire and controversial website, Wikileaks have released documents regarding Al Qaeda's plot to use Sega Cartridges to kill high profile individuals including Bill Clinton and Pope John Paul II. "Detainee discussed remote-controlled firing devices (RCFDS) which were found during raids in Karachi in September 2002. These RCFDS were built inside black Sega videogame cassette cartridges to protect the RCFDS and to make them appear innocuous." - Department of Defense Records Still want to find that Sega Genesis game that you have been searching for to add to your classic collection? via Game Politics Click here to view the article

South Korea has taken over the parent's job to monitor their children's onling gaming habits and are in the process of voting in a law that is being dubbed, "The Cinderella Law". The new law which was has survived rounds of voting with a unanimous "Yes" decision since last April, gives the country the right to restrict the hours that a child under the age of 15 can play online games. The hours that will be restricted for online gaming only if this law is approved by the country's national assembly will be from midnight to 6 am. According to World in Motion, South Korea ran a test during the original proposal of the "The Cinderella Law" that slowed down the connection sp…

An attack on Sony's PSN has not only angered Playstation owners at the thought of their credit card information being comprimised, but also Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal who sent a letter to Sony's CEO, Jack Tretton demanding to know why Sony failed to report to users on April 20 when the attack happened instead of waiting for a week to pass by before users were notified of the data privacy breach. "April 26, 2011 Mr. Jack Tretton President and CEO Sony Computer Entertainment America 919 East Hillsdale Boulevard Foster City, CA USA 94404 Dear Mr. Tretton: I am writing regarding a recent data breach of Sony's PlayStation Network service. I am troubled by the fai…

Starting June 17th the kiosk based movie rental provider, Redbox, will finally move in to the games market at all it's locations. With over 21,000+ locations nationwide, the $2 per day rental fee seems like a pretty decent price point. Selections will include select games for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the Wii. The service has been tested in over 5,000 locations and must have done fairly well, with the full launch coming soon. Check out the full press release: GAME ON! REDBOX ANNOUNCES IT WILL OFFER VIDEO GAME RENTALS NATIONWIDE THIS JUNE April 28, 2011 –Redbox, America's movie rental destination, today announced it will offer video game rentals at more than …

News has broke this morning that the possible first case of credit card theft from the Playstation Network security breach that happened last week may have been reported. Rory Spreckley from Australia told ABC News that he logged in to check his bank account and noticed that there were $2,000 worth of new charges billed to his account that he did not make. "I logged into my bank account just to check everything was OK and I found out there was some just over $2,000 in charges which I didn't personally accrue," Sony has not made an official comment regarding this or another report that Playstation hacking site PSX-Scene is claiming that an underground website is trying …

If you are planning on playing Fallout New Vegas on the Xbox 360, do not accept the new update that it asks you to. Today, Bethesda released a patch to fix some problems with New Vegas that gamers have been experiencing. Turns out that this patch needs a patch of it's own. Gamers have been complaining on the Fallout New Vegas forum over at Bethesda about the update not letting them use their save files and refuses to recognize any DLC. Bethesda took to their Twitter today to annouce that they are working on a fix for the buggy patch. "We're aware some folks are having New Vegas save issues . We're working with Microsoft on this and should have more information soon.…

Microsoft has to be grinning from ear to ear today with the announcement of their third quarter fiscal year earnings. Much thanks to their hands free device that just so happened to claim the title of the fastest selling consumer device in history, the Kinect, Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division grew to 60%. 2.7 million Xbox 360's were sold, while the Kinect moved 2.4 million units. Altogether Microsoft is looking at $16.43 billion dollar profit from their third quarter fiscal year with earnings from the Microsoft brand. via Microsoft Investor Relations Click here to view the article

The half live action trailer for Homefront that made it's appearance at GDC 2011 is full of explosions, bullets, and a creepy baby nursery rhyme. via Click here to view the article

Gamertags that are in use and have been considered abandoned are now being resurrected so that gamers who want a gamertag change can now use them. According to Major Nelson the process will take some time and that gamers should check back regularly to see if a name that they would like is now available, because they are adding newly revived gamertags daily. via Major Nelson Click here to view the article

The beautiful Hikari Yamaguchi who started her career as a bikini model and turned into a Japanese spokesperson for Xbox has been paralyzed in an accident at her home. The 19 year old from Japan slipped on a balcony at her residence and suffered a cervical spine fracture that has left her paralyzed. At the tender age of 12, Hikari began her career as a model and since then has appeared in DVD's, photobooks, and television shows. She was offered a host for Japan Inside Xbox in 2009 and has been there since. via Feed the Gamer Click here to view the article

Major Nelson has released details involving Xbox's latest promotion, "Xbox 360 Gearfest 2011" as well an upcoming sneak peak at Deal of the Week and all things Xbox Live Marketplace. Xbox 360 Gearfest 2011 Running now until the end of April, save up to 40% on select Xbox 360 accessories. Wireless Controller - Glossy Black $39.99 (was $49.99) Wireless Controller with Play and Charge Kit - Silver $44.99 (was $64.99) 250GB HDD - Xbox 360 Slim Only $93.27 (was $129.99) Quick Charger Kit $19.99 (was $29.99) Wireless Headset $24.95 Xbox 360 Black Wireless Controller Play and Charge Kit $54.99 (was $64.99 Deal of the Week Week of March 7 - Lara Croft Lara Croft and the Gua…