General Discussion

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 .edu email. The offer is only valid in the United States, however this deal will be coming to France and Canada soon. via Windows Team Blog Tweet This Post View the full art…

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 PointsMarch 2, Beyond Good & Evil HD, 800 Microsoft PointsMarch 9 Torchlight, 1200 Microsoft PointsMarch 16 Full House Poker, 800 Microsoft Pointsvia Major Nelson View the full article

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 View the full article

Major Nelson has posted an upcoming preview of what will be hitting the Xbox Live Marketplace next week. Xbox Live Deal of the Week – February 21 Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Co-op Collection, 200 MS Points Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Co-op Collection 200 MS Points Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction Deniable Ops: Insurgency 400 MS Points Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Chapter 2, 300 MS Points Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. Air Supremacy, 400 MS Points Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. 2 All-in-one Pack, 400 MS Points Tom Clancy’s EndWar Escalation, 200 MS Points Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, 600 points Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell…

http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/index/~3/yIJpX1eeXcU/ Pretty crazy when you think about it, but you can help map out how polluted the night sky is with artificial light. You can also see the results of others. http://www.globeatnight.org/

It should come as no surprise that the 2 million dollar seller on the Wii, Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition is doing so well. After all, Mario is not only a fan favorite of every age, but he is also one of Nintendo’s flag ship characters. However it might come as a surprise to some fans that despite selling well since it’s release in December of last year, Nintendo is going to stop shipping the game to North American retailers on March 13. Costing $30, fans of the series can get their hands on all of the Mario classics including Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 3, as well as a book that explains …

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, …

Internet name generators never get old, especially when you combine video games with random and somewhat naughty terms. The end result is a hilarious titled video game that could easily pass as a cheesy music playing skin flick. Gamercide Honorable Mentions From Our Members: Fisher Price Driving in Middle-EarthTiger Woods’ Juggalo WarsNo One Can Stop The Fun Noodle HuntEnraged Porn vs. Street FighterSpooky Porn in the Desertvia Videogamena.com (Thanks DD) View the full article

Here is your XBL Activity Recap for the week of October 28. Deal of the Week Rapture Metro – 400 MS points Sinclair Solutions Tester Pack – 240 MS points Protector Trials – 240 MS points Big Sister Outfit – 240 MS points (male) (female) Watchface Big Daddy Doll – 160 MS points All prices are valid until November 1 for all Gold members. XBLA Pinball FX2 – Free full game download. Tables purchased seperately. Free import of the original Pinball FX tables. 3D Ultra MinGolf Adventures 2 - 800 MS points Haunted House - 800 MS points Bloody Good Time - 400 MS points Demo Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Demo Majin and the Forsaken Freedom Demo Game Add Ons Red Dead Redemption: Unde…

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 View the full article

“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 dur…

It might be a little early for April Fool’s day jokes, but Sony has already pulled a fast one on gamers looking to pick up the PSP Go. On Thursday, Sony dropped the price of their PSP Go from $199.99 to $149.99. Today in a rather strange move, Sony took the price cut back and has returned the price of the PSP Go back to $199.99. Sony has not released any statements regarding the price cut and the price jump. (Thanks Chris!) via Gizomodo and Slash Gear Tweet This Post View the full article

<br> <br> MonkeyPaw Games and Frozen Codebase released the first full gameplay trailer and a ton of screenshots for the upcoming HD remake of the classic Burgertime. Head over to the main site to take a look at the full press release and screeshots. We will have the trailer uploaded later today. <br> <br> View the full article

Looking to pick up a new game this week? Here are the best deals that we could find for you before you make your purchase. Toys R Us All games that release today are available for free 2 day shipping. Xbox 360 250 GB console – $15 gift card with purchase. Xbox 360 Headset and Wireless Headset – Save 30% ($13.99 – $34.99 each) Xbox 360 Turbo Fire Controller – Save $10 ($29.99) The offers are good until October 27. K-Mart Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 – $20 off game coupon for next gaming purchase WWE: Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 – $20 off game coupon for next gaming purchase The Sims 3 – $20 off game coupon for next gaming purchase Rock Band 3 – $20 off game coupon for next…

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 a sprint mini game. Rare has stated that if you choose the entire Track & Field event, it will not register. For those of you who complete the sprint mini game during the spe…

Bioware and EA’s latest trailer for the upcoming Dragon Age II was released for your viewing pleasure. The trailer gives gamer’s a tiny taste to wet their appetite for game footage and there is plenty of blood, fire, weapons, and heroes with overused facial scars. Dragon Age II releases on March 8, 2011. View the full article

Nothing says, “come get some” more than a rifle with a glowing round pink light attached above the barrel. CTA Digital developed a rifle peripheral for those of you looking to get a more “hardcore, realistic” experience according to the video. We all know that nothing says hardcore more than a guy sitting on his couch, waving a plastic rifle around with a light at the end of it. via Joystiq Tweet This Post View the full article

Slighty angry gamers can relax a tiny bit when they go to play Kaos Studio’s issue plauged shooter, Homefront. Kaos Studios has announced that a patch for Xbox Live has been released to the masses. The patch addresses profile freezing issues and that’s about it. For those of you experiencing other issues, Kaos Studios has said that they are hard at work on making other improvements that will be coming out soon. The studio also said that they are working on a “wide range of exciting DLC”. via Homefront’s Official Website Tweet This Post View the full article

SOCOM fans that are eager to get their hands on SOCOM 4 now have a chance. Specially marked copies of Killzone 3 which releases on February 22, will contain a PSN redeemable code that will allow you access into the SOCOM 4 mulitplayer beta. These redeemable beta codes can be found in the Helghast Edition and standalone copies of the game. The specially marked copies have “Early Access SOCOM 4 Beta” on the box. via Playstation.Blog via Playstation Blog View the full article

Ignition Entertainment and Zombie Studio’s XBLA downloadable title, Black Light: Tango Down is this week’s, Deal of the Week. Released on July 7, 2010, Black Light: Tango Down focuses on online multiplayer where you can find yourself playing the standard mulitplayer shooter staples, Team Deathmatch, Deathmatch, and Control Point. Ignition and Zombie tried to add a co-op element into the game, but unfortunately the co-op mode “Black Ops” received mixed and mostly negative reviews. Black Light: Tango Down released for 120o MS points and is being discounted to 600 MS points until Monday, February 21. via Major Nelson View the full article

Fanboys get ready to give your favorite console a hug, because GameStop released their annual report regarding who is coming out on top in console sales in the United States and Europe since December 2010. In the US, Nintendo takes the top two spots with the DS selling 47.3 million and the Wii selling 34.2 million units. The number three spot goes to the Xbox 360 which moved 25.4 million consoles. Rounding out fourth and fifth place is the PSP selling 19 million and the PS3 selling 15.4 million units. On the Europe side of things, Nintendo came out on top again with 46 million DS’s and 24.9 million Wii’s being sold. PSP takes third place 14.8 million sales, the PS3 sol…

Prepare for a Magicka “Surprise”, Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword, Pirates of Black Cove, Defenders of Ardania and Supreme Ruler: Cold War Playable at Event! NEW YORK – February 11th, 2011 – Paradox Interactive has today announced a strong line-up of playable titles for this year’s Game Developers Conference taking place in San Francisco between February 28th and March 4th. The renowned developer and publisher will be showing off a variety of upcoming games including the newest addition to their acclaimed Mount & Blade series entitled Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword and a new tower defense game set in the Majesty universe titled Defenders of Arda…

Recently PopCap and The Red Cross teamed up for 48 hours to help raise money for the people of Japan who’s lives were changed after the earthquake struck the region on Friday March 11 causing a Tsunami, several aftershocks, and partial nuclear meltdowns. During the 48 hour markdown of all of PopCap games that are available on the Apple App Store, PopCap raised more than $200,000 with 100% of revenue made from the fundraiser being donated to the International Red Cross in hopes of providing aid to those in Japan who desperately need it right now. Tweet This Post View the full article

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 the typical concerns like schedules, profitability, or even target audience. It’s kind of the video game equivalent of B-sides or short films. Expect weirdness.” The studio has al…

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…