Siren

They usually say that imitation is one of the best forms of flattery, but in this vomit loving case, I highly doubt it. On a side note, remember that if you preorder Bulletstorm Epic Edition, you will gain access to the Gears of War 3 beta. Click here to view the article

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 Click here to view the article

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 Click here to view the article

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 Click here to view the article

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 Click here to view the article

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 Click here to view the article

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 Click here to view the article

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 Click here to view the 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. [caption id=" align="aligncenter" width="396" caption="via Playstation.Blog][/caption] via Playstation Blog Click here to view the article

The US trailer for Square Enix's upcoming sequel to FFXIII has been released. If you have yet to beat FFXIII do not watch this trailer, because it contains plenty of spoilers. Click here to view the article

[caption id=" align="alignright" width="240" caption="This is the new Gamercard, via Major Nelson.com][/caption] As announced previously on Major Nelson's blog, today is the day that a mandatory dashboard update will roll out. Upon turning on your Xbox 360, you will prompted to download the update which will re-enable the "boot to disc option" on the dashboard. Another update will be coming to Xbox.com on January 20 that will change the way your gamercard looks and included in this update is the removal of "gamerzone". via Major Nelson Click here to view the article

As gamers, we are always anxious and eager to hear news regarding new technology in the world of video gaming. THQ on the other hand is not. In an interview with Eurogamer, THQ's Danny Bilson said that new consoles "would be horrible". "It would be horrible, But I think they all know our model's broken anyway. "It still costs us a fortune to make games on this platform. If they're going to up the scale, up the art, up the content, I don't know how to make that and sell it to anybody for under $100 a game. Who wants to do that? It's bad for everybody." We can't really argue that point. Who really wants to pay over $100 for a standard version of a video game in store and then have to shell out more money for DLC that is often put out a month or two after the game releases. Bilson further stated that "Stability of technology allows for the fruition and the growth of creative, "We're not having to invest all of our focus, and, oh my god, how are we going to deal with that new technology? We understand it. We still have guys trying to squeeze it to do cooler stuff, but it puts the weight of the mission under creative, which ultimately should get us more interesting and more creative stuff. "That's the trick. We're not going to get beat by another hardware upgrade like every five years like it was before. There will be little things. It's up to us to compete in graphics and creativity. Sometimes I hope good creativity and style will be able to be more important. It is more important." What do you think Gamercide? Is this a case of looking out for everybody including gamers or do you believe that there are underlying worries about bigger developers such as EA? via Eurogamer Click here to view the article

GameStop who is in the middle of pulling a Pinky and the Brain operation, wants access to your Xbox Live Account in the future through a GameStop ID allowing digital purchases of points and DLC to go directly to your console before you leave the store. Speaking to Ars Technica, GameStop's SVP/GM of Digital, Shawn Freeman spoke about these plans and why they believe it is a good idea. "We... have been a huge seller of those points in the marketplace, "As I understand it, we're neck and neck, or we sell even more, than they sell directly through Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network. Which speaks to our access to gamers who care about playing those games." Freeman further states, "Today you pick the card up off the rack that's associated with that map pack, we ring it up as part of your transaction in the store, and then we give you the code that allows you go home and (access the content)." "Ultimately, we want to reduce even more of that friction, so when you buy that map pack in our store, we're going to be able to associate your Xbox profile with your GameStop profile, and then automatically push that to your download queue." There were no announcements however as to even if and when this change will take place. via Ars Techina Click here to view the article

Fans of Starz widely successful nudity friendly show, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, rejoice because Spartacus is about to get it's first free video game app on Facebook and a free iPad script app that will let you watch the first episode of Spartacus: Blood and Sand and will also have series content, historical facts, and include cast photos. The Spartacus: Gods of the Arena app for Facebook that allows you to train your very own horde of gladiators will release on January 20, while the iPad script app will release on January 22. via Fox News Click here to view the article

Some eyes spied and took a snapshot of what appears to be a new addition to Microsoft's hands free 360 add on, Kinect. "Avatar Kinect" was displayed backstage on a widescreen at CES 2011 in Las Vegas. What do you think? via Glimpse Dog Click here to view the article

In what could be one of the either worst or smartest moves in online video game history, all signs are pointing to the fact that within a few months Activision might be introducing a stand alone version of Call of Duty for pay to play online multiplayer use only. According to statements made by analysts Wedbush Securities, they expect this to occur in "first quarter of 2011". "Activision remains a top pick, primarily due to the company's potential to create and monetize a second tier of multiplayer online gaming for its Call of Duty franchise... We expect this to occur during the first quarter of 2011." No official comment has come from Activision's camp, but gamers have expressed outrage and interest in this announcement across the internet including on the boards at SherDog.net. via SherDog Click here to view the article

Just a friendly reminder to those of you who have yet to submit your names for the giveaway, time is ticking down. You have until January 22 which is only 17 days away to get your name into Siren. This includes contestant entries and donations. The prizes we have this year are huge so if you have yet to submit your entry please do so to siren@gamercide.org or send a PM through the forums to Siren. For more information on our Annual Giveaway including how to's and rules, you can join in on the discussion at Gamercide's Forums. Click here to view the article

In a rather ballsy move, EA has decided to drop Tiger Woods as the cover boy from his own series of video games and has replaced the disgraced golfer's face with a golf hole flag from Augusta National Golf Club. According to Fox News, Tiger Woods not showing any signs of embarrassment of the removal said that he is excited for the game. EA's Peter Moore has also released a statement trying to stop rumors that they are beginning to slowly remove Tiger Woods from the brand, because the sales of Tiger Woods video games have dropped 60% since his cheating scandal broke out in 2009. "If the insinuation is it's a reflection of EA Sports backing away from its relationship that goes back literally 13 years with Tiger, that's not the case whatsoever. You shouldn't read into the fact that Tiger's not featured on the box art of that particular edition, "Tiger is right there on the PS3 version of the game with Move support, which was very good for us and Sony last year. We'll continue that." The PS3 Collector's Edition will retail for $10 more when the game releases March 29, 2011. The Collector's Edition will be the only version to have Tiger Woods face on the cover. via Hollywood Reporter Click here to view the article

Let's face it Pyramid Head loving Silent Hill fans, the last couple of games that released in this much loved series just plain sucked. Hopefully with the new details that are emerging about the newest entry into the survival horror series will be enough to revive Silent Hill. Silent Hill: Downpour is being taken on by a new developer out of the Czech Republic, Vatra Games. According to MTV Mulitplayer, Vatra Games Design Director Brian Gomez, has released new details about Downpour including news on the camera and side quests. Gomez states that the fully adjustable camera from Silent Hill: Homecoming has disappeared, but not entirely. They are incorporating an adjustable camera with a mix of the fixed camera that fans of Silent Hill have been accustomed to when the game released early on. Gomez also includes that there will be side quests and dialog that will have you decide the outcome of the story and Downpour's story who follows Murphy Pendleton who appears to be an escaped convict from the E3 2010 debut trailer that unfortunately for him stumbles upon the town of Silent, will have nothing to do with previous stories in other Silent Hill games, except that Vatra is adding some tie-ins that fans will take notice to. via Neoseeker Click here to view the article

Following up rumors a few weeks ago that Square Enix registered a domain name for FFXIII-2, Square announced today that Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be a direct sequel to FFXIII and the RPG will find it's way to a PS3 and Xbox 360 near you in late 2011. No other details have been made available at this time. via Eurogamer Click here to view the article

In a rather bold statement by Sony about the successor to their handheld device, the PSP, Sony claims that the PSP2 "is as powerful as the PS3". In a report by MCV, Sony dropped details on the PSP2 as "having HD screen with twin control sticks in the familiar brick form factor" and MCV is claiming that "there is potential for a phone to be included". More details will be coming on January 27, as Sony prepares an announcement about the handheld for GDC. A mini handheld portable version of the PS3 would be great, but claims and facts are two separate things. Let's see what the future holds Sony before jumping to conclusions. via MCV Click here to view the article

60 days is all it took for Kinect to sell more than what Microsoft was hoping for and also topple the competition, Sony's Move. Microsoft was hoping for 5 million Kinect units moved and instead ended up with more than 8 million units sold in the first 60 days since Kinect has been released on November 4, 2010. Move has only sold 4.1 million units since it's release on September 17, 2010. via Fox News Business Click here to view the article

It appears that the story of the characters from Final Fantasy XIII may not be over. Spotted by superannuation was the registration of domain name for a new website that is being called at the moment, "whois.domaintools.com/finalfantasy13-2game.com". The domain name was registered on January 11 under the alias "Coporation Service Company" which Square Enix has used in the past for websites for other Square Enix titles. Final Fantasy X, the story of Tidus and Yuna was the last Final Fantasy game to get a direct sequel and many fans were hoping that it would remain that way considering that FFX-2 was almost a complete disaster. Here's to hoping that this is not FFXIII-2, but maybe a prequel of sorts telling the in-depth story of how Fang and Vanille came to be. via CVG Click here to view the article

When the trailer for the newest Elder Scrolls V was shown at the Spike Video Game Awards last Saturday there excitement, squealing, and then confusion amongst fans of the series who have waited years to hear anything regarding a new Elder Scrolls game. The confusion came from a tweet from Bethesda later that night in which Bethesda said, "Seeing lots of speculation about #tesv game engine. It's brand new... and it's spectacular!". Well consider yourself confused no more, because Bethesda's Community Manager, Nick Breckon has sorted the issue out. According to Breckon, Skyrim will feature a completely "brand new, internally created, gameplay and graphics engine". The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is coming to a PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 near you on November 11, 2011. via GameSpy Click here to view the article

Tis the season for discounts on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Beginning on December 21st and lasting until December 31, some titles available in the XBLA will be discounted as well as a some Game Add Ons. Super Meat Boy - 800 MS points (33% off) Comic Jumper - 800 MS points (33% off) Toy Soldiers - 800 MS points (33% off) Banjo Tooie - 600 MS points (50% off) Castle Crashers - 600 MS points (50% off) The UnderGarden - 400 MS points (50% off) Risk Factions - 400 MS points (50% off) After Burner Climax - 400 MS points (50% off) Carcassonne - 400 MS points (50% off) Borderland's Claptrap New Revolution - 400 MS points (50% off) via Major Nelson Click here to view the article