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Halo fans get ready to get an insta-boner as news has surfaced regarding a pre-order special for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. If you pre-order the remake of the ten year old franchise, you will receive the exlusive Grunt Funeral skull and a complete set of Master Chief armor for your avatar. The Grunt Funeral Skull will cause everybody's favorite Halo enemy, the Grunts, to explode in a pretty, plasmic fashion. http://youtu.be/UYfNBCHYHFE via Joystiq

If you are a fan of Call of Duty and will be in the Los Angeles area on September 2 and September 3, you might want to purchase tickets to the massive Call of Duty XP Event. The event where 100% of the proceeds will benefit Call of Duty Endowment which helps returning veterans transition into being a civilian when their military service is over. If you are interested in attending you must have proof showing that you are at least 18 years of age and be prepared to put down $150.00 for one ticket. Two tickets can be purchased by a single person. The events of Call of Duty XP include a real life version of The Pit and Scrapyard that you can play through without the need of controllers, Call of Duty Elite will be on display, and you can also attempt to qualify in the massive tournament that features some of the best Call of Duty players to date. There are one million dollars worth of cash and prizes to those that qualify in one of the open 32 spots. $400,000 of that will go to the winning four player team. via Call of Duty XP The Event

EA continues to spew it's server shutdown wrath upon the gaming industry. According to EA's recent service update, beginning on August 11, 2011 the following games will be shut down: ARMY OF TWO™ for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 ARMY OF TWO™ Demo for Xbox 360 Battlefield 2142™ Demo for PC Battlefield 2: Modern Combat™ for Xbox 360 Battlefield 2: Modern Combat™ Demo for Xbox 360 Medal of Honor Airborne™ for PlayStation Portable Medal of Honor Heroes™ 2 for PlayStation Portable and Wii NASCAR® 09 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (North America) NCAA® Basketball 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 NCAA® Football 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 Need for Speed™ Most Wanted for PC and Xbox 360 Need for Speed™ Undercover for PlayStation Portable; SKATE™ for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 10 for PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 11 Demo for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 Before you start moaning, there is more and they might come as a surprise. On October 1, 2011 the following games will also be shut down: Madden NFL 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 NHL® 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 EA is claiming that "as games get replaced with newer titles, the number of players still enjoying the older games dwindles below a point". That's right 2010 releases. You are old. via Electronic Art's Service Update Announcement

EA has aquired one of the most successful social and causal gaming companies in the video game industry, PopCap Games. Announced late in the day on July 12, EA paid around $650 million in cash for the company and gave $100 million in shares to certain PopCap shareholders. The aquisition is expected to close at the end of August. No news on what EA's plans are for PopCap who is responsible for such hits as Plants vs. Zombies, Bejeweled, and Bookworm.

Comedy Central has decided to grace us Xbox 360 users with another South Park game that is headed exclusively to the Xbox Live Arcade. Little details are known about the game other than it's exclusivity. Let's hope that it is not another tower defense game and is actually worth shelling out the dough for. via Joystiq

Mass Effect 3 might not be releasing until 2012, but it appears that you will at least get your hands on a demo before the game releases. According to Eurogamer, a tweet from Executive Producer Casey Hudson hints that news on a demo will be coming in a few months after he replied back to a Mass Effect fan over social networking giant Twitter who wished him "best of luck" with Mass Effect 3.

Bethesda has announced a new video game with developer Arkane called Dishonored. More details regarding their new game will be available when August's edition of Game Informer graces your mail boxes and newsstands. via Game Informer

Gracing the cover of the lastest issue of EGM is the main character of the next entry into the disturbing world that is BioShock, BioShock Infinite. Is this the image that ran through your head when you thought of playing as Booker DeWitt, a former Pinkerton agent who is trying to rescue a captured female character by the name of Elizabeth? via GamesRadar

The puzzle and oh so naughty title, Catherine is set to release in a few weeks. However if you cannot wait to get your hands on Catherine, Atlus has announced that a demo will go live on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 on July 12. In Atlus's newest title, you play as Vincent who is stuck between choosing his blondish brunette (possibly pregnant) fiance Katherine or the blonde and curvacious Catherine that he may or may not have had a one night stand with. After the possible one night stand, Vincent begins having nightmares and may have died. Confused yet? Catherine releases on July 26 on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. via Joystiq

Imagine this kind of math. War is raging all around you and you have one bullet left in your clip. You fire that last shot as enemies are getting closer. You feel for extra clips, but cannot find any. You throw down your weapon and pull out your pistol as a last resort. You know you already fired two shots and your pistol can only handle six bullets at a time. How many bullets are left? If you said four bullets than congratulations, UK's Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove would be proud. Gove is currently pushing the UK's government to allow video games into the classroom, because he feels that kids can relate more to figuring out equation involving one of their favorite past times, rather than the standard text book questions. Gove is working with the Stanford Research Institute here in the states and Hong Kong's Li Ka Shing Foundation overseas to make video games that will help students in a classroom setting excel in their math and science studies. Gove says that since techonolgy is changing, the way that teachers teach their students need to adapt as well. What do you think? Would video games in the classroom be beneficial to students or would the games prove to be more of a distraction and possibly cause a drop in grades? via Edge

If you played Bethesda's 2006 mega hit Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion than you were no doubt disappointed when Bethesda released the first DLC item for the RPG, the Horse Armor. Bethesda wants you all to know that those days are behind them. In an interview with Aus Gamers, Bethesda's Todd Howard spoke about all things Bethesda including the next chapter in the Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim and mentions that DLC for the game will have an expansion like feel to it. Howard also explains that the team plans on letting gamers continue to play after beating the main storyline unlike their previous title, Fallout 3. So there you have my fellow Elder Scrolls junkies. No "DLC" horse armor and we can continue our gaming experience even after we beat the main story. That has this fan and I'm sure plenty of others mighty pleased. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is set to release on November 11, 2011. via Aus Gamers

If this juicy piece of information does not give you a Gears of War 3 erection then you might want to check to make sure all systems are a go down there. Calibur11 and Epic Games teamed up to come up with the stunning and amazing Gears of War Vault for your Xbox 360 that features not only amazing detail, but also a space for your controller and in game interaction between the protective vault and Gears of War 3. Everytime you are downed, the "Infected Omen" symbol will glow red. The $89.99 vault which is available online for pre-order at Calibur11 only works with the current Xbox 360 Slim model and it will not void your warranty. Also included in the purchase of a vault is a chance to win a real life size version of the COG armor that you can view here. via Calibur11

The team at Access Games who are responsible for the 2010 release of the cheesey and quite possibly some of the worse graphics of the modern console era, Deadly Premonition, are looking for help. What kind of help do you ask? Unfortunately, they want to make another game and do not have the financial resources to do it. Swery, the Director at Access Games put out a public call for help on their website and states that "I promise I’ll make something good!" and "I’ll work real hard!" among other one liners that are just begging to be made fun of. If he is relying on those cries for help, Access Games might be waiting awhile before a publisher jumps on that "hit making" train. via Access Games Blog (Scroll down for English translation)

Epic Games highly anticipated conclusion to the current Gears of War story, Gears of War 3 is releasing this September and according to the BBFC who just classified the game giving it an "18" rating (which is equal to our "M" rating over here in the states) has stated on their official classification page for Gears of War 3 that there are 90 minutes worth of cut scene footage. Better make sure that you grab your snacks and have a bathroom break before you sit down to play. via VG247

New figures from the NPD group are showing that the Xbox 360 is leaving the competition behind as it pulls away in terms of online game sales and game point cards that sold in stores. The graphs that were released by the NPD group today showcase that the Xbox 360 has had a steady and continuious rise in the number of online games and point cards that are being sold since 2006. Sony's PS3 appears to be staying steady with their numbers, while the Nintendo Wii looks to be hitting rock bottom during the four year period which the study was made. via Gamasutra

Who says that you need to spend time outside in the muggy and somewhat buggy summer. With Xbox Live Arcade you can perfect your pasty white winter glow and munch on those bags of chips while enjoying the Summer of Arcade new releases all from the comfort of your favorite piece of furniture to game on! Bastion: July 20 ~ 1200 MS Points From Dust: July 27 ~ 1200 MS Points Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet: August 3 ~ 1200 MS Points Fruit Ninja Kinect: August 10 ~ 800 MS Points Toy Soldiers Cold War: August 17 ~ 1200 MS Points via Major Nelson

The end result of Fable III left fans feeilng their beloved game had a taken a turn to the dark side literally. Gone were the lush, bright graphics that Fable fans have grown accumstomed to and instead gamers had to stare at often dingy and gloomy landscapes. Peter Molyneuex, Producer at Lionhead Studios finally admitted that fans weren't the only ones that were disappointed the outcome of Fable III, so was he. Molyneux further explains his disappoint with the game when his Fable III goals of selling 5 million units were not met. With that being said let's hope that the next Fable game that rolls out gets back to it's roots and leaves us wanting more instead of saying, "Another Fable already? Please, the last one kind of blew...". via Gamasutra

Any die hard Halo fan took notice to quite a few things during the E3 debut trailer of Halo 4. Sure there were explosions and mass confusion, but one good look at certain things and you could tell that things with Halo 4 are going to be a bit different this time around. 343's Frank O Conner explained why Halo's green armored hero is a bit different to OXM without giving away too many juicy tidbits. "There's some story behind his new look. There are specific reasons why he looks the way he does and why some of his behaviours have changed. We'll see in good time." ~ Frank O Conner, 343 Industries "A lot of things have changed in that intervening period." We will have to wait to see what those changes are as more details emerge regarding 343 Industries, Halo 4. http://youtu.be/TC2yMKMENdg via OXM

What happens when your current girlfriend who might be pregnant finds out about the piggy-tailed blonde, big boobed girl you possibly cheated on her with the night before? For Catherine's Vincent, he is about to find out in this new trailer for the upcoming very sexual and twisted puzzle game from Atlus that is set to release next month in the US on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. http://youtu.be/G2FjqieajyY via

Something that countless numbers of gamers have been saying for years has finally been spoken from the lips of Sega. The famous blue, chili-dog eating hedgehog spawned a comic book series, television show, and numerous toys and clothing for kids of all ages is getting ready to celebrate his 20th year in the gaming industry. Fans have been complaining year after year that Sonic related video games have gone downhill, but even after Sega admitting that they shoved sub-par Sonic games down the throats of gamers each year, will they actually listen? As CVG pointed out, there are four Sonic games that are coming out all within a month of each other so it does not appear that Sega is going to be taking their own advice anytime soon.

Speaking with Edge, Paul Cuisset creator of the upcoming Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade downloadable survival/horror title Amy, explains why they took a creative and bold turn by making the character Amy autistic. "It’s difficult to go very far into this because it’s tied to the story, and we want to keep some information confidential for now. As a player, you will learn and understand why Amy has this condition," responded Cuisset when Edge asked why they decided to make Amy autistic. In Amy, you play as Lana, a woman who is protecting a young child with autism and also has powers that cannot be explained. As Lana, you have to help the 8 year old Amy escape a city that has become overrun with monsters and other types of enemies and military. The graphically gorgeous and somewhat Silent Hillish Amy, is releasing on the Playstation Network in Fall of 2011 and will be making it's way to the Xbox Live Arcade at a later date. http://youtu.be/t4KtIqirCME via Edge

If you are in the market for a new Xbox 360 and have money to burn then today is your lucky day! Amazon's "Gold Box Deal of the Day" which just so happens to include a 4GB Xbox 360. Now what's the deal you ask? If you purchase a 4GB 360 today you will receive $100 in promotional credit that will be added into your Amazon account to be used on future purchases. Other deals include Super Monkey Ball 3D discounted from $39.95 to $21.99 and two more unannounced deals that have a countdown clock and hints for you puzzle guru's to figure out. via Amazon

Depends on what you consider exclusive, but RPG Site is reporting that Microsoft bought the exclusive rights to the JRPG, Tales of Vesperia that released on the Xbox 360 in August of 2008. The game also released on the Playstation 3, however Japan was the only country to receive it on Sony's console. This news was made recent after a public Facebook posting made by Namco Bandai's Community Manager, Charlotte Toci which happened to be directed towards a fan asking a question regarding a PS3 version was never seen outside of Japan. Considering that Namco Bandai has not given any details regarding the "exclusitivity" of Tales of Vesperia and the un-professional manner that she ousted the news in, do you think that Namco Bandai will soon be hiring a new community manager? To read the full Facebook posting, please go to the RPG Site

Does Max Payne 3 have an official release date? Even though Rockstar has been keeping mum on details involving the game, both Amazon and GameStop are claiming that the release date for Max Payne 3 has been set by Rockstar despite Max Payne 3 not showing up as calendar release for the 2011-2012 game release year. The release date that is noted on both of the online selling behometh's show a date of December 1, 2011. Rockstar Vancouver who is at the helm of Max's driver seat have not confirmed or denied the release dates. via VG247

It appears that developers and publishers cannot get enough of body motion gaming. The latest company to pledge their support to Microsoft's Kinect is Sega. Hayes further went on to say that Sega is also backing Wii U and Sony's Vita which were both announced and shown at this year's E3. via VG247