Siren

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

[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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

Easy to Navigate Menus New developer Bit Barons is making their PC and Mac debut game with Astroslugs. This cute, vivid, and vibrant puzzle game has what it takes to make Bit Barons a household name, but the question is, can Bit Barons deliver? In Astroslugs, you play as a small purple slug who is traveling the universe activating slugballs in the form of ancient glyphs in order to fuel the slugs space ship. [ Easy Does It.... The slugballs are found by traveling the universe and putting them together by solving puzzles that are matching the colorful shapes to their examples on the left of the screen. The shapes start off rather simple and grow a bit more complex as each level increases. Can You Figure This Out? To make a shape like a sqaure, you just simply point, click, and drag over the slugballs to form the square. If you make a mistake, there is no need to worry about starting the level over. Bit Barons made deleting your shape easy by just pointing, clicking, and dragging the mouse over the colorful shape to make it disappear or if you messed up your puzzle to the point to where you cannot figure it out, you can click the reset button at the bottom left of the screen. Once you finish your puzzle you are taken to a screen where your fuel for your space ship collects and then you go back to the main map for that area where you can click on the next slugball that allows you access to the next level. Oh The Places You'll Go Overall this game flows so well with no major or minor issues that my four year old son fell in love with this game that also has some educational value for the younger games when it comes to making the shapes and naming colors. With the colorful imagery and catchy sound effects Bit Barons scored a home run with their puzzle genre entry, Astroslugs. Anybody and everybody from experienced puzzle gamers to new and/or younger gamers can jump in and thoroughly enjoy their time with Bit Baron's Astroslugs.

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