Spider-Man Edge of Time preview: Edge of glory

Like a vagabond Lothario who flees from a relationship the moment it turns serious, Spider-Man always seems to leave developers just short of something really special. Neversoft never quite cracked "the perfect Spider-Man" while it had the license, and Shaba Games came within inches of it before it was shuttered.

Now, with Spider-Man: Edge of Time, Beenox is taking its second pass at the Web Head, and if the quality I saw at my PAX demo was any indication, it may be time to start getting nervous when Spidey "just runs out to buy some smokes real quick." Spider-Man: Edge of Time (PS3/360)

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Dead Rising 2: Off the Record showing off Sandbox Mode at PAX

As if all the weird stuff we already knew about in Dead Rising 2: Off the Record wasn't enough, Capcom has even more to reveal at PAX this weekend. The company is showing off the game's Sandbox mode, which will let players run around Fortune City and cause as much mayhem as wanted "without having to worry about the clock."

The mode also offers a series of challenges in each of the game's environments (ranging from simple collection to killing zombies or driving around in vehicles) that will offer up cash as a reward. We've got a couple of Joystiq folks on the show floor at PAX, so stay tuned for a hands-on report about the mode itself.Show full PR textPhotojournalist and original hero of Dead Rising's Willamette incident, Frank West, takes center stage once again in Dead Rising 2: Off the Record. Forget what you know about Dead Rising 2, as players will experience a reimagining of the Fortune City outbreak.

The new "Off the Record" storyline means an all new Dead Rising 2 experience. Frank will face off against more twisted enemies, build more outrageous combo weapons, follow his own unique mission structure and explore brand new areas of Fortune City to get his biggest scoop yet. Join Frank as he indulges in the insanity of "Uranus Zone", Fortune City's very own theme park. Full of deadly rides and crazy attractions, the sci-fi themed Uranus Zone is a true zombie-killing paradise.

Fans have asked for it, and now Dead Rising 2: Off the Record delivers a fully realized Sandbox Mode! Available from the outset and supporting both single and co-op modes, players can now explore all Fortune City has to offer without having to worry about the clock. In addition, Sandbox Mode offers a selection of gruesome and unique challenges such as 'Rumble in the Jungle', 'Chop Suey' and 'Silver Strip Smackdown,' all with online leaderboard support.

Frank's comeback also means the return of his trusty camera, with players able to earn Prestige Points (PP) for specific photo opportunities that are graded against criteria such as horror, drama, erotica and brutality. In addition to the new scenario, Sandbox Mode and gameplay enhancements, Dead Rising 2: Off The Record offers a suite of technical updates including load time optimizations, improved network performance and a host of system upgrades to deliver a more satisfying Dead Rising experience.

Dead Rising 2: Off The Record hits stores on October 11th for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.

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Spike also airing EA's E3 media briefing

Not content with just one major E3 media event, Spike has announced that it will also be airing the Electronic Arts press briefing. Entitled "Gamechangers: EA 2011 Preview," the event is scheduled to take place at the Orpheum Theater in LA on June 6 at 12:30pm PT (3:30pm ET) and will air commercial-free on Spike.

The highlight of the event will be a new, live demo of Battlefield 3. Also planned are looks at Mass Effect 3, Madden 12, FIFA 12, Need for Speed: The Run and "other unannounced projects." Also, if you squint hard enough, you just might spot some Joystiq bloggers in the crowd.


Show full PR textThe Game is About to Change! EA and Spike TV Come Together for Exclusive Live Broadcast of EA's 2011 E3 Showcase Event With "Gamechangers: EA 2011 Preview"

One-Hour Special Premieres Live, Coast-to-Coast and Commercial Free on Monday June 6 at 3:30 PM ET / 12:30 PM PT

NEW YORK, May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Spike TV, the #1 network for video game programming, today announced that it is working with leading game publisher Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) for an exclusive live, commercial-free telecast of the company's 2011 showcase event at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the gaming industry's leading trade show.

Broadcasting from the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles, Gamechangers: EA 2011 Preview, premieres live nationwide Monday, June 6 at 3:30 PM ET/12:30 PM PT.

During the hour-long broadcast anchored by GTTV host Geoff Keighley, EA CEO John Riccitiello and the company's development teams will unveil exclusive, world premiere demos and trailers for EA's biggest releases for 2011 and beyond. Viewers will experience an explosive, never-before-seen demo of Battlefield 3™, travel across the galaxy for a look at Commander Shepard's final voyage in Mass Effect™ 3, hit the pitch for a first look at FIFA Soccer 12, discover what's new in Madden NFL 12, shred the mountains in the world premiere look at SSX™, experience the high-speed thrills of Need For Speed™ The Run and hear breaking news about other unannounced projects now under development at EA.

"EA and Spike share a valued publishing relationship and we can't wait to exclusively broadcast the company's E3 lineup with our reach of 99.4 million homes across America," said Kevin Kay, president, Spike TV.

In addition to the exclusive live coast-to-coast broadcast on Spike, MTV Networks' GameTrailers.com, MTV.com and EA's EA.com will provide a live, high-definition video stream on the Internet of Gamechangers: EA 2011 Preview, powered by the global Akamai HD Network platform. The live stream will be viewable on a record number of platforms, including Facebook, iPhone®, iPad™ and other mobile devices.

"Gamechangers is an incredible showcase of EA titles for every platform – consoles, PC, handhelds, tablets and smart phones," said John Riccitiello, CEO, Electronic Arts. "We are thrilled that Spike TV and MTV Networks will broadcast the news about Battlefield 3, Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, FIFA Soccer 12 and other EA blockbusters to millions of gamers around the world."

For a sneak peek at many of the EA games set to be revealed during Gamechangers: EA 2011 Preview, tune into the E3 preview episode of GTTV with Geoff Keighley, premiering Thursday, June 2 on Spike.

The exclusive live broadcast of Gamechangers: EA 2011 Preview is a key part of Spike's largest-ever commitment to video game coverage at E3. Spike, home to the annual Video Game Awards, the biggest night of the year for the game industry, plans to deliver more than 20 hours of live E3-related programming across multiple platforms – including television, online, Facebook and mobile – from a new, state-of-the-art HD studio at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles, CA. Spike and GameTrailers.com will unveil the biggest games of E3 before any other network with breaking news, live demonstrations, world premiere trailers, in-depth interviews and expert analysis.

About Spike TV

Spike TV is available in 99.4 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV's Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV's press site at http://www.spike.com/press.

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Starhawk has matchmaking, server lists ... and space battles

Though LightBox Interactive blew the doors open on Starhawk a couple of weeks ago at a reveal event, not every question about the game was answered. To provide more information to anxious fans, LightBox head Dylan Jobe took to the PlayStation Blog for a Q&A.

Among the most interesting tidbits is the news that Starhawk multiplayer will allow players to find each other using either matchmaking or a server list. And for those of you wondering whether you'd be able to leave the planet's surface, apparently you can. "100% YES," Jobe said in response to a question about the existence of space battles. "The outer space environment set that the art team here at LightBox Interactive has put together is really awesome. Super fun to play on and looks great."

Whether that means specific levels take place in space, or if you'll just be able to fly straight up in one of the transforming robot/plane "Hawks," remains to be answered. Jobe isn't talking details about this feature yet: "Some of the elements are still being worked on and we don't want to show it untill we're 100% happy with it," he said.

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Sign up now for free PSN identity theft protection

Sony is making good on its offer of free ID theft protection for PSN members. It's posted the form through which you can sign up for Debix's AllClear ID service, which "uses advanced technology to deliver alerts to help keep you safe" and also includes "identity theft insurance coverage" and access to investigators.

Sony is only offering access to the free service until June 28, so you should sign up now. "AllClear ID PLUS is a service offered by Debix and not by Sony," the company notes. Sony meant this as a warning, so you'll read the AllClear ID site carefully before signing up -- but we admit that when we first saw that, we kind of thought the implication was that it was less likely to be hacked.

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Rumor: Ninja Gaiden 3 loses the store, may add Move support

Reports are coming in that the latest issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine is full of new info about Ninja Gaiden 3. NeoGAFfer RatedRSuperstar summarized the article, noting a few salient points about the Team Ninja sequel.

Reportedly, the difficulty level "won't be toned down for casual gamers," which means Team Ninja is making the game "more accessible" in a different way. In addition, it packs competitive and cooperative multiplayer, with at least one mode supporting up to eight players. There's also a possibility of Move support. The weapons store is gone, in favor of weapons that "upgrade over time."

According to RatedRSuperstar, "Blood is back" as well. Having seen the purported scans, that's an understatement. Imagine a ninja covered in melted Twizzlers.

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Available the first update for L.A. Noire

Many of you as you are solving cases and investigating crimes in your PS3 with the latest jewel of Rockstar Games titled L.A. Noire. Also you you may have noticed that since the patch 1.0 next to fix some minor issues found in the game is available for download.

The official website of the game indicate that it fixes problems with the store of downloadable content for the game in particular to the verification of age for the purchase of content, gameplay, bugs and graphic aspects, some issues have been identified in interrogation and improvements in the integration between the game and the social club.

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The Penguin is added to the list of villains in Batman: Arkham City

It will be Robin in Batman: Arkham City? Yet there is nothing official about it, but Rocksteady has confirmed that another character of the franchise will be in the next Batman game: Oswald Cobblepot, better known as the Penguin.

The confirmation of the inclusion of the Penguin comes from the official Australian Playstation Magazine. The appearance of the Penguin will be linked to the many puzzles scattered by Arkham City, as it will appear once players can solve one of them. Of course, once it is on the screen, your first task will be told his henchmen to go kill Batman.

Dax Ginn, developer Rocksteady, also provided a bit of information about how the study recreated the Penguin in Arkham City.

"The way in which Penguin has always been portrayed is that it is all a Knight noble and well spoken, given those delusions of grandeur", he said. "So we have made it a horrible piece of work, but it retains the illusion of grandeur." "Dressing well, but in bad taste"

Batman: Arkham City come on October 18 in North America, on October 19 in Austalia, and on October 21 in Europe.

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Team Bondi already thinks in L.A. Noire 2 and extend the Motion Scan to the whole body

L.A. Noire is already in the stores and a success resounding beyond where passes. One of the best features that the game has is the Motion Scan, the technology used to create the best facial animations to date. Team Bondi not thought it twice and they are now planteandose the development of a second installment.

"The development would be shorter because we already have the techniques;" "the written part attached to a game is what would be missing, but development will be less than five years," said Brendan McNamara, who believes that a sequel would soon take place.

Brendan does not think that the Motion Scan is as maximum as possible reaches its study, and thinks that there is still much room for improvement. Why are already working in "technology for whole body catpurar".

"With L.A. Noire already have broken some conventions for characters in video games".

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Escalation marks GameStop's biggest DLC launch in record first quarter

The recent Call of Duty: Black Ops "Escalation" DLC has taken the crown at GameStop as its largest DLC launch ever, according to the company's latest earnings call. The map pack sold 50,000 copies as pre-orders and 200,000 in store during the first week of availability. Digital sales in general are on the rise at the retailer as well, growing 53 percent year-over-year.

The first quarter of 2011 was a good one for GameStop overall, as the company reported record sales of $2.28 billion. HD console games were a big driver, as was the Nintendo 3DS launch, combined with a solid 9.5 percent growth in "pre-owned" (read: used) games and accessories. Pokémon Black and White were the top titles of the quarter, with Mortal Kombat, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Black Ops and Homefront filling out the top five.

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New voice for Harley Quinn in Batman: Arkham City

Arleen Sorkin pretty much owns the role of Harley Quinn -- well, she did. Sorkin, who helped create the character in the early 90s on Batman: The Animated Series, won't be voicing Harley in this fall's Batman: Arkham City (despite carrying on the role in the first game). Instead, veteran voice actor Tara Strong will take her first stab at Harley.

Strong has been doing cartoon and video game voice overs since the late 80s. Some of her roles include X-23 in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Rikku in Kingdom Hearts 2 and Sheegor in Psychonauts. She also voiced The Huntress in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series.

A brief Q&A with Strong has been posted on the official Arkham City site, in which she says she wants to "honor" Harley's established voice -- but until we actually hear her rendition, we can't help but morn the loss of Sorkin.

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Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One arrives on Oct. 18, pre-order bonuses detailed

Four friends, armed to the teeth with an enormous arsenal of weapons, may be sufficient to overcome Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One's menagerie of levels, but wouldn't it be helpful to have an extra Mr. Zurkon hovering overhead? The trailer we've dropped after the break answers that question with a resounding "YES," showing off Mr. Zurkon and the other three pre-order bonuses that folks will pick up at various (sigh) retailers.

Alongside the pre-order news, Sony announced that Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One will launch on October 18, living up to its previously noted "Fall 2011" launch window. That leaves just five months to decide where to pre-order -- but let's not kid ourselves, you're gonna go with Zurkon. It's just the right thing to do. Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One

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The Modern Warfare 3 leak, from Activision's perspective

"Friday was a really interesting, a really kind of cool day," said Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg, as he reflected on last week's massive Modern War 3 leak and the company's response. "Cool" was a word I was not expecting out of the man in charge of shepherding an enormous marketing campaign that had just been knocked off of its horse.

"No one wakes up and thinks, 'I hope there's been a leak and our timing gets all messed up,'" Hirshberg mused as he and I discussed the incident this week at a meeting at Activision HQ, but "if members of the government and the military aren't safe from this stuff, it's a part of our world now."

"And while it's definitely not cool to steal other people's intellectual property, and while it's definitely not cool to leak stuff that's not yours, there are ways that you can respond that actually turn the lemons into lemonade," he added. "And that's what we tried to do on Friday."

"It would be really easy to just obsess over the event, which was the leak, and obsess over how it happened, and that's only looking backwards," Hirshberg said. "And in the meantime, your launch just started. And you aren't always in control of the schedule and the dialogue, and you need to be comfortable of those rapids in this day and age. That's actually one of the things that separates good marketing from great marketing today."

"I think we managed to turn a crisis into an opportunity." - Eric Hirshberg, Activision Publishing CEO

Hirshberg, who came to Activision last July from the CEO role at celebrated ad agency Deutsch, knows a thing or two about great marketing -- he helped invent PlayStation's Kevin Butler. The Modern Warfare 3 leak appeared to be Hirshberg's biggest challenge to date in his new role heading up Activision Publishing. It called for immediate and decisive action -- whether that was simply to go into the typical, "crazed lock-down mode" or try something a bit more unprecedented.

"There was a diverse chorus of voices at the table," Hirshberg recalled of the company's internal discussion following the leak. "Everything from 'do nothing; we're sticking with our plan; this will blow over' to 'lean even further into it' to what we did -- and everything in between." An effort was made to "see through the lens of our fans," who had become genuinely excited about the game because of the leak. "They didn't do anything wrong," Hirshberg pointed out.

"We woke up with a marketing crisis and wanted to go to bed with a marketing win," Hirshberg explained of the final decision. "So what we did was we kind of took that exact conversation we were having in our conference room outside and had it publicly in social media. Through our various channels, through Robert Bowling at IW, through Facebook and through our YouTube channel, we reached out to our fans and we said, 'Look, we didn't schedule this. This wasn't something we had planned. But everyone seems excited, so we're just going to roll with it. So here they are, a couple of assets that weren't scheduled to be out for another couple of weeks, we're going to release 'em to you today.'"

Those assets, a series of teaser clips most prominently posted on YouTube, garnered more than 3 million combined views in just 48 hours, according to Hirshberg's count (the current combined total is close to 4.5 million views on YouTube alone). By comparison, Hirshberg said the first Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops teasers -- released according to schedule -- attracted a mere 61,000 and 89,000 views, respectively, in their first two days of availability. "So if you add those two numbers together, and take the sum and multiply it by 20 times, you'd have what we generated with these four teaser videos," he boasted. "So I think we managed to turn a crisis into an opportunity."

I asked Hirshberg if he thought this comparison indicated that Activision had gotten its Call of Duty marketing wrong before. "I don't think it means we did anything wrong," he insisted, "both Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops were, at their times, the biggest entertainment launches ever."

"If there's gonna be a dialogue about our game, we want it to be between us and our fans and not between the leakers and our fans." - Hirshberg

"I think that what you're pointing to is the power of response in these moments," he added. "And responding is different than reacting or overreacting, or not reacting. Showing a willingness to be a part of the connected, digital, social universe we live in as a company is very powerful."

"Now, people aren't consumers of brands anymore; they're fans of brands," Hirshberg observed, noting that "social media is a huge shift in the way brands connect with consumers." Video games and other media products have become "some of the stuff that we actually use to help define ourselves to others," and "I think people have a very human connection with the stuff they like these days," he said.

"We kept coming back to the fans, to the people who love this game; who are just waiting; for whom that day was just a really cool day," Hirshberg imagined. "All that interest for us we knew was harnessable in a positive way. The other thing we wanted to do was, if there's gonna be a dialogue about our game, we want it to be between us and our fans and not between the leakers and our fans."

"You don't want to spoil the surprises that the game has to offer," he added. "Leaks are not positive things, even though we might have used it as a way to amplify our initial viewership."

Hirshberg admitted that the the source of the leak "clearly had deep access," but claimed that "not everything that was leaked is accurate." Activision's internal investigation is ongoing, but appears to be driven by less urgency than its public response. "The mystery of the leak itself is not solved, and it's better to let that unfold."



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Assassin's Creed: Revelations multiplayer characters are ripped from the main story

After introducing a unique new multiplayer component in the last Assassin's Creed entry, developer Ubisoft Montreal has plans to make the mode more meaningful in the next AC title, Assassin's Creed: Revelations. In a recent Game Informer piece, four of the game's multiplayer characters -- the vanguard, the guardian, the bombardier, and the sentinel -- are introduced, each with specific ties to the game's main single-player story.

The guardian is a member of the Templars, calling himself the "Guardian of Truth," and plays an unknown role in the forthcoming game. The sentinel is more fleshed out, with Ubisoft revealing to GI that he is a former Assassins Guild member who defected after the Ottoman Empire and the Assassins reached a truce; he'll be seeking revenge at some point during the main campaign. The last two remaining characters -- the bombardier and the vanguard -- are similarly of Templar loyalty, lured in by money and power.

How all of these folks factor into Ezio's final adventure remains to be seen, but each will show up in both the main campaign as part of the story and in multiplayer as playable characters. If Brotherhood is any indication, though, we'll see another half dozen characters added to the mix sometime before launch this November.

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Sony's failure to report data breach incurs CT Senator Blumenthal's wrath

Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal is "demanding answers" about why Sony Computer Entertainment of America failed to inform customers of the data breach of the PlayStation Network on April 20.

"When a data breach occurs, it is essential that customers be immediately notified about whether and to what extent their personal and financial information has been compromised," Blumenthal said in a release. "Compounding this concern is the troubling lack of notification from Sony about the nature of the data breach."

Of course, Sony just issued a statement that it says will be emailed to "all of our registered account holders" but, as we noted in our post, it's been nearly six days since the "intrusion" first took place. Blumenthal elaborated, "Although the breach occurred nearly a week ago, Sony has not notified customers of the intrusion, or provided information that is vital to allowing individuals to protect themselves from identity theft, such as informing users whether their personal or financial information may have been compromised."

Sen. Blumenthal also sent a letter to SCEA President and CEO Jack Tretton, which can be found after the break.

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 failure of Sony to immediately notify affected customers of the breach and to extend adequate financial data security protections.

It has been reported that on April 20, 2011, Sony's PlayStation Network suffered an "external intrusion" and was subsequently disabled. News reports estimate that 50 million to 75 million consumers – many of them children – access the PlayStation Network for video and entertainment. I understand that the PlayStation Network allows users to store credit card information online to facilitate the purchasing of content such as games and movies through the PlayStation Network. A breach of such a widely used service immediately raises concerns of data privacy, identity theft, and other misuse of sensitive personal and financial data, such as names, email addresses, and credit and debit card information.

When a data breach occurs, it is essential that customers be immediately notified about whether and to what extent their personal and financial information has been compromised. Additionally, PlayStation Network users should be provided with financial data security services, including free access to credit reporting services, for two years, the costs of which should be borne by Sony. Affected individuals should also be provided with sufficient insurance to protect them from the possible financial consequences of identity theft.

I am concerned that PlayStation Network users' personal and financial information may have been inappropriately accessed by a third party. Compounding this concern is the troubling lack of notification from Sony about the nature of the data breach. Although the breach occurred nearly a week ago, Sony has not notified customers of the intrusion, or provided information that is vital to allowing individuals to protect themselves from identity theft, such as informing users whether their personal or financial information may have been compromised. Nor has Sony specified how it intends to protect these consumers.

PlayStation Network users deserve more complete information on the data breach, as well as the assurance that their personal and financial information will be securely maintained. I appreciate your prompt response on this important issue.

Sincerely,

/s/

Richard Blumenthal
United States Senate

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Amazon offers Crysis 2 for $40, that nano-suits us just fine

We know you're having a hard time choosing between all the different nanomachine-infused, suit-centric first-person shooters set in a ruined New York City. Why not go with the cheap one? Amazon's marked down Crysis 2 to $39.95 as its current deal of the day.
Crysis 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) -- $39.95, down from $59.95

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Red Faction: Armageddon demo on XBLM and (maybe) PSN May 3

THQ will give you a chance to take a brief jaunt over to Mars on May 3, when it releases a demo for Red Faction: Armageddon. The demo will launch on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network simultaneously -- assuming that PSN will be functional again at that time, of course -- but no PC demo is planned.

According to THQ's description of the demo, players will get the opportunity to play with the Nano Forge's destructive and reconstructive abilities, and even "throw entire buildings at your enemies with Red Faction's signature weapon, the Magnet Gun." We'd certainly try that for zero dollars.

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Kongregate and Ubisoft want you to build a music game in honor of Child of Eden

Kongregate and Ubisoft just launched a new contest to promote Child of Eden, called "Project Eden: Experience the Music" -- but it's an even deeper "experience" than the title suggests, as you'll actually "experience" the development of a music game in order to enter.

From now through June 21, Kongregate is accepting submissions of user-designed music games for entry into this contest. The top 25 games chosen by the voting community will then be judged by Child of Eden creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi ... and also Ricardo Torres from GameSpot. The winner gets $10,000 and, of course, the opportunity to spread their synaesthesia-inducing masterwork to everyone who checks out Kongregate.

What: Project Eden: Experience the Music

Details: Ubisoft and Kongregate, one of the leading free browser based game sites, are partnering to create Project Eden: Experience the Music, a music game contest inspired by the release of Child of Eden, the newest project from renowned game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi. The contest will challenge the Kongregate community to electrify the senses by creating a game that synchronizes music and unique gameplay.

Indie developers and amateur game makers will have a chance to win up to $10,000 in cash prizes, and if their game is selected by the Kongregate community as one of the top 25, it will be played and judged by Tetsuya Mizuguchi himself along with the Editor-in-Chief of GameSpot.com, Ricardo Torres.

For more information on the contest, or for specific rules and regulations, please visit http://www.kongregate.com/experience-the-music

Key Dates:
5/13: Contest announced and game submissions begin
6/21: Game submission deadline
6/22: Kongregate community voting begins
6/27: Top 25 games submitted to Tetsuya Mizuguchi and Ricardo Torres for selection of winners
6/30: Contest winners announced

Prizes:
Grand Prize: $10,000
2nd Place: $3,000
3rd Place: $2,000

About Child of Eden:
Child of Eden thrusts the player into the center of a battle to save Project Lumi, a mission to reproduce a human personality inside Eden, a futuristic version of the Internet and the archive of all human memories. As the project nears completion, the archive is invaded by an unknown virus and the player's mission is to save Eden from the virus to restore hope and peace. Under the direction of the renowned game creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Child of Eden is a multi-sensory shooter that will send players diving into a kaleidoscopic matrix of synchronized music and mind-blowing visuals that will usher forth a truly landmark game experience.

Child of Eden will release in the US on June 14th for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Child of Eden for the Sony PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system has a scheduled release timeframe of September 2011.

About Kongregate:
Kongregate is a leading browser-based game site with over 13 million monthly unique visitors who spend more than 23 million hours playing per month. As part of the GameStop Corporation network, the site features a unique community and social platform including achievements, profiles, chat, messaging, forums, and levels, which unifies over 35,000 games into a cohesive and addicting experience. Kongregate shares revenue from advertising and virtual goods directly with over 8,500 developers who have uploaded games to the site.

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Work on canned Bourne game 'Treadstone' revealed in vid

A reel showing off some rough in-game footage of Treadstone is making the rounds after being found by Superannuation. If you're suffering from a mild case of video game amnesia, allow us to refresh your memory: Three years ago, Treadstone was a multiplayer-focused title set in Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne universe being developed by Radical Entertainment.

If you're wondering why Treadstone was abandoned, one needs to recall the geopolitical business of games industry in 2008. At the time, Activision was cleaning house of the properties it obtained during the Vivendi merger and the Bourne IP was dumped back to Ludlum Entertainment. A short time later, Bourne landed at EA and ... well, that apparently hasn't gone much better.

Check out Radical's Treadstone work after the break.



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Ubisoft continues to just dance around fiscal year losses

A year ago, as Ubisoft reported net losses of €43.671 million for its 2009–10 fiscal year (ending, March 31, 2010), CEO Yves Guillemot brushed aside concern, saying, "We forecast a return to profitable growth in 2010–11." Well, here we are -- and Ubisoft isn't exactly basking in the sun.

For the 2010–11 fiscal year ending March 31, 2011, the publisher's net losses slumped further to €52.120 million (about $74 million). Yet Guillemot again played the role of the optimistic fortuneteller as he looked to the company to "post further growth in both sales and current operating income in 2011–12 and 2012–13." (Notice how he didn't drop the P-word this time.)

He put a positive spin on the 2010–11 fiscal year, too, observing "a sharp upturn in revenue." Indeed, sales were up 19 percent over the previous fiscal year to €1.039 billion. In addition to "another success" with Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Guillemot attributed much of the sales growth to a rebounding casual market, which Ubisoft dominated with its (just) dance game segment, as well as strong support for the Kinect and 3DS launches. Notably, 38 percent of the publisher's game sales over the 12-month period came from Wii titles.

Ultimately, Ubisoft's bottom line suffered from reorganization costs, which amounted to €95.9 million in non-recurring charges, including unspecified project terminations (so, Am I Alive?). Presumably, if Ubisoft is now appropriately restructured, it can focus more effectively on making successful products again. "For example," Guillemot offered, "we plan to launch a free-to-play world based on our highly popular franchise for young girls, Imagine."

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Starhawk takes Warhawk into the future on PS3

You've probably heard the name before, but now Sony and LightBox Interactive have officially unveiled Starhawk, the follow-up to 2007's multiplayer-only PS3 game, Warhawk.

Due next year, Starhawk brings the on-foot and vehicle-based third-person shooter into a new setting -- desolate moons full of highly valued "rift energy." It also adds a single-player story mode and a new "Build and Battle" system that allows players to choose structures from a menu and drop them into the level as they fight, adding a layer of real-time strategy-esque gameplay.

You can see the first screens in our gallery, and a LightBox dev diary after the break. You can also read about the game in more detail in our hands-on preview! Starhawk (PS3)

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How Rockstar built 1947 Los Angeles for L.A. Noire

While much has been said about the animation technology used in L.A. Noire, a recent piece from the Los Angeles Times reveals that Rockstar and Team Bondi have expended considerable effort in recreating Los Angeles as it was in 1947. The development team used 1930s era Works Progress Administration maps and topographical information from the US Geological Society to create a city layout.

Beyond the city itself, the developers also strove to accurately represent the lives within it. For example, aerial film and photography from the period was used to recreate authentic traffic patterns. Many other factors were researched, from clothing to the levels of smog that were present in 1947. Head over to the L.A. Times site for the full story.

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Hydrophobia Prophecy coming to Steam on May 9, then PSN

Though Hydrophobia Prophecy may sound like a new entry in the Hydrophobia series (as part of a planned trilogy), it's actually a PlayStation Network and Steam release of last year's aquatic Xbox Live Arcade title. It was later given a substantial, feedback-driven overhaul in the "Hydrophobia Pure" update following a chilly critical reception. Hydrophobia Prophecy popped up in a recent Australian ratings board listing, and was today confirmed as heading to Steam on May 9 and PlayStation Network at some point after that.

Like the game's Pure iteration before it, Prophecy augments the original game based on player feedback. "This comprehensive reinvention of the title includes upgraded graphics, brand new gameplay mechanics, exclusive new levels, a reworked back story, a dramatic new ending, recast voice acting and much, much more," the game's announcement reads.

The updated version also includes an in-game service called "Darknet," allowing players to "deliver specific opinions at any point during the game, which are automatically augmented with contextual data about the game state at that time." It's an even more direct line of communication than the developer's "Listening Post," which was erected in January to gauge played feedback online. We're hoping that by the time Dark Energy Digital gets around to working on that promised sequel, it'll be able to crowdsource the whole thing.Show full PR textHydrophobia Prophecy incoming on Steam and PlayStation Network
Dark Energy Digital is pleased to announce Hydrophobia Prophecy for Steam and PlayStation Network. This comprehensive reinvention of the title includes upgraded graphics, brand new gameplay mechanics, exclusive new levels, a reworked back story, a dramatic new ending, recast voice acting and much, much more. The long list of new features and enhancements is also augmented by changes Dark Energy have made in response to data gathered from the Hydrophobia Listening Post where players voted and commented on the features of Hydrophobia Pure.

"We could've just ported Hydrophobia Pure over to Steam and PSN after the positive response it received, but we decided to go much further. The community really blew us away with the incredible response to Hydrophobia Pure and the outstanding level of feedback on the listening post, so we wanted to return the favour and ensure we created a bigger and better experience in every possible respect with Hydrophobia Prophecy for Steam and PSN" – Pete Jones

Following the astonishing response to the listening post, Dark Energy has developed a new in-game dev feedback system called Darknet which launches in Hydrophobia Prophecy. Darknet allows players to deliver specific opinions at any point during the game, which are automatically augmented with contextual data about the game state at that time

"In the modern, interconnected world we think there should be better lines of communication between players and developer, which is exactly what Darknet delivers. Gamers have shown us how much they appreciated being involved in the development process and we have responded. We're really excited to be bringing Hydrophobia Prophecy and Darknet to PC using Steamworks because the ability to update the game seamlessly and regularly through Steam is a perfect fit for our commitment to acting upon feedback from the community. It also means we can update the Darknet system itself to ensure we continually adapt to serve players who want to participate more effectively."

Hydrophobia Prophecy will launch on Steam on 9th May and can be pre-purchased for just $10.19 / £7.64 (including 15% pre-purchase discount) with a PSN version to follow. Visit www.hydrophobia-game.com for more information.

About Dark Energy Digital Ltd.
Dark Energy Digital is a technology company based in Manchester England. It is a publisher and developer of innovative games that are produced with its ground breaking games-creation technology, InfiniteWorlds™. and the water simulation HydroEngineTM

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Rumor: EA's persistent profile service is subscription-based, offers early game downloads

Those new "persistent" EA profiles, that are meant to carry a player's profile and achievements across EA Sports games, don't seem very controversial, right? Just a nice bonus for players.

What if that profile was the harbinger of a subscription service, though? Pastapadre posted what is claimed to be a document from EA Sports outlining a new annual subscription-based offering for multiple sports games on PS3 and Xbox 360, offering DLC discounts, exclusive DLC, and in-game items for Madden, FIFA, NHL, Tiger Woods, and NCAA Football games -- as well as the only game named specifically instead of by series, SSX: Deadly Descents (which isn't even called that anymore).

On top of all that stuff, the document claims that the subscription will offer "full downloadable versions of participating titles before they come out in stores," which we could see people gladly paying for. In addition, players would have the ability "to transfer paid content from your current participating titles to future title versions."

EA had no comment about this rumored program when Game Informer asked, and no potential price point was offered. Hopefully, for the sake of gamers' bank accounts everywhere, EA doesn't realize how much it could make by offering Madden to people a bit early.

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Deceit, drugs and detective work come together in new L.A. Noire trailer

Crime and drama are present and accounted for in the latest trailer for Rockstar and Team Bondi's noir crime drama L.A. Noire. So is another well-known addition to the cast: John Noble, who plays Dr. Walter Bishop on Fox's sci-fi series Fringe (and was Denethor in the third Lord of the Rings film).

Noble and the rest of the cast are looking better than ever in this new footage that seems to show the game in its most current form -- one in which the characters' facial animation is still fantastic, but looks much more refined (and thus way less creepy). There's probably, oh, a second or two of actual gameplay, but what do you expect ... it's a Rockstar trailer.

Investigate it for yourself after the break.



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Michael Jackson: The Experience sold 3 million units globally

Michael Jackson: The Experience -- Just Dance's cousin, once removed on the Ubisoft side -- has sold over three million units worldwide. Ubisoft tells MCV that the Wii, DS and PSP versions have sold 319,000 units in the UK, meaning that the island nation is responsible for 11 percent of the global guilt burden.

The news comes just ahead of the game's PS3 and Xbox 360 Kinect release next week. The latest versions will feature upgraded visuals, some bonus tracks and full body tracking on Kinect -- speaking of which, the "Smooth Criminal" lean is still impossible without the special shoes, so don't feel bad.
Michael Jackson: The Experience

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First issue of the Portal 2 comic is now online

Just as you were warned, "tomorrow" has come, heralding the arrival of Portal 2: Lab Rat. The first issue has been posted over on IGN, spanning 14 total pages.

The comic is more than a prequel than anything else. Actually, we don't want to give away too much, but we will leave you with this little nugget: Companion Cube kills Dumbledore. We know, we know -- who woulda thunk a cube could wield a wand, let alone gain admission into Hogwarts?!

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Yakuza 4 down to $40 on Amazon today

Amazon has enacted a one-day discount on Yakuza 4, allowing you to take the entire Kamurocho neighborhood and its residents home for $39.99. That's a great deal for a game that lasts anywhere from 30 to hundreds of hours.

Think of it this way: If you earn your money in the way the game's heroes do -- by picking it up from hapless, idiotic gang members who dare to challenge you -- you won't have to beat up as many dudes before you can afford the game. That's good news for you, and good news for your city's weaker gangsters.



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Final Fantasy V on Japanese PSN this week, also coming to Europe

PSN will see a re-release of a re-release of Final Fantasy V in Japan this week. Square Enix's Shinji Hashimoto announced the PSOne Classics release -- compatible with PS3 and PSP -- of the PlayStation port of the Super Famicom RPG a couple of months ago, and revealed the April 6 release date today on Twitter.

Square Enix Members then confirmed that the downloadable RPG will be released in Europe as well, though the release date for Europe's battle against Exdeath is much less definite. "We'll be announcing the release date closer to the time, but we thought you might like to know that the game is currently being arranged for a release."

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Criterion Games could be working on Burnout Crash

If we do if the information that reaches us through the Australian Classification Board, Criterion Games is already working on the new Burnout entitled Crash.

The announcement appeared last Friday in the web page of the ratings agency. As in previous releases, point that the game will be released by Electronic Arts and cross-platform available for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

At the end of last month, the head of Criterion Alex Ward said on Twitter that the study is "preparing the submission of its next game". So keep tuned in LivingPS3 as that in the next few weeks we could know more about this Burnout Crash.

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Ninja Gaiden 3 has complex multiplayer mode, will be more accessible

Ninja Gaiden 3 will feature some form of multiplayer gameplay, according to an interview in the April issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine. Project lead Yosuke Hayashi characterized the mode as "complex," but didn't offer a comparison to Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2's online co-op missions. He noted that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions would launch at the same time, unlike past iterations in the series.

Additionally, NG3 will supposedly be more accessible to new players, while retaining the challenge that fans have come to expect from the franchise. "We know that many fans feel good about the difficulty level, but we are taking a slightly different approach," Hayashi said. "It's not that the game is going to be easier -- nothing like that. It's just that we are trying to make a whole game, a more exciting game that can be enjoyed by anyone, but at the same time, hardcore gamers will be able to feel and appreciate what the series is about."

Hayashi said that the franchise's main character, Ryu Hayabusa, will be the only playable character this time around, and that the game's story "will focus more deeply on Ryu Hayabusa's life and lifestyle and feelings and thoughts." Our first question -- how does Ryu feel about ninja dogs? And, say, giant flaming armadillos? This stuff's important!

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Exclusive new gameplay of multiplayer for Resistance 3

Through an event held this week by the Insomniac Games community in the United States.UU., has leaked a video of about five minutes in length that contains a Resistance 3 multiplayer gameplay.

The quality of the videos is not very good because it's an off-screen with camera in hand. Even so, the result is quite good and helps us to see how much has changed the multiplayer on the second installment.

You can check that the rate of frames is really high, with very smooth and fast movements similar to those seen in the COD series by what I gather that playability could be similar. Also confirms that the games will be much less numerous with smaller maps. To sum up another great game for this 2011.

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New L.A. Noire case info and screens keep the trail hot

Stepping into April means we're one month closer to L.A. Noire's May release, but it's not enough. We just can't wait to hit the streets of 1940s Los Angeles as a hard-boiled beat cop, and this update from the official Rockstar blog isn't helping. Not only are there new screens to see, but we get details on two early cases in the game. One's a standard "robbery in progress" call tasking you with delivering a bit of shotgun justice to the local grocer, and the other one's a crime scene investigation, where you've got to hunt for a murder weapon in the dark.

Rockstar also says that walking the beat and solving these crimes is "how you pay your dues" as a uniformed officer, so not only are you out to right wrongs, but you're trying to impress the higher-ups and make detective as well. It just sounds like too much fun -- come on April showers, bring us a new Rockstar game already!

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Mortal Kombat tag team match pits Background against Our Attention

Happy April Brutal Violence Day, everyone! Enjoy some footage of a Mortal Kombat tag team match, featuring Kitana, Mileena, Sindel and Jade.

Even though the match has more painful-looking attacks and surprise reversals than the spinoff Mortal Kombackgammon, we found ourselves unable to concentrate on the actual fighting because of the guy in the background performing a resurrection ritual or something. Way to steal the show!

Maybe we should let the guy have his moment. It must be hard work to be the "resurrection guy" in the Mortal Kombat universe.



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Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 'Reverie' DLC released 'in error' on PSN

David Cox, producer on Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, has been all over Twitter recently, responding to complaints about the DLC delay. When he was asked by one disgruntled European gamer wondering why the Xbox 360 delay was holding up the Reverie DLC on PS3 in his region, Cox revealed that the initial DLC launch on PSN was "put up there in error." In other words, Reverie wasn't meant to be released on PS3 in North America (whoops!).

Cox also said that it's "too late to take it down" meaning that presumably whatever bug is keeping it from a larger release isn't catastrophic enough to require it be pulled from Sony's service. Currently the DLC is still available on the US PlayStation Store for $9.99.

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Four classic Mega Drive soon on PSN

Sony Spain has published the timetable for launches of four Mega Drive classics coming to PlayStation Network in the coming weeks through the official PlayStation blog. The first to arrive is Sonic the Hedgehog, which is already available in the Store since yesterday on March 30, followed over the next months of other three jewels of Mega Drive/Genesis confirmed:

-Sonic 2: free for users of PS Plus from April 6, available on PS Store since April 20.
-Streets of Rage 2: free for users of PS Plus from May 4, available on PS Store since May 18.
-Golden Axe 2: free for users of PS Plus on June 1, available on PS Store since June 15.

As discussed in these four games join them in future titles Altered Beast and Comix Zone, although they are still no release date. In addition, returning to four games with fixed release date, will include substantial improvements to their original versions, each of them includes its own trophies, their ratings online and in the case of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Streets of Rage 2, Altered Beast and Golden Axe II, an online cooperative mode.

Each game has a price of 3.99 euros while Plus users can download them absolutely free.

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Much of Batman: Arkham City passes through open scenarios

Batman: Arkham Asylum was considered the best game based on superhero comics of all history, so, its sequel Arkham City, it has very high standards and expectations through the roof.

To further increase the Hype to the rededor of this game, Rocksteady has revealed that you most of the adventure of Batman: Arkham City takes place in the streets of Gotham, with much larger and more open scenarios that his first delivery.

The interiors are dedicated to specific missions, but 80% of the game takes place in the streets. This means that you can start the game and explore from the very beginning. However, freedom will not have impact on the history, the argument is really important to us.

Rocksteady Studios ensures that the game will not be type sandbox despite freedom of action that we will have at all times. Arkham City will be a very big city full of content relating to the Batman universe that will make your mouth water to more fans of the comic.

Our aim was not to the largest open world only by doing so. We wanted to fill it with content, and there is no better world than the universe's Batman for inspiration.We have 97 people in the team, compared to the 65 of the original. For this reason we have decided that we needed more artists and animators to a wider world. It has been a great technical and creative challenge for the team.

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Hideo Kojima scale up to the senior members of Konami

Hideo Kojima, the great creator of works such as Snatcher, Policenauts, Metal Gear and Zone Of The Enders; He has been promoted to Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Konami Digital Entertainment. His work with these great games had their merit reward and today is considered one of the best in his position.

But Konami has not been there, but it has also promoted to Shinji Enomoto, sure that know him for being the Executive producer of the Pro Evolution Soccer franchise. He has been promoted with the same range as Hideo.

By now Konami we do not know much the next game, since they have not officially announced any game, but we know that Kojima is currently working on several Metal Gear games. Some of them for NGP in what he called the project devil.

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We will know more of the gameplay in Mass Effect 3 in April

Little is known of the latter title that closes one of the best trilogies of the current generation. BioWare is all very quietly and you've revealed almost nothing. We know that the DLC "Arrival" will give us a Union between the end of the second part and this installment, but nothing more.

Fortunately it seems that official Playstation of France and United Kingdom magazines, published new information on the game in the month of April. So I now have to wait, although some rumors say that it will have an interface very similar to that seen in Dead Space.

In any case, Mass Effect 3 will be released at the end of the year and has all the earmarks of becoming one of the best games of the 2011.

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A new patch for Homefront which complicates life cheats

No one likes to play with cheats, this is what has had to think about THQ and Kaos Studios to get his new patch. The main function will be to record the items so that in the event that some cheater dared to commit some of their own, so they pillarían with the hands in the dough. Thanks to a software that analyzes each player and a server potetente and notifies you in the event that he has committed any irregularity.

Apart from this new functionality, version 1.0.3 includes other small improvements playable in the online mode. If you want to know more about this update, I leave the link to the official website of the title.

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Marvel vs. Capcom 3 ships 2 million worldwide

Eleven years after Marvel vs. Capcom 2, people are still interested in seeing Ryu getting smashed by the Hulk. Capcom announced today that it has shipped two million copies of universe mashup fighter Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds worldwide. Capcom said that the release of MvC3 was "capitalizing on the resurgence of the fighting game boom that began last year" -- you know, the one Capcom started with Street Fighter IV.

These shipments, the company states, zlxo outpace the performance of Marvel vs. Capcom 2. In fact, that game doesn't appear on Capcom's list of million-selling titles at all, suggesting that the sequel outperformed it by a great deal.

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Silent Hill composer's guitar auctioned for Japan relief

What's scarier, being absolutely broke or regretting never taking a chance to have a piece of video game history? An auction for Akira Yamaoka's guitar and FX amps, which were used to create the audio atmosphere for a little franchise called Silent Hill, is currently underway on eBay (and will last for five days).

The auction is part of Play for Japan, a coordinated effort to present consumers and gamers with means to help the relief effort in Japan. If you partake, you'll not only feel good about donating money to Japan, but you'll possibly give this guitar a new home and outlook on life, one filled with joy, sunshine and family -- not giant death bunnies and other unspeakable horrors.

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Activision could announce Modern Warfare 3 the month of April

The Call of Duty series fans who are attentive to the month of April because Activision could announce Modern Warfare 3 month. According to the United Kingdom PSM3 magazine, "the new installment of the popular FPS of Activision will be released in mid-April".

The prediction would fit perfectly with the date that usually choose Activision to announce a new Call of Duty. Without going any further, Black Ops last year it was announced officially on April 30. On the cover of the Official PlayStation Magazine in the United Kingdom Magazine April, there for shooters to feature a special appointed Modern Warfare 3 (you can see the image of the cover after the jump).

The latest rumors indicated that Infinity Ward was being helped by Sledgehammer Games for how history and by Raven Software responsible for the multiplayer mode of Modern Warfare 3. Probably next month leave doubts.

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Rumor: Warner Bros. joining 'online pass' camp with Mortal Kombat

Warner Bros. may be following in the (very large) footsteps of Electronic Arts and THQ when it comes to discouraging -- or at least profiting from -- the sale of used games. Joystiq has learned from a tipster that when Mortal Kombat hits shelves on April 19, its box will include an "online pass" token that must be redeemed before playing online. At present, WBIE evidently intends to do the same for its high-profile releases F.E.A.R. 3 and Batman: Arkham City. Since the latter won't feature multiplayer, though, the token would have to unlock some other (equally attractive) content.

According to an email obtained from our source, which appears intended for retailers, WBIE won't be promoting the pass -- in fact, no reference to it will appear on the game's packaging. Instead, it is apparently providing retailers with details on the pass, including how to purchase a new one if you're buying a used copy of the game. Unsurprisingly, a new pass will run 800 Microsoft Points / $10 for Xbox 360 and PS3, respectively. We've contacted WBIE for comment on this information. You can find an excerpt from the retailer email past the break.
Mortal Kombat, available on April 19 for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, includes a one-time-use registration code that gives players access to all online modes in the game. Players who do not have a code will get a free two-day trial of the online play and then be able to purchase the online modes for 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and $9.99 on the PlayStation Network.

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inFamous 2 preview: A tale of two side characters

Sucker Punch isn't interested in subtlety when it comes to inFamous 2, and you needn't look further than the game's two companion conduits, Kuo and Nix, for that to be apparent. In a preview session earlier today, reps from SP walked me through a mission midway through the game wherein Cole fought alongside both characters during separate points -- and like in the first inFamous, he was eventually faced with choosing one side or the other. Only rather than choosing "good" or "bad," Cole had to choose his favorite lady of the two.

When the rep picked Kuo (the "good" side), Nix's reaction was ... less than savory. She seemingly channeled Mass Effect 2's Jack, going from Cole's partner in crime, to a sniveling, vengeance-filled brat in under 30 seconds. After her tantrum subsided, Cole was blessed with the power of ice, borrowed from Kuo. And that's where the demo ended, unfortunately.

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BBFC rating suggests Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition coming in June

Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition will apparently make its way to the UK in some form this June. Eurogamer has taken note of the British Board of Film Classification rating, which has the latest version of the fighter dated for June 24.

If the classification is for consoles, it goes against previous statements made by Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono, but would play into cryptic tweets he's made about Arcade Edition DLC. The new version would likely include the four new playable characters: Yun, Yang, Oni and Evil Ryu.

We've contacted Capcom to clarify exactly what's going on here. If the BBFC also classifies arcade machines, the DLC hints and classification could be two separate stories on parallel lines. However, if the classification is for consoles, it's still unclear if the new game will be a DLC code in a new retail box, or if current SSF4 owners will be able to buy it as a DLC expansion. Ono keeps using the term "DLC," so we'd lean toward it being the latter.

Update: Official statement: "Capcom has not made any announcements."

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L.A. Noire subject of Tribeca Film Festival special event

the first time ever that a video game has been recognized by the festival" -- you'd think that Rockstar's latest production was a small-budget longshot, competing for necessary distinction amid the eclectic slate of films that will be screened during De Niro and company's annual gathering of international movie makers and moviegoers in the lower Manhattan neighborhood.

Instead, the Team Bondi-developed "cinema-videogame hybrid," as Tribeca Film puts it, will be more of a sideshow -- though no less prestigious. As part of the "Tribeca Talks" special events series, L.A. Noire will be the subject of a one-night-only gameplay demonstration and discussion, featuring Rockstar representatives.

The event will be moderated by Tribeca Enterprises COO Geoff Gilmore, who sounds particularly excited about the film festival's latest discovery. "It's an invention of a new realm of storytelling that is part cinema, part gaming, and a whole new realm of narrative expression, interactivity, and immersion," he heralded in an announcement. "We are poised on the edge of a new frontier." Don't worry, Gilmore, it's safe to step on in -- the games industry has actually been settling this very frontier for decades.

The L.A. Noire event is scheduled for 5:30PM on Monday, April 25 at one of the School of Visual Arts theaters (an official festival venue; though not located in Tribeca). An hour has been set aside for the "live interactive screening" of one of the game's detective cases, plus an additional 45 minutes or so for the Q&A conversation. Tickets will be priced at $25 per attendee (some discounts available) and go on sale to the general public on April 18.

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Killzone live-action short overacts the Helghan war's origins

Not since Command & Conquer's Kane have we seen overacting of such brilliance as that exhibited in the new Killzone origin story clip. Two friends, one ISA and one Helghan, have their friendship torn asunder ... in the name of war. Check it out after the break.



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Fight For Relief charity tournament raises money for Japan

Up Series, are teaming up to help raise money for Japan the only way they know how: by kicking ass. Simultaneous tournaments in Union City and Irvine, California will be streamed online as one massive show. Fight for Relief will feature giveaways, interviews and competition in Super Street Fighter IV and Marvel vs Capcom 3 from some of the best in the scene, including EG Justin Wong, Alex Valle, John Choi and others.

The fundraiser kicks off this Sunday, April 3, with all tournament proceeds and donations being given to Japan through GlobalGiving.org, a site that facilitates the actual giving of the money. We imagine flying to Japan with a giant briefcase stuffed full of cash just isn't the most practical way to do it.

If you want to sign up for either tournament, there isn't any pre-registration; just show up to either the NorCal venue or the SoCal venue with some cash and your fight stick and throw down!

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Sony takes Qriocity on tour, hosting concerts with Big Boi, DeVotchKa

Sony's enlisting some heavy hitters to help promote its PSN-integrated music platform, Qriocity -- the company recently announced a list of events across Europe and North America, including two stops that will feature live performances by DeVotchKa and Big Boi. You'll recognize that first name as the artist behind the accompaniment to Gears of War 2's memorable "Last Day" ad. You'll recognize that second name because it's Big Boi. C'mon, everyone on Earth knows who Big Boi is.

Check out the list of events scheduled for the global Qriocity tour after the jump.March 21-27 -- Sampling at Schönhauser Allee ArkadenMarch 21-27 -- Sampling at Sony Style Store BerlinMarch 31 -- Berlin - HBC -- Artist To Be AnnouncedMarch 31 -- London - Proud Camden -- Artist To Be AnnouncedMarch 31 -- Chicago - House of Blues -- Performance by DeVotchKaApril 2 -- Los Angeles - Sony Store Century City Mall -- Artist To Be AnnouncedApril 9 -- Miami - Aventura Mall -- Artist To Be AnnouncedApril 13 -- New York - The Gramercy -- Performance by Big BoiApril 18 -- San Francisco - Palo Alto Sony Style Store -- Artist To Be AnnouncedApril 28 - May 1 -- Nashville - Independent Venue

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Portal 2 promo puts artificial trust to the test

It doesn't take science -- let alone Aperture Science -- to know that people can't be trusted. Thankfully, Cave Johnson and company built some robots, and then some "better robots," in an effort to overcome the unreliability of human companionship.

The result, Atlas and P-body, is the robotic duo best suited to overcome the perilous panels and heaps of deathtraps laid out in the Portal 2 co-op campaign. The only problem? They'll have to be controlled by you and a human "friend."



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Machinarium headed to PS3 and undecided tablets this year

Developer Amanita Design seems to have its hands full, with a sequel to its adventure game Samorost and two other projects in progress. According to statements from founder Jakub Dvorsky at GameCityNights, the developer is still making time to get Machinarium onto PSN and as-yet-undecided tablets this year. Amanita publicly turned its attention to PS3 last year after Microsoft passed on the point-and-click adventure. There was no word on the previously announced WiiWare version.

Though the iPad seems like the obvious choice of tablet, CasualGaming.biz reports that Amanita is instead "exploring" the Blackberry Playbook, which will be released in North America next month. If only we were privy to an animated thought bubble explaining the process behind that decision.

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Capcom confirms Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City

Capcom has officially confirmed that you'll be able to join Umbrella Corp. in Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC this winter.

The OXM story had most of the details already: The Umbrella Corp. sends a team (you and up to three friends) to eradicate any evidence of its involvement with the events of Resident Evil 2 in a squad-based shooter developed by Capcom and Vancouver's Slant 6 (SOCOM: Confrontation). There will also be competitive multiplayer, pitting Umbrella against the U.S. Government (which wants to uncover what Umbrella's hiding) -- and both groups must also contend with undead hordes.

Heartbreakingly, it doesn't sound like zombies will be playable, forcing those who like being dead-behind-the-eyes flesh eaters to stick with Left 4 Dead 2 or the new iCarly game.



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Revealed the first details of Warhawk 2

Wow! One of the first exclusive multiplayer games of PlayStation 3 could have a sequel on the way. In reality it takes time to circulate rumors of a sequel to Warhawk but it was not until now when it has had access to the first details of this continuation.

Lightbox Interactive, its developers, has offered an event secret for a select group of press to present Warhawk 2 and reveal the first details of the game.  The information weighs a request for embargo by Lightbox but still some details have come to light and you can read below:

-The game will feature a way to history.
-There will be a cooperative mode
-Initially the game will support 32 players online
-Multiplayer with a total of 25 maps.
-The game will feature vehicles military motorcycles, air craft, tanks and other vehicles.
-We can build combat as a bunker facilities even though they may be destroyed by the enemy.
-Improvements to the combat system and camera angles.
-The graphics will be much higher than the first Warhawk.
-PlayStation Move and 3D support.

Still not we can launch the bells to flight information is not official and we already know that in these cases at the end the thing may end up in nothing. Despite this, I am confident that the information that reaches us is correct and that in the coming months we will have an official announcement of Warhawk 2.

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Steel Rain for Killzone 3 map pack arrives this week

Sony and Guerrilla Games confirmed last weekend that the second map pack entitled Steel Rain will release this Wednesday, March 30 through PlayStation Network. The pack includes two new maps for multiplayer mode and two new styles of war:

Junkyard: it enables consignments of up to 16 players on the way to Guerrilla Warfare.
Stahl Arms: it enables consignments of up to 24 players in mode Warzone.

If you want more information of this DLC I recommend you pass by this entry published last month with the first images of Steel Rain.

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Kenshi and Scarlet downloadable characters from Mortal Kombat

At this point everyone you know that the downloadable content is perhaps the most profitable of the editors and almost any game of the current generation has with some type of DLC. It is something that previously did not happen as consoles did not have a PSN online platform or Xbox Live, with the arrival of the Stores has opened the veda, abusive in many cases, and without any sort of regard in the face of the consumer.

Mortal Kombat is almost confirmed that will include to the rededor of 30 selectable characters of launch, a number of really good few titles wrestling match. However, they could have been more since that at least two characters sold us them to part after confirming that Kenshi and Scarlet will arrive as DLC, and that there is still a month for the release of Mortal Kombat 9.

Will not be the only one, also speculated that the mythical Kintaro could also arrive as DLC in the future but still is not confirmed. Whatever, Mortal Komtat looks fucking great and with a very broad roster of wrestlers, pity that, as always, to complete it all we have to scratch the Pocket.

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Dungeon Siege 3's Katarina goes gun crazy

Square Enix has announced the third of four heroes players can choose from in the upcoming Dungeon Siege 3 -- and it's Katarina, a gun-wielding, half-witch vixen with a black hound companion. As you can see in the trailer, this girl ain't kidding around.



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MotorStorm Apocalypse trophies

Master of the movement: finish a race using the motion detection function.

Air assault: made fall a competitor of his quad or his motorcycle with fists while you are both in the air.

No shortage of air: use air to cool fully your gauge for boost from its critical level, in a single jump.

It's me who did it: Customize your vehicle by using all available options.

Economics of energy: win a race without ever coming into critical boost.

Locked target: Éperonnez and destroy the same player twice in a race.

Kudos: Win 250 tokens in a single skid in multiplayer.

Vary the pleasures: finish a race in each of the basic game modes.

Bad seed: pass 3 aerial figures in a race.

Wheel of fortune: run a wheeling of 5 seconds.

For some damage: win a race with each of the 13 classes of vehicles.

First-person race: win a race only with the hood view.

Mecano: Change at least one element from each of the 13 types of vehicles.

Over there! : Look at 5 different racing incidents in 5 different races.

Carnage! : Use the ramming to destroy 10 opponents.

I have one! : Collect 1 MotorStorm cards hidden.

"You want to play?": arrive at the Festival as a Mash.

"We are going courir… in here?": Finish "Derailed" as Mash.

"Eat my dust, my guy!": complete "la voltige As" as Mash

"Ok, here we go!": complete "Collapse of credits" as Mash.

"If you want to stay, you it farms.": arrive at the party as Tyler.

"I am just a poor type to crush.": "Road Warrior" finish as Tyler.

"It's going me.": complete "Twitch in the suburbs" as Tyler.

"This is a matter of life or death.": complete "Terminus" as Tyler.

"One of us will come out of this city in life.": Finish "the end is near" as Tyler.

"You're going to see, ban!": start the day as the Big Dog.

"It will sow these types…": Finish "The way of the air" as a Big Dog.

"If you leave, you must arriver…": complete "Last tour" as a Big Dog.

The épreuve… update: Réussissez 5 special events.

10 to begin: pass 10 special events.

The first time: finish your first race online.

Where is my money? : Bet and win a bet part research.

Tape me in five! : Reach rank 5 in multiplayer.

Battery: Reach rank 15 in multiplayer.

Where you put any here? : Collect 50 honours in multiplayer.

Stormer decorated: win 25 medals in multiplayer.

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Homefront trophies

The causes of the combat - complete chapter 1 of the single player campaign

Freedom - Complete chapter 2 of the single player campaign

Balances of hell - finish Chapter 3 of the single player campaign

The wall - finish Chapter 4 of the single player campaign

The heart - complete chapter 5 of the single player campaign

Monitoring - Complete chapter 6 of the single player campaign

The causes of the battle - guerrilla - complete chapter 1 of the solo campaign at the highest level of difficulty

Freedom - Guerrilla - complete chapter 2 of the single player campaign at the highest level of difficulty

Balances of hell - guerrilla - finish Chapter 3 of the single player campaign at the highest level of difficulty

The wall - guerrilla - finish Chapter 4 of the single player campaign at the highest level of difficulty

The heart - guerrilla - complete chapter 5 of the single player campaign at the highest level of difficulty

Superman - The causes of the combat - complete chapter 1 of the single player campaign without dying or restart from the point of control

Superman - Freedom - complete chapter 2 of the single player campaign without dying or restart from the point of control

Superman - Balances of hell - finish Chapter 3 of the single player campaign without dying or restart from the point of control

Superman - The wall - finish Chapter 4 of the single player campaign without dying or restart from the point of control

Superman - The heart - complete chapter 5 of the single player campaign without dying or restart from the point of control

Archivist - Find 30 61 mode solo campaign news bulletins

Historian - Find 61 mode solo campaign news bulletins

Fine trigger - kill 25 pistol enemies in Chapter 1: the causes of the battle

Veteran outstanding - kill the hand-to-hand 25 enemies in Chapter 1: the causes of the battle

Welcome to the free zone - talk at least once to each inhabitant of the Oasis in Chapter 2: freedom

Whether to cover - destroy the first Sentinel without damage to Chapter 2: freedom

Mercy - Kill 5 enemies on fire in Chapter 3: Hell balances

They burn! -Don't kill any enemies on fire in Chapter 3: Hell balances

David rejected - do Division street without the Goliath would suffer damage in Chapter 4: the wall

Columnist - Find the first 61 news bulletins

A stairway to paradise - since the door of the Church, join the nest of Raven in 240 seconds in Chapter 5: the heart

The speed demon - grasp you tank within 8 minutes and a life in Chapter 6: monitoring

A safer sky - destroy all sites of missiles sol - air level in Chapter 6: monitoring

Weapons expert - take a challenge of expert with any weapon in multiplayer mode

Drones expert - take a challenge of expert with any drone multiplayer

Expert in vehicles - take a challenge of expert with any vehicle multiplayer

Expert of the war - defy all challenges relating to weapons, drones and vehicles in multiplayer mode

Squad leader - join a public party at the head of a group of at least 4 players in multiplayer mode

Medal of honour – win a public party at the head of a group in multiplayer mode

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[Test] MotorStorm Apocalypse

Mar 17th, 2011by Cyr1us.

Sometimes fiction joined the reality. By mere coincidence, while the Japan one of the worst pages in its history, MotorStorm Apocalypse arrives on the market at the same time. Keep in mind that the video game industry remains before a way well secondary entertainment before such events. Once all ambiguities raised, the question is whether they are the novelties introduced by this third branch of the lighthouse on PlayStation 3 exclusive series.

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Crysis 2: the launch Trailer

Mar 22nd, 2011by Cyr1us.

At the exit of highly anticipated Crysis 2 this week, discover the launch trailer of the game on a rapper can signed his band

In New York, terrifying aliens roam the streets, while a nightmarish epidemic spreads at a speed V large among the million inhabitants. All the networks of the city are out of service. The streets and skyscrapers are based in a large cluster of still-smoking ruins. Paramilitary actions neither the power of the US military machine can anything against invaders. Those who chose to remain are only stay dead. Only advanced technology will help you survive in this deadly maelstrom. A technology that no soldier of our time has ever seen. One man will receive the keys to survival.

Only you will wear combat born of past technological prowess, the nanocombinaison version 2.0 equipment. Only you hold in your hands the single chance to save humanity from destruction and restore peace in the urban jungle became New York.

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Trophies of Crysis 2

First steps: finish level in murky waters

Alien contamination: escape you evacuation of Battery Park Centre

Extraterrestrial origin: collect a sample of alien tissue on the crash site

False prophet: find Nathan Gould

Internal Affairs: infiltrate the C.E.L.L. Wall Street complex

Into the abyss: infiltrate the alien hive

Marine day, Navy always: see the Marines in Madison Square

Chaos: Join the Hargreave-Rash building

On embers: participate in the evacuation of Bryant Park

Terminus: Defend Central Station

At the crossroads: evacuate Times Square

Theseus: Locate Jacob Hargreave

Meeting together: perform 25 stealth frags campaign solo

Tourist: Find all the memories of New York

The mile: kill 10 enemies with an object

Launch deadly: kill 10 enemies by projection

Popcorn: Kill 20 enemies with the canon campaign solo microwave

Two for the price of one: kill two enemies with a single bullet campaign solo

Deflagration: Kill at least 3 enemies with a single grenade campaign solo

Headhunter: kill 4 enemies in a row with a shot in the head in the Solo campaign

Overwhelming slide: kill 5 enemies by sliding campaign solo

Fatal food: remove an officer of the C.E.L.L. with a giant donut in Lower Manhattan

Forgotten: send an alien in the abyss at the level in the darkness

Always faithful: Let no Marine died during the evacuation of level Semper Fi

Literary agent: scan all of the books of Richard Morgan at the New York public library

Maximum stealth: stray current without you find in chapter the eye of the cyclone

Cleaner: Pass all special types of frags

Spy: Sign 30 contributions of multiplayer mode detection

Versatility: Win a part in each game multiplayer mode

Commitment: Made online some six months after your first connection

Modern art: unlock 150 identity plates

Assessment: Finish 3 parts Playstation Network

Collector: Get 20 identity plates

Maximum module: optimize a Nanocombi module to its maximum in multiplayer mode

Teamwork: to the end join a part online in a squadron of at least 3 players

Nomad: Play a complete game on each map in multiplayer mode

I am not a number! : Create your first custom class

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Randy Pitchford explains the delay of Duke Nukem Forever

Yesterday skipped the bad news that Duke Nukem Forever suffered another delay although this time will only have to wait another month. Randy Pitchford, founder of Gearbox, today explained the real reasons for which have not been able to meet the deadline they had planned for their release, a change of date which moves the game's release to June 10.

There is no trap, we thought that date - would be may - when announced it. There is some imprevisiblidad, and we use our experience to predict the time limits. We are not perfect when it comes to say releases, but we are perfect to achieve our goals and to work for them.

I think we could have forced the date of may, but would have introduced risks that would not liked to players who have waited so much and which will finally play Duke Nukem Forever. The continued support of the fans miracles to our moral and guide our quality. It is for the fans that I am confident that this small change in the timetable is good for them.

In the end. I think that a small delay is better in time, to have to rush release deadlines and you find a product poorly optimized and full of bugs. But that should they ask to Treyarch with his Black Ops.

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EA publishes the list of circuits of Shift 2

I don't know if you have noticed that there is less than a week to that Shift 2 goes on sale (March 31). Yes, only has been little more than four months since they launched Hot Pursuit and we have here a new Need for Speed, this time from the hand of Slightly Mad. But, I say, that there will be many people waiting for him, so they will this news: developers have published the full list of circuits which will have the title. In total will be 35 circuits, if we add all their variations we emerging to 82 tracks. It is not bad.

1 Alpental
2 Ambush Canyon
3. Autopolis International Racing Course Lakeside
4. Autopolis International Racing Course GP
5. Brands Hatch Indy
6 Brands Hatch GP
7 Brno Circuit
8. Circuit Dijon-Prenois Short
9 Circuit Dijon - Prenois
10 Circuit Zolder
11 Circuit de Catalunya Club
12 Circuit de Catalunya National
13 Circuit de Catalunya GP
14 Circuit of Spa Francorchamps GP
15 Dakota Club
16 Dakota National
17 Dakota GP
18. Donington Park National
19 Donington GP National
20 Dubai Autodrome Club
21. Dubai Autodrome National
22. Dubai Autodrome International
23 Dubai Autodrome Grand Prix
24. Ebisu Circuit Touge Course Challenge
25. Ebisu Circuit South Course
26. Ebisu Circuit West Course
27 Enna Pergusa
28 Glendale Club
29 Glendale West
30 Glendale East
31 Hazyview Oval
32 Hazyview Eight
33 Hockenheimring Short
34 Hockenheimring National
35 Hockenheimring GP
36 London Club Drive
37 London River
38 London Royal Mile
39. London Embankment Loop
40 London Whitehall Drive
41 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
42. Miami Bayfront Park Loop
43. Miami Bicentennial Park Route
44 Miami Biscayne Boulevard
45. Miami Bayside Run
46 Miyatomi
47 Monza Jr
48 Monza GP
49. Motorsport Arena Oschersleben B Course
50 Motorsport Arena Oschersleben GP
51 Mount Panorama

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The last Mortal Kombat trailer shows the co-op

You have to see what they are currando the NetherRealm Studios team this Mortal Kombat 9. The game is full of options and striking features such as the option of playing with 3D without glasses, the fantastic mode effect

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Number of new images of Red Faction: Armageddon

THQ has revealed 16 new screenshots of what will be the fourth installment in the Red Faction series, two years having passed since the fun third installment, Red Faction: Guerrilla, a third-person action game characterized by the total destructibilidad of the scenarioscome out for sale.Red Faction: Armageddon, which is the final title which will be released, is being developed by Volition Games, and his argument will continue to have as a central axis the human colonies on Mars, whose population has been forced to descend into the depths of the planet to survivedue to the lack of oxygen at the surface.However, once settled in the interior of the planet, another small drawback, and is an insectoid alien race threatens to dismember, dismember, eat and all that so much like make the Martians to all colonists there present, by which the survival by any means is still the main objective of the human, that will be used by all types of firearms, vehicles and even unconventional to defend powers.The title will be released on PS3, 360 and PC on June 3, 2011.

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Release Shift 2 trailer: Unleashed

Electronic Arts has released few days ago the trailer's release of Need for Speed Shift 2: Unleashed to be put on sale on March 31. We have recently discovered the list of circuits of the game as well as its soundtrack.

The trailer is pure adrenaline with sequences at full speed in all types of cars ranging from sports, touring, super GT or classics, combining foreign planes with views of spectacular vehicles.

Next week kicks off Shift 2 us hope that this time the game meets expectations.

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Fight without gloves in first Fight Night Champion DLC

For which you have not had the opportunity of playing the rather than notable Simulator of EA Canada, Fight Night Champion, boxing I commented that the title already exists the possibility to fight without gloves, clean with one blow, but only in a fragment of the way history, just at the beginning, in which our protagonist Andre Bishop is forced to fight against several prisoners of nazi ideology that make life impossible during his stay in prison.As well, the Studio Developer of the game, knowing that this type of combat like the players, has not hesitated to offer through DLC - of payment, that Yes - the option of playing matches of this nature in a way both online as offlineso separate mode history, although not able to choose practically any wrestlers real that comprise the staff of the title for reasons of Copyright. is available in the next weekly Playstation Store update, and its price is 9.99

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[Analysis] Crysis 2

Crysis 2 is one of the titles more expected this 2011. Not in vain, has a part that has amazed to all kinds of audiences and which became a benchmark of graphical power.

We now have in our hands the second part, and the truth is that with a predecessor as well, the level requiring this title not to disappoint was very high, but Crytek has shown that knows how to make sequels and Crysis 2 becomes an essential game.

So you enter in this analysis to discover everything about the new alien invasion.

If we try to assess Crysis 2 with what we saw in its first issue, which is quite different, but no worse, but that is another air. Crytek has wanted to change the atmosphere of Crysis 2 to create something new but we remember his previous delivery. However, we have gone from a jungle to a huge city like New York. But do not be fooled, New York is going to turn into a jungle, but this time of glass.

The alien invasion attacks New York City.

The game is 3 years later than its predecessor. We are in the year 2023, with an almost completely empty New York City after the evacuation of the population because of the alien invasion. Our protagonist, Alcatraz, is a specialized marine receives the order to reach the city to serve as a support in the fight against the infestation.

But by misfortunes of fate, the vehicle that brought the Marines is destroyed by an alien attack. And without knowing very well how, our protagonist manages to survive and meet with Prophet (known from the first delivery). After a few very moviditos moments, we ended up with the Prophet nanotraje. It is then when the life of Alcatraz is a huge turnaround and begins his true story.

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Report: Squad-based 'Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City' detailed in new OXM

As we first heard late last year, Capcom is apparently putting a new twist on the Resident Evil franchise with the help of SOCOM: Confrontation dev Slant Six Games. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, a squad based shooter, is reportedly the cover story of Official Xbox Magazine's May 2011 issue.
The issue, which StickSkills claims to have obtained from an unnamed newsstand (pictured above) that routinely sells issues early, supposedly details a game in which players take on the role of Umbrella Corporation special forces on a mission to clean up Raccoon City following the events of Resident Evil 2.

According to the site, the team will have access to "big guns" and employ a number of tricks to fool and manipulate enemies -- human or otherwise. Trying to kill series hero Leon Kennedy is said to factor into the game, with the possibility of friendly forces being deployed to protect him. Operation Raccoon City is reportedly in development for Xbox 360 and PS3, and is scheduled for release this winter.

When contacted, neither Capcom nor OXM could comment on this report. You can see the full cover image, provided by StickSkills, after the break. The issue is scheduled to hit newsstands, officially, on April 5.



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Rock Band Weekly: DragonForce, 'Days of Peace' pack

We do love contrast. Next week's Rock Band 3 update will include a downloadable "Days of Peace" pack, featuring patchouli-scented tracks from Blood, Sweat & Tears, Jefferson Airplane and Santana.

Next week's update will also bring a version of the infamous Guitar Hero face-melter "Through the Fire and Flames" to RB3. More importantly, and insanely, you'll be able to purchase a Pro Guitar upgrade for that track. That should take care of any lingering notion you had that you could actually play the guitar.

Xbox 360 / Wii / PS3
Available: March 29
Days of Peace Pack 01 (440 Microsoft Points / 550 Wii Points / $5.49)"Somebody to Love" - Jefferson Airplane (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)"Spinning Wheel" - Blood, Sweat & Tears (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)"Black Magic Woman" - Santana (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)

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Gamestop sees 'all-time high' sales of $9.47B for fiscal 2010

GameStop is gonna need a bigger moneybin, as the company reported "all-time high" sales of $9.47 billion for the 2010 fiscal year (ending January 29, 2011), with a record net profit of $408 million. During the fourth quarter, the company also saw a 4.8 percent increase in sales to $3.69 billion, with a 10 percent increase in net earnings to $237.8 million.

During the GameStop investors call, executives stated they would use information on customer purchases extracted from from the PowerUp Rewards program to help determine the 200 locations that will be shut down over the next year due to overlap. It's not all bad news: that same information will be used to open 200 stores "focusing on underserviced markets." GameStop also plans to "pursue opportunistic growth internationally."

The biggest sign that GameStop is doing its best to prepare for the inevitable was the 61 percent increase in "console and PC digital offerings," which brought in $290 million during the year.

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NPD: Guitar Hero 3 is this generation's highest-grossing game

Call of Duty: Black Ops might be the best-selling game by unit sales, but it isn't the US bestseller in terms of gross revenue. According to NPD data going back to 1995, and compiled by CNBC, the honor of the highest-grossing game of "this generation" goes to another Activision game, the Axl Rose-angering Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock. Black Ops is #2.

The list of the NPD's top ten best-selling games by revenue (after the break) includes a second Guitar Hero game, too -- R.I.P. -- along with Rock Band and both Wii Fits, which suggests that the best way to make a lot of revenue is simply to make your game cost more. Although Wii Play and Mario Kart Wii are also on the list, so maybe people just really like finding peripherals inside their game boxes, like cereal box prizes.



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