Details about the 'world driven' Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

Middle Manager of Justice approved for free iOS procuration

How Guardians of Middle-earth innovates on the MOBA gametype

We first saw Guardians of Middle-earth in action back at E3 this year, and it was quite impressive even then: Monolith has taken the PC-centric gameplay of the emerging MOBA (or DotA, or LoL, or even action RTS, whatever you like to call it) genre, and translated it over to a console and a controller. But since that first play at E3, I've gotten a few more chances to play the game at Comic-Con and PAX, and GOME (acronyms!) is even more interesting than just a console clone of the popular League of Legends and the upcoming Dota 2.

Monolith has actually iterated on this complex strategy/action genre in a few different ways. Here's a list of five different things, whether you're a level 30 summoner or a Venomancer newbie, that you'll find new and interesting about Guardians of Middle-earth when it arrives for consoles later on this year.
1. Soldier/minion and Tower Upgrades

Usually in a MOBA game, players can customize their characters in the middle of a match (to counter opponent strategy) by buying items, but in GOME, there's no item store at all. To make sure players can still tweak gameplay when necessary, Monolith has instead allowed players to pick upgrades in-match for soldier minions and turrets. You can choose to have a turret focus on defense or damage, for instance, or change an outgoing soldier wave to consist of siege units (good against enemy structures) or other unit types.

All of these upgrades are per lane, so players with a certain specialty can tweak their defenses to match their gameplay. And as senior producer Ruth Tomandl says, the only real cost is time, that could instead be spent leveling up your character. "You can upgrade anything at any time, once you're at a high enough level," she says. "It's just a time consumption thing -- do I want to upgrade towers or do I want to get XP?"

Both sets of upgrades unlock when players hit level 6, and then it's up to players how they wish to configure those uncontrolled defenses, with new options unlocking as the game goes on.

2. The Tactician Class

In general, heroes in Dota 2 and League of Legends come in three flavors: Attack Power (where basic attacks do the most damage), Ability Power (where special attacks are the main source of damage), and Tanks (where high hit points and armor make survival a priority). There are certainly other types of heroes (some heroes can support with heal spells or buffs), but in general, most heroes fall into these three categories.

Monolith has those classes as well (with setting-specific names), but it also has a new kind of class called the Tactician. Tactician characters are built instead around positioning and strategy: They can create emplacements like mines or turrets, and use big area-of-effect spells to control the movements of other heroes and minions. They can also be very strong against towers, similar to the "Siege" hero type that Blizzard is working on with its Dota variant.

The Tactician class originally rose out of the tower upgrade feature, says Tomandl. Tacticians could initially upgrade towers faster and have more options. "But we eventually found," she says, "that just having a class that was really good at lane pushing was not only useful to us, but was really interesting." Tacticians bring a new type of specialization to MOBA heroes, slightly different from what we've seen before.

3. The Rune Belt

Again, Monolith decided with GOME that it didn't want to create an in-match item store, but then still had to deal with the issue of player progression, and the other solution it's come up with is something called the rune belt. Outside of matches, players can buy and unlock various runes, gems, and relics, and then can place them on a "belt" that slowly unlocks new stats and abilities as characters level up in-match.

For example, one rune could unlock three different parts, that eventually grants a damage-over-time bonus to your basic attack when fully unlocked. At a highly competitive level of play, runes will need to be configured just right, to work both with the characters' weaknesses (you might use runes to protect a less heavily-armored Guardian, for example), and opponents' strategic choices. Multiple rune loadouts can be configured outside of matches, and players can even switch belts before the game begins but after the opponents' heroes have been shown, in order to react to what they expect the match may be like.

There are also default loadouts to play with, for players that don't want to spend the time customizing their characters exactly. But creating the rune belt takes that item customization out of the frantic game itself, and makes for some interesting strategic choices even when not on the battlefield.

4. A Single-Lane Map

League of Legends has had a player-generated sub-gametype bouncing around for a while called ARAM, which stands for all random, all middle, in which all ten players in a match promise to stick to the one middle lane and just battle it out in one big melee rather than strategically using the whole game map (one set of pro players even famously decided to do this during a championship match recently).

And now Monolith has made this gametype official with a single-lane map, where all ten players get one straight, long battleground to face each other down, no extra healing available. "There's no healing pad [at the ends of the lane] and you also get experience over time," says Tomandl. "It's not all random, you can still pick your guys. It's very much about knowing exactly the range of all your stuff and exactly the range of all of your enemies' abilities and being careful about all those ranges."

The single lane map still does have minions coming down the middle and a fortress to defend on either side, and there are a few shrines and extras off of the main lane, with hidden brush areas for players to fight in. But the focus of the map is one big melee, and that's something that players have generated on their own, but many MOBAs haven't officially sanctioned just yet.

5. Shrines

Most MOBA games, starting with Dota, have "creeps," or small NPC characters hidden off of the main lanes that provide extra buffs and rewards to players who take the time to find and kill them. But GOME takes that concept further with "shrines," which are small control points between and outside the lanes that provide extra teamwide buffs (like a few percentage points of health or regen) to anyone who claims them by standing close for a set amount of time.

Not only does the idea of a teamwide buff make friendly sharing easier, but Tomandl says these shrines have lead an unexpected effect. "You get fights at the shrines early on," she says. "Because our three lane map is so much smaller, it's easier for players to switch between lanes, so you end up with more map-wide strategic play earlier in the match. And the shrines really encourage that." Shrines start out invisible to everyone, but when controlled, they open up visibility in between the lanes, so they also serve as vision wards to anyone willing to claim them.

Adding such a dramatic bonus in between lanes means it can get bloody in there fast. There are still creeps and buffs elsewhere on GOME's map, but the shrines (and all of these innovations) add yet another interesting element to an already very deep and rich gametype.

Battlefield: Armored Kill rolls out launch trailer, wide release to take weeks

Description

Built on the cutting-edge Frostbite 2 technology, Battlefield 3 aspires to be DICE's best shooter and biggest launch yet. Expect improved graphics, louder explosions and more smithereens. So many smithereens.

Halo 4 ViDoc makes Chief human, multiplayer map 'Exile' revealed

343 Industries Unveils "Halo 4" Multiplayer Details and "A Hero Awakens" ViDoc at PAX Prime
Dramatic enhancements to classic modes, "Capture the Flag" and "Oddball" and the reveal of "Grifball" debuted alongside new multiplayer map "Exile"; new ViDoc offers a riveting behind-the-scenes look at the making of this year's most anticipated blockbuster

This Saturday, at the "Halo Reborn" panel at PAX Prime, 343 Industries unleashed a volley of exciting news about this year's most anticipated game. 343 announced details on the reimagined "Capture the Flag" and "Oddball" modes, the addition of the community-created "Grifball" mode, a first look at the new multiplayer map "Exile," and the premiere of an epic 10-minute featurette on the making of "Halo 4," entitled "A Hero Awakens."

Additionally, 343 debuted the first look at a brand-new multiplayer map in "Halo 4" called "Exile":

EXILE - Miraculously, the survivors of the UNSC Diadochi's violent crash managed to not only recover provisions from the vessel's debris field, but also use it as a makeshift shelter for several years. When rescue and recovery teams finally arrived, they were surprised to discover a healthy, burgeoning community thriving within the ship's remains. Now this wreckage serves as a battleground in War Games. 'Exile' is an earthy, circular canyon bed interconnected by a network of caves and favoring fast-paced vehicle combat, while still offering frantic, on-foot action.
A video of the panel featuring commentary from 343 and gameplay footage of "Exile" and the newly reimagined modes will be available, starting Wednesday, September 5, on Halo Waypoint.

Fueling the excitement, 343 Industries premiered "A Hero Awakens" ' a new behind-the-scenes featurette on the making of "Halo 4". Featuring never-before-seen development footage, the 10-minute ViDoc provides a captivating look at the creative process for the most anticipated game of the year. The video also offers a sneak peek at how "Halo 4's" voice and cinematic performance capture actors bring the series' iconic heroes to life through emotionally riveting performances, showcasing how the development of Halo 4 rivals the production of a blockbuster Hollywood movie. Check out the ViDoc on Halo Waypoint at: http://halo.xbox.com/en-US/Universe/detail/making-halo-4-a-hero-awakens/7137a262 -1f53-4480-bfc6-96bbb236df18

Launching worldwide exclusively on Xbox 360 Nov.6, 2012, "Halo 4" is the next blockbuster installment of the iconic franchise that has shaped entertainment history and defined a generation of gamers. Developed by 343 Industries, "Halo 4" continues the story of the series' iconic hero the Master Chief as he returns to confront his destiny and face an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe. "Halo 4" takes the series in a bold new direction by delivering its most epic and explorative campaign yet, alongside an emotionally resonant story and a groundbreaking multiplayer offering unlike anything before it ' setting the stage for an epic new sci-fi saga.

The standard edition of "Halo 4" will be available for $59.99 (U.S. ERP), and the Limited Edition, which includes an extended 90-minute version of the live-action digital series "Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn" and additional bonus content, will be available for $99.99 (U.S. ERP). Fans can also pick up the Xbox 360 Limited Edition "Halo 4" Console Bundle for $399.99 (U.S. ERP) and a standalone Xbox 360 Limited Edition "Halo 4" Wireless Controller for $59.99 (U.S. EPR).

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Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 dead, new IP born

It turns out Gearbox had a very good reason for letting the Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 trademark lapse: the name is dead. Development on the game continues, but Gearbox announced during a PAX panel that Furious 4 has become so different from the Brothers in Arms franchise that it has become a new IP entirely, Kotaku reports. Apparently that's what Randy Pitchford meant back in July, when he noted that the game had "evolved."

Further information about the game, including minor details like a name and release window, will have to wait for another announcement from Gearbox.

NiGHTS into Dreams, Sonic Adventure 2 HD receive October release window

Sega's "Heritage Collection," the fancy name for the HD-ification of classics NiGHTS: into Dreams, Jet Set Radio and Sonic Adventure 2, recently released a trailer with more specific launch windows. NiGHTS: into Dreams and Sonic Adventure 2 are now set for this October.

Jet Set Radio already has a PlayStation Plus launch of September 11, with the PS plebs receiving it September 18 for $9.99. The XBLA and Steam version will be available for September 19, with the Vita version rolling in October 16.

James Bond meets Virtua Cop: The development of Rare's GoldenEye 007

During GDC Europe 2012, former Rare developer Martin Hollis recounted his experience directing GoldenEye 007, one of the most fondly remembered games of its time and a landmark title in the history of console first-person shooters. Hollis had only worked on one game for Rare at the time, the arcade version of Killer Instinct. When the opportunity arose to pursue a James Bond game in early 1995, Hollis jumped at the chance; as the video above demonstrates, he was a pretty big fan.

The rest is gaming history. Hollis went over far too much for us to condense into a single piece (in fact, we've already written two others), but we've compiled some of the highlights after the break. Read on to discover how one of GoldenEye's primary influences was actually Sega's Virtua Cop. In the gallery below, you'll find images of some of GoldenEye's original design documents and some behind the scenes stories from the original team. History
The genesis of GoldenEye goes back to the days after Rare had wrapped up development of Donkey Kong Country and the arcade version of Killer Instinct in late 1994/early 1995. The studio was approached to do a Super Nintendo game based on the new James Bond film, which Hollis says didn't have a title at the time. Tim Stamper, then head of Rare and the head of the Donkey Kong Country team, actually passed on the project. "I heard about this as a rumor, and I said to Tim Stamper, 'This sounds cool, I'd like to make this game,'" said Hollis, "and he said 'okay.' And that was pretty much my pitch."

"I don't really know, and I can't really explain why they trusted me after simply being second programmer on Killer Instinct, but I'm delighted and honored that they did." Before long, Hollis began putting together a team and the project got underway. "In the beginning, we were probably working ten hours a day, but by the end, far in excess of that." GoldenEye would be built on the Silicon Graphics Onyx ' a $150,000 computer roughly the size of a small refrigerator. At the time, it was the closest approximation to the performance of Nintendo's upcoming "Ultra 64," which would eventually become Nintendo 64. "You can see, it's a very large box ' it wouldn't fit under every desk ' and it emitted huge amounts of heat, [had] four graphics cards and it was not that reliable."

Planning began in 1995, and the team was allowed to use "an astonishing amount" of official Bond material and even visit the film's sets. Regarding the actual gameplay, Hollis pictured something between Sega's Virtua Cop and id Software's seminal FPS Doom. "I'd also been playing a lot of Time Crisis together with [programmer Mark Edmonds], and I could see the value of having a gun in your hand, but there was no gun planned for the N64." In fact, the N64 controller hadn't been finalized yet, and the GoldenEye team had "no idea what the control would be like at all." At the time, it was rumored that the control would feature an analog stick, and Hollis wondered if that would work for a shooter.

In an original design document, GoldenEye was compared more directly to Virtua Cop. GoldenEye would have more types of characters and a wider variety of actions. As the controller was still being finalized, several control options were considered, including an on-rails approach, again akin to Virtua Cop. Hollis wanted to create "more intelligent characters" than Sega's light-gun shooter. Ideally these characters would react appropriately to a given situation, doing things like sounding alarms, taking orders or even running away. Further, the game would have a greater degree of interactivity, like bullet holes being left in walls. "Pretty much all you have is the gun, and the more the gun can do, and reach out to the environment, and feed back to you that stuff has happened, the better."

The design document also included a list of levels, weapons, features, characters and visual effects Hollis hoped to include in the game. "Looking back, this is very naive, this list, because it's so ambitious." He cited the sniper rifle with a functional site as an example of that ambition, noting that development was never supposed to take nearly three years. "You can already see the degree of ambition within me and also within the team in this document." Hollis dedicated an entire page to visual effects (muzzle flashes, smoke, day and night cycles, etc). "Again, really quite ambitious for what was supposed to be a short project."

Another sign of the team's ambition is the multiplayer mode, which initially wasn't even planned. Before March or April of 1997, it didn't even exist, said Hollis. It was coded in a month, and added to GoldenEye "without the knowledge or permission of the management at Rare and Nintendo." Hollis went on to note that multiplayer wasn't the only feature that was "snuck in," a fact he owed to the trust bestowed upon the team by Rare and Nintendo.

"I'm sure there were six month stretches where no member of Rare or Nintendo management came into the team offices," he said, "which is really quite extraordinary, and all credit to them that they felt able to take that much of a lean-back approach and place that much trust in a team." The fact is even more extraordinary given that no one on the team, with the exception of Hollis and artist Adrian Smith, had actually shipped a game before.

Humor
Hollis devoted part of his presentation to the humor in GoldenEye, which he believes isn't discussed enough. "Any first-person shooter, and almost any game, is a series of hills and valleys of tension," said Hollis. Action is part of "ramping up the tension," while humor can help to relieve it. "Humor's incredibly important for that," he said, noting that it helps give a level "emotional structure." One example of humor ' something the team didn't actually plan ' was how GoldenEye deals with the physics of explosions. Thanks to the way the game was coded, enemies stand their ground "slightly too long," after being struck by an explosion, which Hollis noted is really quite humorous to watch. "By rights, I should have been sick of the game by the end of two and two-thirds years, but I derive a great deal of satisfaction from just lobbing around a few mines, blowing up people, watching them cascading around."

And, of course, there's GoldenEye's fairly silly melee animation. "Nobody ever said ' on the team ' no one ever said, 'This is ridiculous,'" said Hollis. "It's absolutely hilarious and I love it but, again, you could make an argument that it should be different ' more realistic, much more sober ' [but] I think you'd be taking out a lot of the character of the game." Anyone who has ever played a multiplayer match of "slappers only" would probably agree.

A Last Minute Fix
One of the most interesting development stories shared by Hollis came from programmer Mark Edmonds. After the game was finished and sent to Nintendo's Lot Check ' an arduous testing process ' the final version came back with a problem. A particular level ("probably Frigate"), when played in a certain way, would result in characters appearing with "terrible texture maps on them because there wasn't enough memory."

The same day, Hollis wrote a tool to extract the offending code, adjusted the memory numbers, reinserted the adjusted code into the ROM image "without recompiling anything, and sent it to Nintendo." The fix worked, and the untested code became the final version approved by Nintendo.

Auteur or No-teur
Hollis closed by returning to a question posed at the beginning of his talk: Should a game be considered the work of one "author" or the work of a team of people?

"In my opinion, it's really quite toxic to go into making a game with the idea that one person is going to be giving all the orders and telling everybody what to do. I think that's absolutely the worst way to go about making a game." Giving people the freedom to implement their own ideas, and "simply contribute whatever it was that they wanted" was very important.

"When you work with incredibly intelligent people, they reward your trust in them, and the most rewarding thing for them is their autonomy," said Hollis. "So really, my take home for this talk is: The less you can be a boss, the less you can be telling everybody what to do, the better the likely results." A project can have "an element of personal authorship" in its early stages, "before the team is really a team at all," he said. Once a team is set, however, collaboration is imperative. "If you're trying to steer a team around, and they're great people, they're going to resist you, and it's going to have an emotional cost on both sides."

"So really, I think the best thing is just a couple of drops of yourself in a project, and after that, everybody collaborating."

Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes is not 'Project Ogre'

Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is Maddening

Madden NFL 13 launched earlier this week, and hit some fairly impressive sales numbers. By all means, the game is a hit, but not every sports gamer is happy. In fact, one glance at EA Sports' official Facebook page for the game shows a wealth of players upset at a number of missing ingredients in this year's game.

To be honest, our review of the game might seem optimistic to some, and pessimistic to others. It also doesn't cover every aspect of every feature, good or bad. The sometimes-faulty yet fun Kinect pre-play commands were an insignificant part of my experience, as were some of the game's "missing" elements. Lacking the ability to pull draft classes from the NCAA Football series or perform fantasy drafts offline with friends in the landmark Connected Careers mode was never important to my experience with the game. It's also a deal-breaker for other players.

If anything, this speaks to the amount of personal preference every player brings to their experiences with sports games. It felt like a sizable reset button had been pushed for this year's Madden game, and while some of the bigger additions paint a mural of hope for the future of the series, it also left some devoted players in the dust. The unfortunate side effect of this is the Internet arguments that sprout from each player's differing experience, of course. Regardless of which camp you find yourself in, I encourage you to check out last week's webcomics, vote for your favorite after the break, and then settle it on the virtual field. It should cheer you up!

Hitman: Absolution (Dave the Direman)
Fine Print (Fanboys)
If College Were More Like Videogames (Loldwell)
Professor Layton and the Mystery of the Dead Hobo (Dorkly)
Fiendish Feedback (Hejibits)
Word Puzzle (Brawl in the Family)
Great Expectations (Virtual Shackles)

Tour Mojang's pop-up museum: view the beautiful lawsuit docs for Scrolls, the insides of a Creeper

Mojang's more than just the studio that birthed Minecraft ' it's also the studio that birthed the amazing fan art you see above. Beyond said art, Mojang erected a faux museum in honor of its short life on the PAX Prime 2012 show floor.

In it, we witnessed the actual legal documents served to Mojang head Marcus "Notch" Persson over Scrolls, the inner workings of a Creeper (it's heart is dynamite!), and a very impressive set of Legos. Take the tour with us in the gallery below.

Runic's post-Torchlight 2 plans: Mac port, patches, and a trip to the mountains

Runic's CEO Max Schaefer seems both simultaneously relieved and nervous as he sits in the Torchlight 2 booth at PAX Prime 2012. Relieved, because his company finally announced a release date for its long-awaited game, and slightly nervous, because he knows the community's judgment is finally coming. But even launch won't bring a real break for Runic: Schaefer says the company has a clear plan laid out for post-release work.

A Mac port and language translations are first on the list, says Schaefer ' both of those are real priorities for the team. Runic's also working on patching the game (if necessary), and getting the content editor up and running so both users and devs can make some mods and add-ons for the game. After that, says Schaefer, he's not sure. "We'll go up into the mountains or something and figure out what to do next."

Schaefer says that both a console port of Torchlight 2 and "an MMO" aren't out of the question, but there are problems with both of those ideas. "We will not be making a traditional MMO under any circumstances," he says, so a possible Torchlight MMO could look very different from what players might imagine ' a pretty different stance from what we've heard in the past from Runic Games.

And while the studio had plenty of success with an Xbox Live port of its first Torchlight game (and Microsoft showed interest in a port of the second game), Schaefer says "it's a lot harder this time," given the way the game is built, to put together an Xbox port. All of that is a long way off, however ' Schaefer's more concerned about getting this game released first.

Another used games retailer in Florida is selling their business on eBay

Remember a couple weeks ago, when Shane Butcher tried to sell his entire material life on eBay, including the chain of games resale shops he owns? Well, it turns out no one took him up on his $3.5 million "American dream," but that hasn't stopped the owner of a competing chain of Florida resale shops from deciding to do the same thing.

Rather than selling an entire life's worth of cars and property along with the stores, "Buddy and Dave" will only be selling the three existing Gamers HQ locations in Belleview, Inverness and Gainesville, Florida for a cool $2.6 million. All three locations are profitable and have been since day one, according to the eBay listing.

Both Buddy and Dave will stay on as consultants for three months after purchase, with an option to help open a fourth location that is already in the planning stages. Additionally, 10 percent of the listing's final sale price will be donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "This business succeeds thanks to children and giving back to them will be our first step if sold," reads the listing.

The chain of stores reportedly makes over $400,000 a year and prospective new owners can expect to earn a monthly take-home income of around $4,000, but if you can afford to spend $2.6 million on something, you're probably earning more than 50 grand a year anyway.

VVVVVV creator's 'Super Hexagon' spins off on iOS next week

Primal Carnage pre-order lets you play as a fine feathered raptor

THE HUNT IS ON AS PRIMAL CARNAGE IS AVAILABLE NOW FOR PREORDER

Buy Now to Gain Access to the Primal Carnage Beta and Exclusive Raptor Skin: Click HERE

Twain Harte, CA ' August 31, 2012 ' Lukewarm Media and Reverb Publishing's upcoming dinos-vs.-humans deathmatch, Primal Carnage, is available now for preorder at the official website (http://www.primalcarnage.com/website/preorder). For $14.99, gamers will get a Steam key that will grant them early access to Primal Carnage in the closed beta, as well as an exclusive feathered raptor skin when the game launches later this year. Get in early and experience class-based online combat unlike anything else on the market and the best dinosaur game to date.

Not since 1993's Jurassic Park has the terror of a dinosaur onslaught felt so real and thrilling. With Primal Carnage, players hunt AND are hunted, and must choose between defending themselves against a slew of deadly prehistoric creatures with an arsenal of today's weapons, or decimating humans into piles of sinew as vicious carnivores of all sizes and variety. With five unique human classes and five unique dinosaurs, Primal Carnage is a dynamic, enthralling experience. Rendered in high-fidelity using the Unreal Engine, this is one of the greatest looking digital games to date.

Features of Primal Carnage include:

Five large, open environments in which to team up and take down the human or dinosaur competition online
10 playable classes (five human, five dinosaur) each with unique skills and abilities that can trump each other in a rock-paper-scissors fashion
Play from both first-person (humans) and third-person (dinosaurs) perspective
Multiple achievements, unlockables and planned DLC
Primal Carnage is a part of Reverb Publishing's growing roster of titles, which includes the massively-successful Dungeon Defenders, the recently-released Jeremy McGrath's Offroad and JAM Live Music Arcade, as well as the upcoming Sanctum 2, Ravaged, Beatbuddy, Black Knight Sword, Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken and much more. For more information on Reverb Publishing and its line-up of titles, please visit us at www.reverbpublishing.com. For more information about Lukewarm Media and Primal Carnage, please visit www.primalcarna ge.com and be sure to "Like" us at www.facebook.com/primalcarnage.

Borderlands 2's exposition trailer

Description

Coming to the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC during Take-Two's fiscal year 2013 beginning on April 1, 2012, Borderlands 2 is the sequel to the four-player Role-Playing Shooter loot fest.

The Super TIME Force cartoon is our favorite manufactured childhood memory

Aliens: Colonial Marines' Escape mode looks painful if you're a human

Description

Developed by Brothers-in-Arms creator, Gearbox Software, Aliens: Colonial Marines is a squad-based first-person shooter which recaptures the tension, horror and combat of the movies that created the sci-fi action horror genre. In the game, players battle Aliens using a variety of awesome weapons including pulse-rifles and flamethrowers, plus brand-new equipment and skills. Aliens: Colonial Marines will retain the atmospheric look and feel of the original films while leveraging next-generation technology to create an entirely new interactive Aliens experience. Claustrophobic environments, a brooding soundtrack, and a multitude of surprises and shocks will take the tension and action to unparalleled levels. Game modes include a single-player campaign plus four-person multiplayer player co-op.

Aliens: Colonial Marines adds 'Escape Mode' to multiplayer

SEGA AND GEARBOX ANnounce NEW multiplayer mode for Aliens: Colonial Marines

Escape Mode to Debut at PAX Prime 2012 in Seattle

SAN FRANCISCO (August 30, 2012) - SEGA® of America, Inc. and Gearbox Software today announced Escape mode, a new competitive multiplayer mode, for its highly anticipated blockbuster Aliens: Colonial Marines' video game, launching February 12, 2013 worldwide. With a competitive death match game mode already revealed earlier in the year, Escape mode is the second in a number of competitive multiplayer modes for Aliens: Colonial Marines and will challenge players in an intense scenario against the universe's deadliest killers, the Xenomorph. Escape mode will debut at PAX Prime 2012, August 31 ' September 2, in Seattle. SEGA's booth covers numbers 242 and 252 on the show floor.

An exhilarating experience for fans of the ALIENS universe, Escape mode puts the four-person US Colonial Marines team on the offensive against a four-player Xenomorph team. The Colonial Marines must blast their way through the fast-paced map in order to escape the attacking Xenomorphs, who in return will try to eliminate their prey as quickly as possible. Under the pressure and limited in time, players will have to work together as a team, utilizing each faction's unique skills, and identifying their opponents' weak spots to either reach the safety of the escape point or to eliminate their targets.

In addition to a host of stations with the brand new Escape mode playable at SEGA's PAX booth (number 242 and 252), fans can experience the threat of the aliens firsthand and climb inside SEGA's custom-made 16 foot powerloader statue with an attacking Xenomorph on it and have their picture taken. Players up for the challenge can also compete in daily Team Deathmatch competitions against the team from Gearbox Software for the chance to win Aliens: Colonial Marines prize packs. Competitions will be held at Alienware's PAX booth, number 3636. See http://www.alienwarearena.com/news/768/alienware-pax-prime-2012 for details.

In partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and developed by critically acclaimed studio Gearbox Software, Aliens: Colonial Marines will bring new levels of bone-chilling suspense and adrenaline-filled action to the renowned franchise. As the authentic addition to the ALIENS franchise canon, the game's stunning visuals and adrenaline pumping action will deliver a breathtakingly immersive four-player drop-in drop-out cooperative campaign and expansive competitive multiplayer mode. Providing for an innovative asymmetrical competitive multiplayer experience, Aliens: Colonial Marines lets players fight in first person as the ultimate badasses ' the United States Colonial Marines, or in third person as the universe's deadliest killers ' the Xenomorphs. Plunging into familiar and new environments from the iconic film franchise, players will have to fight the fear and face the true horrors of the ALIENS universe.

Aliens: Colonial Marines will be available in stores across the globe on February 12, 2013 on PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC. A release date for the announced Wii U' version will be revealed at a later time.

Marvel vs Capcom Origins hits September 25/26 on PSN/XBLM

We're pleased to confirm that the previously announced MARVEL® VS. CAPCOM® ORIGINS will be available to download in North America on PlayStation Network on September 25th for $14.99 and on Xbox LIVE Arcade on September 26th for 1200 Microsoft Points.
MARVEL VS. CAPCOM ORIGINS is a compilation of two of the most popular arcade games of the '90s - Marvel Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes. These two classic games are kept arcade-perfect, while adding a host of features sure to tap into arcade nostalgia while meeting today's online needs. MARVEL VS. CAPCOM ORIGINS is jam-packed with Marvel and Capcom fan-favorite characters and crazy, beloved gameplay that throws a powerful punch.

MARVEL VS. CAPCOM ORIGINS offers both the one-on-one gameplay of Marvel Super Heroes with its unique Infinity Gem system and the two-on-two carnage of the original Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, featuring a tag system, assists, and the wild Duo Team Attack. Bringing forth a host of features never before seen in these games, MARVEL VS. CAPCOM ORIGINS adds GGPO-enhanced online play with 8-player lobbies and spectator mode, HD graphical upgrades, dynamic challenges and replay saving.

You've gotta catch 'em all in Zynga's Montopia

Zynga has now launched its "monster battle RPG," Montopia, in the Canadian iTunes store. The app is also available in English via Google Play, though apparently it's still not available to US Android users. Given the game's arrival in Canada, it probably won't be too long before it hits the rest of North America as well. The game originally launched in Japan this past February.

Montopia casts players in the role of a "monster trainer" as they venture through the countryside, collect monsters (over 400 of them) from treasure chests and send them into battle. Monsters each have an elemental affinity ' fire, water, wood ' and can be fused together to increase their stats and also to breed new monsters. As Games.com notes, both health points and energy are used to "limit a single gameplay session," in traditional Zynga style. In-game cash is also available for purchase with real cash.

Maybe it's getting redundant to say this about Zynga games, but we'd be remiss in our duties if we didn't mention that Montopia looks just a little familiar. Check out a trailer from the game's Japanese release above.

Unreal Engine 3 now on Windows 8 and Windows RT

UNREAL ENGINE 3 DEBUTS ON WINDOWS 8
BERLIN (August 29, 2012) ' Epic Games, Inc., in collaboration with NVIDIA, today presented the first public demonstration of Unreal Engine 3 (UE3) running on Windows 8 and Windows RT during Asus' press conference at the IFA 2012 electronics trade show in Berlin.

A live, real-time demonstration of Epic's "Epic Citadel" app, which has been released for iOS and Flash, was shown on the Asus Vivo Tab RT, the device formerly known as Tablet 600.

"The Unreal Engine 3-powered 'Epic Citadel' demonstration for Windows RT tablets implements our full DirectX 9 pipeline, with shaders and materials, all running beautifully on Tegra 3," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. "By porting the full engine as opposed to a modified mobile version, NVIDIA and Epic have made it easy for UE3 developers around the world to bring their best content to Windows RT, Windows 8, and NVIDIA's Tegra 3 processor. Windows RT code is available to licensees from Epic now and we're excited to see the great games they develop with it."

Read more at NVIDIA's blog, http://blogs.nvidia.com/?p=14245.

Epic also announced that Unreal Engine 3 licensees may access Windows RT code at the Unreal Developer Network (UDN).

In other Unreal Engine-related event news, Epic's senior technical artist and level designer, Alan Willard, will showcase the Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) "Elemental" real-time demonstration this Saturday, September 1, at NVIDIA's PAX Prime booth (#3747) from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. PDT.

###
About Unreal Engine
Developed by Epic Games, the award-winning Unreal Engine is known for its cutting-edge graphics, best-of-breed toolset and scalability across major platforms. Operating on nine platforms, including PC, consoles and mobile devices, Unreal Engine 3 is designed to accelerate developers' productivity for creating high-quality games, applications, training simulations, 3D visualizations, digital films and animated entertainment. Powering hundreds of games and integrated with two dozen leading middleware technologies, Unreal Engine 3 holds more than 20 technology awards, including seven Game Developer Front Line Awards and five Develop Industry Excellence Awards. The Unreal Engine also holds a seat in the Front Line Awards Hall of Fame. Epic recently revealed Unreal Engine 4, which offers unprecedented graphical capabilities and workflow improvements that provide unparalleled accessibility for developers building the next generation of games and applications. For additional information, please visit http://www.unrealengine.com.

About Epic Games
Established in 1991, Epic Games, Inc. develops cutting-edge games and cross-platform game engine technology. The company is responsible for the bestselling "Unreal" series of games, the blockbuster "Gears of War" franchise and the groundbreaking "Infinity Blade" line of mobile games. Epic's award-winning Unreal Engine technology has won dozens of awards and is available for licensing. Epic is continually recruiting top talent for its studios located in North Carolina, Utah, Maryland, Poland, Korea and Japan. Additional information about Epic can be obtained at http://www.epicgames.com.

Epic, Epic Games, Gears of War, Infinity Blade, Unreal, Unreal Developer Network, UDN, Unreal Engine, UE3, UE4 and Unreal Tournament are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere. All rights reserved.

Bastion heading to iPad as New Zealand App Store listing outs the port

Description

In Bastion, players to take control of the Kid, a young survivor who wakes to a world that has crumbled around him, and has no one to help him but an old man who believes he holds the key to bringing things back to the way they were. In addition to pitting players against a host of savage creatures using a variety of unconventional weapons, Bastion features stunning high-resolution artwork, a deep original story, and an innovative reactive narration system that responds to players' actions throughout the adventure.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy HD coming to iOS this fall

Originally announced back in January during Capcom's 10-year anniversary celebration for the series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy HD will bring upscaled remasters of the original three DS games to iOS 5.0 devices sometime this fall.

While the trilogy app itself will be free to download, the games themselves (Ace Attorney, Justice for All and Trials and Tribulations) must be purchased, either separately or as a bundle, with the first two chapters of Ace Attorney serving as a demo. At the moment, no pricing information has been given, either for the games' individual costs or their bundle total.

The port also includes "Everybody Object" mode, which allows the user to email or tweet animated gifs and sound files of Phoenix Wright catch phrases, which we're sure will not be abused or instantly run into the ground by every single person we know.

Capcom has ruled that court is back in session with the announcement of Phoenix Wright': Ace Attorney' Trilogy HD for iOS devices. Re-created in beautiful HD, this compilation features the first three games in the popular Ace Attorney series: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice for All, and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations.

The games follow the unforgettable career of eccentric defense attorney Phoenix Wright as he must prove his seemingly guilty client's innocence, no matter how dire the circumstances. Each of the three games include all gameplay content originally enjoyed in the Nintendo DS versions with re-mastered HD graphics as well as responsive on-screen controls fine-tuned for the iOS platform allowing for easy navigation using simple swipe commands.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy HD will also come with the "Everyone Object" mode (at no additional cost) to help players communicate their displeasure of everyday situations with the help of popular Ace Attorney characters and sayings. With a simple touch of a button, the phrases, "Objection!", "Hold it!", and "Take that!" can be emailed to friends or tweeted along with an animated image.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy HD will be available for download for free this autumn on iOS devices (iOS 5.0 is required to run the application), with each full game in the trilogy available for purchase individually or as a bundle. The first two chapters of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney will be available as a free demo.

Here, watch this hour of XCOM gameplay

Description

Released in 1993, the original X-COM is widely regarded as one of the best games ever made and has now been re-imagined by the strategy experts at Firaxis Games. X-COM: Enemy Unknown will expand on that legacy with an entirely new invasion story, enemies and technologies to fight aliens and defend Earth. Players will control the fate of the human race through researching alien technologies, creating and managing a fully operational base, planning combat missions and controlling soldier movement in battle.

Take a look at the Journey: Collector's Edition mini-games

Description

The pioneers that brought you the award-winning PlayStation Network titles flOw and Flower are back with another title that challenges traditional gaming conventions. With Journey, thatgamecompany (TGC) continues its tradition of delivering simple gameplay and accessible controls in a rich interactive environment that invites players to explore and experience emotional chords that are still uncommon in video games. An exotic adventure with a more serious tone, Journey presents TGC's unique vision of an online adventure experience. Awakening in an unknown world, the player walks, glides, and flies through a vast and awe-inspiring landscape, while discovering the history of an ancient, mysterious civilization along the way. Journey's innovative approach to online play encourages players to explore this environment with strangers who cross their path from time to time. By traveling together, they can re-shape the experience, creating authentic moments they will remember and discuss with others.

Take a walk through Assassin's Creed 3's naval battles with creative lead Alex Hutchinson

Description

The American Colonies, 1775. A brave young warrior fights to save his homeland. But what begins as a struggle over territory turns into an extraordinary journey that will transform him into a Master Assassin'and will forever change the destiny of a nation. You are Connor, warrior son of a Native American mother and British father. As the colonies draw closer to revolution, you will dedicate your life to the freedom of your clan 'becoming the spark that ignites the revolution into full blaze. Your crusade will take you through blood-soaked battlefields to crowded city streets, to perilous wilderness and beyond. You will not only witness history'you will make it. Set against the backdrop of one of the bloodiest Revolutions in world history, prepare to be drawn back into the centuries old battle between the Assassin's Order and their sworn enemy, the Templars. Unleash lethal new skills and experience a stunningly realistic world created by Anvil Next, a new engine that redefines gaming. Welcome to an entirely new chapter in the Assassin's Creed saga.

SpyParty's graphics leap from 1998 to 2012 in one gallery

Description

SpyParty is a spy game about human behavior, performance, perception, and deception. While most espionage games have you spend your time shooting stuff, blowing stuff up, and driving fast, SpyParty has you hide in plain sight, deceive your opponent, and detect subtle behavioral tells to achieve your objectives. Unlike the suave and confident spies you might find in films or books, most spies in spy games are more like super powered commandos, more Rambo than James Bond. By contrast, SpyParty is a new and quite different game about the more interesting and deeper aspects of being a spy.

Capcom and Six Flags teaming up for a spooktacular Halloween

Description

Resident Evil 6 features three distinct, yet interwoven story threads, each with their own pair of protagonists for either solo or co-op play, both offline and online. Leon S. Kennedy is paired with US government agent Helena Harper, while Chris Redfield teams up with fellow BSAA member Piers Nivans. Finally, gun for hire and son of the infamous Albert Wesker, Jake Muller, is joined by Sherry Birkin, the daughter of former key Umbrella scientists, William and Annette. All six must face a new horror - the highly virulent C-virus that has been unleashed on an unsuspecting and unprepared world, creating new and deadly transformations.

SpyParty redesign: The new art of espionage

Last year, animator John Cimino turned down a cushy position at Zynga, pre-IPO, to work out of Chris Hecker's garage redesigning Hecker's ambitious, notorious indie game SpyParty. Cimino worked in secret since September 2011 to transform the primary colors and block-based skeletons of SpyParty's characters into the artistic, realistic designs revealed today.

Hecker calls the new style "illustrative," and he's extremely pleased with it.

"We spent a ton of time trying to figure out the best possible art style for the game," Hecker tells Joystiq. "We really wanted the art style to reflect the same level of subtlety that the gameplay has. I didn't want it to be too realistic or too exaggerated, and I think we hit it on this really nice, call it naturalistic or illustrative ' they look like illustrations. I'm super excited."

It will still be "a while" before the new models are let loose in the game, but when they debut it will be with a new batch of names, rather than disrespecting the current characters by transferring their names over. A lot of people in the beta have grown fond of the current, placeholder characters, so much so that Hecker expects a fair amount of internet backlash when the switch occurs.

"I realized that transferring the old names would be bad, since I want to show respect for them, so I'm going to retire their jerseys, so to speak, and choose all new names," Hecker says.

Hecker expects SpyParty will have a cast of 20-30 characters, and he and Cimino still have to figure out the aesthetic of each environment, build a new animation system, and keep the ongoing beta up and running. For a two-man team, this is a tall order.

"Although we doubled the team size, it's still only two people," as Hecker puts it.

SpyParty's new look is "timeless," drawing inspiration from the ambiguous settings and technologies of Archer and The Incredibles. Characters will simultaneously check pocket watches and cell phones, spanning time periods and always remaining relevant.

In a game based on subtlety and the tiniest details, these bold new designs will impact gameplay, of course.

"Gameplay is by far the top priority. If for whatever mystical reason I can't change the art at all without totally fucking up the gameplay, I will ship the current art," Hecker says. "I do not think that will be necessary though. I think that we can make a beautiful game both design-wise and visually."

The new characters are more visually noisy, and at the same time more distinctive, meaning Hecker and Cimino will have to spend a lot of time tuning saturation levels and finding the perfect balance between physical appeal and play.

SpyParty and its cast of new designs will make an appearance at PAX, starting August 31. Hecker has 7-foot-high banners of each new character to place somewhere ' somehow ' within his 10-by-10 booth.

"I put them up in my living room and you just couldn't move," he says. "But they're really cool looking."

After seeing just the 7-inch-high models, we have to agree.

Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is woof woof woof

As I write the Wrapup this week, a black and white Havanese dog sits on my lap. His name is Charlie, and for the first time in years, I'm responsible for a dog for a weekend. At first, taking Charlie in swept me out of my comfort zone, but since he's a dog I'm already acquainted with, we're best buds now.

That sense of friendship between people and pets is a special one, but what about its translation in the land of video games? Pets like Angelo from Final Fantasy VIII and King from EarthBound have fought beside their owners. Some take on even more skills, such as the player's dog in Fable 2. Other pets laugh at your misfortunes, as infamously seen in Duck Hunt. Even an unreleased game like The Last Guardian, which is centered around the friendship between a boy and a gigantic creature, has players already worried about the creature's fate.

Pets and players have an interesting and varying bond, but a bond nonetheless. If you have one, cuddle up with your pet while checking out last week's webcomics, and then vote for your favorite after the break!

Touchdown (Dave the Direman)
Print is dead long live print (Fanboys Online)
Retreated Rarity (Hejibits)
Lost Opportunity (Nerf Now!!)
Warped (Awkward Zombie)
Thief 3 Dilemma (Dorkly)
Civilization (Blow the Cartridge)
Shaken, Not Stirred (Life in Aggro)

Madden 13 getting Ultimate Team 'key packs,' complete player ratings revealed

Description

Madden NFL 13 is all-new from boot up to credits. Every mode, every screen, every pixel has been reinvented delivering the most innovative, connected, and authentic Madden NFL experience in franchise history.

The World Ends with You 'Solo Remix' on iPhone and iPad tomorrow

Doubts over DMC's Dante dissipating, Capcom says

When Capcom first ripped the lid off the Devil May Cry series reboot, dubbed DmC: Devil May Cry, fans were angry with developer Ninja Theory's direction ' specifically, Dante's new look and surroundings. Capcom US Producer Alex Jones understands this initial concern, but believes outrage is dissipating.

"There was always going to be people who saw new Dante and who didn't want it, and that's fine. Being angry about it ' yeah I get that ' but we always said, 'When you see the game and you play it, trust me, you're going to understand that we were doing the right thing.' Now that's happening," Jones tells VG24/7. "So yeah it's vindication, but it's not like smugly sitting back and going 'ha ha.' It's more like, 'We understand why you guys had doubts, and we knew that we had to prove this to you, and we were happy to do it.' That was our responsibility."

Despite Dante's new look, Jones says there's a lot to the character that will be familiar to fans of the series ' and not just his twin pistols and sword. "He's still irreverent, he's still ' at the end of the day ' the guy who will kick your ass and drop a cool one liner afterwards."

The interview delves into story and other philosophies behind Ninja Theory's reboot, so hit up the source link below to read the full interview.

Netflix adds people search to Xbox 360 app

Netflix recently announced that its people search feature has landed on Xbox 360. The searching method, which is already included in the PS3 Netflix app, includes actors and directors among its search results. It's especially useful if you like having Julia Roberts movie marathons (and really, who doesn't?). People search also works with Kinect, but good luck getting the system to understand "M. Night Shyamalan."

Also, we discovered that "Tommy Wiseau" does not turn up any results using people search. You're tearing him apart, Netflix.

Street Fighter X Tekken Minimates coming this fall

Excellent news for that one guy making a Street Fighter X Tekken stop-motion animation film based on the one fanfic he wrote, as well as regular people with cubicles that need decorating: Namco Bandai will be releasing two new series of SFxT Minimates figures, with the first wave arriving in November.

Regardless of which wave they're in, characters come in fixed packs of two: Ken vs. Steve, Cammy vs. Nina, Poison vs. Lili and Sagat vs. King (above) make up November's offering. Wave two, said to release sometime in February, pits Chun-Li vs. Hwoarang, Abel vs. Kazuya, Ryu vs. Yoshimitsu and Rufus vs. Julia, all of whom can be seen after the break. No word on pricing, but we do know that some pairs will be more rare than others.

Uncharted movie loses director, gains 'National Treasure' writers

Description

Taking full advantage of the power of PS3, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is developed using proprietary technology that promises to impress players with incredibly realistic characters and lifelike environments. Building on its legacy of extraordinary storytelling, Naughty Dog has created an elaborate plot that will have players guessing at every turn. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, brings players into a world ripe with realism and unexpected juxtapositions. A fallible hero akin to those depicted in pulp-adventure genre films, Nathan Drake brings a humanity and believability never seen before in video gaming, enabled entirely through PS3 technology advancements.

Rock Band World social app coming to Rock Band 3, Rock Band Blitz this month

ROCK BAND WORLD COMPANION APPLICATION ANNOUNCED,
COMING SOON TO FACEBOOK FOR ROCK BAND BLITZ AND ROCK BAND 3!

Cambridge, Mass. ' August 22nd, 2012 ' Harmonix is excited to announce an exciting new social application for Rock Band' Blitz and Rock Band 3 players - Rock Band World!

Coming to Facebook alongside the release of Rock Band Blitz this August, Rock Band World is a brand new full-featured companion application that will allow players to collaborate and compete with other Rock Band fans using the world's largest social network! Players can work alone, team up with friends, or band together with the Rock Band community to complete Goals. Rockers can also directly challenge their friends (or rivals!) to Score Wars to see who's got the best Rock Band Blitz chops!

"When designing Rock Band World we wanted to extend the player experience beyond the console in exciting new and social ways," said Project Director Matthew Nordhaus. "By letting Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 players link both Rock Band Blitz and Rock Band 3 to their large, already established social network, we're opening up some great opportunities for competitive and collaborative gameplay. We can't wait to start engaging the community with weekly Goals, and we look forward to seeing how fierce competition can get with Rock Band Blitz Score Wars!"

Rock Band World adds new ways to play for Rock Band Blitz players, but also adds value for fans of Rock Band 3! Players will be able to browse the 3800+ song Rock Band catalog, get detailed statistics on their own in-game performance, and much more!

Players can find Rock Band World at http://apps.facebook.com/rock-band-world/!

For a deeper look at Rock Band World in action, check out our feature video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW9M5t1fti4&feature=youtu.be!

Rock Band Blitz is scheduled for release on PlayStation®Network on August 28th for $14.99 and Xbox LIVE Arcade on August 29th for 1200 MS Points. For the latest assets, including screenshots and the game logo, please visit http://www.rockband.com/press/blitz.

Website Links:
For more information, please visit:

Rock Band Blitz website

For more information on Rock Band Blitz, Rock Band 3 and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.

© 2012 Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Harmonix, Rock Band, Rock Band Blitz, Rock Band World and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. Rock Band Blitz, Rock Band World, and other related products and services developed by Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.

Xbox LIVE is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and or other countries.

"PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Go back in time, destroy warships at Austin's Fantastic Arcade next month

Molyneux's 'Curiosity' changing title 'because of NASA'

Microsoft unveils new logo for the first time in 25 years

Microsoft unveiled a new logo for the first time in 25 years today. The company's name now appears in the smoother, more modern Segoe font, and next to it is Window 8's 'flag', but with four colored squares. Going by the video after the jump, the blue square appears to represent Windows, the red square Office, the green square Xbox (whose logo remains unchanged), and the yellow square ... something new maybe?

For the last quarter of a century, Microsoft has used the "Pacman logo", as designed by Scott Baker in 1987. The slash between the o and s was supposed to represent the motion and speed of the company and its products. Microsoft chose to change the logo to "visually accentuate" a new beginning in the form of Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, the next version of Office ' and maybe the next version of Xbox?

Take a look at an intro video from Microsoft below the break.

Assassin's Creed 3 gets its own Ken Burns-esque video series, and here's part one

Description

The American Colonies, 1775. A brave young warrior fights to save his homeland. But what begins as a struggle over territory turns into an extraordinary journey that will transform him into a Master Assassin'and will forever change the destiny of a nation. You are Connor, warrior son of a Native American mother and British father. As the colonies draw closer to revolution, you will dedicate your life to the freedom of your clan 'becoming the spark that ignites the revolution into full blaze. Your crusade will take you through blood-soaked battlefields to crowded city streets, to perilous wilderness and beyond. You will not only witness history'you will make it. Set against the backdrop of one of the bloodiest Revolutions in world history, prepare to be drawn back into the centuries old battle between the Assassin's Order and their sworn enemy, the Templars. Unleash lethal new skills and experience a stunningly realistic world created by Anvil Next, a new engine that redefines gaming. Welcome to an entirely new chapter in the Assassin's Creed saga.

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier 'Raven Strike' DLC lands on Sept. 11

UBISOFT ANNOUNCES TOM CLANCY'S GHOST RECON: FUTURE SOLDIER RAVEN STRIKE DLC PACKAGE

WHAT: Today Ubisoft announced the Raven Strike DLC pack, the second Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier DLC package. A throwback to traditional Ghost Recon gameplay, Raven Strike features larger maps, complex missions and an increased level of difficulty. It contains three campaign missions and a new Guerilla Mode map, each playable with up to four players. Raven Strike will be available on September 11th for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the Sony PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. It will be available on Windows PC at a later date.

Additionally, Ubisoft disclosed that the Ghost Recon: Future Soldier development team is hard at work on further DLC content planned for release later this fall.

Raven Strike DLC content includes:

3 new missions in Campaign Mode
' Secure Dawn: a foggy marsh in Kazakhstan where the Ghosts will not be allowed access to advanced technology (no optical camouflage, drone or sensor grenade)
' Cold Walker: a train depot on the Russian countryside
' Argent Thunder: a nighttime urban setting in Moscow

1 new map in Guerrilla Mode
' Sawmill: face 50 waves of enemies on a foggy Russian countryside

Raven Strike will be available for purchase for 1200 Microsoft points on Xbox Live or $14.99 on the PlayStation Network. It can be pre-ordered at GameStop and Best Buy.

WHEN:
' September 11, 2012 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the Sony PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system

In Ghost Recon: Future Soldier join an elite team of highly trained, cut-throat special-ops soldiers. Armed to the teeth with unrivaled combat technology and cutting-edge military hardware, Ghost Recon takes you to the globe's most deadly warzones to hunt down the highest value targets.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is now available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Sony PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC.

For more news and information, please visit the game's official website at www.ghostrecon.com.

Original Fallout and Planescape: Torment dev Black Isle Studios re-opens [updated]

The studio that created classics like Fallout and Planescape: Torment may be rising from the ashes ' at least in name. A website for Black Isle Studios popped up with the image you see above and a mailing list signup, as NeoGAF discovered. There's also a Twitter account and a Facebook page tied to the website, and if you sign up for the mailing list, Black Isle is said to be a "a division of Interplay."

InXile's Brian Fargo doesn't seem to be involved, as he tweeted, "I just read that Interplay is bringing back Black Isle. Hmmm... Not enough info for me to comment." We've already reached out to Obsidian ' where many ex-Black Islers went when the studio shut down in 2003 ' and have yet to hear back.

Update: Interplay CEO and entrepreneur Herve Caen is behind the resurrection of Black Isle, we're told. The studio's website is also registered to Interplay, per WHOIS search. It's unclear who ' if anyone ' from the original Black Isle staff is involved with the studio.

Update 2: Obsidian tells Joystiq that the new Black Isle, "Doesn't involve Obsidian at all." We've yet to hear back from Interplay or Herve Caen.

Kinect price drops to $109.99 in US

Uncharted 3 GOTY Edition swings into Europe Sept. 19

The Game of the Year Edition of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (not to be confused with the "Gotye" version, Uncharted 3: Some Treasure That I Used to Know) will whip-swing its way onto European PlayStation 3s next month, on Wednesday, September 19.

No word yet on an official US release date, but we do know that the European GOTY box will feature a smörgåsbord of DLC, including four class skin packs, two different co-op multiplayer modes and six different multiplayer maps. It also comes bundled with an artistic music video and additional vocals by New Zealand singer/songwriter Kimbra. Wait, we might be confused again.

Frozen Synapse: Collector's Edition warms up to UK retail September 7

Mode 7's indie tactical-combat darling Frozen Synapse is coming to retail via a special boxed edition this fall, courtesy of publisher Merge Games. This collector's edition will be compatible with both PC and Mac, and tosses in the game's soundtrack, a sticker and postcard, plus a Steam key to unlock an additional copy of the game for a friend or curiously nice enemy. Hey, it's none of our business how you treat your enemies!

The Red expansion pack ' an update from back in May that added co-op gameplay, a new unit, a new game mode and a host of new missions ' is also included in this collector's edition package. Frozen Synapse: Collector's Edition will be exclusive to UK retailers and launches on September 7.

War of the Roses pre-order details sally forth

War of the Roses Now Taking Pre-Orders from Brave Knights
Special Deals Available for Loyal Vassals

NEW YORK - August 21, 2012 - Paradox Interactive has decreed that pre-orders shall now be accepted for War of the Roses, the upcoming medieval squad-based combat title developed by Fatshark. Every knight loyal enough to purchase their copies in advance will be rewarded with delightful bonuses by the noble publisher. A new trailer has been released to celebrate this occasion, featuring the two factions of War of the Roses charging towards their favorite stores and trampling any who dare stand between them and the game.

Find out more about the pre-order here: waroftherosesthegame.com/buy

A new website has also been published for War of the Roses, available at waroftherosesthegame.com , where gamers can get a glimpse of all of the medieval mayhem waiting for them when the game launches. Screenshots and trailers aplenty can be viewed as many times as it takes to temporarily sate one's blood-lust, plus visitors can join the forums to discuss the best methods for separating a knight from his horse. There is even a leaderboard on the website, waiting to be filled with the names of the Internet's hardiest warriors.

Watch the new trailer here:

View the video at http://youtu.be/Om-6khGD7jY

To learn more about War of the Roses, visit the new website, or see Paradox Interactive at www.paradoxplaza.com .

About Paradox Interactive
Since 1999, Paradox Interactive has been a leading global publisher of PC-based strategy games. Its steadily-growing portfolio includes firmly established PC franchises such as the critically acclaimed Europa Universalis, Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron and Magicka.

2012-2013 will be Paradox Interactive's most ambitious line-up of titles to date with such anticipated releases as War of the Roses, Starvoid, A Game of Dwarves, The Showdown Effect, Dungeonland and Europa Universalis IV. It is also expanding its presence in the free-to-play arena with upcoming games such as Salem: The Crafting MMO.

Rumor: Dragon Age 3 survey shows characters, possible titles, 'Inquisition' storyline

PlayStation Vita sales topped 2.2 million worldwide as of June 30

Sony says that its latest console, the PlayStation Vita, topped 2.2 million units sold this summer. "The latest figures we've released for Vita (as of June 30th) are 2.2. million sales worldwide," an SCEE rep told us. We reached out following a report from PlayFront.de, where German PlayStation head Uwe Bassendowski mentioned the number in the context of the Vita's marketing.

The last update we had on Vita sales was back in May, when Sony CEO Kaz Hirai said the system sold 1.8 million units worldwide ' meaning the console moved around 200K units each month in May and June. For some context, before the Nintendo 3DS received its price cut to $170 ' and just days after its US launch ' the then $250 handheld had sold 1.41 million units more than the Vita's current lifetime sales. As of September 2011 (one month after the price drop), the 3DS was at 6.68 million units sold worldwide ' or more than triple where the Vita's selling at right now. "Yikes" is the word we'd use to describe that situation.

A strong showing of Vita games at Gamescom 2012 and the subsequent launch of said games will hopefully bolster the Vita's sales numbers. We sure aren't gonna see a price cut anytime soon.

Co-opinion: XCOM: Enemy Unknown multiplayer

Richard Mitchell: This is a good moment to point out how the turn-based nature of XCOM changes the formula many gamers are used to. For example, thanks to my new zombie pal, I was able to move my shotgunner closer to your front line. In a real-time game, it would be very risky to move two units out into the open like that. In the case of XCOM, however, you essentially had to choose one or the other. You could probably kill one, but I doubted you could kill both (not to mention my Cyberdisc that was still hovering within range as well).

But the really important part, and what truly swung the match in my favor at the end, was my sniper. Using her grappling hook, I zipped her to the top of the bus and moved into position. Again though, this was very risky, because I had to wait another turn before she could fire. For all I knew, you were about to pick her off and my grand plan would have crumbled.

Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is ready to draft

Ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of year. We're roughly half-way through the NFL's preseason, and if you're like me, you're crafting a fool-proof method for winning your fantasy football league this season.

Fantasy football, for those unfamiliar, is an annual meta-game of sorts centered around the NFL season, in which players get points every week for the on-field actions performed by real-life football players selected for their "team." It turns into a game of human chess for those deeply involved, as strategically picking the best receivers and running backs for a flex position in a given week can be the culmination of hours of pouring over statistics, or waiting for news alerts on whether that nagging ankle sprain is really that serious.

Needless to say, I'm in a few fantasy football leagues, and gearing up for the crucial draft days ahead has resulted in an embarrassing amount of time spent on reading about backup running backs in practice. I hear webcomics make for a nice break from the madness, however, so I encourage you to join me in checking out last week's funnies, and then voting for your favorite after the break!

Clues (Ctrl+Alt+Del)
Crazy Taxi (Digital Pimp Online)
Goldeneye (Magical Game Time)
Used Games (Dave the Direman)
Up Root (Legacy Control)
Enchanted Executable (Hejibits)
The Best Pokemon Team Ever (Brawl in the Family)
Transition Engineer (Penny Arcade)

Silent Hunter Online wants you to join the wolfpack, taking beta participants

Description

Silent Hunter Online sees the return of the large array of historically accurate submarines that made the franchise famous, and invites players to experience them online in new ways. At the heart of the game is "The Battle of the Atlantic," an innovative dynamic campaign in which individual successes impact all other players through the asynchronous gameplay. Also, for the first time in the Silent Hunter series, players will be able to play every mission of the campaign in co-op.

Gamescom 2012 attendance over 275,000

Gamescom: Part Vier stabilized its attendance, with the premier European gaming event's attendance reaching a little over 275,000 according to event organizers, approximately the same as last year. Microsoft and Nintendo's absense kept things calmer this year, with the Koelnmesse avoiding overcapacity ' it also probably helped that Saturday tickets were locked at a set number this year.

Gamescom 2013 is scheduled for next August 21-25 in Cologne. Like our previous roundups of official and unofficial stats, you can find 2012's after the break.

• 275,000 attendees. Breakdown: 24,500 trade visitors (up 3,500) and 250,500 (down 3,100) "end consumers."
• 600 exhibitors from 40 countries (2011: 557 exhibitors from 39 countries 2010: 505 exhibitors from 33 countries; 2009: 458 companies attended from 31 countries).
• Croissants consumed at hotel breakfast: 35 (2011: 27).
• Liters of multivitamin juice consumed: 6 (2011: 4).
• Number of liters of Kölsch consumed by us: 0.2 liters (2011: 8; 2010: 1.6; 2009: 6).
• Number of times "excess" was experienced: 0.
• Number of times we were confused as working for the French magazine: 1 (2011: 2).
• Evenings of Turkish take-out (Turkish pizza is amazing!): 2 (2011: 3).
• Number of horse images in our hotel room: 10. Same hotel room as last year.
• Number of Super Joystiq Podcast guests that hung out in our hotel room: 13 (2011: 7).
• Number of times we ate at the Bier Esel (Beer Donkey): 2 (2011: 3).
• Number of times we had a surly waitress at the Bier Esel, but didn't care because the food was so good: 3.
• Number of times a homeless guy asked us for for cash: 1 (2011: 12; 2010: 0; 2009: 8).
• Number of times we were serenaded while having dinner by men on a bachelor pub crawl: 0 (2011: 0; 2010: 1; 2009: 0).
• Schnitzels consumed: 1.
• Attendees at GDC Europe earlier in the week: 2,100 participants, 170 speakers and 300 media representatives.
• Number of times we heard the "German Halo song.": 0. Number of times we thought we heard the song: 1.

'Being Human' with Sims 3 Supernatural and Seasons

It's unlikely we'll ever see a licensed game based on supernatural drama Being Human ' although, stranger things have happened ' so it's good to see my fantasy may be fulfilled through The Sims 3.

While waiting for my SimCity hands-on, I checked out The Sims 3's new seasons and supernatural expansions. Seasons looks lush, with the landscape shifting every seven in-game days, which can always be altered by the player. Leave it as Hoth if you want it or keep it as an everlasting springtime of rejuvination.

Beyond seeing the potential for Being Human with the supernatural expansion, there's also the option to get your Twilight on. Yes, there are sparkly vampires. Drink a potion and vampires receive vampiric sunblock that makes them sparkle.

The Sims 3 Supernatural expansion will be available in September, Seasons will release in November. My suburban epic of supernatural drama will be fully realized by the holidays.

Documenting the death of OnLive: notes from the company's final meeting

"I've been a non-stop fundraising machine," OnLive CEO Steve Perlman told his entire staff yesterday morning. "And I finally got to the point where I just could not bring in enough funding to carry this thing forward." The hundreds of employees that make up OnLive were ' en masse ' relieved of their positions in yesterday's meeting, including Perlman himself. "All of us, technically, as of today, our jobs have ended ' our current jobs with this company," another administrator informed the crowd after Perlman finished speaking.

OnLive is entering what is known in California as an "Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors," or an "ABC," (a form of bankruptcy) wherein an "assignee" (a person, persons, or entity) takes over the assets of the current company ' in OnLive's case, this means "the software, hardware, network architecture, our logo, all that stuff," according to Perlman ' in an effort to lighten the previous company's debts and get its creditors paid off. Thus the "Benefit of Creditors" part of that acronym.

Perlman didn't say who that assignee was during the company's meeting, only referring to him as "an extraordinary guy" (not an entity), and a "very accomplished and well known venture capitalist" who is "very wealthy." The unknown assignee apparently believes that OnLive "is the entire future of everything," Perlman told employees. Unfortunately, he isn't wealthy enough to bring on the 150-200 people that OnLive employed.

"Here's the tough part, and this is the thing I'm very sorry to say: it's just not possible for one individual in a startup ' whether it's that old startup or this new startup ' to bring in this many people into a company," Perlman said. Without giving numbers, Perlman said that, in the new company, "the people that come on board are the essential people, as needed, to go and accomplish that goal of getting this thing to cash-flow positive."

He prefaced that news with a stinging reality: "The people that are gonna be coming on board here, that will come out of the group ... I'm gonna tell you, most of the people will not be coming on board."

So, what caused the sudden implosion of the gaming industry's most successful consumer-facing Cloud Streaming service? In so many words: scale. "There's no way to exactly estimate how many servers we'd need. So we literally bought thousands of them, and all the equipment and networks to go with it," Perlman told employees. Those servers, he said, came with lengthy contracts ' contracts that tied OnLive's capital up in maintaining servers that few (if any) users were actually using. "If you've got 8,000 servers and 1,600 users, how could we ever get to cash flow positive, right?" Perlman rhetorically asked employees during the meeting.

Beyond the servers, Perlman said the company "dramatically expanded the number of employees" during its past few years. And during those years, it never downscaled to account for its lacking user base. "We made it through the whole recession without any disconnects, any layoffs, or any down rounds," Perlman boasted toward the end of the meeting.

Going forward, the employees who won't be joining the new venture are being offered "a very simple consulting arrangement." Former employees who help smooth the transition to the new startup will be offered stock options in the new venture. If at some point that new venture becomes profitable (read: gets sold or goes public), those options gain value. If not, the stock remains worthless. Additionally, any stock that former employees own in the original company ("OnLive, Inc.") are now valueless. This includes the preferred stock options offered to executives.

Perlman expressed regret several times during the speech. He even directly accepted blame for the whole mess. "I'm the one that brought you here. I'm the one that ultimately made decisions. And I'm the one that ultimately takes responsibility. So I am sorry, and it didn't end up exactly as we'd hoped," he said.

OnLive reps are adamant that the service will continue, uninterrupted, during the transition process, and "future products and services" are also unaffected.

If you're a former employee and you'd like to contact us, we'd appreciate hearing from you.

CastleStorm fires off new screens for Gamescom

Description

CastleStorm is a hybrid of 2D archery and 2D physics-based structure destruction games. Peace has been upon the realm for centuries. Knights and Vikings have forgotten past grievances, living in civilized coexistence, deriving the benefits of immortality from colorful jewels betrothed by the beautiful Peace Goddess. However, all good things must come to an end, and ominous clouds of war are on the horizon when the Knights' jewel is stolen and delivered to the hand of the Vikings. It is time to take up arms, deploy mighty warriors, harness the power of the ballista, and master magical spells in your quest to recover the stolen jewel and restore peace to the realm. CastleStorm features colorful enchanted environments, magical spells, and an arsenal fit for above-average medieval warriors.

A Valley Without Wind's impending art revamp in version 1.3, sale now

A Valley Without Wind is a massive PC and Mac game from a tiny development team, meaning it experiences the standard industry lifecycle in a unique way. Arcen Games launched two major updates to the initial release, appearing to be in the process of completing the game even after its launch, and now update 1.3 hopes to rework "the biggest thing that players who have not bought the game gripe about," Christopher Park says: the art.

A visual update isn't what Arcen Games initially planned on integrating, however. Update 1.3 is a reactionary measure to a few things, including the launch of Diablo 3.

A Valley Without Wind was selling three times better than Arcen Games' first title, AI War, when it first hit Steam on April 24. "Then a funny thing happened ' Diablo 3 came out," Park writes. "Literally the next day, our sales plummeted to one-tenth the value they had been the day prior. The whole game industry saw a contraction, even on the iOS, for a week or two there, from what I could tell. Keith remarked that it was like 'a massive whale jumping out of the ocean and the ocean level falling for everyone else.'"

Now, to generate more interest from the press (you know us so well, Arcen) and to satisfy fan demand for better art, Arcen Games hired Heavy Cat Studios to rework the visuals. The team should be done with the reskin in November, along with a dozen new spells and more updates, making the final product A Valley Without Wind 2.0.

A Valley Without Wind is finishing a run as Steam's Daily Deal right now, with just a few hours left. Check it out for cheap here, and read about Arcen Games' update details and anti-Kickstarter philosophy in Park's blog post here.

Spector still wants Epic Mickey HD, needs your help

Description

A heroic tale of redemption and discovery, Disney Epic Mickey is an adventure-platforming game with light role-playing elements for the Nintendo Wii, featuring an iconic and retro Mickey Mouse inspired by cartoons of the 1920s and 1930s. Pulled into a warped Disney universe called the Cartoon Wasteland by an evil villain, Mickey finds himself in a world inhabited by the retired and forgotten cartoon characters and attractions from Disney's past. Mickey must use the very elements of animation, paint and paint thinner, to explore the Cartoon Wasteland, find the source of evil that is destroying the land, and redeem his fellow cartoon characters including Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt Disney's first cartoon star and Mickey's resentful half-brother. With visionary game designer Warren Spector behind the title, players choose their own path to defeat supreme evil, face the consequences of those decisions and ultimately free the Cartoon Wasteland.

Ten whole minutes of Splinter Cell: Blacklist gameplay

Description

Sam is back in his tactical suit and goggles, and he's more deadly than ever. He is the only secret operative with the power to act above the law, and uses ruthless methods to interrogate enemies in order to extract crucial information that will prevent the next Blacklist attack

Vergil's leading role in DmC: Devil May Cry

Vergil, Dante's enigmatic twin brother, is back in DmC: Devil May Cry for a whole new era of demonic sibling rivalry. In the modern setting of Limbo City, Vergil is the boss of The Order, an organization tasked with battling the demons in control, and he recruits Dante to fight with him. This marks a new role for Vergil, tempered by familiar features.

"We tried to retain certain motifs that were essential to the character," Capcom producer Motohide Eshiro told Joystiq at Gamescom. "So he retains the silver hair, he retains the blue coloration of his outfit and the refinement of the character. Storyline-wise, as to how he may or may not interact directly with Dante and certain effects on gameplay, this is something we'll talk about at a later date. The biggest change, the visual, the way he interacts with the storyline, is quite different than what we've seen before. There's more to come; watch this space."

When we asked directly if Vergil would be a playable character in DmC, Eshiro laughed and said, motioning to the PR rep in the room, "No comment there, or else he'll have to murder us, I think."

The emphasis on Vergil's classic features was in no way a reactionary measure to fan backlash when Dante's new look was revealed, Eshiro said. Capcom and Ninja Theory had Vergil planned before the public saw Dante, and both teams knew exactly what they wanted then. Along with the traditional aspects of Vergil's appearance, the longstanding tension between him and Dante will play a part in DmC's story as well.

Dante's other, smaller companion in DmC, a psychic named Kat, has more to offer than advice on navigating Limbo City's demonic and earth-bound worlds, Eshiro said. She's not necessarily a love interest, but she does help Dante connect with deeper emotions than his initial rush of vengeance and anger.

As for any other cameos from classic Devil May Cry names, Eshiro said, "There are plenty of characters we haven't yet touched on. We're not ready to talk about what other characters are in the game just yet, but rest assured there will be some forthcoming news."

Diving into Deadpool at Gamescom

I can't speak with great authority on the character of Deadpool, but I've played more than my share of third-person action games, and High Moon Studios' interpretation of the ludicrous anti-hero is shaping up to be an over-the-top experience.
Written by Daniel Way, Marvel's author on the Deadpool comic series for the past six years, the game is likely to satisfy fans of the "merc with a mouth." The voice for that mouth is provided by the ever-present Nolan North, who you may think of as Nathan Drake from Uncharted at this point, but he delivers enough inflection into Deadpool's character to differentiate him -- and all the voices inside his head.

One scene in particular featuring Way's writing and North's performance during the hands-off demo at Gamescom stood out. During an elevator ride Deadpool does an all-out performance of Patsy Kline's "Crazy."

The gameplay itself is still in a very early state. For the most part, it currently looks like your average third-person character action adventure that's gunning for an M-rating (as it should!). The combat features plenty of blood to go along with the button mashing. If you think back to X-Men Origins: Wolverine from a couple years back, we're treading a nearly similar path.

Of course, the main difference between Deadpool and Wolverine is that while having an adamantium skeleton apparently makes everything super serious, Deadpool is having fun and that's where the character shines. He's a comic book character who knows he's a comic book character. In the game, he's a comic book character who knows he's in a video game.

Deadpool's penchant for breaking the fourth wall and pop-culture references -- covering movies and memes -- is all over this game. The upgrade screen includes "dakka," but it could always need more. Mission objectives include "Snake that chopper and do some hella wheelies with it," and, once that chopper is snaked, "Morpheuuuuuuuus" becomes the new objective. Then comes a solid couple of minutes of Deadpool standing behind the chopper's mini gun and blasting away security forces into bits.

There's also a clever moment of "why are we doing this?" at the beginning that involves inflating a bouncy castle. Showing that Deadpool always has an angle, the totally random bouncy castle he inflated is used to save him from a debilitating fall, after he rides his mark like a Dr. Strangelove bomb off the top of a skyscraper.

Deadpool is sounding and feeling great in the character department, now it's just a wait-and-see approach to the way the combat looks and plays. There's still plenty of time with a 2013 release targeted for the game.

Dishonored's Harvey Smith on the risk of letting players break your game

There are a lot of choices available to players in Dishonored. At every player's disposal is an impressive array of weapons, gadgets and abilities, each offering a different way to tackle a given situation. Take the simple assassination mission I played at Gamescom, which just so happened to be the same mission we detailed earlier this month at QuakeCon. Tasked with infiltrating a posh party at a lavish mansion, freelancer Britton Peele chose to walk right through the front door. Me, I possessed a fish, swam into the sewers and worked my way into the mansion via the cellar. That's only two of many possible choices.

Allowing players that much freedom ' the freedom to potentially break the game ' must be a nightmare for quality assurance, I tell Arkane Studios' co-creative director Harvey Smith. "It's not just a nightmare for QA," he says, "it's a nightmare for us as well."

"It's so much easier to make a game where you unlock things at the right time," he says. If, for example, a certain power is unlocked in the third mission, you know that players won't be able to use it in the second mission. You can "bullet-proof" against any game-breaking issues that way, he says. Creating this sort of closed, curated experience is simpler from a design perspective, and allows developers to spend "many many more hours polishing, making it more cinematic-like" says Smith.

On the other hand, with all the systems at play in Dishonored ' stealth, a variety of powers, multiple entrances, numerous weapons, variable A.I. ' it's a much greater development challenge to ensure that everything comes together. "You have fewer hours to polish, so games like this are inherently less cinematic in a way. They're inherently more player-driven. They're inherently harder to make, but, at the end of the day, the experience is something that you can play improvisationally," he says. "We're very passionate about that goal."

But games like Dishonored ' and the original Deus Ex games, which Smith also worked on ' aren't about their cinematic qualities. The baseline plot, the discrete story written for Dishonored, is what Smith calls the embedded narrative. The emergent narrative, meanwhile, is the sum of the actions taken by players ' in other words, the stories players tell each other. Smith relates the story of one Dishonored player who evaded an alarmed guard by possessing a nearby rat and hiding under a table. She could have just as easily used an ability to freeze time and walk right past the guard unobserved, or she could have ignored that section of the level altogether. "Players can tell their own story through these micro, minute-to-minute events, because the systems work emergently."

With an October launch only a few months away, the team at Arkane is currently working to squash any remaining bugs. That's not as straightforward as one might think, given the free-form nature of Dishonored's gameplay. If a player manages to achieve an objective in a way that the developers didn't intend, is that really a bug? "That's the back end of our development process, is finding [bugs] that ruin the game or make it less fun or break it in some way," says Smith, and those are the bugs that get fixed. "But all the ones that enable an exploit ' and you feel clever and you solve your problem in a way we didn't expect ' or you get away with something that doesn't feel negative to the experience, then we support those. Sometimes we leave them as they are, and sometimes we add a little something to help them along, but we try not to fix them unless they're really bugs, and that's a judgment call."

Speaking of judgment calls, it turns out that carrying the unconscious body of a hostess through her own party is a very poor one. Something to keep in mind if you ever play Dishonored.

Horn blows in a trailer, will toot in August

Description

Based loosely on the Old English tales of King Horn, you play as a young blacksmith's apprentice named Horn who wakes up to finds your village and lands over run by large fantastic, and sometimes humorous, monsters. It is revealed these creatures are actually the people and animals from your village transformed by a curse, and you alone have the power to free them. On your incredible adventure you carry the loud-mouthed head of one such fantastic creature with you - a somewhat uncooperative and ill-tempered but grudgingly helpful sidekick. Along with this new companion you must use your sword, crossbow, trusty musical horn, and wits to explore the lands, defeat the enemies, and solve puzzles in your quest to undo the curse that engulfs your homeland.

Claptrap Photobomb App available on Facebook

Description

Coming to the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC during Take-Two's fiscal year 2013 beginning on April 1, 2012, Borderlands 2 is the sequel to the four-player Role-Playing Shooter loot fest.

007 Legends has a Licence to Die Another Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ACTIVISION PUBLISHING REVEALS DIE ANOTHER DAY AND LICENCE TO KILL AS NEXT MOVIE-INSPIRED MISSIONS IN 007' LEGENDS VIDEO GAME

Santa Monica, CA - August 15, 2012- With Moonraker and On Her Majesty's Secret Service already unveiled, Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard Inc., (Nasdaq: ATVI) revealed today Die Another Day and Licence to Kill as the third and fourth Bond movie-inspired missions included in this year's upcoming 007' Legends video game. A first-of-its-kind Bond gaming experience, 007 Legends features an original, overarching storyline tying together five classic Bond movie-inspired missions, plus a sixth mission based on this year's highly-anticipated movie - SKYFALL - which will be available post launch as downloadable content. Set to offer the most diverse Bond gaming experience yet, each 007 Legends mission includes multiple levels featuring re-imagined movie moments that showcase state-of-the-art spy gadgets, an arsenal of weapons and sleek vehicles in exotic locations that best utilize Bond's quick wits and style to take down notorious villains and their brutal henchmen.

"The method of picking which James Bond movies to include in 007 Legends was a deep and thoughtful process between Eurocom, Activision, EON and Danjaq," said David G. Wilson, VP of Global Business Strategy, EON. "We took great care in selecting movies that helped define who Bond has become over the years, and ones that could be tied together in a compelling way to pay homage to 50 years of 007."

In 007 Legends' Die Another Day movie-inspired mission, the quintessential secret agent is sent to rendezvous with Agent Jinx to investigate the connection between Gustav Graves - a diamond mogul funding the development of an international space weapon called Icarus - and a North Korean terrorist set on unifying his country once and for all. With Jinx's help, Bond must chase down Graves, racing along ice while duelling against North Korean spies and Graves' allies, all while dodging concentrated blasts of solar energy from the Icarus weapon. After confronting Graves on his high-flying jet, Bond must prevent triggering a war between North and South Korea and escape the stricken jet before it's destroyed.

In the Licence to Kill movie-inspired mission, Bond enlists the help of U.S. Drug Enforcement Agent Pam Bouvier in order to avenge Felix Leiter and uncover a vast international drug operation headed by an evil Mexican drug lord with terrorist connections - Fran Sanchez. After detonating a massive explosion in Sanchez's drug refinery, Bond will have to capture Sanchez before he escapes, ending in a brutal physical confrontation on-board a moving tanker truck. Will Bond be able to avenge his friend or will he be killed by Sanchez?

Toby Stephens (Die Another Day) and Carey Lowell (Licence to Kill) both reprise their roles as Gustav Graves from Die Another Day and Agent Pam Bouvier from Licence to Kill, respectively, rounding out the impressive 007 Legends' cast.

For more intel about 007 Legends and to unlock exclusive content, visit the game's official Web site - www.007Legends.com- and Facebook page - www.facebook.com/007LegendsGame. 007 Legends is being developed by Eurocom, under license from EON Productions Ltd. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. (MGM) for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and download on Windows PC, and is currently rated "RP" (Rating Pending) by the ESRB.

About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., through its operating subsidiaries, is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music and licensed merchandise. The company owns the world's largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,100 titles. Operating units include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., Ventanazul, MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Domestic Networks LLC, MGM Distribution Co, MGM International Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Worldwide Digital Media, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in international TV channels reaching nearly 120 countries. MGM ownership is as follows: Providence Equity Partners (29%), TPG (21%), Sony Corporation of America (20%), Comcast (20%), DLJ Merchant Banking Partners (7%) and Quadrangle Group (3%). For more information, visit www.mgm.com.

About EON Productions/Danjaq, LLC
EON Productions Limited and Danjaq LLC are wholly owned and controlled by the Broccoli/Wilson family. Danjaq is the US based company that co-owns, with MGM, the copyright in the existing James Bond films and controls the right to produce future James Bond films as well as all worldwide merchandising. EON Productions, an affiliate of Danjaq, is the UK based production company which makes the James Bond films. The 007 franchise is the longest running in film history with twenty-two films produced since 1962. Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli succeeded Albert R 'Cubby' Broccoli in 1995 and have produced some of the most successful Bond films ever including CASINO ROYALE and QUANTUM OF SOLACE. They are currently producing the 23rd film, SKYFALL. For more information, visit www.007.com.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, mainland China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com.

Get your sea legs on with Assassin's Creed 3's Naval trailer from Gamescom

Description

The American Colonies, 1775. A brave young warrior fights to save his homeland. But what begins as a struggle over territory turns into an extraordinary journey that will transform him into a Master Assassin'and will forever change the destiny of a nation. You are Connor, warrior son of a Native American mother and British father. As the colonies draw closer to revolution, you will dedicate your life to the freedom of your clan 'becoming the spark that ignites the revolution into full blaze. Your crusade will take you through blood-soaked battlefields to crowded city streets, to perilous wilderness and beyond. You will not only witness history'you will make it. Set against the backdrop of one of the bloodiest Revolutions in world history, prepare to be drawn back into the centuries old battle between the Assassin's Order and their sworn enemy, the Templars. Unleash lethal new skills and experience a stunningly realistic world created by Anvil Next, a new engine that redefines gaming. Welcome to an entirely new chapter in the Assassin's Creed saga.