'The Trashmaster' takes GTA IV machinima to new lengths, Grand Theft Auto IV PC News

Meet the Trashmaster: New York City's newest vigilante and the star of Mathieu Weschler's feature length machinima film. Look familiar? That's because this particular crime drama may very well be the most epic piece of GTA IV machinima to ever crawl out from Liberty City.

Clocking in at 88-minutes, The Trashmaster took the french filmmaker over two years to create. It pairs GTA IV's engine and assets with Weschler's talented eye for cinematography to tell the dark tale of a trash collector who moonlights as a self-appointed 'cleaner-upper' of the 'human trash' of New York. When a particularly trashy serial killer starts targeting girls from his favorite strip club... well... you can watch the movie for yourself to find out how it all plays out:

The internet is teeming with expertly made machinima, but few (if any) in recent memory are as meaty or cinematic as this.The Trashmaster was featured at last October'sFestival du Nouveau Cinema Montrealand won favor with the jury at the Festival Atopic de Paris. More importantly, Weschler creation has caught the eye of Rockstar itself, so maybe we'll be seeing more of Weschler's work in future GTA titles. And by 'maybe', we mean 'you should really hire this guy now.'

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Dead Space 2’s Smashing Pumpkins trailer, Dead Space 2 PC News

A new teaser for Dead Space 2 has just released, which blasts Bullet with Butterfly Wings by The Smashing Pumpkins over quick shots of Isaac Clarke going insane. Check it out below.

Above: The latest trailer for Dead Space 2, featuring The Smashing Pumpkins

Above: Ah, memories. It’s 1995, I’m full of teen angst, sophomoric revelations, and am busy trying to look cool with clothes I bought at the Goodwill. I can’t believe I used to like this

January is quickly shaping up to be an excellent month for games. Dead Space 2 is scheduled to release on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on January 25– and we’ll be adding it to our list of games to play this month along with Little Big Planet 2, DC Universe Online, and Mass Effect 2 for the PS3.

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Man plays Max Payne with impressively hacked Kinect. Needs controller regardless, Max Payne 3 PC News

Two wrongs, they say, do not make a right. Sometimes however, it seems they can cancel each other out. Take, for instance, this video of a new Kinect hack from a chap named Demize2010. Using Kinect to control Max Payne, he strafes, runs, leaps in bullet-time, changes weapons and reloads, all utilising nothing more than leaning motions and (occacionally camp) hand gestures. Aiming and shooting? Those are achieved via a Wiimote. Sorry Microsoft, but we

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Man arrested for selling NES roms in Japan, PC PC News

The NES (aka Famicom) is, of course, fondly remembered in Japan. Maybe that's why a 33-year old man from Tochigi prefecture decided he could make a little money on the side by selling pirated NES games.

The man in question sold burned collections of NES roms on CD-Rs via a cell phone-accessible online auction site. Billed as a“Collection of over 2000 Famicom games,” these burned discs sold for anywhere between 60,000 and 74,800 Yen (about $700 to $850) between September of 2009 and September of 2010. Since ROMS are easily found online, the man's only cost was the CD-R. That's a 7480% profit margin.

When you're selling to the kind of person dumb enough to pay hundreds of dollars for NES roms, the money flows, apparently - and the duped customers didn't even get what they paid for. Each of the discs had only 1,135 games on them.

The unemployed man's name was not released by the police.  His only comment about his crime?“I was broke so I did it to make money.”

{Source:Game Business (Japanese)}

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Grateful Dead game in development, scheduled for August release, PC PC News

Terrapin Station, Cosmic Charlie, and Dark Star are on their way to videogame glory, as the Grateful Dead is planning its first foray into the electronic entertainment industry. But it's not necessarily a music/rhythm game... well, it's not. It's a minigame collection, apparently. Minigames and the Grateful Dead? It doesn't seem quite right to us, but sure.

The North Carolina-based Curious Sense has been tasked with making Dead Heads' dreams come true - the studio has nabbed the game rights to everything in the Grateful Dead archives. Literally everything.

From thousands of live concert recordings, more than 30 years' worth of archived photos and videos, and every single song and album cover the band ever produced.

"We can’t wait for everyone {to} check out the fun new toys we are building,"said Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux.

Curious Sense already has some ideas as to what to include in the game. Company founder Adam Blumenthal wants to use clips from the 1977 Grateful Dead Movie in a pinball mini-game. Characters and imagery from the songs will be incorporated into other games.

"Think of the song 'Samson and Delilah.' Maybe we can make that into an Angry Birds kind of game,"said Blumenthal. Cool, bro.

The game is tapped for an ambitious August release.

{Source:Wall Street Journal}

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'Biotic games' put players in control of living microorganisms, PC PC News

Stanford University researchers have devised a new breed of gaming that allows observers to remotely control living microorganisms in so-called 'biotic games' inspired by classic arcade titles.

Developed by Ingmar Riedel-Kruse, an assistant professor of bioengineering at Stanford, and his lab crew, the microscopic games require players to manipulate single-celled organisms called paramecia in a fluid chamber by means of weak electric fields. Superimposed videogame templates are then added to a static camera feed, and a computer combines the two images to create a game that literally lets its users play around with life. The games include PAC-mecium, wherein players coax paramecia through a maze filled with virtual pellets; and Biotic Pinball, a game that uses the electric fields to push the paramecia over a basic pinball board.

It's no Spore, but it's damn interesting to watch:

Shocking living creatures into playing games is generally considered to be a social faux pas, but as Riedel-Kruse points out, paramecia feel no pain and have no brain with which to write strongly worded emails to PETA. This makes them perfect for these kinds of experiments; the kind that Riedel-Kruse hopes will lead to a better appreciation and understanding of life on a molecular scale.

"We hope that by playing games involving biology of a scale too small to see with the naked eye, people will realize how amazing these processes are and they'll get curious and want to know more,"said Riedel-Krusel."The applications we can envision so far are on the one hand educational, for people to learn about biology, but we are also thinking perhaps we could have people running real experiments as they play these games.”

These 'biotic games' join the likes of PSN's Fold-it and the similar online RNA folding game,EteRNA, in a growing niche of scientific videogames with intriguing real-world potential. Now if Nintendo could just create a single-celled plumber's hat, we could really get this party started.

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Jonathan Coulton is still alive, writing new song for Portal 2, Portal 2 PC News

GLaDOS may never win a Grammy or make the cut in American Idol, but her (its?) 'Still Alive' endgame song is nevertheless counted as one of the geekiest / greatest contributions to the gaming music scene. Now the musician responsible for its composition, Jonathan Coulton, has confirmed that he'll be penning a new song for Portal, provided that he too is still alive...

Yesterday, the New York City musician confirmed his involvement in Valve's sequel through atweet:“Closing the doors. If this plane goes down, the Portal 2 song goes with it. It is in my pocket...”

Since we've yet to hear about any Jonathan Coulton candlelight vigils, we can safely assume that his plane landed, and he's alive and well and months away from debuting a follow-up to this extremely catchy tune:

Far from a one hit wonder, Coulton was dabbling in geek culture well before his Portal track, and has released numerous CDs and downloadable tracks since. His full discography and calendar of upcoming performances can be found at hispersonal site. The next (great?) Portal song will debut with Portal 2 on April 21st.

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Disney shuts down Propaganda Games, TRON: Evolution PC News

Fans of the latest Tron: Evolution game may have to forgo hope of any follow-up DLC, as Disney has announced that it will be shutting down Propaganda Games, the Vancouver based studio behind its development. The disappointing news comes months after the studio cancelled production on Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada Of The Damned and amidst reports of Disney's new-found appreciation for mobile gaming.

In a statement issued by Propaganda Games, the studio confirmed to Gamustra that Propaganda Games will indeed be leaving the Disney family and that,"the studio has completed all work associated with its most recent project."

Hints of Propaganda's demise have been around since last November when Disney told MCV that it was considering a shift from console development to the burgeoning mobile market. In the interview, Disney Interactive's CEO, Bob Iger explained:“It's our goal not only to be profitable, but obviously to get there by shifting our investment and reducing our investment too. We probably will end up investing less on the console side than we have because of the shift we're seeing in consumption and have a presence, albeit with probably less investment, in terms of game manufacturing on some of the newer platforms.”

Propaganda Games was formed in 2005 by ex-EA Canada staff and a talented pool of developers with previous experience on titles such as Quake, NBA Street, Def Jam and Need for Speed Underground. In 2008, the team released a Turok reboot, followed by the Disney movie-tie in, Tron: Evolution. Its closure will displace roughly 100 staff, to whom we extended our best wishes and hopes that they won't have to spend too much time twiddling their thumbs in Vancouver before getting back into the game.

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Peter Molyneux to receive GDCA's Lifetime Achievement Award , Black and White 2 PC News

Gaming icon Peter Molyneux has been selected receive a Lifetime Achievement Award during the 11th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA). Held in march, the event will honor Molyneux's 25 years in video game industry and will recognize,"the career and achievements of a developer who has made an indelible impact on the craft of game development and games as a whole."

Famous for advancing the “god game” genre, Molyneux's work in the industry stretches as far back as 1982 when he first began distributing his early creations via floppy disk to any and all that would try his games. In 1987, Molyneux joined Bullfrog Productions and helped develop classics such as Syndicate, Dungeon Keeper, Theme Park, and Populous. Keen on flying under his own flag, Molyneux struck out a decade later to form Lionhead Studios, wherein he continued to tinker with concept of omnipotence and morality in hit titles like Black and White and the Fable series.

In 2004, Molyneux was honored two-fold as an inductee into the Academy of Interactive Arts& Sciences Hall of Fame and  as a recipient of the Order of the British Empire. Two years later, Microsoft purchased Lionhead Studios and appointed him to his current position as MGS's European Creative Director.

"Peter is a remarkable asset to the games industry, and truly embodies everything that the Lifetime Achievement Award represents,"said Meggan Scavio, GDC's event director."We're proud to honor someone who has had such a profound impact on the industry, through his boundless enthusiasm and profound talent in creating games about choice and interactivity that the entire world loves to play."

Previous recipients of the GDC'sLifetime Achievement Award include industry titans such as John Carmack, co-founder of id Software; Hideo Kojima, the brains behind Metal Gear; Will Wright of Maxis and Sim City fame; and Shigeru Miyamoto, the oft-considered father of modern gaming.

The 2011 Annual Game Developers Award Ceremony will be hosted by Double Fine's Tim Schafer on March 2nd at the San Francisco Moscone Center.  It will also be streamed live online care of the event's sponsor, GameStop.

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Portal 2 for PS3 to include free Mac/PC Steam version, cross-platform play, Portal 2 PC News

Back at E3, Valve revealed that Steam would be coming to the PS3. Check out our post-announcement thoughts for more on why we think that's a big damn deal, or just consider the first new details from Valve: the PS3 print of Portal 2 will feature access to Steam, as well as a free SteamPlay version of the upcoming sequel for Mac or PC - not only that, it will allow for cross-platform multiplayer puzzle-solving between consoles and computer rigs.

To partake in Valve's offer, PS3 owners will simply need to load up the disc and follow the in-game instructions to link up their accounts with Steam. Upon becoming an official member, they'll be connected to their PC and Mac brethren, and granted access to Steam's features including its cloud-based, game save storage system.

"We made a promise to gamers at E3 that Portal 2 for the PlayStation 3 would be the best console version of the product,"said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve, in today's press release."Working together with Sony we have identified a set of features we believe are very compelling to gamers. We hope to expand upon the foundation being laid in Portal 2 with more Steam features and functionality in DLC and future content releases."

Xbox 360 players will not be invited to this particular Steam love-in, and there are no indications from Valve that they'll be doing so anytime soon. PS3 owners, on the other hand, will have the opportunity to either join forces with their PC and Mac friends for purpose of good, or find new and ingenious ways of griefing each other over their preferred method of gaming. Regardless of how you play it, we're sure it'll be a blast.

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World of Warcraft designer explains why you keep dying , World of Warcraft: Cataclysm PC News

In World of Warcraft there are dungeons, and then there are‘Heroic’ dungeons. Commonly referred to as Heroics, these dungeons are more challenging than their‘regular’ counterparts and provide better loot as a reward for the tougher boss battles. In the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, Heroics were a fairly easy and the high-level loot flowed like wine. But Blizzard decided to ramp up the difficulty of Heroics in Cataclysm, causing some players to cry foul.

In an official response to players’ concerns that Heroics have become‘too difficult,’ World of Warcraft lead systems designer Greg Street reveals Blizzard’s point of view on the topic and shares some tips that will help players struggling to clear the more difficult content.

“The bottom line is that we want Heroics and raids to be challenging, and that is particularly true now while the content is new and characters are still collecting gear,” says Street on Battle.net. “They’re only going to get easier from here on out. We want players to approach an encounter, especially a Heroic encounter, as a puzzle to be solved. We want groups to communicate and strategize. And by extension, we want you to celebrate when you win instead of it being a foregone conclusion.”

According to Street, Heroics and entry level raids, like Naxxramas, in the previous expansion were a mistake– and offers specific tips for tanks, healers, and DPS players to step up their game. In short, tanks should be sure to mark targets for crowd control, DPS should know the mechanics of boss fights better, and healers should make sure they have the appropriate gear to keep the party alive. It’s doubtful that Street’s‘common sense’ tips will appease players who think that Heroics are just too hard, but we hope that it will lead to fewer wipes and under geared players using the game’s updated dungeon finder.

Have you been playing World of Warcraft Cataclysm? We’ve had both great and horrible experiences running through the new Heroics with our priest. Tell us what you think about the increased difficulty level of the new Heroics below.

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Are these the most epically hilarious Grand Theft Auto IV videos ever? Could well be , Grand Theft Auto IV PC News

Grand Theft Auto is the gift that keeps on giving. Nearly three years have passed since its release, and still it's hurling out the ludicrous LOLs like shells from a red hot M16 of comedy. The latest entrants into its ongoing barrage of motor-vehicular anarchy are these two videos, showing what happens when you adjust the PC version's physics settings to reduce car friction to -9. Essentially, all of Liberty City's cars start behaving like helium-filled pinballs on the moon.

Click below to witness Niko's heroically cinematic attempts to survive this fountain of hurtling metal, and have a clean set of pants ready in case of any laugh/wee-based accidents. I'm afraid they're pretty likely.

Sterling work here from Dot12321. If you want to create a similar petrol-fuelled mess yourself, he advises that you find the handling .dat file in your GTAIV folder, and then tweak the wbias setting for each car down to around -9. Let us know how long you manage to keep Niko alive if you give it a go.

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Dreamcast Collection releasing next month for 360 and PC, details are unsurprising, PC PC News

Sega has confirmed a February due date and a lineup for its Dreamcast Collection. On the upside, the pack will ship with graphically enhanced versions of four of the console's most popular games. The downside?As predicted, the collection will feature games that have already been announced or released for XBLA and PSN. Also, and PS3 fans will have to sit this one out.

Releasing in both disc and downloadable form for the PC and Xbox 360, Sega's Dreamcast Collection will include a cross-section of genre favorites including Sonic Adventure, Crazy Taxi, Sega Bass Fishing and Space Channel 5: Part 2. All games will feature updated visuals, achievements and online leader board tracking. The collection is scheduled for North America on February 22nd, and in Europe on February 25th.

“The Dreamcast console is still remembered as a pioneering console for online gaming,” said Gary Knight, VP of Marketing at SEGA of America and SEGA Europe, in the official announcement.“We are delighted to be able to offer to our large community of dedicated fans a collection such as Dreamcast Collection for them to enjoy old favourites on this generation of consoles”

Sega has made no mention of bringing the collection to the PS3. Anyway, for those keeping score at home, PlayStation 3 owners get theTomb Raider Trilogyand Xbox 360 fans get the Dreamcast Collection. That sounds like a fair deal... right?

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FEAR 3 Collector’s Edition to include a pregnant Alma, FEAR 3 PC News

I didn’t know that I wanted the collector’s edition of FEAR 3. But that was before I found out that it will come packed with a pregnant Alma Wade. That’s right. The collector’s edition of FEAR 3 will come with a 7” figurine of a very pregnant Alma. And if you’re worried that you won’t be able to admire the bulging belly of the mysterious psychic once the lights go out, don’t worry. It glows in the dark.

Above: The sickest extra we’ve ever seen included in a collector’s edition. Must have

Above: A bunch of stuff we don’t care about (left, middle). The pregnant Alma figure (right)

Above: See it and believe it

The collector’s edition will also include sturdy SteelBook packaging, an exclusive in-game weapon, and a FEAR 3 comic from DC Comics. But I don’t care about that. I want the pregnant Alma. It will go nicely with my chubby Boomer plush doll and collection of human hair.

FEAR 3 will be available on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. The release date was recently delayed from March till May, 2011.

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Dragon Age II pre-order bonuses detailed, Dragon Age 2 PC News

The sequel to Bioware's smash fantasy hit is coming out in mere weeks now, and you know what that means... awww, yeah, it's time for the pre-order bonus announcement!

EA just confirmed that anyone who pre-orders Dragon Age II for the Xbox 360, PS3, or PC will be eligible to download two exclusive weapons for free, offering an edge before the quest even begins. This applies to everyone who has already pre-ordered as well as anyone who takes the plunge between now and the day before the game's launch date, March 8th.

So enough with the suspense. What exactly are these bonus weapons? Here's the descriptions directly from the EA horse's mouth:

The Fadeshear

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Telltale's upcoming Jurassic Park game taking inspiration from Heavy Rain, PC PC News

Telltale Game's executive director Kevin Boyle told Game Informer that the company's upcoming Jurassic Park series of episodic games would use gameplay elements similar to those found in Heavy Rain.

Apparently Universal gave the license to the company because they didn't want to see another Jurassic Park FPS. Telltale, of course, is known for its adventure games. Like Heavy Rain, Jurassic Park's gameplay will be divided between slower-paced exploratory sequences and tense action sequences controlled by quick-time events.

The game takes place immediately after the first film, but story details beyond that are pretty scarce. Telltale's currently in the midst of a season of games based on another Universal franchise, Back to the Future.

{Source: The Escapist}

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Assassin's Creed, New Vegas, and Prince of Persia among the WGA's 2010 Videogame Writing Award nominees, Fallout: New Vegas PC News

Most everyone will agree that Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands was one of the best written games of 2010. Wait, what's that? You think that's absolutely ridiculous, and completely disagree? Then you certainly won't want to see some of the other games that the Writers Guild of America has nominated for its 2010 Videogame Writing Award...

TheWGA'sselection of the six best-written games of 2010 includes:

• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood(Ubisoft) - Story by Patrice Desilets, Jeffrey Yohalem, Corey May; Lead Script Writer: Jeffrey Yohalem; Script Writers: Ethan Petty, Nicholas Grimwood, Matt Turner
• Fallout: New Vegas(Bethesda) - Creative Design Lead/Lead Writer: John Gonzalez; Writers: Chris Avellone, Eric Fenstermaker, Travis Stout; Additional Writing: Tess Treadwell, George Ziets, Jason Bergman, Nick Breckon, Matt Grandstaff, Will Noble, Andrew Scharf
• God of War III(SCE) - Writer: Marianne Krawcyzk; Additional Writing by Stig Asmussen, Ariel Lawrence, William Weissbaum
• Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands(Ubisoft) -  Writer: Benjamin McCaw; Story Dialogue Editor: Marianne Krawczyk;
• Singularity(Activision) - Writers: Marc Guggenheim, Lindsey Allen, Emily Silver; Additional Story and Writing: Jason Henderson, Adam Foshko, Michael Cassutt; Story and Script Consultant: Adam Foshko
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II(LucasArts) - Executive Producer-Writer: Haden Blackman; In-Game Script: David Collins, John Stafford, Cameron Suey; Additional Writing: Tid Cooney, Ian Dominguez, Tony Rowe

The award takes into account games released between December 1st, 2009 and November 30th, 2010. More importantly, the award is only open to game writers who were either card carrying members of the WGA or applying to become one when their script was submitted; a barrier which may account for the omission of such highly praised games as Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Red Dead Redemption and Mass Effect 2. At least, we hope that's the reason they were overlooked.

Last year's winner was Star Wars: the Force Unleashed. Could LucasArts be in for a repeat victory? The 2010 Videogame Writing trophy will be handed out with the other WGA awards during its simultaneous award ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York on February 5th , 2011.

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GamesRadar now on Pulse - read us on iPhones, iPads, and Android devices for free!, PC PC News

Are you seriously reading this article on a

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Mattel sharing its toys with THQ, PC PC News

THQ and Mattel have entered a multi-year partnership that will see the toy company's most popular franchises developed as games for consoles, computers and portable devices.

Announced today, the deal gives THQ the keys to Mattel's toy chest which includes access to classic brands such as Barbie, Hot Wheels, Masters of the Universe and Polly Pocket. It also kicks off what is likely to be a slew of Mattel branded content for THQ's uDraw GameTablet.

Above: I have the power!! (to expand THQ's consumer base!!)

Extolling the many (lucrative) benefits to its union with Mattel in a press release, THQ’s Executive Vice President of Kids, Family and Casual Games Martin Good stated, “As we have shown with the combination of uDraw and Pictionary, there is enormous potential for the strategic relationship between THQ and Mattel. Through video games, we can build on some of the most famous and classic toy properties in the world, as well as unlock the entertainment potential of the newest creations from Mattel.”

UFC He-Man? Extreme Beach Volleyball Barbie? Polly Pocket Kart Racer? The possibilities are endless, although THQ is likely to play it PG as they've done in the past with other family-friendly properties such as Spongebob Square Pants, Scooby Doo and Nickelodeon branded fare. Still... Saints Row: Eternia? I'm just putting it out there... 

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Fight Jim Lee tonight in DC Universe Online's beta-ending event, DC Universe Online PC News

Do you love comic book artist and writer Jim Lee? Do you hate him? Either way, you’ll have the chance to either beat the stuffing out of him or fight on his team during DC Universe Online’s special“Battle of Legends” event this evening. To celebrate the conclusion of the PC and PS3 beta phases, Jim Lee will be joining the fray as Batman.

Sony Online Entertainment plans to keep fans updated on the PvP action on DC Universe Online’s official Facebook page. Beta testers on European servers will get their own“Battle of Legends” event tomorrow on Thursday, January 6. Check out the official times and locations below.

US Beta Servers– Wednesday January 5

PC BETA 2 / Wednesday January 5 / 4PM PT / Botanical Gardens (Batman vs. The Joker)

BETA 1 (PC) / Wednesday January 5 / 5PM PT / Botanical Gardens (Batman vs. The Joker) or Centennial Park (Superman vs. Lex Luthor)

PS3 BETA 2 / Wednesday January 5 / 5PM PT / Botanical Gardens (Batman vs. The Joker) or Centennial Park (Superman vs. Lex Luthor)

PC BETA 3 / Wednesday January 5 / 6PM PT / Botanical Gardens (Batman vs. The Joker) or Centennial Park (Superman vs. Lex Luthor) *Come join the battle and fight alongside or against Jim Lee aka Future Batman in this event as he takes on Nick Kolan PC Editor at IGN and his league of wanna be villains!

PS3 BETA 3 / Wednesday January 5 / 6PM PT / Botanical Gardens (Batman vs. The Joker) or Centennial Park (Superman vs. Lex Luthor)

PC BETA 4 / Wednesday January 5 / 7PM PT / Botanical Gardens (Batman vs. The Joker) or Centennial Park (Superman vs. Lex Luthor)

PS3 BETA 1 / Wednesday January 5 / 7PM PT / Botanical Gardens (Batman vs. The Joker) or Centennial Park (Superman vs. Lex Luthor) *Once again, fight against Jim Lee aka Future Batman, as he attempts to protect the Universe from the chaos and destruction that Greg Miller, Executive Editor– IGN, and his villainous band are trying to spawn!

EUROPEAN Beta Servers– Thursday January 6

EU PS3 BETA 1 / Thursday January 6 / 11AM CT or 5PM GMT / Botanical Gardens (Batman vs. The Joker)

EU PS3 BETA 2 / Thursday January 6 / 12 NOON CT or 6PM GMT / Centennial Park (Superman vs. Lex Luthor)

Above: Players will take on the role of iconic DC Universe heroes and villains during tonight’s event, which is inspired by the“Who Do You Trust?” CG trailer above

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A closer look at the new Lara Croft, Tomb Raider 2011 PC News

If you want to see more of the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot, you may want to check out these relatively new screenshots, which released over the holiday break. The fresh images come courtesy of Game Informer and show Lara Croft covered in mud, blood, and sweat as she explores some seriously disturbing environments.

Above: Look at that water!

Above: Is it just us? Or does the tip of Lara's belt look funny to you, too?

You can head to Game Informer to view the full gallery of new screenshots.

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Alan Wake is Time Magazine's game of the year. No, really, StarCraft II PC News

In an age when print is on the run from digital media, Time Magazine and its year-end awards are still noteworthy. The big news today was the publicationnaming Mark Zuckerberg Person of the Year, because apparently they only heard of Facebook after seeing it in a movie this year, but the periodical also posted theirtop ten games of the year. And while it’s a fine list, the top slot went to Alan Wake.

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Humble Indie Bundie 2 lets you name the price, PC PC News

What would you pay to play some of this year's hottest indie titles on your desktop? The Humble Bundle team is once again banking on the kindness of virtual strangers with today's release of the Humble Indie Bundle #2 featuring Braid, Cortex Command, Machinarium, Osmos, and Revenge of the Titans for the low price of ... well ... whatever you want...

Simply by making a one-time donation at the Humble Bundle website, one can gain complete, DRM-free ownership of five full indie games for play on Mac, Windows or Linux systems. Better still, consumers can determine how their donation is divvied up amongst the  Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Child's Play charity, individual developers or Humble Bundle organizers.

According to the website, this year's package would normally cost around $85 to purchase at full price. It's a pity then that the average donation remains around the $10 mark. But that's far more than they earn from all the folks who do their shopping with a torrent downloader. Plus, despite the Scrooges, the Humble Indie Bundle #2 is nevertheless on track to trounce last year's $1M earnings, having already sold $530,000 in sales with six days left on the clock.

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Alice: Madness Returns artbook coming from Dark Horse, Alice: Madness Returns PC News

There is a certain subset among us that like the more artistic side of gaming good and freaky. Luckily, there are developers that like to make their games along those same lines. If you fall into the first category, the upcoming art book forAlice: Madness Returns will be exactly what you need to spruce up your (probably equally freaky) coffee table.

ABOVE: What, your place doesn’t look like this?

Due in May from comic book publisher Dark Horse, the 184-page hardcover will include production art and media pieces for the upcoming PC/360/PS3 game, as well as an introduction from lead designer American McGee.

If we’re lucky, they’ll sell enough copies of the game and the book that McGee will tackle a reinterpretation of Bunnicula. It could happen, right? Anyway, pics are below to whet your appetite, and you can preorder it fromAmazon right now.

ABOVE: This looks like the weirdest Castlevania game we’d still play

ABOVE: Don’t expect the level designs to resemble anything in the real world

SOURCE:GameSetWatch

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