Battlefield 3 'Back to Karkand' pre-order maps revealed, Battlefield 3 PC News

The contents of the Battlefield 3 pre-order bonus pack, a selection of four maps from Battlefield 2, were revealed by DICE today. The add-on, which includes classic weapons and vehicles, as well as exclusive rewards, Achievements, and Trophies, was announced earlier this week alongside the first gameplay trailer.

Postingon the Battlefield forums, DICE community manager Daniel Matros confirmed that the maps in question are Wake Island (surprise!), Strike at Karkand, Gulf of Oman, and Sharqi Peninsula.

DICE hasn't issued any clarification as to whether or not the map pack will be made available later as paid DLC, or if it will be exclusive to pre-order purchases, but as the developer has stated that the add-on will be available to early purchasers"at no extra charge,"we assume that late-adopters will have a chance to grab it eventually.

Which are your favorite classic Battlefield maps?

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GR giveaway: Win a FREE Steam code for Crasher, Crasher PC News

UPDATE 02/25/2011:Thank you for entering our Crasher contest! All the Crasher codes have been distributed. Please check your inbox to see if you won! If you didn’t win, you can still download the demo for free via Steam. Also, don’t forget to check back tomorrow for a special surprise. – Tyler N

It’s Friday, and we want you to start your weekend off right with a chance to win a free game. Thanks to the fine folks at Punchers Impact, we have 100 Steam codes for Crasher to share. The MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) game is kind of like Defense of the Ancients meets Twisted Metal. There are 5 vs 5 team battles, leaderboards, unlockable upgrades, an XP system, and all that good stuff to work with as you tear through arenas in your death mobile.

Above: Visit the official Facebook page for Crasher and become a fan for more details about this independently developed car-on-car-a-thon

Above: Crasher’s cars come in different classes. Here’s the Melee Destructor. We like to think that it receives a plus 11 bonus to damage if you turn the music volume all the way up

To enter, just leave a comment on this article. If you don’t already have a GamesRadar account, you can click here to create one. It only takes a moment.

At 4:00pm (Pacific Time) today, winners will be selected at random and will receive a private message from one of our administrators with a Steam key for the game along with instructions that explain how to start downloading the game for free. And if you don’t end up winning, there’s always the demo, which can be downloaded now via Steam.

Good luck! And don't forget to check your inbox later today to see if you won!

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CoD: Modern Warfare 3 to be revealed at GDC?, Modern Warfare 2 PC News

UPDATE:According to Geoff Keighley, an Activision spokesperson has stated,"Let me be clear we are not revealing yet. Anything indicating otherwise is a hoax." The site appears to be the work of viral marketers, but what they're marketing is a mystery to us.

A new teaser site -findmakarov.com- is snaking its way through the tubes this morning. The site features a night-vision-green countdown clock which will bottom out at 7 a.m. PST on Wednesday, March 2, during next week's GDC. Gee, what could it possibly mean?

Vladimir Makarov, of course, is Modern Warfare 2's villain of currently unknown whereabouts. Green text with scan-lines and a light, flowing fog behind it is unmistakably 'Modern Warfare.' Yearly releases are unmistakably Activision. Let's go to our thinking chair and see if we can sort this one out.

The domain is privately registered, so we can't be sure it isn't fake (but who would bother?). A reverse IP lookup reveals one other site hosted at the same address - findhakarov.com. It times out.

Does the voice say"Soap"when it loads?

{Source:findmakarov.com}

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Dead Island trailer creator speaks to dead girl controversy , Dead Island PC News

Dead kids are typically avoided in videogames, but if the massive response to the Dead Island trailer is any indication, tossing a zombified preteen from a hotel window is also an excellent way to get a crap ton of free press.

Since dropping last week, the three-minute CGI teaser for Techland's upcoming title has amassed millions of views on YouTube, significant media exposure and seriousHollywood attention. No doubt, the trailer succeeded in creating massive buzz for a relatively unknown title, but for some, it's also raised the question of whether or not its animators at Axis Productions went 'too far' in doing so.

Recently,Develop askedAxis co-founder Stuart Aitken for his take on some ofthe controversysurrounding the Dead Island trailer and it's unflinching depiction of a deceased little girl. In the interview, Aitken defended the studio's creative vision, explaining,"On the subject of the Daughter character specifically, we were aware that there was an impact about that choice for sure, but I think that choice fitted the narrative we wanted to tell and was appropriate in that sense."

According to Aitken, early concepts for the trailer featured the mother as the main source of zombie food, but Axis felt it needed to raise the familial stakes even further. This meant good news for mom, but a horrible fate for her daughter.

"Her actual death isn’t especially graphic or gory. The real shock is more about the relationship between parent and child and how that is perverted when she turns on her dad even after being saved by him,"noted Aitken, adding,"If someone found it a little unsettling then I think that was what was intended. We didn’t set out to offend anyone - just rattle them a bit."

Over and above playing fast and loose with taboos, Axis' trailer also blurs the line between effective game marketing and misleading eye candy. Elsewhere in the interview, Aitken admitted that the characters in the video aren't necessarily based on anyone in the game, and that the studio's depiction of the Island is more or less an close interpretation of what gamers can expect.

Justifying the trailer's loose ties with Techland's actual title, he said,"To an extent a full CG trailer is always a different experience to actually playing the game. It isn’t trying to pretend to be game play, like a lot of CG trailers do, at all. It’s more trying to tell a story in the same world but in a different medium that describes an event that is illustrative of the type of interactive experience you might have when playing. All we have tried to do is tell that story as effectively as possible."

Axis has also worked on high profile titles including Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Mass Effect 2 and Crackdown 2. You can browse its complete portfoliohere, and Aitken's full interview with Develophere.

{Source:Develop}

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Epic Games to demonstrate 'breathtaking' Unreal Engine 3 update at GDC, Unreal Tournament III PC News

Unreal Engine 3 has probably lived beneath a majority of the games you've played since 2006 - it's been the framework for well over 100 major titles, including Batman: Arkham Asylum, Mass Effect, BioShock, and, of course, Epic's own creations. That's why it's a big deal that Epic plans to unveil the next version of the engine at GDC next week.

The company isn't revealing Unreal Engine 4 just yet, mind you - we probably won't see that until the next generation of consoles is on its way - but based on comments about this UE 3 update, we can expect big things.

"This technology demonstration is nothing short of breathtaking. It reminds me of when we first showed Unreal Engine 3 to the world and people were amazed,"said Epic Games president Dr. Michael Capps."It’s like seeing the Unreal Engine all over again for the very first time."

As Epic will soon be competing with the likes ofid Tech 5,DICE's Frostbite 2, the next IW Engine iteration from Activision's CoD team, and whatever new Source iteration Valve is surely toiling away on, we're willing to bet it has some impressive tech to show off. More advanced brown-rendering technology, maybe?

The company will be unveiling the update behind closed doors with a"completely new, high-end demo."We'll do our darndest to see what the fuss is about next week.

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Control a game by making out with the latest in experimental input methods, PC PC News

It's just a game of one-upmanship from these motion control guys. Sure, Kinect may have wowed everyone with its controller-free gameplay, but Hye Yeon Nam, a PhD student at the Georgia Institute of Technology has done them one better with a hands-free kissing game.

As she describeson her site,“The Kiss Controller interface has two components: a customized headset that functions as a sensor receiver and a magnet that provides sensor input. The user affixes a magnet to his/ her tongue with Fixodent. Magnetic field sensors are attached to the end of the headset and positioned in front of the mouth. As the user moves her tongue, this creates varying magnetic fields that are used to control games.”

Above: The intimate control method is used to play a bowling game.

“One person has a magnet on his/her tongue and the other person wears the headset. While they kiss, the person who has the magnet on his/her tongue controls the direction and speed of the bowling ball for 20 seconds. The goals of this game are to guide the ball so that it maintains an average position in the center of the alley and to increase the speed of the ball by moving the tongue faster while kissing."

It doesn't exactly strike us as the most romantic thing in the world, but it still sounds way more fun than most other motion control games.

{Via:Kotaku}

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Get Back to the Future: Episode I for FREE, Back to the Future: The Game Episode 1 PC News

With recently announced titles based on The Walking Dead and Fables, and a new Jurassic Park game in the works, Telltale Games is very much on our mind. That’s why we thought it worth pointing out that you can get the first episode of the studio’s Back to the Future adventure for free from the official Telltale Games online store.

Just follow this link for your free copy of the game. Those who have been following Telltale closely may recall that Back to the Future: Episode I was made available for free when using the special coupon codeword“121GIGAWATTS.” It seems that the codeword is now preloaded for those interested in pre-ordering the full seasons of Jurassic Park: The Game and Back to the Future. Just make sure you uncheck those collections from the order form if you don’t want them before checking out.

Above: A trailer for Back to the Future: Episode I

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Medal of Honor sequel confirmed, currently in development by Danger Close, Medal of Honor PC News

Executive Producer Greg Goodrich revealed today that EA's Danger Close studio is currently working on the next Medal of Honor game. The 2010 franchise reboot received mixed critical and consumer reactions, but was a commercial success with over five million copies sold worldwide.

Inhis announcementon EA's official Medal of Honor blog, Goodrich teased,"Since our launch last October, we've studied, listened and absorbed much of your feedback and are very excited to be marching forward on the next title. We can't wait to tell you more about it, so check back often to the website and the fan page on Facebook."

Goodrich went on to reaffirm Danger Close's reverence for"the commitment and sacrifice shown by the men and women of our armed services,"and called the next entry"a fun ride for the Medal of Honor franchise."

There's no word yet on whether or not DICE will again be handling the multiplayer portion of the game. For now, at least, the developer seems to be laser-focused on Battlefield 3.

Also, as I don't usually write such bone-dry, straightforward stories, I feel it's my obligation to end this article with a completely tangential statement.

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Telltale announces The Walking Dead and Fables games, PC PC News

Robert Kirkman's comic The Walking Dead commands a huge cult audience, but it was AMC's TV adaptation that really put the property on the map. Perhaps that's why Telltale Games' recently announced The Walking Dead videogame looks to be taking cues from both the show and the original comic. With Kirkman serving as a producer on the TV series, fans of either undead incarnation ought to be interested in the upcoming game translation. And that's not the only new comics-related game Telltale has announced.

Above: Expect Telltale’s The Walking Dead series to hit all the usual platforms with releases planned for PC, Mac, consoles, and handhelds

The show went through a controversial writers'-room shake-up in the transition between seasons, but with Telltale retaining their own writing staff, the games ought to stay clear of such strife. The developer’s previous TV adaptations were Ubisoft's CSI games: expect The Walking Dead's corpses to present less opportunity for quip-laden inspection, but a far larger window for fleeing, screaming and brain-repurposing.

Kirkman himself seems optimistic about the upcoming game based on his creation."The folks at Telltale Games are a great choice for bringing The Walking Dead to life as interactive entertainment,” said Kirkman.“They care as much as I do about the story and characters while seamlessly weaving that into the games they build.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I am ecstatic to work with the same people putting out the coolest Jurassic Park game ever."

Above: Also announced was a partnership between Telltale Games and DC Entertainment to create games based on Bill Willingham’s series, Fables

Telltale fans will also remember the adaptation of Jeff Smith's beloved Bone comic in 2005. That experience ought to feed not just into The Walking Dead, but also a direct adaptation of Bill Willingham's Fables– a Gaiman-esque series that recasts the Big Bad Wolf as a reluctant do-gooder PI in a world populated by fairy-tale characters. Between these, an upcoming Jurassic Park serial, and the ongoing Back to the Future, it's hard to imagine anyone at Telltale getting much free time anytime soon. At least they'll have plenty of TV to catch up on.

Looking forward to these new series? What do you think of Telltale's serial-gaming style? Let's hear from you.

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Will Wright: 'Games are not the right medium to tell stories', Spore PC News

Will Wright is best known for revolutionary games like The Sims, but the famed game designer has been up to more than just making games. And, unlike his games, which are all about open-ended story creation, Wright's new show on Current TV tells a concrete story.

"Games are not the right medium to tell stories,"said Wright ina CNN interview, adding that they're"more about story possibilities."

Wright and Albie Hecht's new drama, Bar Karma, however, doesn't draw its characters, plots, and dialog solely from the usual team of writers (would you expect Wright to do anything the 'normal' way?). Not even Wright is directly in charge of the show's direction - it's crowd-sourced, a 'community-developed' TV series. The (preemptive) fans created the show by offering input on its website.

The resulting premise involves a mystical barroom in which the fates of lost souls are guided by the staff. The show premiered on Current last Friday, and you can watch episodes, as well as join in with the production of future episodeson the official site.

"This is storytelling,"said Wright."Television is a very different thing from video games. It's kind of hard for me to compare."

What do you think about games as a medium - or not a medium - for storytelling? You can read more of Wright's comments inhis interview with CNN, in which he discusses his preference for creating his own stories in games, as opposed to experiencing stories told via other media.

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Valve seeking community input for next Left 4 Dead 2 DLC, Left 4 Dead 2 PC News

More Left 4 Dead 2 DLC is on its way, this time with considerable input from Valve's community. Yesterday, the studio admitted over its blog that it was late in updating its zombie-survival franchise, but that it was now ready to move forward with a fairly meaty DLC release, the contents of which will be refined by fans.

The unnamed DLC pack will contain 3 campaigns from Left 4 Dead that have yet to be ported to the sequel. It will also include a new community campaign entitled Cold Stream created by Matthew Lourdelet, whose previous L4D2 creation, 2 Evil Eyes, was well received by both Valve and players.

Explaining how it plans to bring Lourdelet's creation to the masses, Valve wrote:

“He recently shared it with us and we love it so far but it isn’t done. We were tempted to have him quietly finish it with our help and release it as part of an upcoming DLC. Tempted… but we decided against that. Instead, we think we have a better idea. We want you the community to be part of the process of taking his unfinished campaign and releasing it as DLC on the Xbox 360, PC and Mac.”

True to its word, Valve has set up a dedicatedCold Stream thread, and has promised to make the unfinished add-on available for playtesting in the next few weeks.

As for an ETA, Valve added that the L4D2 DLC will be ready when it's damn well ready (aka Valve time), but that it won't be available until after Portal 2.

{Source:Left 4 Dead Blog}

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Plants vs. Zombies board game invading homes this fall, Plants vs Zombies PC News

When you let the zombies in your home in Plants vs. Zombies, they don't just eat your brains - they want to play the upcoming PvZ board game with you. Just hope they also bring non-brain based snacks.

Made by Screenlife, the board game pictured here is currently in the prototype stage and was spotted by Kotaku at Toy Fair 2011. Designed for 2-4 players, the game uses zombie and plant cards to determine the makeup of each side's respective army, while dice rolls and card flips help determine placement. PvZ the board game is scheduled for release this fall.

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Love&Order brings Japanese dating sim genre to North America, free demo available now, Love& Order PC News

Otome games, better known as romance games or dating sims, are a popular genre in Japan. Take Konami’s Tokimeki Memorial series, for example. With dozens of sequels and spin-offs, there are more Tokimeki titles than every Halo and Gears of War game combined.

However, dating sim titles are so niche that you rarely see foreign developers take a stab at the genre. That’s why Love& Order, a Canadian developed and proper otome game, caught our eye.

Above: A trailer for Love& Order

Love& Order the latest project from Christine Love, who’s best known for her work on the indie (and DOS friendly) otome game, Digital: A Love Story. Set in the crown prosecutor's office of Montreal, Love& Order follows a young secretary as she solves a mystery, balances her work and her social life, and chooses between four different suitors. The anime art style and generic music fit right in with genre conventions, and only the game's impeccable English gives it away as a non-Japanese otome game.

You can check out a demo of the game on the developer's site. It’s totally cheesy, but we still like the idea of a western studio taking such an unusual project.

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RUMOR: Activision may acquire Grand Theft Auto publisher, Grand Theft Auto IV PC News

Activision is reportedly interested in acquiring publisher Take-Two, most likely for the rights to the Grand Theft Auto series.“There are very strong rumors amongst people at a very senior level within the global business,” said a senior games executive to MCV.

It's like 2007 all over again. Back then, rumors were flying that EA was going to acquire the mid-sized publisher. Looks like we're in for another year filled with industry gossip about another acquisition that may or may not come to pass.

Keep in mind, there's no concrete info at the moment. As the senior executive explained:"But they're not much more than that at the moment– they are just rumors. And, of course, given Activision's news this week, everyone is now looking to see what their next move is. But you can definitely put two and two together and make four-ish."

The anonymous senior executive is of course referring torecent news that Activision will cease production of any new Guitar Hero games while cancelling True Crime: Hong Kong.

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Billy Mitchell opens video arcade in Orlando airport, PC PC News

Retro-gaming record-breaker, hot-sauce magnate, patriotic necktie connoisseur... and now coin-op entrepreneur. Is there anything Billy Mitchell cannot do? Well, sure: Mitchell, longtime holder of the world record for the high score on Donkey Kong, can't catch a break from fans of Seth Gordon's 2007 documentary, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. But the movie's Mitchell would rather be rich than be loved– explaining his new Kong-themed video arcade in the Orlando International Airport.

Gordon's movie, the best film ever made about videogames, cast Billy Mitchell as a preening scumbag, manipulatively protecting the record from loveable sad-sack Steve Wiebe. Mitchell's argued that the documentary misrepresents him, playing up his villainy and exaggerating the antipathy between himself and Wiebe. However, decorating his new arcade with King of Kong regalia shows a measure of reconciliation with the role Gordon has cast him in– provided it'll move quarters.

This video tour of the King of Kong arcade may surprise many: the joint has a decidedly new-school flavor, with dedicated cabinets like Terminator: Salvation taking precedence over absent old-school titles like Pac-Man or (ahem) Donkey Kong. Still, if there's two things Kong stresses in the Billy Mitchell character, it's his reluctance to offer others a stab at his records (the Kong title is currently held by rival Hank Chien)– and his willingness to hew to a profitable bottom line.

Source: viaArcade Heroes

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First screenshots for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim PC News

If you're brimming with excitement over Bethesda's next entry in the storied Elder Scrolls franchise, then head over to Facebook and say that you"Like"the official game series fan page. You'll be treated to a handful of the first screenshots of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Of course, you could also go to GamesRadar’s official fan page and“Like” us, because we’ve got all the new images here as well.

 

As should be expected in any Elder Scrolls title, the screenshots for Skyrim show vast, magnificent-looking landscapes and intriguing creatures. There is also a brief look at combat elements in the game, with a picture detailing various move types.

 

There's also five"Concept Art"photos from the upcoming game, mostly environmental in nature. For those who don't know, the Elder Scrolls franchise is known for sweepingly huge games that can take well over 100 hours to complete. Every entry is a big deal.

 

Above: The reveal trailer for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Above: It sure is going to be tough waiting until the game releases. At least The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has an easy-to-remember release date, which is currently set for November 11, 2011 (aka 11/11/11)

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Go balls-out crazy with Duke Nukem Forever's Balls of Steel Edition, Duke Nukem Forever PC News

You've been waiting for it since you were a little kid, and now that it's here you need as much extra, pointless swag as you can get. That's why 2K Games and Gearbox will be offering a very special"Balls of Steel"edition of Duke Nukem Forever.

This is for the real serious Duke Nukem fan, or for anyone who just wants to show appreciation for the awesome name of this limited edition bundle. In addition to the game, Balls of Steel buyers will get the following:

* Collectible bust of the greatest alien ass-kicker of all-time

* Numbered, limited-edition certificate of authenticity

* 100-page hardcover book: The History, Legacy& Legend: Duke Nukem Forever Art from the Vault

* Duke Nukem Forever postcard series

* Duke Nukem Forever radioactive emblem sticker

* Duke Nukem Forever collectible comic book

* Duke Nukem Forever foldable paper craft

* Duke Nukem Forever poker chips

* Duke Nukem Forever mini-card deck

* Duke Nukem Forever radioactive emblem dice

Does it make up for the years of relentless teasing and seemingly never wanting to release this mythical game? Perhaps. But it's still a hefty $100 for this limited piece of video game history.

But for those who simply cannot get enough Duke Nukem merch, check back in tomorrow, February 12, when GamesRadar will be giving away a special Duke Nukem Forever collector's item that you won't find in the Balls of Steel bundle. Check in later for more details.

For now, if you want to get your orders in ASAP for the kick-ass Balls of Steel package, it's available for pre-order at Amazon and GameStop. It will be released alongisde the standard game-only launch of May 3.

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Duke Nukem Forever more popular with female gamers than most triple-A titles, Duke Nukem Forever PC News

Duke Nukem Forever is more popular amongst female gamers than most triple-A titles and has a higher percentage of females fans on Facebook than Borderlands. That’s according to Gearbox Software’s Steve Gibson, who revealed some interesting figures from the official Facebook fan pages for Duke Nukem Forever and Borderlands.

“So we can tell who fans us on Facebook. If you actually run a fan page, you can see their age breakdown, their sex breakdown, nationality, and all that stuff– and it is broad. Honestly, what’s a little surprising is the female percentage is higher on this game than it was on Borderlands,” explained Gibson in a recent interview with GamesRadar. 

The core audience for big titles is still a mostly male affair, and it’s still mostly dudes who are most interested in the return of the Duke. But according to Gibson, the unexpectedly high amount interest from female gamers reflects how broad the audience is for Duke Nukem Forever. 

“Most triple-A games are expecting somewhere between, say three percent up to maybe eight percent– and we’re far exceeding that on Duke Forever,” said Gibson.

Gibson isn’t exactly sure why Duke Nukem Forever has such an unexpectedly high percentage of female fans on Facebook.“If only we knew all the answers,” joked Gibson.“It’s good that this isn’t just some sexist, misogynist game. {Duke} celebrates women. It’s a celebration,” said Gibson with a laugh.

At the time of writing, the official Facebook fan page for Duke Nukem Forever has nearly 80,000 likes. But whether you’re male or female, a longtime fan or a newcomer to the series, Duke Nukem Forever will be available for all on May 3rd when it releases for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

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New Duke Nukem Forever screens reveal"Operation: Cock Block"and more, Duke Nukem Forever PC News

New screenshots for Duke Nukem Forever have arrived. Pulled from an epic two-hour long demo, the images before you offer a sneak peak at some of the shenanigans you’ll see during the first few hours of the highly anticipated sequel’s singleplayer campaign.

If you’ve got questions, we’ve got answers. Check out the site later this evening for an in-depth preview of Duke Nukem Forever. Leaving no urinal unchecked, we’ll dive headfirst into the title’s low-brow humor, detailing everything you want to know about the return of gaming’s manliest protagonist.

Above: Duke Nukem takes it slow as he runs the game plan for"Operation: Cock Block"past a few grunts. Check out our hands-on preview tonight for all the gory details on every event and boss fight featured here

Above: No nipples for you! We had to censor Duke Nukem's naughty pen before posting this image

Above: One of the many bosses you'll beat down during the first two hours of Duke Nukem Forever. Come back tonight for more details

Above: This giant  mothership is the biggest thing you'll blow up during the beginning of the game. But it's certainly not the strangest

Above: You can check out even more screenshots for Duke Nukem Forever here

Above: And in case you missed it, here’s the most recent trailer for Duke Nukem Forever

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Visceral responds to Dead Space 2 petition from disabled gamers, Dead Space 2 PC News

A petition to game developers on behalf of gamers with disabilities has reached the attention of Visceral Games developers, who today confirmed that it will be including control customization options in an upcoming patch for the PC version of Dead Space 2.

The petition was launched in 2009 by self-described“can't stand-up” comedian Chuck Bittner (AskACapper), and recently caught mainstream attention after a UK gamer with a disability named Gareth took the petition to Overclockers UK after learning that his PC version of Dead Space 2 did not allow him to map the game's controls to his head operated system. In little under a day, the story caught the attention of Visceral Games developers, who responded last night with news of an upcoming fix.

“I'm a developer from Visceral Games Australia, the studio responsible for the PC port of Dead Space 2. Sorry to hear about your issue - I've spoken with a few key people here and we'll do our best to include a fix for it in the next patch,” wrote a studio staffer by the name of Michael on Gareth's forum.

Above: Gareth demonstrates his personal set-up for Fallout: New Vegas on the PC

In a follow-up to Joystiq, Visceral's executive producer Steve Papoutsis clarified that,“The Dead Space 2 team is aware of the issue that disabled players are having with Dead Space 2 PC. In fact a number of folks on our team are so passionate about getting this fix done that they are currently working hard to allow players to re-map key bindings to the mouse which should help disabled players enjoy the game.”

This is no doubt great news for Bittner, who has been championingthe ongoing petitionthrough his live comedy and website for over a year. He told us this morning,“I feel eventually all developers will realize the extra time and cost associated with remapping is negligible when compared to increased sales and customer satisfaction this feature brings. As a disabled gamer, I don't buy games I can't remap, and on consoles, that means 95% of games.”

Bittner also noted that he will be bringing the petition to PAX East, adding,“I plan on talking to every developer on site about disabled gamers, and why we need this so badly.”

Samples of his comedy and unique game playing skills can be found atwww.askacapper.com

As for Gareth's contribution to the cause, Bittner admits that he only heard of the UK PC player yesterday, but is nonetheless thankful for the attention that he and the Overclockers UK community have garnered the petition in the last 24 hours.

“{Overclockers} has done an amazing job at getting media attention on this. Bravo to them. Since I started this petition, the world wide support is pretty unanimous. I appreciate Gareth making known to me that even PC games are losing this basic feature and that is a step in the wrong direction. To Gareth I say nice job. Game on, gamer.”

No release date for the patch has been given, but considering Visceral's quick response andrecent track record withfans, we expect it won't be put on the backburner.

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Bleszinski: Violent game critics 'flatter' the industry, Bulletstorm PC News

Violent games are often said to be corrupting the world's youth, but they're not the only form of media to have ever contributed to the horrid swamp of murder and debauchery we occupy today. Why, when those who are now condemning games were growing up, they too were corrupted to high hell by all that gosh durn 'rock and roll' devil music!

That's right, everything is always worse today than ever before, and everything new is contributing to the collapse of civilized society.

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DICE cancels two PC Battlefield projects in favor of Battlefield 3, Battlefield 3 PC News

DICE is clearly focusing all of its energy on Battlefield 3, which is what DICE general manager Karl Magnus Troedsson calls“the biggest launch in DICE's history.”

With such a monumental task in front of them it's no wonder that Magnus has also announced that DICE has cancelled both Battlefield 1943 for the PC and the co-op Battlefield: Bad Company 2 add-on 'Onslaught' in favor of focusing on the big title.

Battlefield 1943's continuous delays make the cancellation unsurprising - if it had launched this year, it would have done so two years after its console counterpart.

{Via:Joystiq}

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Ridge Racer Unbounded announced - see its 'wilder' direction in the debut trailer, Ridge Racer Unbounded PC News

Last night, Namco Bandai announced Ridge Racer Unbounded for the 360, PS3, and PC. If you liked the series' vibrant colors and racing behind waterfalls 'n stuff, get ready for

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Team Fortress 2 and Rift trade loot in online promotion, Rift PC News

It's not every day that Team Fortress 2 takes part in a videogame cross-over. Just every week or so. For its latest trick, Valve has partnered with MMO developer Trion for a pre-order promotion that will see all who pre-order Rift through Steam by March 1st gifted with two unique Rift-themed melee weapons for Valve's shooter and a 'Well Spun Hat' to wear (with pride?) in Trion's upcoming MMO.

On the Team Fortress 2 side, players who pre-order Rift will receive both the Sharpened Volcano Fragment and the Sun-on-a-Stick weapons. On Trion's end, players who complete a Team Fortress 2 achievement entitled 'Riftwalker'– that is, killing a chump within five seconds of using a teleporter - will unlock a code for the aforementioned 'Well Spun Hat.'

Above: The Well Spun Hat, 200% creepier than the name implies

As Team Fortress 2 tie-ins go, this is one of the most mismatched yet. What's next? Scout items in Batman Arkham City? Hold up, we're getting a press release...

{Source:Team Fortress}

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Dungeon Siege III releasing on May 31, Dungeon Siege 3 PC News

Square Enix has announced that Dungeon Siege III will be released on May 31 for the PC, 360, and PS3, marking the first time the franchise has appeared on consoles. And if you just can't wait to call dibs on it, there are (of course) a few pre-order goodies for you:

• Pre-order at GameStop and receive the Burning Band of Scorch (increases player attack power, sets enemies on fire), and the Talisman of the Grand Mage (reduces damage received)
• Pre-order the PC version on Steam and you'll get downloadable versions of the classic Dungeon Siege and Dungeon Siege II games for free.
• Pre-order at Amazon and receive Bite of the Arakun (poisons enemies)
• Pre-order at Best Buy and receive the Sacred Heart of the Legion (increases health)
• Pre-order at Walmart and receive a physical mini-comic as well as a free mini strategy guide exclusively made for Walmart customers.

Above: The Sacred Heart of the Legion

Check out our initial thoughts on Obsidian's first entry in the series inour first-look preview.

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Bulletstorm roasts CoD in playable 'Duty Calls' spoof , Bulletstorm PC News

It takes a lot of balls for an unproven IP to take cheap shots at its established competitors, but EA has high expectations for Bulletstorm, and apparently enough marketing wherewithal to create a playable Call of Duty spoof game entitled, Duty Calls: The Call Before the Storm.

Free for the PC, Duty Calls is a five-minute, 800MB experience which skewers as many Call of Duty clichés as it can on its short, hilarious run. You canplay it for yourself here, or watch the full runthrough:

In Call of Duty's defense, I know a great many Sergeant Sergeant Master Segeant Shooter Persons who had their lives saved by 500 sheets of wide ruled notebook paper.

According to EA, Duty Calls also features:

1. Duty Vision slows down the action so you can unload a storm of bullets

2. Immersive dialogue from the front lines

3. Cold, calculated realism

4. Killing animations motion captured from real actors

5. True-life reloading system allows for mistakes in putting the cartridge in the gun

6. Iconic sound effects

7. Thwart an enemy threat that could topple the country and possibly the world

8. Significant and historically accurate props

With this and it's most recent video mocking theHalo 3'd diorama ads, it's clear that Bulletstorm's marketing team is confident in its product. That or they're a little foggy about how karma works. Epic Games and People Can Fly better walk the walk or it'll soon be Bungie and Treyarch's turn to mock them.

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Ringo Starr trademarks his name as a game title, PC PC News

There has just been an application down at the ol' trademark office to secure the rights to the name"Ringo"in association with 'video and computer games.' Any idea who might have applied for that? Well, aside from the fact that we just told you in the headline of this article, it's pretty obvious only one man has the right to trademark Ringo - former Beatles great Ringo Starr.

And that pretty much sums up all we know. Starr has registered his first (stage) name in the trademark categories for"computer game software"and"downloadable computer games via the internet and wireless devices."

Might we see Ringo: The Experience? Or perhaps Ringo Ringo Revolution? How about Ringo the Hedgehog, or new Super Ringo Bros. Wii? One thing's for sure - the name Ringo will fit in in any video game title, and for that reason alone I'm behind whatever the devil Mr. Starr is cooking up.

Ringo has been busy with his own solo career, having just released his latest album Y Not. And since any reputable musician these days has to have a video game backing, it makes sense that he would branch out. Now we just have to wait to see what that branching out will actually entail.

{Source:GameSpot UK}

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Bulletstorm trailer pokes fun at Halo 3, Bulletstorm PC News

A brand new teaser for Bulletstorm has just released, which pokes fun of the memorable Halo 3 television spot that aired in 2007. Like the original Halo ad, the Bulletstorm promotion features lots of super serious slow pans over realistic action figures in striking poses. Only this time, the camera focuses on baddies getting spiked through the groin and penetrated from the rear. Check out the silly, new Bulletstorm teaser and compare it with Bungie’s less ridiculous advertisement for Halo 3 below.

Above: The new Bulletstorm trailer

Above: The 90 second Halo 3 television spot

Blast from the past: Chris Antista shows what he knows about making Master Chief dolls hump

Bulletstorm is scheduled to release on February 22 in North America for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC– and is on track to release in European territories on February 25.

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