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Steam has 70% of PC download market, says Stardock

We always knew that Steam was a massive endeavor, continuously filling up the treasure chests in Valve’s basements. But we never really knew how big a chunk of the market it has, and now Stardock, one of its competitors, says that Steam has about a 70% of the digital distribution market share on the PC, which, as Kotaku points out, is about the same market share that Apple has in the digital music download sector.

This can only add to the criticism that Valve and Steam should be separated into different companies. But don’t count on that any time soon.

Sony looking into paid subscriptions for PS3 online area

Sony’s Kaz “Riiidge Racer” Hirai said during a presentation yesterday that Sony expects the PlayStation Network for the PS3 and PSP to generate $500 million in revenues this fiscal year, but, he also added another thing, a far more disturbing picture…

Hirai mentioned that Sony was looking into “premium subscriptions” for the online service, much like Xbox Live Gold on the Xbox 360. The PS3’s bit selling point has always been that it’s free to play online, and that may change soon. Hirai is quoted by CVG saying,

“Especially in the online area, we are studying the possibility of introducing a subscription model, offering premium content and services, in addition to the current free services.”

Great. Just as we thought the PS3 was catching up to the Xbox 360.

BioShock 2 multiplayer trailer

A sweet and short trailer, showcases some nice and fast paced multiplayer action. And some awesome one-liners.

Serious Sam HD dropping on November 24

The original Serious Sam was one of the great, old school shooters, no realism here, just big enemies and bigger guns. And lots of great humor. The HD upgrade of the game, still developed by good ‘ol Croteam, will be released on PC on November 24, for only $20, and if you pre-order it on Steam, you can get it for $18. Great deal if you haven’t played the original. And you should have!

New StarCraft 2 screenshots

Blizzard has released a bunch of new StarCraft 2 screenshots, and boy does this game look pretty. Expect a lot of Koreans to upgrade their PC rigs in 2010, when the game hits the stores.

Supreme Commander 2 walkthrough trailer

After announcing Supreme Commander 2 for a February 2010 release, Gas Powered Games released a lengthy walk through trailer for the game, explaining the details about the new tech. Very informative stuff.

Today on some of our blogs:

The Motley Fool Asks, Is Blockbuster The Next Circuit City?
New Battlefield Moments trailer
Casio Exilim EX-S5 Camera Review–A Pleasant Surprise
The Prisoner’ Remake: From Rebellion to Conformity
Audobon Guide Apps for iPhones Released

Dragon Age DLC revealed

EA has announced a new DLC for the highly successful RPG Dragon Age: Origins. The BioWare developed RPG’s first DLC, titled “Return to Ostagar”, will be released this holiday for just $5. The DLC will offer a chance for the player to “revisit Ostagar, the site of the Grey Wardens’ darkest hour, to reclaim the honor and learn the secrets of Ferelden’s fallen king”.

While it’s okay with a cheap DLC, it seems a bit too early. We’re in the process of reviewing the game (review coming soon!), and we’ve already strolled through some 30 hours of gameplay. It’s not like the game is light on content as it is.

MW2 rockets GameStop Q3 profits

One of the biggest winners from the successful launch of Modern Warfare 2, besides Activision, is GameStop, which saw its Q3 profits hit $52 million, on $1.8 billion in revenue. GameStop said the profits were fueled by Modern Warfare 2, which was the biggest launch in the history of the company, and sold 2.5 million copies in its first 72 hours. The company projects the good times into the upcoming months, with the release of Assassin’s Creed 2 and New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Nintendo planning Zelda surprise for E3 2010

At E3 2009, Nintendo revealed a few fragments of information about the upcoming Zelda, basically confirming that it was in development and released a sweet teaser poster (which you can see above). Now Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma has said that they’re “trying something new” with regards to the structure of the game, and adds,

“So we have been trying something new in terms of the structure of the Wii version of the new Zelda game this time. I am really hopeful that people will be surprised with the changes we have implemented for this Wii version.”

The game is set for a hopeful 2010 release. Very hopeful.

Frontlines Fuel of War 75% off on Steam

Remember Frontlines Fuel of War? The semi-sci-fi multiplayer shooter that was created by a pack of Battlefield developers? Yeah, we thought so. If you didn’t try out the game before — we can understand if you haven’t — you got a pretty good deal for it on Steam now, as the game is 75% off the normal price, meaning it retails for only $7.50.

BioShock 2 special edition revealed

Well, don’t look surprised, of course BioShock, like all other highly anticipated sequels, was getting a special edition set. The BioShock 2 Special Edition package includes the game, a 160-page hardcover art books (we love those) and the soundtrack on CD. But there’s more! For the first time (at least we think), the set includes a orchestral score on vinyl. Yep, vinyl. How retro is that? Pretty retro if you ask us. The special edition will retail for $99 on consoles and $89 on PC and will be released on February 9.

New Battlefield Moments trailer

DICE has released a brand new action-filled Bad Company 2 trailer, showing just what you can do with a few packs of C4 (spoiler: level a building with enemies inside it).

Assassin’s Creed 2 review

Assassin’s Creed was one of the few original and interesting new IPs that was released two years ago, bringing a new setting not often explored by games, alongside some original combat and acrobatics. The sequel — and of course there’s a sequel — looks to build upon the success of the first game, and offer something new. While the gameplay remains mainly unchanged, the new setting, in Renaissance Italy looks just as great as ancient Jerusalem did in AC1.

The story continues where the previous ended; Desmond, in today’s time, escapes from the complex that kidnapped him and captured his mind. This time he teams up with the good guys, and gets back in the seat in the machine that sends him back a few hundred years to Italy, during Leonardo da Vinci’s time, where he’ll play an assassin, in order to train himself the skills. We won’t go into detail of the story, but rest assured that it’s pretty well told and written, although the cut scenes and dialogue aren’t exactly top notch. Read the rest of our Assassin’s Creed 2 review

Today on some of our blogs:

Pininfarina factory bought up, new De Tomasos on the way?
Lions Gate Incubator Project To Launch Soon
Chicago Goes Far Beyond Traffic Cameras
Star Wars Trench Run on the iPhone