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First Gears of War 2 Gameplay Footage

As promised earlier, Microsoft and Epic Games have released the first in-game footage from Gears of War 2. The video features an introduction by series creator Cliff Bleszinski, who delivers details on the game’s storyline and some of the gameplay mechanics. The video showcases huge environments, large numbers of enemies on-screen, chainsaw duels, and new and improved visuals.

Gears of War 2, similar to its predecessor, is exclusive to Xbox 360 and will be released this November.

Mass Effect, Spore "Draconian" Online Check Removed (Partially)

Unsurprisingly, the revelation of Mass Effect and Spore’s DRM, which was described as being “draconian” by many, caused uproar among fans. The DRM would require online validation every 10 days in order for the games to continue functioning.

Fortunately, that won’t be the case anymore, as EA and BioWare both announced today that it has removed the strict validation, saying that it will only be required when the player downloads new game content or patches.

Spore’s copy protection will similarly be changed to allow for offline play. The publisher additionally notes that the protection will allow users to authenticate each game on up to three computers. Approval of further authorizations will be handled by EA customer support on a case-by-case basis.

Call of Duty 5 Announced

Though Tony Hawk may be getting a break, it seems Call of Duty isn’t. Activision’s biggest cash cow, a new entry in the series is being developed and will take place in a “new military theater,” according to company publishing CEO and President Mike Griffith.

Speaking at a conference call, Griffith revealed that the fifth entry in the series, unofficially called Call of Duty 5, will arrive on PC, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 and DS later this year. He did not offer further details, though his comments suggest that the title may not go back to the World War II setting the series originally debuted with.

While no details were provided, job listings for Treyarch suggest that they might be taking on development duties, while speculation is going around that series creator Infinity Ward is already working on Call of Duty 6. None of this is confirmed though.

Battlefield: Bad Company Demo on June 5

Those looking to sample Battlefield: Bad Company before its release on June 23 will be able to do so come June 5 when EA releases a single and multiplayer demo on both Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store.

The single-player portion of the demo starts the player’s ‘B’ company career, introducing some of the game’s characters. The multiplayer part of the demo offers the Gold Rush mode on the Oasis Map. Those who pre-order the game at participating retailers will get early access to the demo.

Bioshock Coming To Big Screen

No, we don’t mean that your buddy’s getting a 72″ flatscreen. Ever since the “Super Mario Brothers” movie gamers have winced with concern at every announcement of a new film adaptation of a favorite game. The emergence of Uwe Boll only made things worse. Unfortunately one of the main drawbacks of video game films are the choices they’ve made. There are some games with epic storylines that pull at people’s heartstrings and make a connection between the players and the characters. Unfortunately these often get overlooked in favor of games like Postal or Tomb Raider.

Don’t lose hope fellow gamers. There’s a bright ray of sunshine on the horizon: a Bioshock movie has been announced and director Gore Verbinski of the ‘Pirates’ trilogy will be at the helm. They’re also trying to get John Logan to write the script. Mr Logan is no newcomer to the film world, already having written the screenplays for Sweeney Todd and Gladiator.

It’s unknown how closely the film will follow the original storyline, but with such a quality story already laid out and a director obviously talented enough to hopefully realize the gold mine he’s sitting on, it’s likely the two will be at least mostly similar. I’m confident enough to make a boast and I’ll tell you why in a moment. Here’s my boast: this will be the best video game movie we’ve seen to date, and might be the best ever made. Why am I this assured? First of all, the atmosphere and adventure of the Pirates films show the degree of depth and care that needs to be shown in recreating the atmosphere and bleak horror crawling through the rubble of decadent Rapture elicited in the game. Secondly, in an interview with Variety Verbinski said that of all the games he played, Bioshock had the strongest narrative. Yes, that’s right folks. He’s actually played the game. Hallelujah.

Everyday Shooter on Steam

Stylistic shooter Everyday Shooter is now up on Steam, making the game available to PC gamers. Originally designed by indie developer Jonathan Mak as a downloadable game for the PS3, Everyday Shooter is a top-down, non-scrolling shooter that offers different gameplay mechanics. Interestingly, the game’s music is procedurally generated by player actions such as shooting, dying and destroying enemies.

It is priced at $9.99 on Steam, with a 10% discount for those who purchase it during its first week of availability.

Vampire Rain Drizzling on PS3

I don’t know what they were thinking, but publisher AQ Interactive sent out word that the universally panned Xbox 360 action game Vampire Rain will be ported to the PS3 as Vampire Rain: Altered Species. No media, or any other information, was provided with the announcement.

Vampire Rain, developed by Artoon, is a stealth-action game set in the contemporary world, putting the player in role of John Lloyd, a member of a US government unit created to combat superhuman vampires called Nightwalkers.

Party Crashers on Wii

The Wii has given rise to casual gamers who crave nothing but casual games. To add to their lust comes Twelve Interactive, an Italian console game developer, and US publisher Detn8 Games, who announced Party Crashers, a spin-off sequel to CID The Dummy, for the Wii. Set for release in April 2009, the game will feature 25 party games, including action games, brain teasers, puzzle games and even a music-based dance game.

Familiar characters from the original CID The Dummy platform will be present alongside totally new characters. As expected, it will make use of the Wii Remote’s motion-sensitive aspects. Also, it will feature both single and multiplayer modes.

Jeff Hill, Vice President of Detn8 Games Ltd. says, “We’re delighted to work with Giuseppe Crugliano and his team at TWELVE INTERACTIVE. Party Crashers will be a fun game to make, and I’m confident that together we’ll produce a product that the Wii audience will get a big kick out of.”

Wrestlemania Game Announced

THQ is going wrestling crazy, as the publisher revealed that it is working on WWE Legends of Wrestlemania for the PS3 and Xbox 360, alongside the already established Smackdown vs. Raw series (which has shipped more than 37 million units worldwide). The game is in development for release in March 2009 to coincide with the annual Wrestlemania event in Houston, Texas.

“We have generated significant year-over-year growth in key global territories with WWE-licensed videogames, including tremendous success with the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw franchise,” said Peter Matiss, vice president, global brand management, THQ. “The development capabilities afforded by next generation hardware, combined with our established history and deep understanding of fighting videogames, allow us to leverage the strength of the WWE brand to further extend our leadership in the fighting videogame genre and bring this new property to market.”

JAKKS Pacific is working on the game. No details or media were provided.

The Mummy Game Announced

In more movie-game tie-in news, Sierra sent out word that it is developing The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, a title based on this Summer’s upcoming highly anticipated second sequel from Universal Pictures. In development at Eurocom Studios for the Wii and PS2, and A2M for DS, the game is said to mirror the fast-paced action and adventure depicted in the coming film.

It is being developed in collaboration with the film’s creative talent, with the publisher hoping that it will “deliver an exciting extension” to the film. Players take on the roles of Rick O’ Connell and his son Alex as they journey across exotic locations from ancient Chinese catacombs to the beautiful Himalayan peaks to defeat the revived servants of the Dragon Emperor. It will feature both gunplay and hand-to-hand melee attacks, and more.

The film itself is due out August 1, with the game following soon thereafter.

THQ Gets Master Mind

THQ and DreamWorks today announced that they have entered an exclusive licensing agreement that will see the game publisher develop and release video games based on the studio’s 2010 Fall animated movie. The film, titled Master Mind, is due out in theatres on November 5, 2010. Their agreement will see THQ releasing the game for all console and handheld systems, as well as PC and wireless devices.

“The DreamWorks Animation brand is among the best in animation and storytelling,” said Brian Farrell, President and CEO, THQ. “The superhero theme of the fall 2010 film project lends itself seamlessly to an interactive gaming adventure. DreamWorks’ creative vision and humor will add another dimension to our portfolio, which we believe will help further distinguish both THQ and DreamWorks as leaders in our respective entertainment categories.”

The movie will be a satire of the superhero genre and is based around the story of a super villain who must find a new motivation after he accidentally kills of his archrival Uberman in the opening scene of the movie.

As expected, the game is scheduled for release alongside the film.

Coming Tonight: Gears Of War 2

The first trailer for Gears of War 2, arguably the most anticipated game now that GTA IV is out, will be available starting tonight on Xbox Live at 11pm and then on IGN a little while later. It will of course only be a brief, tantalizing glimpse of the game at a mere two minutes in length. It will feature a special introduction by the infamous ‘CliffyB’ or Cliff Bleszinski (which hopefully won’t last longer than actual gameplay footage). You’ll also get a glimpse of the new chainsaw duels and apparently ranged combat on a grander scale than in the original.

Lord of the Rings Wants You Back

The Lord of the Rings Online is hosting a “Welcome Back to LOTRO Weekend” hoping to entice former subscribers into playing the game once again. Celebrating the first anniversary of the launch of the game, the weekend program will run till Monday.

As part of the offer, all old characters can be played, new celebration events can be participated in, new areas and quests can be seen and explored. Additionally, during this celebration period, many monsters in Middle-earth will drop rare items when defeated; these items can be exchanged for a special gift box that will reward players with a variety of in-game items. There are also special subscription offers for those wanting to get back to the game.

Siren: Blood Curse Announced

Having announced the game at its PlayStation Day event in London, Sony today announced that its new Siren game will be released in episodic format via the PlayStation Network, with the first episode being released this Summer.

Dubbed Siren: Blood Curse, the game is set in the Japanese village of Handua, telling the story of a TV crew researching a ‘vanishing village’ where human sacrifices are performed. Players will be tasked with uncovering the secrets of the village, battle the undead and save survivors. It will make use of the same sight-jack system found in previous games, allowing players to see the action from the point of view of the enemies.

The game will be released through twelve separate episodes, which Sony points out will take on the ‘TV style’; they will be released after short intervals. No pricing information was given.

Bethesda: "We Aren’t Dumbing Down Our Franchises"

Apparently there are small but vocal groups of gamers who have accused Bethesda of having dumbed down their franchises for console gamers. Emil Pagliarulo, lead on Fallout 3, disagrees, calling the whole thing “funny”. Talking to Next-gen editors during a podcast, Pagliarulo said: “I look at Fallout when I play it every day, and I sometimes think that there’s a lot of old-school hardcore PC stuff in there too, and part of me thinks, ‘God, is this too inaccessible for console players?’”

He does note that the game contains a lot of dialog, a sophisticated targeting system and other elements that could be a major turnoff for console gamers, but he also think that it’s just the opposite.”I don’t feel like we’re dumbing down the franchise,” said Pagliarulo.

“…I think we’re starting to find that there is a market for [hardcore ‘PC RPGs’ on consoles]. People like myself and some people that work here actually grew up as hardcore PC guys, and now we’re older, we have kids, we don’t have that much time, so we’ve transitioned. We’re console players now.”

While his name may not be popular with gamers, Pagliarulo played an integral role in the development of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, writing the Dark Brotherhood storyline. It should be noted that the game was a major blockbuster, selling millions of units worldwide.

Spacetime Gets Blackstar MMO Back

Developer Spacetime Studios sent out word that it has acquired the rights to the Blackstar IP from NCSoft, its previous publisher. Their publishing deal for the space combat MMORPG had died before, but now that they have successfully negotiated with NCSoft for the rights to the IP, the studio claims that they are going forward with development of the game, which is now titled Blackstar Chronicles.

Set in the far future, Blackstar has players controlling space fighters fighting “horrifying” demonic enemies and participating in an “epic” drama. “The IP lends itself to almost any kind of gameplay that one could ask for, and was specifically designed to be a long-term franchise,” said Cinco Barnes, creative director and co-founder of Spacetime Studios. “It’s a nice sweet spot when you own all the puzzle pieces and we now have extraordinary flexibility in where to take the game universe next.”

The gameplay is being modeled after the single-player traditions of Wing Commander and the multiplayer feel of Descent, both classics from their time. No release date was announced.

Mirror’s Edge Powered by Unreal

Having only revealed the game a few days ago, Joystiq reports that Mirror’s Edge, the upcoming action game from EA DICE, is being powered by Epic’s Unreal Engine 3. This is interesting because DICE usually makes use of its internally-developed technology – the Frostbite engine, which is said to be powering Battlefield: Bad Company.

“With Mirror’s Edge we deliberately set out to create something that was different from Battlefield,” said a studio representative. “Frostbite is a very powerful engine but this project started a long time ago, and at that time Frostbite was still being developed and was very closely supporting the Battlefield Bad Company team.”

Add another to the Unreal list! Don’t forget to check out the teaser trailer for some gameplay footage.

THQ Gets Super Hero Squad

THQ is once again in the news today, as the publisher announced that it has acquired he license to create a game based on Marvel’s Super Hero Squad franchise, one that is dubbed “burgeoning [and] kid friendly”.

Aimed at young children, the Marvel Super Hero Squad teams up Captain America, Hulk, Spider-man and other such classic characters as they go up against supervillains like Galactus and others. No platforms were mentioned for the game, which is due out in Fall 2009, the same time the television show launches. Action figures of the kid-friendly characters are already in stores and a comic book series is planned for this Fall.

PixelJunk Monsters Expansion Today

The official PlayStation Blog reveals that the previously announced expansion for PixelJunk Monsters will hit the PlayStation Network today. Dubbed Encore, the expansion includes a new island, 15 new levels, five new music tracks and item cost and availability revisions.

As revealed earlier by developer Q-Games president Dylan Cuthbert, the add-on was the result of his wife’s constant nagging, as well as emails from people asking for more. The original can be purchased through the PlayStation Store for $7.99, with the expansion going for $5.99.

GTA 4 Breaks Records, Bags $500M in First Week

We all knew GTA 4 would sell big on release, but just how big? According to our earlier report, the game caused UK sales of the Xbox 360 to rise by 125%, but that’s not the whole story. Take-Two Interactive today announced that their open-ended action game surpassed all-time entertainment records for day one and week one sales by dollar value, selling approximately 6 million units globally with an estimated retail value of more than $500 million in the first week. In fact, the game sold approximately 3.6 million units on its opening day with a retail value of nearly $310 million globally.

“We knew Grand Theft Auto IV would break new ground in terms of the player’s experience, with its compelling story line, extraordinary gameplay and action that ranges over a broad urban canvas. Now, it has broken sales and rating records as well. Grand Theft Auto IV’s first week performance represents the largest launch in the history of interactive entertainment, and we believe these retail sales levels surpass any movie or music launch to date. We congratulate the entire Rockstar team on creating a must-have experience that takes the legendary Grand Theft Auto franchise to a new level,” said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman of Take-Two.

GTA 4 was released for both PS3 and Xbox 360. A PC version is rumored to be in the pipeline.

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Latest Headlines

• First Gears of War 2 Gameplay Footage
• Guitar Hero 4 At the Drive-In
• Mass Effect, Spore "Draconian" Online Check Removed (Partially)
• EA Gets $1B More for Take-Two Purchase
• Sonic Youth, Clash, Blondie in Rock Band
• Call of Duty 5 Announced
• No Tony Hawk Game This Year
• Burnout Paradise on PC, First Screenshots
• Bizarre: No PGR4 DLC From Us
• Codemasters Gets F1 License, Developing Multiplatform Game
• Battlefield: Bad Company Demo on June 5
• Bioshock Coming To Big Screen
• Everyday Shooter on Steam
• Vampire Rain Drizzling on PS3
• Activision Reveals Massive Profit
• Party Crashers on Wii
• Wrestlemania Game Announced
• The Mummy Game Announced
• THQ Gets Master Mind
• Coming Tonight: Gears Of War 2

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