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Warhammer Online free trial loses limit, capped at level 10

Mythic Entertainment has changed the way the demo works for their MMO RPG Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Instead of limiting players to a 10 day trial, the limit is now gone, where players can play as long as they want, except for one thing: the level limit is set at Level 10.

This is a good idea in theory, as it gives plenty of time for players to explore the world instead of just going XP hunting. We’ll see if it pays off with increased subscriber count.

Mass Effect 2 Collector’s Edition announced

EA has announced the Mass Effect 2 Collector’s Edition (you knew it was coming, right?). The fancy edition contains everything you expect, an art book, a making-of DVD and issue 1 of the Mass Effect comic book, all neatly packed in a tin box. The Collector’s Edition will retail for $70 on the Xbox 360 and $60 on the PC.

Next Zelda game to use Wii MotionPlus

Wii’s Motion Plus accessory makes the Wiimote a lot more useful, offering a true 1:1 motion sense, meaning that everything you do with the controller is exactly replicated on the screen.

Nintendo legend Shigery Miyamoto has said in an interview with Wired that the next Zelda game, widely believed to be released next Fall, will use the Motion Plus attachment for more accurate sword play, among other things. However, he didn’t mention whether the game will require the accessory, or whether it will be optional.

Machinarium review

Developer Amanita Design have previously distinguished themselves with artful point-and-click adventures with Samorost and Samorost 2. This time, the point-and-click adventure continues, in another Flash-based game called Samorost, which is easily the most artistically pleasing game of this holiday lineup.

You play as a little robot who has been evicted from his city, and finds himself on the junkyard, and it’s now your job to find his way home, by guiding him through the puzzle adventure. The game is dominated by its art style, which takes Steampunk to a whole new level. The meticulously hand painted levels and backdrops are just gorgeous, and will instantly draw you in (coupled with an amazing soundtrack). The gameplay on the other hand, consisting of a lot of pointing and clicking, meaning the action is very slow. If you’re into fast paced FPS games, you’ll feel the drag, as you have to carefully check everything, solve the puzzles and move on, where one screen can take hours to complete if you’re not paying attention.

Sometimes this kind of gameplay tends to get tedious, and even with the beauty of a game like Machinarium, it still might not appeal to everyone, as you spend five minutes hovering your mouse over every object, hoping to get a reaction. At times, this will frustrate the hell out of you — and rightfully so — but the end result, the pay off is very rewarding in return. There is one hint per level, but usually it’s vague, although there is a small 2D shooter game you can play in order to get a full walkthrough, but the mini-game is far too long and almost just as frustrating, which will encourage you to stay away from it, and instead try and solve the puzzle yourself.

Machinarium, while not going head to head against blockbusters like Modern Warfare 2, showcases just what kind of game can be created with some love and a great sense of style by the creators. The soundtrack is equally stunning, a mix of ambient and electronic music that suits the game perfectly. It’s a point-and-click gamer’s dream, and is definitely worth the $20, even if $10 would have been more suitable for a game of this length and features. For everyone else, it’s a good idea to check out the demo, which gives you a sample level.

The Good:
Absolutely gorgeous
Very original
Wonderful soundtrack
Oozes of style
Cutest protagonist ever

The Bad:
A bit overpriced
Can be frustrating

Overall score: 9/10

Warren Spector tried to buy Deus Ex rights

Noted game designer Warren Spector, who created Deus Ex and Deus Ex: Invisible War, revealed in an interview with Variety that he tried to buy the rights to the game from the publisher, but was unsuccessful. Specter said,

“There were and still are ‘Deus Ex’ stories I would like to tell. That story is not done for me. For the sci-fi game, I sort of filed the serial numbers off. ‘Deus Ex’ was very much a game of the millennium.”

Yep, a lot of people would argue that Deus Ex was the game of the millennium, especially if you’re into cyberpunk. Spector is also the creator of the Wing Commander and the Thief series and is currently working on Epic Mickey for Disney.

China bans WoW

The Chinese publisher NetEase, which has been running World of Warcraft in the country, has been ordered by the General Administration of Press and Publications (GAPP) to stop charging players and to block further signups for the game. GAPP, which recently shut down as many as 200 MMOs, cited “illegal behavior” in WoW, while China’s Ministry of Culture has said the GAPP’s ban was “inappropriate”. Seems like politics will be digging deeper into this issue.

Borderlands review

Borderlands has been a highly anticipated title since it was re-announced earlier this year, with an all new look. And the stylish, sell-shaded look might look like the main attraction for this sci-fi shooter, but there’s a lot more to be had in addition to that; lots of action, aliens, and especially, lots of guns.

The story of Borderlands is somewhat weak, but it’s more than made up for by the slick presentation and the four playable main characters, each with their own style and personality. The game takes place on the planet Pandora, where human have flocked to in order to mine and cash in on large mineral deposits. However, the settlers discover that the planet is actually not that wealthy, and instead of minerals, aliens are the real treat. That’s where you come in… More »

Capcom pondering whether or not to charge for Monster Hunter 3 online play

If you didn’t know Capcom charges for online Monster Hunter play in Japan, frightening right? What’s even more frightened is Capcom is pondering whether or not to charge for Monster Hunter 3 online play here in the United States.

Don’t get too scared though as virtually every other Capcom title here in the states is free to play online so they will most likely keep with the current business model and do the same with the U.S. release of Monster Hunter 3 .

The game will be out for the Wii in March of next year.

Read (MTV Multiplayer)

Aion takes top spot on US sales chart

The somewhat we–received MMO Aion, NCSofts latest in a long line of MMOs, has sold very well, despite the fact that it’s the first NCSoft MMO in a while to have a paid subscription service. The top 10 best selling PC games, according to NDP:

1. Aion
2. The Sims 3
3. Champions Online
4. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack
5. Aion Collector’s Ed
6. Mumbo Jumbo Assortment
7. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe
8. World Of Warcraft: Battle Chest
9. Reel Deal Slots Treasures Of The Far East
10. World Of Warcraft

Konami bringing Monster Finder to the US?

In early September we were notified that Alpha Unit’s Monster Finder was to be the first ever Nintendo DSi exclusive title on the market. However, there was no word on when, if ever, the game would be hitting North American Shelves.

However, a recent listing on GameFly’s website has let us know that Konami will be publishing the game in January 2010. Is this to be believed? Well, GameFly is a pretty credible source but until Konami, or anyone involved, says something there

Borderlands “sent to die” according to Pachter

Game analyst Michael Pachter thinks that Borderlands will be trumped by fellow blockbusters this holiday season, and is effectively “sent to die”, according to Pachter. When asked on Bonus Round what he thinks of the game and its release, Pachter noted,

“Sent to die. I think “Borderlands” is the definition of a game that should have had its own window and not be up against all this stuff. It’s absolutely the same audience. I don’t think it’s as much an RPG as they would like us to believe. If it’s an RPG, “Dragon Age” is going to kick its butt; and if it’s a shooter, “Call of Duty” or something else is going to kick its butt.”

Borderlands hits the stores today.

20 games to look forward to in 2010

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While 2009 is drawing to an end, and with all the great AAA titles only weeks away, keep in mind that 2010 is going to see more top-notch titles released than the last few years. Here are 20 games that should/will make an impact next year, and while a lot more games are coming out, we obviously couldn’t include them all — our list grew from ten games to twenty games simply because even we were surprised how many title are lined up for 2010. Here’s our 20 games for 2010, in no particular order.

Postal 3 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Running With Scissors, Q2, 2010)

The original Postal was both hailed and damned for its controversial content, and the sequel, Postal 2 only made it better (or worse, if you’re a politician looking for some media attention). Postal 3 will expand on the sandbox style gameplay, and will even feature director Uwe Boll (who made the 2008 Postal movie) in a cameo role.

APB (PC, Xbox 360, March 2010)

After developing Crackdown for the Xbox 360, which has since become a cult classic on the console, Realtime Worlds shifted all their manpower to APB (All Points Bulletin), a revolutionary MMO set in a huge city where players battle each other as either law enforcement agents, or criminals. A kind of GTA online, as creator David Jones (the man behind GTA) is noted saying APB is “the bastard child of everything we’ve been striving towards over the 15-20 years”.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, March 2, 2010)

Battlefield: Bad Company almost managed to perfect something no other FPS had done before: creating a fully destructible battlefield, where walls would no longer provide infinite cover — one tank shell and you better be looking to hide somewhere else. Coupled with a single player campaign and a solid multiplayer, Bad Company has been one of the most played FPS on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Bad Company 2 will bring “destruction 2.0″, taking destruction to a whole new level, this time, entire buildings and towns can be leveled to the ground.

Heavy Rain (PS3, February 2010)

Heavy Rain has been highly anticipated ever since it was first showcased at E3 2006 for the PlayStation 3, the film-noir, thriller-styled game will feature an intertwined storyline, with four playable characters, all looking for a serial killed going under the name “The Origami Killer”.

Halo Reach (Xbox 360, Q4 2010)

The next chapter in the Halo series and Master Chief’s battle against the Covenant was unveiled at E3 2009, without any further details other than the game would be the last Halo game to be developed by Bungie. Owners of Halo 3: ODST will have a chance to check out the game’s multiplayer beta in the middle of 2010, by then we should have more details on Reach.

Red Steel 2 (Wii, February 16, 2010)

The original Red Steel was the very first Wii game that was revealed, and rode a wave of anticipation until its release — as a Wii launch title — where it showed a flawed control scheme, dated visuals and uninspiring gameplay. Red Steel 2 is said to correct all those issues, and will require (and be bundled with) the Wii Motion Plus accessory, giving it a true 1:1 control input, paving the way for some great sword fights. We sure hope so.

Crysis 2 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Q4 2010)

The original Crysis is still bringing even the most powerful PCs to their knees, and is still hailed as the best looking game available, at least if a tropical island is what you crave. Crysis 2 continues the story where the original left off, and will use the new CryEngine 3, creating an even more immersive world. There aren’t many details of the game yet, but one thing is for sure: start saving for a new PC rig.
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Steam gets Dragon Age: Origins pre-order bonus

It was recently announced that Valve’s digital distribution service, Steam, will be getting its own exclusive pre-order bonus for Dragon Age: Origins. Said pre-order bonus will be the in-game item called the Wicked Oath ring which will boost your character’s combat and damage abilities.

Make note that this ring is in addition to the Memory Band in-game item that all retailers will be giving out to pre-orders of Dragon Age: Origins.

BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins will be out for the Xbox 360 and PC on November 3rd and for the PS3 on November 17th.

Elder Scrolls novel coming out

The first of two novels based on Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series has been revealed. Called The Infernal City, and takes place four decades after Oblivion ended. The novels are penned by Greg Keyes, best known for The Age of Unreason, his steampunk adventure novel which was well received among critics. The Infernal City will be released on November 24, and is available for pre-order on Amazon right now.

Sega officially announces Alpha Protocol delay

The first we heard of an Alpha Protocol delay was late last month when GameStop and Amazon.ca updated the game’s release date as to June 1st, 2010 and June 10th, 2010, respectively.

Well, today, Sega has officially announced that Alpha Protocol will be getting delayed until a vague Q2 2010. So, this leads up to believe that the release dates listed on the above two sites were just place holders.

Either way, we should be seeing Alpha Protocol hit store shelves for the PS3, PC and Xbox 360 sometime mid-2010.