Sunday, March 17, 2013

News::Ex-Nintendo chairman Howard Lincoln had big brass balls

The Nintendo of today is known for being quiet and humble, making conservative decisions, and doing its best not to intentionally piss potential third-party partners off. Most of the complaints directed at Nintendo's current state can partially be attributed to this behavior -- which isn't to say that it didn't work for the Wii and DS. This wasn't always the case, though. There was a time when Nintendo of America was the biggest, baddest shark of them all, and software developers and retailers were genuinely afraid of the House of Mario.


One of the key figures in establishing Nintendo as a Western powerhouse was Howard Lincoln, the lawyer turned Nintendo executive who was recently the focus of a lovely feature by Not Enough Shaders' Emily Rogers. He defended Nintendo against Universal's "Donkey Kong" lawsuit, became senior vice president of NoA in 1983, then served as chairman from 1994 until his departure in 2000. In his nearly two-decade tenure, he was responsible for some of the most influential decisions in Nintendo's third-party relationship history.


From bringing on both Rareware and Retro Studios as second parties to defending Nintendo during the videogame violence Senate hearings in the early 90s, Lincoln wasn't afraid to take risks. He also wasn't afraid to speak his mind -- some of his words regarding the competition were so brutal that you can still feel the scorch marks years later. Could his actions be part of the reason many third parties became wary of working with Nintendo later on? Possibly, but you can't deny that the man got results.


Ex-Nintendo chairman Howard Lincoln had big brass balls screenshot


Read more...



via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/ex-nintendo-chairman-howard-lincoln-had-big-brass-balls-248932.phtml

News::Total War Fan with Cancer Turned into Rome 2 General

Being diagnosed with liver cancer at only 24 years old, James got to enjoy an overnight stay at the Creative Assembly studios.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211939/total-war-fan-with-cancer-turned-into-rome-2-general

News::Introducing Civilization V's Brave New World | IGN

IGN: "This Summer Firaxis plans to release the second expansion for Sid Meier's Civilization V, titled Brave New World. The expansion makes many expected additions such as nine new civilizations, including the Polish, as well as revamps key systems. For more on the expansion, IGN spoke with senior producer Dennis Shirk and lead designer Ed Beach about what to expect."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211794/introducing-civilization-vs-brave-new-world-ign

News::Techland Explain Why Dead Island: Riptide Isn't Releasing On Nintendo Wii U

Techland has explained that Dead Island: Riptide, which is due to release on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, won't be coming to the Wii U because they preferred to spend more time refining the current generation versions.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211909/techland-explain-why-dead-island-riptide-isnt-releasing-on-nintendo-wii-u

News::Scarlet Blade Introduces a New MMOs Genre: SexFi

Scarlet Blade explores and abuses the concept of female character by creating extremely unnatural sexual subjects. But thats not everything; females in this game are not just sexually boosted beyond belief, theyre also displayed in a very crude way. This game introduces a whole new gaming genre, SexFi, its not really about the story, about the features or the interactive content, its all about sex and how it can be used to sell a gaming title.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211851/scarlet-blade-introduces-a-new-mmos-genre-sexfi

News::Blizzard Exec Chris Metzen Explains How Fan Art Has Influenced Diablo To StarCraft

With Blizzard Entertainment (a division of Activision Blizzard Publishing) riding the wave of positive press with StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, the game publisher is also celebrating The Art of Blizzard. With a new book and a new art exhibit in Los Angeles, video games continue to invade pop culture in new ways. Chris Metzen, senior vice president of story and franchise development at Blizzard, takes a walk down memory lane in detailing the inspirations for some of the companys biggest franchises from World of Warcraft to StarCraft to Diablo in this exclusive interview.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211890/blizzard-exec-chris-metzen-explains-how-fan-art-has-influenced-diablo-to-starcraft

News::Series Like Tomb Raider, God of War and Call of Duty Need to Die

"Sequels are like flies, they seem to only show up when you least want them to be around and when one shows up you can expect many more to follow. That isnt to say that all sequels are bad, because they arent all bad. Sometimes games were made to be stretched out over multiple games and console generations. " | Explosion.com



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211876/series-like-tomb-raider-god-of-war-and-call-of-duty-need-to-die

News::Arcane Saga The revival of Prius Online interview

Now, the game has been reborn as Arcane Saga, with the US subsidiary of the developer, Netmarble, overlooking its operations. MMO Culture had the chance to ask some questions about the revival, so read on!



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211871/arcane-saga-the-revival-of-prius-online-interview

News::Desura Spotlight: Rexzilla

Rexzilla is a pixellated 2D platformer for Windows that puts you in control of a child hoping to get his gumballs back.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209570/desura-spotlight-rexzilla

News::Oculus Rift: Good news and bad news

Icrontic writes: "A message from Oculus to developer kit pre-order customers contained some good news and some (slightly) bad news."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211884/oculus-rift-good-news-and-bad-news

News::Arcane Saga Prius Online revives for a new challenge

MMO Culture writes: I am sure most of my readers have read about or played Prius Online, which was last hosted by gPotato. The game did had its shortcomings, but now it is back as Arcane Saga, seeking a new challenge! This time, the developers own North America portal, Netmarble, will be hosting the game. The game currently only has a Facebook page.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211873/arcane-saga-prius-online-revives-for-a-new-challenge

News::The Worst Game Scores on Metacritic

GamersBliss.com writes: "Metacritic has been around for quite a while now allowing the site to keep score of entertainment. So we decided to round-up some of the worst scores for each system. The platforms on this list will include: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC, Wii, 3DS, PSP, and the PS Vita. What qualifies the game to be on the list is that it must have the worst metascore on metacritic and it must be a retail box game. Lastly the list will be in descending order of the worst metascore to see what platform holds the worst game on metacritic. So lets take a look at what is the unanimous worst of the worst in gaming, just dont expect to see user scores on the list."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211898/the-worst-game-scores-on-metacritic

News::Ubisoft Teases Might and Magic X, Possible Reveal at PAX

Ubisoft has launched a teaser site for what is appears to be a new title in the Might and Magic franchise, that will possibly be revealed at PAX East and going from the big X in the teaser, it looks like it's going to be a new mainline Might and Magic title, the first since Might and Magic IX in 2002.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211900/ubisoft-teases-might-and-magic-x-possible-reveal-at-pax

News::3 Things Uncharted Can Learn From Tomb Raider

PixlBit | "When it was announced that Tomb Raider was getting the reboot treatment a few years ago, plenty of people yours truly included made it clear that Lara should pay close attention to that other tomb raiding franchise headlined by Nolan North errr - Nathan Drake. The point is many people looked at Uncharted as Tomb Raider for the current generation. The guys at Crystal Dynamics had their work cut out for them if they didnt want to be square in the middle of Naughty Dogs giant shadow."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211885/3-things-uncharted-can-learn-from-tomb-raider

News::Is Saints Row 4 a Threat to GTA V?

Going by all the details we saw in debut trailer of Saints Row 4 it seemed like, all Volition have done is took Saints Row 3 and added some more over the top childish sci-fi features (fans obviously hated them previously as well) and presented it as a completely new game.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211895/is-saints-row-4-a-threat-to-gta-v

News::Tomb Raider Review | inMotion Gaming

Lets face it; Lara Croft is every gamers favourite heroine. If she isnt, its probably because youve never played a Tomb Raider game before. If you havent played a Tomb Raider game before then where have you been for the past seventeen years? When I was a child my parents allowed me to play two games on our old Windows 95 PC. Those two games were Worms and Tomb Raider. I can remember countless evenings where my brother, my dad and I would play Tomb Raider together trying to guide Lara through the various ruins and temples like a female Indiana Jones. So, when I heard that Square Enix were planning on rebooting the franchise I was, understandably, a little skeptical. I had felt for a long time that the Tomb Raider series had fallen from grace. Tomb Raider Legend, Anniversary and Underworld were much of the same. Sure, they were good games, but they werent offering anything new. Square Enix promised to do just that, to reboot and re-brand the Tomb Raider game series. Well, re...



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211892/tomb-raider-review-inmotion-gaming

News::FIFA 13 Misses - St. Patrick's Special

FIFPlay: FIFA 13 Misses of the Month - St. Patrick's Special



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211872/fifa-13-misses-st-patricks-special

News::Modern Warfare 4 Could Bring Back Killstreaks

JI of RGN takes the time to introduce the notion we have overlooked about the forthcoming Call of Duty title which seeks to replace its predecessor Black Ops II.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211901/modern-warfare-4-could-bring-back-killstreaks

News::EverQuests 14th Anniversary Has Arrived

EverQuest has finally reached the ripe old age of 14. As usual, the game is having an assortment of events to thank players for tagging along for all these years. SOE is also announcing more details on EverQuest's upcoming Shadow of Fear update.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211868/everquests-14th-anniversary-has-arrived

News::Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 (PC), Review | Den of Geek US

In Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2, you assume the role of Cole Anderson, the deadliest sniper in an elite ghost warrior unit. Youre in deep enemy territory and the story is a strong part of the game. However, the rest of the game just doesnt quite hold up.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211863/sniper-ghost-warrior-2-pc-review-den-of-geek-us

News::Name Your Own Price For One Of The Best Bundles So Far

Gamesta.com is glad to announce yet another bundle and not just any bundle. In this newest addition to the masses of deals available, StackSocial starts strong by providing Steam key codes for the underrated Blades of Time and The Journey Down: Chapter 1, for as little as $4.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211877/name-your-own-price-for-one-of-the-best-bundles-so-far

News::Reviewed: Tomb Raider PC

(via GoozerNation) Check out our review of Lara Croft's latest PC adventure!



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211878/reviewed-tomb-raider-pc

News::Five Awesome Video Game Silent Protagonists (That Arent Gordon Freeman)

Talking is over-rated. We pick the top five video games characters that are good at keeping quiet.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211881/five-awesome-video-game-silent-protagonists-that-arent-gordon-freeman

News::Tactical Intervention is early Counter-Strike but crazier

Call of Duty has dumbed down the modern shooter to being about planting bombs, capturing points, and getting headshots. In contrast, Tactical Intervention is a breath of fresh air and feels evolutionary in its ideas -- one could say next-gen, but it'd be hard not to laugh when looking at its budget production values. Dog barks sound like Doom imps and the visuals somehow look worse than anything in Half-Life 2, despite having all the niceties that have come to the Source engine since '04.


Before Call of Duty fever swept the nation, I loved online first-person shooters for the chaos that car combat and hostage encounters can bring. I'll never forget surfing on an airplane wing in Battlefield 1942 or using hostages as human shields in a pitch dark cs_mansion in Counter-Strike.


Tactical Intervention brings back the good memories before FPS were marketable to the mainstream, even if that means it may not be a marketable title itself.


Tactical Intervention is early Counter-Strike but crazier screenshot


Read more...



via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/tactical-intervention-is-early-counter-strike-but-crazier-248795.phtml

News::BioShock Infinite Board Game Revealed

Ahead of the launch of the BioShock Infinite videogame later this month a spin-off product has been revealed. Coming this summer, BioShock Infinite: The Siege of Columbia is a tabletop game in which you play as either the Founders or the Vox Populi as you fight for control of Columbia.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211695/bioshock-infinite-board-game-revealed

News::Dragons Prophet An early look at the new action online game

With the North America and Europe servers hitting Closed Beta next week on the 19th, I thought I would keep this article fairly short. Developed by Taiwanese studio, Runewaker, Dragons Prophet is its second big-scale MMORPG after Runes of Magic. The focus this time is of course on dragons, and more dragons.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211870/dragons-prophet-an-early-look-at-the-new-action-online-game

News::Guild Wars 2: Ten Tips for Obtaining a Legendary Weapon

MMOsite writes: After completing my Guild Wars 2 Legendary Weapon, I thought it would be useful to pass on any advice I've learnt along the way, to our readers. Below are 10 tips I'd readily advise people to follow.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211869/guild-wars-2-ten-tips-for-obtaining-a-legendary-weapon

News::Sam Kennedy is not an Activision rep, Call of Duty's teaser site could be real

DSOGaming writes: "Sam Kennedy has contacted us about this story. Apparently, Sam is not an Activision rep but actually works in the Digital division of Edelman, a division that focuses on social media. Sams response was not official, and should not be taken as an official answer to that question."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211861/sam-kennedy-is-not-an-activision-rep-call-of-dutys-teaser-site-could-be-real

News::Amazon: $10 off Persona 4 Golden and DOOM 3, Elder Scrolls IV for $12.50, more

GE: "A bunch of games have been discounted on Amazon as it holds a fairly large March sale."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211810/amazon-10-off-persona-4-golden-and-doom-3-elder-scrolls-iv-for-12-50-more

News::Thief Reboot Can be Completed Without Killing Anyone

Anyone who enjoyed nicking everything from levels in the original Thief games without so much as alerting a fly, or doing a pacifist runthrough of the recent Dishonored, will be happy to know that the upcoming Thief reboot will allow you to do the very same.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211808/thief-reboot-can-be-completed-without-killing-anyone

News::Game Informer review scores - April 2013

Check out the review scores from Game Informer's latest issue - April 2013.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211823/game-informer-review-scores-april-2013

News::Sniper Ghost Warrior 2 impressive screenshots

Some nice looking screenshots from City Interactive's sniper based shooter, Sniper Ghost Warrior 2 which uses Crytek's CryEngine 3.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1211831/sniper-ghost-warrior-2-impressive-screenshots

News::RadioRadar Podcast 030: Heartbreak of the Swarm

GamesRadar - We have a full house this week as we talk about biggest reviews and go over big rumors.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209336/radioradar-podcast-030-heartbreak-of-the-swarm

News::Radar Reacts: First Saints Row IV Details

GamesRadar - We've known that Saints Row IV was in the works, but we didn't know anything about it. Would it be a current generation game? Would it come out this year? Would it feature the President of United States fighting the Aliens? Turns out, the answer to all those things was yes.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209335/radar-reacts-first-saints-row-iv-details

News::Gi - Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm (PC) Review

Gi - Over two years after the release of the critically acclaimed Real Time Strategy (RTS) game Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, its first expansion: Heart of the Swarm has finally been released. Heart of the Swarm (HotS) picks up shortly after the events of Wings of Liberty and centers around Kerrigan and her struggle to assimilate back into human life. She has to learn how to control her powers, without awakening the Queen of Blades that lies dormant deep inside of her. Will the campaigns story reach the same caliber as its predecessor, and how does the multiplayer stack up?



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209329/gi-starcraft-ii-heart-of-the-swarm-pc-review

News::Ghost at Midnight(KR) Revealed Several Monster Artworks

Action MMO Ghost at Midnight, developed by Korea-based NBRIX, revealed several monster artworks on March 15th. Merging the oriental and western culture together, Ghost at Midnight story happens in a world after the collapse of the gate of hell. A great number of evils flood into human world on the heels of the collapse so that exorcists emerge as the times require.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209309/ghost-at-midnight-kr-revealed-several-monster-artworks

News::Random Encounter - Dead Island

GameSpot - Johnny takes a holiday with Deep Silver's tropical zombie slaughterer, Dead Island. Warning: contains a lot of kicking.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209316/random-encounter-dead-island

News::GameSpot - Now Playing - Age of Wushu

GameSpot - We head to ancient China to check out this martial arts MMORPG.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209317/gamespot-now-playing-age-of-wushu

News::Tomb Raider Performance Test: Graphics and CPUs

Kotaku - Although this year's Tomb Raider reboot made our latest list of most anticipated PC games, I must admit that it was one of the games I was least looking forward to from a performance perspective. Previous titles in the franchise have received mixed to positive reviews, but gameplay aside, their visuals weren't exactly mind-blowing so we've never bothered doing a performance review on one until now, anyway.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209319/tomb-raider-performance-test-graphics-and-cpus

News::League of Legends: Zac: The Secret Weapon Revealed

Following the Zaun Amorphous Experiment, Zac has been revealed. For the past week, the League of Legends Facebook page has been teasing fans with snippets of new champion, Zac. Well, just a moment ago, the curtain was lifted and the full breakdown of the new champion was released. Summoners, meet Zac, the secret weapon.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209191/league-of-legends-zac-the-secret-weapon-revealed

News::MLG Pro Circuit Winter Championship Begins Today

From the story, "GamerTell is coming to you live from Major League Gamings Pro Circuit Winter Championship in Dallas. More than 1,000 players are competing for cash prizes in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, League of Legends and StarCraft II between March 15-17, 2013."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209072/mlg-pro-circuit-winter-championship-begins-today

News::Dragon Nest Europe Off To A Great Start

The European version of the popular MMORPG game, Dragon Nest, officially launched last week and the servers have been full to the brim ever since. The developers, eFusion, have said they're delighted with the tremendous performance of the game and they're happy that the servers have proven stable enough to provide players with an exciting MMO experience.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209071/dragon-nest-europe-off-to-a-great-start

News::weeaboos with a podcast ep. 51: A Hero of Time Emerges

WWC: "On this weeks episode: we have a very special guest, TJ Smith. Hes played Link, he sings, he plays lots of video games, and hes here to tell us how he got to where he is. The group has also been playing a couple of games this week, including Crysis 3, Tomb Raider, and Dark Souls. Afterwards we move on to our round table and discuss Shigeru Miyamotos eventual retirement from Nintendo. What will the company look like without him, and will others be able to step up to the plate and fill his shoes? Finally, we briefly discuss some notable news like Ken Levine canceling the BioShock movie, Dont Starves release date, and Evangelion 1.11 and One Piece coming to Toonami."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209127/weeaboos-with-a-podcast-ep-51-a-hero-of-time-emerges

News::Dead Space 3 US sales hit 605,000 | Gamespot

Gamespot: "Dead Space 3, which launched February 4, sold 605,000 units in the United States during February, according to NPD data provided to GameSpot today. The action-horror title was the best-selling game in the US during the month, knocking Call of Duty: Black Ops II from the top spot for the first time since launch."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209041/dead-space-3-us-sales-hit-605-000-gamespot

News::Green Man Gaming supports Indie Publishers with Indie Weekend

Green Man Gaming, Europes fastest growing social commerce platform for core gamers, has just launched its biggest ever promotion in support of its Indie Publisher community.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209015/green-man-gaming-supports-indie-publishers-with-indie-weekend

News::Thief Will Feature a "Less Goth" Garrett - UPDATED

"He may look like the bass player from a Bauhaus cover band, but Eidos says it's actually toned down the "goth" look of the redesigned Garrett." "Like it or not, a new Thief means a new Garrett, although game director Nicolas Cantin said that while Eidos had "carte blanche" on the design, the team wanted to keep Garrett's "main DNA" because it works pretty well as-is. But change is inevitable, and the anti-hero of the upcoming series reboot will not be quite as we remember him."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1208981/thief-will-feature-a-less-goth-garrett-updated

News::Assetto Corsa: Tech Preview 0.99 Now Available

A new version of the popular Assetto Corsa Tech Preview has been released by Kunos Simulazioni bringing the PC simulation up-to-date with version 0.99 which can be downloaded from the game website. This version includes one car, one track, various difficulty levels and two game-play modes: free practice and time attack. Besides the improved gameplay the development team added 18 news official car skins for the Lotus Elise SC and support for pretty much all available controllers.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1208980/assetto-corsa-tech-preview-0-99-now-available

News::The Phantom Pain ARG Video: More Evidence of MGS Ground Zeroes Connection

"If you had doubted that The Phantom Pain, teased by Moby Dick Studios and relating to Metal Gear Solid via an odd campaign of marketing and the original owner (who looked like Kojima with a wig and mustache) dying and suddenly resurfacing with his face wrapped in bandages...then doubt no more!"



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1210649/the-phantom-pain-arg-video-more-evidence-of-mgs-ground-zeroes-connection

News::[WKG] Preview: Mars: War Logs Shows A Lot Of Potential

Liban Ali from We Know Gamers had the opportunity to go hands on with Mars: War Logs, just one of a few of Focus Home Interactives upcoming titles to be released during 2013. A cyberpunk RPG set on the planet Mars must be interesting right?



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209599/wkg-preview-mars-war-logs-shows-a-lot-of-potential

News::Daisy loves Luigi simply for who he is


Living in the shadow of his older brother, Luigi doesn't catch many breaks. But being the big-time hero is not everything in the world. As long as you give it your all, there will always be someone supporting you every step of the way. That's what I get from the Luigi-Daisy pairing. She loves Luigi because, even though he knows he won't match his brother's accomplishments, he never stops fighting for the sake of others.


This moment of love and sunshine is brought to you by the technicolor-haired AriaBlarg, whose work we've shared in the past. I think her latest commission is just so uplifting -- really strong message there, don't you think? I especially appreciate how she spent a solid minute of fast-forwarded time wearing a Bane mask.


AriaBlarg paints!: Luigi! [AriaBlarg and Friends]


Daisy loves Luigi simply for who he is screenshot






via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/daisy-loves-luigi-simply-for-who-he-is-248904.phtml

News::Allods Online: Lords of Destiny Now Playable on All Servers

Allods Online fans can now enjoy Lords of Destiny, the latest expansion of Allods Online: Gala Networks confirms the launch on the American and European English, as well as German, French and Polish servers.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209466/allods-online-lords-of-destiny-now-playable-on-all-servers

News::Tomb Raider Review | PC World

PC World: "So, its not perfect. Tomb Raider holds your hand a little too much for the sake of story, but then sacrifices story for the sake of incongruous challenges. Somewhere in that mess of minor mistakes it strikes a balance, and secures a place among the best games Ive ever played. Not only is 2013s Tomb Raider well worth your time, but it bodes well for the games to come in the rebooted franchise."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209602/tomb-raider-review-pc-world

News::StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm Review | Gaming Union

Gaming Union: "Very little bad can actually be said about this expansion for StarCraft 2. The story alone is enough to keep players entertained and the uniqueness of each mission is extremely satisfying. The multiplayer component isn't vastly different in terms of experience, but the adaptations are refreshing enough. The only gripe with the game is that normal difficulty feels a little bit too spoon-fed and the evolution missions are glorified tutorials which often feel unnecessary. However on the whole the game should not be missed, as it's thoroughly enjoyable throughout and ends the same way it starts, with an excitement to see what happens next. Roll on Legacy of the Void."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209460/starcraft-ii-heart-of-the-swarm-review-gaming-union

News::Tomb Raider PC updated to 1.0.722.3

A new build for Tomb Raider on PC has been released and will be applied automatically by Steam when the game is loaded. It adds various PC specific fixes, as well as all the fixes in the 1.02 console patch that has already been released. Among the fixes are improvements for multiplayer connectivity, voice-chat improvements, including quality, volume and a push-to-talk feature.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209527/tomb-raider-pc-updated-to-1-0-722-3

News::Dead Island: Riptides To-Do List: DigiBytes

According to Deep Silver, Dead Island Riptide adds additional gameplay mechanics, all-new gorgeous locales to explore, more types of zombies to provide constant threats, an additional character class and the best co-operative zombie action experience in gaming. But this is what I want from the upcoming sequel...



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209530/dead-island-riptides-to-do-list-digibytes

News::Is Secret Ponchos the Next Great Western Game? | IGN

IGN: "Our exclusive look at the stylish western shooter with a competitive edge."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209453/is-secret-ponchos-the-next-great-western-game-ign

News::PluggedIn - Tomb Raider Review

PluggedIn - Way back in the late 1960s there were a number of new products determined to take advantage of the then-burgeoning age of female empowerment. One of those was a "cigarette for ladies" that sported the slogan "You've come a long way, baby." Jump ahead half a century, and that catchphrase seems appropriate for a different breed of empowered gal: a video-gaming icon and all-around hard-hitting adventurer named Lara Croft. From her digitally blocky, impossibly proportioned beginnings to her Angelina Jolie-starring movie turns to this brand-new rebootCrystal Dynamic's simply titled Tomb Raiderthis British, high-kicking spelunker has indeed leaped into many a dark cavern and crawled her way through a lot of changes.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1209533/pluggedin-tomb-raider-review

News::Dashing for Dollars on Saturday Morning Hangover


We had another passably entertaining time on Saturday Morning Hangover this week. We checked out Dollar Dash, recently released on Xbox Live Arcade and wound up with some mixed opinions. I thought it was pretty fun, though the AI opponents are perhaps a bit too challenging. Jordan started to get a little tired of it by the end and Katrina... well, Katrina doesn't like anything she isn't immediately good at. You'll see how that goes.


As ever, we also played the week's Xbox Live Indie Games demos. Battle High 2 was a pleasant surprise, a considerable improvement of our memories of the first fighting game to bear the name. Master of the Seven Teas is a cute, piratey adventure on a small scale which was charming, apart from some questionable control design. And Cootie Crusher was just strange enough to keep me playing three levels longer than we rightfully should have.


All this, plus a trip to the Dafoeverse where the existence of Drowning Pool's "Bodies" is finally justified. It proves that God had a plan all along!


Dashing for Dollars on Saturday Morning Hangover screenshot






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