ap from 1024x768 to 2560x1600. That means you'll have the option to view the full map on a single screen, a welcome feature for an older strategy series such as this. The studio has dedicated websites for both the original title and Crusader showcasing screenshots of how it all looks in practice. Really, any excuse to jump back into early Stronghold is a good excuse. Look for the HD patches on GamersHell and GameFront to start, followed by additional mirrors thereafter. New players can grab either re-release on GOG.com, Amazon, GetGames, and DotEmu starting tomorrow.

demo and should be treated as such. Hopefully, this is more proof of concept than literal vision of what's to come. While the graphics themselves are perfectly fine, and I think there's a lot of potential from what we know about Outlast so far, developer Red Barrels has some serious work ahead. Granted, the game isn't due out until next year, so there's time. But as we saw earlier with the new Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs trailer, the competition is stepping it up.

ntlessly working with our manufacturers and partners to perfect the Wikipad bundle to ensure our first product is the best tablet and entertainment experience at launch. There is a last minute opportunity to enhance the Wikipad bundle as well as a minor refinement needed to ensure our first customers are completely satisfied with the Wikipad." Again, no word on the new launch date, but that's promised to be revealed soon.

d it ends up benefiting them, as any foe in the east rapidly has to focus his resources on dealing with Genghis and chums. On a freezing cold afternoon in Stockholm, I saw the rest of Europe get its comeuppance in the form of an Aztec invasion. The latest piece of DLC for Crusader Kings II, "Sunset Invasion," subverts history and has the Aztecs pay a visit to the old world before we can reach them and steal all of their gold. It's the first time the Paradox Development Studio have tackled something not based on real history, and it's a wee bit crazy. The Sunset Invasion is a random event that happens late in the game. Aztec explorers arrive on the shores of Western Europe; their apparent goal is innocuous -- they just want to shift lots of beads. Much like hippy street vendors trying to offload crappy bead necklaces, these Aztecs are not to be trusted. Not long after they arrive, an invasion fleet appears, and all hell breaks lose. What they lack in technology, they more than make up for in sheer numbers. It's like the whole population of South America decided to take a bloody holiday to Europe. In the game I witnessed, they landed in Spain, and quickly started harassing Castille, Aragon, and Portugal, much to the dismay of those nations. In almost no time at all, this war machine had swallowed up most of northwest Spain, and the native powers were doing naught but throwing troops away in a pathetic attempt to slow down their progress. Normally, when one sees an unpleasant neighbor getting schooled by an enemy, it's best to leave them to it or maybe pick apart the carcass. With the Aztecs, however, it's a considerably more international concern. Teaming up against them seems like the smart way to approach the horde from across the ocean. New unit models and detailed character portraits have been added, giving flavor to these exotic invaders. Leaders wear multi-colored feathered head dresses, warriors dress up in garish and intimidating costumes, and their weapons are a far cry away from the swords and spears of the European armies. While they are not playable due to being awful pagans, they still have quite a bit of an impact, much as the Mongols already do. With them, they bring a new disease that ravages their enemies and spreads throughout the lands they attack, and the dynasties of Europe now have to worry about their hearts being ripped out and made as a sacrifice to the Aztec's distant gods. Once they settle their new, oppressed provinces, the Aztecs can start to create cavalry and make other advances, increasing their power and the risk of other nations being attacked the longer they linger. Paradox has been working on an oft-requested feature where conquerors can rename captured lands with culturally appropriate alternatives, so Europe may eventually play host to some suitably exotically named provinces that few would be able to pronounce. The quirky nature of Crusader Kings II's character creator means that some very unusual Aztec leaders crop up organically. One such leader was the result of an Aztec and Mongolian coupling, and he strutted around with his oh-so fabulous feathered garments, while sporting a very fetching handlebar mustache. That's a leader I can admire. There's no doubt that it is more of a novelty than serious DLC. It doesn't add much to the core game beyond the typical fixes and tweaks that get added with each expansion, regardless of whether or not one purchases it. Yet with the huge scale of the invasion, there's certainly going to be hours of wars with the blood-drunk would-be conquerors. For those who want their historical strategy absent any fantasy, it can be turned off on the launch menu just like a mod. "Sunset Invasion" will be available for download from November 15 for $4.99. I'll be kicking some Mesoamerican arse with my reconstructed Roman Empire the moment it goes live, I can assure you.

ancis York Morgan breathing heavily in the rain. So, the video is nothing particularly special. But Deadly Premonition is, and I'll take any excuse to further profess my love for this small town suspense thriller. You hear that world? I love Deadly Premonition and I don't give a damn who knows it. Still, five seconds? Come on, Rising Star. We can do better than this.

ames to see just how "pro" this controller is. FUS1ON Tournament Controller (Xbox 360 [reviewed], PS3)Manufacturer: PowerAMSRP: $79.99 PowerA says that they've consulted with a group of professional gamers and have used their best tech and materials to make this premium controller. It certainly looks the part, with its sleek looking design and distinctive analog sticks. The braided cable is 10 feet long and feels like a quality component. The ribbed stock grips also look nice, but feel a bit off in my hands. Thankfully, the grips are changable, and matte and "soft touch" grips are also included, along with a mini screwdriver. My only design gripe is that the metallic painted brand emblem at the top of the controller seems a bit cheap for the $79.99 asking price. And while we're on looks, it should be noted that the FUS1ON also features illumination options. A small button on the back lets you select from five different backlight colors for the analog sticks and face buttons. Off is also an option. A sharp-looking black and orange accented protective travel case is included for transport. In use, I immediately came to appreciate the FUS1ON's analog sticks, which are lower and wider than your standard Xbox 360 or PS3 analog sticks. The top of the stick is really wide and almost flat, which made them easier to hold onto in far extremes, like what you might encounter in a racing game. It felt like more of the meat of my thumbs stayed on the top of the stick, making it feel more secure in use. I liked the feel of steering while playing some Forza Horizon, and that's likely because the action on these sticks are really smooth. I don't know that I felt more of the claimed precision in shooters, like Call of Duty: Black Ops, but I felt fully capable in aiming and movement, and I definitely noticed the smooth movement. Maybe the difference in throw range made for slightly more accurate feeling aiming, but it's hard to be sure. The face buttons are high quality parts that are responsive and sport admirable action. The triggers have a shorter travel distance than you might be used to from a standard Xbox 360 controller, but they worked well in every game I tried them out on. PowerA says that the d-pad is pro gamer inspired, and features precise 8-way control. My experience in my go-to d-pad testing games, like Dig Dug, Lumines, and Street Fighter II, says differently. The Xbox Live Arcade release of Dig Dug is notorious for showing d-pad responsiveness weaknesses when it comes to directional changes; with the standard Xbox 360 d-pad it is nearly unplayable. The classic quarter muncher could be played with the FUS1ON, but turns came late, and sudden changes of direction didn't always register reliably. It's somewhat stiff action also gave me troubles Street Fighter II HF, as quarter-circle moves were harder to pull off. Forget about half-circle sweeps! The d-pad fared somewhat better in puzzle games like Lumines Live!, where the diagonal directions are rarely used. For shooters and other games that might be played in a gaming tournament, the FUS1ON should serve well. I could definitely see players taking to the wide, smooth analog sticks. I wouldn't worry much about the d-pad outside of puzzle games that require its use. For shooters, where the d-pad is assigned to item or menu changes, it should be fully sufficient. The MSRP of $79.99 is a lot to ask for a controller, even it it is a "pro," premium option. For anyone considering other controllers to give them an edge in competitive play, try the FUS1ON out. The analog sticks alone may be worth the outlay for you.

sney bought Lucasfilm, including Lucasarts, ILM, et al. The Wii U tried to scare us with some kind of ridiculous digital nonsense, but it's more dumb than anything else. A bunch of spooky games got new trailers today including Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs, Until Dawn, and Castlevania: Mirror of Fate. Finally, Tara runs down a bunch of creepy, cheap, and short games to check out in honor of International Skeleton & Pumpkin Awareness Day.

perfect when you consider its setting and story. The Steam page for the game is currently showing that preorders are still open, with the unlock happening later today. It should be good to go by the time you read this. If you're going to go the console route for Painkiller Hell & Damnation, you'll have to wait until January 22.

suspended like that? A winch? I can't imagine you'd get such a reliable, quick result from a hand crank and pulleys. Would you need to rent a special one, or would I just be able to use the kind you see on pick-up trucks? Why do I ask? Oh, no reason. Just curious. It's been a time since I watched a proper, hormone-fueled horror film where 80% of characters under the age of 25 are expected to die. Probably not since the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street back in 2010. I assume the formula is pretty much unchanged, but we rarely see that kind of horror in our videogames, so I'm pretty enthusiastic about checking this out.

faith in the series and it was canceled. With the show now buried, it seems like a bit of a waste to release an official licensed tie-in. Maybe somebody was hoping it would sell well and reignite interest? That's sadly not going to happen, because Thundercats for the DS is pure, unfettered garbage. Thundercats (Nintendo DS)Developer: Aspect Digital EntertainmentPublisher: Namco BandaiRelease: October 30, 2012MSRP: $29.99 Thundercats is a simple beat-'em-up-style platformer, and when I say simple, I mean this wouldn't even look advanced in the early '90s. With its substandard graphics, featuring largely featureless character models and muddy, flat scenery, the game looks like a slightly below average SEGA Genesis title, and plays like a dumbed-down Golden Axe. From its visuals to its distinctly dated music, it's clear Aspect Digital was attempting to evoke a "retro" feel. However, unlike games that use the retro aesthetic to communicate a developer's love for bygone years, Thundercats exploits it to cut corners, skimp on features, and ultimately provide a bland, tacky series of one-note levels. Playing as Lion-O (obviously), Thundercats' victims go from short stage to short stage, mindlessly hacking at identical opponents who attack in a predictable fashion and are more than happy to line up for their own lumps. The cat's sword swings feel totally disconnected from their targets, carrying zero sense of impact as the blade slices in front of enemy character models with only the vaguest trace of an "explosion" effect to demonstrate a strike. The game's idea of challenge is simply to throw as many opponents and bullets at the player as possible, and never does it try to deviate from that path with any nuance. Lion-O himself is simply unpleasant to control. He moves slowly, with an awful double-jump that has a pointless delay and palpable lack of responsiveness. His attacks are sluggish and his ponderous animations cannot be canceled, with most player damage suffered due to his inability to adequately dodge or avoid incoming fire. As he fights, he builds up a power meter, allowing him to unleash a blast of energy in a straight line. Its specific direction of fire makes it pointless to use in many situations, though admittedly it can be effective against bosses. As the game progresses, support characters become available. Three of them (Tygra, Cheetara, and Panthro) unleash powerful attacks, while Wilykit and Wilykat can be summoned to drop healing items or sword power-ups. Support characters are used by spending tokens collected through levels, but Lion-O can only carry up to three at a time. Thundercats offers a disjointed sense of progression. Short beat-'em-up stages can precede multiple boss fights in a row, or Godawful platforming sections that expose just how inelegant Lion-O's jumping is and usually cause death (without checkpoints) thanks to how hard it is to tell what part of a platform can be safely landed on, and what our heroic cat will just gormlessly fall through. None of these sections flow well together, especially thanks to how repetitive and boring the boss battles are. Now is as good a time as any to point out that having Lion-O say, with a poorly compressed voice clip, "Thundercats, HOOOOO," every two minutes is not very enjoyable. As mentioned, stages have no checkpoints, and saves between levels are literally a case of pot luck. At one point, I returned to the game to find that it hadn't saved anything for two levels. It was at this point, I must confess, that I decided a better use of my time and the game would be to toss it into a river -- something I plan to do at my earliest convenience. There's not really much else to be said about Thundercats because there's nothing else to it. It's a bottom-of-the-barrel brawler that might have been really appreciated in 1985, but is outclassed and humiliated even by the standards of the 16-bit era. It hides behind nostalgia like a coward, attempting to distract from its unpleasantness by convincing the player it's part of the "good old days" of gaming, but nobody exists who could be foolish enough to fall for its ploy. And this is how Thundercats ends. Not with a bang, but with a truly disgusting DS game.

t?) in addition to a 108 percent year-over-year growth of digitally delivered content. Of course, hearing specifics on a per-game basis would be nice. For Borderlands 2, "one of the most successful releases in 2K's history," there have been over 5 million units shipped to date. Firaxis Games' XCOM: Enemy Unknown wasn't given exact numbers, but Take-Two called it a "critical and commercial success." That makes me very happy indeed. [Thanks, de5gravity]

"horror," but there really is no greater poster child for the genre. This is a series that originally drew inspiration from old Universal and Hammer monster movies, paying homage to icons like Frankenstein's Creature, the Wolf Man, and of course Dracula. Over the years, it started to incorporate monsters and myths from cultures the world over. Castlevania is really just one giant hoedown with nearly every ghoul and foul hellspawn from all of human history. And what better way is there to celebrate such a remarkable franchise than with a totally objective list of the best Castlevania songs of all time? From gothic jazz to vampire rock, each tune is distinct and memorable in its own way. I guarantee that, by the time you finish reading this list, you'll feel like a badass, whip-cracking, axe-throwing, superhuman hunter of the night! Every franchise has "that one game" that makes everyone scratch their head and exclaim, "What were they thinking!?" For Castlevania, Judgment is that game. Everything about it is just wrong -- the wrong genre, the wrong platform, the wrong art style, etc. But the soundtrack is oh so right! Most of the tunes are high-octane arrangements of iconic themes from throughout the series, but there is a small handful of original pieces. The opening theme, "Darkness of Fear," is so intense that it might actually sucker you into playing this filth! Speaking of the wrong art style, who at Konami thought it was a brilliant idea replace Ayami Kojima's brilliant character designs with that? Thankfully, the rest of the game didn't fall prey to the same lapse in sensibility. "Condemned Tower" is one of those tracks that starts off slow and forlorn then crescendos until it reaches a mighty crash. It's a prime example of how Castlevania music is as much about building atmosphere as it is about delivering infectious, head-bobbing melodies. Symphony of the Night was the start of a new Castlevania era in more ways than one. The music in particular took on a whole new dimension, thanks to composer Michiru Yamane. This was neither her first game nor her first Castlevania title, but this was the project that properly demonstrated her range and expertise. Blending classical, techno, and rock styles, she forged a spirit all her own. Players are introduced to that spirit in "Dracula's Castle," heard as Alucard tears through the opening section like a... well... like a bat out of hell. Of the NES Castlevanias, Dracula's Curse is the undisputed leader. It also packed quite a punch in the audio department... if you were playing the Japanese version, that is. Listen to the first stage theme, "Beginning," and tell me you don't feel that extra "oomph." In Japan, a special audio chip called VRC6 was included in the cartridge, bestowing upon the game a couple of extra sound channels. That meant the music was richer and deeper than other games in the Famicom library. Unfortunately, the NES hardware out West could not support the VRC6, so our music sounds inadequate by comparison. The song that started it all! I doubt composer Kinuyo Yamashita had any idea how influential her work on the original Castlevania soundtrack would become when she scored Simon Belmont's first battle against the undead horde. To this day, "Vampire Killer" continues to worm its way into just about every Castlevania game, arranged and re-imagined in various styles. It stands as one of the most iconic pieces of game music, alongside such memorable melodies as the overworld themes from Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. I will put my foot down and claim that the soundtrack to Belmont's Revenge is the best Castlevania sountrack of all. It is so criminally underrated, simply because the title is for the Game Boy. People seem to forget just how powerful the Game Boy's audio capabilities are. Why do you think the Game Boy is the tool of choice for many chiptune musicians? What makes the Belmont's Revenge music so amazing -- "New Messiah," in particular -- is the deep, booming bass that you can only really appreciate by plugging a set of headphones into your portable. It's speed metal! On a friggin' Game Boy! C'mon! Before Symphony of the Night arrived to rock our world, Rondo of Blood demonstrated what clean, high-quality CD audio could bring to the table. In that opening stage, as "Divine Bloodlines" plays and Richter marches past a besieged European town burning in the background, you get the sense that an epic challenge unlike any you have ever faced before awaits. And no, the version that appears on Castlevania: Dracula X on the Super Nintendo doesn't cut the mustard. Symphony of the Night, the game so nice I mentioned it twice! "Lost Painting" may be the calmest song on this list, but it's precisely that haunting beauty that I find so incredible. This is Michiru Yamane once again showing off how talented she is, making all other music composers look like chumps. Contrast this with "Dracula's Castle" earlier in the list, and you begin to understand the scope of Symphony of the Night's groundbreaking soundtrack. Next to "Vampire Killer," Kenichi Matsubara's "Bloody Tears" is the second song people tend to associate with the Castlevania franchise. Because it's damn good. Let's be honest: "Vampire Killer" will always be a classic, but "Bloody Tears" is a musical triumph. That rhythmic bass line, those pounding drums -- they send a chill down your spine. Not out of fright, but out of sheer excitement and anticipation of the struggle to come. Whoopsies! Looks like I ran down the timer because I was too busy flailing my whip in eight directions to the beat of the GREATEST THEME SONG IN THE HISTORY OF MAN! Castlevania has some of the greatest videogame music of any franchise, and a simple top ten list was never going to be enough. I'm sure you'll argue about some of these inclusions and wonder why you personal favorite track didn't make the grade. Still, I feel that this list gathers a solid selection of the best music in the series. Of course, there are other songs that barely missed inclusion, but I'd like to honor them anyway. These aren't in any particular order, but you can consider them "further listening." "Awakened Soul" - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night "The Gears Go Awry" - Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin "Ripe Seeds" - Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge "The Silence of the Daylight" - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest "Wicked Child" - Castlevania Enjoy the tunes and have a happy Halloween!

was quite generous with the exclusive news drops. At the very start of the show, we got the first official announcement of the Cave Story+ Halloween update/sale for Steam, which is literally the greatest thing ever. Every character and background has been redrawn to celebrate the holidays, with redesigns that range from the appropriately spooky (knife wielding frog-man becomes Chucky from Child's Play) to the appropriate (Cthulu becomes... Cthulu) to the unexpected (fishing Mimiga becomes Darth Vader, ) to videogame related (Curly Brace becomes Samus Aran). There are too many horror film, videogame, and Halloween related references here to even begin to list, but if you really want to get spoiled, check out some of the sprite sheets provided by Cszuslik and see for yourself. Not one, but two Darkstalkes references? Amazing. That was just the beginning of the news cavalcade. We also got to hear about potential updates for Cave Story eShop, the latest on the development of Aban Hawkins and the 1,001 Spikes (now planned for more consoles!), Cave Story creator Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya's new project, the chances for Yatagarasu going online, a launch window for the DS/3DS version of Ikachan, and more, all provided for you below in convenient bulletpoint form. * Along with the all new Halloween graphics and pre-existing Christmas themed re-skins, this new update for Cave Story+ on steam also includes a special Machine Gun Challenge mode, and at least one new Halloween themed song remix.. * Ikachan, is hitting DSiWare and the 3DS eShop simultaneously. This new version of the game will have new enemies, areas, and other content. The eShop version will also feature a new aspect ratio, similar to the display utilized with Cave Story eShop. Both versions will (hopefully) be released in December. * Nicalis is looking into a Holiday themed update for Cave Story eShop, to include the Christmas themed re-skin from Cave Story+ on Steam. It's not guaranteed to happen at all, but if it's possible, the free update will be released before Christmas. * Aban Hawkins and the 1,001 Spikes will have +12 playable characters in multi-player Vs. mode, including Aban, his sister, his father, Commander Video from the Bit.Trip series, characters from Tempura of the Dead, and many more. The game will also feature a new multi-player mode where players compete to climb a tower and "save a maiden". The game is now on track for release in 2013. Release has been delayed by the fact that Nicalis keeps adding new content. The publisher is also looking into releasing the game on the PS Vita and on Steam via Greenlight. * Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya is working on a "Metroid-like" game for iOS. * Yatagarasu was originally developed by 3 ex-SNK staff (an artist, a programmer, and a engine designer) who had formerly worked on the King of Fighters series. Nicalis is helping to make adjustments to the game to take advantage of the 3DS hardware, such as altering the backgrounds to optimize them for a 3D display. The game may have online multi-player, but only if they can get the game running with minimal lag and without other performance issues. Local multi-player lobbies are also a possibility. * NightSky is coming soon to iOS, and will have optional touch control, tilt control, and virtual game pad and button controls. * Cave Story has been rated by the ESRB for the Xbox 360, the PS3, and the PS Vita, but Nicalis has no current plans to port the game to those consoles. In Tyronit e's words - "We submitted all the consoles so that we wouldn't have to resubmit in the future, IF we ever decided to bring to those consoles."

w horror game set against the backdrop of industrialization in 1899 London. He says that "It's fairly true to the spirit of [Amnesia: The Dark Descent]. There's a definite case of 'don't fix what isn't broken.' We're not going to be arming the player up at all -- you're still going to be hiding for most of it and running and peeking and not wanting to open doors and things like that. I think that's kind of the core spirit of the game really, so we don't want to take that away from the player." Continuing, Pinchbeck notes that it won't be too familiar an experience, saying "We've tried to do some stuff which will keep the player on their toes a little bit, to stop them from being able to play the same way. So there's changes to the way some of the things behave in the game. It's difficult to talk about that without giving too much away really." And, really, I don't want to hear more -- the less we know, the better. The Dark Descent has steadily grown its audience over the last two years. Come 2013, there's going to be a lot of nervous excitement in the air. I can't wait to see people freak out on YouTube. Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs interview: we talk to the devs about their scarefest sequel [PC Gamer]

tually dress up for Halloween with new downloadable costume packs, available today on the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live. For the Japanese businessman-style perv in you, try out either the Gym Class or Uniform packs. Both are priced at $4.99 / 400MSP, and both dress up Kasumi, Ayane, Hitmi and Kokoro with either gym outfits or schoolgirl uniforms. The Special Set 2 is priced the same, but gives you some stranger costumes to play with. Mila goes bunny girl, while Ayane does the overalls with nothing under them thing. Get all of these in a full set for $12.99 or 1040 MSP. OR! Get some of these packs for free by hanging around our Twitter and Facebook feeds. We'll be bombing codes later today. Happy Halloween!

icrosoft Points In the spirit of Undead Nightmare and Festival of Blood, Nightmare in North Point is a Halloween-inspired expansion that transforms 2012’s best free-roaming game into something much more sinister. Pummeling ghosts and driving fast cars makes for a good excuse to jump back into Sleeping Dogs, but Nightmare is a far cry from the success that Rockstar and Sucker Punch achieved. If you’ve seen the trailer for Nightmare, you’ve seen most of the game’s cutscenes. The opening and closing of this 90-minute expansion are awkward and rushed, not capturing any of the B-movie charm that was clearly the aim. The DLC begins with Wei Shen leaving a movie with his girlfriend. While he is laughing up the premise of Jiang Shi ghosts, a real one appears right before him in North Point. Wei Shen’s girlfriend is taken away, possessed citizens roam the streets, and the mysterious, undead Smiley Cat is causing havoc across the city. Outside one brief shooting sequence, Nightmare focuses entirely on chase sequences and combat. Chases were my least favorite part of Sleeping Dogs, but I always enjoyed the hand-to-hand fights. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the same love in Nightmare. This is due to the new Jiang Shi enemies and the combat scenarios they present. They are a pesky enemy to go up against, since they’ll suck your blood until you waggle free. This sort of thing didn't bother me in Resident Evil 6, but it drove me nuts here. I hated it! These vampire-ghost-things will just keep sucking your life away until you waggle left-to-right. It's so awkward. Occasionally, you’ll need to throw enough Jiang Shi into their spawning location to close their portal. This feels like busy work and isn’t the least bit fun. You’ll eventually acquire magical powers from antifreeze and a “ghost pepper” (must try at home) which gives you some satisfyingly overpowered attacks. However, you’ll need to build up your face meter first. The expansion introduces one more enemy type that can only be defeated while Shen is in that temporary state. This leaves you in encounters where you grind on the ghosts to build the face meter and then focus on the other foe. Once again, not fun. All of this would be partially excusable if Nightmare built great atmosphere and had a strong story like Undead Nightmare. The expansion has its moments, especially for those who have finished the main campaign long ago. Hanging out with Vincent’s ghost as he rambles on about food is a nice touch. There are some other encounters with old friends and foes, but I won’t spoil all that here. Nightmare does have some alright ideas but it lacks strong execution. The downloadable content will take you down familiar locations of North Point, except now the overcast city has a lot of blue fog. Like the rest of Nightmare, it feels like a lazy attempt to achieve what Rockstar did so much better. Nightmare in North Point isn’t terrible. If you are dying for an excuse to jump back into Sleeping Dogs or are hurting for some Halloween-themed gaming, this expansion may temporarily satisfy your cravings. Just know that this is a poor echo of the greatness found in Sleeping Dogs and not nearly as charming and thought-out as Undead Nightmare. Someone really needs to wake this puppy up! Thank you! Thank you! I'll be here all night.

and Jim more or less derails the entire podcast to have an argument with a complete weirdo on Twitter. Sorry about that. It's kind of still fun though, and even spooky if you think about how creepy it is to have a complete stranger claim they've met you many times and know more about you than you do! Halloweeeeeeeen! As ever, you can subscribe to us on iTunes and RSS, buy our Android App or download directly!

er known" on November 7th, 2012. It's passed Apple's certification process, so all it needs to do now is hit the App Store.Yep, he's still all about those hyperbolic promises folks! I can't wait for the redaction when Curiosity 2 comes out: "no, you guys just weren't curious enough!" Curiosity: Molyneux reveals release date, Apple submission successful [VG247 -- Thanks, de5gravity]

over 40 videogame music-related acts. Special guests include legendary game music composers Yuzo Koshiro (Streets of Rage, Shenmue, Actraiser) and Kinuyo Yamashita (Castlevania). Beyond this, tons of game music bands are set to take the event's double stages, including The OneUps, ARMCANNON, The Protomen, BrentalFloss, and many more. Add to that chiptune artists and DJs and you'll have an event that you'd be stupid to miss. Oh, and Destructoid is hosting another panel at MAGFest 11. Destructoid Live! was a blast last year, so we're doing it again. Join myself, Hamza, Tony and others in the fun. Be there! See below for the full artist lineup.The full line up for MAGFest XI is: Special Guests: Yuzo Koshiro (DJ performance) Kinuyo Yamashita (Solo piano performance) Main Stage: ARMCANNON Bit Brigade BrentalFloss and The Cartridge Family The Megas Metroid Metal The OneUps Powerglove The Protomen Random Aka Mega Ran Rare Candy Those Who Fight Video Game Orchestra Second Stage: Arc Impulse Descendants of Erdrick Dwelling of Duels Live Fighting in the Streets Knight of the Round Lords of Thunder My Parents Favorite Music On Being Human OverClocked University Professor Shyguy Super Guitar Bros Triforce Quartet The World Is Square The X-Hunters Chiptunes: BRIGHT PRIMATE Cheap Dinosaurs Crashfaster Danimal Cannon D&D Sluggers Inverse Phase Kris Keyser Jake 'Virt' Kaufman DJs: Benjamin Briggs bLiNd DJ Cutman

able -- for free no less -- from the New Zealand App Store, this game is sure to quench your thirst for action, and fuel your desire for fun! Halo 4: King of the Hill Powered by Mountain Dew (iOS)Developer: Ogmento Inc.Publisher: A Great Bunch of GuysRelease: October 31, 2012MSRP: Cheaper Than A Bag of Fulfilling Doritos The game is as mysterious as its name. Why is a satiating carbonated beverage being used to provide power to a hill of all things? Why does a mass of land need fueling of any kind? Is it on wheels? Is it mechanical? And who would claim regal dominion over such a contoured mockery of geography? We may never know. All we know is that Mountain Dew provides the flavor you're craving, and the energy needed to get you in the game -- the HALO game, that is! Halo 4: King of the Hill Fueled by Mountain Dew (so tasty) is a visceral shooting experience of epic and visceral proportions. You shoot at a Sparkan with your gun's bullets for a bit, really living the life of Mister Chives. In order to resupply your supplies in the game, you have to resupply your supplies in real life, by going out and stocking up on delicious bottles of Mountain Dew and bags of hearty Doritos-brand corn chips (found in your local 7-Eleven). By scanning the barcodes of these reasonably-priced items, you can transport (as if by magic) new bullets to your gun so you can keep shooting Sparkans. If you become king of the mysterious, Dew-powered Hill, you can win some fantastic Halo 4 prizes! We all like prizes. I'm going to Tweet for some as soon as I've finished writing this. Answer your thirst for victory, and stuff it down the throat of doubt. Sodamn good! At this point I'd like to remind you of the refreshing taste of Doritos. Using a unique blend of corn, chemicals, and even ingredients, the Frito-lay family strikes gold with every bold new flavor it produces. From Cheese to Flavors Other Than Cheese, you can count on Doritos to be the arbiter (like in Halo) of your party snack choices. Combined with Mountain Dew, you have the perfect covenant (Halo again) of satisfying crunch and quenching refreshment. I don't know about those bad guys called The Flood, but I'd certainly love it if my house was flooded with Mountain Dew. Until it attracted ants. While you're reading, may I also remind you about Halo 4's other fantastic partners? Pizza Hut is wanting a slice of the action, and don't let V Energy sugarcoat any of the hardcore combat you'll be facing when Halo 4 is all up in your business. Speaking of business, Microsoft runs a terrific one, wouldn't you agree? I give its glorious enterprise a Windows 8 out of 10! Halo 4: King of the Hill Fueled by Mountain Dew is a game-changer for the industry, and something I can see myself playing 24/7-Eleven. What, exactly, are you waiting for? Dewnload it today, and don't say we at Destructoid, or our new partners Frito-lay, never Doritold you about this explosive new title! Score: Yummy/10 [Note: Mountain Dew cannot be used as a fuel of any kind. Destructoid cannot be held responsible for damaged cars, burnt sockets, or damp barbecue grills. Furthermore, the surgeon general warns that Doritos can cause health problems, including but not limited to: heart disease, diabeetus, liver failure, lung growth, St. Shriven's Fever, gout, Gutsman's Ass, fatness, bias, foreclosure of the kidneys, and aching anus. Sponsored by Netscape Nagivator.]

new trailer is perfect for Halloween. In it you'll see a pumpkin-headed Kutaro (he uses interchangeable heads) using his magical scissors to chop away at a world full of huge, pop-out Jack-o-Lanterns, laughing ghouls, and zombie hands that seem to be 'raising the roof' in a Halloween-themed dance. Later, see what looks to be a giant candy-headed Jack-o-Lantern that might be barfing frosting. And that flying skeleton with the glowing lungs looks to be a jerk. I cannot wait for this game. It's coming sometime next year -- hopefully before Halloween.

art Season Pass ($30, 2400 MSP). Beyond this, it looks like more missions and multiplayer maps are planned -- hopefully the latter will follow the model set in past games, and launch for free. While I'm not super keen on getting ports of games that have already been out for a while (like Arkham City and Mass Effect 3), this is still a neat option for those of you who somehow don't have a PS3 or 360 yet. Assassin's Creed 3: All DLC [CVG]

ian Provinciano was determined to see his dream project through to the end. It may have started as a demake of Grand Theft Auto III, but Retro City Rampage is imbued with the spirit of all the biggest games, movies, and pop culture phenomenons from the past three decades. And it's finally here! I've been able to take my time with RCR, savoring everything that it has to offer. Chances are most of you have purchased it by now, but for those on the fence or waiting for the WiiWare and XBLA versions to be dated, I'd like to share some kind words. Retro City Rampage (PC [reviewed], PlayStation Network, PlayStation Vita, WiiWare, Xbox Live Arcade)Developer: Vblank EntertainmentPublisher: Vblank EntertainmentRelease: October 9, 2012 (PC, PSN, Vita) / Q4 2012 (WiiWare, XBLA)MSRP: $14.99 (PC, PSN, Vita) / TBA (WiiWare, XBLA) Retro City Rampage has had quite the colorful history. Originally conceived as the NES homebrew project Grand Theftendo, Brian decided to shift development to PC in order to escape the NES' limitations. From then on, the game started to gain an identity of its own. RCR may be an open-world sandbox, but a GTA clone it is not. It is a melting pot of ideas and inspiration, a conglomerate of cameos and pop culture references that are woven into the fabric so seamlessly that it feels like they truly belong together. It's Brian's own Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and the in-game world of Theftropolis is his Toontown. So rich is the city with heartfelt nods to cherished icons of yesteryear that you can't even go 30 seconds without being slammed by a parade of nostalgia. As you cruise the streets, you may notice the Ninja Turtles' Party Wagon or the A-Team's van driving by. Environments and objects straight out of Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, and more dot the landscape. There's even a boxing gym operated by a man who is totally a dead ringer for Doc Louis from Punch-Out!! A lot of these references are window dressing, so it might be easy to pass RCR off as lacking substance. That couldn't be further from the truth. The biggest references of all are built into the missions themselves, straddling the line between parody and homage but always with love and attention to detail. In one mission, you break into the home of the very Batman-esque Biffman, don his costume, and patrol the streets in search of Biffman's nemesis the Jester. In another mission, you bust onto the set of a Saved by the Bell knockoff during a live taping, beat up the high school boys, then take the girl back to your place for some "iced tea." In yet another mission, you have to dive into the reservoir to deactivate bombs in a recreation of the infamous dam level from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the NES. These are the kinds of adventures you'll embark upon during the main missions, but you might want to kill some time driving around the street, jacking cars, and mowing down pedestrians instead. The more carnage you create, the more your notoriety grows, attracting the attention of ever more aggressive cops and eventually the military. As with GTA, there's something morbidly cathartic about spreading wanton chaos and destruction -- even more so when the world is populated by pixelated, toy-like caricatures of beach bums, gymnasts, and mariachis. Like I metioned, there is an overarching story. You are a hired thug known only as "Player," who is hurtled through time after stealing Bill and Ted's phone booth in front of a convenience store. Stranded in the future, you are fortunate enough to bump into Doc Choc, who's willing to let you use his DeLorean time machine if you can help repair it. Thus, you must track down the missing pieces of the machine, following leads and taking odd jobs along the way. During your quest, you frequently cross paths with your former employer, A.T. Corp., which holds a monopoly on nearly every industry in Theftropolis, from the media to software development. The biggest thorn in your side is the company's lead scientist, Dr. Von Buttnik, who rides around in a wrecking ball-swinging pod like a certain blue rodent's nemesis. In a stroke of hilarious cleverness, Player's conflict with A.T. Corp. sidesteps all player agency concerns. Player claims to be disgusted by A.T. Corp.'s nefarious business practices, which would seem at odds with his penchant for city-wide mayhem. When asked about this contradiction directly, Player flatly states that the two behaviors are not mutually exclusive. By embracing such a contradiction, Retro City Rampage allows you to have your cake and eat it too! Beyond the core levels, you unlock sub-missions that task you with using a specific weapon or tool to destroy a number of pedestrians or cars or to earn a certain amount of points within a time limit. You are then rated on your performance with a bronze, silver, or gold medal, and your score is posted onto the leaderboards. While scoring is typically very straightforward -- link kills together for a streak bonus -- I had serious issues in sub-missions involving handheld explosives like grenades or dynamite. Destroying people or vehicles with these items yields very few points, so the trick is to cause a chain reaction by using the explosion of one vehicle to destroy nearby ones. For some odd reason, this doesn't always result in a substantial amount of points. Maybe I've yet to discover exactly what triggers scoring chains when it comes to explosives, but I find them to be very random, making these some of the most difficult portions of the entire game. Then there are the guest mini-games, starring Commander Video from the BIT.TRIP series, Meat Boy, and even Harley Morenstein and Muscles Glasses from Epic Meal Time. Commander Video's game is an abridged version of BIT.TRIP RUNNER, Meat Boy's takes its cues from Rad Racer (use 3D glasses for stereoscopic mode!), and the EMT crew's closely resembles "Test Your Might" from Mortal Kombat. Clearing these games unlocks the characters' likenesses in either Free Roaming Mode or in the plastic surgery office alongside the Dtoid crew's mugs. The EMT game is not all that hard, but the BIT.TRIP and Meat Boy ones may make you want to smack your head against a wall. They start easily enough, but the challenge quickly ramps up. Particularly in BIT.TRIP, I was having extreme difficulty bouncing off alligator heads using the Xbox 360 controller. When I switched to the keyboard instead, jumping became far more responsive. That may have simply been a mechanical problem with my controller, but as I didn't have any similar issues elsewhere, I'm left to wonder. Customization is another major feature of RCR. You can change the border around the game screen to look like various monitors or arcade cabinets, add CRT scanlines, or apply color filters to simulate the look of old console, handheld, or computer software. If you want to pretend you are playing on an old VGA monitor, you can! If you want to recreate the feeling of squinting at the Game Boy's tiny spinach-colored square, that's possible too! Whatever tickles your nostalgia bone, there's an option available to satisfy your desires. Options extend to play style as well. By pressing and holding the fire button, you will lock onto the nearest target in your line of sight, but you can also use the right stick on a controller to enable twin-stick shooting, Smash TV style. You can dispatch enemies either by shooting them, bashing them, or running over them. n addition, you can pull a Mario and jump on their heads, a quick means to escape a tight squeeze when you are besieged on all sides. There's even a basic cover system for fans of Gears of War because... hell... why not? I haven't even touched upon the amazing chiptune soundtrack, composed by notable game composers Leonard "Freaky DNA" Paul (Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2, NBA Jam 2010) and Jake "virt" Kaufman (Shantae, Double Dragon Neon) as well as game music arranger extraordinaire Matt "Norrin_Radd" Creamer. Their tunes can be heard on the various radio stations while cruising through Theftropolis, the pulse-pounding bass and melodies giving voice to RCR's marriage of anarchy and candy-coated nostalgia. Unfortunately, the on-screen action at any time can be so overwhelming that it drowns out the music. At its worst, the soundtrack sounds like chaotic noise, hardly the catchy rhythms we associate with 8-bit gaming. That isn't so much the soundtrack's fault as it is the sheer concentration of activity that fills every second of play time, but it's nonetheless disappointing. It's this chaos that serves as both RCR's greatest triumph and biggest failing. To go anywhere and do anything, to never go a minute without being bombarded by visual and aural stimulation -- that all sounds good on paper; in practice, it often comes off as distracting. It's a jumble of events that fly past so quickly that your sense of focus will fall apart if you aren't completely devoted. But that was always going to be a problem, considering the ambitious decade-long journey Brian embarked upon. He wanted this to be his magnum opus, a love letter to everything that ever influenced him or made him smile. At the very least, the game never feels bloated or drawn out -- if you only attempt the main story missions, you'll be done in a matter of hours. However, if you want to lose yourself in the city or embark upon an Easter egg quest, the size and scope make for the perfect playground. Will there be people who don't like Retro City Rampage? Of course. In many ways, it bites off more than it can chew, especially when it comes to some of the one-time gimmick missions. Regardless, it is an ambiti

iven us for playing hardcore games." The man whose studio is working on Aliens: Colonial Marines is pretty high on the 'Pad's touchscreen, too. "With the Wii U they committed themselves to this promise. So the link is direct, fast and immediate. Things like SmartGlass and Vita, they appreciate the value of the promise so they're making the promise. But they're not in with such commitment." I have to say, I really do like the GamePad from what little time I've had to play with it. It feels surprisingly not-awful in the hands. Can't really say if it'll stay comfortable, or how good it is for shooters, but I'm looking forward to seeing if Pitchford's right. Aliens: Colonial Marines' Xenomorphic perspective and Wii U potential [Joystiq]

es, Rockstab Brains added Grand Theft Auto V to an already bloated spring 2013 release period, and more! Destructoid Original:Getting It Right: SanitariumLive show: Hanging out with Jessica NigriCommunity:Community blogs of 10/30Forum thread of the day: Halo 4Contests: Last Call: Enter to win a Wii UContest: Tweet to win Zone of the Enders HD!Reviews: Review: Need for Speed Most WantedReview: Assassin's Creed IIIReview: Need for Speed Most Wanted (iOS/Android)Review: Ragnarok OdysseyNews:Assassin's Creed III gets massive day-one patchMake a diorama, win Paper Mario: Sticker Star and a 3DS Gameloft announces 12 titles for Windows Phone 8Dynasty Warriors 8 announced, suck my hair!Nintendo's Wii U Deluxe digital promo is poorly designedMore modes for New Super Mario Bros. U detailedLEGO The Lord of the Rings for handhelds now availableMedia:Forza Horizon SmartGlass Experience is available nowDragon Quest VII coming to the Nintendo 3DSDust 514: 'Way of the Mercenary' trailerWarm up with some Tropico 4 Gold Edition screensGrand Theft Auto V to release Spring 2013Dead Island: Riptide coming April 23 in North AmericaLaunch trailer sets the mood for Halo 4's Spartan OpsDivinity II: Developer's Cut out now on SteamHakuoki: Warriors of the Shinsengumi comes to PSP Halloween is tomorrow. Technically today for some of you. Let me, Screamin' Hauntsen be among the first to wish you a happy night of ghosts and goblins (or of Ghosts'n Goblins, your plans depending). Some things to remember as you go about it:1) Razorblades may make candy tastier according to science, but I strongly urge you not to eat candy that isn't factory sealed or otherwise appears tampered with. 2) Don't smash pumpkins (unless they're yours). I know the band Smashing Pumpkins is all the rage with kids these days, but let's not aggrandize vandalism. 3) Keep your mouths closed at all times, lest ghosts do unsavory things to your face.4) If someone -- or something -- jumps at you unexpectedly, it's okay to take a swing. It's even possible you're on camera, so you can become a YouTube hit!5) If you arrive to a party with a phoned-in costume, it's legal in 37 states for fellow party-goers to strap you in a stockade and tickle your feet. In nine states, you may be buried alive. Don't try and play the odds, put some effort into your costume.6) Make sure you finish off all of the pumpkin-themed food and drink you've been collecting this month, because it goes bad at midnight. If there's any left over, a dracula will come to your home and give you a lecture on waste, then he'll impress your loved ones and they'll probably ditch you to hang with him instead.6A) Don't try to hide pumpkin-themed excess by feeding it to your gremlin after midnight. 7) Don't drink anything you didn't mix yourself.

lovely ladies of LT3, and one of the most popular cosplayers on the planet, Jessica Nigri. We'll be getting to know her a bit better as she shows off some of her latest creations, just in time for Halloween. As well, if time allows, we'll be jamming on some Borderlands 2 together for a bit of the evening. Don't miss your chance to hang out with us, ask a couple of questions, and possibly hop in for a game or two, only at Dtoid.TV! QotD: What character could you see yourself cosplaying as?

lker Sound. According to the PR, "the present intent is for Lucasfilm employees to remain in their current locations." Current Lucasfilm co-chairman Kathleen Kennedy is set to become the president of the company while serving as the brand manager for Star Wars and as executive producer on future films alongside creative consultant George Lucas. Up first will be Star Wars Episode 7 due out in 2015. Yes, this is finally, really happening. In a statement, Lucas said that "It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I've always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I'm confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come."

Where are we going this time? A nondescript desert in the Middle East? A futuristic metropolis that is either 20 percent or 80 percent Blade Runner-inspired? Why is this when plenty of films take viewers to outlandish, fantastical settings that bring to mind nightmares and dreams -- not cliches of modern fiction? Where can we find such inspired worlds in games? There are a few that look inward instead of outward in creating a setting. The list is short: Grim Fandango, Psychonauts, Harvester and -- oh, yeah -- Sanitarium. I may celebrate every one of them for this series in due time, but for now we are taking a look at this little-known eerie PC adventure.Sanitarium (PC)Developer: DreamForge IntertainmentPublisher: ASC GamesReleased: April 30, 1998 In a nutshell: Sanitarium begins in a mental asylum, yet it’s the most sane place you’ll visit in the game. On a journey to find out who he is and why he is being transported to different dreamworlds, Max takes on different avatars and fulfills various quests. This eccentric, polished adventure game is unlike any other in the genre. From its isometric view to the unsettling character designs, Sanitarium creates a bizarre reality through unconventional means. It’s an oddity, for sure, and one that got it right. Mystique By Sanitarium’s end, many questions remain unanswered but most are buried within the environments and dialogue, waiting to be discovered on subsequent playthroughs. The story’s slow build-up and reluctance to give answers creates an unsettling atmosphere that sets the tone for the events to come. A lack of clarity in narrative may sour many games, but it's a big part of what makes Sanitarium so great. If waking up in a mental hospital isn’t disorienting enough, waking up in an abandoned town overrun by disfigured children should do the trick. Each chapter of Sanitarium throws the protagonist in a new environment and often in a new persona. While transitioning from a little girl to a four-armed monster seems completely random at first, the underlying symbolism starts to unspool and make sense of things. The storytelling, environments, voice acting, music, and dialogue build up an incredible atmosphere that is thick enough to cut with a knife. Sanitarium’s eccentricities recall the films of David Lynch, while the relentless horrors of the game’s story bring to mind Silent Hill. One thing these both share is a great sense of mystery that makes you feel uneasy but compels you to explore a dark, twisted world for answers. Disturbing but not scary Sometimes, the horrors that pose no immediate threat are the ones that stay with us the longest. Maybe it’s an issue of over-familiarity but zombies, vampires, and werewolves just don’t provide a good shock anymore. Sanitarium’s disfigured children, lonely freaks, grotesque aliens, and mourning ghosts are far more unnerving to me. Sanitarium never seeks to scare, but its visuals often got under my skin, despite the dated graphics. Deformed humans acting as if there isn't anything wrong with them is unsettling on so many levels. Maggot-like aliens and cyborgs drilling holes into giant human fetuses make for a close second place. Even when the game returns Max to the mental ward, he is surrounded by hostile doctors and insane patients. There is no escape from Sanitarium's bizarre characters and world. While some areas are stranger and lonelier than others, everything in the game has the potential to disturb. It creates a unique, threatening atmosphere that isn't like much else in the medium. Storytelling that works on multiple levels Sanitarium’s story has its faults, particularly in its final chapter. The hellbent antagonist’s motivation and mannerisms are exaggerated and unconvincingly villainous. It’s a bad fit for a game that provides a surprising amount of maturity in its approach. Take, for example, the first large area: A town overgrown with plant life and abandoned by adults after a comet hit. Now, the town is a lonely place where only mutated children reside. Some are more lost and cruel than others but most of them seem pretty content with the state of things. This whole scenario, like all the ones that are to follow, appears completely random at first glance. But then, the environment and characters begin to tell a different story. Every sub-story of Sanitarium takes place in Max’s mind which gives them all a deeper significance. Abandoned children, a history of abuse, a corrupt preacher, an alien force -- all of these things make sense by the end of the game. Even the ideas that aren’t directly addressed can be analyzed and interpreted in different ways. The mulch-faceted storytelling of Sanitarium is a dark and cerebral kind that gives the player tools to answer questions, instead of putting it all on a silver platter. Feeling helpless Making a player feel out of control is a tricky thing to accomplish without eliciting the wrong kind of frustration at a game. When done effectively, however, it leads to some powerful moments. I forgot most of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories but I clearly remember the wheelchair sequence and the impact it had on me. Though the feeling of helplessness that Sanitarium evokes is more mental than physical, it achieves a similar feeling. Being locked away and abused by staff made me very uncomfortable throughout Sanitarium's asylum chapters. Not only will no one help out Max, they constantly lie to him -- some even bully him. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and 12 Monkeys didn't make me think, "Man, mental hospitals are awesome!" but they are nothing compared to the ones Max visits. Large scope For a story that mostly takes place in one man’s mind, Sanitarium manages to take players across a lot of cultures, eras, and places. Name another game that lets you control an Aztec god, little girl, and four-armed alien. You won’t because there isn’t one. Despite being a large, ambitious adventure, Sanitarium feels personal throughout its entirety. Cut scenes consistently link things in the imaginary world with Max’s suppressed memories, making player’s remember that this is Max’s story. Even though you are Max for only a small part of Sanitarium, I never got a sense that he was abandoned as the focus. Exploring Max’s past is always at the forefront of the story, which makes for great narrative motivation. Each of the game’s dreamworld sub-plots are engaging on their own and are made even more engaging by being linked to a larger thread. Parts of the game seem stupidly ambitious -- sometimes to a fault (see: the terrible combat sections) -- but Max’s chapters have a way of grounding the story, making it a personal tale again. If you want to tell a great story, write a book. If you don’t want to write a book, an adventure game may do just fine. Due to the pacing and structure of action in the genre, adventures are most welcoming to deep, innovative storytelling. Players are more willing to take in large amounts of dialogue, developers are more free to explore ideas without violence having to always play a part, and fun puzzles can always tie it all together. Sanitarium is a damn good story. It may end a bit rough and take a while to get going, but I struggle to think of many game narratives of its caliber. It’s funny then to observe that Sanitarium begins with one of gaming’s biggest cliches: an amnesia-inflicted protagonist. Instead of using this as an excuse to have a cast of character ramble off exposition -- I’m looking at you, JRPGs -- Sanitarium creates a riveting narrative web work around the concept. [Image courtesy of cky1988]

un's new character model has been revealed, alongside a totally fresh face -- Yue Jin, from the kingdom of Wei. His introduction to the series has been a long time coming! I know, I know, a lot of people hate this series. I always find something to entice me, though. I refuse to be ashamed! I just hope they've gone back to giving each character its own unique weapon and moveset. Get that back and we are golden. NO SHAME! [Thanks, Ridead!]

ted for Android and iOS. Most Wanted mobile may not be open world (or developed by Criterion), but it delivers a decent bite-sized experience of the core game -- with a number of hiccups along the way. Need for Speed Most Wanted (Android, iOS [reviewed])Developer: Firemonkeys StudiosPublisher: EA MobileRelease: October 30, 2012MSRP: $6.99 No, the mobile version is not open world -- it's entirely menu-based, old-school racing action. I definitely understand the limitations of the mobile space, but I feel like this of all franchises would have been a great opportunity to seize the open world space on iOS -- even if it was just a snapshot of Fairhaven. So if it's not an open world, what's the point of the game then? Well, you select races from menus, earn more cars, and become the "Most Wanted" driver in Fairhaven. In other words, your standard racing game experience. To help satiate people looking for more than just regular ol' racin', Most Wanted races return, and function the same way as in the retail release. Every so often, you'll climb up the ranks and have the opportunity to take on an exotic car: beat it, and you'll earn it. This is essentially the game's "story," as you complete races that ultimately all go towards working your way up the "10 Most Wanted list." The bad news is, you still have to buy those awesome-looking cars once you beat them (more on that later). Like many racing games in the mobile space, your car's acceleration is automatic. You do have a lot of control over your vehicle however, as you can brake by holding the left side of the screen, powerslide while holding the right, and activate nitrous boosts by swiping up. If you're so inclined, you can use gyroscope controls, but thankfully, a virtual touch wheel is an option. Touch controls feel pretty finicky at first, but once you adjust the sensitivity to your liking, it feels pretty spot on. Speaking of controls, overall, Most Wanted mobile feels great for a racing game, and I can't really complain in that department. Visually, it's impressive (even on my iPhone 4), and in my experience, there aren't really any mechanical issues/glitches to report. Firemonkeys Studios even succeeds in porting over what sounds like most of the soundtrack from the core game as well, which goes great with the enhanced visuals, giving off the allure of more than just a mobile title. The Autolog social features (which are done through Origin) are inoffensive, and gently nudge you with things like leaderboards and SP (Speed Points, which are essentially XP) comparisons to give you a little incentive to keep playing. But the presentation isn't the problem: the main issues are with a number of design choices that poke holes in the fun you'd otherwise have with it. For one, the game features the same annoying, kill-crazy cops from the console version. These cops don't have anything to live for: no wives/husbands, no dog, no prospects, and they've hit rock bottom. They'll kill you on sight or die trying. As you can imagine, this makes for a pretty uncomfortable experience; they can just pop up without warning on nearly any race. Then you add in the fact that if you're wrecked once, you lose the entire race, which is no fun for anyone -- especially if you've held a lead for the entire stage and just happen to make one mistake. Also, the intricate upgrade system found in the core game is missing here, making cars feel more like a commodity than a treasured acquisition -- and that's probably the end goal for EA Mobile, as they shuffle you into the microtransaction system. Sadly, a lot of content is hidden behind a paywall, which forces you to grind through races you may not enjoy just to procure the in-game funds to continue -- of course, not before the game presents the lovely option for in-app purchasing. On top of EA's usual micro-pay tactics, you need Speed Points to even have the opportunity to purchase cars; then you need to spend in-game cash to acquire them. This backwards system is a staunch contrast to Most Wanted on consoles, where you can simply find cars lying around in the world and own them for good. It's unfortunate that on top of a $6.99 base asking price, there would be an effort to paywall people like this, especially when coupled with the fact that the game itself is actually pretty good. If you can fight through the lack of variety and questionable design decisions, Most Wanted mobile is decent little companion to the full retail release. It might not be the best racing game on the mobile market, but if you're hurting for virtual driving on the go, you should think about picking it up.

their blog, the developer has stated that the game will be available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and pre-orders will open at retailers on November 5th. No mention of a PC release, though there's a history of console versions dropping first in this series, so that isn't terribly surprising. On a side note, one new promotional image was also revealed, with a blonde on a beach in a bikini with a smartphone in front of what looks like Rockstar's fictional version of the Santa Monica Pier. I hope they recreate that in the game. One of my favorite spots in southern California.

7: Heat The Dark Knight Rises UNO™ & Friends Order & Chaos Online The Amazing Spider-Man Fashion Icon Poker for Prizes Real Soccer 2013 All of the announced titles are set to take advantage of the Xbox services that the OS provides, including the ability to connect to follow Leaderboards and Achievements. Some in the lineup will support Play-Pause-Resume through Xbox's Cloud Storage, letting you pause on one device and resume on another. Gameloft says that all of the 12 titles will run on all Windows 8 Phones, including sets from Nokia, Samsung and HTC.

sun-drenched mountains, and dancing girls. I feel warmer just thinking about it. But then I think about the game's Cold War setting. Cold. Cold. And I'm cold again. Tropico 4 Gold Edition is the standard game and the Modern Times expansion, all in one handy pack. It will be available in stores on November 13.

fects how the game will play out for you. And if your configuration sucks, and you die, you can just do it all over again! Beyond the introductory stuff, this trailer gives you a quick look at how vehicles and team play work in the game, and also touches in its integration with Eve Online. DUST 514 is currently in closed beta.

epends on how much you like busywork. Assassin's Creed III (PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 [reviewed])Developer: Ubisoft MontrealPublisher: Ubisoft Released: October 30, 2012MSRP: $59.99 Following the messages hidden within his genetic memory, series protagonist Desmond and the team of Assassins supporting him have found the location of ruins left behind by the precursor race which once held dominion over the Earth. Now, they are in a desperate search to learn the secrets of this place, hoping to discover what happened to that lost race and if what they left behind might save humanity from an impending solar event threatening to destroy the world as we know it. But to reach the central chamber of these ruins, Desmond will need a key: an amulet lost hundreds of years ago, hidden by one of his ancestors, the location once again stored in Desmond's DNA and to be discovered through the power of the Animus (a device which places its user into a simulation, allowing them to experience the lives of their ancestors). It's almost impossible to discuss the story elements of Assassin's Creed III without spoiling it to some degree, and to go much further than this would risk ruining a number of the cleverer twists and turns in the 10-12 hour primary quest line. While there are always risks in an open-world game of disrupting the pace of a story, it feels easy to drop in and out of the main quest line without feeling like something has been missed. A tome's worth of supplemental material (provided in-character by the modern Assassin team's researcher) can bring players up to speed quickly in an entertaining fashion should any confusion arise. While the tale does a fine job of engagement, for the most part, what is happening outside of the Animus simulation often feels more urgent and interesting than examining the role of Assassins and Templars in the American War of Independence. The fate of the Precursors and their efforts to avoid that fate are uncovered by exploring the ruins further, and the player is provided several opportunities to go deeper in this pursuit as the game progresses. Inside the simulation, the story makes an effort toward having the player question the philosophical differences between two organizations and whether "freedom" as a concept is merely a matter of perception. However, most of the cast are only lightly developed and the character of Connor (whom the player will spend most of their time controlling) is almost annoying in his blind, obstinate adherence to the idea of all mankind desiring and having a right to freedom. Connor himself is a bit disappointing as a character. Whereas other heroes of the series experience a process of learning about the Creed and what it means for them and their time in history, this is largely disregarded for Connor, who (despite all the extraordinary things which he experiences) doesn't exhibit significant development through the course of the plot and rarely demonstrates any emotional range except when it's appropriate for him to display seething disgust, puzzled confusion or general disapproval. While the approach of resolute determination even in the face of death works brilliantly for the villainous Templars, putting them among the best enemies in videogames, it's less effective for Connor, whose simplistic perspective often comes across as naive. What Connor lacks in terms of engagement from a character perspective, he makes up for with physicality. Free-running has been dramatically improved in this installment, granting a greater sense of empowerment while reducing frequency of instances where the character jumps in an unintended direction because the game misinterprets the player's intent. Spotting traversal lines through environments becomes second nature quickly, even in dense forest regions, a credit to their design. At the same time, control has been simplified to a single button to engage free-running and the game does a generally excellent job of providing a wide enough range in acceptable player input to ensure that characters go exactly where desired. It isn't perfect and will occasionally fail the player, which is still annoying, but the problem is rare enough at this point to be mostly forgivable. Connor is an almost unstoppable force in a combat situation, due in no small part to further simplification of the mechanics established in past games. Differences between melee weapons seem marginal at best and all that seems to be required to overcome any enemy is a small degree of patience in waiting for their inevitable attack so that it can be blocked and countered, opening the opportunity for instant kills of additional enemies. The window to block attacks is wide open and pressing the block button will interrupt nearly any of Connor's attack animations, making the vast majority of enemies total pushovers. Later foes can resist this "block then stab" technique, requiring instead that they be blocked by pressing one button, have their defenses eliminated by a second and then killed, but that's about as hard as it ever gets (save a few specific exceptions), making the employment of other methods (such as rope arrows, trip mines and smoke bombs) more a matter of personal preference and experimentation than practical application. Not only are the enemies significantly less competent fighters than Connor, they're also pretty terrible at chasing him down when you don't feel like fighting. Most of this is down to how easy it has become to hide from enemies with the advent of new hiding spots (such as tall grass and shrubbery), the improved free-running controls, and changes to the blending mechanics which no longer require set groupings of people to constitute a crowd but merely need a couple of NPCs near the player's position to blend in. Both of these types of hiding spots require no delay in their execution, no special animations which could give an enemy enough time to round a corner and spot Connor, and enemies aren't particularly dogged in their pursuit once you've secured a hiding place, making it far easier to escape than in past games. There's more to do in the American frontier than in any prior installment, and players will spend more than half of the game's main campaign missions discovering more activities to engage in. Collection goals remain a major component, with chests, feathers and pages from various editions of Benjamin Franklin's almanacs dotting the landscape, waiting to be discovered. Hunting lodges ask for the player to kill animals in the frontier with a variety of techniques, while districts of the game's two major city regions (Boston and New York) feature their own shopping list quests for the player to complete and a collection of "trinket" items progresses a seperate quest to discover the lost treasure of Captain Kidd. Other legends weave their way into these secondary quests, told as campfire tales between frontiersman, and the player will discover answers to Bigfoot and other American myths by exploring these quest lines. Players will also be given an opportunity to rebuild the Assassin's Guild in the Americas with Homestead and District Liberation quests. The Homestead quests practically constitute their own separate campaign from the main story, as Connor plays shepherd to a variety of characters displaced by the conflict around them and provides a place to start their lives anew. Each of these characters contributes to the homestead by making resources available for sale and completing later quests to improve their lives also improves the range of goods they offer. These resources can be sold to trading posts for cash by sending convoys or used in the creation of new items through a crafting system which allows players to make items based upon discovered recipes or experiment with resources and artisans to create new items without such guidance. In the cities, the player will discover opportunities to rescue people from the oppression of English forces and turn them to Connor's cause. Once enough have been rescued, a final mission opens for the district which will allow a new Assassin to be recruited. Recruited assassins can be used to provide distraction, protection or just outright elimination, each liberated district providing a new technique with the completion of its quest and an additional use of these abilities. In addition, guild recruits can be sent on missions throughout the colonies to liberate them from Templar control, earning money, resources and experience levels for the Assassin sent. One particularly smart and ambitious change to the cities of Assassin's Creed III lies in the unlocking of new fast travel locations. In prior games, these locations were discovered on the overworld and would put the player through an exploration of a closed environment to connect it with other fast travel locations. Here, Ubisoft has instead decided to create an entire underground maze beneath each of the two cities where these locations can be found. Instead of finding entrances to a (never clearly defined) network of passages, the player instead explores the actual route the fast travel system represents to find the exits, which can then be accessed through the map screen and instantly returned to. It's a great change and quite satisfying to explore and one of the few optional objectives with any real impact on the larger game. In terms of being downright fun to play, however, few things found in the game can top the naval battles. Accessed by speaking with a harbormaster, these missions put you at the wheel of a ship, giving orders to the crew to raise or lower sails and target enemies with cannons. Comba

y in the U.S. for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PS Vita, and you can secure yourself a free copy right now! To enter, just follow @Dtoid and @Game_Revolution and tweet the following: RT and follow @Dtoid and @Game_Revolution for a chance to win #ZoneOfTheEndersHD! http://bit.ly/OUMBUz You have until this Saturday, November 3 at 11:59 PM to enter, and you can tweet as many times as you'd like! We have five copies for Xbox 360 and five for PS3 to hand out between the two sites, and the winners will be chosen at random and contacted via Twitter DM, so don't forget to follow @Dtoid and @Game_Revolution! Open to anyone with a U.S. mailing address. Good luck!

nd a handmade papercraft trophy. Five winners will be chosen to receive this prize pack. To enter, check out the pictures of characters and levels from the game in an application on Nintendo's 3DS Facebook page. Using these for inspiration, create a diorama and then submit videos or photos to the same page before November 7. A fun tutorial video by the folks at iam8bit can be found on the same page.

o set waypoints. Once set in Windows 8, directions are then sent to the Xbox 360 game for the player to follow. Neat! The interactive map also lets players find special items and events. A set of filters lets the player drill down to race types with swipes of the finger. Microsoft says that the Forza Horizon SmartGlass Experience will be coming to other platforms soon.

n the gas trigger, waiting to jump out and T-bone you into a wall to take you out. Don't be mad if I follow you around in every race, trying to bash you into other cars. I'm going to be everywhere you are, at all times. Watch your back. Me? Oh, I'm not mad. Really. Need for Speed Most Wanted (Xbox 360 [reviewed], PlayStation 3, PC, PlayStation Vita)Developer: Criterion GamesPublisher: Electronic ArtsRelease: October 30, 2012 (North America) / November 2, 2012 (Europe) If you couldn't tell, I'm really into the multiplayer side of Need for Speed Most Wanted. I'm out for blood most times, especially if you've wronged me. The single-player side of the game has you taking down ten of Fairhaven's baddest drivers -- the Most Wanted -- to become one yourself. But in multiplayer, they're out and your friends are in, making for a much more enticing experience. With every pedal to the floor, everyone speeds to be the first in a shuffled mix of events where the rules are uncommonly loose and winning takes multiple forms. You'll race, speed through checkpoints, jump off ramps, and more to earn the most Speed Points in multiplayer. Free racing (and crashing) around the city takes place between events that pop up in a random playlist. When the next event comes up, all of up to 8 players are notified of a meet-up point, and all can race to this point for bonus Speed Points. When everyone arrives and is ready, the game counts down to an event, and as it begins, event objectives are given on a ticker. Until this point, no one has any idea of what objective will come up next, which gives Most Wanted's multiplayer a sort of free-for-all feeling. Most of the events in the playlist are standard races where everyone will speed through checkpoints scattered over Fairhaven to be the first to cross the final checkpoint. The city is packed with sharp turns, perilous intersections, live traffic, jumping ramps, and countless obstacles, all working together to make races more gratifying than what you might find in a sim racer. Similarly, team races have all players divided up into two teams, with the win going to the team that has the highest number of points, based on placement. In both standard and team races, being an asshole pays off. More on that later. Other events have you crossing a set point to pull in the top recorded speed or jumping off ramps to earn the most air time before the clock runs down. Drifting, takedowns and other challenges will also pop up in the playlists. One of the craziest ones has all cars fighting to find out how to get to a single point in the city, and then staying there for as long as possible until a clock runs down, with the top time on the clock taking first prize. Most of these locations are far above street level, requiring players to figure out how to get from street level, with many requiring the use of ramps and high speed starts. Things become more interesting when multiple cars try to camp the same point. In the best matches, lots of pushing and crashing takes place. The player with the most points at the end of the playlist is the technical winner, but what makes Most Wanted so great is that the multiplayer experience is stuffed with opportunities for small, unofficial victories. Sure, you may not have technically won the most Speed Points, but a particularly good lap or a brutal takedown may feel even better than taking first place. In multiplayer, everything from tight passing to taking a corner feels rewarding; even driving haphazardly and way too fast has its moments. Even last place had a good time here. One of the key things that makes multiplayer in Most Wanted so engaging is that your cars are fully disposable and instantly replenishable. Porsches, Maseratis, Ferraris and other cars that would normally be considered priceless can be found all over the city and can be immediately claimed with the press of a button. No money, credits, or ranking are required so even the most expensive car in this game costs nothing. And with the crash-y gameplay of Most Wanted, they're made junkers regularly, but they can be instantly repaired to brand new by driving the battered piece of junk through Fairhaven's gas stations. Takedowns, which happen when your car is completely wrecked by another player's collision, carry little penalty as cars respawn immediately after the crash animation. They may be beat up or missing wheels, but you can still make it to the next gas station. Or at least go kamikaze and crash someone else off the road. With just about every car being the fastest and most powerful thing on the road, and all of them being free and instantly replenishable, it's like Criterion is encouraging you to be an asshole. That's the true magic of Most Wanted. 'Nice guys finish last' has never been more true. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that even the best driver won't stand a chance against your typical asshole. Perfect racing lines and exact cornering mean nothing when you're slammed directly into the concrete of an on-ramp. And really, the steering and cornering in Most Wanted isn't that great anyway, so you're better served learning how to best take others down. You'll have the best time in multiplayer by not worrying too much about your driving precision, instead spending more time making sure that you've done everything else possible to be the first across that finish line. Anything goes. It's like the biggest, flashiest, messiest game of bumper cars ever. For as fun as multiplayer is, it's not perfect. I touched on the steering and cornering control earlier, which sometimes feels iffy and slow -- the total opposite of the tight and precise feeling you'd expect in a racer. The control is forgivable for arcade style racing, but may be a little bit too loose and wiggly even for that standard. Beyond this, there isn't much of a difference between the feeling of any of the wide variety of cars, other than limits on speed and cornering. Bigger cars may be able to take more damage, and faster cars may be able to lock in better times on speed traps, but for the most part they're all really similar. You're going to find a car you like and stick with it because it doesn't really matter that much. Most Wanted's HUD, in both multiplayer and single-player, is lousy, and often obnoxious. Placement indicators are crammed in the very upper-left and right-hand corners of the screen, forcing players to take their eyes off the race completely. I can't tell you how many times I've crashed trying to check my ranking mid-race. The game's ticker, placed at the bottom of the screen, is so small and far away from the action that racers that look at it are at a disadvantage. In contrast, notices of points earned, placement and other messages are displayed in the dead center of the screen, blocking the action. They stay on the screen for far too long, too. The game's map is the worst of all. It's small, terribly placed, and frequently disorienting. The placement of your car on this map is so close to the top of its display that it barely serves the player anyway. In going at any respectable speed, there's a high chance you'll pass your next turn before you see it on the map. How can you tell what road you're headed toward when the map doesn't show it yet? I've lost count of how many times it sent me into oncoming traffic. If the in-game GPS were a real-world unit, any driver would have thrown it out the window on the first day of use. I've focused on the multiplayer side of Most Wanted in this review because I believe that most players will spend the majority of their time playing this mode. Let's be clear: the multiplayer in Most Wanted is so outrageously fun that I'd recommend this even without a single-player mode. While there's no real storyline in the single player game, there's at least something of a path toward completion with the ten Most Wanted racers, which you'll take on each of eventually as you work your way up in Speed Point count. The game initially drops you in a Porsche and lets you drive around and take on challenges at your leisure to earn points. The city of Fairhaven is a huge sandbox full of varied raceways and challenges that you're free to tackle at your own pace. The game's EasyDrive menu, mapped to the controller's directional buttons, makes the world a bit easier to navigate through instant access to any acquired cars, available modifications, and available races and challenges. All of this is accessible at any time, even during races. The top item in the EasyDrive menu connects to a player's Autolog. This system, which debuted in Hot Pursuit, automatically tracks and compares top race times, progression and other achievements against all connected friends. Autolog alerts are announced when records are broken. This event becomes a selectable challenge, which can be acted upon through EasyDrive at any time. Accepting and beating one of these grants Speed Points. As you drive in these challenges and free exploration, you'll find other cars that you can jump into, opening up even more car-specific challenges. After a certain point, you'll reach a Speed Point threshold that unlocks a race against one of the Most Wanted drivers. Beating them lets you take their car as your own and beating each of the car's specific challenges lets you upgrade it with perks, like reinforced bodies, better tires, nitro, and more. When you reach the next Speed Point mark, a new Most Wanted race opens up. Beat all ten and you become the Most Wanted yourself. The problem with these Most Wanted races is that they are so scripted that having to run through a race a second time is disappointi

low, you'll definitely want to toss it in, since it seems to make some drastic improvements to a few potential game-wreckers. It looks like another game that was rushed to get out ahead of the competition in November. As is becoming the way. Check out the full list below, but beware there are spoilers. Oh, and Conrad Zimmerman will have a review for you very soon. Bug Fix - Animus Synching tutorial, fixed an issue where the player could think he’s stuck in an infinite loading when getting to Boston after the end credits- Fixed a bug where counter-killing with the bow does not always work- NPCs spawned too far away could end up being of the wrong type- Camera could remain stuck after the player being respawned- Player could remain stuck after diving from a waterfall- Player could remain stuck if he exits a slopped hay stack at a certain angle- player would always get immediately detected when performing an unarmed stealth assassination in another guard’s back- Under rare circumstances, the crowd would stop spawning- Fixed an animation glitch when interrupting the reception from high profile jump- Fixed various occurrences of missing sounds- In some cases, the Animus Database sound ambiance was not stopped when exiting- Various stats and leaderboards were not showing up properly- Online shop could sometimes appear empty if fetching the data from Xbox Live is taking too long Crash Fix - Possible crash that could happen if the player blends in a crowd group where some NPCs haven’t spawned yet, and while blended performs a kill.- Possible crash that could happen if the player triggered a loading while being in a covert escort formation with his brotherhood trainees- Possble crash that could happen when calling a brotherhood trainee with the snipe ability Naval Missions - Possible crash if the player spams the swivel guns with the semi-automatic cheat enabled Side Quest - Brawler Challenges 3 – Task “Own every weapon available in the stores” would not complete when the player expects it to.- Fort Monmouth and Fort Division – Quest objectives would fail too early without the fort resetting properly- New York delivery mission – Game asked for a different item (deer heart) than what was showed to the player (venison)- New York Liberation Missions – Possible that the game would wrongly display that 2 of the districts were completely liberated when it’s not the case yet SPOILER FIXES (Like, seriously) Homestead - Mission “HAPPY EXPECTATIONS” – Game could remain stuck on a white screen when starting the mission- On the Homestead, fixed a bug where the player could remain stuck if he performs a corner pose on the left side of Norris’ cave’s entrance Naval Mission “OAK ISLAND” – Player could pass through the ground when diving into the cave- “OAK ISLAND” – Wolves could stop attacking the player and remain stuck

ter: All you need to do to enter is leave a comment (anything really, you can upload photos as comments too) on any home page story or community blog. Of those comments, a random winner in the top 1,000 most-upvoted will be selected. This means silly one-liners and secretive spamming on your own cblogs won't help you out: the community's upvotes decides who is in and who is out. Sharpen your wits and make a glorious comments around the site to increase your odds, and help your fellow Dtoiders out by upvoting their clever comments too. The winner will be selected at random and announced on Halloween: Wednesday, October 31 at 12 PM Pacific to enter. Oh, and this contest is open WORLDWIDE!* Good luck, and enjoy the new site!*If the winner is from outside the U.S., he or she will receive the cash value of the prize instead. Special thanks to James, Mario, Niero and Tlack for not sleeping for the last 48 hours.

2012. Destructoid Originals:Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask will be my firstHow the Assassin's Creed series completely grew on me From a bag of Doritos to a bag of dirty laundry Live show: RaiderZ gameplay and Logitech giveaways The Network Roundup: Ride the storm The DTOID Show: GTA V, Assassin's Creed III, & Cliffy B! Community: Community blogs of 10/30Forum thread of the day: Assassin's Creed 3 (page 5)Communitoid 002: Snog Contests:Contest: Win a new iPad Mini! (Update) Show us your videogame-themed costumes! Reviews:Review: Painkiller Hell & Damnation Review: 007 Legends Events:Come see some games at Toronto's Gamercamp ESA raises $800,000 at 15th annual Nite to Unite News:Official Final Fantasy Orchestra Album: I want it nowHotline Miami dev helps pirates download his game No paid DLC for Animal Crossing: New Leaf Square Enix schedules the end of Final Fantasy XIV Game dev writes off single-player as a mere 'gimmick'Steam's Halloween sale is on now Fry Cry 3 map pack is now available for Minecraft Airtight Games' first mobile title, Pixld, is out now Nintendo Land: Last three attractions detailed Natural Selection 2 is releasing ahead of schedule Sleeping Dogs developer has six months of DLC planned Chrono Trigger now available on Google Play Valve is seeking beta testers for Steam on Linux Groupees' Bundle of the Damned has Cryostasis and more Rayman Legends goes on a 'Toad Story' Offbeat:Jimquisition: Scare Tactics Media:Black Ops II's live-action trailer is full of surprisesMario Twins: Super Mario 64 modded for co-op playHere is your Assassin's Creed III launch trailer Pinball Arcade adding Elvira table in time for Halloween

was deemed flawed but worth playing for its chilly scares by most of the people I know who gave it a chance. At the time, some of us couldn't run the game well, so hopefully we're in a better spot now. The base offer for the bundle also includes action-RPG Manor of the Damned, while paying $4 or more adds in audio-only BlindSide, first-person adventure Anna, and Post Mortem. It's worth pointing out that 20% of sales are going to UNICEF, if that makes a difference in your buying decision.

9 classic, Elvira and the Party Monsters table to their library of original machine simulations today as part of "Table Pack 6." Better still, the gang at FarSight Studios also secured the rights to release the second Elvira-themed table, Scared Stiff, which will be arriving in the next DLC release, "Table Pack 7." I had resisted buying in to Pinball Arcade simply on the basis that I have plenty of pinball on my plate already, but this is the last straw. These Elvira tables are incredibly fun to play, particularly Scared Stiff. I can't get enough of that shaking crate. Consider me sold. Party with Elvira in The Pinball Arcade Tomorrow [PS Blog]

am posted on Facebook that Serious Sam 3: BFE, Portal, and Team Fortress 2 will be included. It might not be much, especially for those of us who have made far too many Steam purchases over the years, but it's a start of hopefully very good things to come. Valve wants you for Steam for Linux test [Eurogamer]

rior handheld releases. And, yet, I still know that I'll never get around to finishing it. I must have five different copies of the game now in various states of completion. But maybe this time, now that I can play it on my phone, it'll be different! Yeah, that's the ticket!

g that they believed in us and believed in this game as a potential franchise." This of course brings add-on content into the equation (to a greater extent, anyway). Sochan says they have "six months total DLC planned" right now and to expect packs which "explore other aspects of Hong Kong cinema and ones that are a little more serious." At this point, Sleeping Dogs has got to be one of the most prominent games in my backlog. If nothing else, this talk of a possible franchise should put more pressure on me to prevent that from slowly slipping through the cracks. Or maybe they'll finally get me to buy a "game of the year" edition should one get published. Sleeping Dogs producer says Square “believed in this game as a potential franchise”, 6 months DLC planned [Official PlayStation Magazine -- Thanks, de5gravity]