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This homemade Dishonored whalebone rune is cool, a little creepy

This homemade Dishonored whalebone rune is cool, a little creepy
Let's say you find yourself in possession of a whale bone. What should you do with it? If you're Reddit user Ragebarf, the choice is obvious: You painstakingly create a real-world version of a whalebone rune from Dishonored.

The rune design was carved with a Dremel, and the bone itself is affixed to the wooden board with leather straps. The board has been appropriately aged, as has the name plate and, if we do say so, the whole thing is very impressive. Kind of creepy, but impressive nonetheless. Check out pictures of the rune's creation from from start to finish right here.

Star Wars Pinball Boba Fett table grapples for your attention

Image The Boba Fett table from Star Wars Pinball looks pretty cool. Don't get too attached to it though. It will probably die a sudden and ignominious death. Star Wars Pinball rolls out to various platforms starting next week. ... Continue Reading

Armored Core: Verdict Day decides on Xbox 360 and PS3 this fall

Armored Core: Verdict Day, the latest entry in From Software's military mech series, will be released in North America on Xbox 360 and PS3 this fall, Namco Bandai has announced. After some confusion with the source URL (it says "summer") we confirmed with Namco Bandai direct that fall is indeed the launch window.

Verdict Day puts humanity in a war over valuable natural resources, with a persistent multiplayer mode made up of territories where each faction battles for control. Factions are broken up into squads, in which up to 20 players can join up and play together – if you're playing alone or offline, AI will fill in the gaps.

Operator mode gets beefed up in Verdict Day – the tactical top-down game mode where you act as battle overseer now lets Operators see the cockpit views of individual pilots, mark targets and set rally points in real-time. Verdict Day also checks for an Armored Core 5 save file and lets you transfer your custom mech.

See Splinter Cell: Blacklist's RC plane in action

Image Ubisoft is flying the Paladin remote-controlled plane, included in the Splinter Cell: Blacklist bundle, over an airy soccer field. Care to try it in your house next? ... Continue Reading

Deus Ex: Human Revolution film 'not a rehashing' of game

Deus Ex: Human Revolution film scribe C. Robert Cargill and director Scott Derrickson claim they're taking care to present a believable cyberpunk setting in their upcoming film, based on the Eidos Montreal game.

"Yeah, the chief philosophy is we're not making a video game movie, we're making a cyberpunk movie," Deus Ex film co-writer C. Robert Cargill says in an interview with Crave Online. "We've taken a look at what's worked in video games and what hasn't, and really what we've broken down is what we think the audience really wants, [what] the audience that loves Deus Ex is going to want to see out of a Deus Ex movie. And it's not a rehashing of the game."

The duo, which think of Mortal Kombat as the best video game movie yet made, will borrow motifs from the game, rather than attempt to replicate specific events. "The thing about Deus Ex, the landscape is massive. I mean, it is a big, broad, sprawling game, and look, it's impossible to get the aesthetic of that game into a single movie," Derrickson says. "That's the nature of turning a video game into a movie, is keeping the elements that are iconic and important, [that] advance the game, but also recognizing that if that's all you do, you'll just make another bad video game movie."

According to Derrickson, there's a draft of the film already, and the process as a whole is "moving like a rocket."

Rumor: Dead Space 3 Awakened DLC rouses March 3 [Update]

The first piece of Dead Space 3 DLC, 'Awakened,' could be stirring towards a March 3 release date. We know Awakened is coming sometime next month, but a post on the official Dead Space Twitter (now deleted, but screencapped after the break) in response to this tweet clearly noted a March 3 date. However, when asked about it later, another post reverted to the March release window, and "no precise dates" as yet.

It seems there are crossed wires at whoever's in charge of the Twitter feed, and the date may well be a mistake - March 3 is a Sunday, which is a bit unusual for DLC - so take it with a pinch of salt. In any case, we've reached out to EA for comment.

Update: An EA representative has told us that the company has "not announced a specific release date in March for Dead Space 3 Awakened."

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Tretton: PS4 game prices range from $.99 to $60

Tretton PS4 game prices range from $99 to $60
PlayStation 4 game prices will run the gamut from one dollar to sixty, SCEA CEO Jack Tretton has revealed. "We're going to welcome free-to-play models, games from $.99 up to those $60 games," Tretton revealed in a CNBC interview.

Tretton also responded to the fact that we didn't actually get to see the PS4 during the unveiling event earlier this week, even though Sony told us all about the innards. Tretton says it was more important for Sony to show the concepts behind the system than to make a big deal out of the hardware itself – excluding the DualShock 4, obviously.

"You're going to see some of the greatest games ever created and the consumer is going to have more ease of use, the ability to sample games before they buy them and have more breadth of games than they've ever seen before," Tretton said of the PlayStation 4 during the segment. He also clarified that while Holiday 2013 is the official launch window for the PS4, "the promise is out for Holiday 2013, so pre-Christmas."

European Ratchet & Clank: QForce buyers get 2 free games

Ratchet & Clank Full Frontal Assault coming to Vita
To make amends for the latest delay of Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault (known as QForce in PAL territories) for Vita, Sony will provide a second free game for those who purchased the PS3 version. The European PlayStation Blog notes those who purchased the PS3 version of the game, which was supposed to launch with cross-play for Vita, will also receive MotorStorm RC at no extra charge.

Europeans who purchased QForce on PS3 will receive a download voucher for MotorStorm RC by email before February concludes. The voucher is valid for 60 days.

The free game is in addition to Ratchet: Deadlocked (PAL: Ratchet: Gladiator), which will also be a free download with the purchase of QForce, but there's currently no announced release date for that game. Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault for Vita currently has a "spring" release window.

Bethesda: Prey 2 teaser site is 'not something we're doing'

Alien Noire teaser site updates with Prey 2 logo
Remember the "Alien Noire" website supposedly counting down to a revelation about Prey 2? A recent update added a Prey 2 logo and more to the site. The site now also features logos for both Bethesda Softworks and Human Head Studios, Prey 2's publisher and developer, respectively.

Furthermore, the hidden message in the site's source code has been expanded. Previously reading "Tommy needs your help," it now reads "Tommy needs your help with a stranded human who wants to go home." The message refers to Tommy, the protagonist from the original Prey, who plays an important role in the sequel.

You might think that using official logos would substantiate the site's legitimacy, but apparently that's not so, according to Bethesda. A spokesperson tells Joystiq, "I don't know what that is or who is doing it. It's not something we're doing." So there you have it.

NIS America bringing Disgaea D2, The Guided Fate Paradox, and Time and Eternity west


NIS America's lineup of RPGs for this year includes the required Disgaea game, and a couple of surprises.

This year's Disgaea is Disgaea Dimension 2: A Brighter Darkness for PS3 sees the return of Laharl, Etna, and Flonne from the first Disgaea, and adds a "master/pupil" system to the insane tactical strategy gameplay to help you transfer skills and boost stats. It's due this fall in North America and Europe.

The Guided Fate Paradox is a PS3 roguelike developed by NIS's Disgaea team. NIS bills it as "the spiritual successor to ZHP Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman" for PSP, which suggests Disgaea-esque humor and a lot of customization. It's out this fall.

Time and Eternity for PS3 was published in Japan as Toki to Towa by Namco Bandai. It's a role-playing game by Imageepoch with a weird 2D/3D hybrid style, in which hand drawn anime-style characters move around in 3D backgrounds (see what that looks like after the break). It stars a time-traveling princess who can switch personalities to her alter ego Towa. NIS will release it both retail and digitally this summer.

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Rock Band Weekly: The Flys, Queensryche, Staind

Image After years of writing Rock Band Weekly, we're coming close to its conclusion, with the DLC announcements for April 2 the end of the line. 275 consecutive weeks (over five years) is an impressive run and Harmonix deserves much respect for pulling it off. ... Continue Reading

PS Plus brings Europe Mass Effect 3, DOA5, MGS HD, more next month

European PlayStation Plus subscribers can rub their hands and smack their lips at another decent haul of Instant Collection games in March. For PS3 there's Mass Effect 3, Dead or Alive 5, and Joe Danger 2: The Movie, while on the way to Vita are Puddle and Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, which includes MGS2: Sons of Liberty and MGS3: Snake Eater.

The newbies start rolling out on March 6 with a triple substitution: Mass Effect 3, DOA5, and Joe Danger 2 are in, while Sleeping Dogs, Vanquish, and Limbo depart the service. Next up are the two Vita games, with MGS HD Collection swapping in for Wipeout 2048 on March 13, and Puddle for Lumines Electronic Symphony on March 20.

Those are some very brief runs for Sleeping Dogs, Wipeout 2048, and Lumines ES, which all came to PS Plus in February, so now's the time to snap them up.

Mass Effect 3 Citadel DLC stars late Zaeed actor, BioWare pays multiplayer tribute

Mass Effect 3 Citadel DLC stars late Zaeed actor, BioWare pays multiplayer tribute
Mass Effect 3's newly announced Citadel DLC features Zaeed and the work of Robin Sachs, the late actor who portrayed the bounty hunter. BioWare producer Mike Gamble revealed Sachs' involvement, marking one of the very last pieces of his acting work to be published. Sachs, known for his roles in other BioWare games as well as TV shows Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Babylon 5, passed away earlier this month at the age of 61.

BioWare, following a suggestion from fans on its forums, is also paying its respects to the actor through this weekend's Mass Effect 3 multiplayer operation. The aim of the operation, called 'Tribute,' is to "honor and avenge our comrades who fell – and let the Reapers know this was a mistake, not a victory." The goals are to earn points using the M-8 Avenger and Inferno Grenades, referencing Zaeed's old 'Jessie' rifle and his loyalty power from Mass Effect 2. The operation begins today and runs through to Sunday, February 24.

[Thanks, Sigfodr]

Tomb Raider fires up combat trailer, PC specs published


The third Tomb Raider Guide to Survival webisode focuses on something that's always been something of a pitfall for Ms Croft: combat. Clearly Crystal Dynamics hopes to address that with this reboot, and thankfully we've not seen any evidence of shark-punching (yet).

Square Enix also sends us the game's newly revealed PC specs, which we've published over the break. PC stalwarts may be pleased to see Tomb Raider bucks the growing trend of dropping XP support.

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Sony asking PS4 devs to try PS Vita remote play before submission

A major feature of the PlayStation 4 is native remote play support on the Vita for PS4 games. During last night's presentation, Gaikai CEO David Perry talked about the work being put in to ensure the fastest response times for remote play. It's a big part of the PS4 and speaking to Engadget, Sony worldwide studios president Shuhei Yoshida said Sony is requests developers for its new console test their game on Vita using remote play before submitting for certification.

Yoshida said the addition of remote play with the PS Vita means developers can create custom control layouts on Vita. "Some PS Vita games make use of the edge of the screen to add contextual buttons – that works really well, I think, and it's easy to see. So that kind of thing I'd like to see developers do on PS Vita over remote play." Of course, the onus is entirely on the developer, but custom controls for the handheld would be swell.

Jonathan Blow bears Witness to getting an indie, PC game on PS4

Jonathan Blow bears Witness to getting an indie, PC game on PS4
Jonathan's Blow's next mind-melting puzzler has a bright – and colorful – future in the next generation, as he took center stage at Sony's conference last night to announce The Witness would come to PlayStation 4 as a timed exclusive. After the show, Blow told us that his team is hard at work on the PS4 port of The Witness, and a PC version is still in tow.

"Basically, you'll see The Witness on PS4 before you'll see it on the next Microsoft console or on the Wii U, presuming we eventually do ports to those consoles," Blow said. "Ideally we want the game to be in as many places as we can get it, but since we are a small developer and it's a complicated game, we can only do so much at once."

Blow decided to port The Witness to PS4 because he liked the console, not to snub players on other platforms or simply make a quick buck, he said:

"People are speculating that we did this because of money, but that is not the case at all. We like the console and we like the people we are working with; we were already developing a PS4 port of the game, which prevents us from doing other console ports anyway, again because we can only do so much. So it was only a small step to go from this practical fact of development to a formal agreement signed on paper."

Besides, signing a contract with any company wouldn't be too difficult for Blow and his team, since they already have at least one Witness.

Yoshida: PS Vita digital purchases beat PS3 each month

Last night's PS4 unveiling event showed Sony is a company committed to digital distribution and the cloud. Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida echoed those sentiments during follow-up interviews, telling Destructoid that the digital business is quite booming for Sony, especially on the PS Vita – which has more people purchasing content on a monthly basis than on PS3.

"Digital business is the faster growing business," Yoshida said. "We do not publish numbers, but every month it's almost a new record that the purchase on Vita is higher than the PS3, because everything is available [digitally]."

Among the things we anticipated from last night's event was a price drop for the PS Vita in North America. Sony lowered the price in Japan last week, but during our own interview with Yoshida, he confirmed no such plan exists for North America.

Yoshida: DualShock 3 won't work with PS4

DualShock 3 won't work with PS4
"No, [PS4] doesn't support DualShock 3, but it does support PS Move," Sony worldwide studios president Shuhei Yoshida has confirmed. Considering the design of the DualShock 4 and the functionality within, we can't say we're too surprised.

Obviously we knew about the PS Move compatibility, seeing as how it was featured during last night's event, but this is the first definitive word on DualShock 3 support. Last night Sony announced that PSOne, PS2 and PS3 games would be playable on PS4 through technology developed by Gaikai, but that PS3 discs would not work natively.

Pre-order PlayStation 4 at GAME starting now

We may not know what it looks like or how much it costs or when it's launching, but if Sony's event yesterday convinced you of your need for a PlayStation 4 and you live in the UK, know that retailer GAME has already opened pre-orders – £20 will secure you a PS4 console when it launches Holiday 2013.

If you're anxious to look at some hardware, Sony released some press shots of the new DualShock 4 and PS4 Eye camera. What we do know about the PlayStation 4 so far is that it's heavily reliant on sharing and cloud-based technology, a result of the $380 million Gaikai purchase, and all PS4 games will feature remote play with the Vita.

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PS4 Eye has two cameras: One to watch you, one to make you pretty

PS4 Eye has two cameras on you for a reason, Yoshida says
Sony's PlayStation 4 Eye has two cameras each with a max resolution of 1280 x 800, four microphones and a field of view of 85 degrees, and all of these aspects work together in new ways, Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida tells Engadget. The cameras, for example, mark a departure from the current PS Eye's single lens, and they each have specific tasks: One is in charge of capturing the setting and ensuring a quality picture, and the other handles motion tracking.

The cameras will triangulate the 3D space, recognize gestures, enable Kinect-style body tracking and will work with Move functionality embedded in the DualShock 4 controller. Sony's goal is for players to be able to snap 3D pictures and video and store it on the PS4.

The microphones will be incorporated into PS4 games, though Yoshida was tight-lipped about their role in potential voice-control functions for the console itself.

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