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News

GameStop to close 250 stores and open 60 to 70 new stores in 2013

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News

Ecolibrium the alien ecosystem simulator now available for PS Vita

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Report

David Cage on what lies beyond Beyond: Two Souls for Quantic Dream

Deals
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Square Enix discounts Final Fantasy, Hitman and more for President's Day sale

By Dave Tach on Feb 12, 2013 02.12.13

Square Enix is discounting Final Fantasy, Hitman, Kingdom Hearts and all other boxed games through next Tuesday, Feb. 19 in its North American online store, according to a press release from the company. Discounts for the President's Day sale include: Final Fantasy 13-2 for Xbox 360 for $11.99 (regularly $19.99) Heroes of Ruin for $23.99 (regularly $39.99) Hitman: Absolution for $29.99 (regularly $49.99) Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance for $23.99 (regularly $39.99) Risen 2: Dark Waters Special Edition for $23.99 (regularly $39.99) Sleeping Dogs for $29.99 (regularly $49.99) Theatrhythm Final Fantasy for $23.99 (regularly $39.99) The discounts don't stop there, and you can dig deep into all of the deals in Square Enix's North American online store.
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Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 getting worldwide console demos

By Dave Tach on Feb 12, 2013 02.12.13

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, CyberConnect2's upcoming anime-styled fighting game, will arrive as a demo Feb. 19 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in Europe and Australia and at an undetermined date in North America, according to a pair of tweets on the publisher's official U.K. Twitter account and a confirmation from a Namco Bandai representative. The publisher announced in early January that CyberConnect2's supersaturated fighting game, which includes over 80 combatants culled from the Naruto Shippuden anime series, is set for a March 5 release in North America. A demo is also headed to Japan on Feb. 19, according to a post on the game's official Facebook page. "No word on a North American demo at this time, although we wouldn't be surprised if it also releases on the same...
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Creat Studios' Germinator launching March 5 on PS3, coming to PS Vita later

By Samit Sarkar on Feb 12, 2013 02.12.13

Germinator launches March 5 on PlayStation 3 via PlayStation Network and will be available on PlayStation Vita afterward, developer Creat Studios announced today on the PlayStation Blog. The puzzle game features a 75-level campaign. The story justification for the bubble-popping action is that Germinator tasks the player with quarantining a suburban disease outbreak; that's accomplished by destroying germs of the same color that grow and stick together on the screen. Germinator also includes 75 Puzzle mode levels, an unlimited Arcade level and two-player local multiplayer gaming. According to Scott Hyman, vice president of publishing at Creat Studios, the PS Vita version of Germinator will be released "in the coming weeks." When asked in the comments of the PlayStation Blog post if...
Deals
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Twisted Metal PSN sale commemorates the series' anniversary on PS3

By Alexa Ray Corriea on Feb 12, 2013 02.12.13

Sony is discounting all Twisted Metal titles on the PlayStation Network this week to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Twisted Metal on PlayStation 3, director David Jaffe announced in a post today on the PlayStation Blog. Beginning today and running through Feb. 12, gamers can snag the following deals via the PlayStation Network: Twisted Metal (PS3), for $29.99 Twisted Metal (PSone Classic), for $4.99 Twisted Metal 2 (PSone Classic), for $4.99 Twisted Metal Black (PS2 Classic), for $7.99 All above Twisted Metal titles, for $39.99 Players can also go to the official Twisted Metal website to create custom vehicle skins and view other players' creations, all of which can be downloaded for use in Twisted Metal PS3's online mode. "Seems like only yesterday some of...
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God of War: Ascension video offers an inside look 'at vo-mocap'

By Megan Farokhmanesh on Feb 12, 2013 02.12.13

A new God of War: Ascension video gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at "vo-mocap," Sony Santa Monica's motion capture procedure. The video features actors Jennifer Hale (Lysandra), T.C Carson (Kratos) and Troy Baker (Orkos) suited up and on-set to act out scenes from the game. After their performance is through, the cinematic animators take the footage and recreate it within the game. According to a post from producer Ariel Lawrence, vo-mocap is great because it allows voice actors to work together. "Delivery, timing, and efforts all come more naturally because the actors are able to play off of each other," Lawrence wrote. "They see how far apart they are from each other physically. They can watch emotions play out on each other's faces and respond appropriately. They can...
Deals
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Amazon winter deals include Sleeping Dogs for $29.99, bundle with Limbo, Trials HD and 'Splosion Man for $10.70

By Samit Sarkar on Feb 12, 2013 02.12.13

Amazon is offering hundreds of discounts on video games and accessories right now, including 40 percent price cuts on games such as Sleeping Dogs and Hitman: Absolution. Both those Square Enix-published action games are on sale for $29.99, along with Just Dance 4 and the non-Premium version of Battlefield 3. A one-year Xbox Live Gold membership, Assassin's Creed 3 and Halo 4 are each available for $39.99, a 33 percent discount. Gears of War 3 is discounted to $14.18, a price cut of more than 50 percent. And a retail disc bundle of three Xbox Live Arcade games — Limbo, Trials HD and 'Splosion Man — is being sold for $10.70. Accessories like headsets and controllers are also on sale. Discounts on a variety of Tritton and Turtle Beach gaming headsets range from 13 percent to 35...
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Revolution DLC hits PSN, PC Feb. 28

By Megan Farokhmanesh on Feb 12, 2013 02.12.13

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2's latest downloadable content, Revolution, will be available for PlayStation Network and Windows PC users on Feb. 28, Activision announced today via press release. Revolution includes four new multiplayer maps — Hydro, Grind, Downhill and Mirage — as well as a new zombie level called Die Rise. The DLC also includes a new mode called Turned, where players take on the role of zombies rather than soldiers, and a weapon called the Peacekeeper. Revolution was already released for Xbox 360 on Jan. 29. The DLC will be available as a standalone pack for $14.99 or free with a Season Pass purchase. Those who pick up a Season Pass, priced $49.99, also get the Nuketown Zombies map and an in-game calling card for free.
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Tomb Raider's latest Final Hours diary shows last minute bug-squashing stress

By Griffin McElroy on Feb 12, 2013 02.12.13

The latest installment of Tomb Raider: The Final Hours explores the process of last-minute quality assurance before the game was finalized and sent to certification in the weeks preceding its release on March 5. The video, which is the first of two parts of the series' conclusion, showcases the kind of stress that QA teams undergo during this period. In addition to ensuring the game is as free of bugs as possible, those teams provide feedback from players to ensure the title's dramatic moments hit all the right marks. An entire section of the dev team — the OMS (or, Oh My Shit) group — is dedicated to that process. Crystal Dynamics global brand director Karl Stewart also describes the complications of bringing in a test audience to the studio, parts of which are blocked off as...
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Rayman creator and development team protest Rayman Legends launch delay

By Alexa Ray Corriea on Feb 12, 2013 02.12.13

Rayman creator Michel Ancel along with members of the Rayman Legends development team are protesting Ubisoft's decision to delay the game's launch to September, according to a photo shared by Zelda Informer writer Daniel Switzer on Twitter. The photo above shows Ancel holding a poster bearing a drawing of Rayman crying, the speech bubble from his mouth begging, "Please." The text surrounding the character states, "Release Rayman, support Ubisoft Montpelier." The background of the poster includes crowds holding banners bearing Ancel's name, "Wii U," "Rayman" and the game's original European release day of Feb. 28. In conjunction with the company's annual earnings report last week, Ubisoft chief marketing and sales officer Geoffroy Sardin announced that Rayman Legends, previously a Wii...

Feature

From BioShock to gardening to Card Hunter

by Tracey Lien

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Gabe Newell on Valve's past, gaming's present and Steam's future

by Griffin McElroy

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Pokémon Hype Thread - February '13

in Pokemon X/Pokemon Y by Shaun McIlroy

The Video Game Channel We Deserve

in Off-topic by movieman52

Biggest good surprises of the Wii/Xbox 360/PS3 generation

in Polynauts by Sterling Smith

Polygon Daily: Off-Topic Spinal Weaver (Tue 12/2)

in Off-topic by Salias

Anime You Might Not Have Tried/Heard of #3: Ufotable Edition

in Off-topic by Revolurt

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Warner confirms new Batman video game coming in 2013

By Alexa Ray Corriea on Feb 12, 2013 02.12.13

Warner Bros. Interactive will publish another entry into the Batman Arkham video game series this year, parent company Time Warner announced during the company's recent financial report. During an investor call last week, chief financial and administrative officer John K. Martin stated that the company is expecting to "post another very strong year in 2013," and briefly mentioned that a new Batman video game is part of the plan. "We also have a strong games release this year, which will include the next release in the Batman Arkham franchise," he said. Last summer, Variety reported that the next Batman title to follow 2011's critically acclaimed Arkham City would be a prequel based on the 1950s DC comics. The title would follow the Silver Age storyline in which Batman partners up...
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BioShock Infinite development relied heavily on Australian team

By Jenna Pitcher on Feb 12, 2013 02.12.13

The Australian branch of 2K Marin was instrumental in the construction of BioShock Infinite's fleshed-out floating metropolis of Columbia, Irrational Games director of design Bill Gardner told Polygon today. 2K Marin have studios based in Novato, California and Canberra, Australia. 2K Marin, Australia is the development studio Gardner is referring to. "The scope and the scale is blown up completely. So to have them to really focus on fully realizing the world and make it feel lived in, just build the geometry involved in Infinite: We needed all of the help we could get," he said about the achievements of 2K Marin, Australia. Australian-based 2K Marin had a full team working on Infinite, including the technical side of development, with work being done on the coding of the game and...
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Star Trek trailer shows Kirk and Spock boldly going into hostile territory

By Alexa Ray Corriea on Feb 12, 2013 02.12.13

The latest trailer for Namco Bandai and Digital Extremes' Star Trek video game hints that the salvation of the galaxy may rest with the crew of the Enterprise. The video above briefly shows the ship and its crew as they approach the planet of New Vulcan, where Captain Kirk and his first mate Spock will discover a piece of unknown technology that could protect or destroy all life in the galaxy. What follows next is a montage of in-game clips showing the duo in various shoot-outs against alien opponents, running through hazardous environments that crumble as they pass and several large, fiery explosions. Star Trek will be released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC on April 23. The story takes place between the 2009 Star Trek reboot directed by J. J. Abrams and the upcoming...
Culture
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In Crysis 3 commercial, Nanosuit makes Prophet a 'Sharp Dressed Man'

By Samit Sarkar on Feb 12, 2013 02.12.13

Crysis 3's Nanosuit-wearing protagonist, Prophet, definitely qualifies as a "Sharp Dressed Man," according to publisher Electronic Arts. The company released a 30-second TV spot featuring ZZ Top's hit yesterday; the video shows off all the powers that the Nanosuit provides to Prophet. He makes the suit look good. Crysis 3 launches Feb. 19 on Windows PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
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Gearbox CEO says new Brothers in Arms coming, Furious 4 still in standalone development

By Alexa Ray Corriea on Feb 12, 2013 02.12.13

A new installment in the Brothers in Arms World War II first-person shooter series is in the works while Furious 4, previously a Brothers in Arms title, continues to evolve into its own title, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford told IGN. According to Pitchford, Gearbox is planning an "authentic" Brothers in Arms title, and hints that the game is still in pre-production. Gearbox will not announce it until development in is a stage where it "make sense to announce things," he said. Gearbox has not yet signed on a publisher for the new title. Pitchford said Ubisoft, publisher of the Brothers and Arms games on consoles and dedicated gaming handhelds, won't be publishing the new game. The company expected "something that didn't happen," which Gearbox felt was not compatible with their vision for...
Review
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3.0

Aliens: Colonial Marines review: the worse species

By Arthur Gies on Feb 12, 2013 02.12.13

Aliens: Colonial Marines has been the topic of a number of bold promises from Gearbox Software. Gearbox has maintained that it understands what made Aliens what it is. Gearbox has even gone so far as to say that the new story beats in Colonial Marines would make Alien 3 — notoriously compromised via a troubled production process — a better film. Aliens: Colonial Marines does none of that. Gearbox has shepherded out a game that fails to grasp the functional core of the series. Instead, Colonial Marines is a boring, tension-free shooter with no weight and no kick, and Gearbox's incomprehensible story decisions and revisionist pen compromise the films it's based upon. If you're not more than casually familiar with Aliens, Colonial Marines is never going to make much sense Set...
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Closure free for PlayStation Plus members this month, other discounts announced

By Dave Tach on Feb 11, 2013 02.11.13

Closure, Eyebrow Interactive's high-contrast puzzle platformer, is free this month for PlayStation Plus members amid more monthly deals beginning tomorrow, Feb. 12, according to a post on the PlayStation Blog. A former Independent Games Festival Winner, PlayStation 3's Closure normally costs $14.99. Other PlayStation Network deals for Plus members include Capybara Games' PS3 puzzler Critter Crunch for $1.40 (regularly $6.99), Team17's Cross Buy-compatible top-down shooter Alien Breed for $7.99 (regularly $9.99) and Different Tuna's papercraft-infused PS3 side scroller Derrick the Deathfin for $4.00 (regularly $7.99). A PlayStation 3 download for NHL 13 is also available for $38.39 (regularly $47.99). Earlier this month, Sony announced that Guardians of Middle-earth, Monolith...
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Medal of Honor Warfighter producers reportedly turned away Osama bin Laden shooter as game consultant

By Samit Sarkar on Feb 11, 2013 02.11.13

Medal of Honor Warfighter's makers at Electronic Arts turned down an application for a consultant position from the SEAL Team 6 member credited with killing Osama bin Laden, reports Esquire. The unnamed U.S. Navy SEAL's uncle reportedly reached out to an EA executive last spring, around the time when the SEAL had formed a company with a few fellow SEAL Team 6 members to help themselves transition into civilian life. His uncle asked if EA could use him as a consultant, although he was forbidden from disclosing that his nephew was the man who killed bin Laden. The uncle was reportedly told, "Right now we are pretty stacked with consultants"; the developers of Warfighter were said to have been using "thirty active and recently retired guys." EA said in September that Matt Bissonnette...
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Fast Company's most innovative companies of 2013 include Tencent, Rovio, Activision, Microsoft

By Alexa Ray Corriea on Feb 11, 2013 02.11.13

Chinese media holding company Tencent, developer Rovio Entertainment, Activision and Microsoft have all made business and tech publication Fast Company's list of the 50 most innovative companies worldwide for 2013. Tencent, which owns a minority stake in Gears of War developer Epic Games and is invested in League of Legends' Riot Games, makes the list at number 16, ranking slightly below Apple at 13. According to Fast Company, Tencent's "aggressive international rollout" and continued development of its WeChat social networking plug-ins have earned the company 300 million users in under two years. Angry Birds and Bad Piggies developer Rovio enters the chart at 26 for the success of its apps and tie-in merchandise. Skylanders owner Activision sits at 41 due to the video game and...
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When Vikings Attack! DLC trailer shows what happens when vikings relax

By Dave Tach on Feb 11, 2013 02.11.13

A trailer for When Vikings Relax, the upcoming DLC for Clever Beans' downloadable action game When Vikings Attack!, shows off the lighter side of Norse combat. When Vikings Relax is full of content that didn't quite fit when the developers were creating the original game, according to a post on the PlayStation Blog. The additions include a new versus modes, environmental hazards like mini-golf and pinball machines, the wave-based Solo Survival mode as well as 10 new characters and six new trophies. The Cross-Buy compatible DLC is available for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in the PlayStation Store, alongside a trial version of the game for newcomers. Check out the trailer above to see squads of British vikings flee in horror from the DLC's additions.

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Cooperatives: Kentucky Route Zero

by Chris Plante

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MLB 2K13 Perfect Game Challenge rules change, now awards best pitchers for each team

By Griffin McElroy on Feb 11, 2013 02.11.13

MLB 2K13's Perfect Game Challenge, the latest in an annual series of contests which award players who can complete a game without letting a single player on base, will experience a format change this year. As detailed in the video above, whoever pitches the best game while playing as each of Major League Baseball's 30 teams will take home a prize of $25,000 each. The top four players for the entire league will be brought to the MLB All-Star Week held in New York this July, where they'll compete for a grand prize of $250,000, for a total pool of $1 million up for grabs overall. The competition starts April 1, the baseball season's opening day. MLB 2K13 launches on Xbox 360 and PS3 March 5, giving players roughly a month to get their pitching arm ready.
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BioWare co-founders to be honored with Lifetime Achievement Award at the GDC Awards

By Alexa Ray Corriea on Feb 11, 2013 02.11.13

BioWare co-founders Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk will be given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 13th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, to be held during the 2103 Game Developers Conference this March, event organizers announced today. The awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday, March 27 in the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. The ceremony, open to all GDC attendees, will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be hosted by Double Fine Productions CEO Tim Schafer. The "BioWare Doctors" will be honored for their critically acclaimed contributions to the industry and the role-playing genre, with published titles including Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, and the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series. Muzyka and Zeschuk were chosen to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award...
Video
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Tomb Raider 11-minute walkthrough video showcases gear, combat and brutal deaths

By Griffin McElroy on Feb 11, 2013 02.11.13

Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics released today an 11-minute-long video walkthrough of a familiar segment from the upcoming reboot, showcasing the game's "gear gating" mechanics and frequent brutality. The video has everything you'd expect: An injured Lara Croft finding her way through a deadly tropical environment, bow combat with a few clever thugs and a number of navigation sections that go horribly, horribly wrong. One of those moments was first showcased at E3 last year, in which Lara is pulled through rapids, lands on the interior of a wrecked plane, and then must deploy a parachute before falling to her death. This time around, the developer shows what happens when the player's reflexes aren't up to snuff. Tomb Raider launches on Xbox 360, PS3 and Windows PC March 5.