Review: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

It's no surprise to anyone that I love me some retro gaming. So much that I am willing to fork out a thousand dollars to capture my childhood memories of the glory days of the arcades. As far as consoles, Nintendo has always been the company to keep me crawling back to old favorites such as Mario, Link and Samus. With the New Super Mario Bros. Wii, they've done it again.

NSMBW, not the best acronym, I know, is a game for not only the nostalgic gamer, but anyone who enjoys simple fun. However, don't read too much into that statement about it being simple. What I mean by "simple" is the game's execution. Make no mistake, NSMBW is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. It's much more difficult than Super Mario Bros. 3.



The new propeller and penguin suits, as well as the ice flower power-up, had me forgetting about the raccoon tail, cape and tanooki suit in no time.

This is the game I have been waiting for. Sure, the 3d Mario games are great — except for Sunshine — but it is in the 2d platformers where Mario just feels right. And what has always been an enjoyable 2d experience has been enhanced through multiplayer.

Now, instead of jumping on koopa shells and goombas all by yourself, you can be joined with three friends as you make your way through the levels at the same time. What was once a calm and self-paced single-player experience turns into a chaotic speed run of epic proportions.

NSMBW stands alone as a single-player game, but it is most enjoyed with its multiplayer co-op. It not only adds to the game's difficulty, but in the enjoyment of passing the levels. The game's easy add/drop a player at almost any time makes it the most accessible co-op game I've ever played.

The game follows the same structure as SMB3, with players traversing a map that is not only filled with bonus stages for items, but roaming enemies as well.

All in all, there is a simple complexity to NSMBW. Several sections will test your platforming skills — especially in mutliplayer co-op with collision detection — but then other sections will almost cater to even the most unseasoned player.

It's a solid title worth of a playthrough from both newcomers to Mario in 2d and veterans. And if the co-op isn't enough, there's always the multiplayer coin battles and free-for-all scenarios.

With the abundance of secrets, New Super Mario Bros. Wii should keep any gamer entertained. It almost makes me question why games left 2d after all.

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News: Diablo 3 Skill Trees... What's going on!?

Last Friday (Nov. 20th) a tweet hit the Diablo 3 Twitter page that has stirred the anxiously awaiting player community. It seems that Blizzard has decided to pull the skill trees out of the game. Whether it will be a permanent change or just a temporary change due to a total revamp of the system is yet to be seen. Hit the jump for more info.

While there're not a lot of details to be found on the subject at this time, Blizzard is making it a point to draw attention to the change. They even felt it necessary to bring it up again this morning on Twitter just to push the interest level.

Here is the full text of the Twitter post:

# The skill system revision is in full force. Trees begone! I think it might be a winner. Jay says hi. 2:03 PM Nov 20th from web

Here is the another post from today:

# #DailyDiablo With our tweet Friday about the skill trees being removed/changed, what approach do you think we might be taking? about 3 hours ago from CoTweet

As interesting as this topic is, there are not yet any "blue" responses in the official forum thread that was started to discuss this change.

What do you think? Is Blizzard making the right choice in removing skill trees in D3? Do you think they are removing them for good? What other options are there in an ARPG for ability growth?

Share your thoughts in the comments.
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News: Now that's what I call gangsta

Best of luck, Pandemic Studios. You made great games and we at Incoming Pull are pulling for all of you who lost your jobs. Kudos for making this sweet video, as well. Well played, good sirs, well played.






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News: Are you ready for the coming of the MMOZ?

Zombies seem to be the quintessential target of gamer angst. No matter what, gamers can always expect to have a nice stable of games that offer zombies for their crosshairs. MMO players are used to seeing Halloween-themed events involving zombies, but they may be in for a full-fledged brain smashing MMO in the future.

Industry veteran Jeff Strain, a founder of ArenaNet and lead programmer for World of Warcraft, announced today that he has opened a new studio in Seattle, Wash., titled Undead Labs.

The studio aims at developing a console-based zombie MMO.

"Undead Labs’ sole focus will be to create the definitive massively multiplayer online zombie game (MMOZ) for console gamers," according to the studio's press release.

MMOZ... Massively Multiplayer Online Zombie? Well, it includes zombies, so you have Incoming Pull's attention.

“Every time I see a good zombie movie with friends, we spend days debating our strategies for surviving the zombie apocalypse,” said Strain. “The police station or the supermarket? Garden rake or staple gun? Bach or The White Stripes? I’m a game developer, so I’d probably be useless for anything other than ghoul bait, but I’m excited to have the opportunity to build an MMOZ that lets us put those strategies to the test and find out for sure.”

Strain definitely has credentials behind him. World of Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo and Guild Wars are all games that grace his resume.

A persistent zombie MMO could definitely be something that could gain attention in the genre's already post-apocalyptic tendency. Games such as Dead Rising, House of the Dead, Resident Evil and Left 4 Dead have already shown that zombies are beloved by gamers.

And the best part of an MMOZ: infected versus non-infected PvP.

It's still early and no information on Undead Labs' game has been revealed.

More information about Undead Labs can be found at http://UndeadLabs.com.

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News: Want more Dragon Age: Origins?

So you've played 60 hours worth of Bioware's Dragon Age: Origins and you still want more? Last Thursday, Bioware announced that new DLC, titled "Return to Ostagar," will be available this holiday season.

This pack will allow players to "extract their revenge and embark on a quest for the mighty arms and armor of the once great King Cailan when they revisit Ostagar, the site of the Grey Wardens' darkest hour," according to the developer's press release.

"We are very proud of the phenomenal launch of Dragon Age: Origins and we’re pleased to announce the next installment of downloadable content that will be available to fans of the game,” said Ray Muzyka, Group General Manager, RPG/MMO Group of EA, and Co-Founder, BioWare. “The Return to Ostagar DLC pack is a prime example of BioWare’s commitment to give fans a game that continuously offers new experiences and further enriches a storyline that has already received critical acclaim and positive feedback from the players.”

Along with visiting the place where the Grey Wardens were nearly wiped out, players will also get to explore political intrigue as they discover King Cailan's top-secret agenda.

Return to Ostagar will be available for $4.99 on the PlayStation Store, for 400 BioWare Points on the PC and 400 Microsoft Points on the Xbox 360 in North America.

For more information, visit www.dragonage.com.

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News: People are still playing Star Wars Galaxies

In an mmosphere, far, far away, there once thrived a pre-NGE virtual world of Star Wars Galaxies. And despite the cataclysm that was the New Game Enhancement, a number of players continue to trek across the galaxy. On Friday, Sony Online Entertainment celebrated the fact that more than three million user-generated quests have been created by the players since the Chronicle Master system launched a month ago.

Galaxies has seen its fair share of ups and downs, but one thing is for certain, the game is still holding with a dedicated player base. It seems the new Chronicle Master system has given players the chance to "create their own plot using iconic characters in the legendary setting of the Star Wars universe," according to the press release.

According to SOE, one individual has created more than 6,000 playable quests. Wow, just wow. That is a lot of Star Wars love.

Players who complete player-generated quests receive tokens that can be used to purchase unique items that are specifically created for the Chronicle Master system.

For more information, visit http://starwarsgalaxies.com.

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Review: Xbox 360 Add-ons

Microsoft has for the longest time said that they saw the Xbox 360 as more than a gaming machine. With the Xbox Live marketplace having: music, movie, games that are both small and large in terms of scope and scale, and other downloads, the 360 strives to be the media center of the family room. This role is now expanding with four separate applications.

First up is Twitter. I will be first to admit that I am always two days late and five dollars short when it comes to social aspects to the Internet. I only have had a Twitter account for less than six months, and that was mostly because I have a lot of free time at work and my iPod Touch has several apps that let me check in on random people. It’s mostly a time-killer than any real function I plan on using. That being said, Twitter on the 360 is functional. Typing can be a bit tricky if you don’t have the keypad attachment for the controller. So far there is no option to auto-tweet achievements or sending screenshots through Twitter, but I am sure at some point that will become an option. Right now it’s a novelty. The program is isolated in the sense you currently cannot do anything in game with Twitter.

Facebook is also added to the 360 system. Like Twitter, I am also very new to having an account. Mostly I signed up because a few online friends already had it and it was an easy way to keep up. Like Twitter, it’s completely separate from the gameplay. A quick 5MB download gets you, basically, Facebook-lite. Your friends lists show up like normal, and photo galleries load quickly and in full screen. On the whole the application runs well. Again, no direct game-Facebook interface, which is a good thing. I haven’t had much of a chance to work with it, mostly because I really don’t get into social networking sites, but I can see how this would appeal to some people. You can do in game screen shots and add them to your Facebook gallery, but I haven't had any luck getting that to work.

Next up is the revamp/update to the Xbox Live marketplace. Now it’s called the Zune marketplace. The entire video marketplace layout has been re-structured, so it might be a little harder to find things. The first thing I did notice was that something serious was changed on the Xbox Live architecture. Previously, when I downloaded a video from the marketplace, it took a lot longer than I thought it should. A 50MB file would take about 20-30 minutes to download. Now that same file download was almost instant. Before the change, Microsoft was talking about streaming HD, and that never made sense to me. The bandwidth requirements for something like that seemed beyond the current architecture. I was seriously wrong on that. I don’t have a Netflix account, so I don’t know if that speed translates to the movie service.

Last up, and certainly not least, is Last FM. This is an online music radio service. With a very large library of music, I was very impressed with this program. Music streamed quickly with very high quality and no buffering issues. I was able to switch from song to song with only a three to five second buffer before the next song launches. An option to turn photos on and off is included, which threw me at first. When you play music, the screen is filled with an image slideshow of the current band playing that is quite interesting. There is a musician search feature, and I was able to find more than a few bands I didn’t think I would. Last FM also has a matching feature, so it takes what you are listening to and has similar artists and/or sound styles to introduce you to bands you might not have heard of. I can see a big use for this feature. If you are in a party setting, instead of setting up a radio with endless commercials or trying to manage a stack of CDs to set up a playlist, you can just fire up Last FM and have the visual of the band slideshow along with the music playing.

The thing that really surprised me is that none of these features are automatic. I first thought there was something wrong with my 360 when I started it up and didn’t get the message of an update I needed to download. Every feature, even the Zune marketplace, is its own separate function that you have to get from a download individually. So if you don’t want and/or don’t have Twitter or Facebook, it’s not something you “have” to have on your system.

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News: Champions Online: Nemesis Confrontation Free-Play

To coincide with Thanksgiving and the release of the Nemesis Confrontation content patch for Champions Online, Cryptic Studios is offering yet another free play weekend.

According to the recent news release on the official Champions Online website:

Beginning November 24th, all UNITY heroes will be able to access this new 5-man Lair and attempt to defeat your Nemesis as well as your teammates' Nemeses, culminating in a final showdown against Shadow Destroyer himself.

And, if some fresh new content just isn't enough for you, Cryptic is also opening up the entire game for free play to all new players starting Nov. 26 and going through Nov. 30.

Here's the official trailer for the Nemesis Confrontation update for your viewing pleasure.


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Preview: Army of Two — The 40th Day

Holy weapon customization, Batman! EA's Army of Two: The 40th Day just keeps looking better and better. If you aren't familiar with Army of Two, then you fail. But rest not, hit the jump 'cause school's in session.


Here's the newest trailer, released today:

Video Games | Army of Two: The 40th Day | Weapon Customization Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Video Games | Army of Two: The 40th Day | Co-Op Moves Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

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News: Supreme Commander 2 gets a soft release date

The anticipated sequel to the RTS game that makes your computer cry to its mommy -- Supreme Commander -- is set to have its massive battle simulator hit shelves this spring in Europe and other PAL territories, said Square Enix Ltd. in a press release earlier today.

No date for a North American release was revealed, but it's safe to assume that it will be in the spring as well.

Set 25 years after the Infinite War, Supreme Commander 2 boasts intense battles on a truly massive scale. I bet your computer is having frame rate issues just thinking about it.

“Supreme Commander 2 has already achieved fantastic recognition across media and the RTS community winning E3 Best Strategy Game 2009 from IGN, 1UP and GameSpot," said Larry Sparks, Vice President Brands PAL Region of Square Enix Ltd. "We’re thrilled to be working with Gas Powered Games to release a game that really pushes the genre’s gameplay and storyline expectations to a new level.”






The first title offered players a chance to wage war in real time like no other RTS had done before. Hopefully, the sequel will continue to build upon what made the first game such a critically-acclaimed success.

Features for Supreme Commander 2 include:

• Take on the role of three enigmatic commanders; former friends from each of the unique factions -- The United Earth Federation (UEF), The Illuminate and the Cybran Nation -- who get dragged into a conflict of galactic consequences

• Explore a rich, character-driven single-player game which spans over 18 missions and delivers a new level of emotional connection to the RTS genre, or take the battle online for an exhilarating multi-player experience

• Fight action-packed battles on a massive scale, waging war with enormous land, air and naval units in visually spectacular environments, brought to life by all-new rendering technology and a true evolution of RTS controls on both platforms

• Upgrade and customize armies with new weapons and technology and deploy them instantly on the battlefield, turning a base-level tank into a high-powered, multi-barreled, anti-aircraft-sporting multipurpose battle unit

• Deploy wild experimental war machines that can change the balance of power at any given moment.

• Experience a streamlined economy and redesigned UI that put the focus squarely on combat, battlefield tactics and high-level strategic decision making, and give improved player feedback in Strategic Zoom view.






Supreme Commander 2, which is developed by Gas Powered Games, will launch for the Xbox 360 and PC.

For more information about Supreme Commander 2, visit the official website at www.supremecommander.com.

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Radio: ICP Live! Episode 26: "There's Nothing Like A Good Blaster At Your Side" Edition

Luke Skywalker or Han Solo? The Grey Wardens or the crew from the Normandy? Light Warriors or Avalanche? The debate between sword & sorcery versus sci-fi is one that will rage on within the role-playing game genre for years to come. But where do you stand? Do you prefer the traditional sword and board or a good blaster and energy shield? Instant message us during tonight's show and let us know what you think. You can listen to ICP Live! tonight at 9 p.m. EST on UltraWorld Radio. On tonight's show:


• SEGA! Tonight's music brought to you with blast processing.

• More Modern Warfare 2 news.

• We explore all of this past week's hottest gaming headlines and game releases, as well as this week's worst power-up.

• We discuss the paradigm shift in modern day RPGs.

If you have any questions or comments, post them on this story and we will try to get to them when we are on-air. You can also reach us on Yahoo instant messenger @ incomingpull or hit us up on any of the numerous ways to contact us (hint: you can see the list in the sidebar on the right).

Seriously, it's a LIVE show. Why not IM us and join in the conversation?

"It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue."

As always, you can stream the entire show in the player below, or you can click the download link under the player to save it to your hard drive for eternity. You can also subscribe to the ICP Live! podcast and be alerted when a new show is posted or even listen in on your iPod.


[Download The Podcast]

Make sure you check out DJ Kestral every Tuesday night at 9PM EST on UltraWorld Radio.

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WTF: Nintendo "Wiiwaa"

And you thought the Wii Vitality Sensor was the dumbest thing that could come out of Nintendo's camp. Enter: Wiiwaa (yes, we know Wiiwaa isn't an official Nintendo product. But you get the idea, right).

Developed by Zoink Games, Wiiwaa — which is a working title — utilizes a special plush toy puppet. The puppet has a special slot specifically for the Wii Remote to fit in. I'm not making this up.



According to today's press release, players will then play the game "simply by moving the puppet," which will then translate to the on-screen movements of a cute little Wiiwaa creature.

WTF Nintendo?



“Use your Wiiwaa puppet to control this little fellow just like a puppeteer would do," the release said. "Walk, jump, dance, do crazy somersaults — whatever you do with your Wiiwaa puppet directly affects the Wiiwaa in the game. This innovative control system makes it super intuitive to tell the creature where to go and what to do. I don't think there has ever been a simpler and more natural way to play a videogame."
Read that last sentence again. Isn't that the catch phrase for every peripheral that has ever been made? U-Force, anyone?

"Just pop in your controller and your Wiiwaa comes to life on the screen,” said Klaus Lyngeled, Creative Director at Zoink Entertainment and originator of the concept. “The Wiiwaa plush toy expands the game from the screen and into the living room. Your hero and friend is right there with you, and you can continue playing with him even after the game console has been switched off.”

Gameplay is defined by movement and rhythm and focuses on exploration and mini-games. And just like any modern digital pet, players will need to make sure their Wiiwaa is fed and is getting enough sleep.

“Wiiwaa is a game that transcends gender and age," said Lyngeled. "Kids will appreciate the simplicity of it and how natural it feels to play. With this game, parents provide non-violent, intelligent entertainment for their kids that even motivates them to exercise their physique and train their coordination skills. Grown-up gamers, too, will enjoy the action, the humor and the freshness of the experience."

A release date has yet to be announced, but I'm sure once Wiiwaa is out, we can find hours of endless entertainment with the deluge of YouTube videos poking fun at the idea.

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Preview: Starship PvP — engage!

I'll admit it, I've never been the biggest Star Trek fan. I always thought the IP could have used more starship battles. Cryptic! Make it so!




And, for the first time, I'm actually intrigued and a little excited for Star Trek Online's launch on Feb. 2 (NA) and Feb. 5 (EU).

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Preview: Darksiders

Vigil Games is looking to throw their hat into the post-apocalyptic arena with their upcoming Darksiders. Assuming the role of the horseman, War, it will be up to the player to discover who is responsible for bringing about the apocalypse prematurely.


Built on fast sword and gun combat, designer Joe Madureira said the game is a lot like The Legend of Zelda series, in that the game has a big world to explore that is filled with puzzles. He said that while it looks like an over-the-top action game, exploration and adventure is the true focus.

Video Games | Darksiders | Story Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Video Games | Darksiders | Story and Mechanics Interview II

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Look for Darksiders to strike a chord with religious groups on Jan. 5 for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

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News: Pandemic Studios RIP

This morning, Kotaku reported on the possibility that Pandemic Studios — the minds behind the upcoming WWII-fashioned The Saboteur — might close its doors today. This has been confirmed. Source here. It's a sad time to be in the video games industry, indeed.
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Preview: Lair of the Demon Dragon going live soon

Runes of Magic, that free-to-play MMO that looks and feels a lot like World of Warcraft, is about ready to get a little bigger. Beginning Thursday, Nov. 19, Lair of the Demon Dragon goes live.


This all new 12-man raid dungeon aims to face players against the demon-possessed flame dragon, Gestero, who is held captive in the Aotulia Volcano. Publisher Frogster said today in a press release that the Lair of the Demon Dragon "is the latest and most difficult challenge that the online role play game has offered to date."



High-level players aren't the only ones to benefit from this update.

A new in-game event is inviting all players to partake in an Autumn Banquet.



"Gift tables have been distributed across the whole continent and are loaded with food," said Frogster in the press release. "Daily quests in and around the acquisition of supplies, or gathering resources, round off the event

Also, a notable change to the crafting system will go live, per the request of the community, said Frogster.

The update includes a new interface and the ability for players to craft items with up to two levels of rarity higher than previously.

For more information, visit www.runesofmagic.com.

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News: Wii offering game demos, wait, what?!

Starting this week, Nintendo is finally offering Wii owners a slice of the demo pie that Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 owners have been enjoying for some time. Starting this week, Wii owners can enjoy games demos from an array of titles. This feature is long overdue. Hey Nintendo, what took you so long? Hit the jump to see the list.

From yesterday's official press release, the demos are:

Pokémon Rumble
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 1,500 Wii Points
Description: Available exclusively for the WiiWare service, Pokémon Rumble is an action game in which you control Toy Pokémon (referred to as "Pokémon") and take on wave after wave of other Pokémon in a variety of stages. You can befriend some of the defeated Pokémon along the way, which lets you add them to your collection and grants you the ability to use them in battle. Switch between collected Pokémon at any time, taking advantage of the fact that the amount of damage you deal depends on the type of move used and the type of Pokémon hit. Be the last one standing to gain the right to compete in the Battle Royale and test your skills against many Pokémon at once. You can also team up with three people for some multiplayer action (additional Wii Remote controllers required), working together to take down tough Bosses and earning points that can be used toward recruiting or training Pokémon. You can even save your favorite Pokémon to your Wii Remote™ controller for exchanges with friends. Combining beautiful cel-shaded graphics and exciting game-play features, this is one rumble you won't want to miss. Note that a demo version of Pokémon Rumble is also available for zero Wii Points.

BIT.TRIP BEAT
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 0 Wii Points
Description: BIT.TRIP BEAT brings retro action back as you use the Wii Remote controller's motion sensor to bounce beats in this rhythm game. Retro visuals, classic game play, four-player multiplayer and an 8-bit soundtrack will get you in the zone and rock your world. Pay attention, though: As with most classic games, the challenges are mighty. If you can stay cool as the difficulty increases, you'll discover the beginnings of the BIT.TRIP saga.

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a Darklord
Publisher: SQUARE ENIX
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 0 Wii Points
Description: Step into the royal shoes of the Darklord's daughter as she installs traps and monsters inside her tower to fight back the endless waves of invading adventurers in this world-conquest role-playing game. Filling your demonic tower with monsters and traps called Artifacts is your only hope to keep the adventurers from destroying the Dark Crystal on the top floor. Fly your tower across the land and conquer every stage on your way to dominating the entire world.

NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits
Publisher: Over The Top Games
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 0 Wii Points
Description: NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits is the awesome story of Nyx, an enigmatic winged girl who must descend from heaven in search of her missing friend, Icarus. Fly over the ruins of ancient Greece and avoid falling into blazing sands or perishing in the claws of cruel harpies and hydras. You'll need the help of Zeus and other benevolent gods from Olympus to summon their powers. They will let you cast rays, modify the scenery and control winds at will. Fly, aim and shoot using the Wii Remote controller. Play with a friend and maximize your abilities: While one player controls Nyx, the other will control the powers from the gods.

World of Goo
Publisher: 2D BOY
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 0 Wii Points
Description: World of Goo is an award-winning, physics-based puzzle/construction game made entirely by two guys. Use living, squirming, talking globs of goo to build structures, bridges, cannonballs, zeppelins and giant tongues. The millions of Goo Balls that live in the beautiful World of Goo are curious to explore, but they don't know that they are in a game, nor that they are extremely delicious.

For more information, please visit www.nintendo.com/wii/wiiware/demo or your friendly neighborhood Wiiware channel.

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News: Assassin's Creed 2

Who's in the mood for a little da Vinci? Don't forget that Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 2 — which focuses on the story of Ezio Auditore da Firenze — launches today. Players can look forward to spilling the blood of unsuspected foes all throughout the Venetian landscape. Hit the jump for a peek at what you can look forward to.

Assassin's Creed II at IGN.com

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Preview: Look behind you, The Saboteur is coming

Who needs another World War 2 game? I'll tell you, we do. Now I'm not talking about your run-of-the-mill WWII game, I'm talking about strategic espionage and demolition. I'm talking about The Saboteur.


Electronic Arts recently released some new screenshots of the anticipated title by the now defunct, Pandemic Studios. It's like Red Faction met the Nazis.

The Saboteur boasts:

•Live the resistance in an open-world Paris – Fight and sabotage your way through a uniquely stylized open-world 1940s Paris – from the top of the Eiffel Tower, to the riverbanks of the Seine, the cathedral of Notre Dame or the prestigious Champs-Élysées.

•Be the Saboteur –Use a broad range of weapons and explosives to perform your blockbuster sabotage as you single-handily hunt-down your enemies to dismantle and destroy the Nazi occupation.

•Use the rooftops – This version of Paris was designed to leverage the unique abilities of The Saboteur. Being a Saboteur is all about surprise attacks and Paris' rooftops are the perfect path for your secret operations. Anything that looks like you can climb it, you can – even the Eiffel Tower.

•Will to Fight – The Saboteur introduces an innovative new feature that is both an iconic visual style, and a compelling gameplay element. See and feel Paris change around you as you progress through the game. Go from a dark and oppressed black and white policed state, to a bright and inspired world where the citizens fight back.

•Hijack any vehicle – Sean is a race car driver and a daredevil by nature. From high performance race cars to military vehicles, as the Saboteur, you can drive any vehicle that comes along to escape your pursuers.

The Saboteur will hit store shelves for the PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on Dec. 8.

Video Games | The Saboteur | E3 09: Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

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Preview: Lineage II is still grinding away

Know your role, Aion! Don't try to out grind those that came before you. There's only one king of the Korean grind. Such as Lineage. And while we're on the topic, hit the jump for the newest Lineage II trailer for The Chaotic Throne.

Video Games | Lineage II: Chaotic Throne | Epilogue Gracia: The 2nd Throne Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

According to today's official press release:

"With more than five years of updates and enhancements behind it, Lineage II continues to be one of the most detailed, unique and content-rich MMORPGs on the market. The Gracia Epilogue update continues this tradition with 36 new quests as well as the 'Delusion Chamber,' a brand new instance for level 80-85 players. Meanwhile, players just starting the game will enjoy the help and presence of high-level characters thanks to the updated 'Mithril Mines' dungeon which features additional content for high level characters, bringing experienced veterans together with new players."

The update includes:

•Improved vitality system
•An in-game Mail system designed to strengthen the player community and add a new convenient way to trade.
•A Command Channel Matching System that will facilitate Raid organization
•New items and options for Mercenaries in Territory Wars
•Revamped Hunting Grounds
•Updated classes and skills
•New & enhanced skill enchanting interface

The update goes live tomorrow. Visit www.lineage2.com/epilogue/ for more info.

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Feature: Movies and games, a dysfunctional relationship

Let’s face the facts: movies based on video game franchises almost always suck. From the bad, but campy in an acceptable way, Street Fighter movie, to the very bad, but watchable CGI, of Wing Commander, to the epically awful and completely unwatchable Super Mario Brothers (shudder).

Part of the problem is the plot. If the game itself has no real story line, coming up with a justification of characters doing what they do in game as part of the movie stretches reality quite thin. Video games with a story line have the problem of fitting a plot line of a game designed to last anywhere from 20-60 hours into a two hour movie. The opening of Metal Gear Solid 4 alone is almost 25 minutes.

Movies based around video games, however, tend to be pretty good. The Last Starfighter had the notion that being good at playing video games might have career potential. War Games showed the dangers of AI and hacking long before any other movie had similar ideas for a plot line. Then of course, one of my favorite movies, Tron.

Which brings us to the movie coming out in May of 2010, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. This game was highly rated when it came out back in 2003. It had good graphics, decent story line, and was hailed for its innovative game play. The game spawned two sequels which were more than just a re-hashing of the first game.

The real question I have about this movie is how it will translate from the video game, which isn’t clear from the trailer. There are lots of jumping and sweeping vistas. The CGI looks good, but that’s more of a constant these days than it was 10 or even five years ago. Plus, no Michael Bay. But movies have a long history of having trailers that look good with movies being quite awful.

So will Sands of Time break the trend of bad video game movies, or will it fall into a long line of bad movies based on video games. Only time will tell.



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Preview: Story trailer for Dante's Inferno

Sunday. It's the perfect day for family, service to one's god and diving head first into 700 year old epic poems about a man's travels through the depths of Hell. Wait, what?

Video Games | Dante's Inferno | Exclusive Story Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

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News: Modern Warfare 2 nukes the sales charts

Was it any surprise that Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 obliterated opening day sales records? According to the game's publisher, Activision, Modern Warfare 2 has become the biggest launch in history.


With sales of $310 million in North America and the UK — within the first 24 hours — Modern Warfare 2, which launched on Tuesday, Nov. 10, left the shelf as soon as it landed on it.

Activision estimates that 4.7 million copies of the game were sold during the first 24 hours.

"The Call of Duty franchise has become a cultural phenomenon showing the power of video games as an entertainment medium," said Mike Griffith, CEO, Activision Publishing, Inc. "The shattering of these entertainment records is a testament to the compelling, cinematic and uniquely engaging experience that the Call of Duty brand delivers. Modern Warfare 2 has taken interactive experience to unprecedented heights setting a new standard for entertainment."

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Preview: Sentinel's Fate trailer

To celebrate the announcement of the Feb. 16 launch date for SOE's sixth Everquest 2 expansion, Sentinel's Fate — which will thrust players into the fantasy lands of Odus, SOE has released this new trailer.

EverQuest II at IGN.com

Included in this newest expansion are:

•All Previous Expansions - Includes the new expansion pack and all five previous expansions and content

•Increased Level Cap – Reach new heights with a level cap increase to 90

•Amazing New Zones – Explore two expansive new overland zones, The Sundered Frontier and Stonebrunt Highlands

•The Quests Continues - Experience the legend of Odus through 400 new quests.

•More Dungeons - Battle through 12 new dungeon additions.

•New Weapons and Armor - Outfit characters with 2,000 new weapons, pieces of armor and items.

•New Alternate Advancement Abilities - Optimize your character's power and strength with all new alternate advancement abilities.

•Legends of Norrath - Includes digital card game client and The Fall of Erudin scenario.

•500 Station Cash - Select unique virtual items from the in-game EQ2 Marketplace

•30-day subscription included for new EQ2 Accounts.

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Preview: New screens for Final Fantasy XIII

Along with the 03/09/10 release date that was announced yesterday for SquareEnix's Final Fantasy XIII, three new additional screenshots were also attached. Wonderful and beautiful, these new images aim to captivate and awe.

Final Fantasy will launch for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 platforms.

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Review: TorchED First Look

TorchED is the recently released editor for the Runic Games release, Torchlight. I thought that since it was brought up on Incoming Pull Live! Episode 25, that I would go ahead and offer up this look of what the editor has to offer.

Yes, I did download the editor as soon as it was available, and the purchase of the full game is not a prerequisite to getting the software. It is freely available for anyone to download.

According to the Runic Games F.A.Q, "This is the primary tool which we used to create Torchlight ourselves, and exposes a huge amount of the game to user customization. Players will be able to create their own fixed and random levels, items, skills, classes, monsters, quests, adjust balance, and so forth." Rather than typing up a wall of text here to describe its features, I dug up some videos made by Runic games.







If you think this is amazing, as I do, then you can grab it for yourself for no monetary cost from FileFront. Also, if you like the idea of player-created content but don't have the patience or time to buid your own, you can pick up a whole host of mods from The Original Runic Games Fansite.
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Feature: What makes a game perfect?

While trolling the Internet the other day listening to gaming news, several of the news sites I follow were talking about the fact that Famitsu scored the new game Bayonetta a perfect 40 out of 40. Apparently the Japanese gaming site has four separate critics score a game on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the best. To date, only 12 games have gotten a perfect score from this gaming magazine.

The other 11 games are:

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)
2. Soulcalibur (1999)
3. Vagrant Story (2000)
4. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2003)
5. Nintendogs (2005)
6. Final Fantasy XII (2006)
7. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008)
8. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008)
9. 428 (2008)
10. Dragon Quest IX (2009)
11. Monster Hunter Tri (2009)

Now to be perfectly honest, I have never heard of this gaming magazine, nor do I care about numerical scores attached to game reviews. I would rather hear about what made the game great or made it suck than rating the game mathematically. But it did get me thinking, what makes a game perfect? Is it possible for any game to be perfect? While in my gaming career, I have played a lot of games that I have enjoyed very much, I am not sure if any game has ever been perfect.

Easily the most recent game that came closest to being perfect was Batman: Arkham Asylum. So much about this game was above and beyond what I expected. The atmosphere was great, the voice acting top notch. The graphics were beautiful and the controls, for the most part, worked. The plot was also great. But it wasn’t a perfect game. The ending was kind of lame, but not completely unexpected for a Batman-genre title. The boss fights were a joke in terms of concept and not even remotely a challenge unless the boss was accompanied by a pack of enemies. Detective mode, while necessary, did feel a little like cheating without actually cheating.

In the end, however, it didn’t matter because Batman was a great game, one I would recommend without reservation to anyone. Which brings up why I don’t think a game can actually be considered perfect? A co-worker of mine heard me gushing over this game and asked to borrow it. This co-worker got about an hour into the game before quitting, not liking the game. This completely confused me. How could a game that got high praise from video game cynic Zero Punctuation not be liked?

Granted ZP has some nitpicks about the game, but most of them were minor at best. Still, it’s worth noting that a game that gets love from a man who is known for hating everything can still be considered not worth playing by someone else.

But, let us get back to the game in question. Having seen game play from Bayonetta, I can honestly say...so what? Having never cared about over-the-top Japanese gun battle games, Bayonetta really doesn’t have any appeal for me. I might check out the demo, but it’s not on my buy list. Anything that falls under the category of “like Devil May Cry” immediately goes on my pass list.

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News: Final Fantasy XIII to touch down state-side on 03/09/10

It's official! SquareEnix has set the North American and European release date for the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII for March 9. The anticipated information was announced today and revealed in this developer diary. Hit the jump for the video and information from the official release.

Video Games | Final Fantasy XIII | Dynasty Doc

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

“Final Fantasy XIII promises to be a huge event in the 2010 gaming calendar,” said Phil Rogers, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix Europe. “This is truly a landmark title, arriving simultaneously for multiple platforms for the first time in the history of the series. We are also immensely proud to be able to bring the game to the European and PAL audience much earlier than was publically anticipated.”

Final Fantasy XIII features include:

• Take Part in a Gaming Experience that Sets New Standards – The first in the series developed for a simultaneous release on multiple high-definition consoles, FINAL FANTASY XIII pushes new boundaries in cinematic presentation, sound and gameplay.

• Experience the Unity of Speed and Strategy with the Ultimate Active Time Battle system – The familiar system has evolved, granting players the freedom of executing numerous commands in a single turn with the multi-slot ATB gauge. Whether inputting singular commands in each slot for consecutive attacks, or expending multiple slots at once to activate a devastating blow, it’s up to the players to respond effectively to the battle conditions at hand.

• Adapt to the Ever-Changing Tide of Battle with Paradigms – A brand-new game mechanic enabling players to assign roles to their party members at any time during battle, shifting between combat paradigms. Consisting of various combinations of the game's six roles, ranging from Commando, the offensive specialist, to Medic, the quintessential healer, paradigms allow players to respond and adapt instantly to any given situation to turn the tide and seize victory.

• Witness the Battle Scene Transform with an All-New Summon System – Introducing Gestalt Mode, a powerful dimension of the summon system that elevates the action to a whole new level. In Gestalt Mode, characters and their transformed Eidolons fight as one, dealing massive damage to enemies through simple button commands.

• Delve into an Emotional Experience – An immersive storyline connects players to an intriguing cast of characters. Will they have the strength to confront their cursed fates, or will destiny prevail over all that they believe in?

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Preview: Only the penitent man may pass

Looking for something to get you ready for the weekend? Look no further. EA and Visceral Games just released the new trailer for the Dante's Inferno animated feature. Hit the jump to see the action.


Courtesy of Giant Bomb

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Feature: The man behind the MMO Blogging Alliance

Ferrel over at Epic Slant was kind enough to sit down with me and give me all the details as to why he decided to create the MMO Blogging Alliance. You can read the full interview over at Koku Gamer.
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News: Preorder EQ2's Sentinel's Fate today

Despite all of the praises, Blizzard could learn a thing or two from Sony Online Entertainment, namely how to release expansion packs. Today, SOE announced that preorders for the sixth expansion to Everquest 2, Sentinel's Fate, can now be purchased at the game's official Web site. Wanna know why SOE does it right and Blizzard does it wrong, hit the jump.

Both EQ2 and WoW launched within weeks of each other in the fall of 2004. Since then, WoW has gone to become a pop culture icon that will eventually be perpetually mocked, such as all pop culture icons. Also, WoW has gone to be the most popular MMORPG in history, boasting more than $11 million subscribers.

EQ2, on the other hand, can't boast 1/10th of that. However, despite no seeing near the success, EQ2 has been able to put out five solid expansion packs, as well as numerous smaller adventure packs, while WoW has only been able to put out two expansion packs, along with additional content updates.

And now, SOE is at it again with a sixth expansion, set to go live on Feb. 16.

For those who are still suckling from the teet of Tom Chilton, be informed and realize that EQ2's five expansions haven't been for the feint of heart. Echoes of Faydwer, the game's third expansion, created all new zones to level your character through the game. WoW's two expansions can't boast the amount of content in just that expansion.

But aside from pure content, the biggest difference between SOE and Blizzard's manner of releasing expansions is that Blizzard requires you to buy each expansion and the game client separately to have access to all the content. However, with EQ2, all a player has to do is buy the latest expansion and they receive not only the game client, but all the previous expansions as well. Cost, you ask? Well, for the price of just Blizzard's Wrath of the Lich King, you can purchase the EQ2 game client and all six expansions.

Perhaps corporate Blizzard should start taking notes. Wouldn't hurt for the fanboys to do that as well.

EQ2's next installment, Sentinel's Fate, will take players to the lands of Odus.

Included in this newest expansion are:

•All Previous Expansions - Includes the new expansion pack and all five previous expansions and content

•Increased Level Cap – Reach new heights with a level cap increase to 90

•Amazing New Zones – Explore two expansive new overland zones, The Sundered Frontier and Stonebrunt Highlands

•The Quests Continues - Experience the legend of Odus through 400 new quests.

•More Dungeons - Battle through 12 new dungeon additions.

•New Weapons and Armor - Outfit characters with 2,000 new weapons, pieces of armor and items.

•New Alternate Advancement Abilities - Optimize your character's power and strength with all new alternate advancement abilities.

•Legends of Norrath - Includes digital card game client and The Fall of Erudin scenario.

•500 Station Cash - Select unique virtual items from the in-game EQ2 Marketplace

•30-day subscription included for new EQ2 Accounts.

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Preview: New screens for Siege of Mirkwood

Turbine today released some new screenshots of the next installment in Lord of the Rings Online, Siege of Mirkwood. The new digital expansion — which will go live on Dec. 1 — will offer many exciting features for players in Middle earth.



Here is the new eye candy:

From Turbine, Siege of Mirkwood will include:

•The Epic Conclusion to Volume II: Mines of Moria – Under the command of Celeborn and Galadriel, players will fight through vast armies of Orcs alongside the Elves of Lórien in a battle that will take them to Dol Guldur, the fortress of the Ringwraiths. This update includes Book 9 and the Epilogue to the sweeping epic tale begun with the award-winning Mines of Moria expansion.

•Increased Level Cap — Players will be able advance their characters up to level 65, gaining access to new traits, virtues, skills and class quests.

•Answer the Call of War! – Jump into the heat of battle with the new Skirmishes feature. Skirmishes offer endless action in repeatable, randomized instances where players can create and lead customizable soldiers into battle, training them to greater skill as they earn victories against the forces of shadow. Answer the call of war wherever violence erupts with the new “World Join” function that lets players and their fellowships band together to fight in various locations throughout Middle-earth.

•Take up Arms! – Infiltrate the dark jails, deadly arenas and savage stables of Dol Guldur, the fortress of the Ringwraiths, and strike a blow against Sauron’s forces in new 3 and 6-player instances. Call upon your fellows to adventure into the most deadly 12-player raid yet and face the ultimate challenge – the Nazgûl Lord!

•Major Gameplay Enhancements – Turbine continues to improve the award-winning experience of LOTRO with major improvements to the combat and Legendary Items systems. Players will experience improved responsiveness when in the heat of battle. Players will also be able to create and craft their own customized Second and Third Age Legendary Items from raw materials and grow their weapons’ power to level 60. Achieve new Legacies, new titles, and a fourth Runic slot that will make Legendary Items even more unique and powerful.

The expansion will cost players $19.99.

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Preview: Modern Warfare 3

Just days after the release of Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, a leaked video has hit the Interwebz telling gamers what they can expect in the military shooter. Hit the jump to see the video.



Ultra-Realistic Modern Warfare Game Features Awaiting Orders, Repairing Trucks

I just love the Onion. I wonder if they are hiring?

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Radio: ICP Live! Episode 25: "Fourth Circle of Hell" Edition

Tonight we are going to experiment with the idea of DLC. For just $5, you can supplement your favorite Web site with a live radio show. Avarice is a wonderful thing, eh? Yeah, we don't think so either. Instant message us during tonight's show and let us know what you think about developers' love story with DLC. We'd love to hear your thoughts. You can listen to ICP Live! tonight at 9 p.m. EST on UltraWorld Radio. On tonight's show:


• The blind are suing the blind.

• Obvious Washington Post troll is obvious.

• We explore all of this past week's hottest gaming headlines and game releases, as well as this week's worst power-up.

• We tackle the issue of DLC. Is it good for gaming or a sin that belongs in the Fourth Circle.

If you have any questions or comments, post them on this story and we will try to get to them when we are on-air. You can also reach us on Yahoo instant messenger @ incomingpull or hit us up on any of the numerous ways to contact us (hint: you can see the list in the sidebar on the right).

Seriously, it's a LIVE show. Why not IM us and join in the conversation?

"You are not prepared!"

As always, you can stream the entire show in the player below, or you can click the download link under the player to save it to your hard drive for eternity. You can also subscribe to the ICP Live! podcast and be alerted when a new show is posted or even listen in on your iPod.


[Download The Podcast]

Make sure you check out DJ Kestral every Tuesday night at 9PM EST on UltraWorld Radio.

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News: How much would you pay for The Secret World beta?

Yeah, Age of Conan kind of blows, but would you subscribe to it if it got you a guaranteed spot in The Secret World beta? I'm still on the fence myself. Funcom is giving previous subscribers bonuses only if they come back to Hyboria for an extended stay. The announcement was made earlier this morning.

The company cited success with its similar promotion earlier in the year, offering veterans a chance to come back for a two-week trial period. Doing so will net the player double experience points throughout the two weeks.

However, the real rewards begin once the trial is over.

Players can look forward to a secured spot in The Secret World beta, as well as a free copy of the Rise of the Godslayer expansion, if they decide to stick it out in the brutal world of Conan.

“We are very proud of what have been able to do with the game since launch,” says Morten Larssen, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Funcom. “The game has grown and improved at a remarkable pace, and we continue to introduce new content, new features and new improvements. We are introducing these fantastic rewards as we know that coming back to an MMO demands effort, and we want to make sure that as many former players as possible are exposed to the new and improved ‘Age of Conan.’”

Here is the detailed list of rewards:

• Subscribing for one month grants seven days extra game time for no additional cost.

• Subscribing for three months guarantees a spot in open beta for The Secret World.

• Subscribing for six months gives a level 40 helmet with a 10 percent XP modifier.

• Subscribing for 12 months nets a free copy of the Rise of the Godslayer expansion.

This is a time-limited offer only and is also available to current players.

The Secret World beta reward will kick in during the later stages of the closed beta, which has yet to be announced. With the layoffs that happened at Funcom, I'm just happy a beta for The Secret World is still on the table.

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News: Star Trek Online beams down with a launch date

Assemble your away teams and get ready to remember why you've only felt the touch of a woman through digital means (sorry, couldn't resist), Star Trek Online is set to launch on Feb. 2 in North America and Feb. 5 in Europe and Australia.

Published by Atari and developed by Cryptic Studios — the masterminds behind City of Heroes/Villains and Champions Online — plan to offer Trekkies a virtual world to call their own with the anticipated MMO. The announcement was made on Tuesday.

"Star Trek Online is poised to become the ultimate Star Trek gaming experience," said Jim Wilson, CEO of Atari, Inc. "Throughout the last four decades, Star Trek has been a mainstay in pop culture, influencing legions of fans through television, film, and more. Star Trek Online opens a whole new chapter and expands upon this incredible universe in 2010."

Star Trek Online will take place in the year 2409 and will allow players to become high-ranking Starfleet officers, boldly going where thousands of virtual captains have already gone in beta.

Players will be able to customize their very own ship, as well as their own species. So much for cannon, I guess. Blizzard would charge you $25 to do something like that.

Just in case you were wondering if you need to upgrade your warpcore, here are the system requirements:

• OS: Windows XP SP2 / Windows Vista / Windows 7 (32 or 64-bit)
• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 Ghz or AMD Athlon X2 3800+
• Memory: 1GB RAM
• Video: NVIDIA GeForce 7950 / ATI Radeon X1800 / Intel HD Graphics
• Sound: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Soundcard
• DirectX: Version 9.0c or Higher
• HDD: 8GB Free Disk Space
• Network: Internet Broadband Connection Required
• Disc: 6X DVD-ROM

Recommended System Configuration:

• OS: Windows XP SP2 / Windows Vista / Windows 7 (32 or 64-bit)
• CPU: Intel E8400 Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon X2 5600+
• Memory: 2GB RAM+
• Video: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 / ATI Radeon HD 3850+
• Sound: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Soundcard
• DirectX: Version 9.0c or Higher
• HDD: 8GB Free Disk Space
• Network: Internet Broadband Connection Required
• Disc: 6X DVD-ROM

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News: Celebrate Christmas with Death

It seems gamers eager to wage war in the Inferno will be able to get in a little divine hack-n-slash just in time for Christmas. Today, Visceral Games announced that a demo for Dante's Inferno, titled "Gates of Hell" will become available this December.

"The ‘Gates of Hell’ demo will introduce players to the game’s hero, epic story and intense action gameplay, tracing Dante’s battles from the surface all the way to the Gates of Hell," according to the studio's press release. "Players will experience fast-paced hack-n-slash combat as they fend off waves of enemies before taking on the ultimate battle against Death. After defeating this boss, Dante will be armed with Death’s scythe, a powerful holy cross, and will be ready to tear open the Gates of Hell."

Two cinematic movies made by Blur will also be included in the demo.

“Our main goal from the start of this project has been to create a journey that will make gamers truly feel like they are going through hell,” said executive producer Jonathan Knight. “The demo will give everyone some insight into how we are treating the story and a taste of the gameplay. And with nine more circles of hell to explore once the game comes out in February, we are literally just scratching the surface.”

Launching on Feb. 9 in North America and Feb. 12 in Europe, the December demo — which will be available on the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 — should give players a pretty good idea of the type of game that they can expect in Dante's Inferno.

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Preview: Heresy reigns in Dante's Inferno

Say what you will about Electronic Arts' choice to publish Visceral Games' controversial action-adventure title, Dante's Inferno. But one thing is definitely true, this game is not for the timid. Hit the jump to see the newest developer interview, where Visceral Games explains what players will encounter in the hellish city of Dis.

Video Games | Dante's Inferno | Heresy Developer Diary

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Dante's Inferno will launch on Feb. 9, 2010 for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

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Preview: Bioware reveals new foes in Mass Effect 2

And you thought the geth were bad? This newest piece of developer commentary reveals to gamers that Commander Shepard has a lot more to fear in Bioware's Mass Effect 2 than just rebellious collectively intelligent automatons. Hit the jump to see the latest video.

Video Games | Mass Effect 2 | Enemies Developer Diary

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Reapers and Collectors are nice, but for this gamer, a deeper understanding of the geth is a warming notion in the Mass Effect universe. Especially since that new understanding comes with the evolution of the single-minded geth, Legion.

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News: MMO Blogging Alliance needs your help

Every year, kind people from around the world give their time and resources to help out others who are less fortunate. It now appears that MMO players are getting into the giving spirit as well. The MMO Blogging Alliance is made up of several well-known MMO bloggers who are hosting ways for readers to help those in need this holiday season.

The initiative, which is spearheaded by Ferrel of Epic Slant, aims to show the world that gamers care about those in the real world and not just newbs who beg for gold outside the Orgrimmar auction house. Speaking of World of Warcraft, can someone start a charity that aims at providing clothes to all of those poor night elf females on top of mailboxes?

We at Incoming Pull are throwing our support out to Child's Play.

"Since 2003, over 100,000 gamers worldwide have banded together through Child’s Play, a community based charity grown and nurtured from the game culture and industry. Over 5 million dollars in donations of toys, games, books and cash for sick kids in children’s hospitals across North America and the world have been collected since our inception.

This year, we have continued expanding across the country and the globe. With almost 70 partner hospitals and more arriving every month, you can be sure to find one from the map above that needs your help! You can choose to purchase requested items from their online retailer wish lists, or make a cash donation that helps out Child’s Play hospitals everywhere. Any items purchased through Amazon will be shipped directly to your hospital of choice, so please be sure to select their shipping address rather than your own.

When gamers give back, it makes a difference!"

And while I have you in the giving spirit, don't forget to check out these other MMO Blogging Alliance opportunities to give:

Epic Slant
Bio Break
Spinksville
Psychochild
Stylish Corpse
Stabbed Up
MultiPlaying
Echoes of Nonsense

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