Higher level players can try the Ascalonian Catacombs

ArenaNet has just dropped a date for their next Guild Wars 2 beta weekend event, and it lands on the second weekend in June, straight after E3.

Guild Wars fans and newcomers alike will be able to try the upcoming (still undated) MMO in a couple weeks, starting Friday, June 8, at noon Pacific time. The event will run through the entire weekend and end on Sunday, June 10, at 11:59 PM PST.

In addition to the actual date, lead producer Chris Whiteside also revealed that beta characters created during the last weekend event will carry over to Beta Weekend Event 2, allowing returning testers to continue grinding their old creations. Pretty awesome deal, right? If you manage to hit 35 or higher, the explorable Ascalonian Catacombs dungeon should serve as an adequate challenge.

Good news aside, Whiteside also expressed the dev team's gratitude to their community. He assures everyone that Anet takes these beta events quite seriously, and player feedback is helping tremendously.

"In addition to sharing this news with you, I want to convey a massive 'thank you' to all of you for playing in our beta events so far. The participation and enthusiasm we’ve seen has exceeded our expectations, and we’re all very grateful and appreciative here at the studio. Your support during our first Beta Weekend Event and throughout development has been instrumental in getting us prepared for launch and helping us take massive steps in the evolution of Guild Wars 2 as a whole. You, our community, are an integral part of the development process, and Guild Wars 2 simply would not be what it is today without you.

"Your participation is even more important when you consider that we take our beta events very seriously in terms of our development strategy. At ArenaNet, 'beta event' means exactly that—it’s a development-centric event in which we test our systems, discover new and exciting bugs, and get pivotal feedback from our testers about what is going in the right direction and what isn’t."

For those of you who are interested in beta participation but haven't pre-purchased the game yet, keys will be tossed out through a number of official channels as the next event draws near. Sadly, no mention of the asura or sylvari was made, so anyone interested in trying either race will probably have to keep waiting.

New game will be a direct prequel to Divine Divinity

Larian Studios is far from done with its Divinity RPG series, but with Divnity: Original Sin, it'll be going back to the drawing board.  Unlike the Divinity II entries, Original Sin will follow in the footsteps of the very first title in the series, Divine Divinity, right down to its top-down isometric perspective so closely associated with other classic PC RPGs (and of course more recently Diablo).

Larian's Swen Vincke confirms to PC Gamer that Original Sin team will "address frustrations with Divine Divinity" while at the same time introducing new gameplay elements like co-operative play between two players.  In fact, Original Sin's plot is centered around two playable characters, a man and a woman, which was probably no accident given Vincke himself admitted to wanting to make a game he could play with his girlfriend.  Awww.

More Original Sin details will be coming soon, but its throwback to the original games should be an encouraging start for fans who couldn't get into the more recent entries.

Studio head David Cage to unveil new project next Monday

Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dream is reportedly set to unveil their new project during Sony's E3 press conference.

Studio founder David Cage will apparently reveal their next game at the presser next Monday. A "trusted senior development source" claimed the Paris-based developer is working on two projects, with each title being created for Sony.

Cage recently went on record to say he's satisfied to continue developing on the PlayStation 3 for the next half a decade. As for what the project that'll be unveiled at E3 is, the technology which will power the mysterious game has already been showcased; a seven minute demo entitled Kara was demonstrated by Cage back in March.

$493 million paid to Infinity Ward relating to Call of Duty bonuses

Activision has paid Infinity Ward nearly half a billion dollars in bonuses pertaining to their involvement in the Call of Duty franchise.

Infinity Ward received several bonus payments for developing Call of Duty titles, as well as the commercial success of other installments in the IP that utilized their engine. Over $100 million was made from Treyarch's Call of Duty: Black Ops alone. The full bonus figures are as follows:

• Call of Duty - $3.8 million (studio)
• Call of Duty 2 - $69 million (studio)
• Call of Duty 3 - $2.6 million (tech)
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - $74.5 million (studio)
• Call of Duty: World at War - $13.96 million (tech), $18.68 million (IP)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - $147.46 million (studio)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops - $46 million (tech), $56.96 million (IP)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - $59.9 million (studio)

The Call of Duty publisher may have to fork out even more than they bargained for, though. As well as the $42 million they paid to several ex-employees of the Modern Warfare studio and their out of court settlement with EA, former Infinity Ward bosses Jason West and Vince Zampella will go to court against the firm tomorrow with their $1 billion lawsuit.

Done at last

Castle builder / strategy game Stronghold 3 was a godawful mess for ages, but series fans seem to have gone from outraged to moderately pleased with the recent 1.1 patch. 1.1 features rebalancing, tweaks, performance improvements, a new mode and map, various added features, and more.

If you're still not quite satisfied with the game, unfortunately this is as good as it's going to get: developer Firefly says, "This is the final patch for Stronghold 3."

And if you were waiting to buy, now's a good a time as any with the Stronghold 3 Gold pack, which bundles the new version of the game with the Blackstaff DLC. So, for $32, you get the base game plus a new mini campaign and new historical sieges.

What you need for lowest, low, high, and highest settings

Taking the system requirements thing a step further than before, Rockstar has detailed what you'll need to run action game Max Payne 3 on PC under a variety of configurations. Check it:

LOWEST TESTED SPECS
Windows 7/Vista/XP PC (32 or 64 bit)
Intel Dual Core 2.4 GHZ or AMD Dual Core 2.6 GHZ, or better
2GB System RAM
NVIDIA® GeForce 8600 GT 512MB RAM
or AMD Radeon™ HD 3400 512MB RAM

LOW RECOMMENDED SPECS
Windows 7/Vista/XP PC (32 or 64 bit)
Intel Dual Core 3GHz or AMD equivalent
3GB System RAM
NVIDIA® GeForce 450 512MB RAM
or AMD Radeon™ HD 4870 512MB RAM

HIGH RECOMMENDED SPECS
Windows 7/Vista (32 or 64 bit)
Intel i7 Quad Core 2.8Ghz or AMD equivalent
3GB System RAM
NVIDIA® GeForce 480 1GB RAM
or AMD Radeon™ HD 5870 1GB RAM

HIGHEST TESTED SPECS
Windows 7/Vista (64 bit)
Intel i7 3930K 6 Core x 3.06 GHZ
or AMD FX8150 8 Core x 3.6 GHZ
16GB System RAM
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 680 2GB RAM
or AMD Radeon™ HD 7970 3GB RAM

The barrier to entry isn't extremely low as you'll see with some games, so expect a certain minimum visual fidelity on display here when launch time comes. Similarly, the barrier to the highest settings (see screenshots here) comes at a steep price point. Now just to wonder whether it will be truly scalable or suffer a similar fate as previous Rockstar games.

Max Payne 3 launches June 1 on PC.

Another side of the MMOFPS

As an MMOFPS, Planetside 2 is appropriately...massive. Making the maps feel a little smaller, though, is air vehicles and combat, which is what the latest trailer focuses on. Behold the footage below, presented in gloriously underwhelming 4:3 aspect ratio.

Explosions aren't looking too bad, though at certain points definitely look like they need some work. The game is still in its earlier stages, though, so there's plenty of time for that.

10 bucks for some extra content

If you dig pirate RPG Risen 2 like we did, you may be interested in this newly released "Air Temple" DLC. The extra content features a new area, new characters, and new enemies.

It's claimed for your $10 you get "up to eight hours of additional playtime", though user consensus seems to be it's closer to one hour, so bear that in mind.

Hit up Steam if you're interested.

Nine days left to go

Car carnage game Carmageddon: Reincarnation has hit its $400,000 goal on Kickstarter, and exceeded it by a bit, too. As of the time of writing, it's at a little over $427,000. The team sends its thanks:

The game is a new installment in the once infamous Carmageddon series which featured car combat and public mayhem. Reincarnation will host many features old and new, including action replays, multiplayer, custom cars, and more.

Nine days are left to go, so hit the source if you want to help out further.

No Steam Workshop support at launch, but devs are interested

Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, the upcoming standalone expansion for SOSE, will be adopting better Steam integration for the convenience of its community. Rebellion producer Chris Bray noted the changes that should lead to a more streamlined multiplayer experience:

"The majority of multiplayer features we're adding with Rebellion, as far as connectivity and that sort of thing, are Steam oriented. So you'll be able to add and browse your Steam friends while in the game, join their games, send invites. All those sorts of things are pretty standard for Steam integrated games, but we didn't have those in the past. It'll be easier to play with your friends this time around."

Then there's the question of accessibility, which the RTS genre isn't exactly known for. Sins is no exception to this, being one of the more complex strategy games out there; its notoriously massive scale can lead to incredibly lengthy matches. While the veteran fans will still have their classic Sins experience, Rebellion gave co-devs Stardock and Ironclad a chance to draw in more players. How? One method is to design gameplay in a way that would support shorter battles. Quick 'n' dirty, if you will.

"On top of that, on the gameplay and more feature-oriented side, we added a lot of new victory conditions. There's five new victory conditions; things like 'Last Capitol Standing,' where whoever has their capitol destroyed is knocked out of the game; 'Occupation Planet,' which is kind of like a 'King of the Hill' type game.

"Optional things like that that make the multiplayer games a little shorter in scope, so you can get in, play a game with somebody for maybe a half-hour, or an hour, if you want to set it that way. Which makes it good for keeping the multiplayer community active beyond people who want to do five-hour -- sometimes multi-day -- games with ten of their friends. We really tried to add features to make [Rebellion's] multiplayer a little more accessible to [more] people."

On the subject of community sharing, the development team has looked at utilizing Steam Workshop before, but as of now, they simply don't have the resources for it. Still, it's an avenue they hope to investigate some time down the road.

"We have looked at things like Steam Workshop, but we don't plan on having Workshop support at launch. We're definitely not commiting to anything, but it's something that we're personally interested in and will be looking at, if we have the resources to do later on. We would like to, but we'll just have to wait and see."

Bray has only been with Stardock a few short months. Prior to January 2012, he was at Ubisoft Red Storm, a development studio focused heavily on Tom Clancy titles including the recent Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. Bray also says that while he's excited to be part of the Rebellion team, he's mostly taken a hands-off approach, letting the Stardock and Ironclad's devs handle Rebellion without much interference.

Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion beta testing is just about over as the game is being prepped for launch in just a few weeks. Co-developers Ironclad and Stardock are wasting no time making last minute gameplay tweaks and balance changes, but for the most part, the game appears quite ready for June 12.

Even if you're not fighting Reapers, prepare for Banshees

This week's Mass Effect 3 multiplayer challenge has kicked off, and it's really not much of a challenge unless you consider promoting three characters hard work. That's right, this weekend sees a break from the "kill a bunch of X enemies" in favor of promotion count.

So the new Allied Goal -- which awards a Victory Pack if reached -- is 50,000 total promotions. Your personal squad goal is to promote three characters before 5:00 PM PST on Sunday, May 27.

Now because the community failed to down 3 million Banshees two weeks ago during Operation: Silencer, this weekend's event will also see an unusually high population of Banshees among Reaper enemies. Additionally, Banshees might spawn with non-Reaper enemies as well. So yeah, have fun with your punishment.

Too bad it's exclusive to GameStop

A new Hitman: Absolution trailer shows off the game's Sniper Challenge "experience," which is a bit like a mini-game that you can play just by pre-ordering.

Available on 360, PS3, or PC, Sniper Challenge puts in in the shoes of Agent 47 as he undertakes a stealth assassination mission. It's not related to the core game, but IO developers note that it does offer an early taste of (some) gameplay content, meaning we'll likely see similar missions pop up in Absolution.

Sniper Challenge actually started out as a map idea that never made it into the game, but when the devs saw that people kept playing it, they realized the map had some potential that was worth exploring. Thus, Sniper Challenge was born.

For North Americans, this side adventure is available exclusively through GameStop, though we're not sure what's topping you from reserving the game, playing Sniper Challenge, and then canceling your pre-order to snag the game elsewhere. You know, assuming you don't like GameStop or just have the game reserved elsewhere already for some other pre-order perk.

Sniper Challenge Behind the Scenes trailer - YouTube

Hitman: Absolution will be out on November 20.

No doubt a preamble to E3

Looks like E3 will be seeing a new Star Wars franchise, but an early reveal is scheduled for next week, on May 31. Could this have anything to do with the recent "Star Wars 1313" trademark Lucasfilm filed? We're betting on "yes."

Still, we haven't heard anything about the new series yet (above image is from TOR), so LucasArts definitely knows how to keep a secret. The reveal will be an exclusive deal for SpikeTV, so they'll be the ones airing the big announcement on Thursday, when they visit LucasArts' San Francisco studio for a behind-the-scenes tour. Gameplay won't premiere until June 4, the unofficial first day of E3.

Exciting stuff, right? We're about due for a new Star Wars game, and I know I'm not the only one hoping to see a return to something along the lines of Republic Commando. Nothing against Forcies or anything.

They probably need the extra time for testing

Funcom's upcoming modern day fantasy MMO The Secret World has been delayed by two weeks, pushing launch into the first week of July. Prior to today's announcement, the game was expected to release June 19.

As a result, early access won't begin until June 29, while two more beta weekends have been set for the coming month. Between June 15 and June 17, testers will be able to participate in the "Hell Raised" beta, as Funcom is calling it, which essentially grants access to all factions' starter content -- Illuminati, Dragon, and Templar. Players will also be able to leave Kingsmouth to check out the Savage Coast, where the "very gates of hell" have flown open.

Following that, on June 22 through June 24, Funcom will run a PvP focused beta weekend, allowing players to try the El Dorado battlefield and larger scale warzone gameplay.

Two dozen bug fixes also en route

Bethesda is continuing the trend of releasing fancy features for free as we wait for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's first big DLC release, Dawnguard. With patch 1.6, Skyrim will be seeing the addition of fully mounted melee and ranged combat -- no horse armor required.

Update 1.6 will also be patching almost two dozen bugs still hiding in Skyrim. Here's the full list:

• General stability and memory optimizations
• General AI pathfinding optimizations and bug fixes
• Optimizations and crash fixes for data leaks
• Fixed rare crash with lighting
• Fixed crashes related to loading and saving games
• Fixed crash with summoned creatures/NPCs
• Fixed rare issue where saves would be corrupted
• Improved logic for when ranged kill cams are played
• Fixed issue with ranged kill cams while killing a dragon
• Fixed rare issue with certain ranged kill cams not playing properly
• Fixed issue with nirnroot lighting not properly cleaning up
• Fixed issue where bow damage was being calculated incorrectly
• Fixed rare problem with werewolf kill moves would not finish animating properly
• In “The Break of Dawn” fixed rare issue where Meridia’s Beacon would disappear from player’s inventory
• Fixed occasional issue where followers would disappear after player pays off a bounty after committing a crime
• Fixed issue where certain creatures and NPCs would fail to respawn properly
• Fixed rare issue with dialogue subtitles not displaying properly
• Fixed issue with water appearing blurry when loading a saved game after creating a save underwater
• Fixed issue where map cursor would occasionally disappear after closing a message box with Kinect enabled  (Xbox 360)
• Fixed rare issue with shouts only performing the first level and not other unlocked levels with Kinect enabled  (Xbox 360)
• Fixed issue where the shout buttons would stop working properly if users mashed LB and RB during cooldown with Kinect enabled  (Xbox 360)

Any outstanding issues you've noticed haven't been fixed with patch 1.6? While Bethesda is notorious for introducing new bugs with every patch to fix the old bugs, it's impossible to stay angry at them since they're trying their hardest. Not many other developers would be so dedicated as to continually put out patches like Bethesda, while adding new free content at the same time.

One question -- I'm pretty sure one terrible night I somehow had every horse in Skyrim killed. I don't remember why. Can we have the horse population reset? Including Shadowmere? I really regret losing that horse.

PC gamers who have opted into the Steam Beta Update can download Skyrim patch 1.6 right now, but console gamers may have a bit of a wait ahead of them -- there's no current release date. The patch is likely going through the PSN and Xbox Live vetting process, which could take a while.

For a loving dose of cop drama

The latest trailer for United Front's spiritual True Crimes successor, Sleeping Dogs, takes us through the seedy underbelly of Hong Kong. Here, the Chinese mafia (better known as "Triads") rule with an iron fist and good ol' fashioned violence.

Detective Wei Shen must infiltrate their ranks as a part of his assignment, but he doesn't anticipate the lengths he must go to in order to earn the trust of his new comrades. Morals are set aside, and Shen finds himself maiming and killing his way through the underworld all in the name of the badge.

Sleeping Dogs 101 - YouTube

In addition to the trailer, you'll find a number of new screenshots below, mostly of car chases and folks being beaten senseless. Expect Sleeping Dogs to arrive August 14, for Xbox 360, PC, and PS3. Amusingly, the game hasn't received a rating yet, but we're fairly certain it'll be an "M."

Long financial struggle comes to a close for Amalur creators

Kingdoms of Amalur developers 38 Studios and Big Huge Games have laid off their entire staff, recent reports are saying. While the news has yet to be confirmed by anyone openly affiliated with either company, an affected but unnamed source has passed along the news, along with an email allegedly sent to all employees this afternoon.

The email to staff reads:

The Company is experiencing an economic downturn. To avoid further losses and possibility of retrenchment, the Company has decided that a companywide lay off is absolutely necessary.

These layoffs are non-voluntary and non-disciplinary.

This is your official notice of lay off, effective today, Thursday, May 24th, 2012.

This does come as a surprise to some, given 38 Studios' recent "Project Copernicus" MMO announcement, which brought some hope to Amalur fans concerned over the company's financial woes. The developer has been unable to pay its own employees, and still owed $112.6 million (with interest) to the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp.

The $75 million loan was originally offered by EDC to draw 38 from its hometown of Boston to resettle in Providence. All parties involved had assumed sales from Big Head Games' Kindoms of Amalur would generate sufficient revenue to repay the loan; while the game performed admirably for an original IP, it just didn't sell well enough.

Our heart goes out to the folks who lost their jobs today, and we hope they find new studios to call home before long. The industry is already extending invitations across Twitter.

Thanks goes to DNA2251 for the tip.

Amalur flyover trailer included

Three images from Project Copernicus leaked via a 38 Studios fansite today. The text written with them read, "38 isn't dead yet. Amalur is worth fighting for. Spread the fire." We have those three images, showcasing three playable races for the 2013 Amalur MMO, as well as a trailer released earlier this month during the height of the 38 Studios debacle.

The great thing? Project Copernicus' Amalur looks beautiful -- colorful, virbrant and wonderfully rendered. From the sheer scale of of these settings, down to the small details in the lighting and texture work, it would be a shame if we never got to see this game from a firsthand perspective. The 38 fansite names the races in these screenshots Almain, Dverga, and Jottun. I hope we'll get the opportunity to know them better.

It's no secret that 38 Studios is in a difficult situation. The MMO developer struggled with an annual interest payment to the state of Rhode Island earlier this month, is rumored to have missed payroll, and is currently looking to find private funding. Naturally, we wish the studio well, and hope they meet the challenges in front of them head on.

Expect the fire to spread, for development to carry on, and for Project Copernicus to release on schedule in June 2013.

Two maps, three guns, and playable vorcha, quarian and Cerberus characters

Mass Effect 3's second installment of multiplayer DLC is coming. Tuesday, May 29 will see the release of the Rebellion Pack, across all three major platforms -- Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Much akin to the previous multiplayer DLC, the new pack includes two new maps, three guns, and six new playable classes. Of course, this pack will also be free, beyond the time you'll have to invest unlocking all of the new content individually.

What in specific will be released? Here's all the details:

• Two maps: Firebase Jade, small buildings with a variety of strategic choke-points, surrounded by an open reservoir and waterfalls; Firebase Goddess, an asari stronghold with a circular layout, heavy cover and elevated firing positions.
• Three weapons: Cerberus Harrier Assault Rifle, with less damage traded for less recoil; Reegar Carbine Shotgun, an electrical weapon that sustains a current on its target; Krysae Sniper Rifle, with armor-piercing, explosive ammo and a range-finder that maintains proportion between the target and the shooter.
• Six new classes: Vorcha Soldier, with Bloodlust; Vorcha Sentinel, with Flamer; Male Quarian Engineer, with Arc Grenade; Male Quarian Infiltrator, with Tactical Scan; Ex-Cerberus Vanguard, with Lash; and Ex-Cerberus Adept, with Smash and Singularity.

Unfortunately, no trailer accompanies the pack's announcement this time around, but there are a few screenshots to peruse. The new Vanguard Lash ability looks exciting, just from a visual perspective.

Again, the Rebellion Pack will be landing on May 29, free to download for anyone with a Mass Effect 3 online pass. While both maps will then be available from the get-go, all weapons and classes will require you to unlock them via reinforcement packs. Good hunting, last hope for sentient organic life in the universe!

Seven characters, each searching for something different within the depths of... The Cave

Over the past few weeks, Ron Gilbert and Double Fine have been leaking puzzling images with a character apiece. 7 characters in total, made up of  the knight, the scientist, the twins, the time-traveler, the hillbilly, the adventurer and the monk. And it's these seven characters that will be the protagonists of Double Fine's new game The Cave. Introducing a side-scrolling adventure title, said be a mixture of Maniac Mansion and Metroidvania, scheduled for PC release in 2013.

The Cave will actually play out a lot like Trine. Players pick three out of the seven heroes and venture down into the cave. Switching from character to character is as easy as pressing a button, or playing with three gamers locally is also an option. Naturally, the cave is more than it seems -- in fact it's the only fully voiced character in the game and will narrate the entire adventure.

Much like any adventure title, items will be picked up, puzzles will be solved, and a deeper story will be uncovered (different for each character to boot). What's at the bottom of the cave? Time will tell, and it's sure to be a long wait until The Cave's release in 2013.

Publisher aims for new Devil May Cry and Lost Planet games every 2.5 years

Capcom has said the publisher wants to reduce the development cycles for its top franchises.

However, they won't take the Call of Duty strategy of annualising their popular IPs including Resident Evil and Devil May Cry. CEO Kenzo Tsujimoto told investors:

"We want to reduce the time needed to develop major titles from the usual three-to-four years to only 2.5 years. Speeding up development will probably raise the cost. But creating quality content will be vital to Capcom's ability to survive by overcoming intense global competition."

Tsujimoto went on to say that Spark Unlimited's Lost Planet 3 is on track to achieve its 2.5 year development cycle target. Resident Evil 6, meanwhile, is scheduled to meet its 3.5 years target following the release of its predecessor.

"For DMC Devil May Cry, development will require five years due to the time needed to select development companies because of our decision to switch to external development. But our goal is to reduce the cycle to 2.5 years for subsequent titles in this series."

Ninja Theory's DmC Devil May Cry releases during January 2013, while Resident Evil 6 is due for a worldwide October 2nd 2012 launch.

See for yourself in our footage

I recorded quite a bit of footage for my Torchlight II preview, but could only fit one video in, so naturally the honours went to the long clip on Veteran difficulty. It's not terribly challenging, as noted, so if you're curious to see how much the game changes on Elite, check the leftover footage below:

As you can see, potions run out quick, and sometimes you've got to run and hide like a bitch, lest the baddies get you. With an actual threat of death in most fights, it makes the game significantly more exciting, and somewhat tactical.

Coming your way in June

Europeans wondering when Metal Gear Solid HD Collection would hit Vita on their side of the pond can now rest easy. The compilation, which includes the MSX version of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2, plus Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3,  will be arriving June 29.

Remember this version supports save game transfers with the PS3 version, plus two forms of touch controls for all kinds of functionality, including cutscene zooming, corner peering, interrogation, weapon cycling, and of course, stabbing.

For Shogun 2 and/or Fall of the Samurai owners

If you have a copy of Total War: Shogun 2  and/or its expansion Fall of the Samurai and posess mad map editing skills, the Total War Battle Map Editor has just been released.

With this handy tool you can make and share Land, Naval, and Siege Battle maps with others and use them in Single player Custom Battle Mode or Multiplayer.

To get started, boot Steam and check the Tools menu.

Going along with the editor launch, there's also a game update which improves multiplayer functionality and squashes a load of bugs. Hit the source if you want full details.

Should be about buttery smooth now

Deus Ex: Human Revolution has been out a good 10 months now, and its last PC patch was released seven months ago. So it comes as a pleasant surprise to see the developers release a new PC patch which provides yet more performance improvements, plus a fix for the Tai Young Medical shuttle not arriving, minor updates to 3D Vision, and better SSAO.

The game was already running pretty darn smooth after a couple patches before, but now we'd surprised if it wasn't about perfect. Hit the source if you want the full notes, and boot Steam now to try it out for yourself.

Found a build that makes the Inferno difficulty tolerable? Nerfed

Blizzard hotfixed a huge number of outstanding issues for Diablo III this morning. Most significantly, Blizzard has, "Resolved over 30 game and service crashes affecting players." Hopefully these hotfixes will solve a majority of the problems players have been experiencing over the past week. Still, if there are over 30 bugs that they've found and resolved, how many still persist that are unresolved, or have yet to be discovered?

A number of nerfs were also hotfixed regarding some of the overpowered skills players were using to progress in the Inferno difficulty unfairly. The Demon Hunter, Monk and Wizard were each targeted:

• Demon Hunter's Smoke Screen now lasts 1 second instead of two, or 1.5 seconds with the Lingering Fog rune instead of 3 seconds.
• Two of the Monks skills were nerfed. The Fists of Thunder's Quickening rune was providing spirit regen from critical hits of different skills, such as Sweeping Wind, but won't from here on. Mantra of Healing will now only provide two times the base healing effect over 5 seconds, as opposed to four times. The Boon of Protection rune for Mantra of Healing now caps at 1000 life, and will be redesigned in a later patch.
• Arcane Torrent and Energy Armor were both nerfed in today's hotfixes. Arcane Torrent's Cascade rune will now only fire one extra missile per kill as opposed to three, with a maximum of 10. Energy Armor's Force Armor rune will now only absorb 100% of your character's life from a single hit.

Skills that allow players to be unreasonably tanky, or have strong sustain continue to be targeted by Blizzard. Kiting is how Blizzard wants combat to work in Diablo III, and skills that allow for the classic, "tank and spank," strategy won't be looked upon favorably by Blizzard.

Tooltips for the abilities that have been changes won't be corrected until a later patch. It's good to see Blizzard making quick efforts to maintain the integrity of their game, especially with inevitable release of the real-money store looming. Make the game fair for everyone, Blizzard! Make us grind loot for ages before Inferno difficulty is easy!

Their not-so-new online pass system

Ubisoft will be using this year's E3 as a chance to promote Uplay, their cross-platform rewards system. Their lineup will no doubt be crammed full of titles both hardcore and casual, from Assassin's Creed III to Rayman Legends, but it seems the publisher is also hoping to shine a spotlight on Uplay this year. During their press conference on Monday, June 4, questions from the community pertaining to this online feature will be presented by guest hosts.

Since its 2009 launch alongside Assassin's Creed II, the network has been integrated with 18 titles, with Assassin's Creed III joining the roster later this year. What it essentially does is allow players to earn points by completing specific in-game achievements -- referred to as "Actions." These points can then be spent on freebies through Uplay, including wallpapers, in-game outfits, and other such perks.

Last summer, Ubi announced plans to turn Uplay into an online pass system, dubbed "Uplay Passport." Starting with Driver: San Francisco, all games with online functionality would utilize the pass. Due to misprinted codes, however, this requirement was retracted for 360 versions of Driver.

We're all getting a little hyped here

It won't be long now until the main event finally kicks off, and Neoseeker as always will be sending our long-suffering away team to ground zero itself to bask in the radioactive afterglow of any megatons.  The question is, what is everyone expecting, and what do you all want to see?

Let's do a recap of the press conferences for the console giants themselves.

MICROSOFT

Monday, June 4th @ 9:30 AM PDT / 12:30 PM EDT / 5:30 PM GMT

Streaming via Xbox LIVE

Being all about the gamer meant being all about Kinect last year, so will Microsoft make its continued push toward its admittedly very successful motion control gaming a better sell this time around?  RabidChinaGirl will be on the scene to find out just how far Microsoft can take the Xbox 360 as a media center for family home entertainment.  Well, either that or she'll end up getting lost in Halo 4.  One thing we likely won't be seeing in the flesh unfortunately is some form of a next-generation Xbox.

SONY

Monday, June 4th @ 6:00 PM PDT / 9:00 PM EDT / June 5th 2:00 AM GMT

Official stream

With the PS Vita now at retail pretty much everywhere, Sony shifts its E3 focus to what's really important, the games.  The company is expected to showcase over 20 twenty titles during its press conference, divided across its current game platforms.  VeGiTAX2 will be on hand to help share just how many end up being those triple-A exclusives which Sony could really use.

NINTENDO

Tuesday, June 5th @ 9:00 AM PDT / 12:00 PM EDT / 5:00 PM GMT

Official stream

The main attraction here is definitely going to be the Wii-U, as gamers are still wondering where the fire is going to be (or when its even going to start) with the new technologies Nintendo will be implementing into its evolution of the Wii console.  Of course, there will still be a great need to focus on actual core titles, and not just the first-party exclusives.  Neoseeker's kik36 and VeGiTAX2 will be there live at the event to deliver their findings, and see if Nintendo can continue to put up a good show.

And those are just the guys who have to worry about the hardware.  Meanwhile, mega-publishers EA and Ubisoft are holding conferences of their own:

EA

Monday, June 4th @ 1:00 PM PDT / 4:00 PM EDT / 9:00 PM GMT

EA will be showcasing current and major upcoming titles including Medal of Honor: Warfighter, Battlefield 3, Crysis 3, Madden NFL 13, FIFA 13 and SimCity.  The publisher has also teased some unnannounced titles, and likely a few major industry news.  We'll be siccing both RabidChinaGirl and VeGiTAX2 on the case.

UBISOFT

Monday, June 4th @ 3:00 PM PDT / 6:00 PM EDT / 11:00 PM GMT

Ubisoft continues to be an early adopter of new Nintendo hardware, and is expected to showcase Wii U titles during its conference, as well as several other core multiplatform titles including Assassin's Creed III and Far Cry 3.  The publisher is also expected to field questions from gamers concerning its Uplay online gaming service.

Stay in touch with our E3 team by following their Twitter accounts!

Neoseeker

kik36

RabidChinaGirl

VeGiTAX2

bluexy

A little earlier than originally thought

Dead Island: Game of the Year Edition is officially a thing, publisher Deep Silver announced today, and it's been both priced and dated. The existence of this all-in-one package was first outed earlier in May by Britain's rating board, which also stuck to it a release date of June 30.

Can't speak for Europe, but the North American release of Dead Island: GOTY is actually a few days earlier than that, on June 24. The expected list price is a standard $30, and buyers can expect every add-on released to date; not that Dead Island has seen a whole lot of DLC.

More specifically, the GOTY edition will include the recent Ryder White campaign, which tells the story through its main antagonist's eyes. The game's challenge mode Bloodbath Arena and a special Ripper weapon mod will also be bundled in.

This is going to be released to PC as well as consoles, so don't let the exclusion of a PC box art fool you.

Say goodbye to awful performance

I loved World War II shooter Red Orchestra 2 as you may have gathered from my review, but it sure wasn't easy. While developer Tripwire has been making major updates to the game improving the situation since, for the most part it seems to have been too little too late, with the community all but dead.

Well, starting tomorrow this may change. Sometime between now and then a massive overhaul of the game is being released in the form of a GOTY Edition update, alongside a free weekend which starts tomorrow via Steam at 10am PST. So if you haven't picked up the game yet, tomorrow is the time to try it.

Among the highlights of the update: Action and Classic modes, a new map, map tweaks, majorly improved performance (finally), and a load more. Check the video below for more details, though I warn you the reading off cue cards thing is about as cringe-inducing as the game was at launch.

Brute class and eSports get some love

Brute class players in Tribes: Ascend should be pleased with the latest patch, in which the big guy gets three new weapons.

Meanwhile, support for featured streams and videos has been added, so whether you're really into eSports, looking to better your own game by watching others, or just want to see some cool sh*t, you can now do that from inside the game -- just hit the 'Watch Now' option on the main menu.

There's the usual variety of other tweaks and changes; hit the source if you want them all.

What you've always wanted

One of the more requested features for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is now available in the game's beta: 15v15 matches.

A newly launched update brings this, adds the ever-important chickens to Inferno, tinkers with a bunch of weapons, tweaks burst and tap fire, improves the UI, and betters footstep sounds, among other things.

Launch Steam now to grab the patch, and head here for the full notes if you like.

Remember that thing?

You may have forgotten about shooter XCOM. You know, it's the one that pissed off swarms of old fans for being first person and not exactly tactical, soon after which the more traditional XCOM: Enemy Unknown was announced to cheers everywhere, and put on the forefront by publisher 2K.

Anyway, XCOM has been delayed some more, to fiscal year 2014, so you should see it sometime between October 2013 and September 2014.

Part of the reason for the extended development time is because of reaction to the aforementioned feedback; last summer the development team said they were more or less starting over and making "aggressive design changes" to appeal more to longtime fans.

3.5m copies in one day

You probably figured Diablo III sales were huge, but not this huge: the game sold 3.5 million copies within 24 hours of launch, making it the fastest selling PC game of all time. Still think the platform is dying?

An additional 1.2 million played the game via the World of Warcraft Annual Pass promo, totaling nearly five million people. A week later, over six million are playing, excluding players in Korean "game rooms", where the game is a huge hit.

So, despite the always on requirement and the consistent bitching of many fans online, it appears barely a dent has been made in hard sales numbers.

Concept art teases new content

Star Wars: The Old Republic 1.3 is on the way, and today's video with game director James Ohlen explains why BioWare has nicknamed the patch "Allies."

In the upcoming (still undated) patch, players will finally be able to tweak the LFG feature with a number of filters, which should help in narrowing down the search for players. Character transfers are finally being added, so if your server is on the verge of death, you'll soon be able to get the heck out and switch to a more populated alternative. After all, being the only person on a whole planet kind of defeats the whole MMO aspect.

Vanity outfits will also undergo some changes so players can actually wear them into combat situations, whether we're talking PvE or PvP. Refer to the above image of Jedi dressed as Tusken Raiders.

The Legacy system will be expanded as well, and BioWare Austin plans to continue developing this feature throughout 2012. Whatever they come up with, here's hoping it's much better than the 1.2 update.

The end of the video sees new concept art that teases future content, but Ohlen doesn't say anything about that.

Coming Up: Update 1.3 - YouTube

Players will also have more freedom to control story outcome

With Black Ops 2, Activision and Treyarch have shifted the focus from the series' competitive multiplayer to shine the spotlight on other aspects of the game, including the new Zombies mode and player-influenced campaign.

That's not to say multiplayer isn't going to be a big part of the new Call of Duty. Rather, developer Treyarch is eager to show that Black Ops 2 has more than just multiplayer going for it.

The insanely popular Zombies mode sits at the forefront, having been expanded to support 4v4 battles. The competitive mode will pit teams of four against each other, but co-op fans will also have an 8-player cooperative mode to fall back on.

Black Ops 2's Zombies will also be using the multiplayer engine, where as previous renditions were built around a hacked single-player engine with some multiplayer features. This allows more gameplay options, a larger player count, and more zombies across bigger maps, though the undead will still act in familiar patterns.

On the single-player side of things, the new "Strike Force" missions give players a modicum of control over story progression, as shown during a press demo earlier this month. Set in Singapore, the gameplay sequence saw U.S. forces assaulting a docked freighter. Here players can go the conventional COD route by sending in a single unit to take care of everything, but you can also take alternate paths; provide overwatch for entire squads or send in aerial attack drones instead. Can't decide? That's fine, because you'll be able to switch between the different "modes" on the fly.

This essentially allows players to approach the campaign as they see fit, to focus on whatever play style they prefer. From a story standpoint, Strike Force missions won't drastically affect the main plot, yet they give players a chance to explore side stories and discover narrative twists. They're entirely optional as well, so if you'd rather stick with the barebones COD experience, just skip over the missions as they come up.

When asked about co-op, Treyarch noted they had no current plans for a cooperative campaign.

Expect Black Ops 2 to arrive November 13.

$30 and $60 Founder's Packages announced

MechWarrior Online is still going to be free-to-play, but publisher Infinite Game Publishing has revealed today two paid Founder's Package editions that might tempt players to fork over a cover fee.

Two versions have been announced as a part of the OPERATION INCEPTION program, including a $30 VETERAN Founder's Package and the pricier $60 ELITE Founder's Package. Both include a good chunk of in-game currency and other perks, including early access and temporary premium membership. Here's a more detailed rundown:

$60 ELITE Founder's Package Includes:

• Exclusive custom “Founder's BattleMech.” This Mech includes a lifetime, per-match C-Bill booster.
• $80 value of in-game currency for in-game item purchases.
• Two-month premium account to MechWarrior Online at launch: Earn XP & C-Bills faster.
• Founder's Tag - sets your status apart from the crowd & get noticed in-game and on the forums.
• Early access to the game along with Founder's assets availability starts July 17.

 

$30 VETERAN Founder's Package Includes:

• $40 value of in-game currency for in-game item purchases.
• One-month premium account to MechWarrior Online at launch: Earn XP & C-Bills faster.
• Founder's Tag - sets your status apart from the crowd & get noticed in-game and on the forums.
• Early access to the game along with Founder’s assets availability starts July 17.

A few conditions do apply. The in-game currency is obviously for virtual items only and won't be credited until early access begins on July 17. Additionally, the closed beta and OPERATION INCEPTION assets are only available to North American players.

Closed beta also kicks off this week, though you've still got time to register on the official site. MechWarrior Online will be released to all on July 19.

Fork over $15 if you want it for Chrome

Ubisoft has released its 2011 downloadable evolution sim From Dust as a Google Chrome game. The browser adaptation was originally planned for April but was quietly delayed until May.

Since its debut last year, From Dust has won its share of praise and endured plenty of drama. While the game was generally well-received on consoles, its PC counterpart initially included always-on DRM and suffered from a number of technical issues that made the game unplayable for many. Such is the fate of poorly executed ports.

If you're interested in the browser version, it's currently up on the Chrome store for $9.99, a special price that'll run for one week before it reverts to the full $14.99.

Another F2P title from SOE, emphasizes team play

In case you were running out of free-to-play options, Sony Online Entertainment will soon be publishing a new free online shooter, Bullet Run. Due for summer release, the upcoming team-based multiplayer FPS is being developed by German studio ACONY Games.

Bullet Run's premise reads similar to that of Uber Entertainment's Monday Night Combat series, only with less bacon. In the near future, a reality TV game show pits contestants -- literally called "Contestants" -- against one another in brutal team match-ups. Players will be able to customize their own Contestants to take into battle, and we're assuming this is where much of the game's microtransaction system is based.

So what happens when Contestants die in Bullet Run? They're brought right back to life using "Synth" technology, which produces a new body for the participants to fight in until a match is over. Guess that's as convenient an explanation as any.

Regarding the shooter's backstory, ACONY co-founder Frank Trigub comments:

"We believe the sexier, media-driven storyline sets it apart from other FPS games and will continue to attract new players who might be tired of the same military shooters."

"Sexier" isn't the first word that comes to my mind, but hey, it works. The official site does mention a possible beta, but no details on that have been announced yet.

Time to sign up

Heroes & Generals is a PC only title that combines the foundation of FPS gameplay with a second, optional layer of RTS gameplay. If that sounds like your bag, the closed beta for it has just begun.

For an idea of what you'd be getting into, check the video below, which shows off a more promising game than ever.

Naturally, developer Reto-Moto is encouraging feedback on all aspects of the game for the best possible result at launch. Hit the source to download the game, and to leave said feedback.

It's a good one

Medieval game Mount & Blade: Warband gets new maps named Desert Town and Canyon in today's patch, plus a few interesting enhancements.

Weapon choices for troop AI has been improved, and a bug with ranged troops not being able to target sometimes has been fixed; modders can benefit from new operations, fixes, and enhancements; town economy balance has been updated, and finally, connection issues should now be resolved.

Hit the source now to download it, or wait for Steam to get on it later today.

New cards, modes, and more

Last month we revealed Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013, the latest video game adaptation of the CCG, and noted new features like Planechase decks, new cards, and more. Today those are previewed in the trailer below:

As you can see, the UI is slightly improved all around, but there's nothing major going on here. Mind you, it wasn't exactly needed, given the excellent UI 2012 sported.

Those into the physical card game and/or the video games will be interested to know a brand new card is revealed: Xathrid Gorgon, a 3/6 Black creature for six mana with Deathtouch who can turn enemy creatures into defenders with no abilities for three mana. There's also "Chandra's Fury", but it's too difficult to make out the abilities of the card from the 720p footage.

Duels 2013 will launch sometime this summer or "soon" on PC, consoles, and iPad.

More than just guns

Guns aren't the only thing you'll be using in third person shooter Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, you know. Besides those, there's also a load of futuristic gadgets you can employ to progress or help secure the win, including drones, optical camo, sensor nades, and more. See them all in action in the newest trailer.

Tech trailer - YouTube

Future Soldier launches today, May 22, in North America, and May 25 in Europe. A PC version will be released in June.

Bit of a wait

We've known for some time tactical game XCOM: Enemy Unknown was launching toward the end of this year, but now we have specific dates for you: October 9 for North America, and October 12 everywhere else. And despite 2K investing heavily in the PC version of the game, it will release simultaneously on all platforms.

As is the trend these days, pre-ordering XCOM from currently unspecified retailers will net you the limited time Elite Soldier Pack, which provides a new recruit inspired by the first game in the series, XCOM: UFO Defense, plus tons of visual customization options for soldiers.

As isn't the trend these days, a special edition of the game will be available exclusively on PC at retail for $60 and will include an art book, poster of the in-game HQ, an insignia patch, and digital assets (wallpaper, soundtrack, and other goodies). Grabbing the digital version of the game will net you...well, just the game, sadly. It's unclear if this version will be $50 or not.

Contract with Activision entails four games, four expansions and side-project "Marathon"

Due to the ongoing court proceedings between the previous heads of Infinity Ward, Vince Zampella and Jason West, and Activision the contract pertaining to latters deal with Bungie has gone public. This is definitely not how Bungie would like rumors on their upcoming game to be leaked, but that's how it goes. The full document was published by the LA Times, after the court made it public.

Luckily the contract spells out its terms fairly simply -- four games, four downloadable expansions, one of each every other year alternating (i.e. game in 2013, expansion in 2014, game in 2015, expansion in 2016, etc). The first game, codenamed Destiny, will be released in 2013 exclusively for the Xbox 360. The game will then be ported to other platforms one year later, around when the game's "expansion" is released. Further games will be made for next generation consoles.

Destiny, confirmed to be a sci-fantasy shooter, is also rumored to have various MMO features. That might explain the single downloadable expansion, as opposed to multiple downloadable map and content packs like Halo or Call of Duty.

The document also details a side-project of Bungie's, which they can only initially dedicate 5% of their staff towards. The game is referred to as Marathon, a reference to Bungie's cult hit from 1994 for the Mac.

No word on Bungie at E3 yet, and they definitely aren't listed on E3's website as having a booth. Whether they show up during a Microsoft keynote or in Activision's booth tour... time will tell. Expect Destiny news by July 7 though, when Bungie has its annual Bungie Day and celebrates with the culmination of their "One of Seven" contest.

Meet the new Dante on January 15

Capcom has finally settled on a release date for DmC Devil May Cry, and like so many other major titles, this one's not going to be out until 2013.

If you're planning to pick up the game on Xbox 360 or PS3, mark your calendars for January 15. PC gamers will need to wait a while longer, though Capcom didn't get any more specific about the PC release date than "later in 2013."

DmC is being treated as an alternate story to the existing Devil May Cry series gamers have come to know and love. Hence, the grunge Dante. Developed by Ninja Theory, the series reboot is supposed to be a "more brutal and visceral" take on this long-standing action franchise.

After all, why not?

In an interview over on the PlayStation Blog, Borderlands 2 producer Matt Charles provided a ton of new information on his upcoming game. Most of the questions surrounded various problems that gamers had with the original Borderlands, and interestingly enough it seems Gearbox came to similar gamplay conclusions as Blizzard did with Diablo III.

For instance, in reference to how the health pack system will be upgraded in Borderlands 2:

"Pausing wasn’t really fun in combat. It was a tough decision, but we decided to remove carryable health packs and instead fill that need with new relics and shields that can help keep you out of that emergency state to begin with. The result is a more fluid combat experience since now you’re not worrying about when the best time to pause the game is and you still get that fun sense of preparing for a battle by choosing the right gear.

Health Packs will still appear and drop and they will now heal you up in the middle of battle."

Similar to Diablo III's change from health potion chugging to health globes that drop from killed enemies, Borderlands 2 will now have randomly dropped health packs. The mechanic adds a frantic nature to combat, where focusing down minions for a chance at that necessary health regen can be the difference between life and death.

Borderlands 2 will also be making significant upgrades to its inventory management system, though whether it goes as far as Diablo III's is yet to be seen. Diablo cleaned up inventory space by making all items take one or two squares, which makes collecting gear streamlined and uncomplicated.

There's also one more feature Borderlands 2 is picking up from Diablo or ARPGs in general:

"Money and ammo now automatically pick up if dropped from enemies as well!"

Gamers can also expect Borderlands 2 to step up their game in terms of combat encounters, as Charles promises fresh unique enemies, "in the triple digits." Gearbox is going out of their take concepts from their original, only bigger and better than ever.