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Razer Destructor
Review by: John Yan
It's Razer's latest gaming surface. Does it hold up to their previous efforts? READ FULL REVIEW...
Sam & Max 204: Chariots of the Dogs
Review by: Cyril Lachel
The second season of Sam and Max keeps on getting better and better, find out why inside READ FULL REVIEW...
X-Plane
Review by: Dave Gamble
Coke or Pepsi? Obama or Clinton? Fold or Crumple? Tough questions, those, and similar to the big question in Flight Sims: Microsoft Fli... READ FULL REVIEW...

Nearly one year later, Dungeon Runners still spews 'chunks'

by: Randy - posted: 5/16/2008 11:53 PM - Comments (0)
NCsoft's free-to-play Dungeon Runners is still running dungeons, and the newest update, "Chunk 3," brings even greater benefits to freeloaders and subscribing players.  "For the cost of a latte," says Producer and Lead Programmer Stephen Nichols, players can enjoy the very best Dungeon Runners has to offer, with 15% perma-boosts in experience points and gold drops.  Overall, all players will see Chunk 3's new skills, quests, and PvP tweaks, and "quality of life enhancements" (although the news brief doesn't necessarily mention whether these quality of life enhancements improve an individual's health, diet, or protection from pain and disease).  We've got half a dozen new screenshots up-chucking sights from the new chunk.
[READ MORE]

Mass Effect going manufacturing

by: John - posted: 5/16/2008 1:49 PM - Comments (0)
Mass Effect for the PC is being manufactured as we speak and it'll be ready for North America on May 28th and for Europe on June 6th. As previously noted, the checking of keys every 10 days or so has been removed so that's good. If you pick the game up for the PC, don't forget to sign up in the BioWare Community area for your free download of Bring Down the Sky add-on. [READ MORE]

Gaming Gibs for 5/16/98

by: Chuck - posted: 5/16/2008 9:34 AM - Comments (0)
Here are a few things I missed while reading the Foo Fighter's awesome tour rider:
  • Microsoft explains their policy on the word Gay in gamertags
  • Gory games cut crime?  Expect new lows of real world violence when Ninja Gaiden II hits
  • CBS buys C|Net (owner of Gamespot) for way more than it's worth
  • Is Call of Duty 4 a MMO?  I guess I missed the Morloc mission
  • Lucasarts gets pithy about the lack of multiplayer in Force Unleashed
  • Ars Technica takes Microsoft down a peg or two about the Xbox 360 numbers
  • New racing rig is totally awesome, Dave might have to sell the plane to get it though
  • Capcom wants to know which Street Fighter IV figure you want, no Stretch Armstrong Dhalsim available
  • Haze questions answered, I guess we find out next week if the game was worth the wait

Debut trailer for Dracula:Origin online

by: Chuck - posted: 5/16/2008 9:24 AM - Comments (0)
Here's the debut trailer for Dracula:Origin the upcoming adventure game that's supposed to suck (your blood).

Footy to make your foot hit the floor

by: Nathan - posted: 5/15/2008 1:57 AM - Comments (0)
Undeniably GRID is looking to be pretty if not pretty fun to play. Code Masters released this new trailer that showcases some of the tracks located in Japan and focuses on street courses and drift racing. You get a real feeling of bone crunch when you see the way collisions are done. Yet another racing game that I will play simply to destroy my collection of pretty cars. Muah ha ha ha.
[READ MORE]

OCZ promoting DIY notebook

by: John - posted: 5/14/2008 9:01 PM - Comments (0)
OCZ is touting to be the first to offer DIY notebooks. While notebooks have become more customizable in the recent years, I wonder what OCZ has planned to really make this a DIY solution. Having the ability to swap out CPU and video card would be great start and I am hoping OCZ's solution offers this. Just purchasing a notebook from Dell a few weeks ago, you're already given plenty of options to choose from so I guess we'll see what OCZ has in store to improve on this. [READ MORE]

XPS is not dead yet. In fact it feels fine and might go for a walk

by: John - posted: 5/14/2008 8:11 AM - Comments (0)
Looks like the WSJ was a little quick in determining the demise of the XPS line for Dell.  Dell's blog has stated that both lines will continue to co-exist and there are no plans to phase out that line. I know some people will be happy to hear this as they like the XPS line of systems with a more subtle design and lesser price over the Alienware counterparts.

Rabbit virus infects windows, multiplies rapidly

by: Nathan - posted: 5/14/2008 2:08 AM - Comments (6)
Sierra Online has let the bunnies run loose and soon they will be running right onto your Windows PC. Boogie Bunnies is a causal match three puzzle game that recently came out on Xbox Live Market place that "...revolutionizes the popular genre with... wacky critters full of personality." The game didn't get horrible reviews on the Xbox 360 so here's hoping mouse controls, improved graphic capability, and more memory space make this port onto PC a real winner. Cost is $19.99, rating is E and the game is out now. Oh and there is a FREE TRIAL . [READ MORE]

Chinese Fortune Cookie say...

by: Nathan - posted: 5/14/2008 1:48 AM - Comments (0)
Let your smile be your umbrella. But enough of fortune cookie wisdom let's talk about fortune boxes. K2 Network Games has added new content for their game Red Stone a fantasy based MMORPG. Fortune boxes are one of the new features and are more like lottery tickets than fortune cookies. Each box has at least one item and some have tickets of varying values (bronze, silver, gold) that can be exchanged for uber items. Who knows? Maybe you'll be running down the street singing "I've got a golden ticket, I've got a golden ticket..." [READ MORE]

News Roundup: Nuts & Bolts Gears of PixelJunk

by: Randy - posted: 5/14/2008 1:24 AM - Comments (0)
Demos
 Articles
 Videos
 Screenshots
 Thanks to Xbox America, Techgage, TheTechLounge, Cryptic Studios, Digit-Life, and Strategy Informer for today's news roundup.

[Pictured: Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals]

Exteel finally flexes some mech-sized biceps in new trailer

by: Randy - posted: 5/14/2008 12:04 AM - Comments (0)
Week after week of painfully weak screenshots hasn't helped NCsoft build momentum for their upcoming free-to-play mech assault MMO, Exteel.  But this video finally sets off some sparks.  No, it ain't gameplay, it's cinematic -- but it injects some much-needed life into the idea of massively-multiplayer robo-blasting action.

Requiem: Bloodymare opens a vein, and opens beta

by: Randy - posted: 5/14/2008 12:00 AM - Comments (0)
If there's one thing Requiem: Bloodymare does in a gratuitous fashion, it's make things awful bloody when it comes to dismembering monsters with a +5 Vorpal Sword of Cuisinart.  If you're itching to get in on that action, open beta sign-ups began yesterday, with gameplay commencing on May 15th (just five days before Age of Conan takes the MMO world by storm).  We've got seven new open beta screenshots to tempt your morbid palette.
[READ MORE]

Penny Arcade game to be released next week

by: Chuck - posted: 5/13/2008 12:56 PM - Comments (0)
At the big Microsoft event last week, Hothead games revealed that they will be releasing Penny Arcade Adventres: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One next Wednesday on both Xbox Live Arcade and the Greenhouse digital distribution system.  The game has you playing with 1920's era versions of Gabe and Tycho as they try to solve mysteries and stop evil.  The cost will be $20 or 1600 MS points which is a bit on the steep side if you ask me.

I checked the game out at PAX last year and I think fans of the strip are really going to enjoy the game as they've really captured the spirit of the series.  If you don't then you might want to hold onto your money for something a little more mainstream. [READ MORE]

LEGO Indiana Jones PC Demo available now

by: Chuck - posted: 5/13/2008 10:27 AM - Comments (0)
Traveller's Tales has released a demo of the PC version of LEGO Indiana Jones.  Since LucasArts's Indiana Jones game has been delayed this will be serving as your quasi-movie tie in game for the upcoming film.  I'm interested to see how this one plays as Traveler's Tales did such a good job with the LEGO Star Wars games.

New Alone in the Dark trailer starts to shed light on the game

by: Chuck - posted: 5/13/2008 10:23 AM - Comments (1)
Here's the new Alone in the Dark trailer that finally starts to provide something other than pretty shots of central park at night with stuff on fire. 

Gaming Gibs for 5/13/08

by: Chuck - posted: 5/13/2008 10:14 AM - Comments (0)
Sorry about missing yesterday's Gibs but real life intervened.  That said here are a few things I missed while rocking out to a song composed of nothing but gun sounds from Call of Duty 4:
  • Gamerscore whores will be happy to know that their gamerscores will probably carry over to the next-gen Xbox 360
  • Destrucoid comes up with three reasons to care about the well being of the ESA
  • Joystiq talks to GameTrailers about their GRiD Snafu
  • I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who doesn't really care about Doom 4
  • Is it time to wonder why Ubisoft de-featured the PC version of Assassin's Creed in the last patch?
  • RockStar big wig is cool with an EA takeover, maybe the only one in the Take Two empire
  • Getting old sucks, getting old and being a gamer...still sucks

Age of Conan scores with the beta testers

by: Chuck - posted: 5/13/2008 10:04 AM - Comments (0)
Funcom announced today that they have more than 1 million beta testers for Age of Conan.   While that number is fairly impressive it will be interesting to see how many of the beta testers stick around to play the final game when it's released next week.  Auto Assault had a ton of beta testers as well but when the final game when live (and people had to pay for the game) the servers were emptier than a K Fed/Vanilla Ice concert.  [READ MORE]

News Roundup: Uranus LostWinds, Mister Slime

by: Randy - posted: 5/13/2008 2:06 AM - Comments (0)
Articles
 Videos, Screens
Thanks to AtomicGamer, Strategy Informer, Legit Reviews, WarCry, and TheTechLounge for today's news roundup.

[Pictured: Gothic 4]
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PCs get 'GRID'locked with Games for Windows demo

by: Randy - posted: 5/12/2008 11:44 PM - Comments (0)
With GRID's demo pulling up to pole position on the PC -- as well as Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PlayStation Network last week -- the circle is now complete.  The demo takes you to the streets of San Fran in a Ford Mustang GT-R, the Yokohama Docks of Japan in a Nissan S15 Silvia, and the BMW 320si touring cars in Spain's Jarama circuit.  Then, find 12 racers and compete online at the European and U.S. locations.  If you like what you see, be ready for GRID's June 3rd release, with a Nintendo DS version to follow.

Fantasy Isle broadens Lineage II's artistic palette and possibilities

by: Randy - posted: 5/12/2008 11:18 PM - Comments (0)
Say you're an MMO and you've been (fairly) branded as one of the most hardcore PvP environments to ever roll invisible dice in cyberspace.  And say that you (as the aforementioned MMO) are ready to give your hard-fighting subscribers a place to relax their battle-weary eyes.  And you want the place to look like Charlie the Unicorn's Candy Mountain...  Well, Lineage II players need look no further than their own newly-added Fantasy Isle.  This saccharine-soaked landscape was first sculpted for a "Bunny Money" event held back in April, and has since added a four-times-daily Monster Parade, along with a new underground arena -- the latter stands in stony contrast to the above-ground happy-happy joy-joy visuals; plus the arena is the only place on the island that allows you to pick 7-on-7 fights with other Fantasy Isle visitors.  The Lineage II team sent us a developer diary describing the antics (both above and below) in greater detail, plus they shipped a dozen screenshots of the two locales.
[READ MORE]

BlizzCon announced

by: John - posted: 5/12/2008 10:39 PM - Comments (1)
Blizzard's got their details of their next 'con out now and it'll take place in the Anaheim Convention Center from October 10 - 11. At the convention you'll get some playing time with upcoming releases, talk with developers, compete in tournaments, and listen to the announcement of Diablo 3. Ok, I'm just kidding about the last part but wouldn't it be cool if BlizzCon had a surprise announcement of the game? One can only hope. [READ MORE]

Dell dropping XPS line?

by: John - posted: 5/12/2008 10:34 PM - Comments (0)
Since Dell took over Alienware, I have always thought Dell would someday drop their XPS line and just offer Alienware as their high end brand of PCs and laptops. Looks like that day might be coming soon as Engadget's got a post on the Wall Street Journal reporting Dell will be dropping  four models of the XPS line. The new Inspirons coming this fall look like XPS laptops so perhaps Dell's rebranding their XPS laptops to Inspirons and focusing on Alienware as the high-end laptop.

New Pro Cycling Manager - Tour de France 2008 images

by: Randy - posted: 5/11/2008 1:31 AM - Comments (0)
For whatever reason, the artist that penned the "Le Tour de France" logo in the lower right hand corner of the box art managed to make it look like "Le deTour France."  Which is neither here nor there, though this year's Pro Cycling Manager - Tour de France 2008 will certainly travel through the painstakingly recreated race.  (I'm also recalling Russel Crowe in A Good Year in which he'd always drive by the French cyclists, honking his horn, flipping them off, and yelling out "Laaance Aaaarmstrong!")  Again, neither here nor there.  We've got five new screenshots from developer Cyanide Studio.
[READ MORE]

Clock in more TimeShift with free Futures-Past Multiplayer Map Pack DLC

by: Randy - posted: 5/10/2008 2:50 PM - Comments (4)
The altogether average TimeShift released a free pack of multiplayer maps, available via Xbox LIVE as of May 7th.  The five new maps, entitled "Futures-Past Multiplayer Map Pack," sport One-on-One, Deathmatch, and Team Deathmatch modes, naturally, but TimeShift "reveals the future of multiplayer fragging" with its exclusive King of Time and Meltdown Madness modes.  More details back at the official TimShift site.

21 new screenshots from Lost Planet: Colonies Edition

by: Chuck - posted: 5/10/2008 9:53 AM - Comments (0)
Here are a double bushel full of screenshots from Lost Planet: Colonies Edition that show off the new Egg Hunt mode, the new environments, and some of the other new goodies that be released in the game.