The beta for Dead on Arrival 2 starts June 1st and if you want to get in then you should sign up quickly because it will get shut off very soon. The beta will include a first look at the Multiplayer action of the game. 

Details will be emailed to you once you sign up. 

You must have the following in order to get into the beta.

Must have:

• Android Device
• Minimum spec equal or better than Tegra 2
• Recommended Tegra 3 or higher

Android Version

• Minimum 3.0
• Recommended 4.0 or higher

Also recommended

• Have a stomach for wave after wave of bloodshed and mayhem!
• Aren't scared of the dark.
• Don't need aspirin for headaches.
• Have no problem shooting your zombie friend in the head if you had too.

If you got all that then sign up to get in! You can sign up here! 

Also check out the video below of Dead On Arrival 2 running on the Nvidia Shield

Finally, NVIDIA's Shield is an official product and today they've announced the pricing information and pre-order option. For $350, you can own this 5" IPS Tegra 4 hand held that can play Android games and stream Steam games when it comes out in June. Pre-ordering starts May 20th.

Seeing it at CES, I was really impressed by it and was hoping the pricing wouldn't be too bad. At $350, it's at the upper echelon of what I would pay for, but the package is pretty cool. 

Shield will be coming out with Android 4.2.1 and NVIDIA promises monthly updates. We'll see how that goes, but I would love it if they kept up with any OS improvements that Google releases. Apps that don't support landscape will be an issue. When I talked with NVIDIA at CES, I was told this would be unlocked out of the box so if that's the case, I can't wait to see what some hackers can do with it.

I know a lot of folks are going to be interested to see how Shield does. It's a brand new type of product for NVIDIA and it's going to compete with plenty of smartphone options out there. It'll be the first product, if I am not mistaken, to use Tegra 4 and I think it'll be a good example of how powerful the mobile chip can be from Team Green.

Wargaming TV's News Block has uploaded a new video to YouTube that features a whole lot of new information on World of Tanks' mobile little brother, World of Tanks Blitz.  It also features some new info on World of Warships and Gas Powered Games' relationship with Wargaming.

To learn more, follow the jump, then visit wargaming.com.
  [READ MORE]

On pain of Meatloaf's I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) - don't ask - I need to inform you of a new collectible card game/RTS hybrid being developed for PC, Mac, Linux, and tablets.  It's called Hell Invaders and it's being developed by Spicy Horse, and no, spicy horse is NOT what passes for the chicken tikka you buy from that Anglo-Indian food truck that also sells hash brownies and tax-free cigarettes.

Hell Invaders is set for release this Fall and you can expect more news, including the game's final title (because, apparently Hell Invaders is just the working title) and publisher in the coming months.  To learn more, follow the jump. [READ MORE]

"Be Prepared" is the Girl Scouts' motto. I wasn't using "ironic" or "scare" quotes in the headline.

Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles (GSGLA) and Women in Games International (WIGI) are combining forces to create a merit badge in video game design. 

They're placing the Video Game Design badge in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) category of badges. Amy Allison, vice president at WIGI, said in an official statement that she hopes the badge will "get young girls excited in technology and science and let them know that they, too, can have a career in the video game industry." 

Lise Luttgens, chief executive officer at GSGLA, followed WIGI's statement with "Girl Scouts has a long history of developing pioneers in the fields of science and technology, so we are excited about collaborating with Women in Games International to ignite girls' interests in STEM-related subjects."

A brilliantly selected 16-bit heart will be the badge's graphic, a tribute to Nintendo's timeless indicator of health and extra lives. I'd rock that badge and I'm a man!

Note that they're not interested in just getting girls to play games. The emphasis is on the "design" part of Video Game Design. There doesn't appear to be a guide for attaining this badge yet, but it wouldn't be unreasonable for them to mimick the Boy Scouts' requirement for their Game Design badge (though the Boy Scouts' version is not video game-specific.) I checked out that Boy Scout badge: it wouldn't be a bad idea to put video game reviewers and critics through that manual's requirements.

The goal is to get the GSGLA badge recognized and adopted by the overarching Girl Scouts of America, so as to not limit this opportunity to the 40,000 (!) girls in the GSGLA alone.

Perhaps by the time my three-year-old joins the Girl Scouts--should she express such an interest--they could be selling annual copies of Madden and Assassin's Creed next to Samoas and Thin Mints. Though who am I kidding? Unless EA and Ubisoft start coating game boxes with caramel and toasted coconut, I'm going with the cookies. [READ MORE]

A plethora of information came out today for Shadowrun Returns. The game, which I backed on Kickstarter, will finally be coming out as the release month has been set for June.

That's not all. Those that got physical gifts will get them after the game's released and in stages. This way it will keep some of the costs under control. Rest assured you'll be getting your items as soon as possible.

Steam will be the preferred method of delivery, but you'll also be able to get it via the Hairbrained Account website if you want a totally DRM-free game to play with. But those that want to play user created content or official DLC will need to use the Steam version as that's what's going to be used to deliver these updates.

I have to admit, I'm excited to finally have a I game I backed become a reality. I'm looking forward to seeing how Shadowrun Returns is as I do love that universe. It won't be too much longer now.

Hey, do you guys remember way back in, like, 2008 when suddenly, thanks to the likes of FX's biker drama Son's of Anarchy and the Lost and Damned GTV IV expansion, the outlaw biker lifestyle seemed to be the next big thing for fiction to delve into, and then, for about five seconds, there was this open world outlaw biker game called Ride to Hell that was a thing people were talking about?  I do. 

Unfortunately, that game disappeared shortly thereafter and I wondered if I'd dreamt the entire experience.

Well, apparently I didn't because Deep Silver has announced that Ride to Hell is alive and well and that open-world biker game still exists (in some form) as Ride to Hell: Retribution.  Actually, maybe it's not open-world because details like that are still a little thin on the ground despite the fact that Ride to Hell: Retribution is set for release this June for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Windows PC.  Ride to Hell: Retribution stars outlaw biker Jake Conway who is looking for revenge against awesomely-named rival club The Devil's Hand.  There will be both on foot and on bike combat and strip clubs, and the game is being developed by Eutechnyx.  That's all we really know at this point.  

But that's not the only Ride to Hell game on the horizon.  Next on the hit list is Ride to Hell: Route 666, developed by Black Forest Games.  In it, you'll conquer the legendary Route 66 using your own team of bikers.  The combat is face-paced and arcade-y and should be simple to figure out for anyone familiar with team sports - because team outlaw biker murder spree is a team sport now.  Ride to Hell: Route 666 will be available for download this June on Xbox Live, PSN, and Steam.

Finally, in the great pantheon of Ride to Hell titles, we've got Ride to Hell: Beatdown.  Ride to Hell: Beatdown is a "rock'n'roll brawler" for mobile platforms.  There's no release window and more details will be forthcoming in the future.

Sounds like the people at Deep Silver have been busy little bees in the years the "Ride to Hell" concept has been dark.  Hopefully, at least one of these games will kick the amount of ass we're being led to believe they will.

Until we know that for sure, you can check out the video and screenshots for Ride to Hell: Retribution.  Follow the jump for more details and don't forget to visit the official Ride to Hell webpage, then follow it on Twitter, and like it on Facebook.

[READ MORE]

Trolls vs. Vikings seems familiar.
 
“This looks like Plants vs. Zombies,” Thomas Sorensen, lead designer at Megapop games, said. “That’s the elephant in the room.”
 
Aesthetically, mechanically and tonally, the Norwegian developer’s upcoming tower defense title definitely nods toward the critically acclaimed Plants vs. Zombies of the same genre.
 
The developers at Megapop are well aware of this. It drives design throughout the creation process. Sorensen demonstrated how the current towers and level layouts work, how the defending Trolls –– commonly mistaken for malevolent beings –– fight off the infringing Viking invaders.
 
Parodied Norse mythology and quirky humor aside, Trolls vs. Vikings is taking itself seriously. And it seems to be working.
 
There’s a balance to the towers and offensive enemy units. Megapop is still early in the development process, but the title is refined, save a few hiccups here and there.
 
Sorensen slides his fingers across the patch of grass under contention. Patches of snow are scattered across the field, hinting at the seasons mechanic Megapop are using to vary gameplay conceits from level to level. Freezing winter climes might freeze towers, but crashing lightning in the fall is an immediate threat as well. Both require quick player taps to eradicate. Defense is designed with these variations in mind, lending environmental tactics to Trolls vs. Vikings as well as unit interaction.
 
“I think one of the things in the tower defense genre that they don’t do enough, is they don’t use the touch-based interface,” Sorensen said. “[We’re] going to have a lot more reaction-based gameplay.”
 
Trolls vs. Vikings has an unannounced release date, but Megapop is aiming to complete it before the end of 2013.

One thing that is very important to me in videogames is the story. I love playing games where the story can captivate me to continue playing, hooking me into the experience, forcing me to play for hours on end. This is why games like Mass Effect and Heavy Rain are some of my favorite games of all time. When I heard about Revolution 60 and how it would be a mix of games like Mass Effect and Heavy Rain, I had to check it out.

In the future an American orbital weapons platform has driven off course, causing a diplomatic incident. A team of female space operatives must steal a space shuttle and stop the weapon from firing. If you fail, you will cause an all out nuclear war. The game is a deliberate mixture of Heavy Rain and Mass Effect which means that players will be making difficult decisions throughout the game that will lead to either success or failure. Will you side with one character over another? Will you be able to save a characters life or will you have to sacrifice them? Is your loyalty to your friends or to the mission? These are just some of the choices you will face in Revolution 60.

The gameplay in Revolution 60 is broken down into four parts.

The Event System - Similar to games like Heavy Rain they are interactive scenes that are controlled by the player will the touch screen. Players gain proficiency points for these events and they will factor into which ending they get

The Dialogue System - As in games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age players will be able to choose what responses they want to give other players in the game. These choices will affect your morality how other characters feel about you and will heavily influence what ending you get. 

The Battle System - Players fight on a grid, controlling Holiday as she fights for attack position advantage. Throughout the battle you will fill up an energy bar which allows you to execute super attacks for maximum damage. Players will be able to choose whether or not they want a harder difficulty for more challenge or an easier setting for more casual gamers. 

Touch To Move - Players explore the environment using the tap-to-move system found in a lot of iOS Unreal titles. . Exploring certain parts of the environment will also grant you additional choices which could affect the ending you get. 

Revolution 60 also features amazing graphics designed to push the limits of an iOS game featuring characters with full facial animations, detailed science-fiction sets and stunning spaceship design

There are also plans for the players choices to be saved using the iCloud so that their choices can be carried into future episodes. 

No release date has been announced yet but the current plan is for Revolution 60 to be released sometime towards the end of the year and will support iPad 2 and higher, and iPhone 4S and higher. 

To find out more about the game be sure to check out the official website and their Facebook page.

Since I was a kid I have always been a fan of puzzles in videogames and puzzle games in general. The feeling of accomplishment when you finally figure out the solution to a puzzle that has frustrated you so many times before is an amazing feeling. This game was right up my alley. 

In Third Eye Crime you are master art thief Rothko who is able to slip into anywhere, steal anything and get out before anyone knows you were there. You play the game from a top down view and use the touch screen to draw a path to maneuver Rothko to prize and then the exit. Of course this is easier said than done as you will have tons of security guards coming your way to capture you. Rothko isn't at a total disadvantage as he also has the power to read minds. This come into play as certain parts of the play area will glow red allowing you to anticipate where security will be looking for you. Its a fun game of cat and mouse as you have to find a way to sneak around the guards in order to escape. You can also expect the difficulty to be turned up a notch after each level as more enemies and traps are added to the levels such as armed guards, security cameras, security alarms and more. As you would expect tripping any of the alarms of having an armed guard see you will almost mean certain death. 

The game also features a gorgeous noir art style, and awesome jazz soundtrack and an interesting storyline that unfolds as you progress through the game. 

The game can get challenging as you progress but its a fun challenge, keeping you on your toes each time you play a level figuring out what works and what doesn't. You get that great sense of satisfaction upon competing a level and it compels you to continue playing the game. 

Third Eye Crime hasn't been released yet but its scheduled to be released on iOS devices soon.

These are the types of puzzle games that I love to play and I am looking forward to playing the final version of the game when its released soon. 

If there is one thing I absolutely love about PAX East, it's making my way through the indie games booths and discovering all of the unique and fun games coming out from extremely talented individuals. I saw so many new and fun experiences that I thought it would be cool to highlight some of the best Indie titles I saw on the show floor.  

The first game in the PAX East 2013 Indie spotlight is a 2D side scrolling runner with cute 8 bit visuals and a nice chiptune soundtrack called The Golden Arrow. What sets this game apart from other 2D runners is that the game has a story which slowly unlocks as you progress through the game. You are a monster running for their life from the Princess destined to cleanse all monsters from her Kingdom. The story is very well crafted and I found myself playing the game over and over again to get scroll after scroll. Even when you do unlock the entire story there are still leaderboards to climb and achievements to collect. 

There are a total of 30 scrolls in the game and each one can be unlocked by running a set distance. So if the next scroll is 10,000m and you only run 4,000m in your next run, it will only take 6,000 more meters to unlock the next scroll. I found this to be the best part of the game. You aren't only running for high scores, you are running to unlock a story which kept me coming back for more. If you enjoy the 2D side scrolling running genre I cannot recommend The Golden Arrow enough.

The Golden Arrow is currently available for 99 cents on iOS. 

For more information be sure to check out Monster and Glitch's official website for The Golden Arrow.

[READ MORE]

Having seen Project Shield at CES, I was pretty intrigued by the device. It's a handheld that can run both Android games and stream PC games such as those from Steam. In this video, NVIDIA's demonstrating an Android game titled Riptide GP 2. It's using the Tegra 4 processor to show off some really cool effects with the water and it has full control support so you don't have to play with tilting or touch screen controls. The more I see it, the more I want it and it's going to be unlocked from the get go.