A sharp-eyed commenter on NeoGAF noticed an overlap between comments from Activision CEO Bobby Kotick that were widely quoted in the gaming press earlier this week and some custom classes set up by the Activision-owned developers at Infinity Ward at their Tuesday multiplayer event for Modern Warfare 2.

The Kotick comments, which were delivered at the Deutsche Bank Securities Technology Conference in San Francisco on Monday. (bold added for clarity)

Kotick, dicussing the state of the gaming industry: If you look at how much volatility there is in the economy, and depending on your view, about the macroeconomic picture... We have a real culture of thrift. ... The goal that I had in bringing a lot of the packaged goods folks that we brought into Activision 10 years ago was to take all the fun out making video games. I think we've definitely been able to instill in the culture the skepticism and pessimism and fear that you should have in an economy like we're in today. And so, generally while people talk about the recession, we are pretty good at keeping people focused on the deep depression. And I think that, as a result, you have people that are very mindful of their costs. They are mindful of the value they have to deliver.

The Infinity Ward riff on those comments is best explained with this picture posted by NeoGAF user Full Recovery, which shows the handiwork of the development studio's Robert Bowling, naming three custom classes of soldiers that were made for the event.

Credit for the discovery goes to NeoGAF commenter Full Recovery.

In honor of Mother's Day, we celebrate moms in gaming – from the bit parts to the big players. Some are examples of the best parenting you could imagine; and some are so evil, they're unfit to be called "Mom." Join us now as we separate the June Cleavers from the Joan Crawfords of video game mothers.

Mothers in… Role-Playing Games
Role-playing games have the highest number of moms of any video game genre. This is because RPGs have huge, sprawling plots with huge, sprawling towns and a huge, sprawling casts of characters who you may or may not encounter depending on how you play the game. In most RPGs, you see moms as non-playable characters in towns, in flashbacks depicting the hero's reason for revenge. Some RPGs even have them as playable characters or main villains. Sadly, RPGs are also the number one "mom dies" offender, as nearly every RPG features a plucky youth out to avenge a destroyed village that usually has within it a dead mother – or at least one that's been turned into a monster.

There are way more mothers in RPGs than we could count – especially if you're going through side quests, all PC RPGs, all Japanese RPGs that were never released in the US, Final Fantasy X-2 and every single optional flashback for every possible playable character. So we've populated this list with moms who 1) had the most impact on the game's main plot or that 2) appear in the game beyond a single expository cut scene. This leaves us mostly with moms who appear in Japanese RPGs; but be sure to apologize to your dead mother in Fallout 3 for us.

Mada, Dragon Quest V – Mother of the main character: Mada gets kidnapped and becomes the subject of his quest.

Matriarch Benezia, Mass Effect – Mother of Liara T'Soni: Benezia is enslaved and later killed by Shepard in battle, but she makes up with Liara right before dying.

Polka's Mom, Eternal Sonata — Mother of Polka: this country lady is very well adjusted to time loops and apparently never taught her daughter not to talk to strange 19th Century composers she might meet while wandering around at night.

Yohn, Suikoden Tactics — Mother of Kyril: Yohn is a mute demon trapped in the wrong world who sticks around to care for her son, even though he doesn't know who she is for pretty much the whole game.

Gina , Chrono Trigger — Mother of Chrono: In one of the game's endings, Gina accidentally goes into the time portal, thus restarting the whole plot from the beginning.

Jenova, Final Fantasy VII — Mother of Sephiroth (sorta): Jenova is... an alien? We're not even sure she's a she, but "she" spends a lot of time in a jar and looks creepy.

Angeal's Mother, Crisis Core — Mother of Angeal: This small-town lady is very nice to all of her son's friends from the army, even the ones that turn evil and cause her matricide.

Queen Brahne, Final Fantasy IX — Mother of the real Princess Garnet and foster mother to her lookalike of the same name: Brahne gets fat, turns evil, tries to kill her adoptive daughter and later repents and dies in Garnet's arms.

Sarah Sisulart, Lost Odyssey – Mother of Liram: Sarah goes a little crazy and turns herself into an old woman when she thinks her daughter's been killed, but turns back into a hot nerdy chick when she finds out she has grandkids.

Seth Balmore, Lost Odyssey – Mother of Sed: Seth is immortal, but her son isn't, which is sort of weird for both of them. But they're both pirates, so there's some common ground at least.

Best Mom: Yohn… because she's selfless as only a mother can be.

Worst Mom: Jenova… because she's emotionally unavailable. And responsible for Sephiroth.

Mothers in… Fighting Games
Fighting games have a fair few mothers among their playable characters. The plot structure (or lack thereof) leaves room for all kinds of people to enter whatever world championship fighting tournament of the week is going on for various reasons that don't necessarily make any sense. So if you can have a panda, a geisha, a cyborg and whatever the hell Voldo is supposed to be enter a tournament for personal gain, a mother doesn't seem like such a weird contender. Here's a list of a few prominent mommies:

Sophitia, Soulcalibur series – Mother of Patroklos and Pyrrha: Sophitia is an Athenian who fights on behalf of the Greek God, Hephaestus, to regain Soul Edge. The sword entwines itself with her daughter's spirit, forcing Sophitia to spend eternity defending Soul Edge from anyone who tries to claim it. She's protecting her daughter.

Michelle Chang, Tekken series – Mother of Julia: Michelle fights in one of the Iron Fist tournaments to rescue her kidnapped mother and then adopts an abandoned baby named Julia. Then Julia goes on to fight in an Iron Fist tournament to save Michelle when Michelle gets kidnapped. Circle of life.

Dural, Virtua Fighter – Mother of Kage: Dural probably started out as a good mom when she was human, but then she got kidnapped and turned into an evil cyborg. That knocks her out of the Mom of the Year running.

Jun Kazama, Tekken series – Mother of Jin Kazama: Jun is the Chosen One, a wildlife activist, and a single mom. Over the course of four games, she somehow found time to save pandas, birth a son, thrash a bunch of her extended family and possibly fake her own death or perhaps dies for real when her house burned down.

Nina Williams, Tekken series – Mother of Steve Fox via in-vitro fertilization: Nina is a world class assassin who gives birth to a son while in cryogenic sleep. Though it appears she couldn't care less that she has offspring, she does neglect to assassinate him. That counts as maternal instinct, right?

Maria, Dead or Alive series – Mother of Helena: Maria is a world class opera singer who had an affair with the head of a sinister corporation. She later took a bullet for her bastard daughter onstage in the middle of an aria… what a way to go.

Crimson Viper, Street Fighter IV – Mother of Lauren: C. Viper is a working mother in the spy profession. Her life's goal is destroying the weapons produced by a sinister corporation, but somehow she made room in her busy schedule to have a daughter.

Justice, Guilty Gear – Mother of Dizzy: No one's really sure how it happened – least of all Dizzy, who was found abandoned at age 3.

Best Mom: Maria… because nothing says "Mommy loves you" like taking a sniper's bullet to the heart.

Worst Mom: Crimson Viper… because she's a workaholic. Did she even call her kid after fights? No!**

Mothers in… Action/Adventure and Survival Horror Games
Here's where the role of the mother in video games become complicated. Because these types of games usually have a more focused plot than fighting or role playing games, adding a mother usually means casting her in a narrow role that doesn't include speaking parts. Occasionally, these moms even wind up as antagonists by default. However small their part, though, these mothers sometimes make an appearance worth mentioning. Here are a few notable examples:

The Queen, Ico – Mother of Yorda: She basically had a daughter so she could sacrifice the kid and live a bit longer. I guess some species do eat their own young, but jeez…

Annette Birkin, Resident Evil 2 – Mother of Sherry Birkin: Depending on how you play the game, Annette either hid the G-Virus in her daughter's locket or cures her daughter of the T-Virus. Either way, she did abandon her kid during a zombie apocalypse. Poor form, Mom.

Amelia Croft, Tomb Raider series – Mother of Lara Croft: Like her daughter, Mrs. Croft has issues with touching ancient artifacts she probably shouldn't. Luckily, Lara learns from her mommy's mistakes and everybody's happy… until Lara has to shoot zombie Amelia when they meet up in Underworld.

Mrs. Sanderson, Chibi Robo – Mother of Jenny: Mrs. Sanderson has real marital problems that cause her to lock herself in a bathroom and threaten divorce, leaving all the housework to Jenny and her toy robot.

Ex-Mrs. Hopkins, Bully – Mother of Jimmy Hopkins: This woman lacks both fashion sense and parental priorities. She ditches her kid at a boarding school to run off on a honeymoon with a new husband and then sends Jimmy a fugly sweater at Christmas.

Maggie Monday, Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse – Mother of Andrew Monday: Like Jimmy Hopkins' mom, Maggie could use some priority adjustment. She lets her son's city get sacked by zombies and then becomes a zombie herself so she can marry Stubbs. This basically leaves Andrew with a wrecked city and a zombie for a stepfather. Thanks, Mom!

Ma Cipriani, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories – Mother of Toni: Toni never called his Ma while he was in hiding. Given that she dates guys who are into paraphilic infantilism, I can see why. Ma puts a hit out on her son and then calls it off in a fit of maternal pride when Tony finally becomes a made man.

Best Mom: Amelia Croft… because not even good moms get it right all of the time and how was she supposed to know that sword would teleport her, her husband would die and her daughter would be left an orphan?

Worst Mom: The Queen… because what she did to Yorda is way worse than what Joan Crawford did to her daughter. You think being hit with wire hangers is bad? Try being turned to stone.

Mothers in… Shooters
Here's where you barely see any moms at all. The shooter genre is reserved for masculine things like guns and aliens and spies and other stuff that doesn't leave much room for maternal influences. You'll find a lot of dads in shooters, though – but Father's Day isn't for another month, so sit tight.

*SPOILER WARNING: BioShock, F.E.A.R. 2, Metal Gear Solid 4*

Jasmine Jolene, BioShock – Mother of Jack: Jasmine was Andrew Ryan's mistress and a "dancer" which is 60s code for "prostitute." Even if she didn't accept money for sexual favors, she was certainly in a hurry to accept money for her freshly-conceived embryo. That's worse than the fairy tales where parents trade firstborn sons for magical enchantments.

Dr. Bridgette Tenenbaum, BioShock and BioShock 2 – Mother of all the Little Sisters and the Big Sister: Tenenbaum didn't give birth to any of the poor darlings, but her research created them. She eventually stepped in to foster them and shower them with toys and secondhand cigarette smoke to make up for the brainwashing.

Eva, Metal Gear Solid 4 – Mother of Liquid and Solid Snake (kinda): Eva would have gladly had Naked Snake's babies the ol' fashioned way, but the Patriots had other plans. She eventually serves as surrogate mother to the clone babies Liquid and Solid and starts calling herself Big Mamma to compensate for having nothing to do with mothering them.

The Boss, Metal Gear Solid 3 – Mother of Revolver Ocelot and the US Special Forces (which one do you think she's more proud of?): The Boss probably had no business leading the Battle of Normandy while nine months pregnant. But despite being a bad mom to Ocelot, The Boss wins major motherhood recognition as a Mother Goddess figure to at least half the cast of the Metal Gear Solid series.

Alma Wade, F.E.A.R. and F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin – Mother of Paxton Fettel, Point Man and countless telepathic clone soldiers: Alma became a mother at the tender age of 15 against her will. It's hard to tell if she harbors any feeling for her offspring conceived in captivity – bloodlust sort of obscures any tender intent. However, in Project Origin, Alma's grown up a bit and appears to have invested in being mother to the protagonist's baby, which she deliberately conceives.

Best Mom: The Boss… because out of this sorry lot, she's easily the best role model.

Worst Mom: Jasmine… because she sold her only son to his father's enemy before the son was even born. That's like the opposite of mother-like behavior.

(Dis)Honorable Mentions
Sora's Mom, Kingdom Hearts — She has one line and the whole first part of the game is about her son trying to build a raft to run away from home. Clearly the parenting thing isn't working out.
Mother Brain, Metroid — "She," if that's what that thing in the jar can be called, is an alien with no maternal feelings whatsoever.
You, Fable II, The Sims games and Harvest Moon games — Even if you play as an upstanding paragon of parental vigilance, you're going to be guilty of neglect at least half of the time in these games.

At this point, you're probably wondering why Cooking Mama isn't anywhere on this list. Apart from the lack of a convenient genre into which to cram the game, there's no evidence that Cooking Mama is even a mother. Do you see her kids at any point in the game? For all the player knows, she's just calling herself "Mama" so she doesn't have to call herself a chef, the poor self-hating hash slinger.

That's all we've got for the best and worst mothers in video games. Think we missed somebody important? Drop a line in the comments. And don't forget to call your mom on Mother's Day!

**CORRECTION: C. Viper occasionally does call her daughter after fights. But the workaholic ruling still stands.

F.E.A.R. 2 ignores the two TimeGate expansions, instead picking up more or less exactly where F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon left off, with the creepy psychic entity known as Alma understandably angry after a gigantic explosion failed to destroy her at the end of the first game. Players take control of one Michael Becket, a Delta Force military operative that Alma takes a rather special sort of interest in.

The original F.E.A.R. was lauded for blending together elements of psychological horror with first-person shooter gameplay, creating a game with a pleasantly different vibe than most other shooters on the market. Does the second game maintain the delicate balance?

Loved
Exploring The Story: A bit more straightforward than the original game, F.E.A.R. 2 can be as shallow or as deep as you want it to be. Players can run and gun their way through the title on their way towards a relatively confusing ending, or they can take their time, collecting data strewn throughout the levels in the form of email logs, office communications, or even letters to a school principle in order to understand what's truly going on. The ending was a bit abrupt, but definitely something you'll want to experience late at night with the lights out and the sound up.

Fear Itself: F.E.A.R. 2 is almost two games in one. On one hand, you have a relatively vanilla first-person shooter. On the other, a psychological horror adventure rife with terrifying images and twisted creatures, rattling about in the darkness. Staying true to its name, the game excels at creating a frightening atmosphere, weaving sound and imagery together with such expertise that by the end of the game you'll start seeing things out of the corner of your eye that aren't really there.

A World Gone Mad: While F.E.A.R. 2 certainly has more than its fair share of darkened corridors, several of the game's environments truly stand out amongst the title's peers, particularly the section set in the ruins of an elementary school, where bright, colorful pictures and children's furniture provides a macabre counterbalance to the horrific visions plaguing the main character throughout the story.

Supporting Cast: Unlike many hybrid horror titles on the market, Monolith has actually managed to instill a great deal of personality to the characters in F.E.A.R. 2, giving them a kind of life that you're actually a little sad to see slip away during the game's more tragic moments. Despite the odd cliché that seems to work its way into any game containing a military squad, the dialog can actually be quite brilliant, thanks to some clever writing and equally clever voice over work. One particular line involving pizza and anime conventions will stay with me for the rest of my days.

Hated
Going By The Book: F.E.A.R. 2 is a capable first-person shooter, but only just that. It delivers a standard shooter experience, with all of the features we've come to expect from the genre. At one point in the history of the genre hopping into a turret or shooting enemies on a moving platform was innovative, but not anymore. It's not bad, it just doesn't distinguish itself from other shooters, outside of the odd trip around town in a giant robot or the slowing down of time - and even that last one has been used again and again. Multiplayer suffers the same way, playing well enough but only offering the bare minimum in a market filled with outstanding multiplayer experiences.

Button Mashing Boss Encounters: After spending a long series of battles being goaded, insulted, and attacked by an enemy, I'd like to spend a little bit of time killing him. What should be major battles in the game are reduced to button-mashing affairs. One "boss fight" in particular simply consisted of me hitting the B button one time. One time. I wanted blood, dammit, not a mildly sore thumb.

Giant Mech Battles: Wait, shouldn't this be a loved? While I do enjoy any chance I get to hop inside the cockpit of an enormous robot, the experience feels completely out of place in F.E.A.R. 2. In a game that places a high value on trying to instill a sense of dramatic tension, suddenly finding yourself inside a mechanized killing machine tends to take the edge off. The mech combat is definitely enjoyable, if a bit simple, but it just doesn't seem right here. Save it for SHOGO II.

While F.E.A.R. 2 excels in several areas, taken as a whole the game falls slightly flat. The game has two faces - horror and shooter - and when the two meet the game truly shines. Unfortunately the instances where humanoid enemies and monstrous ones share the same screen are few and far between, leaving you basically playing either one game or the other.

Perhaps if the two sides of F.E.A.R. 2: Project origin were better balanced the experience as whole would be much more satisfying, but as it stands, Monolith has delivered an excellent psychological horror story tucked inside a first-person shooter that merely gets the job done.

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin was developed by Monolith Productions and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. It was released on February 11th, for $60 console, $50 PC. Played Xbox 360 version to completion on normal difficulty, and participated in several multiplayer matches via Xbox Live.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ

Thankfully, amid the sloughing off of Sierra brands at Activision Blizzard, Project Origin has secured its originally intended title and will be known from this day forward as F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. The official site writes that developer Monolith Productions and publisher WB Games have purchase the rights to the F.E.A.R. name, most assuredly helping its chances at retail. (We still liked "Dead Echo" better!)

Project Origin Renamed - F.E.A.R.2: Project Origin [Project Origin]

Other tweaks the Monolith team have employed include giving the medkit system the boot and now using a regenerize system instead. Another pic change is that players can now carry four weapons instead of just three. The devs said that in F.E.A.R. most players got three weapons they liked and were hesitant to try out new ones — hopefully, this fourth gun slot will open up more experimentation. With the game running on the Monolith developed Jupiter Engine, the team has put in nice touches like a better depth of field and scope. The A.I. is much better as well, making the single player hands-on much more satisfying.

Another neat aspect was that enemies take cover behind cars. But they don't just take cover behind cars, they open car doors and use them for cover. Players can do this likewise as well as flip over cars and whatnot. There are also mechanical body suits (mechas) that players can get in and shoot stuff up with. Mechas aside, the game might benefit from including the slo-mo as it still does feel somewhat nondescript — though solid. The E3 build featured a city in rubble, and it was great to roam around, because Project Origin gives the player more freedom than F.E.A.R..

The game's release date will be announced "sometime after E3, but not the day after E3." Well, that's good to know. The day after E3 has already passed.

Sure, it may not have the sex appeal of Dead Echo, but at least it's better than the rejected Blood Let: Drenched in Desecration, isn't it? Project Origin is planned to hit the PC, Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 at a mysterious future date. Try to remember the name when it comes out.

Sorry continent of Asia and country of Mexico, but you guys and gals are barred from this free multiplayer fun.

Name: FEAR Nightmare Pack Price: 500 Points Availability: Not available in Asia or Mexico Dash Details: Can't get enough F.E.A.R.? Then grab this map-pack loaded with 4 brand new multiplayer maps. For Conquer All and CTF fans, Heliport gives you close quarters combat with an enemy waiting in every corner while Spill Kill offers cramped sewers and open spill ways for non-stop action. Deathmatch or Control fans, prepare to fight it out in a large abandoned mental institution, in Asylum, and feast on hot-lead in Cafeteria.

FEAR Nightmare Pack [Major Nelson]

Vivendi describes them as such:

In Control there are 3 control points on a map. Your team gains points based on the amount of time a control point is in their possession—the more control points your team has the faster your team gains points. The team with the most points at the end of the round wins.

In Conquer All there are 5 control points on the map. If either team can hold all 5 points at one time they win. If no team can control all 5 points simultaneously then the winning team is decided by points. Teams get 10 points for each control point taken, 10 points for each enemy point neutralized and 1 point for each kill.

There are other updates included with the 120 MB download, including making F.E.A.R. "compatible with new maps that will be made available for purchase throughout the summer." Taste the compatibility! Michael McWhertor

F.E.A.R.: Control and Conquer All Map Pack (Free) - Updated [Major Nelson]

How does the port stack against the two earlier renditions? Hit the jump for our Frankenreview—ike a real review, but everything is made up magically better somehow.

Bit-tech
...the textures seem to have either taken a drop in resolution or are suffering from some weird blur effect, because up-close they're a total mess. While even the Xbox 360 version looked sharp and clear, the PS3 version is F.E.A.R. through a pair of dirty spectacles...If you wanted a game to show off your PS3 and make your 360 and PC owning mates grind their teeth in envy, then F.E.A.R. will only turn you into a laughing stock.


Thunderbolt Games
The core gameplay is largely unaffected, and even with the shoddy framerate and mud-vision there is fun to be had blasting your way through the campaign mode. Controls are surprisingly tight on the SixAxis pad and all of the crucial elements from the PC version are translated well, which bodes well for the future state of shooters on the PS3 if nothing else.


Gamespy
... there's a clear delay between the press of the trigger button and the accompanying gunfire. It doesn't matter if the Sixaxis is running wireless or connected by a cable; if you squeeze that trigger, bullets will start firing late and finish firing late.... And that's enough to not just irritate, but to cause cheap deaths...as the game stands, shipped, there are simply too many bugs and issues to recommend it.

CVG
The online multi-player has survived intact, with Deathmatch and Capture The Flag modes. Online, the slow-motion is triggered by a power-up - when activated the entire game slows to a crawl. And there's also an instant action minigame - dropping you in a level with an infinite number of cloned bad-guys, seeing how long you can last.

IGN
The sound in F.E.A.R. is stellar...your character's heartbeat during a ghostly vision, the roar of a fierce machine gun fight followed by the clinking of the final shells hitting the pavement or the electronic whiz of a particle beam missing your head, the sound sucks you into F.E.A.R. You can even hear the desperation in the opposing troopers' voices as they lament about not being able to kill you and order one another to go investigate a grenade blast — "No f***ing way,"...
It's bad news when Sony gets ports years late and they are worse than their PC and 360 counterparts...consistently. Mark Wilson

Oh wait, it was completely founded. He had swords. Thank god we stopped him before he went medieval.

I can understand folks being a bit jumpy in the wake of the Virginia Tech incident, but whatever happened to just...I dunno, talking to the guy? Asking him what his intentions were. Seeing if maybe he'd take it down? There are better ways to safeguard ourselves then having police ransack a teenagers bedroom. What a complete nightmare.

Now the Chinese community of Fort Bend is rallying support for the unjustly punished young man, trying to get him reinstated in class, or at the very least trying to get the school board to admit they might have gone too far. As one community member says, "We should teach our children not to judge others harshly." What exactly are we teaching or children these days?

Twenty-two years ago a teacher caught me drawing him with an arrow through his head and made me stand next to his desk holding the picture for a half hour while my fellow students made faces at me. How far we've come. Michael Fahey

Computer Game Violence Level, Confiscated Swords Led To Student's Removal
Chinese Community Rallies Behind Student Removed From Clements [Fort Bend Now via Joystiq]

• Pokemon Diamond (DS) Pokemon, Pokemon! Now in Diamond edition!
• Pokemon Pearl (DS)
  Pokemon, Pokemon! Now in Pearl edition!
• The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (PC)
  You can be a hobbit, or just look like one!
• F.E.A.R. (PS3)
  F.E.A.R. gets scary on the PS3
• Eureka Seven Vol. 2: The New Vision (PS2)
  Get your mech on...again!
• Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos (PSP)
  A new RPG with jobs, customizable armies and three different storylines.
• Rayman Raving Rabbids Those wasscaly wabbids conquer the 360(X360)

Now it's time to announce the *second* F.E.A.R. contest winner. EnigmaNemesis who bags a copy of F.E.A.R. for the PS3 with this reader fav:

Fanboys everywhere are retards.

So Enigma, come on down and send us an email to kotakucontest@gmail.com with your address. Everyone else just know that come Monday I won't be in this happy-go-lucky mood, willing to giving out extra stuff. Oh no. And the next contest? ONE PRIZE ONLY. It's going to be I-hate-Bashcraft-and-cone-hats hard. Can't wait! Brian Ashcraft

What Is F.E.A.R.? [Official Site]

Man, this contest almost was too close to call. And with me being on vacation, I'm feeling generous — Nice, if you will. And instead of picking one winner, we're picking two. And better yet, giving each respective winner his or her own copy of F.E.A.R. and his or her own post to gloat for winning the PS3 version, which has online support up to 16 players and has been outfitted with a new level and weapon. The lucky winner? Jermaine P., who came up with this dozy:

Free eggroll after rebate.

So, Jermaine P. send us an email with your address at kotakucontest@gmail.com so we can get you your prize. And the other winner? We will announce that in a bit. You know, to torture. Brian Ashcraft

What Is F.E.A.R.? [Official Site]

Since mini-Bash can't read and some of you can, we are letting Kotakuland decide who is going to bag the free copy of F.E.A.R. for the PS3. For late-comers, here's an explanation about the contest. Below, there are 12 finalists. We tried to narrow them down to entries that didn't include the words "Anus," "Rectum" or "Fahey" (sorry Fahey) and that stood out in our very subjective eyes. There were loads of good entries, but here are the ones we liked best:

• Free eggroll after rebate.
• Franklin, Eleanor - always Roosevelts.
• Florida elections are rigged.
• Funny emails are rare.
• Fifteen enemas are reasonable.
• Frag everyone and revel.
• Fanboys everywhere are retards.
• Fondling elephants ain't right.
• Finnish eavesdropper attain recipes.
• Found eaten and rotten.
• Freedom ends anarchy reigns.
• Few eloquent artists remain.

In the comments section, write down ONE of these that you think should win. Voting ends in exactly 24 hours. Life, as they say, goes on. Brian Ashcraft

We're down to the wire. Tonight at midnight EST, the gates to our totally simple, even our readers can do it contest is closed. What's at stake? A copy of F.E.A.R. for the PLAYSTATION 3. Online supports up to 16 players, and the PS3 version has been outfitted with a new level and weapon. ince the game's title is an acronym for "First Encounter Assault Recon," what we want cha to do is create a sentence using "F," "E," "A," and "R." For example:

Find elephants and run.

But, you can't use that one. Or any Ian Brown lyrics! Put "FEAR Contest" in the subject line and be sure to read our groovy Contest Rules. Send your entries to kotakucontest@gmail.com. Oh! We'll announce how we are going to pick the winner tomorrow. Goodie, goodie. Brian Ashcraft

What Is Fear [F.E.A.R. Official Site]

That last contest? That was hard, and it pissed off readers who couldn't count. This next one, it's a slice of cake. What's at stake? A copy of F.E.A.R. for the PLAYSTATION 3. Online supports up to 16 players, and the PS3 version has been outfitted with a new level and weapon. This is a short contest, and I like I said, an easy one. Since the game's title is an acronym for "First Encounter Assault Recon," what we want cha to do is create a sentence using "F," "E," "A," and "R." For example:

Find elephants and run.

But, you can't use that one. It's mine! Send your sentences to kotakucontest@gmail.com by next Monday, April 16th, at midnight. Put "FEAR Contest" in the subject line and be sure to read our groovy Contest Rules. The mean bastards that write for Kotaku will vote and subjectively select the most interesting one. People who steal lyrics from Ian Brown's song "F.E.A.R." will get respect points and immediate disqualification. Good luck! Brian Ashcraft

What Is Fear [Official Site]

However, before he rolled film, he extended one caveat to the press. "I need to kind of couch this first. This is to show you the technology, not to show you the game. So please don't be thinking about the game too much, I just want you to be looking at the imagery and how we've constructed some of the scenes and how complex some of the scenes are."

What played was a dark, quietly operatic look at the destructable environments of Killzone, the rag-doll physics of dying Hellghast soldiers, the lighting and environmental effects that the Guerilla crew have been slaving away on since the game's genesis. Windows shattered and troops fell as gunfire ripped through indoor environments. Outdoors a tank battle and multiple firefights showed the game will feature plenty of action.

So how did it look? I tried hard to heed Harrison's warning about the clip, but I couldn't help but focus on the game itself.

Visually it was certainly less impressive than the infamous E3 2005 pre-rendered target trailer, that's for sure. Animation quality varied, looking awkward at times. Moments smacked uncomfortably of Vivendi's F.E.A.R. and will probably cause a bit of fanboy ruckus when it's finally shown to the public this July at E3. There's obviously a long way to go, but, in my opinion, Sony was very wise to have kept the game under wraps and not tarnish today's Home and LittleBigPlanet announcements. Michael McWhertor

GamesIndustry.biz took a look at the FUD employed by Microsoft and borne of media reports surrounding the PlayStation 3 launch, reports that hurt the credibility and established FUD about Sony's ability to deliver. If you want to see some FUD tactics in action, make your way to the top 10 headlines over at GameTab sometime. It's loaded with FUD FUN!

The article a quick, solid read if you want to take an overall look at the impact of blogs and mainstream news outlets and how questioning Sony (and taking quotes out of context for fun headlines!) can impact a multi-billion dollar business. Michael McWhertor

The Fog of War [GamesIndustry Dot Biz]