Not so fast. While Treyarch might be fighting an uphill battle, trying to match the ingenuity and storytelling prowess of Infinity Ward in a played-out landscape, it's not an unwinnable war. The game does find some new grist in the Pacific and mother Russia and there's that cooperative zombie killing. Seriously. So just how well did Call of Duty: World at War fare? Hit the jump to find out.

Loved
High Level of Polish: A lot of care went into the creation of this latest Call of Duty. You see it in the cluttered interiors of the game’s many indoor maps, in the sometimes overwhelming and massive sense of scale in battles and in the carefully crafted character models and animation. This is a World War II shooter worth playing.

Pacific, Settings: World War II has become such a familiar stomping ground for shooters that crafting something both accurate and unique must be a challenge. But Treyarch manages to carry it off with few stumbles. In particular the maps set on the Pacific islands are dense, immersive and different. And somehow the developers managed to return gamers to a war torn Europe without making it feel like déjà vu. This is mostly achieved by dropping you in the middle of some of the most historic battles of the tail end of the war, like the capture of the Reichstag in 1945.

Captivating Cut Scenes: Certainly the most disturbing element of World at War is its use of historic footage from World War II in cut scenes. These videos show executions, fire fights and war like a gamer rarely sees it, accurately depicted. And while it can be at times grotesque in its presentation, it is never mistreated or used for cheap emotional context. Instead the developers seem to use it in union with actual dates, numbers and graphics to try and lay out for those playing the game not only the significance of the war, but the way in which it changed those who fought it, perhaps forever.

Disturbingly Realistic Melee and Deaths: Almost as disturbing as that real world video footage of the events of the war are the incredibly graphic and intense death animations and melee combat in the game. Enemies flail on the ground in pain or crawl to safety when shot. Those unfortunate enough to be hit with a flamethrower scream and thrash until they die from the burns or asphyxiation. Melee combat can be anything from a vicious slash of the knife to a drawn out struggle with a dying enemy, each of you impaled on the other’s blade. The end result is a game that depicts death in a much more jarring and, while I hate to think of it, likely realistic way.

The Black Cat Level: There are a number of levels in Call of Duty World at War that are both memorable and well-designed, but about halfway through the game you’re placed in a Black Cat flying boat and asked to run escort duty. Despite feeling totally detached from the rest of the game, the mission turns into one of those keystone moments of World at War where everything comes together to create one of the most intense experiences of an already powerful game.

Zombie Nazis: Zombies are about as inappropriate a fit for this game as I can imagine. World at War, up until the credits finish rolling, is a serious and dark look at the world’s worst war. But seconds after the game wraps up you and up to three friends are tasked with plugging a never ending stream of Hitler-following zombies with your WWII-era weapons. The thing is, it’s a total blast to play. In fact, the combination of an increasingly difficult enemy force and the need to patch up the barricaded windows of your safe house makes this one of the most enjoyable co-op modes I’ve played in a shooter in quite some time. Yes, including Gears 2’s horde mode.

Hated
Occasionally Bumbling Enemy AI: Despite all of the game’s polish, there are a surprising amount of problems with World at War’s AI. Within minutes of starting the game I witnessed enemy and friendly soldiers standing face-to-face, weapons pointing at or over each other’s shoulders not doing a thing. And that was not a one off. Banzai attacks sometimes lead to Japanese soldiers running right past me and around the field of battle, screaming until they were shot.

Too Scripted: The Call of Duty franchise has always been marked with heavily scripted sequences. And World at War is no different; though this time around, that scripting can sometimes lead to bad transitions between objectives or even levels. If, for instance, you don’t realize that you need to press your front line forward, you could seemingly play certain battles of the game forever, patiently plugging away at soldiers who are, like clockwork, replaced by a similar group of men.

Watered Down Characters and Story: In Call of Duty: World at War you play as two main characters, one a U.S. soldier fighting in the Pacific and the other a Russian soldier pushing through Germany and into the heart of Berlin. The story unfolds through these two separate narratives, but because the characters are faceless and the transitions so frequent it’s hard to identify with either. The same can be said of the story of these men and their brothers in arms. Their story seems to get lost in all of the jumping around.

Powerful Message Gets Lost: It feels that Treyarch was trying to tell us something about the nature of war in this, their latest shooter. They deliver that message through those jarring historic videos and through a number of animated sequences that seem to be trying to highlight, well, something. But what? It could be that they are trying to point out the cruelty of war, or perhaps the nature of humanity. Maybe that power, even the power of a pistol, can corrupt absolutely. But the problem is they never really get around to explaining it for us. The game concludes not with words but a number: 60 million. The number they say were killed in the war. (Others say more than 70 million.) While powerful, I think the message would hit home more powerfully with some sort of narrative that concludes in a way that people not daily affected by the strife and death of a world at war could more easily identify with, or at least understand.

There's been a lot made of Call of Duty: World at War's opening. And there should be. It's powerful. It's disturbing. But I think it's there for a reason. War is disturbing, and this game makes no bones about the fact that it isn't going to paint over the atrocities. From its History Channel-esque cut scenes, to the plentiful and gruesome deaths thrust in the gamers' faces, World at War seems to be trying to tell us something. And I find that admirable, but perhaps next time let's not wrap up the experience with a little solider on Nazi zombie action.

This is no Modern Warfare, you can't duck the comparison, so we might as well get that over with straight away. While the game is powerful, the settings dripping with atmosphere and the action non-stop, it's still not the game of the year. That being said, the multiplayer is just as strong, from what I've seen of it so far, as its predecessor and the inclusion of up to four-player campaign co-op is a welcome addition. Also, despite the incongruity of the whole thing, I absolutely love the zombie mode.

Call of Duty: World at War was developed by Treyarch, published by Activision and released on Nov. 11 for the PC, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360. Retails for $59.99 USD. It was reviewed on the Xbox 360. Completed the single-player campaign alone, tested campaign coop, Nazi Zombie mode and other multiplayer modes.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

“The Conduit is one of the most talked-about Wii games this year and High Voltage Software has only scratched the surface of the game in terms of what they have shown so far...They have proven that graphical and technological innovation can be exciting to the Wii market, and SEGA is thrilled to partner with a team that truly shares our belief in the Wii’s gaming potential beyond the casual market.”

I'd have to agree wholeheartedly. The Conduit is the most exciting thing the Wii has going for it right now. Nice catch, Sega! Hit the jump for the full press release, along with some juice new screens of The Conduit in action.

SEGA Gets Zapped by High Voltage with The Conduit

SEGA to Publish Highly Anticipated Wii Title in Spring 2009

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON—(BUSINESS WIRE)—SEGA® of America, Inc. and SEGA® of Europe Ltd. today announced a worldwide partnership with High Voltage Software to publish and distribute the Wii™ home video game system-exclusive title, The Conduit. The first-person shooter garnered multiple awards at E3 2008, including Best Wii Game by GameTrailers and three awards from IGN: Best Shooting Game (Wii), Best Graphics Technology (Wii) and Best Overall Wii Game. The Conduit is a stunning, futuristic title powered by a new game engine technology that delivers remarkable visuals and effects, as well as a rich interactive experience that is unlike any other title on the Wii.

“The Conduit is one of the most talked-about Wii games this year and High Voltage Software has only scratched the surface of the game in terms of what they have shown so far,” says Simon Jeffery, President of SEGA of America, Inc. “They have proven that graphical and technological innovation can be exciting to the Wii market, and SEGA is thrilled to partner with a team that truly shares our belief in the Wii’s gaming potential beyond the casual market.”

“High Voltage Software's partnership with SEGA to publish The Conduit represents an important milestone for this studio,” said Kerry Ganofsky, CEO and founder of High Voltage Software, Inc. “SEGA shares our vision for the title and its tremendous potential, which is why we chose them from a long list of potential partners. With their support, we are confident that The Conduit will deliver the definitive shooter experience that Wii fans have been waiting for.”

The Conduit takes players into a dark story in Washington D.C. after a vicious alien invasion has rocked the country. An organization called the Trust has sent in Secret Service agent, Mr. Ford, to go up against the insect-like alien race known as “The Drudge.” Armed with an array of futuristic weaponry and an intelligence-gathering device simply called the “All-Seeing Eye,” players follow an intricate storyline filled with conspiracy, shady government activity and terrifying aliens.

The Conduit’s detailed control system allows players to customize and configure look sensitivity, turning speed, the dead zone and much more. As players delve further into the mystery behind the extraterrestrial invasion, shocking details reveal that the invasion may have been brought on with help from the government itself.

Powered by High Voltage Software’s groundbreaking Quantum 3 engine, The Conduit ensures that players will experience single and multiplayer gameplay with graphical fidelity never seen before on the Wii. The Conduit will also support the recently announced Wii Speak peripheral, allowing online multiplayer gamers the ability to chat as they destroy aliens in each terrifying level. Additionally, the game will take advantage of the Wii MotionPlus for optimal control.

While I still haven't gotten a chance to try out the game, I know a couple people who play actively and have had nothing but good things to say about it. Of course one of them is 8 years-old and technically shouldn't be playing it, but still - a shining recommendation.

Nexon’s “Combat Arms” ENLISTS One Million REGISTERED Users

Milestone Celebrated with Debut of New Map and A Revolutionary Game Mode Introduced for the First Time to First-Person Shooter Game Genre

LOS ANGELES, October 22, 2008 - Nexon America Inc. (www.nexon.net), a world leader in free-to-play, multiplayer online games, announced today that Combat Arms, its new online multiplayer first-person shooter game, surpassed one million registered users since its open beta launch in July. Combat Arms was commercially launched on October 1 with the addition of the highly anticipated "Black Market," the in-game item shop that allows users to spend real money to further customize their characters. Combat Arms is available free for download at http://combatarms.nexon.net.

To commemorate this milestone, Nexon will unveil two patches including a new map and game mode that will offer a variety of game play options for users to fully experience the dynamic world of multiplayer online first-person shooters (FPS). The new map, “Waverider,” which is set in a European hilltop town, will be the game’s largest map. Waverider will be complemented by the addition of new weapons, two supply cases, special event gear and a new male mercenary for Halloween

In addition, Nexon will introduce a new hide-and-seek game mode, “Bounty Hunter,” which has never been introduced to a FPS-genre game. The new mode enables one player to randomly become the “bounty,” who will be the target hunted by other players. The longer the bounty stays alive, the more in-game currency that player will earn.

"Nexon is dedicated to providing an interactive online gaming experience with our high quality games that are easy to pick up and entertaining at every level,” said Min Kim, vice president of marketing for Nexon. "Combat Arms’ successful commercial launch demonstrates the game’s huge mass appeal and validates market demand for great, free-to-play, online experiences.”

Combat Arms features personalized characters, various combat modes, maps, and weapons. In addition, Combat Arms offers a high level of socialization with Web 2.0 community tools for users with buddy lists, integrated clan systems in-game and on the web, and an in-game messenger system. This mix of elements ignites a revolutionary FPS experience: a dynamic, evolving game that encourages both friendly competition and friendship among its players.

"We’ve received overwhelming feedback from Combat Arms players who loved the mix of the fast-action FPS game play and ability to communicate with other players in-game," said Herb Yang, producer of Combat Arms. "People are really embracing the socialization features of Combat Arms, especially the built-in features enabling people to track their personal performance as well as to create and join clans, personalize their clans with items such as emblems, and participate in official clan matches on dedicated servers.”

Since the successful launch of MapleStory in North America, Nexon has been at the forefront of creating a broad roster of high quality multiplayer online games that appeal to both casual and hardcore gamers. The company is also a pioneer of implementing a profitable online microtransactions model in North America with its prepaid game cards being one of the top selling cards in major retail outlets including 7-Eleven and Target.

Loved
Terrain Deformation: Okay, I might have thought it a bit gimmicky in the past, but now that I've played through the story mode and several online multiplayer matches, I am completely in love with terrain deformation. There's just so much you can actually do with it, which makes for many different ways to go through a level. Shoot all the guys in a building the first time through, raise the ground and crush them against the ceiling the next. So very much fun.

Instruments of Destruction: While all of the weapons in Fracture have a nice feel to them, it's the ones the screw with the land and gravity in general that completely blew me away. The first time you throw a Vortex Grenade you will be in love, and all other grenades will seem like children's toys.

Weapons Testing: Every shooter needs this feature. Weapons Testing is basically a playground for you to test out your weapons and strategies. Generate enemies, unlock new weapons by collecting data discs in game...there's even a cannon in the middle of the field that launches debris. It's a hell of a lot of fun, while still being a learning tool of sorts.

Multiplayer Madness: While the basic running and gunning are a bit slower than I'd like, the different terrain deformation strategies I've seen other players come up with more than make up for the less than lighting fast pace. Many amazing deaths, mainly on my part, but highly enjoyable.

Hated
What's Your Story?: It's not that the story for Fracture was bad,,,it's just that it is never really fleshed out in the game. The press materials contain these excellent background stories for each character, and we never really see much of that in the actual game at all. If those stories had been presented in the game itself it would have been a much more powerful experience.

Obligatory Driving Level: The obligatory driving level in Fracture features a very cool vehicle that unfortunately handles like you're driving a brick with the safety brake on. The vehicle itself is awesome, controlling it is a bit of a chore and doesn't really add much to the game's single player mode.

Enemy Enemy Enemy: I understand that the game deals with fighting against a structured military group, but some more enemy variation would have been lovely. They're mostly yellowish, with a few variants, and the end boss? Please. You'll see what I mean.

I have no idea what happened to me at E3 this year when I saw and played a little bit of Fracture and came away thinking the terrain deformation felt like a gimmick. Perhaps it was just the bits I played, because taking in the game as a whole it becomes much more than that, often times transforming the game into a shooter / puzzle game hybrid, especially during the third chapter. I think the important difference is that playing through the full game gave me a good grasp of what my weapons and various powers did, so instead of blindly stumbling I was a find-tuned weapon of mass distortion.

Fracture is one of the more enjoyable shooters I've gotten my hands on in recent years, it's terrain deformation feature lending itself to a relatively compelling story mode and online skirmishes that change the face of the multiplayer battlefield.

Fracture, developed by Day 1 Studios and published by LucasArts was released on released on Oct. 7 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Retails for $59.99. Completed single player mode on default settings, played multiple online battles.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

So what is Global Agenda? Let's quote the official press information: "GLOBAL AGENDA is a fast-paced action MMO using Unreal® Engine 3 set in Earth’s near future, a spy-fi world of advanced technology and player-driven conflict." The game is set in the 22nd century following a severe global disaster. Players created factions fight and scheme against each other while going up against totalitarian world government hell-bent on completely dominating the populace. Full scale wars have been replaced with covert operations taking place all over the planet between rival factions.

As I get into the gameplay of Global Domination, it's important to note that the game is at an extremely early state. Hi-Rez has been focusing completely on nailing the combat portion of the game above all else, and through the use of both random focus groups and a regular team of weekly testers are continuing to hone the experience. Factors such as world economy, social gathering spots, and the more persistent side of a persistent world game are still in the works. This hands on was character creation and combat alone.

So, after taking a tour of the offices and spending way too much time talking to the guy working on rendering a new cinematic about his Transformers collection, I was led into the room where the regular weekly testing group was playing. Comments and taunts were flying as a wide variety of people took up arms against each other in what looked like a rather intense multiplayer match. Being slightly terrified of jumping right into a match with experienced players playing a game I've never touched, I was relieved when I was told I would be guided through a solo mission with bots first.

Character creation at this point was pretty straightforward. You select a head, some hair, your sex (though only males were currently available), and then pick a class from one of the four available - soldier, scout, medic, and robotic-technician. After picking a soldier for the sake of simplicity and making him suitably handsome and rugged (live the dream!), I logged into the game, where I was given a chance to outfit my character with various weapons, pieces of armor, and technical devices. Each piece of equipment came in variable strengths, each taking up an increasing number of skill slots. Having only a certain number of slots available (20 in this case), I assigned my character a powerful rocket launcher and mini-gun, a melee weapon, some EMP grenades to deal with machine foes, and a few other odds and ends to make things difficult for my enemies to take me down. Once I finished overflowing my skill slots and then paring my load out down to something a bit more realistic, I was launched into a solo match, with bots filling out the enemy roster.

Fighting takes place in third-person view, with your mouse controlling a targeting reticule. According to the devs, they had experimented with a variety of targeting techniques including assisted targeting (boo!), eventually settling on a system much like your traditional online shooter, only a bit more forgiving when it comes to precision. Weapons and equipment are loaded into a hotbar across the top of the screen, making it easy to toss aside your rocket launcher and pull out your mini-gun when the situation calls for it.

The mission, which took place on in an icy environment, consisted of three separate goals. First my bot companions and I had to take over a control point, which we achieved relative quickly thanks to my missile launcher. Unfortunately, blowing up large amounts of enemies in one shot tends to attract attention, and I died and respawned several times.

Once the point was captured, our next goal was to push a container through a narrow canyon as the enemy tried to push it back. This took a bit longer, but eventually I found some high ground on the canyon edge and helped my AI buddies save the day.

The final task was a battle against a gigantic spider-like mech, and I helped out the team by dying over and over again. I am not sure, but I feel they appreciated it, in bot sort of way. Unfortunately the timer for the mission expired and we failed, but I feel like I made a few friends.

The combat itself was fast and responsive, and rather enjoyable, especially when fighting against bots with bots. The AI they had in place actually had me getting healed now and again, which was pleasant. If I had to compare it to anything, I'd say Unreal Tournament III is a close comparison, which makes sense given that they're using the Unreal Engine 3 to build the thing.

Once my mission was over, it was time to fight against the real players. I created a new character, this time opting for the scout, which might have been a mistake, considering my usual shooter play style of running at the enemy screaming until they die. I am not good at stealth. The results of the round showed this.

The match was a basic multiplayer affair, with our team defending a control point from the enemy team. It became clear from the get-go that Global Agenda is going to be a game where communication and strategy is key. If fact, from the brief time I had, I would say that this will be the sort of MMO that traditional shooter clans could do very well at indeed. As it stood, the two teams were communicating throughout the match, in between my apologies for dying as quickly as I did.

My scout carried a rifle that could only be fired in scope mode, which enabled me to actually get a few kills before my normal run-and-gun instincts took over. My sword took out a couple more of the opposing team, though more often than not I was the one on the end of the blade. For powers I somehow missed out on taking stealth (stupid) and instead chose bionics, which allowed me to run faster and jump higher for a period of time, but sadly didn't help my dying situation much.

Still, despite my ineptitude I did manage to have a great deal of fun. The best thing I can say about Global Agenda is that by the time my play session ended, I wanted to play more, which happens with far less frequency than you would think.

I think focusing on the core combat systems was a good strategy for Hi-Rez to adapt. Too many times the more froo-froo bits of an MMO can detract both programmers and players from flaws in the gameplay until it's too late. Global Agenda's combat, even at this early state, has a great deal of potential. It's definitely a game I'll be keeping track of as they flesh out the world these entertaining battles take place in.

"Our intention to deliver the game simultaneously worldwide is both a challenge and big responsibility to the many fans of the game around the globe. We are looking forward to achieve this ambitious goal in August." - said Sergiy Grygorovych, GSC World Publishing CEO.

GSC World Publishing and Deep Silver announce planned release date for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky

Game will be released on August 29, 2008

Basingstoke, England - 27th of march 2008 - GSC Game World, computer games developer, its publishing subdivision GSC World Publishing and Koch Media, a leading marketer of video games, today announced the planned release date for the title S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky. According to the agreed plan, the game will ship August 29, 2008 worldwide. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky will be published by the games labels Deep Silver and GSC World Publishing.

"The topic of the release date for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky has created a lot of interest among gamers, press and fans. We're pleased to announce an exact date for this highly anticipated game now," said Craig McNicol, Managing Director of Koch Media.

"Our intention to deliver the game simultaneously worldwide is both a challenge and big responsibility to the many fans of the game around the globe. We are looking forward to achieve this ambitious goal in August." - said Sergiy Grygorovych, GSC World Publishing CEO.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is a survival FPS game for PC based on a 'what-if' scenario of the second Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident. The game is created as a warning to mankind against mindless play with technologies. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is the official prequel to the renowned S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game by the Ukraine-based GSC Game World studio. The game is set in 2011and brings forth the events to have preceded the third campaign of Strelok to the Zone center. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky introduces an alternative look onto the events of the original game and offers the player to try himself out as a mercenary s.t.a.l.k.e.r. in search of his own path in the world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

Official game site: www.stalker-game.com

That's right. EA is taking a stab at the free to play pricing structure, delivering the game to anyone with the bandwidth to pull it down this summer at no charge whatsoever. Revenue comes in the way of in-game advertising as well as microtransactions, though the exact nature of said microtransactions hasn't quite been fleshed out yet. Hopefully you won't have to buy bullets.

"Online gaming garners a massive audience," said Gerhard Florin, EVP Publishing Americas-Europe at EA. "People want to play games in new ways, with easier access that is quick to the fun. With Battlefield Heroes, EA brings its first major franchise to North America and Europe with a new distribution model and pricing structure adapted to the evolving way that people play."

Look for more details on the game in the March issue of Games for Windows magazine, which features a world exclusive cover story on the game.

BATTLEFIELD HEROES LEADS THE WAY FOR EA'S NEW 'PLAY 4 FREE' BUSINESS MODEL
Unique Cartoon Shooter Introduces a New Way to Play Battlefield

Chertsey, UK January 21, 2008 - At the Digital, Life, Design Conference (DLD) in Munich, Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) today unveiled Battlefield Heroes™, an all-new Play 4 Free cartoon-style shooter that will bring classic Battlefield gameplay to an all new mass audience. Available for download at www.battlefield-heroes.com this summer, Battlefield Heroes is EA's first title that is offered completely for free, and features a built-in matchmaking system to ensure that players of equal skill are paired together for fair play. Developed by DICE in Stockholm, Battlefield Heroes is leading EA's new web-focused free to download, free to play business model which generates revenue through advertising and micro-transactions. With zero barriers to entry, now anyone can be a hero on the battlefield!

"Online gaming garners a massive audience," said Gerhard Florin, EVP Publishing Americas-Europe at EA. "People want to play games in new ways, with easier access that is quick to the fun. With Battlefield Heroes, EA brings its first major franchise to North America and Europe with a new distribution model and pricing structure adapted to the evolving way that people play."

Battlefield Heroes is a brand new game from the team behind Battlefield 1942™ and Battlefield 2™. It's fun cartoon-style graphics and gameplay caters to players of all skill levels. It is easy to pick up and play but with robust character customization and a deep online meta-game, gamers can spend hours building up their characters and conquering the world.

"We put a different twist on this Battlefield game going with the cartoon-style graphics and gameplay," added Ben Cousins, Senior Producer at EA DICE. "There's something here for all types of players — be it our core Battlefield fans or casual gamers. With the new online model, we will continually add new content to keep the game fresh and keep players engaged, while integrating player feedback in real time. As a game developer, it is such a cool new way to make games."

Battlefield Heroes will be released for the PC as a free download in summer 2008. This product is not yet rated by PEGI or ESRB. For more information on EA DICE, please visit www.dice.se or www.ea.com.
###

"Christmas Update", a new update for Penguins Arena

Reims - France, december the 17th. Frogames releases an update for
"Penguins Arena - Sedna's World": "Christmas update".

This update is totally free. All registred users will get this new version
for no additional fees and for future users, the price of the game hasn't
changed ($19.95 USD).

This update brings new hilarious costumes for your penguin, two new maps
and a great new "unlimited weapons" game mode. Of course we also fixed
some bugs and optimized the game.

See what we mean by downloading the new version of the Demo at
http://www.frogames.com/penguins_arena/

This "Christmas Update" for "Penguins Arena - Sedna's world" is our
special gift for you ... Frogames wishes you a Merry Christmas!

This looks like it could be fun on the DS, though a bit claustrophobic. I think, maybe, I'd rather see Everday Shooter on the DS.

Candy Mountain Massacre [Adult Swim]

And when played on the Playstation 3, it becomes that much more captivating, mostly because of the high-def graphics, the big screen and the surround sound. This is a game created by a person who loves games, for people who love games. It's almost a fallacy to refer to it as a game, really it's more of a body of work, an album, to stick to the music theme so prevalent in the game. You can play a level, like you play a song, enjoy the experience, get a sense of what the developer was going for. But to truly experience the game, you need to sit down and play through it, enjoying not just the completion of the game, but the journey you take getting there.

I'll be playing the game live in a few minutes, streaming it here on the site using Justin TV, hang around if you want to catch a gander.

Sorry you missed it, but you can watch the archive of the video by clicking here and choosing Aug. 8 at 10:45 a.m.

The list of accomplishments include:
Players have participated in over 200 million hours representing 3.5 billion rounds of online play exploring Soldiering as members of elite U.S. Army units.
America's Army has players in over 60 countries.
More than 40 million total downloads of the game have been reported.
Over 1,100 fan sites have registered on the game's community website.
Players host almost 1,200 Honor servers. These honor servers track honor points that form the basis of America's Army unique scoring and rewards system.

AMERICA'S ARMY GAME CELEBRATES FIVE YEAR ANNIVESRARY

June 27, 2007 (West Point, NY) - Today, the U.S. Army announced that the upcoming July 4th marks the fifth anniversary of the launch of the world-renowned America's Army PC game. Debuting on July 4, 2002, America's Army has more than 8.5 million user accounts and has been one of the top ten action games played online since its launch. America's Army has grown from its initial roots as an online PC game to a brand that encompasses console and cell phone games; the Real Heroes program that recognizes heroic Soldiers; and the Virtual Army Experience, which places players in a life-size America's Army game.

America's Army game brand has had an incredible impact around the world placing Soldiering front and center within popular culture and showcasing the high-tech, team-oriented and values-driven nature of the Army," said Colonel Casey Wardynski, originator of the America's Army game.

The America's Army team is celebrating its fifth anniversary by releasing an all-new America's Army website (www.americasarmy.com), rendered in the Army's new ACU camouflage pattern and featuring new content including developer-created wallpaper that provides a sneak peek at America's Army 3.0.

America's Army's accomplishments include:

23 Game Releases
After 23 successful releases, America's Army has opened the world of Soldiering to players and provided them with a soup to nuts virtual experience within which to explore entry level through advanced training, as well as Soldiering in small units. It has virtually taken players through boot camp, Ranger and Airborne training, and even introduced them to the Army's "Quiet Professionals," the elite Special Forces. Through America's Army, players have learned about rules of engagement (ROE), lifesaving, laws of war and Army Values, the set of noble values that are the foundation of the world's premier land force. Version 3.0 of America's Army, which will debut in 2008, will use the new Unreal 3 engine to display even more exciting aspects of the Army.

America's Army statistics

Players have participated in over 200 million hours representing 3.5 billion rounds of online play exploring Soldiering as members of elite U.S. Army units.

America's Army has players in over 60 countries.

More than 40 million total downloads of the game have been reported.

Over 1,100 fan sites have registered on the game's community website.

Players host almost 1,200 Honor servers. These honor servers track honor points that form the basis of America's Army unique scoring and rewards system.

America's Army for the Console and Cell Phone
The U.S. Army and Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, have established a long-term partnership to develop and publish games based on the America's Army brand. The first game developed via this partnership was America's Army: Rise of a Soldier on the Xbox, which allowed players to create a Soldier and take him through the adventures of an Army career. The next game, America's Army: True Soldiers, will release exclusively for the Xbox 360™ in the fall of 2007. America's Army: True Soldiers features extensive multiplayer features for play on Xbox LIVE™. The Army's cell phone game, America's Army: Special Operations, debuted in January 2007.

America's Army Real Heroes Program
The America's Army team launched the Real Heroes program in September 2006. The America's Army Real Heroes program tells the stories of Soldiers who have exhibited courage under fire in the Global War on Terrorism and have received awards for valor for their actions. The America's Army Real Heroes program inspires the American public to explore the U.S. Army's values, as well as Soldier's attributes of teamwork and personal courage, by telling heroic and personal Soldier stories through the America's Army PC game and websites, and by offering a line of action figures. The America's Army Real Heroes program is featured online at www.americasarmy.com/realheroes.

Virtual Army Experience
This year the America's Army game entered a new stage with the launch of the Virtual Army Experience (VAE) The VAE is a high-tech, team-based experience designed to immerse visitors in the operational roles of Soldiers in the U.S. Army. This 10,000 square-foot interactive exhibit brings America's Army: Special Forces (Overmatch) to a life-size networked world to provide visitors with a virtual test drive of Soldiering. In the Virtual Army Experience, participants employ teamwork, leadership and high-tech equipment as they take part in a hands-on virtual mission to capture a terrorist leader. The VAE schedule is located at http://vae.americasarmy.com/.

Training Simulators Used by the Army
Building upon the dynamic and cutting-edge America's Army game platform, the America's Army team has created dozens of training simulations that are employed by myriad organizations around the country. The America's Army team has produced effective and engaging virtual learning tools for Force Protection, Adaptive Thinking and Leadership, Convoy Survivability, as well as applications ranging from mission rehearsal to modeling advanced weapons systems and fire control systems. Over the next year, the team will be launching a number of applications including a Live Fire Targetry Program, which will replace static or pop-up paper or metal targets with virtual targets for interactive live-fire training. You can read more about these applications at http://info.americasarmy.com/.

About the Army
Through the teamwork of the more than 1.2 million Soldiers in the active Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve, the U.S. Army is the world's premier land force. Today, Soldiers of the U.S. Army are the front line in the Global War on Terrorism. For more information on the U.S. Army, go to www.goarmy.com or www.army.mil.

Holy CRAP!

Rumor has it, and right now it seems to be nothing more, that Activision is preparing to publish Soldier of Fortune III: Payback. Worthwhile reports, without any attribution, that the game will be coming to the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 this November. They don't know if Raven Soft will still be at the development reins, which is sort of like saying they don't know if it's going to really be a sequel.

If you were to combine every shooter I've played in my life (and that's just about all of them) and tallied up the amount of time I spent playing them, it would probably equal the amount of sleepless nights I spent playing Solider of Fortune II: Double Helix. I absolutely loved that game, from the GHOUL damage modeling that allowed you to blow off limbs and slowdown attacks with shots to the knees, to the map design and weapon load-outs, Double Helix was in many ways, the perfect shooter for me. That isn't to say it wasn't without its problems. But when you're in love it's easy to overlook the minor things.

If it's true, I'm sure all will be revealed at E3. I have emailed both Raven Soft and Activision seeking comment, but no word as of yet. Brian Crecente

Soldier of Fourtune III Revealed [Worthplaying]

"Our game's about becoming a Colonial Marine, and looking at it from the Colonial Marines' perspective," explained Pitchford. The Colonial Marines battled the acid-blooded xenomorphs in Aliens, and were a template for the troopers who fight alongside the Master Chief in the Halo games.

Pitchford also mentions that even though there is communication between his company, Gearbox, and Obsidian Entertainment, the company that is responsible for making the upcoming RPG version of the Aliens game, both companies are taking two completely different directions. I can only assume one of them will do Alien vs. Predator, or is that just wishful thinking? Kim Phu

Gearbox spins out Aliens, Heat game details [Gamespot UK]

I don't think you will see in any other game points in the narrative, in cut-scenes or cinematic gameplay moments, where people are calling you a pussy - telling you that you're not with the program, that you're a liability to the team. Haze puts in this warzone, where other people are perhaps doing things where a line has been crossed. You're going to think, 'These guys have gone too far'. And you'll have to ask yourself, 'Are you part of this now?'

...The thing is, you come up against the law of censorship, which is incredibly hypocritical when it comes to games. Because the act of putting these uncomfortable, challenging experiences into a game is somehow glorifying it. Except that other media can do such things, and still be having some sensible discourse about it.

I don't mind a little cuss word here and there, hell, I almost use them exclusively while filling out Madlibs. How it will fare with some parents will be a different matter entirely. Kim Phu

Haze Will Call You a "Pussy" [Games Radar]

The Club is Bizarre Creations' take on shooters, so, as you would expect from the creators of games like Geometry Wars and Project Gotham Racing, it's all about speed. It is, as Andy Davis put it, an anti-stealth game.

The arcade -like gritty shooter features three modes, multiplayer, tournament and gunplay, but we only saw run throughs of two levels in tournament mode.

You start the game by selecting a character on a screen that looks an awful lot like something you would typically see in a fighter. When you scroll through the characters you see each person's speed, strength and stamina.

The game has eight locations, like a steel mill, an ocean liner and prison cells. The first run through was through the prison cells. The game plays in third-person and there's a lot of running involved because, like in PGR, its all about achieving a high score by chaining kills together in a set time.

As Davis played, he would run through the map and then slow down when he met someone and zoom in to a Gears of War like shoulders-and-up view by pulling the left trigger and shoot the guy. The game also lets your roll and interact with chunks of the map by doing things like leaping over low walls.

While each character has 20 different weapons he can use, during Davis' play I only saw his character holding three at a time. Though he also had grenades.

Davis said they wanted to get rid of a player's instinct to duck-and-cover, so there's a big emphasis placed on racking up kill combos but shooting people in short periods of time or with "style."

The levels Davis played through had the occasional skull placard located in it that he could shoot, this, he said, let him extend the length of time he could wait to shoot another person and still earn points in the same combo kill.

The game looks like it's going to be a fun take on shooters, something you spend a lot of time playing fast, short matches in. I can't wait for it to hit. Brian Crecente

Ryan over at Arcade Renaissance has a pretty good theory on the first part of the question, but has some trouble answering the second. He believes this half girl, half angel (and all Victoria Secret by the looks of it) shooter will be the first game that the developer will bring over to the Wii due to its previous succcess on the Dreamcast. Also, there was also recent posting on the SHMUPS forum in which a user states that they were:

"...privy to details that confirms that Karous is in development for the Wii.

This combined with the fact that O3 Entertainment (a company who is responsible for the still delayed Radio Allergy for the Gamecube, though it is Wii Compatible) mentioned cryptically in their forum that there would be something to look forward to after Radio Allergy's release and left a link to Milestone's Karous webpage.

Personally, I'm seeing a lot of eggs and no baskets to put them into. But it's a just a rumor, and news about more games coming out is better than news of no games coming out. Kim Phu

Rumor Karous for Wii [Arcade Renaissance]

Bungie's Frankie had a little sit down with some of the FASA team working on upcoming shooter Shadowrun.

In the short Q&A Team FASA's John Howard, Lead designer; Sage Merill, Core game design; Derek Carroll, AI / Core game design; Christopher Blohm, Training / Level design; and Bill Fulton, Matchmaking / UI design talk about Counterstrike, Halo 3 and dendrophobia.

Most interesting is the team's take on the similarities between Shadowrun, Halo and Counterstrike:

On Counterstrike

Sage - Counterstrike is an awesome team based shooter, so yeah we consider it a compliment. On the surface, Shadowrun does share some basic design elements with Counterstrike. For example, it is round based, there is no automatic respawn, and you purchase equipment/powers based on your performance. So ignoring the races, round one is kind of like a CS game. However, that is where the similarity ends. By round 4 of a Shadowrun game your avatar is like a tiny god, and when gods fight, it's nothing like Counterstrike.

Derek - Counterstrike is an awesome game. Shadowrun is awesomer.

On Halo

Sage - Shadowrun combat its less about perfect aiming, and more about superior position. You choose when you enter and when you leave combat. It is a constant chess match to maneuver into situations where you have the advantage. In Halo 2, you win the fight, or you die. Halo 2 is all about your aiming skill, and it's difficult to disengage once a fight starts.

Bill - Halo 2's multiplayer was very focused on 'fair competition'—visible player skill levels, had to play new opponents after every match ended, etc. Shadowrun's multiplayer is more focused on social play—you can play with the same opponents after the match is over, no visible skill (although we still matchmake according to player skill) and strong team work is required to win. And of course, we stole Halo 2's party system, 'cause it rules.

I had a lot of fun playing around with the Shadowrun beta and I hear the graphics look much better in the final product. My only complaint was that the beta had a very limited mapset, but I'm sure that won't be the case with the final game. Brian Crecente

Shadowrun Shenanigans [Bungie]

I tried Call of Juarez at PAX last year and wasn't really impressed. The graphics were fine and the controls seemed OK but the level was so extraordinarily buggy I couldn't do anything. I'm holding out hope this will be a good shooter, and this new vid gives me reason to. I was such a huge fan of Outlaws and it's been so very, very long. Brian Crecente

With the Shadowrun beta wrapping up, the folks over at FASA want to get all chatty.

This Monday they will by hanging out in the IRC chat channel #Shadowrun.FASA on the Gamesurge server from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific to talk about the game.

The team promises to give away prizes, answer questions and chat with everyone all while playing on the beta.Brian Crecente

In Tumiki Fighters you pilot a plane made out of toy blocks and shoot other toy block flying machines. When you destroy a ship it starts to fall of screen, but you can "catch" it before it disappears. If you catch it the parts of the fallen fighter meld with your tiny plane and you're granted extra firepower plus protection where the fallen ship sticks to you. As you move further in the game you start collecting larger ships and eventually your plane is an amalgamation of all the enemies you shot down.

Let's all have a sit down and try to maintain until this puppy comes out. Kim Phu

OMG! Majesco bringing Tumiki Fighters to the Wii?! [Siliconera]

During the demo, players had 120 minutes to face off against Doom with a single ship and no bombs before the demo was locked due to a time out. There were noticeable changes to Doom's attack patterns as well as the game speed that helped alter the game to fit the DS's resolution and screen size, but according to the participants at the event, the arcade feeling that the game provided was still excellent.

As a game that has had a lot of commercial success when it was introduced in 2002 as an arcade game, Ketsui just might prove to be one the more interesting non-stylus games for the DS. Kim Phu

Additional Ketsui details - More than just an April Fool's Joke [Arcade Renaissance]

Wow, just wow. This is what first-person shooters need. Atmosphere. Get it? Seriously though, Rain looks like it could be a pretty hot 360 title. I love the idea of blending stealth with a real FPS and there seems to be plenty of cool new touches like the acidic blood, the horror aspect and problem of separating the vampires from the people they eat. Brian Crecente

This past week, the coin-op AOU2007 Amusement Expo stormed through Japan. Held at Chiba' Makuhari Messe, the even featured new arcade games from companies like Konami, Sega, Taito Bandai Namco and Capcom — Plus a fair share of smaller companies. While a good chunk of these games will never see Western release, a few of them very well could end up in arcades abroad or as console ports. Throughout the night, we'll be posting some more pics and a report from the event. To whet your appetite, hit the jump for the buxom moe fatty bullet-hell Muchi Muchi Pork from Cave. The shooter features things like "Lard Attack" and to recharge their "Lard Gauge," players collect little pigs that appear when enemies are destroyed. Gallery and clips ahoy! Brian Ashcraft

Dancing!

Shooting!

Pictures!

Images Via Game Watch and Dengeki Online

Computer and VIdeo Games reports that Dreamcast and Gamecube shooter Ikaruga is headed for the Xbox Live Arcade.

They plucked this information from the their debug online service, Partnernet, which is chock full of embargoed information. (Like that little 80s Rock download for Guitar Hero II.)

The shooter is said to be the "spiritual sequel" to Saturn shooter Radiant Silvergun. Sounds like fun. Brian Crecente

Ikaruga confirmed for Xbox 360! [CVG, via Joystiq]

I'm getting a little burnt out on World War II shooters... gimmie World War I shooters, that would be hot. Actually, no, don't give me that at all. This only has my interest because it's a Playstation Portable shooter and it's always fun to see how the developers try to work around the fact the platform doesn't have two thumbsticks. Fun for them, usually not so much for us. Brian Crecente

OK, you can officially take S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl off the Vaporware list, the company is shipping out beta code to reviewers (myself included) as we speak.

The code is said to be beta of the single player side of the game. From the release:

One of the most highly anticipated PC games of 2007 will be arriving soon for you to preview - S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. This first person shooter title is set in an alternate future where Chernobyl has been devastated by a second nuclear disaster. You will assume the role of a S.T.A.L.K.E.R., a person living in the radiation zone who makes a living by collecting artifacts and selling them. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is set for release in March 2007.

The tempo of the action will shift quickly as you journey through over 30 square kilometers of the radioactive zone including the ghost town of Pripyat and the abandoned sarcophagus of the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant. Be forewarned! You will have to fight for survival against animals and flora that have been horribly mutated by radiation, as well as other S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s.

Judging by the screenshots, this looks like it might live up to at least some of its potential. I'm told I'll be getting code today. If it happens I'll try to get impressions up by early next week. Brian Crecente

No, despite the supposed benefits - money, women, infamy, all the free cannoli you can cram into your smack-talking pie-hole - that the smorgasbord of gangster-iffic games, movies and TV shows we adore would suggest Mafia members enjoy, the real underworld is actually, well... kinda boring, says the noted organized crime expert. But hey: What better way to educate and amuse today's impressionable teens than make an interactive adventure out of authentic real-world goodfella antics like cigarette running, shaking down innocents and fetching coffee for some greasy-haired, pock mark-riddled lard ass ostensibly named Paulie or Remo?

That's right... The so-called "most realistic Mafia game ever" is almost upon us, courtesy of Aspyr, who, having already succeeded once with Stubbs the Zombie, will now attempt to resurrect Acclaim's once shit-canned, now re-planned ay-fuhgeddaboutit-'em-up Interview with a Made Man this coming March. Newly rechristened as just Made Man and keen on storming the burgeoning value-priced PS2 shooter market it's sure to have you fans of The Sopranos in stitches. (Or, if nothing else, praying it's not as crappy as the officially-licensed alternative...)

But we digress: Back to Mr. Fisher, who took a break from slaving away on his ever-growing, 50-odd book catalog (and chumming with pals like FBI agent Joseph "Donnie Brasco" Pistone and former Mob consigliere Bill Bonnano) to not only pen the script for this little gem, but also ensure its slavish authenticity. As for the quality of the game, meh - we'll let you decide whether to start chortling or polishing that semi-auto based on a recent, conversation with the man.

Q: With Made Man, what did you bring to the table to help them make the title more realistic, and what does that mean from a videogame perspective?

A: Well, I basically created the whole story - the characters, the plot, to some degree suggested what stages would be featured and worked on them with the developer. It was really fun for me because I've done a lot of writing about organized crime, and they basically wanted it to be the most realistic Mafia game ever made. I have two kids: They're 16 and 17 and they're both gamers. One of the things I really had to learn was how this universe works.

I was just speaking with someone this morning and they mentioned how they did an interview with [The Sopranos] creator David Chase a couple months ago and he was saying he's not a big fan of the game world. He talked about games' inability to ever bring any emotion into scenarios. I remember reading an interview a couple months ago where a very successful screenwriter was brought in to work with a company and he said pretty much the same thing.

Both of these guys, they only wanted to make the gaming world an adjunct of their world though, of TV and movies, and they just really failed to recognize the possibilities of this universe... I had to learn at the beginning what you could do and couldn't do. But I can tell you after learning, the possibilities are endless.

Q: Based on what you can do, how does that go in and improve the gameplay, make things more fun and interesting for enthusiasts?

A: If you can provide any sort of emotional attachment to the character, it brings you more into the game - you wind up getting rid of that detachment which leads to eventual boredom. Originally, Made Man was part of a trilogy and it may still be depending on sales. My goal is to tell a story of how you succeed in the world of organized crime. And so my guy, all the action takes place in one day, where he's going somewhere - he's either going to become a made man, or he's going to get whacked. And at the beginning, you don't know which it's going to be. So every one of the stages that we have parallels a real stage in the experience of a Mob guy...

Our guy starts in Vietnam - we've got a couple of stages set there. And he saves somebody's life, comes back to New York and gets sucked into the world of the Mob. We did a lot of backstory on all the characters, including this guy who eventually becomes his antagonist, who brings him into the family. He starts at the beginning, where any Mob guy would start, running cigarettes from North Carolina to New York. What we had to do was find a way to make running cigarettes and other mundane tasks like that fun from a gameplay standpoint. And we did - there's a great scene where he ends up in the swamps of North Carolina, and it's a lot of fun.

The other thing is that, as a writer, at the beginning, I really wanted to have some longer cut-scenes because I was convinced that I could write the kind of dialogue and branding of the characters that people would love. The type of script that would make people laugh out loud - it's just a skill that I have, and I also know these characters because I've written about them for so long.

Q: Touching on that, we've all seen these guys on TV, or via games such as Grand Theft Auto: Liberty/Vice City Stories and movies like Goodfellas or Casino, before. How realistic are they, and how do your characters talk differently or act differently that are more true to form?

A: That's a good question. What American culture has done is created a mythical Mafia. The first mob guy I ever got to know was a guy named Joey Black. What was amazing to me was the extremes that he could go to - he could be funny, he could be garrulous, anything... One night we were out to dinner with some friends of mine in California, and somebody said to him, "What would you do if I said I didn't believe you are who you say you are?" Who he said he was, was a Mafia hit-man. And with that, he took a fork, and jabbed it under the guy's jaw and pushed it upward, and he said "I'd ask you to say it again..." If you could see that scene in a movie, that kind of tension, that's the bar scene in Goodfellas...

Q: Naturally, we all see the supposedly glamorous side of being the Mafia. What's the other side look like here?

A: The main object of every Mob guy is earning. 99% of the time it's the most boring job in the world: It's collecting gambling debts, shuffling stolen goods, hustling hot television, hijacking a truck... There's so much of that stuff you have to do, and the other part of it is, often, the people you're dealing with are not the brightest people in the world. So what's happened is Hollywood has made these characters humorous in some ways, and that's a good thing. It's not necessarily the route I'd choose to go, but I've seen how people respond to them. That's what makes them interesting.

Q: So how realistic is a game like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories? How exaggerated is that? You see guys coming up, grabbing clothes and cars... How many people really get killed that often or go out guns blazing in this line of work?

A: Not so much. Very, very few people in the Mob get killed, and even fewer in shootouts. Most people who get killed get shot in the back of the head. My guy Joey was killed by being shot with a shotgun in the back. There's this great story... Donnie Brasco is a friend of mine, and the story he told in his book and later in the movie about the guy who brought him into the family, Sonny Black, when he discovered Joe (Joe Pistone is his real name) was an FBI agent, he knew he was going to be killed. And the FBI went to him, and they offered him his life. They said come into witness protection, and he said no, I know what I got into. And he handed his wallet to somebody, he gave his ring to somebody knowing he was going to go to this meeting and never come back. Real-life Mafioso Bill Bonanno and I have become friends, and Bill and I talk about this, and Bill talks so much about the way the Mob was, and honor and loyalty and those things that he learned from his father which are no longer part of the Mob anymore.

Q: If I were to ask about your character, Joey Verola, I know he comes back from Vietnam disillusioned and disenchanted, so he's obviously a prime example, but who else in your opinion is a good candidate for becoming a part of the Mafia, what type of person? What type of personality best suits the lifestyle: Someone larger than life, a tough talker...?

A: I've just finished a book - do you know the Mafia cops case? In New York, we had two highly ranking detectives, who were, in fact, for most of their careers, on the Mob payroll. And one of them became the head of the police organized crime bureau and he was funneling information to the Luchesi crime family and so I did a book with the guys who broke the case. One of them is a detective named Tommy Dades, who grew up as a street kid in Brooklyn, and his best friend is a made guy. Tommy is a great detective - one of the best, and we've talked about it. I said: "Why did you go that way and the other guy the other route?" And he said, you walk around the block, and whatever happens to you happens to you. He said that there's no question that he could have gone the other way. And for me to say to you who's a candidate... I mean, the fact that that world has been so glamorized makes it attractive to a certain kind of person.

Q: Maybe the better question is how many people really get the opportunity to join the Mafia, and how coveted is the honor truly?

A: Well it used to be a lot tougher and a lot more coveted. The thing about the Mob is that it's like corporate America. You actually move up the ranks, and as you do, you get more respect and more money. But, of course, you also have more obligations. You know, in the other world we would call them kickbacks, but in fact, every dollar that is earned goes up the ladder to the boss and eventually to the don. But everybody's taking a piece of that. So if you earn $10,000 you probably have to give $1500 to the boss. But you have to earn - that's really what it comes down to. Joey told me once that a guy asked him what makes the Mob work, and what he said is that you can't legislate morality. And anytime the government does, all it does it create situations where it's possible for the Mob to be successful.

Q: I remember in Donnie Brasco this great quote where they said "You go in alive, and you come out dead, and it's your best friend that does it." Is there a way to get out of the Mob alive, though? And how many people manage to get out?

A: Well, Bill Bonanno did it successfully. John Gotti, Jr. is trying to do it now. It's really hard because one of the things I do from time to time is talk to people in the witness protection program. And they just love to talk, because this was the greatest time of their lives, when they were living on the edge, when they were rich street guys, when they had status or whatever it was... But when you go into the witness protection program, you become a regular guy with a job oftentimes, and there's no one you can talk to about this stuff. So they love to talk about those days, so in terms of coming out, there's a lot of people in witness protection who have come out, but it's hard because it doesn't provide the excitement or adrenaline rush that they're using to enjoyment. It also doesn't provide the status - no one looks at them when they walk into a restaurant as if they're somebody special.

Q: So what, if anything, should game fans take away from today's Mob titles, given your experience with the real thing?

A: Going back to what I said earlier about learning about game universes, one of the things I had to learn about was when to get out of the way. In Made Man, we have this running voice-over telling you the story with some pretty good - not the best - but some pretty good dialogue telling you the story while you're actually playing. So we don't get in the way, prevent you from playing... I used to watch my kids playing games, and all they wanted from cut-scenes was for them to be over. You take every opportunity to develop a character to get a funny line in from a writer's point of view, but the story has to tell itself as players play it.

I don't think people realize how young the games world is. I'm enjoying being a part of it a lot because I'm talking to some really interesting people, but it's like the early days of television all over again. The limitations were unbelievable, and there's where we are now. But that's part of the fun and challenge, and things are only going to get better from a narrative standpoint...

The official BioShock site is now live.

For those of you who don't know about this artsy 360 shooter, go check it out, it's going to be brilliant... I hope.

The site already has some new screenshots, high-def videos and trailers and of course a place to go and salivate over the game with fellow enthusiasts. Brian Crecente

BioShock

That's right, the MMO guys are doing a PC shooter. While I'm a huge shooter fan, news of a new one doesn't always get me that excited, but this one sounds pretty kick-ass. They're making it from the ground-up to work with the Aegia PhysX processor.

The whole idea, it sounds like, is to flex the muscle of this elite PC piece of equipment. What that means is that everything in the environment is destructible. And not that "house of cards" sort of destruction where a building looks like its made of cards when it gets knocked down. No, the duo said it would be "dynamic, chunk-by-chunk destruction of just about everything."

One example they gave was having the ability to shoot a hole through the ceiling so the person, and anything else that happens to be on the floor above you, actually falls through.

The game is being designed with the Unreal 3 engine and in its current state it's a modern day urban shooter. Man, I may have to finally go out and buy one of those cards. This sounds hot. Brian Crecente

NetDevil

The Cyperathlete Professional League announced that they are fronting a new console and PC multiplayer shooter created using an id Software engine to be used in future tournaments.

Severity is a multiplayer first person shooter (FPS) focusing on team-versus-team and one-versus-one play modes. Additionally, the game offers unprecedented support for gamers worldwide playing in online and live competitions both casually and professionally.

"Severity will be the first videogame conceived from the ground up to ensure the growth and appeal of multiplayer game competitions worldwide," said Tom Mustaine, Director of Game Development at the CPL's new studio.

Severity is built on technology created by developer id Software and includes enhanced tournament support, spectator modes, as well as detailed player and tournament statistics tracking. By leveraging the enthusiastic community and practical experiences of the CPL, Severity is uniquely positioned to set new standards while raising the bar for competitive multiplayer games.

The league expects to start testing the game before the end of next year. Now sit back and watch John Romero talk about his new baby. Brian Crecente

The Frag Dolls, Ubi's marketing/gamer vixens, have been running a little competition on Rainbow Six Vegas this week.

Starting on Monday four of the Frag Dolls have been playing 4X4 matches from 7 to 10 p.m. pacific nightly. Any team that beats them wins $2,000 cash. Rhoulette says the random match-ups could result in Ubisoft giving away $100,000.

While you might think you have little chance against the FDs, so far the team has lost ten of the last 21 matches, giving away $20,000 to some often skilled, but sometimes lucky gamers.

I hit team leader Rhoulette up earlier this week and asked her to do some 'splaining.

She was pretty straight forward, pointing out that sometimes a good team wins and sometimes a good team loses.

"Tthere are a lot of good players out there and anything can happen in team sharpshooter. It'll be exciting to see how the next few days unfold," she said, adding: "We're just glad it's not our money on the line."

Cheeky monkey.

I tried joining one of the matches Tuesday night but wasn't lucky enough to catch one. If you're interested in trying your luck here's how:

Put the following setting into Custom Match search -
(NOTE: the Game Mode is subject to change. They may play some objective modes as the series goes on. Refer back the Frag Dolls site each day before 7pm to see the match settings)

Game Mode: Team Sharpshooter
Min players: 2
Max players: 10
Type: Player Match
Language: German

The game will be hosted by one of the following:
IGN niteStar
Valkyrie FD
Calyber FD
Rhoulette FD
Jinx FD
BrookeLyn FD

And to make things a bit easier, the group intends to try and play three games an hour. So to catch a game you're best chance is to look around these times:

7:00pm
7:20
7:40
8:00
8:20
8:40
9:00
9:20
9:40

Brian Crecente

Rhoulette [Frag Dolls]

When I first laid my eyes on Sega's Let's Go Jungle! arcade cabinet I thought "OMG. A Jambo! Safari sequel!!" One of my favorite pick up and play arcade games was finally getting its due.

I was only momentarily bummed to see that this was another Sega Arcade light gun game. What saved me from a night of heavy drinking and depression? Amazing videos of this game in action! The game looks like the best of House of the Dead and Sega's take on Jurassic Park, with a heavy dose of wildlife massacre and co-op action events.

The Lindbergh based shooter features a homely couple taking a vacation on an uninhabited island, only to realize said island has been overtaken by GIANT BUGS. Your only option? Shoot your way out! Giant mutated pest genocide!

Let's hope that there is some magical shift in management at Sega and someone with the good sense to put fantastic looking games on the appropriate console pushes this one through. Check out more screens and a preview video (click that frog) at the link below. Michael McWhertor

Let's Go Jungle! Lost on the Island of Spice

Gears of War has official sold 1 million copies and now stands as the most popular game on Xbox Live. Yes, that's right, it toppled Halo 2 from the top spot.

Microsoft says that game is the fastest selling title of the year and the fastest-selling "original Xbox game of all time." I suspect they mean game made in-house as opposed to game made for the old Xbox.

Since the game's launch 850,000 gamers have played more than 10 million online games unlocking 7