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DOTA 2 Introduces a “Least Played” Mode to Get Players Out of Their Comfort Zones

The latest update for DOTA 2‘s beta now delivers a “Least Played” mode, which will match players who are forced to use characters other the 20 that have given them the most wins. It’s meant to get players in the game’s closed beta to explore the game’s full roster, which now runs 96 character deep.…

Sublime browser-based strategy game Highgrounds just updated with 14 new characters and lots more. You should play it

This Is Like Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s Catchy Song, Thrift Shop, Only About Used Games Instead

Remember last year’s super catchy tune, Thrift Shop? It was by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, and it was about the joys of being a thrifty shopper with a whole lot of swag. Here’s a parody of that music video by IGN, only about used video games instead. For comparison’s sake, the original song: Great, now…

Hey, want to hear me (Kirk) say a thing about the Dreamcast on today’s NPR Morning Edition? You are in luck!

Match-Three Plus Multi-Touch Makes My Brain Hurt (In a Good Way)

Swapping colorful objects to create rows of three or more is about as simple as a puzzle game can get. After years of playing titles like Bejeweled and Candy Crush Saga, seeing the patterns that make the best matches is almost second nature to me. Match-three games have become a mindless relaxing pursuit. Then came…

The Slow, Excruciating Death Of Final Fantasy

Civilization creator Sid Meier once famously said that a game is “a series of interesting decisions.” Final Fantasy All The Bravest, a new game that came out for iOS on Thursday, has one interesting decision: How much money would you like to give Square Enix? All The Bravest, a series of micro-transactions disguised as a…

Glee Egregiously Rips Off Jonathan Coulton

Glee made its name on enthusiastic unoriginality. The hit TV show, in which high school teens sing syrupy-sweet covers of famous pop tunes, has never really relied on new musical material. But the cover arrangements on the show are often very original—smart, interesting reharmonizations and mash-ups that often make even the tiredest pop tunes sound…

Arcane Legends Gets Its First Taste of Player Versus Player Combat

The latest browser/mobile MMO from Spacetime Studios gets a bit more competitive today with the release of the first small taste of player-on-player violence. Who’s ready for a little Capture the Flag? Players from all platforms can queue up for four-on-four Capture the Flag battles, the most popular multiplayer mode in the Legends series. You…

Tech experts Digital Foundry say they know how powerful the PS4 (Orbis) will be. Tons of details, anonymously sourced.

The Bosses In Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Look Awesome

I find it difficult not to get excited at the upcoming Metal Gear Rising after watching this video showcase some of the bosses in the game. Particularly Mistral and her million hands, very cool. Everyone seems to be distinct in some way though. Been a while since I looked forward to a boss battle! METAL…

PlayStation Network, down for maintenance Thursday, will be offline today, too. Good thing the Skyrim DLC is next month.

ChefVille ‘Bello’s Burger’ Quests: Everything You Need to Know

Every ChefVille player knows to cook a few kinds of Hamburgers on their Grill. But a brand new Burger Station will turn your restaurant into a real “Burger Joint,” and Bello is here with a pair of quests that introduce his new appliance. Even with just two quests, you still might have a bit of…

Maybe The People Who Criticize Violent Games Should Play Them. Maybe The People Who Make Them Should Say Something.

IGN editor-in-chief Casey Lynch works on weekends and asked me last Saturday to chime in on the topic of violent video games. He hit up some other folks, too. So if you’d like to know what Adam Sessler, Ben Kuchera, Ben Silverman, Brian Crecente, Dan Hsu, Dan Stapleton, Francesca Reyes, Harold Goldberg, Ian Bogost, Jeff…

Lockout Over, NHL GameCenter Takes to the Ice on Xbox Live

The NHL’s debut on Xbox Live, delayed by the league’s 119-day lockout, finally arrived today when NHL GameCenter became available for download. Though the app itself is free, watching live games (broadcasts outside of your local TV market) requires a $49.99 subscription when play resumes tomorrow . The price was cut by more than half…

This Decade-Old Massively Multiplayer Space Odyssey Wants to Open a Wormhole to Your iPad

Launched into open alpha in 2002 by Milwaukee-based Guild Software, massively multiplayer space sim Vendetta Online has traveled a long way from Wisconsin over the past ten years. Officially released in 2004 for PC, Mac and Linux, in 2011 the game was launched on Android devices, making it the first computer-based MMO to make the…

January 31 is Antichamber Day

I should be playing Antichamber right now, but my preview build of the mind-blowing first-person exploration/puzzle game that you can see in the trailer here is… at home. What’s your excuse? Oh, it’s not January 31 yet! That’s your excuse. If you have a PC and access to Steam, you’ll be out of excuses on…

Heroes, Castles, And One Janky Tower Defense Game

The iTunes description for Heroes & Castles, a new third-person tower defense game that hit iOS yesterday, says it has “incredible console quality graphics.” Really, they should’ve stuck with mobile-quality graphics. Maybe some nice 2-D sprites and backgrounds. Then maybe this game would be more fun to play. Don’t get me wrong—Heroes & Castles is…

Codemasters is laying off 80 workers at its HQ, but says the job losses won’t affect titles like F1 and GRID

Skyrim‘s DLC Is Coming To PS3 Next Month

Finally! Skyrim‘s downloadable content, until now exclusive to Xbox 360 and PC, is making its way to the PlayStation 3. Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn will all be on the PlayStation Network in February. They’ll all be 50% off during their launch week In case you’re a PS3 player and you haven’t been paying attention, here…