Valve Unleashes An Alien Swarm On Steam

The Alien Swarm Unreal Tournament 2004 mod becomes a full, Source-powered four-player co-op tactics game, available for free on Steam this Monday, courtesy of the nice folks at Valve. Valve hired on the team responsible for Alien Swarm two years ago. Since then, they’ve been busy working on the Left 4 Dead series and now…

Swarm Screens

Atari Reviving Centipede, Star Raiders Too?

Earlier this week, Atari revealed an unexpected retro-revival, a new game based on the original Haunted House for the Atari 2600. Atari’s plans for breathing new life into old brands may not stop there. Siliconera spotted two more Atari throwbacks, Centipede and Star Raiders, at online rental outlet Gamefly, listed as future releases on the…

The Pause that Definitely Refreshes

Mega Man, reimagined in one of 12 old-school ads by Brian Miggels and Brian Altano of IGN. Zelda, Pac-Man, Solid Snake and more are at the link. [IGN]

Nintendo DS Steals XL Sized Piece Of Japan’s Pie

The XL sized Nintendo DSi LL continues its streak as the bestselling piece of hardware in Japan this week, helping to give Nintendo more than half the pie. But the super-sized Nintendo DS’s lead is starting to wane. Fortunately for Nintendo, its nearest competitor is itself. The Wii is the country’s second bestseller, according to…

Pro Football’s Glamour Divisions Get Their Close-Up

Now that we’re done with the AFC, it’s time for Madden NFL 11 to go to the league’s men’s department: the NFC, and proven leaders like Matt Leinart; old school hardasses like Wade Phillips, and perennial champions like the Philadelphia Eagles. Here are 39 screens of the NFC East and NFC West, which account for…

Madden NFL 11 Screens: NFC East and NFC West

StarCraft II Has A $100 Million Price Tag

It’s taken more than a decade and over $100 million USD to get here, but StarCraft II will be hitting store shelves on July 27. And while that hefty development price tag may seem like a lot, well, it’s not. The Wall Street Journal puts StarCraft II’s development costs above the $100 million mark, but…

360-Exclusive Beta Planned for Spec Ops: The Line

Those wanting to get in on Spec Ops: The Line early, 2K is now taking signups through a beta site, but the test will run for the Xbox 360 only. And, it should be noted, signing up does not guarantee you a spot in the multiplayer beta, whenever that rolls out. It’s very mucha closed…

Named Rosters Now Available for Xbox 360 NCAA 11

The veteran roster editor Fairdale Kings has published the first fully named roster for the Xbox 360 version of NCAA Football 11. You can now play with real-life player names on all 120 teams on both platforms. Pasta Padre is hosting it through his 360 gamertag. To get it, in NCAA Football 11’s menu, go…

A Coming Storm

To: Ash From: Crecente Re: I Did Not Burn Down The House Today Next week is going to be crazy. We’ve got the insanity of Comic-Con to cover, plus we’re going to be running our second annual Summer of Gaming theme week. There are some really great stories coming for that package. Remember when summer…

Alabama GameStops Spoofing NCAA 11 Tebow Cover?

An Alabama GameStop allegedly made a cover of a crying Tim Tebow – who (in)famously wept as Alabama beat Florida for last year’s SEC championship – and inserted it into the cases of NCAA Football 11 games on display. I say allegedly because, though they could have seen through my poor impersonation of a ‘Bama…

CellCraft Is One Intelligently Designed Cellular Biology Game

There’s fun to be had and lessons to be learned about cellular biology in CellCraft, as long as you can weather the argument over whether or not it’s a creationist take on the subject. CellCraft is a nifty little free Flash game that takes the complicated process of teaching cellular biology and turns it into…

A Play Through The Most Amazing Mario Kart Board Game Ever Made

Consider this your moment of zen for the day: A Mario Kart Wii Grand Prix board game. Seen at this year’s Tokyo Toy Show, so it probably isn’t out yet. But I think I know what I want for my birthday next year! [Japan Trends,Thanks Never Know Tech]

Questions And Answers About Blizzard’s Real ID Plans

You got questions about Blizzard’s Real ID system and privacy issues? We’ve got answers, in a Q&A issued by the company covering everything from Facebook integration to World of Warcraft plugins designed to steal your info. Now that the dust has settled over Blizzard’s discarded plans to use players’ real names in the World of…

Review Round Up: Lego Light Spank Danger Quest

Let’s list the games Kotaku reviewed this week in terms of positivity, starting with the game we liked least and ending with our most lavishly praised game of the past seven days. The Silver Lining: Episode 1 Micro-Review: Absence Makes The Heart Grow Colder “Yet all the enthusiasm and savings in the world can’t stop…

A Girl Gamer Is Not A Tomboy

As seen on Grace-elizabeth1’s excellent “Stereotypes” Flckr photo set

Old Lady Modern Warfare 2 Easter Egg Is Fake And Great

This is Modern Warfare 2, but this is not real. [via the blog of Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling]

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Two words. Limbo. And then Limbo again. Because that’s what I’ll be playing all weekend, a moody Xbox Live Arcade game so nice I’m forced to play it twice. When I’m not playing Limbo or sleeping, I’ll be playing Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies. It’s long. That’s why I’m still playing it.…

If You Can’t Beat The Zombies, Eat The Zombies

Eating the undead isn’t just for Japan anymore. From the makers of Zombie Blood energy drink comes Zombie Jerky Dead Meat Chunks, “the first slimy, green, beef jerky packaged in a bright-orange biohazard specimen bag.” I feel sick. Harcos, the company that brought you Mana Energy Potion, Blood Energy Potion, and of course, Zombie Blood,…