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You Can Finally Break Your 99 Streak in Draw Something, And Other Updates
Today Zynga finally released the update to Draw Something that the social game developers promised when they acquired the game’s creators OMGPOP. The update brings with it much-needed features like an in-game chat (which is actually more like a comment system), undo feature, and the option to share your creations on social networks or save…
By Tina Amini Published April 18, 2012 -
Namco Says You Won’t Pay to Unlock Characters in Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Capcom’s caught a lot of heat for the on-disc locked content that shipped with Street Fighter x Tekken. Fans have loudly complained that they’ll be paying for characters that on a game disc they’ve already paid for once. But Namco—the sometime rival and sometime partner of Capcom—won’t be following in those stumbling footsteps. In a…
By Evan Narcisse Published April 18, 2012 -
Ridiculously Obscure “Black Monolith” in Fez Rallies Gamers To A Group Effort
Fez is no stranger to obscure puzzles. The game is absolutely littered with them, some more complicated than others. You think the golden bell or ominous owl are difficult to solve? Try finding the elusive red cubes dispersed throughout the world. (Fez spoilers ahead.) If you finished Fez you will have seen the awesome, cute,…
By Tina Amini Published April 18, 2012 -
Why I Hope Dragon Age 3 Is A Lot Like Dragon Age 2
BioWare’s Dragon Age franchise, like its science fiction spiritual sibling Mass Effect, creates a great deal of passion among its fans. And also like its sci-fi sib, the Dragon Age games attract an enormous amount of controversy and dissent among those same fans. Dragon Age: Origins and its DLC, including the Awakening expansion, were a…
By Kate Cox Published April 18, 2012 -
In Defense of the Infinite Combo, Which Only Ruins Street Fighter Matches Sometimes
If I were to punch you in the stomach and you could punch me back, we’d call that a fair fight. (No offense, but hopefully I’d win.) If I could punch you again and again a dozen or more times in a row and you couldn’t stop me—you literally could not raise your hands to…
By Stephen Totilo Published April 18, 2012 -
Want Access to The Secret World Beta? Play The Secret War
Funcom’s supernatural MMO The Secret World isn’t due out until June, but the struggle between the Dragon, the Illuminati, and the Templar secret societies begins today with the launch of The Secret War, a browser-based battle for world domination. Choose your side, recruit your Facebook friends, and begin spreading propaganda in order to secure real-world…
By Mike Fahey Published April 18, 2012 -
Disconnect at the Global StarCraft League Finals Has Fans Shouting “We Want LAN!”
That Team Prime’s MarineKing won the Global StarCraft II League finals held during the Starcraft II IPL 4 tournament in Las Vegas earlier this month comes as no surprise to fans of competitive gaming. The fact that he might have lost if not for a last-minute dropped connection, on the other hand… StarTale player Won…
By Mike Fahey Published April 18, 2012 -
Best Buy Offering Pre-orders For…Half-Life 2: Episode 3? [Update: The Joke Was a Hoax]
Reddit user Tabisama strolled into Best Buy, but wasn’t expecting to stumble on this pre-order for what appears to be Half-Life 2: Episode 3 Looking at this poster, you might think that it’s genuine. But looking at that 99,999,999 countdown, you might think otherwise. These Episode 3 teases are not uncommon. After all, everyone knows…
By Tina Amini Published April 18, 2012 -
Nvidia Lets Everyone Know It’s Coming
It’s coming, everybody. Nvidia’s GeForce Facebook page updated this morning to ensure fans of the video card line knew that. And now you know. Don’t thank me. Wait, what’s coming? Nvidia was understandably tight-lipped about what exactly they are teasing; one wouldn’t want a high-quality image like this going to waste. Speculation is leaning towards…
By Mike Fahey Published April 18, 2012 -
You Can Make Anything You Can Imagine With LEGO. Even a PC.
One case modder out there in the world has finally found a use, a true purpose, for the featureless square “houses” and “castles” young me inevitably built (and tore down) from my LEGO collection. This particular PC is, indeed, made of LEGO bricks. Sure, the motherboard and processor and fans and the rest aren’t made…
By Kate Cox Published April 18, 2012 -
My First Tentative Steps into the Turn-Based Tactical World of Wakfu
I’ve wandered through dozens of fantasy worlds in my massively multiplayer online gaming career, but Wakfu is the first one I’ve played where my wanderings were tied to a grid. Released in North America by Square Enix, Wakfu is one of a trio of online games by French developer Ankama Games (Dofus and Dofus Arena…
By Mike Fahey Published April 18, 2012 -
Digital Storm Unveils Its Most Affordable Gaming PCs Yet
When I think about boutique gaming PC maker Digital Storm, the first image that pops into my head is large stacks of money. Having reported on machines that can run upwards of $8,000, I never thought I’d see the day when a Digital Storm machine was priced at under $1,000. Enter the Marauder line, the…
By Mike Fahey Published April 18, 2012 -
Is This an Official Poster for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2?
It’s looking more and more like this year’s Call of Duty is going to be a sequel to 2010’s Black Ops. A retail source forwarded the following image from a poster received today. It’s been widely speculated that this year’s Call of Duty game will be a sequel to Black Ops, which was developed by…
By Evan Narcisse Published April 18, 2012 -
First Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend Starts April 27
Players that have preordered pre-purchased (different thing) Guild Wars 2 for guaranteed access to the beta will be able to take advantage of said benefit April 27 through April 29, when ArenaNet hosts the first of many weekend events. Huzzah!
By Mike Fahey Published April 18, 2012 -
What’s New With Intel’s Z77 Panther Point Chipset
Continuing its tick-tock release cycle, Intel plans to unveil a new CPU microarchitecture at the end of April. Codenamed Ivy Bridge (tick), the update will bring a 22nm die shrink of current 32nm Sandy Bridge technology (tock), bringing greater efficiency and allowing Intel to cram more into the same size die. Intel is often criticized…
Steven Walton | Techspot Published April 18, 2012 -
The Splendid Botanicula Overflows With Weapons-Grade Joyfulness
Joy is a terribly underrated commodity in video games. Most of the games I play inspire all kinds of feelings—stress, tension, exhilaration, frustration, even less-celebrated but still mentionable sensations like “comforting routine” and “empowering murder-fantasy.” There aren’t all that many games that make me feel really, truly joyful. Botanicula is one of them. Argh, this…
By Kirk Hamilton Published April 18, 2012 -
If You’re Female, Online Gaming Is A Festival of Compliments and Flattery, Comic Asserts [UPDATE]
If you play a video game online, accidentally kill your pals (virtually) and let the word out that you’re female, you’ll be showered with kind words. That’s according to The Oatmeal an online comic that contrasts this experience with that of screwing up online while male. If you’re a guy and do that, you’ll be…
By Stephen Totilo Published April 18, 2012 -
Speculation: Marvel to Buy THQ and Make Video Games In-House
THQ’s in dire straits, financially. Marvel—now a wholly-owned division of Disney—has lots and lots of money. Maybe, if the former buys the latter, they hold hands and make beautiful games together? That’s what comics culture website Bleeding Cool seems to think. Editor Rich Johnston pieces together comments and business dealings from Marvel, Disney and THQ…
By Evan Narcisse Published April 18, 2012 -
Hopefully Some JRPG Isn’t As Boring As Its Title
I kinda want to play Some JRPG, an upcoming role-playing game that promises to be a delightful cocktail of tropes and cliches. Out this summer for PC, Some JRPG will spoof what it calls generic JRPG gameplay by offering its own version of generic JRPG gameplay. It could be really funny or it could be…
By Jason Schreier Published April 18, 2012