Free 250 Tribes: Ascend Gold!

That's right! Free gold! And for once, it's not a scam! All you have to do is to visit Tribes: Ascend on Facebook, and click on the "Get 250 Free Gold!" application of the left side of the page to get your free gold. Make sure to like the page before you do so! Once you get the code, just plop it in the redemption menu inside the Tribes: Ascend game client to receive your free 250 gold.

This campaign will end on 31st March 2012, 11:59 a.m. (EDT), so you have no excuses to miss it.

Tribes: Ascend Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/tribesascend 

Image source: https://www.facebook.com/tribesascend?sk=app_143129555807414

Aion going Free-To-Play on 28th February

NCSoft has announced that their original Pay-To-Play MMORPG, Aion will be relaunching as a Free-To-Play title. The entire game will be open to free players, with some limitations such as trading, chatting, poorer rewards from quests, and a few other restrictions. Apart from the limitations, F2P players can do everything else in the game.

There will be three different player statuses depending on the payment model they choose:

1. Starter
• Free to play users
• Limited game features
2. Veteran
• Former subscribers
• Nearly full game features
3. Gold Pack
• Ongoing subscribers
• Full game features with bonuses

It's not the first time that a P2P MMO has gone F2P in the past few years, and I think that going F2P is definitely the way forward in the world of MMOs.

You can sign up for Aion here: http://www.aionfreetoplay.com/website/free2play/ 

Image source: http://www.gamefluke.com/f2p-news/aion-going-free-to-play-in-europe-in-february/

Pokemon Black and White 2 Announced!

Earlier today, Game Freak director Junichi Masuda announced on the Japanese television show, Pokemon Smash, that Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2 will be released for the Nintendo DS in Japan this June. Despite the 3DS, Nintendo decided to make Pokemon Black and White 2 compatible with the original Nintendo DS, with the 3DS players having a few other exclusive features.

Much like all the other Pokemon titles, I'm sure that Pokemon Black and White 2 will be another success internationally. It almost seems to me like they were running out of colors to name their Pokemon game titles. There is no word on the international release date yet, but more news should be announced soon. 

Image source: http://www.1up.com/news/pokemon-black-white-2-backward-brilliant

Guild Wars 2 ONE MILLION sign-ups!

Remember the post where I mentioned that the Guild Wars 2 open beta sign-up was up for 48 hours? Well cross your fingers, because you will be competing with ONE MILLION other users who signed up for the beta in the short 48 hour timespan. Talk about being impressive. Guild Wars 2 is definitely one of the most hyped-up MMOs of 2012, and with the open beta underway, the release date is surely around the corner, waiting to reveal itself to all of the fans. I hope I get into the beta, and good luck to anyone of you who have signed up for it as well.

Twitter link: https://twitter.com/#!/GuildWars2/status/173130750747615232

Valve merchandise!

Toy company, NECA will be selling Valve merchandise to shops this summer! There will be various toys from the different Valve titles such as:

• Team Fortress 2
• Half Life
• Left 4 Dead 2
• Portal

Oh yes, there will be a life-sized Portal gun on sale for $130. Expensive? A little, but having a Portal gun hung up on your wall is definitely worth it. I would definitely be buying some of the action figures. Although  I'm not much of a toy collector, but if a company sells action figures of my favorite video games, my money is theirs.

Image source: http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/02/24/team-fortress-2-action-figures-and-life-sized-portal-gun-hitting-shops-this-summer/

Counter Strike: Global Offensive joining up the beta wagon

Joining the closed beta wagon today is CS:GO. Much like the DOTA 2 closed beta, all you have to do is fill in a survey and you could stand a chance getting into the beta. Once you get into the beta, you will of course receive beta keys to gift to your friends on Steam. They will be making their first selection from the survey next week, it will make up of 1.6 players, CS:S players, and players who have played neither.

To stand a chance to get into the beta, all you need to do is enter this into any Windows Explorer or browser address bar and it will open the survey through Steam for you: steam://takesurvey/2/

Image source: http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/08/12/valve-announces-counter-strike-global-operations-playable-at-pax/

Guild Wars 2 Open Beta Sign-up for 48 hours

Guild Wars 2 open beta sign-ups are open for only 48 hours, so if you want to get in, you better hurry! It does not guarantee you a spot, but you'll be notified of any future beta events. All you need to do is to submit your system information, which they do for you, and your contact information by 6:00p.m. (UK time) on 24th February.

ArenaNet has also posted an extremely detailed FAQ about the open beta. You can sign up for the open beta here. Go quick, you have less than 48 hours!

Image source: http://nerdtrek.com/pax-2011-guild-wars-2-panel/

Borderlands 2 Launch Date!

Borderlands 2, the sequel to the multi-million unit selling title, Borderlands, will be released on the PS3, Xbox 360, and the PC on 18th September in North America, and 21st September internationally. Borderlands 2 will return to Pandora, where playing will be discovering unexplored new areas, secrets, and mysteries. 2K Games had also released a launch date trailer promising 96.5% more WUB WUB, video link is down below.

I loved the first Borderlands and I can't wait to play this sequel. In fact, you can already pre-order it now on their website. Although 18th September is still pretty far away, Borderlands 2 is definitely a title to look out for.

Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAWM1vRSk44 

Image source:  http://www.shacknews.com/article/69555/borderlands-2-announced-new-classes-weapons

The Witcher 2 sells over 1.1 million copies in 2011

It's been a great year for The Witcher 2 as they have sold over 1,110,005 copies to the PC platform, according to Eurogamer. The digital version sold 270,000 through various digital distribution services, and 40,000 of which is through Good Old Games. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition will be arriving to the PC this April, and the new content will be made available automatically to all existing owners of The Witcher 2.

1 million is a pretty big figure to hit. I've played both the Witcher 1 and 2, and I can understand why it sold so well. If you have not played either one of the games, I highly recommend you to check them out!

Image source: http://onlivefans.com/news/the-witcher-and-the-witcher-2-will-be-coming-to-onlive-for-uk-and-us-users/4452/

Realm of the Mad God on Steam now!

You may have heard of or even played Realm of the Mad God on your browser before, but now it's going on to Steam for free! It is a co-op MMO bullet hell 2D shooter where you can basically team up automatically with players nearby and kill monsters and bosses together. There are 13 different classes that you can progressively unlock and play, each with its own unique stats and abilities.

My suggestion? Download it now! It's free, it's fun, and it will consume your soul. With a likely increase of player base, you can expect more content to be added to the game in the near future. Get it on Steam here.

Image source: http://www.tigsource.com/2012/02/18/coming-to-steam-realm-of-the-mad-god/

Retro City Rampage is coming on all platforms!

The developers of Retro City Rampage will be arriving on all platforms, specifically being PC, Wii, PS3, PS Vita, XBLA. Retro City rampage is a 2D top-down action game that has many elements of the classic Grand Theft Auto games in 8-bit goodness. There are over 50 story missions, as well as 30 challenges in Arcade Mode.

The developers are targetting for a May release for all platforms. In fact, you can even pre-order the PC version now for $14.99 here. Retro City Rampage looks like a pretty neat and nostalgic title, and I'm probably gonna get myself a copy when it is released.

Image source: http://www.shacknews.com/article/72529/retro-city-rampage-confirmed-for-pc-ps3-and-vita-too

Guild Wars 2 Closed Beta Footage

It's Monday, and the Yogscast has already uploaded new gameplay footage from the Guild Wars 2 Press Beta! This footage features the character creation screen, as well as the starting zones. 

Talk about being efficient, it's barely been a day and they've already gotten footage and uploaded it on YouTube for our viewing pleasure. Be sure to check the video out in the link below!

Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-YKm20rPQY

Buy 2 get 1 free PS Vita Games at Gamestop!

If you happen to own a Sony PS Vita, great news! Gamestop is currently offering a buy 2 get 1 free deal on select PS Vita titles. 

These titles include:

1. Uncharted: Golden Abyss
2. ModNation Racers: Road Trip
3. Little Deviants
4. Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational
5. Wipeout 2048

This deal will be running from today up to the 25th of February. So if you are a PS Vita owner, you should probably take advantage of this awesome deal to snag yourself one free game!

Image source: http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/19/buy-2-get-1-free-on-select-vita-games-at-gamestop-starting-today/

2QWOP

If you thought playing QWOP by yourself wasn't entertaining enough, you now get the chance to play it with your friends with a two-player split-screen multiplayer mode. The top player uses QWER to move whereas the bottom player uses UIOP. This probably won't work very well with keyboards without anti-ghosting, since you do have 8 buttons to press.

If you don't have a friend to play 2QWOP with, you can always attempt to play both screens by yourself! That's something worth bragging.

Image source: http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/720897/2qwop-multiplayer-qwop-is-now-available/

Civilization V: Gods & Kings

2K Games has announced the first expansion pack for Civilization V. Titled "Gods & Kings", this expansion pack is targetted to be released in "late spring 2012". Gods & Kings will not only be bringing religion back into the game, it will also add 27 new units, 13 new buildings, 9 new playable civilizations and 9 new Wonders.

This is great news for Civilization fans. With this giant expansion pack, fans would be excited to get back into the game.

Image source: http://videogamewriters.com/civilization-v-gods-kings-expansion-pack-heralds-the-return-of-religion-and-espionage-39071/

Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Double Pack!

Bethesda just announced that they will be releasing a "Fallout 3 & Oblivion Double Pack" on April 3rd, for both the Xbox 360 and PC. The Xbox 360 version will set you back $29.99 whereas the PC version will only cost you $19.99. Despite having the "Game of the Year" title to them, they do not come with any of the DLC packs released.

If you've not played both Fallout 3 and Oblivion, this will be your golden opportunity to pick them up in a convenient bundle.  I will be posting the link to purchase the bundle when it is released, but for now, get your wallets ready.

Image source: http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2012/02/17/fallout-3-amp-oblivion-double-pack-announced.aspx

Guild Wars 2 Limited Beta Testing!

ArenaNet recently announced that Guild Wars 2 has gone into press beta release. They've invited hunders of players and press from all over the world for a beta test over the weekends. Playing beside the beta testers will be the staff members at ArenaNet, guiding, and showing the game off to them.

The press is not allowed to release any information, or gameplay footage before Monday. So you can expect a massive amount of information for Guild Wars 2 really soon. Additionally, ArenaNet revealed that they'll have some very specific information about an upcoming Guild Wars 2 beta event. I'm taking my bet on public beta testing.

Guild Wars 2 is soon becoming ready to be released. This will probably be the game that will chip all my time away, but hey, who cares? It's Guild Wars 2!

Image source: http://www.arena.net/blog/guild-wars-2-limited-beta-test-begins-today

else { Heart.break() }

else { Heart.break() } is an indie title released by game developer, Erik Svedang. This game puts players into a virtual world where the game's source code can be accessed and modified by the players themselves. This alone makes the game so incredibly unique and interesting. All characters in the game will have lives of their owns, and is part of the world. else { Heart.break() } assumes that all players have no programming knowledge, but they do get access to the code and is taught by other characters on how to modify it.

If you're not a programmer, you might think that the name is a weird one, but it's actually a play on programming syntax. As a game programmer myself, I think that this would be an awesome game to get into. I love programming, and I love video games, so this might be that one game for me!

Image source: http://www.indiegamemag.com/erik-svedang-unveils-else-heart-break/

Rift sets Guinness World Record for most in-game marriages

Over the span of 24 hours during the Valentine's Day event held in Rift, they have managed to set the Guinness World Record for most in-game marriages in a 24-hour period. Rift has accomplished an insane 21,879 marriages in just under 24 hours to earn them the title. This record has been recorded into the Guiness World Records, and will have a chance to be included in the Guiness World Records Gamer's Edition. All married couples who participated in this event will receive a unique in-game title "The Avowed".

Many games have had marriage systems implemented long before Rift. What's surprising is that Rift is the first one to set this record. This event has probably worked out extremely well for Rift after going semi Free-To-Play as a form of publicity. I look forward to Rift being fully Free-To-Play one day.

Image source: http://www.themarriedgamers.net/2012/02/trion-worlds-eyes-record-breaking-rift-marriages/

Mojam Humble Bundle

Humble Bundle, which is well known for releasing game packs for the price of anything, is teaming up with Mojang, the people who is developing Minecraft, to bring you The Humble Bundle Mojam. This bundle will be created and livestreamed over the weekend and is already ready for pre-ordering. The revenue, as usual, will be going to four charities, they include Child's Play, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Charity: Water, and The American Red Cross.

The genre and theme of the game was decided by poll votes from the community. It has been voted that the game will be a Real Time Strategy, Shoot 'em Up, set in an Ancient Egpyt Steampunk theme. I really wonder how this game will turn out.

Check out the livestream here!

Image source: http://geeks.thedailywh.at/2012/02/17/humble-bundle-developer-jam-of-the-day/

Love Legos? Love Minecraft? Then you'll love this news!

Lego Minecraft started off as a proposal on http://lego.cuusoo.com/ initially, but it received so much support from the community that it is now reality. The Lego set will feature a chunk of the world to play it, as well as Steve and a Creeper.

It's pretty cool to see a video game being transformed into a toy, and how the game community has so much influence on what could happen.

This Lego set is already available for sale, and can be pre-ordered for £34.99. If you're looking to preorder it, check it out here!

Image source: http://gizmodo.com/5885616/the-official-lego-minecraft-micro-world-set-is-here

Street Fighter X Tekken PC date confirmed

Capcom has just confirmed the release date for Street Fighter X Tekken to be set on 11th May. SFxTK is a mash up fighting game of two of the most popular fighting games, Street Fighter and Tekken. It will be using the same engine as Super Street Fighter IV, but with a few tweaks here and there. The game will also have new features such as Tag Team combat and power gems that can improve your character.

Despite the release date for the PC being two whole months later than the console, it is still nice to see that Capcop is not ignoring the PC platform just yet. I'll be looking forward to playing Street Fighter X Tekken.

Image source: http://www.jefusion.com/2010/07/street-fighter-x-tekken-game-announced.html

Killing Floor 85% Off!

In celebration of selling 1 MILLION copies, Tripwire Interactive is offering Killing Floor for an insane 85% off through Steam this week. The game by itself costs $2.24 USD, and the bundle that includes all 6 DLCs costs $4.03 USD during this sale. Despite the game being released in 2009, the developers have been very consitent in providing regular updates and DLC content.

Here are some interesting stats for Killing Floor:

• 45 MILLION hours of Killing Floor has been played in total.
• Nearly 2 MILLION Killing Floor DLC have been sold.
• Zeds are being killed at a rate of 20,000 an hour.
• 440 MILLION Zeds have been dispatched in Achievements alone.
• The KF community has created hundreds of custom maps.

If you've been looking for a game to play lately, it's time to grab Killing Floor quick!

Image source: http://gamelitist.com/2011/12/killing-floor/

40 HD video game wallpapers

Need a new video game wallpaper? You'll be ecstatic to know that crispme.com has put together a collection of 40 HD video game wallpapers. Some titles included in the wallpapers are, Assasin's Creed, The Witcher, Bioshock, Deus Ex, Darksiders, and many more. 

These wallpapers are actually of really good quality and they come in the size of 2560 x 1600. I've downloaded quite a few of them myself.

What's best about it is that all the wallpapers are free for download! Check them out here!

Image source: http://crispme.com/40-2-hd-video-game-wallpapers/

Mass Effect 3 goes GOLD!

Earlier today, Mass Effect 3's executive producer, Casey Hudson, announced on twitter that Mass Effect 3 is officially gold. The game will be released on March 6th for North America, 8th and 9th for Australia and Europe respectively. 

If you can't wait for the full game, a demo of the game will be released soon for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. It will feature a sneak peak of both the campaign and 4 player co-op. This is the first time multiplayer has been implemented in the Mass Effect series, players can control their own characters and take them on different missions on their own.

More news on Mass Effect 3 will probably be announced very soon. And if you've not watched the 5 new trailers, check them out on my other post. Oh and don't forget the tease, "Many surprises await you - this week and beyond."

Twitter link: https://twitter.com/#!/CaseyDHudson/statuses/168934352154136576

New misc slot item for Team Fortress 2, again, again, and again.

This time round, it's the Boston Boom-Bringer misellaneous item for the Scout. The unique thing about this item is that it has four different audio clips, each having a chance to play during a taunt. The Boston Boom-Bringer is yet another item that was contributed by the Team Fortress 2 community via the Steam Workshop, much like other user created items such as the Lucky Shot, and Alladin's Private Reserve.

I like how Valve is letting Team Fortress 2 allow its community to contribute to the game itself. It's pretty awesome to be able to design an equipment or item that has a chance to be added into your favourite game. The only thing I don't like about it is the prices. I know these items can be obtained without spending a single cent, but still, pricing a misellaneous slot item at $9.99 seems pretty ridiculous to me. 

Team Fortress 2 won't be getting any money from me this way, but if you're feeling generous, you can buy the Boston Boom-Bringer here.

Image Source: http://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=7317

LittleBigPlanet Karting Confirmed!

Sony recently confirmed on Twitter that LittleBigPlanet Karting is indeed in development. Little is made known about this game as of now, and there was no mention as to which studio will be developing the game, or when it will be released. One thing Sony did mention however, was for gamers to expect more news soon, so it shouldn't take too long to know more about the game.

Whatever LittleBigPlanet Karting turns out to be, I'm sure it'll be as great as their other LittleBigPlanet titles. Perhaps Mario Kart will finally meet its match!

Twitter link: https://twitter.com/#!/PlayStation/status/167972340070760449

Cube World: Slow Motion Combat!

Wollay, the developer of Cube World has released a new video,  demonstrating the combat mechanics in slow motion. If you've have not heard of Cube World before, it is an action RPG currently in development for PC, with many inspirations from games like Minecraft, Legend of Zelda, and Diablo.

I personally am waiting for him to release the game just so that I can throw my money at him, Cube World is probably one of my most anticipated games of 2012. Check out his development blog here!

Five New Trailers for Mass Effect 3!

As if one new awesome trailer wasn't enough, Bioware decided to release FIVE new awesome trailers for Mass Effect 3, each focusing on the different features of Mass Effect 3 such as the game's story choices, in-game customization, enemies, and co-op multiplayer. 

I'll provide the links to the trailers to Bioware's official website, but be warned, some of the videos will contain minor spoilers so watch at your own risk!

1. Plan your Custom Arsenal 
2. Choice matters with Interactive Storytelling
3. Check out the Intense Gameplay
4. Learn more about Co-op Multiplayer
5. Fear the Ruthless Enemies

Image source: http://thegamershub.net/2012/01/new-mass-effect-3-details/

RIP Adam Adamowicz

Adam Adamowicz, age 42, passed away earlier this week due to cancer. If you have played TES V: Skyrim or Fallout 3, and loved how it look, you have him to thank. He was the concept artist of both of these visually amazing titles, the look and feel of the games were largely contributed by this talented, but unlucky man.

Most people may not know of him, neither did I until I learnt about the news. But the contribution of his work has reached out to many video games lovers. The world of video games has lost a talented individual.

Rest in peace, Adam Adamowicz.

Image source: http://www.giantbomb.com/news/bethesda-concept-artist-adam-adamowicz-passes-away/3980/

Be Mine Indie Game Bundle

Can't get enough of indie bundle? here's another! This is a bundle released by the Groupees community which donates to charity, and you can pay what you want. 

It includes 5 of the great following games:

1. Wasteland Angel
2. Sideways New York
3. Xotic
4. BEEP
5. The Ball

All 5 of the games can be activated on Steam, they come with cool incentives and 20% of what you pay will go to the Child's Play Charity Organization. 

This bundle will be launching on the 14th of February (Valentine's Day) and will run for two weeks, so get your wallets ready! 

Check out their website here!

Indie Royale: Valentine's Bundle

If you've have not purchased the Valentine's Bundle yet, it's probably about time to do so. 

This bundle includes 5 of the following games:

1. Zeno Clash
2. Hoard
3. Lume
4. Soulcaster
5. Soulcaster II

All of the games apart from Soulcaster and Soulcaster II can be redeemed on Steam. For a price under $5 for all five games, I think it's a pretty awesome deal. This bundle will be available for the next four days so hurry up! Visit their website here.

More bad news for Diablo III fans

It has been recently made known by Blizzard's Community Manager, Bashiok, that Diablo III is going to have these features:

1. Diablo III will only support 4 players.
2. Diablo III will not have built-in voice chat at launch.
3. Diablo III will not have any higher resolution textures in the final game.

First of all,  Diablo III has 5 classes, and possibly more in the future, multiplayer support for only 4 players? And no higher resolution textures? What the hell are they thinking? Bashiok also did mention that changing the graphics to an Ultra setting wouldn't make any difference at all.

All of the changes sounds like Diablo III is being made catered for consoles, and all they want is money.

I'm not even sure if Diablo III will be good any more. But one thing I know for sure is that Blizzard won't be getting any of my money.

Image source: http://gamerant.com/diablo-3-console-port-trung-80193/

Message from Gabe to Steam Community

Welp, it seems that the hackers from before might have taken a copy of a backup file about Steam transactions between 2004 and 2008. The article mentioned that the file contained usernames, emails, encrypted billing addresses and credit card information, but it did not include Steam passwords.

If you're on Steam, it's probably a good idea to change your password right about now.
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Blizzard versus Valve - Clash of the DOTA trademark

Blizzard is appealing against Valve for the DOTA trademark, and this case has already gone to the courts. Dota 2 is being developed by Valve has already been in beta for quite a while now, and Blizzard has only recently decided to fight for the trademark. I think this whole deal is kind of stupid. Does the name of the game really matter? It could be called something entirely different and the Dota lovers like myself would still play it and love it anyway.

In my opinion, I think that Blizzard is the bad guy here. All these years when the original Dota was free, Blizzard wouldn't have given a rat's ass to anyone who would apply for the trademark. Now that Valve has made Dota into a franchise, Blizzard wants the trademark all to themselves. I understand that the original Dota mod was built and made on Blizzard's Warcraft III engine, but it's Blizzard's fault for not applying for the trademark earlier. What I think is going on is the work of Activision, they've already screwed up games with so much potential, and now they're trying to do it with Blizzard's games.

I'm just gonna hope that this fight for the DOTA trademark wouldn't affect either one of the Dota games. I honestly would still play it even if it's called something else like "Super Fun Time Party of the Ancients". It would suck to see game development being shut down due to something this redundant, why can't game companies just get along?

Image source: http://kotaku.com/5883938/blizzard-and-valve-go-to-war-over-dota-name

Double Fine's Adventure Kickstarter has reached over ONE MILLION DOLLARS

Double Fine, the developers of the much loved adventure game "Psychonauts" has managed to raise more than $1 million on Kickstarter in less than 24 hours. With that amount of money and support, it's pretty certain that Psychonauts 2 will be another awesome title.

This is pretty amazing for independent developers, to see how your project can get funded that greatly in such an insanely short amount of time. It is heart-warming to see that the gaming community actually shows care and support to indie game companies, instead of being mindless zombie fan-boys for massive game franchises such as "Call of Duty".

There are rewards for pledging for the "Double Fine Adventure" project.

1. $15 gets you the finished game on Steam, access to the PC beta and videos, as well as the private discussion community.
2. $30 gets you the HD documentary download, and the game soundtrack.
3. $100 gets you an Original "Double Fine Adventure" poster, and special thanks in the game's credits.
4. $250 gets you the same poster as the $100 reward, just that it will be autographed by the developers and the design team.
5. $1000 gets you a mini portrait of yourself, painted by the game's artist.
6. $5000 gets you a large original painting of art used in the final game.
7. $10000 gets you lunch with the developers and a tour of the Double Fine offices.

Well, what are you waiting for? Check out the "Double Fine Adventure" project here!

Image source: http://www.theverge.com/2012/2/9/2786643/double-fine-kickstarter-goal-12-hours

Diablo fans rejoi.. never mind.

If you have been anticipating for Diablo III this year, bad news. Diablo III has been pushed back to Q2 of the year. We've all been waiting for more than a decade, so let's hope that Diablo III will prove itself to be one of the best MMOs of 2012.

Hello

This is where I'll be posting video game related news as well as games that are on discounts!