MegaGamer News

Bethesda Sues Mojang

2011-08-11T01:22:00.000-04:00

"Scrolls", of course being easily confused with "Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim".

There is a lot of strange news that comes out of Mojang, the recently formed indie development studio. After all, it's ran by Notch, the creator of Minecraft, a strange and wonderful beast himself. But, no one, not even the "almighty Notch", could've seen this coming.

Bethesda is suing Mojang for its use of the word "Scrolls".

Scrolls, of course, is Mojang's latest game announcement. The card-based game was announced earlier this year. The reason Bethesda is taking offense to this is because they feel it is infringing on their copyright of "Elder Scrolls". The series is quite famous, containing fan-favorite RPGs Morrowind, Oblivion, and the soon-to-be-released Skyrim.

This is the abbreviated announcement by Notch, pulled straight from his blog (You can read the full version by clicking here):

"About half a year ago, our lawyers recommended us to register “Minecraft” as a trademark, so we did....At the same time, we also applied for “Scrolls”, the new game we’re working on...

A while later, out of the blue, we got contacted by Bethesda’s lawyers. (They) claimed it conflicted with their existing trademark “The Elder Scrolls”. I agree that the word “Scrolls” is part of that trademark, but as a gamer, I have never ever considered that series of (very good) role playing games to be about scrolls in any way, nor was that ever the focal point of neither their marketing nor the public image...

Today, I got a 15 page letter from some Swedish lawyer firm, saying they demand us to stop using the name Scrolls, that they will sue us (and have already paid the fee to the Swedish court), and that they demand a pile of money up front before the legal process has even started.

I assume this is all some more or less automated response to us applying for the trademark. I sincerely hope Bethesda isn’t pulling a Tim Langdell."

That last statement is a reference to a case a few years ago, where a man named Tim Langdell claimed he owned the naming rights to the word "Edge". This was, of course, ridiculous and his case was thrown out. However, the legal process did take a very long time and prevented games such as "Soul Caliber" to use the word Edge, due to fear of legal action. If Bethesda truly does try and trademark the word "Scrolls" in such a way that no one can use it in any way, it will do no good to their reputation. Notch pointed out that after some research, his team did find that Bethesda does not have much, if any chance at winning this case, however it does pull Mojang into a possibly long, unnecessary legal case that no one wants.

Bethesda has yet to release a statement (other than a "no comment" to PC Gamer), so hopefully this is just all a big misunderstanding, and it's just "lawyers being lawyers". Otherwise, we may see Bethesda lose a little bit of the respect they've earned over the years.

(Full story from Notch's blog)

Minecraft Surpasses 3 Million Copies Sold

2011-08-06T18:51:00.001-04:00

The game that just keeps on selling.

In a recent tweet by game creator and Swedish Markus "Notch" Persson, it was announced that the once cult-hit Minecraft has now broken the 3-Million sales mark, not too shabby for a game that’s technically not out yet.

In regard to the game’s “in-production” status, Mojang Specifications has set an official release date for November 16, 2011 launching during MineCon, the Official Convention for Minecraft.

"MinecraftCon will be our biggest and only promotion," he said.

Also, it's been stated that the 1.8 Adventure Update will be playable at PAX Prime in Seattle, WA for anyone attending the show. I'll be there with an exclusive interview, as well as early impressions of the anticipated update.

For more news on Minecraft, MineCon and its impending launch this fall, stick with MGN.

Feature | The Nintendo 3DS Price Cut: Buy Now or Later?

2011-08-06T10:45:00.000-04:00

Should you be happy or upset? You decide.

Good for new customers, bad for early adopters?

If you purchased the 3DS recently or back at launch and you just got word that Nintendo is dropping the price, you’re probably pretty upset about spending all that extra money. You might still feel a bit of pain over this recent news, but we might be able to help ease it.

For starters, Nintendo is already dropping the price of the 3DS, yet the system hasn’t even been out for six months. However, Nintendo plans on rewarding the early adopters of the new 3D handheld for their support early on. Plus, they don’t want to disrespect and anger the customers who spent the extra dough just a few short months ago.

How does Nintendo plan on doing so, and what does the price drop mean for you? Read on.

In a recent press release, Nintendo outlined their plans to drop the price of the 3DS from a stiff $250 down to the more reasonable price of $170. While the many cautious buyers who’ve been on the fence will likely rejoice at the decrease in cost, we can’t forget about the fair amount of early adopters who paid the hefty price of admission. While many will feel betrayed and cheated, Nintendo didn’t initiate this plan without first coming up with a suitable reward for them.

If you were an early adopter or happen to buy a 3DS at its current cost before the price drop on August 12th, you’ll gain access to the Nintendo Ambassador Club. What does this mean? In a nutshell it nets you 20 free 3DS games. Right off the bat you’ll be awarded 10 select virtual console games, and later on be given another 10 free games that won’t be offered to anyone else but ambassadors, at least by Nintendo’s statements.

Here are just a few of the 10 free games you’ll get early and for free on September 1st:

- Super Mario Bros.
- Donkey Kong Jr.
- Balloon Fight
- Ice Climber
- The Legend of Zelda

In addition to getting these games early, updated versions of these classics will be coming later in the year with such features as multiplayer updates, all of which will be offered to the ambassadors free of charge.

Below is a list of games you’ll get at a later date, only if you purchased the 3DS before the price drop. Nintendo has no plans of releasing these to the general public:

- Yoshi’s Island
- Super Mario Advance 3
- Mario Kart: Super Circuit
- Metroid Fusion
- WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgame$
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong

Are you going to pick up a 3DS after the price takes a cut? Possibly jump in at full price and claim those exclusive virtual console titles? Tell us in the comments below.

Halo Anniversary: New sound vs Old Sound

2011-08-06T10:17:00.001-04:00

How much is being changed, and how much is the same?

Cover-to-cover comparison.

If you were a proud owner of the Original Xbox, then it’s highly likely that you were an even more proud owner of the legendary system seller Halo: Combat Evolved. You may also be aware that, in celebration of its 10 year anniversary, the shooter that launched a franchise will be receiving an HD makeover this holiday season.

Some things are changing for the remake, some aren't. We're telling you what those things are.

As far as the “re-mastering” process goes, 343 Industries has made it clear that it’s strictly on a presentational level, meaning graphics and sound, not gameplay or physics. In fact, they’ve gone so far as to state that the gameplay engine and physics have been completely untouched since the game’s original release in 2001, as their goal is to bring one of Bungie’s greatest into the High Definition era, not change how it plays.

The visual upgrades are quite noticeable and have impressed many so far, but what about the sound? Well, luckily enough, 343 Industries has released a handful of videos showcasing the subtle yet refreshing differences between the old and new game.

As far as I’m concerned, they’ve hit the nail on the head. The sound design sounds nearly identical, only cleaner and clearer, almost as if the game is running on Reach’s sound engine.

We’ll have more on Halo: Anniversary at PAX Prime this month during HaloFest, so stay tuned to MGN for all the updates from the show floor.

Borderlands 2 Announced

2011-08-06T10:08:00.000-04:00

Who’s ready for more claptrap?

Borderlands 2 is getting the Game Informer treatment.

After a few days of rumors and “tips from valid sources”, Borderlands 2 has officially been announced by 2K Games and Gearbox Software.

While not much is known about the sequel to the highly praised shooter/rpg hybrid of 2009, we do know that there will be a multi-page spread in the upcoming Game Informer magazine, which is said to be filled with some hefty details on Gearbox’s latest.

In addition to reading about Borderlands 2, you can also get some hands on time if you’ll be attending the upcoming PAX Prime convention in Seattle, Washington.

We’ll be there bringing you our impressions, but until then, just enjoy the killer Game Informer cover.

Duke Nukem Forever | Video Review

2011-07-31T13:22:00.000-04:00

What did we think of Duke Nukem Forever? Was it worth the 14 long years of waiting? Are you just too lazy to read the written review?

Watch the Video Review and you'll find out.

Comic Con | Star Wars Xbox 360 Console Announced

2011-07-23T00:41:00.000-04:00

This is most definitely the droid you're looking for.

Official Star Wars Xbox 360 Bundle.

In a surprise announcement via Comic-Con today, Microsoft rolled out the Star Wars Xbox 360 Bundle, and it's quite the special edition if you ask me.

Inside the bundle are a few key items that'll spark the interest of any Star Wars fan. With a white Kinect, a gold C3PO designed controller, and R2-D2 styled console all packaged in with the highly anticipated Star Wars Kinect game, I'd be willing to say this is one of the best special edition consoles on the market.

In addition to being packed in with Kinect Adventures, this bundle comes equipped with a hefty 320gb hard-drive, eliminating any possible storage gripes customers of the console might have.

The bundle is expected to ship this fall and will retail for $449. Pre-orders are said to be available as of now from a wide variety of retailers, but we'll be sure to update you as soon as we hear more.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | PC Version Details

2011-07-18T22:31:00.003-04:00

Skyrim's support of the PC platform may delightfully surprise dedicated Mouse & Keyboard gamers.

Dragonborn using one of the many "dragon shout" powers.

Ever since its move to console, the Elder Scrolls franchise has always thrived in sales for its console iterations. However, some might argue that the real community exists within the realm of the desktop, the PC gamers.

Bethesda is aware of this, and just like with Fallout 3 and Oblivion, the PC version of Skyrim is going to ship with some variations that might happily surprise you come this November.

In a recent interview with Todd Howard, Game Director behind Skyrim, a few questions were asked, and some answers were given.

"As far as UI, it visually looks the same across the platforms, but the controls are entirely different. There’s also a lot of “power user” stuff we do with the keyboard from how favorites work, to quick saves, and more that is similar to what we’ve done before in that area. We’re packing a lot of info on the screen and the whole interface is much less ‘look at giant fonts!’ than, say, Oblivion. "

Howard also goes on to mention the benefits to journeying through Skyrim on your PC as opposed to your console of choice.

"The PC version also gets higher res textures, larger render modes, and a bunch of other effects you can scale up if your machine is a beast. Last but most important, is the Creation Kit we’ll be releasing for the PC. Modding the game and making it your own is very important to us and our fans, so we’re going to keep doing whatever we can in that area."

Personally, the most enticing reasons to pick up the PC version over Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 is the ability to upscale the graphics, mess around with the tools in the creation kit and install mods post launch, and still be able to unlock achievements for Xbox 360 via Games for Windows Live.

If you have a gaming PC, there's no better option than PC for Skyrim.

Minecraft | 1.8 Adventure Update Details

2011-07-18T21:53:00.001-04:00

Complex combat, above ground dungeons, and NPC towns are all coming to fruition in the soon-to-be released update for Minecraft.

The foundation has been laid, now Mojang is building the game they really want to deliver.

With Minecraft recently reaching over 2.8 Million total game sales since it's alpha release last year, one might think that Notch and his team at Mojang Specifications would be content to rest on their laurels, this is apparently not the case.

Beta Update 1.8 entitled "The Adventure Update" is set to come very soon, and Mojang is ready to change the world of Minecraft forever by implementing over 40 new features into the game for both Single and Multiplayer.

In a recent interview with IGN, Markus "Notch" Peerson revealed a few tidbits concerning the Adventure Update for Minecraft, when it will release, and how it will affect the game in its current state.

Below is a brief list of added features mentioned within the context of the interview:

You can either help or destroy the NPC villages, their are choices.
Random Dungeons are included.
Melons are included, and are farm-able, along with pumpkins.
Creative Mode will be included, allowing players to fly freely around the world creating what they wish, including ultimate access to every block and object in the game.

In addition to the IGN interview, other pieces were announced via Notch's personal blog, including the addition of:

New Biome code.
Critical Hits.
Sprinting.
Additional farming options.

It's also been announced that Minecraft 1.8 (Adventure Update) will be completely playable at PAX Prime in August next month. Here, Mojang will be taking suggestions, listening to the players reactions, and deciding what's in and what's out for the upcoming update.

Afterwards, the team plans to travel back to their office, complete and polish the update, and release it to the Minecraft Community shortly after.

For more news on Minecraft, stick with MGN.

Halo CE: Anniversary | Trailer and Pre-Order Content

2011-07-18T21:29:00.002-04:00

Avatar outfits, exploding grunts, and a behind the scenes trailer are included.

Releasing this Fall for Halo fans and newcomers alike.

Since initially receiving details about the High Definition remake at E3 2011 earlier this summer, details on the title have been "hush-hush" from both Microsoft and 343 Industries, until now.

Gamers anticipating the re-release of Halo: Combat Evolved might be excited to hear that there are some nifty bonuses attached if you pre-order the game before its release this fall.

First off, all pre-orders will come with a limited edition set of Master Chief Mjolnir armor to adorn their Xbox avatars with, free of charge. In addition to that, an in-game bonus is included to beef up the package. The game modifying skull "Grunt Funeral" is a pre-order exclusive, offering the ability to kill grunts in a mores stylish manner, an homage to the "Grunt Birthday Party" skull from previous Halo titles.

How does it work? Well, based on what's been stated by the press release, grunts that are killed within the game will not only fall to the ground in a slump as usual, but will explode in a plasma grenade-esque fury shortly before going down for good, ~~not to mention the possibility of blowing up other grunts in the general vicinity.~~ 343 Industries has confirmed the previous statement true with the following video.

Sounds like a pretty good reason to reserve a copy at no extra charge via your local retailer.

Modern Warfare 3 Website Launched

2011-07-11T22:12:00.001-04:00

And it looks....er....wait, what?

In a strange move, the new site ModernWarfare3.com has launched, and, well..... it looks a bit strange. The reason is that when you type in the URL, it instantly redirects you to the Battlefield 3 website (screenshot above). This looks like a light-hearted poke at the gaming community's current MW3 vs BF3 war, showing the leading companies' support for their rival.

For all Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 news, be sure to check back with MegaGamerNews.

Duke Nukem Forever Review

2011-07-09T16:40:00.000-04:00

You might consider thinking twice before always counting on Duke.

14 years in the making...is it worth it the price of admission?

On April 28th, 1997, developer 3D realms announced “Duke Nukem Forever”, the latest and likely last game in the franchise. This announcement had gamers and Duke fans excited, as the game promised an epic narrative about saving the world, an overabundance of action and raw humor, and its fair share of scantily clad women to boot. While pre-orders were taken and promises were made, not everything went according to the plan for Duke Nukem. The project was put through several delays, developer changes, and even declared dead at several points in its exhausting tailspin of a development cycle.

However, 14 years and a co-developer later, we have in our hands Duke Nukem Forever, the game set out to knock gamer’s socks off. Does Duke Nukem Forever bring enough fun to justify a purchase, or is it stuck in the past?

You’re about to find out.

Story

Of all the games available on the market today, there’s a select few that engage their audience with a deep and immersive storyline, including a strong and driven narrative. These are the games that keep you hooked and continue to stay strong throughout the expanse of the story.

I regret to admit that Duke Nukem Forever is not one of these games. This is not to say that the game doesn’t have an interesting story, but for those seeking a meaningful plotline behind their gameplay, well…Duke Nukem just doesn’t have it. With that said, the driving plot behind Duke Nukem is almost completely unnecessary to the rest of the game.

The story puts you in the shoes of Duke Nukem, the apparent “savior of the world”, as the game so boldy states. The world is under attack from aliens of all kinds, and it’s up to you to save it with huge guns, crazy contraptions, and cheesy, cheesy dialogue.

Throughout the story, you’ll find yourself fighting tentacle monsters, pig men with guns, giant cyclopses and even the occasional electric eel. Yes, you have an underwater fight with an electric eel. In fact, the game’s storyline goes so much over the top that you don’t stop to realize where you actually are. Stop for one moment, and you’ll realize that you’re fighting in a huge football stadium, stop somewhere in about 15 minutes, and you’re jumping from sink to sink in a bathroom. At one point, there’s even a strip club dream sequence with some…adult rated fetch quests.

Oh, did I forget to mention the part where you’re walking around an alien ship with topless women being infected by bug type things? You haven't? Well, after this paragraph, you should feel what it’s like to be playing through the storyline of Duke Nukem Forever.

In a nutshell, Duke Nukem Forever is a parody of American society, our culture, and our behavior as human beings. It’s an action romp style shooting gallery that jumps from scenario to scenario with no real explanation or transition.

It’s not a bad story, it’s just a confusing one, one that doesn’t even feel necessary to couple with the gameplay.

Presentation

While many games lack cinematic presentation value, I’ve got to hand it to this game, it’s actually done fairly well. Duke Nukem Forever does not make use of cut scenes at any point in the single player campaign, nor does it need to. All instances, dialogue, and action sequences happen in real time within the games engine, which can do well for a game, or it could not.

Thankfully, it works well for the feeling that 3D Realms and Gearbox were going for with the Duke. All conversations and visualizations happen through the eyes of Duke, and never leave that perspective. I consider this a good step, as switching from cutscene to first person in certain games can cause a bit of gameplay disorientation for the player.

Granted, the game may be cheesy, which for some might detract from the “epicness”, but within the context of the world you’re in, it works pretty dang well.

One aspect that I did enjoy are the instantaneous action sequences. For example, when walking around the Burger town tower (near the middle of the game), you’re picked up and taken high into the air by an alien with a jetpack. The game then removes the HUD and takes control of the camera, allowing for a quick time event which either ends in death or success, where you fight for control of the jetpack. These events in Duke Nukem are merely for the immersion and the fun factor, and can be enjoyed for what they are, an attempt to bring the player into the role of Duke Nukem, and for the most part, they work.

In terms of graphical presentation, this game is no Crysis, so don’t expect it to be. As you would expect from any game that began in 1997, the game just isn’t on par visually with contemporary titles. However, I’m an advocate of gameplay over graphics every time. Granted, visuals are a key part to the entertainment experience, but they’re not the staple. The textures are pretty bland, and the draw distance can be poor in large driving sections of the game, but it’s not repulsive. The one major complaint of mine (like with any game), is pop in. It’s noticeable, it’s distracting, and it can shatter the immersion factor if it’s really noticeable.

The graphics (for some people) might even bring back some fond memories of shooters that once were. For younger gamers who’ve grown accustomed to ultra-realistic graphics and impressive set pieces however, Duke Nukem might disappoint in the visuals department.

Gameplay

With gameplay being the backbone of an entire game, how does Duke Nukem play? Well, the only way I can think to describe it is by saying that some parts are good, while some parts are really not so good. Since Duke Nukem Forever is a shooter, it would make sense for the gunplay within the game to be great, but not all parts are worthy sequences.

From a strictly gameplay related standpoint, the gunplay in Duke Nukem does what it should, offering a decent sized weapon arsenal, as well as some enjoyable combat scenarios. However, the “run and gun” behavior is expected from the player naturally, and frankly, it gets old very quickly. Every section feels like a hallway carnival shooter from the 90’s, with some peculiar and rarely fun puzzle sequences.

In fact, many of the puzzle sequences are more of a hindrance than a fun attribute to the gameplay. For example, one section had me maneuvering a forklift to hoist real world objects into a pile, to make a “ramp” of sorts to climb over, and make it to the next level. Another segment had me collecting barrels to toss in a bin, which in turn would balance a scale that allowed you to progress toward the next piece of the level.

While these aren’t too much fun, it really starts to become curious when the game pokes fun at other developers and their popular games. A prime example would be yet another puzzle in which Duke is maneuvering pipes that have Steam flowing through them, which you turn on and off using Valve’s. In the middle of all this puzzle solving, Duke exclaims “Man, I hate Valve Puzzles”. If you don’t get that reference, you should probably be playing more Half life or Portal.

Another great example is right off the bat at the beginning of the game. While Duke is running out to the cargo bay in a military compound, a solider stops and offers up some power armor for Duke, which is oddly just the Mjolnir Armor that Master Chief wore in the game series, Halo. Duke responds with “Power armor is for Pussies”. It seems that Duke’s level of class has not changed over the years.

In addition to the monotonous gunplay and puzzle solving, there are also driving sections, which oddly enough, I found myself enjoying much more. The Monster Truck you drive is equipped with turbo boosters, which makes running over aliens and jumping gaps and absolute blast, with the truck hitting objects with more realistic weight than anything else in the game. Though, there is a few sections where the truck will intentionally run out of gas, activating an annoying and completely unnecessary gas can fetching sequence, where more gunplay and puzzle solving will take place.

You can also ignore all of these events, and just goof around in each of the levels. Feel like drinking out of a water fountain, drawing on a whiteboard, or looking through pornographic magazines? What if I told you that you gain health from doing these things? Also, you can pick up feces from a toilet and throw it at the wall, or anything for that matter. Finally, a game that knows what I want most out of my experience, feces throwing.

The gameplay in Duke Nukem Forever is how I remember old Duke’s playing, mildly at least. The gunplay is fun for the most part, but the weapons feel light and lacking in power. The puzzle solving could, in all honesty, been left out entirely, give or take a few entertaining sequences. It’s all balanced out well, the driving, puzzling and shooting, but that doesn’t mean it’s a lot of fun though.

Multiplayer

I’ll be entirely and openly honest about the multiplayer in this game, I didn’t like it. I’ve met quite a few individuals that did like it, and I’m glad for them. However, I’ve found no real joy in the multiplayer segment of Duke Nukem Forever. Aside from “Capture the babe”, DNF’s version of Capture the Flag, I see no real reason to dedicate my time to it, as it plays like an unconventional and overall tacked on addition to the game.

There’s a slew of playlists and gametypes to choose from, such as your typical Team Deathmatch, King of the hill, and Capture the Babe, which just replaces flags with scantily clad women. Powerups also make a play in the battles, but differ very little from those of the campaign, including familiar shrinking powers and health powerups.

It’s by no means a terrible mode, it runs just fine, but when compared to other multiplayer offerings displayed by contemporary titles like Halo, Call of Duty, or Battlefield, it just comes off as bland and unoriginal. You might like it, but it just wasn’t for me.

Conclusion

Duke Nukem Forever is an both an interesting and peculiar combination of action, explosions, and oftentimes awkwardly inappropriate toilet humor. While the game isn’t fantastic, it’s not awful either. In fact, it’s lost somewhere in the middle between repulsive and fun.

Duke Nukem Forever earns its place in gaming history as one with one of the longest development cycles known to the industry, but Duke made his way to the surface, and doesn’t care who stands in his way.

Score: 6 / 10

If you’re a fan of the Duke games, pick this game up. If you enjoy raunchy games with a taste for action and explosions, give Duke Nukem a shot. However, if you don’t fit into one of these categories, you might think twice, before counting on Duke.

Minecraft | 1.7 Beta Update Available Now

2011-06-30T12:06:00.004-04:00

The newest update for the blocky mega-hit Minecraft brings much desired Pistons, as well as other features and fixes.

A beautiful snowy scene in Minecraft.

If you thought that Minecraft was starting to become dull, then you'll probably be interested in the release of the Beta 1.7 update for the game, which include some long awaited additions.

Straight from the mouth of Notch comes the release and details of what's included in 1.7 for Minecraft. The long desired piston mod has made its way into the main game, both single and multiplayer, as well as a few changes to existing items like TNT and sheep.

Beta 1.7 Update:

+ Added pistons
+ Fire or redstone is now required to trigger TNT
+ Fences can be stacked
+ Added shears
+ Shears can be used to pick up leaf blocks
+ Shears can be used to shear sheep without hurting them
* Sheep no longer drop wool from being punched
- Removed Herobrine

Also, to Mojang, we get it. You've removed herobrine, your message has been made clear. You no longer have to make us suffer by mentioning it in every update to the game. Unless of course, they plan on re-adding him back!

For more on Minecraft as it evolves to it's eventual fall release date, stick with MGN.

Call of Duty: XP Revealed

2011-06-30T11:57:00.000-04:00

A Convention for like minded Call of Duty fans to come together, play paintball, and check out Modern Warfare 3.

Do you love Call of Duty?
Do you love conventions?
Do you have $150 to burn?

Well, it seems that you may have something to do with that money, as Call of Duty: XP was announced this morning by Activision via our friends at Machinima and Inside Gaming. It's a convention, it's a paintball arena, it's a massive tournament, and apparently Modern Warfare 3 will be there.

In a nutshell, Call of Duty: XP is a gaming convention centered around the mega-hit series, Call of Duty. The vibe is more Blizzcon than Comic-Con, and introduces many of the same features. To keep this as clear as possible, here are the details, cut and dry:

Call of Duty: XP is being held September 2-3rd in Los Angeles, California. Activities include playing paintball in the fully recreated Call of Duty map "Scrapyard", eating at Burger Town, having the chance to run a real life recreation of "The Pit" from Modern Warfare 2, and even get a full reveal of Modern Warfare 3 live.

In addition to these pretty impressive experiences, players will be able to fill their weekend with tournaments at all levels, as well as meet some pretty upper-tier Call of Duty players.

But, how much is the cost of admission, and is it open to the public? The answer is yes, and the tickets are a cringing $150. However, there is a catch. According to CEO of Activision Publishing Eric Hershberg, every cent of ticket sales is going to the "Call of Duty Endowment", a charity created by Bobby Kotick (CEO of Activision) to help injured and disabled veterans returning from War.

The rest is unknown at this point, but should be revealed in due time. For more on Call of Duty: XP, check out the Inside Gaming reveal of Call of Duty XP, and check out the official website.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | Free Premium Map with Pre-order

2011-06-24T09:20:00.000-04:00

A high grade premium map will be included with copies of Skyrim for those that pre-order the game.

It's become a time honored tradition over the years to open up an Elder Scrolls game case to find a map tucked snugly behind the game's manual, and that's not changing with Skyrim. In fact, Bethesda is taking this bonus to a new level.

Announced via their blog yesterday morning, Bethesda showcased a premium map modeled after the world of Skyrim. However, unlike the paper maps included in the retail case, this map will only be made available to those who pre-order Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim before it launches.

According to Bethesda, this map is made of a high grade, premium material (described as "burlap like") that feels like it's from the world of Skyrim, allowing the player to feel more immersed in the experience, like they're the one traversing the mountain tops and valleys.

Of course, the foldout paper maps will still be included in every copy of Skyrim regardless, but if you want the premium map, you're going to have to drop some cash and snag a pre-order while they're still available.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has a set launch date of 11/11/11, just in time for the holiday season. So if Skyrim is on your Christmas list, you'd better tell Santa to pre-order it first, lest you be left out of the map-reading festivities.

L.A. Noire is coming to PC

2011-06-23T12:37:00.000-04:00

Still no word on Red Dead Redemption however...

Today, Take-Two has announced that L.A. Noire, its latest console hit, will be coming to PCs after all. The version is being developed by Rockstar Leeds and will feature customizable buttons, enhanced graphics, and even some 3D support. "[L.A. Noire's] unique blend of story, action and crime solving will be perfect to play on PC." said Rockstar co-founder Sam Houser.

The game will be available this fall.

Wii U | Zelda HD Demo is a Real Game

2011-06-22T20:07:00.000-04:00

The E3 demo that teased Zelda fans has been confirmed as a title in progress.

The E3 2011 Zelda HD Demo is real. We can all exhale now.

In a brief interview with Kotaku, Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed the existence of a Zelda HD, and that the footage shown in demo form at E3 was in fact footage from the Zelda in production for WiiU.

“This is an HD system, our first HD system, and we want to create a real HD Zelda game for it,” he said. “You will see a lot of these in-depth and deep experiences in terms of visual style. You will also see some play styles that are fun and interesting because of the play structure.”

If you look closely at the many demo's showcased online of the presentation, you'll find that the touchscreen plays a key role in the control scheme of this new Zelda title. In fact, it appears that much of the touchscreen is used primarily for showcasing the map and inventory, which in theory, will keep player from jumping in and out of menu screens, as previous Zelda's have done so typically.

In fact, this possibility is even more likely given the fact that Ocarina of time 3DS uses this same function, placing the map and inventory items on the lower touchscreen out of convenience and accessibility.

Alright Nintendo, consider me partially on-board. You've got my attention, now let's see what else you've got.

Wii U | New Controller has built in Web Browser

2011-06-22T19:45:00.003-04:00

Please, just don't let it be Opera again.

Imagine...MGN on the WiiU. It'll be beautiful.

In a recent interview for Kotaku, Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed that the WiiU controller will have a web browser built in, to allow the user to surf the internet. Miyamoto states that this is the single, largest design accomplishment that Nintendo has managed to implement for the new console.

“You have a screen available at any time that you can check,” Miyamoto explained. “This dedicated second screen, and the way people may use it, not just for gaming, but to do things like browse the Internet, is the Wii U’s single, biggest design accomplishment.

“When you look at most TVs in home nowadays it takes awhile for them to turn on. That becomes a barrier for people.”

We should have seen this coming really. It's pretty noticeable in the debut trailer for WiiU that a web browser would be included in the systems new controller. Though, trailers for past Wii features have been deceptive, to say the least. Anyone remember the sword fighting demo from the original trailer?

The WiiU is set to launch in 2012, but more details have yet to be unveiled including processing power, hardware details, and what number of players (or controllers for that matter) will be supported.

For more details on the WiiU, stick with MGN.

Tech Time: iPad 3 | Arriving this holiday?

2011-06-22T19:26:00.001-04:00

Have yourself a high resolution tablet this christmas.

What differences will the iPad 3 have?

According to reports by bloomberg earlier this week, Apple is planning to release it's 3rd iteration of the iPad onto the market for consumers this holiday season.

Word around town is that this version will contain the coveted “Retina Display” that is currently only available in the iPhone 4. If this is true, this could mean good things for Apple.

Though, does anyone else find it peculiar that Apple would release the iPad 3 in the same year that the previous iteration was launched? Thinking back, the iPad 2 just released in March, which might upset a handful of iPad owners who just forked over their paycheck for a soon to be outdated device.

Also, this news follows the reports that the iPhone 5 is in the final stages of development and will released in August with a brand new design, and with the WWDC already behind us, only time will reveal what Apple has planned.

MGN Has Gone Mobile!

2011-06-22T01:53:00.002-04:00

MGN Mobile.

In a world where more news is read on smartphones and tablets than personal computers, one website stands triumphant. No longer will you have to "pinch and zoom" your way through MegaGamerNews when on your iPhone, Android or Blackberry.

Introducing MGN mobile, our slick new interface for mobile news enthusiasts. Previously, if you wanted to view this site on a mobile device such as an iPad or Android device, you were required to zoom in and out to read the text clearly on the page. This is not a practical way to view any article or piece of information on the go. It should be presented in a clear and concise manner, and be very simple to navigate. With MGN mobile, all that is done, and with style and simplicity.

What's even better? This isn't an app, a download, or a plugin. That's way to difficult and cumbersome. MGN mobile is loaded by default when entered on a mobile device. You're getting the exact same content that you would with the desktop version of MGN, but in a smooth and clear way.

If you have an iPhone, Android smartphone, Blackberry, or any other tablet or mobile device, give it a try! We hope you love it.

Let us know what you think.

Super Smash Bros | Coming to WiiU and 3DS

2011-06-21T15:43:00.000-04:00

The popular fighting franchise is making its return on both the 3DS and WiiU.

More characters? More story? Yes, please.

Following the announcement of the WiiU at Nintendo's E3 2011 conference this year was the unveiling of not one, but two Super Smash Bros. Titles.

One of these titles will be releasing on the Nintendo 3DS, with the other landing on the WiiU, Nintendo's newest console that's planned to launch in 2012. While this announcement brings feelings of excitement and anticipation to many Smash fans alike, it's unfortunate to hear that these two titles have yet to even begin development.

In fact, teams have yet to be assembled, according to Masahiro Sakurai, creator of the Smash Bros franchise. This is mainly due to the fact that he and his team are hard at work finishing up the final months of development on Kid Icarus: Uprising, but once completed, both Smash Bros titles will be the primary focus.

At this point, numerous interviews have been conducted from and after E3 this year, and some information has been gathered about the title, and what it will try to accomplish. Here's what we know:

Smash Bros. on both the Wii U and 3DS, will be Sakurai and Project Sora’s next title after the completion of Kid Icarus: Uprising 

- Sakurai doesn’t want the game to be a mere extension of previous Smash Bros. Titles. 

- Sakurai hopes to create a more personal experience with the 3DS version of Smash Bros, and has the idea of building up a profile on the 3DS that can be transferred to the Wii U version. 

- Sakurai believes that the Wii U version will be able to support 60 frames per second visuals, dynamic effects and smooth animations. 

- Sakurai expects that the 3DS version will offer a more innovative, slightly less traditional version of Smash Bros.

To be quite frank, I'm very excited for both of these titles. Smash Bros is the tipping weight that puts me over the edge in the decision to purchase a WiiU and 3DS. Since they've announced a Smash Bros title for both platforms, it looks like I'll be owning every Nintendo system after all.

For more news on the WiiU and it's upcoming games, stick with MGN.

Halo: CE Anniversary will support Kinect Integration

2011-06-20T16:30:00.001-04:00

Despite the groans that might occur from this announcement, Microsoft stresses that it will not affect the core gameplay experience.

An HD remaster of the original 2001 title that started it all.

In a recent interview with Phil Spencer from Microsoft Games Studios, it was stated that Halo Anniversary, among other titles, would be utilizing features of the Kinect, the Xbox 360 Motion Sensing camera accessory.

Gamespot held a recent interview with Spencer concerning the utilization of Kinect with Xbox 360 games going forward. He has this to say:

"As a first party we believe that Kinect will be important to all genres of games, be it racing games with Forza, combat games like Ryse -- even games like Halo Anniversary has Kinect integration."

After this statement had been issued, and Spencer was asked for comment, a Microsoft spokesperson said that the kinect functinoality will not have any affect on the base gameplay experience, and that it was merealy an additional feature.

"It's no surprise we're exploring ways Kinect can enhance game experiences in authentic and meaningful ways," a spokesperson told the press. "The Kinect features we're exploring with 'Halo: Anniversary' are additive and will not affect the core gameplay experience or alter our mission of delivering a faithful recreation of the original game. That said we have nothing else to share just yet."

For more news on Halo Anniversary and it's fall release, stick with MGN.

PC | Family Guy Online?

2011-06-20T11:09:00.001-04:00

Please Please PLEASE let this be a joke.

In a strange and horrifying twist, a website called FamilyGuyOnline.com has surfaced, pointing to an MMO for the popular TV series. The website asks people to "Pre-register now to be among the first in line for the Closed Beta", the release date of which has yet to be announced. Nor has the developer, or any other information. FOX has clammed up (terrible pun, I'm sorry) and isn't willing to give anything away.

I'm sorry to seem so biased, but from what I've seen of the site and the effort put into it, this game may be even worse than expected. TWO lines of dialogue repeated, and graphics from around 2003 make me cringe even more than I usually would at such a project. Hopefully, this is either a joke, or gamers will sweep this under the carpet like all the other doomed-from-the-start projects.

Nintendo WiiU | Post E3 Thoughts and Opinions

2011-06-19T23:56:00.000-04:00

There's depth and simplicity to the WiiU, Nintendo's newest console outing. What do we know?

The announcement of the WiiU at E3 2011.

Prior to E3, rumors of Nintendo's newest console were stirring up the reactions of journalists, fanboys, and media attendees at the show, not excluding my own. Such rumors indicated that Nintendo had intended to recapture the "core" gaming audience it so boldly catered to long ago, before the Wii years.

The Nintendo fanboy inside of me deeply desired a hardcore comeback from Nintendo, hearkening back to the days of the NES and SNES, however I knew this was probably not going to be the case. I was fairly sure that Nintendo had gone so far off the path of core gaming, that there was not return for them, at least not yet.

During the Nintendo Press Conference on Tuesday, the WiiU was finally unveiled to be the next generation console to represent Nintendo's lineup of software for the years to come. When I first saw this announcement, I was on the road, on vacation more or less. I'd seen the previous day conferences of Microsoft, Sony, EA, and Ubisoft, but I had a good idea of what was ahead for those in particular. It was Nintendo that had me curious. This announcement had me concerned, to say the least. I continually thought to myself, "What are they thinking"?

Regardless, let's talk about the WiiU more specifically. The control scheme is new, the presentation is new, and the hardware is definitely new. Some of this was detailed at the expo, while some was not. What exactly do we know about the WiiU?

The Controller
At first, the concept and reasoning behind this design decision baffled me. I laughed at it, I was upset with it, I didn't know how to properly react to it. It seemed like such an awkward misstep for the Big N to take. However, after seeing some demo's of the software, what the hardware could do, and how it could work, I was...persuaded, you could say. Partially at least.

It seems to have more than just the ability to stream video to the controller, in fact, it seems to have invented another control scheme within itself. Take for example, the Hide and Seek Mii game that was showcased on the show floor. One player had the ability to use the new controller, while the others use Wii Remotes from the current system. The "Hider" had the advantage of having access to a broad map showcasing all players, as well as being able to hide their own personal screen from other local players. This seemed to emulate the online experience, where the only screen you had to look at, was your own. Granted, it will take more time to convince me of this control scheme, but given great first and third party support (and I mean GREAT) for the platform, and a solid price, I might be fully persuaded.

The Hardware
This was a smart, smart, smart move by Nintendo. In fact, it was really the only move they could make without registering themselves as completely and totally insane in my book. They've brought the graphics up to 1080p High Definition ( on par with current generation of Consoles) and claim that the WiiU is as powerful as 2 PlayStation 3's combined. How does one judge the power of a console? Is the render distance farther? Is the photo-realism taken up a notch? Only when more details are released will we know the answer.

At this point, they haven't shown off anything outside of First Party demo's for the console in terms of gameplay, but one demo struck me as a major player, the Zelda demo. Granted, this was merely a demo showcasing the power of the console with The Legend of Zelda assets and art, but it was impressive nonetheless. If Nintendo can pull off a full Zelda experience complete in High Definition with stunning visual effects, that'll be one more check on my list of reasons to purchase a WiiU next year.

The Games
I'll get right to the point. The WiiU needs tremendous First and Third Party support. For those of you unaware, First Party in short, refers to games like Mario, Zelda, Pikmin, Kirby, and other Nintendo trademarks. Third Party games include titles like Call of Duty, Battlefield, Assasins Creed, Grand Theft Auto, and others, titles not made in house by the publisher of the console itself.

If Nintendo can gain the allegiance of major third party developers and publishers, as well as make and market their own games in high definition and make it work, they might have something great on their hands.

The Interface & Online Play
Many will argue in favor of the "channel" system that currently inhabits the Wii's OS. I will not, and for a few reasons. Sure, it's straightforward and simplified, but I believe that's the problem. If Nintendo wishes to truly cater to the harcore audience of players, they need to make some cuts in the casual department. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that going 50/50 to cater to both casual and hardcore just won't be beneficial in the long run. If they can find a hybrid between a solid and simple interface that's filled with alot of online and offline features (think Xbox Live), they're headed in the right direction.

Other than this, Nintendo needs a solid and friend code less online presence for the WiiU. It's most likely going to be free, but probably still lagging behind Xbox Live and PSN. Well, not far behind PSN. I can't speculate much further on this matter, as Nintendo has been "hush hush" on the topic of Online functionality and multiplayer gaming. We'll just have to see what they have in store. Let's just hope it's before E3 2012.

Conclusion
At this point, I'm not 100% sold on the WiiU. In fact, I don't think I'm even 75% sold. However, there's still much more to be revealed about the WiiU, so I'll have to reserve judgement until I know more. The main announcement that kept me from neglecting the WiiU during E3 week was that of a new Super Smash Bros for the console. In addition to this, it will have a 3DS counterpart that will somehow connect with the WiiU version.

If you're not sold either, my suggestion would be to give it a chance. The WiiU might not be from the Nintendo that I grew up with, but it might be the turn they need to get back on track to recapturing that "core" audience they held so well.

Nintendo, make me a fanboy again.

For more news on the WiiU and it's future announcements, stick with MGN.

G155 | Mobile Gaming Solution for Xbox 360 and PS3

2011-06-16T11:42:00.001-04:00

Many are content with their PSP or Nintendo DS while on the road, but apparently, their are others who want more.

Enter Gaems G155 for your platform of choice.

The Gaems G155 is an interesting hybrid between mobile and desktop gaming. This "bag" of sorts allows you to take an Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 alongside as you travel. It has a built in monitor, a holder for the console, and slots to store your controllers and accessories, as well as a few games.

Here is the official press release as given by CompuExpert, the company behind the G155:

The G155 is a self-contained mobile gaming environment that lets you stay in the action when you're on the move. Just strap in your gaming console, store your accessories, select your favorite games, and you're good to go. The G155's integrated LED HD display, stereo speakers, and dual headphone jacks will immerse you in your favorite game, wherever you are. Just pop it open, plug it in, and play.

Honestly, I can't imagine owning one of these. This seems like a physically burdensome product to own. It's been done before with system's like the Gamecube and Playstation 2. Unfortunately, to keep from suffering the same fate as those overpriced and failing products, the G155 will have to find a way to not overheat/melt while gaming for more than 15 minutes, especially in such a small, cramped setup.

The price and details have yet to be determined, but if this doesn't include a console, I can't imagine it would cost any more than the system itself.

How much would you pay for a mobile setup such as the G155?

E3: Bioshock Infinite "About Skylines" Trailer

2011-06-12T16:40:00.001-04:00

If located in a city in the sky, how does one travel? Bioshock Infinite shows you.

Aside from the initial gameplay video bestowed upon us not so long ago by Irrational Games and 2K Games, not much has been seen concerning Bioshock Infinite, until now. E3 has come and gone, but that doesn't mean that announcements can't be made, and demo's can't be shown.

Above you'll find the newest trailer for Bioshock Infinite (courtesy of Machinima.com), Irrational Games return to their flagship franchise. This brief trailer showcases the history and implementation of "Skylines" in the game, as well as their many uses in combat and transportation.

Bioshock Infinite is set to release in 2012 for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. For more news on Bioshock Infinite as we progress through our summer games coverage, stick with MGN.

E3: Nintendo's Stock Plummets

2011-06-09T09:32:00.000-04:00

Nintendo's new console has not helped their stock price

We've previously heard from Nintendo that they haven't been selling like they used to. 3DS sales did not meet Nintendo's expectations. They were hoping, with the announcement of a new console, it would help bring hype back to the Nintendo name, and boost their stocks. Quite the opposite happened.

The WiiU, Nintendo's new console set for 2012, was announced at their E3 press conference. Its "innovative" controller and new gimmicks were expected to garner a lot of attention and interest. It appears as if the stockholders have disagreed, as Nintendo's stock has hit its lowest point in 5 years. Nintendo's price fell off 5.7 percent at the close of trading in Osaka yesterday, dropping to $212 per share. While this is not exactly low, it is a huge step backwards for the gaming giant.

No Nintendo representative has come out with a response, and it seems as if Nintendo is just going to ignore the issue, and hope that the plethora of 3DS games, along with the WiiU, will prove the abandoning shareholders wrong.

E3: Xbox 360 | Cloud Support coming this fall

2011-06-06T23:33:00.002-04:00

When did Microsoft sneak this gem in?

Apparently Microsoft had so much to announce, they couldn't fit everything into their conference. They announced via e-mail afterwards that Cloud Storage is coming to the Xbox 360 this fall.

Cloud Storage is one of the newest innovations of the gaming industry. Using this kind of storage, gamers have (and will be able to) store game files and other software online, as opposed to on their hard drive or memory stick.

Now, when you travel somewhere, all you need is your gamer profile and you'll be able to access all uploaded game files. The Playstation 3 already introduced this over a year ago, and it finally looks as if Microsoft is catching up. It's not been announced yet, but it is also fairly clear that this will come with the new Xbox Live update (mentioned in a previous MGN article).

The full contents of the email, sent by Xbox’s Marc Whitten, is below:

"We are making it easier for you to sign into your Xbox Live account from any console at any time to access your game saves and full profile, including items such as Microsoft Points to make purchases, Achievements and friends.

Cloud storage will allow you to enjoy the same great Xbox Live gaming experience even when you’re not in your own living room by giving you the option to store your ‘game saves’ securely in the Xbox Live cloud instead of on a portable memory unit or your console’s hard drive."

E3: Battlefield 3 | Release Date and Public Beta

2011-06-06T16:48:00.002-04:00

The Multiplayer is finally shown, immersion plays a key role, and a public beta is going multi-platform in September.

Frostbite 2 engine is an impressive graphical improvement.

Today during the EA press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, Battlefield 3 held a significant presence during the show. Not only were there 3 separate demo's shown, but a release date was given and even news of a multi-platform public beta for the game was discussed.

Honestly, I expected less from Battlefield 3 and Dice. I was expecting another single-player campaign demo, possibly showcasing some more immersive mechanics, but Dice took it up a notch. Not only did they show a full level showcasing the use of the tank vehicles in the game, they also unveiled a brief snippet of what multiplayer firefights would look and feel like, and I'm impressed.

Now, on the topic of the public beta planned for September. As set forth by the representatives at the conference, this beta is set to go live in September, exist on multiple platforms, and be public to anyone with an online subscription, such as Xbox Live and PSN.

All in all, Battlefield 3 is shaping up to be a fantastic title to own this fall, alongside competitor Modern Warfare 3. Personally, I'm not taking sides, as I plan on purchasing both games, just as I did with MW2 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2. The two are pretty far apart in their Gameplay, so you can really derive a joyful experience from both.

Stick with MGN for more news on Battlefield 3 as it develops.

E3: Kinect Fun Labs: Scan Your Own Objects in-game.

2011-06-06T16:07:00.001-04:00

Scan in yourself, your objects, your pet and your....well, whatever you want.

A demo of drawing with Kinect in Fun Labs.

Remember that skateboard scanning video from E3 2010? This is it. In a nutshell, Kinect Fun Labs give you an assortment of tools to use with Kinect, one of which allows you to scan in any real life object and use it as a controllable character in-game.

In the live E3-Demo, the Microsoft representative used the Kinect to scan in a plush-doll, which she thereafter presented it onscreen, digitally recreated within Kinect.

Kinect Fun Labs is now available for free on Xbox Live, starting today.

E3: New Xbox Experience Dashboard Update, Includes Kinect Support.

2011-06-06T15:31:00.000-04:00

The Xbox 360 is going through even more natural progression with its menu system, but this time with more Kinect.

Logo's stay the same, format changes drastically.

Ever since the release of the Xbox 360 back in 2005, the dashboard menu system has undergone a plethura of significant design changes and alterations. Another E3 is here, and we once again have our eyes teased by the newest build of the NXE for Xbox 360.

The changes made to the dashboard are slight, but progressive. A wealth of features are being welcomed to the dashboard such as Voice recognition, motion control, and an overall simplified interface. The silver-grayish gradient background is a nice and simplified change for the sometimes busy, though colorful, current interface.

Other additions to the dashboard include Live TV, YouTube support, UFC Live and voice support throughout the entire menu system.

More information coming soon. Stick with MGN for E3 updates.

E3: Minecraft coming to Xbox 360 with Kinect

2011-06-06T14:49:00.001-04:00

The most popular indie game and cultural phenomenon is making its way to Xbox 360 with Kinect support.

Minecraft took the world by storm recently with its unique and blocky gameplay, cute graphical design, and focus on creative community content. Soon enough, you can enjoy the world of Minecraft not only on your PC or Mac, but on your Xbox 360 and with Kinect orientation.

How will this affect your Minecraft experience? Will online multiplayer be included? If so, will it make the aspect of playing with others simpler through Xbox Live.

Only time will tell. We've reached out to Mojang and Microsoft for comment, and will update this article as soon as more details are unveiled.

E3: Halo Anniversary Announced, Coming This Year

2011-06-06T14:39:00.000-04:00

On November 15th, the tenth year anniversary of Halo: CE, Halo Anniversary will release for Xbox 360.

We've been predicting this story for months now, but we can all finally rest easy, because the Halo CE remake is real, and we've seen it.

In a surprise trailer shown very briefly at Microsoft's E3 Press Conference today, Halo Anniversary is essentially an HD remake of the original Halo on Xbox and PC. The biggest features for this title are a fully remastered campaign, Co-op online with friends, and 7 classic multiplayer maps for playing over Xbox Live. Not to mention a graphical overhaul, achievements, and new challenges to boot.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is set to release on November 15, 2011, marking the ten year anniversary of the release of the original Xbox and the Halo franchise.

E3: Halo 4 Announced, Trailer Shown

2011-06-06T14:18:00.002-04:00

The story of Master Chief continues, unfolding in an all new trilogy.

It's been announced.

Halo 3 ended with Master Chief aboard a partially destroyed cruiser, slowly drifting out to deep space. After entering cryo-sleep, the game came to a close. Now, he's woken up by Cortana, the ship is heading towards some mysterious and massive machine, and it's all coming Holiday 2012.

At the very end of Microsoft's E3 press conference, the Halo 4 trailer mentioned above was shown for the first time. While nothing else is known about this title at the moment, we can expect more in the coming months.

Stay tuned to MGN for more news from E3 as it happens.

From Dust | Confirmed for Summer 2011 Release

2011-06-06T12:31:00.001-04:00

Another great addition to the Summer of Arcade's XBL summer releases.

Upcoming "God" game, From Dust, has been confirmed for a summer release date. This comes from a Microsoft representative who stated that From Dust will be releasing alongside other titles in Summer of Arcade.

More news on this game as the E3 conference happens.

Microsoft Accidentally Outs Halo 4 and More

2011-06-06T11:46:00.001-04:00

Oops.

Click to make large. You'll want to read this.

While Microsoft's E3 Press Conference isn't for another few minutes, it seems that their E3 2011 site has accidentally posted some newsworthy information that was supposed to be released after the conference had ended.

The above screenshot was taken from the Microsoft site earlier this morning, it has since been removed, but a lucky individual was able to snag a screenshot prior to its removal. The image shows the typical Xbox style page organization, but is filled with some interesting Halo related material. Specifically Halo 4, and how it's supposedly on its way. In addition to that, you can see the fourth line in the center quoting "Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary". While this doesn't confirm the existence of an HD remake as originally rumored, but it doesn't deny it either.

The article also outs the presence of the Star Wars Kinect title, Dance Central 2, and something called Kinect Fun Labs.

We'll just have to see what's what in about 30 minutes.

No Metal Gear Solid: Rising at E3

2011-06-06T11:30:00.000-04:00

If you were hoping for more watermelon slicing action, we're sorry. Try and hold back your tears.

In an interesting move by Konami and Kojima, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, the newest installment in the MGS franchise, will not be making an appearance at this years Electronic Entertainment Expo.

This news comes in light of Konami's Pre-E3 show just the other day. Hideo Kojima made the slighting announcement very briefly during his part of the show. He stated that while the game will not be at this years E3, they're still targeting a 2012 release date as planned. No reasons were given for its absence.

E3 begins today, so watch out for our live coverage beginning at 12pm EST.
Stick with MGN.

Hideo Kojima Reveals New FOX Game Engine

2011-06-03T23:46:00.002-04:00

A brand new engine set to go multiplatform and power Kojima's next game.

Multiplatform huh? Interesting.

In Konami's recent Pre-E3 showcase, Hideo Kojima personally debuted the Fox Engine, a gameplay infrastructure designed in house by Kojima's studio.

The new Fox Engine, as detailed by Kojima himself, is supposedly to carve the path toward non-exclusivity via multi-platform releases, as well as become the best in the world. Kojima also goes on to explain that 2011 is a "year of preparations" for Kojima Studios and Konami, of which he was just promoted to Vice President, giving him more creative freedom within the company.

Based on this, 2012 is set to be a big year for Konami and Kojima, with the anticipated release of Metal Gear Rising which, oddly enough, will not be at this years E3, as well as the possible announcement of Kojima's next game, supposedly set within the Fox Engine.

In addition to this new engine, more Kojima related announcements were made via the Pre-E3 showcase, including Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection, which will also be arriving multi-platform.

As E3 hype continues to ramp up, MGN will be here 24/7 covering all the latest games, announcements, and unveilings that the show has to offer. Stay tuned to MGN.

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Announced for PS3 and Xbox 360

2011-06-03T23:20:00.000-04:00

For starters, you did, in fact, read the title correctly.

Metal Gear Solid and Zone of the Enders are getting HD collections.

The words "Metal Gear Solid" and "Xbox 360" really are in the same sentence together. This news comes in light of Konami's recent slew of E3 announcements, which include announcing this title. In fact, Konami had an entire pre-E3 show prepared for the occasion, but miraculously enough, they made it available not only to press, but to the public for viewing as well.

On to the actual news, Metal Gear Solid is getting its own HD bundle collection, and is releasing in November to both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 platforms. This comes as a big surprise to Xbox 360 owners who've had to miss out on the longtime Playstation exclusive Metal Gear franchise.

So, what's in the bundle you might be wondering? The package includes 3 Metal Gear Solid Games: Sons of Liberty, Snake Eater, and even PSP-Exclusive Peace Walker, all remastered in HD. Hideo Kojima, creator of the MGS franchise, was quick to point out that these titles were not just stretched and brushed up to fit our HD televisions. Neigh, these titles were retooled with new art assets, higher quality sound, and overall improved visual quality.

While price has yet to be decided for this collection, I'm going to go out on a limb and bet that it's the typical retail price of $59.99. Why? In the pre-E3 show video put out by Konami, where the game was announced and detailed, the image provided by Kojima were of Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 retail boxes with cover art for the game.

Oh, and Zone of the Enders is getting an identical HD treatment as well. Seeing as how there are only two Zone of the Enders games that I'm aware of, I'm assuming that those are the only two packed in. However, that's still a good deal in my opinion.

The Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection is set to release in November 2011, while the Zone of the Enders: HD Collection is slated to release sometime in 2012.

E3 is rapidly approaching, and we'll be here covering it 24/7. Stay tuned to MGN for all your E3 updates.

Duke Nukem Forever Launch Trailer

2011-06-02T16:23:00.003-04:00

15 years later, The Duke is back!

Well, it seems pigs have flown over a frozen hell. Duke Nukem Forever, the project announced almost 15 years ago, is finally being released. Earlier today, Gearbox released a launch trailer which will not disappoint hard-core fans of the series.

Un-cut, uncensored action, strippers, swear words, and other 17+ material is included in this trailer, so if you're not of age I discourage you from watching this trailer. I also reccommend you get older, and fast, because this will be one hell of a ride.

Duke Nukem is released on June 14th in North America, and June 10th everywhere else.

Call of Duty Elite | What is it?

2011-05-31T16:54:00.000-04:00

Connect. Compete. Improve....Pay?

It's not a game? Thank goodness.

With all the recent rumors of a subscription based Call of Duty experience from Activision, many were worried that the days of free online play would be coming to an abrupt close. However, with the recent announcement of Call of Duty: Elite, all of those worries can be laid to rest. Kind of.

Above is a video which explains the majority of Call of Duty: Elite in a beautiful HD format.

Essentially, Elite is an upcoming online service that allows you to study maps, weapons and strategies centered in the Call of Duty universe. This means that you can load up Elite on your computer, tablet, or smart-phone to browse your stats, create and connect with groups of your liking, and gather players together for clan meetings.

Groups, for example, is one of the most interesting features to be presented by the service. Groups can be made or joined based on anything, from sniper skills to peanut allergies, if that's what you're into. Expanding on the group concept, you can later join clans, where more serious gaming takes place.

Stat tracking seems to be the major makeup of Elite, as it's a base desire of Call of Duty players. Elite appears to have a fairly deep level of tracking, including heat-maps, k/d ratios, clan win/loss percentages, and proficiency with specific weapons and equipment.

If you look closely enough, you might recognize that Elite rivals a free service already readily available in the video game community, Bungie.net. Halo games have had significant levels of statistic tracking for the past 5 years, really starting with Halo 3. Elite seems to be following the path set forth so graciously by Bungie, and it shows. But will it make a big enough mark in the COD community to justify a subscription based payment system? If so, how much of a dent will it make on your wallet, and how often?

We'll offer up news as soon as it becomes available for Call of Duty: Elite. Stay tuned.

Modern Warfare 3 | Spec Ops Returning and New Survival Mode

2011-05-31T16:07:00.002-04:00

It's back, and with a kick.

Flip the "M" upside down...GASP!

The Co-op only Spec-Ops mode from the record breaking juggernaut Modern Warfare 2 will be returning with leaderboards, new progression ranking systems, and online matchmaking.

While this is fantastic news for multiplayer loving Call of Duty fans, once similar announcement was made in parallel with this one, a release detailing information on a "Survival Mode" to be included in the game. This mode is similar to Treyarch's Zombie modes, in which you fight hordes of the undead. However, you can expect to fight infinite waves of OpFor soliders, attack and bomber dogs, and Kamikazees. In an interview with USA Today, Community Manager Robert Bowling had this to say:

"You definitely have to change up your strategy as the enemy changes up."

"Obviously how you fight the kamikaze dudes is different from how you fight the normal dudes and how you fight a dog is different from fighting juggernauts. They are not only big and armored, so they will just use brute force and come at you. But they each have their own way of being taken out effectively."

Modern Warfare 3 is set to launch on November 8th, 2011. We're expecting a blowout of information at E3 in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

L.A. Noire | DLC Plans and Rockstar Online Pass

2011-05-31T15:32:00.003-04:00

DLC will be made available in two flavors this summer, bundled and separate.

For those of you who’ve completed L.A. Noire in its entirety already, or are just looking forward to more cases to solve, you’re in luck.

Starting today, Rockstar Games is making available some DLC, as well as what’s being called, “The Rockstar Pass”. Essentially, this pass enables you to own all current and future L.A. Noire downloadable content with one easy purchase. A similar concept can be drawn to services like the Cerberus Network from Mass Effect 2, where one pass nets you all future DLC, a solid deal for fans who plan on purchasing all available DLC, which consists of suits, collectibles, and new cases for solving.

Oppositely, Rockstar is allowing the purchase of individual cases and suits, each with their own corresponding pricetags. While cases are $4.00 and suits are $2.00,, you might find it easier and cheaper to simply purchase the Rockstar pass, that is, if you intend on purchasing multiple DLC packs.

Below are the listed pieces of DLC being released this summer for L.A. Noire:

Cases
“The Naked City” DLC case – May 31;
“A Slip of The Tongue” DLC case – May 31;
“Nicholson Electroplating Disaster” DLC case – June 21;
“Reefer Madness” DLC case – July 12.

Suits
Chicago Lightning Detective Suit (Social Club only) – May 17;
Broderick Detective Suit and Gun – May 31;
Sharpshooter Detective Suit and Gun – May 31;

Challenges & Unlocks
The Badge Pursuit Challenge – May 31;
Chicago Piano Machine Gun (free community unlock) – May 31;

Passes
L.A. Noire Rockstar Pass (limited-time discount price) – May 31;
L.A. Noire Rockstar Pass (standard price) – June 14;

For more information, visit Rockstar Games.

L.A. Noire | Video Review

2011-05-24T12:58:00.000-04:00

For those of you with a taste for video content, or are just feeling too lazy to read my review of the game, I've provided a Video Review of L.A. Noire for your enjoyment.

If you'd prefer the written review, you can read it here.

Modern Warfare 3 | Official Gameplay Trailer

2011-05-23T21:01:00.000-04:00

Why wait until the T.V. spot tonight when you can watch it right now?

Though the trailer is set to air tonight on television during the NBA West Conference finals, it instead released early via YouTube on the official Call of Duty channel page. This video includes entire clips of game-play, a rough outline of a feasible plot, and one single line of dialogue from Makarov.

It seems that World War 3 is confirmed for Modern Warfare 3. Stick with MGN for more news as we approach its impending showing at E3 2011 in June.

Modern Warfare 3 |GameStop Pre-Order Bonus Announced

2011-05-23T01:13:00.000-04:00

Poster detailing exclusive information about the game packaged with each pre-order of Modern Warfare 3.

Confirmed. We have the poster in the MGN office.

As with almost all pre-order incentives, Modern Warfare 3 is not short of it's own enticing treats.

As a striking deal to gamers to run over to their nearest GameStop and pre-purchase the next Call of Duty, the company is offering up an exclusive "Time Magazine" double sided poster to those interested. The poster (as seen above) details possible, but not officially confirmed plot points for Infinity Ward's upcoming fall blockbuster.

More official details regarding the story, the multi-player, and any other related content should be in sharper focus with the release of the trailer on May 23rd, as well as the nearly-guarantee-able showing of the game at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo in June.

For more information on Modern Warfare 3, stick with MGN.

Minecraft on Drugs

2011-05-20T21:40:00.004-04:00

WARNING: May cause motion sickness. View at own risk.

Usually here at MegaGamerNews, we try to keep our articles strictly "news" related, but after stumbling across this strange and wild video, I can't help but share it to the MGN audience. This mod for Minecraft takes all the visuals in the game and flips them on their head. Then, it twists them, flips em a couple of times again, and pulls a corkscrew somewhere in the middle of all of that. This, my friends, is Minecraft on drugs.

The primary reason for this is to highlight how far Minecraft players have come with creating mods. Texture packs and game editors are now standard for the famous blocky game, but this seems to take it to a whole new strange level. To learn more about the mod, as well as how you can kill your brain cells with it, check the description of the video.

Don't do drugs kids.

L.A. Noire | Review (Xbox 360, PS3)

2011-05-18T19:44:00.002-04:00

In conjunction with Rockstar Games, Team Bondi set out to develop a suspenseful crime thriller. The goal was to create an experience unlike any game before it, while in the process creating a new category for its genre. The product of this experiment is L.A. Noire, a dark, third person mystery thriller that sets you in the shoes of a detective in 1940's crime-ridden Los Angeles.

Is L.A. Noire a groundbreaking entry to a hopeful new genre of gaming, or does it remain an unsolved mystery? Time to find out.

Story

In L.A. Noire, you play as Cole Phelps, a much honored and decorated World War II veteran rigorously bent on making a name for himself in Los Angeles, California. As a detective in the Los Angeles Police Department, you're objective is to take on an increasing series of cases within the confines of Hollywood, many of which are based on real life crimes. The expansive plot-line will begin to unfold bit by bit with each case that you undertake. After the successful completion of each self-contained case, you'll be bumped rung by rung up the ladder of success within the LAPD.

Along the way, you'll meet an ever-expanding cast of interesting, scary, and oftentimes entertaining characters that will either help or hinder your investigation. In addition to this, many references are made to the World War II, specifically The Battle of Okinawa, where phelps spent the majority of his military career. These events also hold dark secrets that are carefully interwoven in stories throughout the game. As the plot progresses, you begin to realize how closely the war and the people are intertwined, and the corruptness of those in powerful positions. With each investigation you conduct, and with every case that you solve, you'll come closer and closer to the dark and corroded truth that lies within the heart of post-war Los Angeles.

Presentation

The presentation in L.A. Noire is completely unmatched. The facial animations are unparalleled to that of any game before it, and is another step toward photorealism in video games. While the visuals themselves are not the highest on the market, it's in the smooth animation and character design that L.A. Noire really shines. This animation is done through a technology called “Motion-scan”, which enables the capture every detail of an actor's performance and place it right into the game itself. Unlike traditional hand animation, Motion-scan physically scans the performance of the actors and places them on the digital characters in game, to allow for a realistic, emotional, and more detailed experience. This coupled with the outstandingly spot on voice acting provides the player a real and gritty detective experience.

Gameplay

While most games tend to aim for either a fantastic narrative or excellent gameplay, L.A. Noire sets out to do both, and does so exceptionally well. Having finished the game cover to cover, I can say that the plot derived within L.A. Noire is a pleasing one, filled with brutal homicide, heart breaking discoveries, and shocking realizations, all seen from the players perspective. While the game primarily sits in the third person perspective of Cole Phelps, it's not afraid to reposition itself in a more cinematic manner, offering a gritty, film noire style composition. As a detective in the 40's, you'll make your way through a series of cases and investigations, all split up into one of four desks: Traffic, Homicide, Vice, and Arson.

Starting out in traffic, you'll deal with cases of domestic disturbance and street crimes like robberies and theft. Once you've made a name for yourself within the realm of traffic, you'll make your move up to the Homicide desk, where you'll handle cases of Murder and suicide, all coupled with mysterious riddles peppered throughout. After homicide, you'll move on to Vice and Arson, containing investigations into drug circuits, gambling, and illegal activities of all assortments.

In addition to the typical clue searching, question asking, and evidence gathering parts of the game, there are some quirky elements that really bring you into the world of L.A. Noire. For example, when you use a telephone in-game, you'll notice that the player can't call a person directly, they must be connected via an operator first, as is to be expected from a phone in 1947. There are also game-wells scattered around LA that allow you as a policeman to call dispatch in order to retrieve locations, details, and criminal records on file. These nuances add to the immersion of the experience.

You may ask, what about the gun play? This is just Grand Theft Auto in the 1940's right? Wrong. While L.A. Noire has elements of a Rockstar title nestled within its gameplay and world, this is by no means GTA. You'll find no means of shooting civilians, jacking helicopters, or firing off RPG's at city busses. This game focuses primarily on the aspect of playing a detective, whose objective is to do some good in the world, busting one criminal at a time.

With all this shifting around, at first glance, one might feel that the pace of L.A. Noire is rather slow, and it is. In fact, it may be one of the weakest parts of the game. Unless you're completely involved in the cases you're undertaking, there's a good chance that you'll grow bored of not finding clues, speaking to witnesses, and driving from varied locations. Speaking personally, I very much enjoyed playing a detective, as well as all the aspects associated with it. However, there were points within the game that I found myself achieving hair-pulling levels of frustration from the simplest of tasks. Oftentimes, the cases are fairly straightforward and it's not too hard picking a culprit for a crime. Sometimes though, there can be very little substantial evidence, and screwing up multiple questions inside of an interrogation can become very frustrating.

The repetition is in surplus in L.A. Noire, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, the narrative of the game is what keeps you interested through so much repetition. The desire to learn more and more about the ongoing mysteries in the city will keep you from turning your console off on multiple occasions.

Finally, after each case you'll receive a report totaling your performance in the investigation. This takes into account the number of interview question asked correctly, clues found, and even negatory stats like automobile damages and civilian injuries, usually done by your fast moving vehicle.

Aside from the main cases, there are a multitude of collectibles to gather, including secret cars and newspapers, which interestingly enough add more depth and background to the already deep narrative.

Conclusion

So where does L.A. Noire stand?

In terms of detective style gameplay, it delivers. However, there were a few noticeable glitches that popped up during gameplay. These were usually aesthetic and not game affecting, but still pretty immersion breaking to the presentation and experience. In addition, the game can seem extremely repetitive and sometimes dull to a player that isn't completely immersed in the story.

In respect to its cinematic showcasing of the true crime in the streets of post-war L.A., it outperforms anything on the market. It truly plays like an interactive movie with puzzle solving elements, thought-crunching mysteries that really provoke one's intellect, and provides a stellar cast of well voiced and well animated believable characters across the board.

Personally, I think that anyone could enjoy L.A. Noire. However, If you're not into detective work and deciphering evidence, and would rather spend your time elsewhere, then L.A. Noire is most likely not for you. But if you find yourself on the contrary and thoroughly enjoy a film noire-esque narrative where everyone has something to hide, then you'll love L.A. Noire.

Because of this, I give L.A. Noire an 8.5 out of 10.

L.A. Noire | Available now for Xbox 360 and PS3

2011-05-17T20:42:00.000-04:00

After months, if not years of long waiting, L.A. Noire, Rockstar and Team Bondi's detective thriller is now available on all major consoles.

L.A. Noire puts you in the role of Cole Phelps, grizzled war veteran trying to make a name for himself as a detective in 1940's Los Angeles, California. Unlike any other game before it, L.A. Noire sets out to provide distinctive, lifelike, and dark Gameplay as a detective covering traffic, homicide, vice, and arson.

I've had extensive playtime with this title, and I can say that it does well. How well? Find out tomorrow afternoon when my final review is posted.

Brink Review

2011-05-17T15:42:00.005-04:00

See a niche, fill a niche.

Brink is, overall, a strange game. Its marketing was strange, its basic premise is strange, and even its audience was a little hard to pinpoint. But, as all of us should already know, strange doesn't always equal bad.

I first heard about Brink in 2009, when it was first announced (or at least talked about) at E3. There wasn't much information at the time, with only this video giving me any insight to what the game would be like. The other quote that was thrown around at the time was "Brink is a combination of Mirror's Edge and Team Fortress 2." Later, it promised to deliver true objective gameplay, smooth movements, team-first gameplay, and a great story.

With all those promises, could Brink really deliver what it advertised? Let's find out.

Story

It's unfortunate that we have to start off the review with a story overview, because, well, Brink's story is its weakest point. Not to say it didn't have one, but it just wasn't presented very well. Brink is set on The Ark, a futuristic floating facility built to survive anything and everything. Unfortunately, anything and everything happens, which lead to people scrambling inside The Ark's secure and safe walls. Unfortunately, The Ark was not built to house this much chaos, nor a huge amount of people. This leads the ship's owner (Piloter? President? Captain?) to build a huge wall in the middle of The Ark, separating the rich from the poor. I'm sure there's some sort of Berlin Wall morality aspect hidden in there, even if it's never hinted at.

Now, as you would expect, the poor (or "Rebel") side of the wall is not pleased. They soon run out of food and water, overpopulate, and turn their side into a slum. They've escaped Armageddon only to live like animals. So, naturally, they rebel against their rich overlords and rise up to take back The Ark. They've also apparently got a plan to head back to shore to see if there are any survivors, which kind of defeats the purpose of The Ark if people survived on land.

This is all well and good so far. The police are bad, and the rebels are good, right? Well, kind of. At the beginning, the game asks you which side you want to play as. The police, to "save" The Ark, or the rebels, to escape The Ark. Even this decision doesn't matter that much though, as you'll be playing both campaigns regardless, and switching factions quite frequently. This is like asking a Call of Duty player which side he likes more, only to put him on a pre-assigned team anyways. Pointless.

Finally, one last comment on the story is that it's very much pushed aside. You only hear the story through skipable cut-scenes and optional audio logs, and there's no motivation or payoff for learning more. When in a game, the story is a flimsy bridge for the objectives to stand on. But, thankfully, you shouldn't be buying it for its story or characters. Everyone came to this game for gameplay. And Brink delivers.

Gameplay

Brink was never meant to be a "Call of Duty killer", regardless of what other people think. Brink was meant to fill a certain portion of the market, and to test alternative First Person Shooter gameplay. That still doesn't give it an excuse for sloppy programming or bad gameplay. Luckily, Brink has neither.

First of all, let's talk about how the game handles. On a very basic level, it functions like any other FPS. Sprint, aim down sights, shoot, reload, etc. All these basic things are working very, very well, and are completely re-mappable, which is a great feature every game should have nowadays. There are a regular array of guns to choose from, all of which handle well despite higher-than-normal amounts of recoil. The hit detection in the game is fantastic, and must have gone through some rigourous testing to get it just right, because it counters the aforementioned recoil almost perfectly.

Secondly, let's talk about the Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain (SMART) system. I loved the basic parkour elements, like being able to jump, climb, slide and grab ledges without pre-rendered animations. But it's not perfected. You really have to mash the sprint and/or jump button to get some moves to perform, and it was nowhere near Mirror's Edge's smoothness, which was what I was expecting. Overall, it was a good try, and I hope to see this kind of thing implemented in many FPSes in the future, albeit with more polish.

Finally, let's talk A.I. This is a bit of a controversial topic among reviewers, and hopefully I can clear some of the complaints up. I'd like to point out that the A.I. in this game is, for the most part, unnoticeable. When playing online, A.I. players will fill slots that are not taken by human players, leaving teams balanced and fun. They're also almost indistinguishable from the other human players, except for their pre-programmed names (such as "Dave", or "Tim"). This is amazing to me. The fact that I cannot tell if the opposing player is a human or not must show the tremendous steps we've taken in A.I. engineering. Brink is the first game with truly human-feeling computers. In this online aspect, Brink has hit the nail on the head, delivering an unnoticeable, yet amazing A.I. integration.

Now, where some people have had problems with the A.I. is in the offline modes, such as the Solo Campaign, or the Challenges. In these modes, the friendly A.I. can be completely useless at times. I won't go into it too much, but I think the problem people had with these A.I. is that the computers were programmed a specific way (Example: To move up with you), and when you don't play their kind of game, you'll get crushed. It's a weird addition, and without knowing that little fact, it can really get frustrating, especially when trying to complete a Challenge for a new gun.

Extras

Brink shines in its customization. You can customize and change everything. Guns, clothes, face, body, colors for all of the above, play style, and even your buttons/controls. These all add up into making you really connected to your character. You also have perks, or upgrades you can buy as you level up, adding some gameplay depth. And the Challenges in the game can give you some trouble, especially with some of the A.I. troubles, but are a welcome alternative to the normal game.

Summary (tl;dr)

Brink is a good game. I enjoyed it quite a bit, even if my review has been a bit negative. If you like FPSes and want a bit of a change, check it out. If you've ever been frustrated that your teammates NEVER play the objective, it might be for you. If you're still undecided, then go rent it. Brink is a unique experience that you need to play yourself. No one can tell you what the game is like, because chances are you'll have a whole different adventure with it.

Personally, I enjoyed the experiment. It introduced some very promising FPS prospects, most of which I would like to see implemented into a polished game (like Call of Duty).

I'd rate this game 8/10.

I'd rate it higher, but there's one glaring issue with it. Brink is a great game if you fit into their target audience, but that's also its downfall. If you don't fit in, it's not a very enjoyable experience. This loss of a big portion of its fan base is not a good thing, and is something Splash Damage should look into with its next title.

Which, by the way, I can't wait for.

Playstation Network Back Online

2011-05-15T00:56:00.003-04:00

Hopefully sans zombie side effects...

That's right, folks. The PSN is slowly coming back to life after almost a month of downtime. Sony has announced that the restoration process has begun in most areas of the world by region, and in the U.S. by state.

Sony's Kazuo Hirai wrote on the official PlayStation blog to reveal that this first round of revival will provide access to online gameplay, services such as Netflix, friends lists, chat, trophy comparison, and PlayStation Home. This does exclude the PlayStation Store, which Hirai said would be coming as soon as possible. Sony Online Entertainment games are also being brought back online, but details are sparse at the time of writing.

The two main questions asked when talking about the PSN's inevitable return were "Is this ever going to happen again?", and "What are we going to get for surviving this outage?". Well, Sony has answers for both. Hirai mentioned that Sony had taken steps to vastly improve security on all its online experiences, stating they've added "advanced security technology, increased levels of encryption, additional firewalls, and early warning systems." He also believes that Sony has done all that it can to make customer's security its number one priority.

As for your reimbursement, you'll have to wait a few days. Sony's "Welcome Back" package hasn't been finalized yet, however the details should be coming very soon. The package has already been confirmed to include rewards such as a 30-day subscription to PlayStation Plus.

If your region is still not back up yet, why not go grab the latest PS3 firmware (v3.61), now available for download. It'll make the start-up process much easier when the outage is finally over. Or, if you live in the USA, check out this handy map, which updates periodically to show you if your state has been brought back online.

Modern Warfare 3 | Announcement Trailers Released

2011-05-15T00:42:00.000-04:00

Was it not just yesterday that piles of leaked information was unleashed on the internet?

If you happened to stumble upon any corner of the internet this week, you might have noticed the onslaught of leaked information reportedly concerning that of Modern Warfare 3, the next installment in the blockbuster franchise from Activision.

In addition to that, some trailers were released.

While we don't report on leaks in detail, feel free to finish up on Kotaku for the whole scoop.

Assumedly in response to this leak, Activision has set loose a slew of teaser trailers for Call of Duty: MW3. Unlike titles before it, these trailers are divided up by their content, each respective of a certain country: Germany, France, England, and America. All trailers are similar in format and presentation, with the only major difference being the audio played and the country referred to.

Based on this, we can derive two things from these short glimpses into the game. For one, it appears that the campaign for Modern Warfare 3 is going to be all over the map, literally. Secondly, coming off the title, it seems that Activision is doing its best to "rebrand" the Modern Warfare franchise into MW3, given the fact that its now a logo of sorts, as opposed to blandly reading "Modern Warfare 3".

While no more is known officially of the title at the moment, it's a guarantee that we'll see more of it from Activision at E3 in early June.

MGN will be covering every detail on this title moving forward, so stay tuned.

Portal 2 | PC Authoring Tools Available Now

2011-05-11T16:03:00.000-04:00

Updated Hammer World Editor.

For those of you out there who own the PC version of Portal 2 (like myself) and have an interest in creating your own custom puzzle chambers, then do we have good news for you. As of this moment, Valve has announced via their blog that the Beta Authoring Tools are now available for download.

Here's what's included:
- Updated version of Hammer, the Source level editor
- Updated Faceposer
- Example maps and instances to help build new maps
- Updated suite of command-line compiling utilities

Also mentioned in the post are the addition of two mailing lists from Valve. If you're an interested beta member for these Authoring tools, you should subscribe to these. They'll keep you updated on changes to the tools as they approach completion.
- Portal 2 List
- General Source List

Keep in mind that this is beta software, so problems might occur. If they do, send an email to the first mailing list provided. Now go forth and create free DLC for us all!

L.A. Noire | Official Launch Trailer

2011-05-11T12:18:00.001-04:00

Courtesy of Rockstar Games and Team Bondi, the teams behind the game, we have an Official launch trailer above for your enjoyment.

Unlike many of the trailers that have come before it, this trailer features significantly more gun-play, suspense, and is overall the most action-oriented of previously released footage from L.A. Noire. While the game does tend to focus primarily on the wordplay and puzzling mystery solving, Rockstar is making a point to show that L.A. Noire will have significant doses of action sequences throughout the game.

As we draw nearer and nearer to it's eminent release next week, be sure to watch out for our review coming shortly prior to launch.

Xbox | Now Compatable with Paypal (US Only)

2011-05-10T19:14:00.005-04:00

Safe, Secure, and.....safe

Xbox gamers may have had reason to worry in the past about credit cards on their console. The Playstation Network breach was just the icing on the insecure online cake that is gaming and credit cards. But rejoice Nervous Neds! PayPal is now available for Xbox Live.

Major Nelson announced the news and had this to say: "You can use PayPal to buy Microsoft Points without having to associate your credit card information to your Xbox Live account....It's pretty easy and just like adding a credit card to your account. Sign in to Xbox.com and head to the account summary page. From there choose 'Manage Payment Options' (from the left navigation menu) then click 'Add a new PayPal Account.' Follow the instructions and you'll be set up in no time."

Now, before everyone creates riots of joy in the streets, there are a few conditions Microsoft has laid out before the XBL Nation:

1) You must have an existing PayPal account.

2) You must be a resident of the United States

3) You may only purchase XBL points with PayPal over Xbox.com (as opposed to on your console)

If you fit into those conditions, feel free to enjoy the extra layer of security that PayPal is known to deliver. If you live somewhere other than the US (*cough*Canada*cough*), then unfortunately you'll have to tough it out with the old system. Oh well. Maybe it'll come eventually.

No New Bungie Game Reveals at E3

2011-05-09T21:28:00.000-04:00

Hint: It's not Halo.

With Halo Reach still maintaining its spot within the most played Games on Xbox Live, one begins to wonder what Bungie, the developer behind the Halo franchise, is up to next. Well, sorry to burst your bubble. As stated in their most recent blog post via Bungie.net, Bungie will not be officially attending the Electronic Entertainment Expo this year.

"Sorry for the sting. We wanted to make sure you didn’t get whipped into a rumor-fueled frenzy only to have your expectations unceremoniously dashed during expo week." - urk

As disappointing as this might appear, what does it mean? Is it possible that Bungie is holding back as to not cast their shadow over other big announcements at the show? Only time will tell.

What do you think Bungie is working on? Post it in the comments below.

Gears of War 3 | Beta Code Giveaway

2011-05-09T17:48:00.002-04:00

For those of you who opted not to purchase Bulletstorm or pre-order Gears of War 3, but for some reason still have a strong desire to jump into the multiplayer beta, we've got good news for you. As a big thank you to all of our readers, we're giving away three brand spanking new beta codes for the Gears of War 3 Beta.

Rules:
- To be entered to win, you must make a comment on this article and retweet this tweet on Twitter.
- You can make ONE and only ONE comment. No exceptions.
- Be as clever, funny, or creative as you like. Convince us, and we might just pick you.
- Please, no sob stories. If you post one, we won't pick you. It doesn't bother us one bit if your grandmother was sliced by a Lancer.

Winners will be notified through Twitter.

That's all there is to it! Now take this link, spread it around, retweet it, dig it, share it on Facebook and above all, leave a comment!

Brink | Comprehensive Game Preview

2011-05-09T16:00:00.007-04:00

Prepare for the revolution!

Among the community, Brink has come to be known as two things:
1) A surprisingly promising FPS that mixes Team Fortress 2 and Mirror's Edge
2) A game with a butt-load of trailers

So, if you're waiting anxiously for Brink to be released for tomorrow, or if you're still on the fence about the game, sit back, relax and check out some awesome Brink media!

First of all, check out this amazing game overview for Brink, made by "HoldDaApplause" on YouTube:

Then, why not head over to Brink's official site, where you can catch up on the 10+ trailers you've probably missed. Finally, watch out early next week for Mega Gamer News's official Brink review! We'll be covering Single-Player and Multiplayer, along with the usual categories!

Worried that the PSN outage will affect you tomorrow? According to Bethesda, the game will still launch on May 10th, as per the original schedule. Some players were worried that a game update may prevent them from playing the game at all, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Unfortunately, the multiplayer will be unavailable, for obvious reasons.

Before you leave and get yourself all prepped up for tomorrow, why not leave a comment below answering this simple question: What are you looking forward to the most about Brink?

Portal 2 | Video Review

2011-05-08T16:49:00.000-04:00

For those of you out there that are all too lazy to read a written review (or just prefer these), I've compiled Video Review for your enjoyment.

If you'd like to read the written segment, you can read it here.

Portal 2 Review

2011-05-07T15:10:00.001-04:00

A puzzling adventure that not only rivals the original, but greatly surpasses it.

Since the release of the original Portal in 2007 from Valve, developers of the Half Life Series, the game has caught fire in the gaming community, spawning numerous memes, fan communities, custom content, and successful sales numbers.

*For the Video Review, click here.

Though the first Portal started out as a concept game that Valve wanted to test out first through the Orange Box, it didn't stay that way. Gamers latched onto the title and have since then clamored for a sequel. Leaping forward to present day and we have Portal 2, the direct sequel to the first game.

With the original being the success that it was, does Portal 2 bring enough to the table to topple the original? You're about to find out.

Story

For those of you not familiar with the story set forth in the original Portal, let me explain it in a nutshell. You play as Chell, test subject #1498 for Aperture Science, as well as the silent protagonist. You wake up in disarray in the confines of a relaxation vault deep within the halls of Aperture Science. You've been given no details as to why you're here, but you know that you have to make your way through a series of test chambers to complete the game. This is done with a Portal Gun. The device allows the player to shoot two "portals" acting as entrance and exit points. These can be fired on nearly any surface and are used to solved the perplexing puzzles within Aperture Science. For the rest of the story, go play the original.

In Portal 2, you re-awake within Aperture Science, several years after the laboratory had been shutdown and abandoned. You make quick friends with a robot named Wheatley, and re-unite with GladOS, the super computer antagonist of the first game. In Portal, you ended the game by defeating GladOS, but in Portal 2, she has been re-awakened, and as ready to test as ever.

The story progresses at a perfect pace, never offering a dull moment. The writing is superb to the highest degree. From the characters and voice actors, to the plot twists and hilarious lines presented all the way through, Portal 2 stands out triumphantly as one of the best written games that I have ever played.

Gameplay

The gameplay within Portal 2 is indeed quite similar to the first, if not identical. However, in this outing, players have all sorts of new toys, gadgets, and tools at their disposal. Don't worry, you'll still be wielding the Portal Gun exclusively, you just use it in tandem with other objects, providing more interesting results. You'll find yourself feeling quite puzzled in many of the vast chambers within Portal 2, but none are impossible to solve. In fact, resolving a puzzle strictly through individual brain power is one of the most rewarding gaming experiences I've had in a long time.The new gamely mechanics combined with the familiar aspects of the original add up to the perfect equation for a game of this genre.

Co-op

Though Portal was an exclusively single player experience, Portal 2 has taken a dive into the realm of online and local multiplayer, and I have to say that they nailed it. The concept behind co-op is quite simple: Two players, offline or online, must work together to complete a number of tests in the name of science. Each player has two portals under their control, one controlling a short robot named Atlas, the other controlling Peabody. The same concepts that are used in the single player also take form in co-op, with the challenges set a little higher on the difficulty scale.

Each player can enter any portal, not just their own, but they can only place their own. At any point, you could place a portal over a pit, and one underneath your partner in science, and have him drop helplessly into the abyss. While this is not recommended, it's vastly entertaining. As you play through the levels, GladOS spouts petty remarks at the robots, chastising or encouraging them, usually with a very direct layer of sarcasm sprinkled on top. This mode paces quite well and is easily one of the greatest additions that Valve could have made to the Portal series.

Presentation

Graphically, Portal 2 is a beautiful game. While it may not have graphics on par with shooters like Crysis, it does however have fantastic animation, colorful environments, and a steady frame-rate. Unlike the first Portal, this entry contains massive lab structures and chambers, as well as very detailed textures. During my playtime with the game, I never witnessed a dropped frame, a single level freeze, or loss in smoothness. The game runs well on the updated Source engine developed so frequently by Valve and it shows.

Conclusion

With as unique of a game as the original Portal was, one would consider it quite the feat to produce a sequel worthy to it. However, Valve has found a way to take an original concept and make it into an experience that not only rivals its successor, but greatly surpasses it. The writing within this game is phenomenal, and not only had my jaw on the floor on more than one occasion, but also had me pausing to laugh excessively due to the sheer amount of humor packed into the dialogue. The best way to experience this title is to take it slow and enjoy every line of voice recorded in this game. This means standing back and letting Wheatley talk for five minutes about whether you should jump or not. Yes, the writing is that entertaining.

While the game isn't extremely long, it feels like the perfect length. There are twists and turns, followed by plot twists and brain benders the entire time. At no point do any of the objectives feel like a chore. Portal 2 is one of the best games that I've played in a long time, as well as being one of, if not the funniest and most enjoyable titles available.

It's a game that I believe everyone should play at some point.
This is why I give Portal 2 a 10/10.

Also, the music is superb. So if you're wondering if the ending song is as entertaining as the first Portal's, the answer is yes. It absolutely is.

L.A. Noire | Game will come on 3 Discs

2011-05-06T16:07:00.000-04:00

It's going to take one Blu-Ray disc or 3 DVD's to house everything L.A. Noire has to offer.

Yes sir, that's how many discs it takes, I swear!

With recent games becoming larger and larger over the years, it's no surprise that a game like Rockstar's L.A. Noire will be singlehandedly one of the most space consuming titles in recent history. With games like Mass Effect 2 and Rage arriving on multiple discs (typically based on numerous amounts of cut scenes contained), it seems that title's like this will continue to expand to capture the concept of the developer.

"To tell the story and make the game we wanted to make, we knew that it was going to take an entire single layer Blu-ray disc and three Xbox discs," said Rockstar VP of development Jeronimo Barrera.

Rockstar pointed out that the MotionTech technology used to capture facial animations within the game's cut-scenes was the culprit of all the digital consumption, but is necessary to pull out all the stops for the game that they wanted to make.

L.A. Noire releases on Xbox 360 and PS3 on May 17, 2011.

Mass Effect 3 Delayed

2011-05-04T18:24:00.006-04:00

Saving the galaxy will have to wait.

Looks like the original "Holiday 2011" marker put at the end of the Mass Effect 3 trailer was, in fact, inaccurate. Fans will have to wait until "Spring 2012" to finish the war against the Reapers.

When a trailer is released, it's accurate to assume the date listed most likely will not be true. But, unfortunately for all the Mass Effect fans, the date did not change to a November or December release, as previously thought. No, today EA and Bioware announced on Facebook that they will be pushing the third installment back a few months, and the development team is "focused on making sure Mass Effect 3 is the biggest, boldest and best game in the series, ensuring that it exceeds everyone's expectations."

While this may come as disappointing to some, it also may be a good thing. This small setback may help ME3 avoid crushing fan disappointment if the release did not live up to everyone's high expectations. The first two games were revolutionary, and gathered a surprisingly huge audience from various gaming communities. Polishing up the game can only make it better, provided these months aren't spent creating a new bumpy vehicle section. Also, Spring is usually quite sparse when it comes to high-quality titles, and it's worked in the past for Bioware (Mass Effect 2).

Meanwhile, we'll have to sit back and sigh over the recently released screenshots of the game. Don't worry fellow fanatics. Spring 2012 will be here soon enough.

Duke Nukem Forever | PC Specs Released

2011-05-03T13:53:00.000-04:00

Duke Nukem Forever is set to blow your mind, but will it blow up your machine?

Thankfully, if you've got a mediocre gaming rig, you shouldn't have a problem running Duke Nukem Forever. In fact, you might even have it running in the background while you search for cool Duke quotes to say while playing...well, some of you anyway.

However, there are some of you out there that like to feel equipped ahead of time, so below we've provided the minimum and recommended specs for playing Duke Nukem Forever.

Minimum SpecificationsOS: Windows XP/Vista/7
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.0 Ghz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 @ 2.0 Ghz
Memory: 1 Gb
Hard Drive: 10 Gb free
Video Memory: 256 MB
Video Card: nVidia GeForce 7600 / ATI Radeon HD 2600
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible

Recommended SpecificationsOS: Windows XP/Vista/7
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.4 Ghz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 @ 2.6 Ghz
Memory: 2 Gb
Hard Drive: 10 Gb free
Video Memory: 512 MB
Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8800 GTS / ATI Radeon HD 3850
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible

OTHER REQUIREMENTS & SUPPORTS
Initial installation requires one-time internet connection for Steam authentication; software installations required (included with the game) include Steam Client, Microsoft DirectX, Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable (ATL), Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable, and AMD Dual Core Optimizer. (AMD optimizer required only for specific AMD processors to run the game correctly, but installs for all of them.)

Software license terms are available at www.take2games.com/eula.

For more info on Duke Nukem Forever, as well as our impending preview of the game, be sure to stick with MGN.

Kinect | "Motion" FPS on its way?

2011-05-02T20:04:00.010-04:00

Triple A action guaranteed to get you off your couch.

The Kinect got off to a huge start last November upon launch, selling enough to be crowned "fastest-selling consumer device" by the Guinness World Records. To the average hardcore gamer, however, this has been less than impressive. The Kinect has housed many a game genre, but has yet to scratch the surface of the Motion First Person Shooter. That may change soon, according to Microsoft Game Studios Vancouver.

The fresh new games studio mentions on their personal site that it is working on a "new core AAA shooter experience using Kinect." Artist at the company Shawn Woods also mentioned that the young company has shifted its strategy from "social microtransaction games" to "developing a core AAA shooter experience using Kinect." Job listings in Vancouver also mention the studio is planning on bringing "highly experimental gameplay to Xbox 360 and Kinect," and also mention that its newest game "uses Kinect in new and unique ways."

All of these fancy quotes seem to add up to the inevitable release of a motion-based shooter. The Kinect has proven it can bring in the casual audience in record numbers, and appears to be turning at least some of its focus back to the Xbox's main audiences. No one knows whether this will sway the everyday gamer into believing in the Kinect, but it is an interesting concept, and one that should at least deserve a chance. No official announcement for the game has been released, but perhaps E3 will shed some more light on this rumor.

Assassins Creed Revelations | Possible New Title?

2011-05-01T10:53:00.000-04:00

For those of you looking forward to the next installment in the Assassins Creed franchise, look no further. The next title for the game has apparently been leaked.

Forum members on the popular gaming site NeoGAF were able to extract information from a Ubisoft Facebook page unveiling "Assassins Creed: Revelations". While this has not been confirmed, this is a seemingly likely title for the fourth installment in the series.

Though nothing is known about the title at this moment, we've been told that the June issue of Gameinformer will be offering the whole scoop. In addition to that, you should expect details on Revelations at E3 2011, where Ubisoft will most likely discuss the title at their press conference.

In February, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot stated that the next Assassins Creed game would be revealed in May of 2011 and that it would indeed be a full, retail title. In related news, Assassins Creed: Lost legacy was announced for the 3DS some time ago, and is set for release this year as well.

With E3 just around the corner, what do you expect out of the next Assassins Creed title? My bets are on a deeper Co-op system.

Portal 2 | DLC #1 Announced

2011-04-29T15:04:00.000-04:00

For those of you out there that have managed to complete both Portal 2's single player and co-op offerings since it's launch on April 19th, you're in luck. Targeted for release this summer is the DLC #1 for Valve's highly popular first person shooter/puzzle adventure title. This new DLC will contain new test chambers, leaderboards, challenge modes for both single and multiplayer modes, and much more.

In a very "Valve-esque" fashion, DLC #1 will be offered completely free of charge for the PC, Mac, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3. While this is typical for Valve titles on the PC platform, this is indifferent in respect to consoles, namely the Xbox 360. Valve is known for releasing free DLC for very lengthy periods after a game's respective release, offering as much support to the community as they deem necessary.

However, with Microsoft in control of what content is displayed on their platform, DLC for Valve games in the past has not followed suit with this philosophy. In fact, let's look specifically at Left 4 Dead. The game received free content post-launch on the PC platform, while the Xbox 360 received the same DLC, but at a price.

Interestingly enough though, the first DLC for Left 4 Dead was free to all owners of the game, even on consoles, but every DLC after had a price tag attached. The same can be said for the game's sequel, Left 4 Dead 2.

Looking at Portal 2, I'm glad to see that the DLC is free of charge on all platforms, but one wonders if it will follow the same pattern as the previous Valve games on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Will Portal 2 have it's first DLC be free, only to have latter content include a price tag on consoles?

Only time will tell, but for now, look forward to even more puzzles, chambers, and multiplayer fun when the content pack releases this summer.

Hulu Plus Coming to Xbox Live

2011-04-28T14:26:00.000-04:00

The popular television streaming service is coming to Xbox Live members.

Discussed at E3 2010, and it's finally here.

Beginning tomorrow, April 29th 2011, the online streaming service Hulu will become available to all members of Xbox Live for free, for 7 days. This promotion (sponsored by Jacks Links Beef Jerky) will end on May 6th, 2011, where-after the service will only be accessible by Xbox Live Gold Members who have a Hulu Plus subscription.

A Hulu Plus subscription is $7.99 a month and offers you access to a long list of shows and their entire episode archive. For more information, visit Hulu.com/plus.

Xbox | Un-Banned and banned once again

2011-04-27T21:51:00.010-04:00

The fleeting moments of freedom...

Banning users on Xbox Live for breaking the terms of use is nothing new. But what about having to re-ban hundreds of thousands all at the same time? On Tuesday, over a million Xbox 360s rose from the dead for a short while.

Modding, inappropriate conduct, and even nudity has earned over a million users console bans for an indefinite amount of time. This leads their console to essentially be 'bricked', or completely useless. Most people would just throw their console away after this harsh slap on the wrist, but obvious somebody just couldn't let go.

Users with banned consoles reported on various Xbox-related sites claimed that on Tuesday, all their console bans had been lifted, and they were able to log on once again. Well, mostly. According to some rather sparse details, the users were still not allowed to buy games, play demos, or go online in any manner. The zombie consoles were still very much alive. The key word in that last sentence was 'were'. Once Microsoft caught wind of this, which was predictably fast, the undead consoles were once again bricked and useless.

An interesting thing to consider with this whole situation is its relevance with the PSN's recent crash. Some people claimed this was hackers breaking into Xbox Live, but that wouldn't explain the lack of options for the unbanned consoles, or why the consoles were able to be re-banned. The more likely scenario being passed around is that Microsoft themselves have been tinkering with the system to make sure they're secure.

It would make sense that they'd be checking their appropriate banning security systems, in case of a serious situation like Sony is currently trying to face. The possible loss of credit card numbers, wide-spread online blackouts, and the possibility of rebuilding their online system entirely should be alarming to any video-game company. Maybe they're stepping up their firewalls. Maybe they're setting up a line of precautions. Maybe this blip in the system really is hackers making some progress in XBL's security. Or, most likely, Microsoft probably just forgot to hit the 're-ban' button.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | Elder Scrolls Evolved (Interview)

2011-04-26T11:12:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of IGN, Bethesda has released a new trailer a la' an interview with Todd Howard, the Game Director at Bethesda Softworks.

Bethesda's changing up the way you experience an Elder Scrolls game with Skyrim.

Nintendo | New console confirmed!

2011-04-25T11:56:00.004-04:00

Due in 2012.

Rumors of Nintendo's impending hardware upgrade have turned out to be true.

This Nintendo Japan announcement states "Nintendo Co., Ltd. has decided to launch in 2012 a system to succeed [the] Wii." Speculations were flying everywhere last week, when multiple sources claimed a new console was on its way.

Some rumors suggest that "Project Cafe," as the console is supposedly known as inside Nintendo, will have regular controllers as well as a Wii-mote style motion controller, which will have large touch screens built into them. Nintendo has not confirmed, nor denied the screenshots taken of the new console's controller (seen below).

These screens will also apparently allow for private splitscreen multiplayer, although this seems rather complicated and costly. But who knows? In an age of smart phones and no-controller gaming, anything is possible, especially from a company that innovated the gaming world just 5 years ago.

PSN | Shutdown result of 'External Intrusion'

2011-04-23T16:49:00.007-04:00

PlayStation users are still in the dark.

Since Wednesday, the PlayStation network has been out of service, and has not re-appeared since. One of the biggest questions asked by PS3 users (besides WTF?) was "What's causing the outage?". That answer may now be somewhat answered.

Today, on the PlayStation blog, the developers weren't crystal-clear on what caused the shutdown, but did mention that it came from an "External Intrusion". The intrusion was detected Wednesday, and they voluntarily shut the network down "to verify the smooth and secure operation of [Playstation's] network services".

They also stated "it may be a full day or two before we're able to get the service completely back up and running." Many speculations are being thrown back and forth among the community, but in more than one ways, PlayStation users are being kept in the dark.

This is the full, un-edited statement from PlayStation:

"An external intrusion on our system has affected our PlayStation Network and Qriocity services. In order to conduct a thorough investigation and to verify the smooth and secure operation of our network services going forward, we turned off PlayStation Network & Qriocity services on the evening of Wednesday, April 20th. Providing quality entertainment services to our customers and partners is our utmost priority."

Duke Nukem Forever | "Come Get Some" Trailer Released

2011-04-22T13:48:00.000-04:00

Sure kid, you might grow up to be as awesome as me.

Duke Nukem Forever has been in release day limbo for 10+ years at this point, but that's not keeping Gearbox Software from releasing trailers with a metric ton of pure awesome within them. *While this trailer is vastly entertaining, it's not suitable for individuals under the age of 18, as with any rated "Mature" title, so be sure to watch with caution.

*This trailer does contain some light nudity in the context of a strip club.

LA Noire | Gameplay Series Trailer

2011-04-21T17:09:00.000-04:00

For those of you psyched for Rockstar's newest entry into the open world genre, take a look at this.

"Rising Through The Ranks" is the title aptly given by Rockstar for the new video series for L.A. Noire, the upcoming detective/action game from the developers of Grand Theft Auto. This series showcases the rise in power of the player throughout the game in 1940's Los Angeles, one of the most crime-ridden periods in the city's history.

You'll spend your time working through a multitude of cases throughout the game, as well as experiencing the challenging duties of a detective.

For more on L.A. Noire, stick with MGN.

South Korea | National games curfew

2011-04-21T16:54:00.004-04:00

No more late night Starcraft!

South Korean kids will no longer be able to stay up late playing their favorite video games. According to this source, youths under the age of 15 will soon be prohibited from playing "online games" from midnight to 6 am. Not much information is known at the moment, nor did they specify what exactly constituted an "online game". So far, there's been no word from any other countries following South Korea's lead.

Socom 4 | Available for Purchase

2011-04-19T23:10:00.000-04:00

For all of you die-hard Socom fans, the long awaited fourth entry has arrived.

An impressive visual style makes Socom 4 a beauty to watch in motion.

Socom 4, Zipper-Interactive's realistic military shooter has seen its fair share of delays, press showings, and released trailers and screenshots. In addition to that, the game launched a successful Multiplayer Beta on Playstation Network in March, allowing the team at Zipper to cut out any remaining bugs, as well as fine tune the final build of the game.

However, the game has finally arrived on store shelves today.

With a lengthy back-story surround operations in the U.S. Navy Seals and an impressive graphical benchmark, gamers with a fond taste for strategic military action will find comfort in Socom 4, exclusively on Playstation 3.

Mortal Kombat | Available Now

2011-04-19T22:57:00.000-04:00

Mortal Kombat has finally arrived on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and to much avail.

Literally ANY caption would work in this situation. Go on, try it.

Seeing as how this is the first Mortal Kombat console game since 2008's Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, it's no surprise that gamers were lined up down the street at local retailers to purchase the game at its midnight launch just last evening.

For those of you eager to play, log off MGN for a mere second and head to your game store of choice and purchase it. From what I've played thus far, this entry into the Mortal Kombat series is a worthy one.

If you're a fan of the series, or just a gamer interested in picking up a new fighting game to play locally with friends or online against the pro's, then Mortal Kombat might peak some interest in you.

Portal 2 | Now Available Worldwide

2011-04-19T00:42:00.000-04:00

It's the day you've all been waiting for, and it's not a lie.

We've got our copy, do you have yours?

Portal 2 is now available via Steam for Mac+PC, as well as retailers and online ordering for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Be back later this week for our full review of Portal 2 from Valve Software.

Uncharted 3 | Multiplayer Trailer Unveiled

2011-04-18T14:32:00.001-04:00

Weapon Customization, airplanes, and a beta.

There might not be a caption suitable for this level of awesome.

And that's not even the half of it.

While I typically suggest that gamers decide for themselves what they think of a game, I have to throw my hat into the ring on this one.

While the trailer showcases alot of interesting features within the multiplayer suite of Uncharted 3, it appears that just as many questions were raised simultaneously.

Will players be able to fly planes, or are they some sort of "Call of Duty-esque" killstreak?

Can the player choose their own character, or is it predetermined?

And what is with that music choice?

Go forth and watch dear gamers, this is probably all that you'll get on Uncharted 3 until E3 2011.

Battlefield 3 | New Footage Revealed

2011-04-17T18:46:00.016-04:00

Now uncut, and full of win.

A couple of days ago, Battlefield's official Youtube page dropped a full 12 minute gameplay video. It's mostly footage we've seen before, already spliced into one of its many trailers, but there are gems to be found.

Below you'll find the embedded video. Many astute viewers have spoken up on what they've found within the video. It may not have shown much in the way of new information, but we do get to see some new vehicles, and a possible jet-flying scene. No information yet from DICE, as they seem intent on keeping it a secret until at least E3 later this summer.

Battlefield 3 is scheduled to drop November 2nd, 2011.

Portal 2 | Releasing Early?

2011-04-15T12:22:00.001-04:00

Well, kind of.

Some of you may have noticed the countdown timer on the Aperture Science website over the past few days, with the time counting down to April 13, 2011: 12pm Eastern Time. It seems that the counter has run out of time, and the surprise has been revealed.

Many thought that Portal 2 would be releasing early, and we can safely say...kind of. Instead of the timer, the site now displays a command line with GladOS speaking to you through small prompts of text. The site will then proceed to drop you here, at the Aperture Science website.

This time, there's another timer...again.

The catch is this: Valve wants you to support Indie Game development, and they've found a pretty clever way of doing it. Portal 2 can be released early if enough players purchase "The Potato Sack", a mixed bag of clever Indie titles available on Steam.

If enough users purchase the pack, Portal 2 will release early, and GladOS will be unleashed.

Very tempting indeed...

L.A. Noire | No Multiplayer Component

2011-04-13T09:56:00.002-04:00

For those of you looking for another Grand Theft Auto co-op experience, you might want to wait for Grand Theft Auto V.

As stated by a Rockstar employee at this year's Penny Arcade Expo in Boston, L.A. Noire will strictly feature a well rounded and deep single player story-line.

In summary of the discussion we had with one of the game's designers, the team is focused on creating the best single player detective experience that they can for the player, and Multiplayer just doesn't fit well with the strategy of the game.

Whether this is preferable from the consumer standpoint has yet to be seen, but from my personal view on the game, I'd derive much more enjoyment from an enthralling single player portion, as opposed to a multiplayer feature thrown in just for the sake of having it.

I'm sure that I'll re-play the game a multitude of times, solely based on the gameplay and features I've been exposed to thus far.

L.A. Noire is scheduled for a May 17, 2011 release date on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

SSX Deadly Descents | More Details Surface

2011-04-11T19:39:00.000-04:00

Concept art for SSX: Deadly Descents

Snowboarding fans alike have been clamoring for a new SSX title in the franchise since 2007 with SSX: Blur for the Nintendo Wii. With it's announcement at last year's Video Game Awards, SSX "Deadly Descents" plans to hit that sweet spot for SSX fans, while bringing in gamers new to the genre simultaneously.

Details have emerged on the title recently, with talk of bigger mountains, location variety and bringing more immersion to the trick filled franchise.

According to updates from developer EA Sports (Canada), SSX will contain three distinct types of gameplay, represented in each of the different game modes.

Deadly Descent – a new addition to the franchise, this mode is all about survival. Obstacles like “avalanches and rockslides, and falling stalactites” will task players with making it to the bottom alive.

Speed Descent – racing down the hill in what Batty describes as “the core of SSX“.

Tricky Descent – the trickiest mode of them all (pun intended), players will perform tricks for the higher score.

We'll have more on this title as details pop up, but seeing as how the game as a TBA 2012 release date, I wouldn't be surprised to hear very little, until E3 in June that is.

Red Dead Redemption | New DLC coming next week.

2011-04-08T15:05:00.000-04:00

It's a big world, but Rockstar's adding even more....again.

Coming next week to Xbox Live and Playstation Network is a whole new batch of exclusive content for 2010's Game Of The Year Award winner, Red Dead Redemption.

Gamers who've been anticipating more content for Rockstar's latest outing can find peace in the release of several new peices of content on their platform of choice.

Out of the three new pieces of DLC, all of them are available for the low, low price of 80 MS points on Xbox Live, or $1 on the PlayStation Network. Below is a rundown of all the new DLC:

Deadly Assassin Outfit

John Marston's Deadly Assassin outfit causes your Dead Eye meter to regenerate at twice the speed. With more Dead Eye, you have more time to place each shot with total accuracy, making you the deadliest gunslinger in any fight.

The Golden Guns Weapon Pack

Available for use in the Red Dead Redemption Single Player story, the player who wields the Golden Guns receives more Fame for each kill. The more Fame you get, the more in-game side missions become available. So there will be more opportunities to duel, more kidnapped townsfolk to rescue and you can bribe lawmen for less.

The War Horse

There are countless horses to be found in the massive world of Red Dead Redemption, but none is stronger, faster or tougher than the War Horse. Whether storming gang hideouts, exploring the wilderness for hidden treasure, or outrunning the law, the War Horse gives gunslingers an advantage in nearly every situation.

For more information on Red Dead Redemption, stick with MGN.

L.A. Noire "Slip of The Tongue" Trailer

2011-03-31T18:14:00.000-04:00

The above video showcases gameplay from the upcoming Rockstar Title, L.A. Noire.

This video features a look at “A Slip of the Tongue” Traffic case, which will be available as a Walmart launch exclusive. Consumers that purchase L.A. Noire from Walmart starting May 17 will receive a free downloadable code for the case while supplies last.

Will this trend apply to other pre-order outlets? Only time will tell.
Either way, this game looks phenomenal.

Darkspore Beta Now Available on Steam

2011-03-29T11:18:00.000-04:00

From now until Friday, April 1st, you can load up Steam on your nearest PC or Macintosh computer and download the Darkspore Beta for free. Valve also announced an exclusive pre-order offer: a fourpack of Darkspore for the price of three.

If you're interested in an Action-RPG to play online with your friends that include a wealth of customization options, fast paced gameplay, and an interesting sci-fi universe, Darkspore might just be for you.

For more information on Darkspore, visit www.steamgames.com

Portal 2 | Valve Releases Second Video

2011-03-28T14:07:00.000-04:00

Valve, in partnership with Aperture Science Laboratories, released today a new installment of its "investment opportunity" video series. Called "Bot Trust", it is the second of four videos leading up the April 19th release of Portal 2.

Are you excited for Portal 2?

Pokemon Black and White | 2 Million Copies sold in the U.S.

2011-03-27T14:49:00.000-04:00

If you thought the Pokemon fad had died off during your middle school years, you might want to think again.

These are your starting Pokemon for Black and White versions.

If you're a follower of Nintendo on Twitter, you may have noticed the slight mention of the insane sales numbers for Pokemon Black and White. In addition to the 5 Million copies that sold in Japan, I'm sure its a safe bet that gamers aren't scared off by the likeliness of Black and White to its predecessors, what with the franchise being known for maintaining a winning formula.

The game is continuing to sell well both domestically and in foreign markets, and we look forward to hearing more details about the inevitable next step in the Pokemon franchise.

Duke Nukem Forever delayed....again.

2011-03-24T13:56:00.000-04:00

Wait, there's some of you out there that are surprised at this? You're upset?

Try waiting 15 years.

2K Games and Gearbox Software unsurprisingly announced this morning that Duke Nukem Forever will be delayed until June 10 internationally, while releasing June 14 in North America. While this may be confusing to some gamers, it's not a shock to those of us that have waited 15 years to play this cursed game.

Here's a small excerpt from the press release from 2K Games:

“In case you haven’t heard, Duke never comes early,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “We’re committed to deliver a laugh-out-loud, politically incorrect experience that people will talk about for years to come. We thank Duke’s fans for their continued patience - I promise this won’t take another 15 years.”

“I'm very sorry for the added delay. We've all been working extremely hard and are very eager to deliver the game to you," added Pitchford. “I’ve been thinking of these lyrics from the great country song, ‘He's The Duke’ - ‘He told us if we waited we could Come Get Some, but I never knew Forever was going to be so long.' If you're like me, June cannot come quickly enough."

Duke Nukem Forever will be available internationally on June 10, 2011 and in North America on June 14, 2011.

Let's just hope that for our sanity's sake, it's true this time.

Breaking News for Duke Nukem Forever

2011-03-24T10:28:00.000-04:00

After years of waiting, years of delaying, Duke Nukem Forever is finally going to release....or so we thought.
For more information on this announcement, visit the site.

Nintendo 3DS | PAX East Impressions

2011-03-23T23:28:00.001-04:00

The Nintendo 3DS (playing Lego Star Wars III).

There comes a point in the life of every platform in which you can no longer recreate, no longer rehash, or so it’s believed. Nintendo’s leading mobile platform, The Nintendo DS, has had its fair share of criticism and praise on the subject. There have been 4 generations of the DS platform since it’s launch in November 2004, excluding special editions, and some have seen some pretty major improvements along the way. With the 3DS just over the horizon, people want to know what’s changed, what been improved on, and if it’s truly worth the price of admission.

I sat down with the Nintendo 3DS at PAX East, played some high-profile games, and demoed some of the new hardware functionality. These are my impressions.

Hardware

The system itself is very well designed, especially when you glance back at the construction of the original “generation one” hardware. It was plastic, hollow, and chunky. It felt almost like a toy, as opposed to a functional gaming system. I can happily say that the 3DS shares none of these attributes.

The outer casing is a smooth and durable plastic, and I was able to hold it very easily in my hands. The left and right triggers were well placed and just the right size. The face buttons remain essentially the same as the previous DS’s and as a mobile gaming veteran, this suited me just fine.

The main addition that caught my eye, along with many attendees at the show, was the analog nub on the face of the system. This feature, oddly enough, is one of my favorite inclusions in the Nintendo 3DS’s design. The nub is concave, allowing your thumb to rest very easily upon it, without the annoyance of slipping during gameplay, as is a common occurrence with platforms like the PlayStation Portable.

The screens are bright and vivid, the touch features are smooth and responsive, and the color choices for the casing are quite cool.

The “3D” Effect

If there’s one thing that differentiates the 3DS from it’s predecessors, it’d obviously be its 3D capabilities. Let’s just cut right to the point though, does the 3D really work?

In short, yes. The 3D functionality works very well, and works amazingly well in games like Ocarina of Time. The text bubbles are sharp and really “pop” off the screen at you, and the 3D backdrops that separate the foreground from the background are very impressive.

Of course, glasses-less 3D, and it’s by no means perfect. The 3D works best when you’re viewing straight on, but not very well otherwise. In fact, Nintendo has made it quite clear that the 3DS is best experienced looking straight on, a few inches from the screen. You do not have to be looking at a complete 90’ angle the whole time though, as the 3D works well enough within 10’ degrees in either direction, that moving your head or body from one side to the other won’t disrupt the effect in any noticeable way.

On another note, I did begin to suffer from light headaches after about 20 minutes of playing, though it could have just been the sheer noise from the convention hall. Other than that, the 3DS proved itself quite functional, especially for being glasses-free, a very impressive feat by Nintendo.

After the Ocarina of time, I moved on to the Augmented Reality section where I was able to briefly play through some AR mini-games. The way that AR games work is simple in explanation, but complex in design. You start by placing one of six included cards on a flat surface (these come with the 3DS) and then initiate the game. The camera on the 3DS scans for the card, recognizes it, and plays the game using the card as a base.

Essentially, wherever you place the card, it’s that position that will host the game. For example, in the game that I played, the card began to manipulate the environment around it, corresponding to my camera’s position simultaneously. A dragon’s head popped out of the card, prompting me to shoot it, while aiming with the actual camera, as opposed to a joystick. This was an impressively intuitive experience, combining motion control, augmented reality, and a little bit of personalization (you can put yourself in some of the games).

Final Impressions

I was skeptical, yet excited to play the 3DS at PAX this year, and I can safely say that I was not disappointed. After demoing of several games, I can say that the lineup may not be perfect, but it’s very strong. Though Legend of Zelda and Icarus won’t be launching with the system, they won’t be far behind.

If you’re on the fence about a Nintendo 3DS, you might consider giving it a try first, but I’m excited to pick one up for myself on launch day.

The Nintendo 3DS will be released Friday, March 25 in Europe and Sunday, March 27 in North America.

Steam Increases Voice Chat Quality

2011-03-22T14:19:00.000-04:00

Your PC gaming experience just got a bit clearer, thanks to SILK.

The future of Steam Voice Chat.

Valve today announced an update to it's ever popular PC gaming platform, Steam, which included the addition of a new voice codec, SILK. This codec was developed in-house by Skype, the developer behind the popular internet based voice communication service.

Here is an excerpt from the Press Release concerning the improved voice communication:

"SILK provides a significant improvement to Steam's voice chat quality. Steam voice chat is available both in one-on-one or group chats, and works both at the desktop as well as while a user is in game."

While this may not appeal to the casual PC gaming crowd, I'm confident this will excite the hardcore players who populate the online Steam Community.

As an individual who fits into both sides of the spectrum, I'm considerably excited about this update, even if it is solely to improve voice chat.

For more information on Steam, check out the official website.

Duke Nukem Forever | Preview and Impressions

2011-03-15T17:17:00.000-04:00

If you’ve stumbled upon this article, and have no idea what Duke Nukem Forever is, I suggest you read our previous article on the history of the franchise.

PAX East 2011 has just come to a close, but not without myself and the other editors getting our hands on the most coveted game on the show floor, Duke Nukem Forever. This game is not only desired because of its novelty, but because of its controversy. For those unaware, this game has long lasted as an industry joke, floating in and out of development for over 10 years.

I set out to experience Duke Nukem Forever, play around with all the weapons, test out all the controls, and see just what the newest (and most likely last) duke game had to offer in terms of gameplay, presentation, and value.

My reaction to this was not what I expected. I did my best to keep other source’s impressions as distant as possible until I officially played the game with my own hands, and witnessed it with my own eyes. So without further or due, here are my impressions of Duke Nukem Forever in its current state.

The game stands atop an interesting pedestal of game design. It beckons back to the elder days of design, with classic controls and an exaggerated sense of power, both of which Duke is known for in his pantheon of titles.

I began the brief demo in a restroom, with Duke relieving himself in a urinal. Granted, this opening scene has been seen before in previous playthroughs, but it’s still a very bold opening statement for a game to make. It didn’t stop there.

I left the restroom and entered a meeting area/locker room, with a group of soldiers in the center. They were standing in front of a white board with the words “cock block” and a sketch of the monster outside that they intended on defeating. After a brief exchange of words, the game gave me a marker to use on the board in front of me. I sketched around playfully, drawing whatever nonsense came to mind before promptly leaving to take on the boss outside.

Skipping forward, I fought through a few locker rooms, talked to a few more soliders while quipping whitty retorts, and finally made my way out into a stadium, where I took on the boss battle alone.

A completely typical Duke Nukem move.

After killing the monster with a gun that carried 69 units of ammunition (yet another slice of Duke humor), I proceeded to field goal kicking the boss’s giant metal eye through the goal posts 50 yards out. Much to my surprise, the camera then pulls out to reveal that you (as Duke) were actually playing a game within a game.

The camera looks down to show you holding an Xbox styled controller, while two scantily clad women have been down below “taking care of you” the whole time.

They ask, “But what about the game Duke, is IT any good?”

Duke replies with: “Well after 12 ****ing years it should be.”

I spent about 20 more minutes with the game, cruising through an explosive driving level that led to a classic Duke shootout with pigmen and snipers, which Duke handled with no real issues on the normal difficulty.

While the gameplay was decently fun, I found two key factors that kept me tied to the game’s singleplayer component, Humor and Mundanity.

Essentially, the humor is in the typical Duke style, providing over the top exaggeratory quotes from older games, and completely silly references to other games like Halo and Quake. Duke doesn’t hold back when it comes to being frontal about a situation, and it shows. And that’s how it should be in a Duke game.

Now, on the topic of Mundanity, I must say that I derive a lot of enjoyment from the plethora of activities you can take part in while playing Duke Nukem Forever. You can use water fountains, use restrooms, draw on boards, and mess with a number of items in your environment. This adds an almost goofy level of immersion, but in a duke fashion. It doesn’t feel out of place, in fact, all of these actions are done like you’d expect out of the Duke, exaggeratory and humorous. You don’t just drink a beer for health, you chug it. You don’t just use a urinal and walk off, you make comments and make it as awkwardly hilarious as possible for the player.

All in all, I was surprised with Duke Nukem Forever. The game lends itself to the crowd that doesn’t take itself seriously, and it finds a way to play fairly well, despite my complaint of loose controls in both driving and gun play.

If you’re a Duke Nukem fan, there’s no reason not to be excited about this game. If you’ve had this pre-ordered for 10+ years, you can definitely lay your fears to rest.

Duke Nukem Forever is coming out in May, and we’ll have a full review and thoughts shortly before.

The Story of Duke Nukem Forever

2011-03-15T16:20:00.001-04:00

Back in the 90’s, gamers had a variety of games to choose from, be they platformers, racers, or even puzzlers. It wasn’t until this era that the 3D first person shooter genre began to take shape and garner large attention from gamers of all ages.

One successful franchise was able to find its way to popularity among many gamers, while providing an interesting story, pro-American humor, and quotes that still stand today as popular memes across the gaming community.

It's time to kick ass and chew bubble gum.

This franchise is known as Duke Nukem.

Check out the rest of this article after the jump.

On April 28, 1997, developer 3D realms announced “Duke Nukem Forever”, the latest and likely last game in the series. This announcement had gamers excited, as the game promised an exciting story about saving the world, an overabundance e of action and humor, and its fair share of scantily clad women as well. Pre-orders were taken, promises were made, but not everything went according to the plan of George Broussard, producer and co-creator of the Duke Nukem franchise.

The game was delayed for a number of months, several times in a row. Though, this was not surprising, as the studio offered a solid release date of “When it’s finished.” Many months go by with occasional murmurs on the status of the game, but no major details were given in this lengthy timeframe.

This process continued onward for a matter of years, including events such as “gameplay leaks”, frequent delays and broken promises, and finally ending with the death of 3D Realms.

This is a game 12 years in the making.

This became the joke of the video game industry. The bringing to life and killing of the Duke Nukem franchise was brought on by announcing and putting off rumors that the game might actually still be in development, when in reality, no one really knew for sure.

Then, in 2010, it all changed. Rumors began to circulate once again that the game was indeed in development, and not just by the crumbled 3D realms.

In fact, this rumor was completely true, much to the joy of Duke fans around the gaming community. 3D Realms had not given up on the game, but had sold the IP to a trusted developer, Gearbox. One of the reasons that 3D Realms sold the IP to Gearbox was that they were fully committed to fulfilling their 12 year vision for Duke Nukem Forever.

The other major reason was that Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox, worked at 3D realms and didn’t want Duke’s legacy to end as an industry joke, once again in the dust. Duke deserved more than that. 3D Realms delivered Gearbox a complete game, front to back. It was Gearbox’s goal to enhance, fine tune, and round out the rough edges of Duke Nukem Forever.

There are so many things on that board that represent this franchise.

What was displayed at PAX East 2011 just recently is 3D Realm’s vision come to life through the commitment of Gearbox and 2K games. If you’re a long time Duke fan, then you’ll know right from the start of the game that this title fits perfectly within the Duke Nukem universe that 3D Realms set out so hard to craft.

It’s the Duke game that you’ve been wanting for 12 years. It’s the Duke game you’ve been waiting for.

Check back later this evening to see our PAX East 2011 preview of Duke Nukem Forever.

Batman: Arkham City | Gameplay Trailer Released

2011-03-15T15:21:00.000-04:00

Get an exclusive look at the gritty Batman: Arkham City and see the Dark Knight in action with this brand new gameplay trailer for the exciting sequel.

Are you looking forward to more Batman action?
For more news on Batman: Arkham City, stick to MGN.

Live from PAX East!

2011-03-10T17:44:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year again, where gamers from around the country gather in one place to celebrate the joys of gaming and the community that surrounds it.

That's right, it's the Penny Arcade Expo, East Coast Edition! We'll be attending as usual, covering all the games, panels and events.

You can look forward to interviews, gameplay videos, and post demo reactions to the most anticipated games of 2011, including Gears of War 3, Portal 2, Brink, and possibly LA Noire.

You'll be able to view them right here, all weekend long, right on MegaGamerNews. Stay tuned for frequent updates, and keep refreshing those browsers!

Location:Boston, Massachusetts