After the abysmal and short night for my "preview," came the first full day of Comic Con. The first day to try and find out the details on games companies were not yet ready to disclose to the public at E3. Or details that would gain better exposure at Comic Con. Like some of the announcements given around comic-based games like Spider Man: Shattered Dimensions and DC Universe Online. Makes sense that they would want to hold off for the comic fans. Armed with the knowledge of some of these announcements, I made off for their booths. Read More...

It was announced that yet another XBox 360 bundle will be hitting store shelves this fall. The XBox 360 Limited Edition Halo: Reach Bundle will contain a 360 Slim, two wireless controllers, a wireless headset, a standard copy of Halo: Reach, an episode of "Halo Legends" and a token for a limited edition elite armor. The 360 Slim, controllers and headset will all be customized to theme-up with Halo: Reach. The entire package will retail at $399 and release day and date along with the game (September 14, 2010). Read More...

Electronic Arts and 38 Studios have finally named their mysterious open-world, single-player RPG 'Project Mercury' to Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. The 38 Studios panel (details can be found here) at San Diego Comic-Con is sure to be one of the bigger announcements at the convention this year. With a full blown trailer and a team Q&A session, it's sure to be a panel that cannot be missed. "In Reckoning, we started with Bob and Todd's exceptional Kingdoms of Amalur game setting and imagery. On that foundation we built the open-world exploration, vast narrative and character customization fans expect from the best RPGs. Read More...

DeathSpank is the latest game to feature Ron Gilbert's involvement, famous for creating The Secret of Monkey Island, among other games. Originally a comic strip character featured in one of Gilbert's Grumpy Gamer series, DeathSpank the game can be summed up as a loot game, similar to Diablo. However, the main difference (and gimmick) here is that the story and characters act as a parody to that genre, and the entire game itself is very much based around its humor. While this definitely adds to the charm and style of the game, it ultimately felt like the ironic clichés were too over-the-top and childish. Playing DeathSpank is relatively simple, and the controls are very similar to most any other dungeon crawler made for consoles in the past. Read More...

Finally we get to see what all the buzz and hype are about. According to a recent press release 38 Studios and EA will be hosting a panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2010 where they will reveal a trailer and discuss the long anticipated RPG "Project Mercury". The EA/38 Studios presentation will be on Thursday July 22nd from 1 pm to 2:15 pm, Room 6A. The panel will consist of the entire 38 Studios team including Todd McFarlane, R.A. Read More...

League of Legends fans rejoice! With season one drawing closer, Riot Games has given us a little cinematic action to tide us over until the soon-to-be epic competition begins. Not only that, but if this video on YouTube gets over 1,000,000 views before the July 21st, European and US players will get a Double IP Weekend. “The Season One features and updates will greatly enhance League of Legends and help us towards our goal of having LOL being played by the world's top gamers in the biggest and best gaming leagues and tournaments,” said Marc Merrill, co-founder and President of Riot Games. The new content download brings ranked games, ladder matches and a new player draft system. Read More...

Have you ever wanted to see what goes on in the sick-and-twisted world of teddy bears? All in the hopes to understand what they think and how they interact with each other? Ever consider the fact that they may be a bit more heinous then they let on? You know, in terms of mistreating and mocking the less fortunate or oddly misshapen or deformed bears - much like the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Well wonder no more as Naughty Bear has come out and will give you an in-depth look into the world of the teddy bear. This is no "kiddy" game mind you as it plays out a bit like Manhunt with the cute and cuddly. Read More...

A heated debate has been going on in the Blizzard community lately over a new concept called Real ID. Blizzard understandably annoyed with the sheer volume of trolling and flaming going on in their forums, originally decided to require real names with forum posts. After a community uproar, they have resolved to postpone the use of real names. I clearly am proof of using your real name online will not prevent someone from spewing vitriol and being an internet troll (just read any post I've written about Nintendo). Instead of enacting an instant update Blizzard will still be phasing in its use of the RealID system, just not until Starcraft II and subsequently World of Warcraft: Cataclysm crawl out of our dreams and into our local game retailer's shelves. Read More...

The announcement that many fans have been waiting for has finally arrived. The next chapter in the Dragon Age series, Dragon Age 2, was announced today with a shiny new website and few artistic concepts. So here's the big question, what's new? Embark upon an all-new adventure that takes place across an entire decade and shapes itself around every decision you make. Determine your rise to power from a destitute refugee to the revered champion of the land. Think like a general and fight like a Spartan with dynamic new combat mechanics that put you right in the heart of battle whether you are a mage, rogue, or warrior. Read More...

Fans of the SHMUP (Shoot 'em up) genre in the U.S. have always had a hard time in recent console generations finding easy access to titles without importing them from Japan. Thankfully, Aksys Games is trying to reverse that trend. Aksys has released their first SHMUP in the U.S. with Deathsmiles. On the development side is Cave, one of Japan's best SHMUP developers. Deathsmiles is a horizontal, side-scrolling, bullet hell SHMUP. It features young girls in Gothic Lolita outfits fighting against monsters to stop Jitterbug from opening a portal. Read More...

In case you didn't get enough of the For-PSN-Only reality show The Tester, it was officially announced at E3 that Sony is doing a second season. Not exactly a big surprise, it was slipped into the other PlayStation news as just another bullet point. I mean, all the PS3 fans and users had to figure it was coming as it made some of the largest draws into PS Home and on the PS Store. This is not what this article is all about. Just after the 4th of July, voting began for contestants to get a chance to move onto the second round of the casting process. Read More...

I remember way back when I first cracked open my copy of Portal on my PC. Yes I cracked open a copy of a digital download, because it fits my nostalgia. I remember enjoying each level of the game that lead up to the big showdown with GLaDOS and finding out that the cake was indeed not a lie. I got a piece when I was done and it was delicious and easy to wash down. I also remember how much fun it was that the whole game was kept simple and each level was pretty much a tutorial leading up to the final showdown. If you disagree, then you have not truly played Portal. Read More...

With all the hulabaloo from E3, I almost lost sight of one of this year's titles that I have personally been excited for. That game being Naughty Bear. Yes I did get some hands on, but it looks like the little bugger tried slipping a few new clips and a trailer past me before I could take a look at them to ensure my rules have not been further plagiarized. Wait, three new videos? You cheeky monkey. Read More...

Hidden in the back corner, deep within the confines of the EA booth was a small Church of Unitology. Within the church was a plethora of wooden pews with "hymn" books placed before them. As we were ushered in, the electronic candles dimmed and we were greeted with a short introduction. Pleasantries dispatched, we hopped right into the game play of Dead Space 2. Now from watching the EA and Sony press conferences, you may be thinking that you have already received all the visual goodness Visceral Games had to show for Dead Space 2. Well, you are pretty much correct, at least as far as content is concerned. Read More...

Alien Breed: Impact is a nostalgic nod to the classic top down arcade style shooter. Players take on the role of Conrad, a systems engineer who when it comes to weapons is a jack of all trades. If it shoots, blows something up or catches something on fire, you can bet that good ol' Conrad knows how to use it. Your ship is under attack by a swarm of Aliens and you will delve deep into the ship shooting anything that moves in an attempt to regain control. To keep things moving, at the beginning of every level you receive a cut-scene in the comic-book panel format filling you in on the story, along with full voice overs by individual characters. Read More...