Microsoft’s X10 media event began today with a ton of announcements that are sure to grab everyone’s attention.  Chief among those is a slew of official release dates for some of the biggest Xbox 360 titles coming out this year.  The full list includes:

• Splinter Cell Conviction – April 13 in NA, April 16 in UK, and April 28 in Japan.
• Alan Wake – May 18 in NA and May 21 in Europe.
• Lost Planet 2 – May 18 in NA and Europe.
• Dead Rising 2 - Aug. 31 in NA, Sept. 2 in Japan, and Sept. 3 in Europe.

For more details about these upcoming releases, hit the jump. Read more… »

Ever since Halo 3: ODST was released, Microsoft has been teasing that anyone who purchased the overpriced expansion pack game would be able to participate in the upcoming Halo Reach multiplayer beta.  Well it appears that they weren’t pulling our leg after all.

Microsoft officially announced today, at their X10 media event, that the Halo Reach multiplayer beta will kick off on May 3, 2010.  No further details have been released, but they have reiterated that anyone who owns the ODST game disc will be able to take part in this “epic event”. Read more… »

Forget everything you already know about Dante’s Inferno. Forget the frequently questionable ad campaign. Forget the comparisons. Forget that there is some big title just around the corner. Forget the differences from its literary “counterpart”. Forget it all. Either way, go to Hell.

There is no getting over the fact that Dante’s Inferno is going to polarize gamers: I think everyone knows that going into it. What I mean by that is you will either coin it as a clone of a game I refuse to mention in this review, or, you will forget all of that, take it for what it is worth, and actually enjoy the hell out of it (pun intended). Read more… »

It looks as though the zany dungeon crawler Holy Invasion of Privacy Badman!: What Did I Do To Deserve This? released on the PSN network last year has run into legal problems with its chosen name.

According to a press release from NIS America, the company was accused of creating a conflict of interest with another unnamed IP holder. This conflict of interest forced a name change on NIS America’s part. Anyone want to take a shot in the dark as to who did the complaining?

Read more… »

A shower of content has been sprayed onto the PSN Store this week, with the official release of the much anticipated demo for Heavy Rain taking center stage – only 2 short weeks left until we can soak in the final game now.

Other highlights include an irresistible special offer for Flower, some hideous Valentines Day themed content for LittleBigPlanet and EyePet and an HD remake of the classic Frogger.

Have a rummage through the entirety of this week’s update after the break.

Read more… »

Yesterday during an analyst conference, Activision CEO Mike Griffith announced that the publisher is going to refocus its rhythm games into two main franchises, Guitar Hero and DJ Hero. According to Griffith, this will help Activision reach a “broader audience.”

In 2010 Activision plans to release less than ten music game SKUs. While that still sounds like a lot, it’s not even half of what 2009 saw. Griffith explained, “This year, fewer SKUs will service a broader audience.” Read more… »

There are plenty of insane food combinations out there, but one that is consistently brought up to me is ice cream topped with bacon. If bacon is delicious, and ice cream is delicious, then shouldn’t, by the very laws of nature, ice cream topped with sweet, crispy bacon also be delicious?  I remain unconvinced, personally; all I can think of is the terrible combination of the bacon’s grease and the ice cream’s sugar.

White Knight Chronicles is the videogame equivalent of bacon and ice cream. The combination may sound delicious to some, but underneath it all, it’s just a soupy mix of grease and sugar.

Read more… »

Expanding on our news post from yesterday, Ubisoft unveiled the very first teaser trailer for Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. Since the game is gearing up for a “Holiday 2010″ release, it’s safe to assume that production on the title is well underway.

While it doesn’t show much (do teasers ever?), the above footage is enough to get any Tom Clancy junkie pumped for the future.  And why shouldn’t they be?  Check out the awesome teaser after the jump. Read more… »

Browsing through Xbox Live’s Indie titles has made me realise two things: there are a staggering number of vibration “games”, and people sure love to put those zombies in their titles. We’re rapidly reaching the point of saturation, where developers need to give gamers something more to entice a purchase out of them.

So what makes Twin Blades, a side scrolling brawler/shooter that is also available for iPhone, any different from all the other zombie tinged offerings out there?

Read more… »

Today, Activision/Blizzard held their fourth quarter calendar 2009 results conference. During this conference, a lot of information was released regarding what the 2010 calendar year had in store for us. You will be happy to hear that Activision has confirmed plans to tweak the software in Tony Hawk Ride and we should see a new release this year!

Oh, and something about Battle.net, WoW auction house access outside of the game, and some game called Starcraft II and a beta? Read more… »

Today indie developer Taleworlds released a new developer diary discussing the multiplayer aspect of the upcoming medieval warfare simulator Mount & Blade: Warband.

According to the video, Warband features sixty-four player multiplayer with various game modes including deathmatch, team deathmatch, and capture the flag. One of the more interesting game modes discussed is the ‘Siege’ mode. Here players are split into two teams, one defending a castle, the other attempting to siege it. By utilizing ladders, battering rams, and siege towers, players must fight their way into a castle and slay all the enemies in it. Read more… »

James Burt, 24 from Brisbane, was recently convicted of illegally soliciting an early release copy of the New Super Mario Bros. Wii via the Internet.  The game was officially released on November 12, 2009, but Burt managed to release the game to the world on November 6, 2009.

He may have done a service to fellow pirate-ers and pirate-ees, but now he’s paying $1.5 million in damages and another $100,000 in legal fees. Read more… »