Today EA announced that it will make a second attempt to capture the free-to-play audience with it’s upcoming first-person shooter Battlefield Play4Free (The first attempt being the failed Battlefield Heroes). Slated to arrive on the PC in spring 2011, Battlefield Play4Free mixes two of the series’ most critically acclaimed titles: Battlefield 2 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

According to the press release, Battlefield Play4Free combines “the most popular maps from Battlefield 2 with the familiar classes and powerful weapons of Battlefield: Bad Company.” Development of the game is being handled by EA’s Easy studio who also worked on Battlefield Heroes. Read more… »

Gaijin Games’ awesome Wii-Ware title, Bit.Trip Beat, recently made its way to the iPhone. The pong-inspired retro-rhythm title also made moves this morning. As of 9AM PST this morning, Bit.Trip Beat has also been available for PC and Mac via Steam.

Hit the jump for more information including Beat’s sale and the Steam version’s added features.

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We have experienced that sensation of regret after trying out a new game for the first time. Luckily, there are plenty of options to return or sell back these stinkers. However, as we move towards a future where physical media no longer exists, our options to combat buyer’s remorse are fading away. Demos attempt to solve these issues, giving gamers a taste of the action before they throw down their hard earned cash. It even gives developers and publishers an opportunity to draw in an audience that might not have been aware or interested in their title.

Yet, Nintendo’s Wii-Ware service has been largely devoid of demos – in a frustrating contrast to all of its competitors. For a brief time Wii owners could enjoy snippets of titles like World of Goo and Bit.Trip Beat, but the idea was scrapped before it even really found its legs. Luckily, Nintendo is bringing demos back to the console.

Hit the jump for the titles you’ll be able to try this Friday.

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Halloween is just a few days away and, of course,  Valve has release a game update to Team Fortress 2 celebrating this spooky season. Dubbed the “Second Annu-Hell Scream Fortress Hauntedead Halloween Special,” the update brings a whole slew of new content including a new map, masks, hats, special items, achievements, and an AI controlled Horseless Headless Horseman Boss.

All this new content revolves around the new map: CP_Mann Manor. This new attack/defend map features exploding pumpkins, spooky decorations, a randomly spawning Haunted Halloween Gift and the aforementioned Horseless Headless Horseman. Apparently, the Horseman will randomly spawn on control points to chase which ever player is closest. If the Horseman is tailing you, just melee an enemy player to pass off the curse. If you successfully defeat the Horseman, you will receive special “Unusual Haunted Metal Scrap” that allows you to craft the Halloween themed items. Read more… »

Today Sony revealed some details about its new, free incentive program called PlayStation Rewards.

Granting gamers numerous goodies such as avatars, themes, and more, the Playstation Rewards system is based on gamer participation. Other benefits to this reward program include the opportunity to enter “sweepstakes and giveaways,” the first of which includes an “all expenses paid trip” to the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.   Read more… »

UPDATE: The comic has been released and can be found here.

Some of you may remember when I posted a little news item about Left 4 Dead getting a little back story courtesy of a four-part online graphic novel produced by Valve. Well, it just so happens that the first issue is scheduled to arrive today!

While it currently is not up on the Left 4 Dead blog just yet, Valve did post some pretty gnarly wallpapers based on the comic. As soon as the comic goes live, I’ll update this post with a link. Read more… »

Today Blizzard Entertainment released the first new official custom map for its insanely popular RTS StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. Dubbed ‘Burning Tide,’ the new map pits two teams of three against each other in a race to reach a set number of resources.

Think that sounds easy enough? Well, of course there’s a twist. Much like the campaign level ‘The Devil’s Playground,’ Burning Tide features periodic lava flood which interrupt your resource gathering. Read more… »

This summer Nintendo is running a series of competitive events across the United States. Wii Games: Summer 2010 gives the American public an opportunity to play a variety of Wii titles in select cities across the United States. Doing well at the local events could mean going to the National Championships in Los Angeles, where the winning teams will win some pretty sweet prizes.

After making a road trip across the American Southwest (this is starting to sound like the plot of The Wizard) to visit my parents in Texas, I found myself mere miles from one of these events. With the prospect of Nintendo paying my way back home to Califooooornia, I coerced my poor mother into coming along with me to play some videogames at the Woodlands Mall.

Hit the jump to find out about our adventure and one of the coolest free videogame events you might have the opportunity to attend this summer.

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Well, it seems to be that time again: summer. You know what I’m talking about; when the excitement of getting out of school and having no responsibilities wears off and all you’re left with is boredom and an empty wallet. Well, don’t fret. Your buddy Alex is here with the first piece in what I hope will be  a long series of articles listing free-to-play games that will help you pass the rest of the season.

I know what you’re thinking. “Free to play? There are tons of free to play games… and they all suck.” Well, lately there has been a major push from studios like Turbine Entertainment and Valve to get some AAA free-to-play games on the market. I’ve done my very best to ween out all the crap games so that you have a concise, organized list of decent titles that are actually worth your time. Read more… »

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few days, you know that everyone is raving about Alien Swarm; the free, 4 player, top-down, co-op shooter released by Valve on its Steam service.

Well, word got out that there are a few simple console commands that allow you to get down and dirty with the aliens by playing in first-person. Don’t believe me? See for your self. Read more… »

If you guys are anything like me, you were raised on the ridiculous balls-out action films of the 1980′s. With movies like Predator, Commando, and Tango & Cash ingrained into my psyche, it should come as no surprise that I am eagerly anticipating The Expendables; a up coming action flick starting Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, and Mickey Rourke (with a cameo from the Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger himself) that promises to be a throw-back to the glory days of the genre.

In an effort to promote this masterpiece, a retro-style flash game was added to the official Expendables Facebook page. Basically functioning as a Contra clone, The Expendables flash game features three difficulty levels, dependent on which character you choose. It is important to note that in order to play the flash game, you need to “Like” the Facebook Page. It may not be the most robust title, but at least you get to play as Sly again (and not in some lame Judge Dredd game this time). Read more… »

Today digital distributor Steam launched a new set of sales for no particular reason besides that it’s summer. Dubbed the “Perils of Summer” sale, Steam is offering a variety of publisher-specific discounts until July 4.

In addition to the publisher-specific deals, Steam is also offering a drastic discounts on select games (“up to 90% off regular prices.”) The catch is, every day, new games are going to be discounted, so refresh your Steam browser regularly.

To check out which games are on sale today, hit the jump. Read more… »