In today’s world of 3D graphics and ultra-realistic textures, small 2D gems often go unnoticed and unloved, all because, graphically, they can’t compete with technology as it chugs along. However, thanks to XBLA, PSN, and WiiWare, we’re seeing a resurgence of gamers who are just fine with 2D titles and, dare I say, enjoy them just as much as their modern counterparts.

Larva Mortus is a 2D top-down shooter that is reminiscent of the original Grand Theft Auto titles – only instead of jacking cars and running over pedestrians, you’re equipped with a really huge sword and your trusty six shooter in order to take down all manner of baddies, from zombies to werewolves.

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Today word got out that Korean games developer and publisher Hanbitsoft has acquired the rights to Flagship Studios’s new defunct MMO Hellgate: London in North America, Europe, and Japan. Apparently Hanbitsoft feels like there is some money to be made there because the company plans to re-release the game is those regions, as well as in China, Taiwan, and South East Asia later this year.

For those of you who don’t remember (or chose to forget) Hellgate: London was an MMO made by a team of Blizzard Entertainment veterans who parted ways with the gaming giant in hopes of founding their own studio, Flagship. When Hellgate launched the game was plagued with bugs and billing issues, causing many gamers to cancel their subscriptions. Read more… »

VVVVVV is a modern 8-bit game by Terry Cavanagh.  He has gathered clout with his other games – Pathways and Self- Destruct, to name a few – but his new platformer looks to cement his acclamation in the indie community.

Combining inspirations from Metroid, Metal Storm, and frustratingly hard NES titles (Ninja Gaiden, Mega Man), VVVVVV mixes styles from the past to create a quick and entertaining dimensional romp.

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You sneaky little bastards, BioWare. After popping in Dragon Age: Origins today to try to slash away at those achievements, I noticed that the “New Content Available” message was flashing, and lo and behold, M.I.A “Return to Ostagar” is now available for download. Not only a week late, the DLC arrives without a peep or tweet anywhere.

Don’t begin rejoicing just yet. Hit the jump to find out why. Read more… »

In a whole bunch of business mumbo-jumbo released by SyFy parent company General Electric today, development for a hybrid MMO and television show is intensifying as the latest GE shareholder report states that the game and TV series will be tentatively know as One Earth.

Hoping to revolutionize both the MMO genre and television watching itself, the pair will develop the two concurrently and they’ll play-off each other as their life spans grow. Continue reading for more information and a spiffy video from those behind the project. Read more… »

The Divinity series, if you haven’t head of it, has taken a backseat since 2002, playing second fiddle to other, more viable RPG beasts like Neverwinter Nights, Knights of the Old Republic, and of course, World of Warcraft. Although not gaining instant recognition, Divine Divinity and it’s sequel, Beyond Divinity slowly garnered enough respect to deem a third installment worthy – nearly six years later.

Divinity II: Ego Draconis (Latin for I, of the Dragon) comes at a time where many-a-gamer are still reveling in the expansive bliss that is the world of Dragon Age: Origins. Once again lying in the wake of yet another epic’s release, can Divinity II finally make a name for itself and stand out amongst the competition? Or is it destined for yet another divine flight under the radar? Read more… »

Today Microsoft announced that Remedy’s “psychological action thriller”  Alan Wake will be receiving new content in the form of downloadable episodes.

Microsoft executive Robbie Bach stated, “Imagine the TV show Lost as written by Steven King and filmed by David Lynch, and you have Alan Wake. Story-driven like a TV series, Alan Wake will be told in episodes, with even more episodes available on Xbox Live after its launch this year.” Read more… »

Microsoft has announced during their CES press conference that over one thousand of your favorite old-school games will soon become available on Xbox Live and Games for Windows. Once again, those games you wasted hundreds of quarters on, or have collecting dust in your closet, will become available for you to purchase on both Xbox Live and PC.

For those that have kept up with some of Microsoft’s many rumors, “Game Room” is a feature that was found in an Xbox survey a couple of months ago. Well, it is real, and to be quite honest, very intriguing. Read on for more details and a video after the break. Read more… »

The puzzle game market is a tough egg to crack.  The recent flood of casual software included a few standout gems, but with so many knock-offs and carbon copies, it’s often hard to discern the good from the bad.

Some games try to set themselves apart by having a unique aesthetic (QuantZ), while some mesh other genres together in an attempt to be unique (Puzzle Quest).  Ziro is a brain-taxing dice-math game with a “Stop global warming!” message delivered by a battle-hardened snowman mascot.  True story.

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Today Bioware announced the first expansion for Dragon Age: Origins. Dubbed “Awakening,” the new expansion, which adds new locations and party members, is due out this March.

Awakening allows gamers to either play with their existing Dragon Age character, or start over again as “a new Grey Warden from the neighboring land of Orlais.” Players will be tasked with “uncovering the mystery of how the darkspawn survive after the slaying of the Archdemon.” Read more… »

Today Blizzard revealed that there will be a Protoss “mini-campaign” integrated into the Terran-centric singleplayer campaign in StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty.

According to a forum post by Stefanie Gwinner, Blizzard’s European RTS community manager, “I can confirm that there will be a Protoss mini-campaign that lets you control Protoss units.” She went on to say “This part of the campaign mode is of course way shorter than the Terran part, but it is very fun to have a very different playstyle to add even more variety to the game. [Y]ou won’t be using all units or getting to know buildings and upgrades.” Read more… »

It’s a bird … it’s a plane … no, it’s some guy with a jet pack strapped to his back, flying around in the Bermuda Triangle, fighting aliens using cover and shoot gameplay mechanics. That’s essentially the best way I can describe Capcom’s newest IP, Dark Void, and it’s exactly why the game needs a demo badly.

Luckily, it appears that a demo will be available for download tomorrow on the Xbox 360 and Thursday on the PS3.  We will then finally be able to figure out whether this game has wings to fly, or whether it will crash and burn like Bionic Commando some other Capcom titles as of late.  So who out there is curious enough to download this and find out for themselves if it’s worth purchasing? Read more… »