Without a doubt Valve is one of the most dedicated development studios when it comes to external media related to their games. Just one look at their “Meet the…” Team Fortress 2 shorts or the Left 4 Dead comic “The Sacrifice” and you’ll know what I mean. Today Valve announced that it has teamed up with Dark Horse comics to release all of their free online comics in a print form.

Produced under the title “Valve Presents: The Sacrifice and Other Steam-Powered Stories,” the comic collection will hit stores on November 16 for $29.99. Read more… »

Section 8: Prejudice was a fun little romp when it hit XBLA earlier this year. Now, TimeGate Studios is back and ready to drop a new game mode and map pack on XBLA and PC. The Frontier Colonies Map Pack will release for a cool $3.99 / 320 MSP on July 13th and the new “Skirmish” mode will be arriving for free later this summer. No word yet on that impending PlayStation Network release, but we’ll let you know when it’s coming.

Last weekend Ignition showed off the demo of El Shaddai that we previewed at E3 to the folks that attended Anime Expo 2011. Shane Bettenhausen, Ignition’s Business and Marketing Director, discussed El Shaddai’s religious source material . He hopes that the game won’t be seen as another religiously-themed title that just tries to “sell” religion.

Bettenhausen went on to say that Ignition “wanted to take this text and treat it in a new way, to give it to a team in Japan that doesn’t have any connection to that. They’re not religious in that way, so they could treat it as just mythology and create a new graphical style and a new gameplay style.” We’re certainly looking forward to delving into El Shaddai when it lands on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 later this month.

[Gamer Gaia via Joystiq]

Today at EA’s Summer Games Conference, Bioware and EA revealed the release date for Legacy, the upcoming story driven DLC for Dragon Age II. Legacy will be hitting Xbox Live, PC/Mac, and PSN on July 26, 2011.

Hit the jump for more details surrounding its release.

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Had enough Black Ops? Well too bad! A third map pack is finally upon us, and in record time.

With Treyarch’s third offering, we’re graced with an airplane hangar, a golf course estate, a drive-in movie theater, a military installation, and a jungle themed zombie level. Is this set of levels enough to make Anihilation worth the plunge? Read on to find out. Read more… »

The guys over at THQ and Volition put this short video together to showcase Saints Row: The Third‘s open-world sandbox gameplay. From what’s in this video and what we saw of the title back at E3,  it really seems like these developers know what people want from sandbox games: hilarious, over the top action.

While I’ve already made it clear that I’m not one for Grand Theft Auto and the like, I’m finding myself really excited for Saints Row: The Third  – even if that just means dicking around the city of Steelport.  If this awesome video has you as stoked for it as I am, remember to look out for Saint’s Row: The Third come November 15th.

By now, fans will know what to expect from a Suda 51 experience. This self proclaimed “punk rock” developer has become famous for abstract games that buck trends, break all the rules, and lay on heavy helpings of satire and adolescent humor. With Shadows of the Damned Grasshopper Manufacture takes that excellent existing culture and mixes things up considerably by combining forces with industry giant Electronic Arts, Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, and Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka.

Shadows of the Damned follows leather-clad, Latino demon hunter, Garcia Hotspur, in his journey into the depths of Hell to rescue girlfriend Paula from the clutches of Fleming, Lord of the Demons. Good, now that you know the basics on this bizarre tale, join me after the break for the full review.

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The development of Duke Nukem Forever has been anything but easy. The original development team, part of 3D Realms, had been working on the game since 1997, suffering budget cuts and staff reductions before eventually being disbanded in 2009. A handful of the original team continued working on the project, forming Triptych Games and with the assistance of both Gearbox Software and Piranha Games, the game finally reached completion.

After so long in development it was inevitable that Duke Nukem Forever would have a tough time living up to fan expectations. The game needed to feel nostalgic and yet still bring the franchise into the 21st century; reminding players of their love for the Duke Nukem series, whilst introducing something new and fresh. In a very competitive FPS market, anything short of brilliance was going to disappoint, and unfortunately we received something unquestionably average.

Continue reading for the full written and video reviews.

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The new Catherine trailer focuses on Vincent’s difficult romantic struggle. He must choose between a mature relationship for which he’s unready and an exciting fling with a younger woman. The choice is tearing him apart. While its a dilemma that’s challenged many men, Catherine is certainly breaking new ground for narrative in videogames.

If you’re really looking forward to Catherine‘s release, check out the “Love is Over” Deluxe Edition, which includes the soundtrack, an art book, boxers, t-shirt and pillow. I’ve been following Catherine for a long time, and can’t wait to get my hands on it, but I’ll pass on the special edition underwear. Luckily, the wait won’t be too much longer. Catherine will be available in stores on July 26th.

Today EA Sports presented fans with a look at NCAA Football 12 during a one hour live stream which can be seen above. This year presentation is the biggest focus as team entrances are enhanced, dynamic exposure lighting is added, game tracks are provided which recap highlights of specific players, and much more. For those simulation gamers like myself, you can rest easy as both Road to Glory mode and Dynasty mode have seen some intriguing additions as well. All in all, NCAA Football 12 is looking to be a strong step in the right direction for the franchise.

Be sure to check out the demo on June 28th for the PS3 and Xbox 360 where you can engage in two matchups between Oregon @ Texas and Alabama @ Florida State. If that isn’t enough, sharing the demo with friends will unlock Nike Pro Combat uniforms in the full retail version of NCAA Football 12. And after seeing Virginia Tech’s Nike Pro Combat uniforms last year, you’d be crazy not to share the demo with friends.

While not an official announcement, Onechanbara 2 has found itself listed on British retailer Play.com for the Xbox 360, with a release window of February 2012. Currently, it remains to be seen whether this title will be a sequel to Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad or merely a rehash of the PlayStation 2 title of the same name. Personally, I hope it is a false listing.

As someone who had the misfortune of playing Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers for the Wii, I wouldn’t wish one of these games on anybody. Somehow Tamsoft and D3Publisher, time and again, manage to screw up the winning combination of zombies, swords, and girls in bikinis. Looks like another round of unfortunate individuals are in for disappointment. That, or there’s masochists out there that actually like this crap.

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Cole Phelps is back with his first ever Arson desk DLC, and this one’s a doozy. Unlike most of your cases, which are a slow build, this one literally starts off with a bang.

In the cold dead of morning, the Nicholson Electroplating plant explodes in a thunderous eruption of twisted metal: and it’s up to you to find out what happened.

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