PC Gamers

If you'll be playing Mass Effect 3 on PC, you'd better be comfortable with a mouse and keyboard. BioWare community manager Chris Priestly responded to requests on the company's forums with a definitive no to official support for game controllers, though he notes they might work anyway. "The PC version does not support controllers," Priestly said (via Eurogamer). "They may or may not work, but they are unsupported by the game." On the bright side, if you're planning on playing Mass Effect 3 on the PC, it's probably because you played the first two games on the platform as well. Neither officially supported controllers, so this won't be much of a change for you. If you're a newcomer thinking about jumping into the PC version for the first time, a demo hit Origin yesterday. You can try it out, if your PC has the required juice, to test the M/KB controls yourself.

Sony Online Entertainment is preparing the third downloadable content pack for DC Universe Online. Titled "Battle for Earth" -- not to be confused with Battlefield Earth -- the pack will add a new Earth Powers set as players finish the story of the battle against Superman villain Brainiac. A release date wasn't given, but Sony promises it will hit PC and PlayStation 3 soon. The pack will include a new chapter with DC characters from the future, Duos, a new Alert, and two Raids. The fields of battle include Wonder Woman's home island of Themyscira, where players fight alongside mythical beasts, South Gotham, where players must stop Brainiac's Proto-Avatars, and finally the Prime Battleground, where players take on the Avatars and then Brainiac himself. The newly added Earth powers will enhance Tanking units, and Geokinesis and Seismic abilities let you shape and rattle rock structures against your opponents. The pack will be free for Legendary members, and available for purchase for...

Sega has promised that we'll see the return of its episodic retro-throwback Sonic the Hedgehog 4 this year. The company has been playing Episode 2 close to the vest, but some new leaked screenshots shed a bit of light on the game. The screens hit the Xbox Live Marketplace (via PSN Stores) today, and without an official announcement to go along with the first look it was probably earlier than intended. The screens show Sonic and Tails working side-by-side as previously announced, including what appears to be the two giving a powered-up high-five. We also get glimpses at various zones, a Metal Sonic boss fight, and a bonus stage reminiscent of the Sonic 2 half-pipe bonuses. Sega has previously mentioned a new graphics and physics engine in the game to solve some complaints that the first game didn't feel like the classic Genesis titles. A release date is still unannounced, but the game will hit PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, iOS, and Android, and Windows Phone devices. Sonic the Hedgehog 4:...

Telltale had been awfully quiet about The Walking Dead for yonks, but it's finally starting to talk as it winds up to launch the first episode this spring. Today brings the thirteen-minute first episode of a new "talk show" about the game, with lead designers Jake Rodkin and Sean 'Famous' Vanaman introducing the comic book-based horror adventure game series. The Walking Dead The pair start off with how the series sits alongside Robert Kirkman's comic book, kicking off at the time when comic hero Rick was in a coma. Watch the video for more on topics including the dramatic benefits of going episodic, how zombie games tend to feel different to zombie movies, and what happened when Jake told Mario fan Kirkman about liking Super Mario Sunshine. "We don't have a water-based jetpack that you can use in this game, Robert nixed that," Rodkin joked. Telltale still isn't saying what exactly The Walking Dead will be released for, saying only "all major gaming platforms" but PC's a safe bet, as...

The new cinematic trailer for Far Cry 3 has arrived which focuses on a tense and tragic tale of three vacationing friends. Reminiscent of thrillers like Hostel and Turistas (minus some gore and torture), and featuring a hand-held documentary-style presentation, the CG video sets up the upcoming FPS's narrative. It's a pretty compelling bit of storytelling. It even features the mohawked psychopath from the game's E3 2011 demo. The end of the trailer also reveals that Far Cry 3 is scheduled for a September 7 release in the UK on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. A North American release date has yet to be confirmed, but is likely to be close.

A Lewisville, TX teen playing Call of Duty: Black Ops had police at his door on Monday, after a prank 911 call gave a false report of gun violence at his house. The teenage boy, whose name was withheld from reports, was playing on the Xbox 360 when a voice he didn't recognize threatened to send police to his house. "Some dude just popped out of nowhere, and basically said he's going to hack me, he's going to get my information, call the SWAT team over to my front yard," the boy said. He ignored it, but the purported hacker made good on his threat. CBSDFW reports that the Lewisville 911 center received a call using the AT&T Instant Message Relay Service, which is intended to help hearing impaired users reach emergency assistance. The report claimed that someone was shot and that the shooter was still inside the house. Police responded, but saw no signs of a shooting as the teen continued to play. His parents noticed officers outside, and a bullhorn calling for the teen's name. The...

If you didn't venture out to your local flower shop or Italian eatery yesterday, you might not have noticed that it was Valentine's Day. Valve certainly took note, though, and poked a bit of fun at the warm-and-fuzzy holiday with an insanely expensive piece of downloadable content in Team Fortress 2. The "Something Special for Someone Special" item is an engagement ring wrapped up in a pretty little box. It also costs $100, and does almost nothing. You can only gift the item to others, and if they accept your proposal, it broadcasts a message to the community that you're engaged. From then on, you both wear the rings. "In short, it's the most accurate simulation of an actual Valentine's Day gift ever made available to the public," Valve said on its blog. The TF2 Wiki cites that it was contributed back in December via the Steam Workshop. A hundred bucks is a lot to ask, but given TF2's large community, surely someone gave it a shot. We here at Shacknews wish them years of wedded bliss...

Ubisoft has made no secret that Assassin's Creed will be an annualized franchise. This year's iteration of the game is supposed to mark the end of Desmond's story, due to a 2012 apocalypse predicted within the franchise lore. "In Assassin's Creed we set up a timeline with this whole end of the world plot of December 2012," Ubisoft's Alexandre Amacio explained. "That's fast approaching, and the story we have to tell, we obviously need to do it before we arrive at that point." Fans have been looking for clues on where the next Assassin's Creed game may take place. Rumors suggest the American Revolution. However, all will be revealed in the not-too-distant future. According to Kotaku, Ubisoft has announced an October 30th release date for this year's release. "Assassin's Creed 3 is the true next generation of both the Assassin's Creed brand and interactive entertainment/storytelling in general," Joystiq caught Yves Guillemot saying. A first look at how Desmond's narrative will wrap up is...

Has the fighting genre grown large enough that it can start supporting more obscure franchises? Capcom's fighting team has already shipped a new Street Fighter and Marvel Vs. Capcom game this generation, and is currently putting the finishing touches on Street Fighter x Tekken. Could their next game come from the lesser-known Darkstalkers franchise? Perhaps. Capcom has submitted a new registration for a Darkstalkers trademark with the European Union, the first time since Darkstalkers Chronicle's release in 2004. Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono previously declared that the series isn't dead. Since then, he's continued to tease a new Darkstalkers game. "In the near future, with your help, it may become true," he told Eurogamer. Noting that the fighting genre's popularity has returned to the levels of its glory days, a new Darkstalkers game becomes an increasingly likely possibility. "We're pretty much where we were with Street Fighter a few years back. So keep it up."

Minecraft developer Mojang Specifications is teaming up with the Humble Bundle to make a game in 60 hours for charity. Dubbed the Humble Bundle Mojam, it starts this Friday at 10 AM CET (1 AM PST). The Mojang team will create a game in 60 hours, and anyone who donates toward the cause in that time will get the game that results from the sleepless nights. The site teases other incentives for reaching certain donation goals, like Aron Nieminen (developer in charge of the Minecraft Pocket Edition) making a Twitter account. They also promise giveaways, and invite Twitter users to submit questions with the #Mojam hashtag for use in Q&A sessions during the game jam. Mojang is holding two polls to determine the genre and theme of its 60-hour game. The highest and lowest of each category will be combined to determine what the indie developer makes. Based on current poll results, it would be a real-time strategy shoot-em-up with a Steampunk World War II theme. The poll isn't closed yet,...

Mass Effect 3 will be "better with Kinect" thanks to exclusive voice commands. But how exactly does it work? Microsoft has sent us an official "cheat sheet," with all the commands you'll be able to say. For example, you can tell Shepard to "switch weapon" and then say the name of the weapon. You can also say ammo type, such as "incendiary ammo," to switch to it. And, if you don't feel like pressing "A" on your Xbox 360 controller, you can tell him to "open" or "examine" something. For squad members, you must say their name and then issue a command. For example, you can say "Liara Singularity," and she will fire a blast at where your reticule is pointed. "Tali Follow" will have Tali follow you. "Kaiden Attack" will have him focused on the enemies your reticule is pointed at. Here's the full list of commands: Kinect commands for Mass Effect 3

Sneaking fans eyeing up Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D will be able to download a demo for the Nintendo 3DS port of Metal Gear Solid 3 from tomorrow, ahead of its launch next week. The demo contains "the opening segment of the game," publisher Konami explains, seeing Naked Snake "picking a path through the swamps and foliage of a Soviet jungle in search of an imprisoned scientist." Nintendo only started offering demo downloads of retail 3DS games through the eShop in January, kicking things off with a sliver of Resident Evil Revelations. Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D hits store shelves in Tuesday, February 21.

Are you ready for even more revelations from Assassin's Creed Revelations? The game that was supposed to end the story of series protagonists Altair and Ezio may have only led to more questions--especially in regards to the "modern day" character, Desmond. Well, you won't have to wait until this year's Assassin's Creed game to continue Desmond's journey. An updated roster of achievements for Revelations has revealed plans for single-player DLC starring the assassin-in-training. Previous DLC add-ons for Revelations have focused exclusively on the multiplayer portion of the game. However, Xbox 360 Achievements has discovered a as-of-yet-unnamed add-on worth a whopping 250 Gamerscore. Achievements like "Jump they say" and "Save yourself" suggest a heavy emphasis on platforming--something Desmond did quite a lot of in Revelations. xBuffx from X360A smartly notes that Ubisoft had teased additional Desmond "Memories" in the retail game, pointing out "there were 2 extra pillars in the game...

The "Game of the Year" repackaging is quite common in the video games industry. However, have you ever seen a sports game so brazenly don the accolade on its box? 2K Sports has announced the surprising Game of the Year edition of NBA 2K12. It will be available March 11 for Xbox 360 and PS3--exclusively at Best Buy stores. As is typical for GOTY editions, this re-release will include the full retail game and add-on content--specifically, the Legends Showcase. In addition, the box will feature a commemorative poster starring Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. The collection will sport a $49.99 price tag. "We're always committed to giving our fans great value," 2K Sports' Jason Argent said in a press release. " This is a great opportunity to not only get your hands on NBA 2K12, but the terrific Legend's Showcase content as well. Gamers and basketball fans alike will love this package. " But we have a question for you Mr. Argent. How is NBA 2K12 a "Game of the Year"? Did 2K...

Another David Jaffe IP is going to make the jump to the silver screen. Sony Pictures is planning a live action adaptation of Twisted Metal, which released in stores yesterday. Spider-Man producer Avi Arad is on board, and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance director Brian Taylor will helm the project. The movie will revolve around an "underground event that pits a number of combatants in a fight to the death." They will be fighting in wacky armed vehicles, of course. Sweet Tooth and Doll Face--two of the franchise's more memorable characters--will make an appearance in the film. "The proprietor of the race is Calypso, a string-puller dedicating to examining the human condition, such as what makes a peaceful man violent, what terrifies a violent man and who will make a Faustian bargain in which they risk their lives," the Deadline report (via Kotaku) details. Oddly, the report adds: "the sole survivor will get any wish granted." A live action movie adaptation of Twisted Metal would likely...

If the "Radnet Edition" of Prototype 2 wasn't quite special enough for you, Activision has an even more collectible version. While Radnet is available as a free pre-order upgrade, the newly announced "Blackwatch Collector's Edition" carries a premium $80 price tag. What's included in the box? An official soundtrack CD, hardbound art book, "The Labyrinth" digital comic, and a 20% discount voucher to the Prototype merchandise store. The Collector's Edition also includes a voucher redeemable for the first DLC release: "Colossal Mayhem," to be available in May--one month after the game's release. Mayhem will add three new skins, including Infect Heller and Infantry Heller. The DLC also adds three force multipliers and the "Thermobaric Boomstick" weapon. Both the regular and collector's edition of Prototype 2 will be available on April 24th.

Akuma, Jin, Ogre, and M. Bison are rounding out the lineup in Street Fighter X Tekken, with the full roster now officially unveiled. Evidently in a revealing mood, Capcom has also announced that the PC edition of its cross-over fighter will launch on May 11, two months after the console version. M. Bison was accidentally shown earlier this year, but now we have screenshots and trailers of him punching Tekken men and everything. We also have a round of PC screenshots, if you want to scrutinize them for differences from the console versions. Street Fighter X Tekken will debut on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on March 6. A PlayStation Vita edition is also in the works, but still doesn't have a launch date. Presumably Capcom doesn't want to release it too soon after the Vita Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, which came out this week. Here's the full SFxT lineup: Street Fighter: Ryu Ken Guile Abel Chun-Li Cammy Sagat Dhalsim Poison Hugo Ibuki Rolento Zangief Rufus Balrog Vega Juri M. Bison Akuma...