PC Gamers

With the New Year upon us the Shacknews editors looked at the upcoming release calendars and chose our three most anticipated games of the lot. There's nothing remotely scientific or analytical about it. These are the games, though, that as gamers we're already wishing we had in our systems. Here's what's got Jeff going for 2010: Mafia 2 Mafia II, Illusion Softwork's open-world organized-crime adventure comes out " sometime before July" on the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. How's it looking? Fuhgeddaboutit. Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven (2002 PC version) remains one of my fondest gaming experiences of all time. It spoke ...

With the New Year upon us the Shacknews editors looked at the upcoming release calendars and chose our three most anticipated games of the lot. There's nothing remotely scientific or analytical about it. These are the games, though, that as gamers we're already wishing we had in our systems. Here's what's got Chris going for 2010: Red Dead Redemption It only took about gosh darn forever, but it looks like we're finally getting a proper Western game for this generation of consoles. To start out with, you've got cowboys, horsies, and the like. Behind that, the same technology used by Grand Theft Auto IV. And behind that, you've got developer Rockstar's exten...

Oh those cheeky Brits. Throughout Decemeber LittleBigPlanet developer Media Molecule has been handing out "Sackies" from the Sackademy of LittleBigPlanet Arts. These awards recognized the best in a variety of categories for user-created levels and content in the game. The Official PlayStation Blog recaps the winners today and reminds us that there's still time to get in votes for the biggest Sackie of them all: the Level of the Year Award. Unlike the other awards which were chosen by the Media Molecule team, you get to vote for your favorite LittleBigPlanet level. <a hr...

Today is the day you can feel absolutely fantastic about the past year and be determined to continue that high into 2010. Alternatively, feel absolutely wrecked and broken by 2009 and make a resolution to somehow drag yourself out of the mire by your nails. I don't believe any other option is permitted, for some reason. You'll probably drink alcohol tonight and deserve everything you get the next morning, so don't even think about complaining. Besides, it only serves to distract you from the real activity--arguing over whether today is the end of the decade or merely a decade. The news desk is unpersoned today and tomorrow but we'll have a few little features to make up for our shameful absence. Have fun, Internet. We'll see you in the future!

Steam's dramatic holiday sale prices may (as I asserted yesterday) provide Valve a significant bump in their customer base but what then? Should it succeed the expectations will have been set at bargain basement deals. In the unstable online economy of digital distribution that's anything but the norm. Along with the still young search for the "right" price as dictated by the market, digital distributors face pressure to keep prices at a point that won't completely cannibalize sales for traditional brick-and-mortar stores. The result puts the online price at pretty much the same number as it is in stores. The whole issue of pricing poses one of -- if not the -- big roadblocks in the system. Over Christmas I was reminded of how out of whack it is in the TV world. To catch up on a single missed episode of a TV show costs $3 if you want to see it in HD. It's hard to see the value in that when it was originally broadcast for free, will most likely be shown again as a rerun, and i...

"Little did I know, to fulfill my destiny I must become the very thing which I have always hunted," explains Divinity II's anguished hero in a new trailer for Larian's action RPG. "I must become my enemy. I must become... a dragon knight." Which he promptly does. Already out in Europe, Divinity II will be released for PC and Xbox 360 in North America on January 5. In the meantime, try the 1.77GB demo available over on FileShack. [video]16304[/video] Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

Not content with mere screenshots and trailers, publisher TopWare Interactive has unleashed a trio of "MoveShots" (defined as "3 second videos revealing gameplay shorts") from Reality Pump's upcoming action-RPG Two World II. Explained TopWare in today's mailing: "These, so-called, MoveShots serve as a very vivid forecast into the Antaloor universe featured in 'Two Worlds II' as well as dispelling any rumors about the possibility of doctored screen shots, which, unfortunately, are all too common throughout the modern day videogame industry." Once due this winter, Two Worlds II is slated to hit PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 in spring. [video]16302[/video] As for those other two "MoveShots," they can be found just below: [video]16301[/video] [video]16303[/video]

Firming up the initial "around the end of this year" estimate, developer PopCap now expects the iPhone and iPod touch iteration of its sodding strategy game Plants vs. Zombies to make its way into the iTunes App Store in late January. Plants vs. Zombies vs. PC PopCap revealed the revised release estimate on its Facebook page, whilst noting that a selection of other PopCap iPhone titles--Bookworm, Peggle, and Chuzzle--will be...

Next week's Rock Band downloadable content will bring goodies from across the wide and wonderful world of rock, from The Psychedelic Furs and The Ramones to teenage favourites Blink-182 and parent-pleasing renditions of Wings hits from Paul McCartney. Paul McCartney New York City Pack Paul McCartney - "Band on the Run (Live)" + Paul McCartney - "Jet (Live)" + Paul McCartney - "Sing the Changes (Live)" + Blink-182 Pack 2 Blink-182 - "Adam's Song" Blink-182 - "First Date" + Blink-182 - "I Miss You" The Psychedelic Furs - "Love My Way" + The Psychedelic Furs - "Sister Europe" The Ramones - "Rock 'n' Roll High School" + Tracks marked with a + will come to LEGO Rock Band too. Tracks are priced at $2 (160 Microsoft Points) a pop and will hit Xbox 360 and Wii on January 5 then PlayStation 3 on January 7. 360 and PS3 players can pick up the track packs for $5...

The Xbox 360 edition of Blood Bowl will stomp onto North American retail shelves in January 2010 alongside the PC original, publisher SouthPeak Games has announced. Cyanide's video game adaptation of the violent American football-inspired Warhammer sports board game by Games Workshop is currently available on PC worldwide through digital distribution and received European PC and 360 retail releases earlier in the year. SouthPeak also revealed that Blood Bowl's PSP edition will arrive in North America some time in Spring 2010 but made no mention of the DS version Europe was cursed with.

With the end of an arbitrary period of time comes the need to obsessively rate, compare and rank. It's simply the done thing. For several months now I have been compiling the list of The World's Top Seventeen Breakfasts 7:12pm PST Feburary 18, 2001 to 9:56am GMT October 27, 2009 and I think I'm about done. I'll show you later this week. Here's to another slow day!

Over the past few days Steam really pulled out all the stops for its holiday sale (as Chris can attest from updating the PSA story). Many of the deals -- Prey for $2.99 (which sold out!), Torchlight marked down first to $10 and then $5, deep discounts on packs, and so much more -- offered outrageously low prices. Judging by the responses around the Net the sale proved irresistible on an unprecedented scale. Along with those taking advantage of the individual offers, I saw countless instances of people recounting sizeable lists of their purchases. With all the talk about the coming era of digital video game distribution we could well look back at this as a pivotal moment and master stroke by Steam. Nothing overcomes reluctance to try a new thing like a great deal. Valve keeps its figures closely guarded but it's no secret that Steam has built a strong base. They've also refined the service to a point that buying and playing a game through Steam is a smooth process. That streng...

People Can Fly, the Polish subsidiary of Epic Games and developer of the Painkiller series, filed a trademark application for the name "Bulletstorm" on December 23. According to the documentation the name applies to "Computer software for use with personal computers, for use with home video game consoles for use with televisions, and for use with arcade-based video game consoles for use with televisions." It seems likely that this could be the intended name of the previously undisclosed game mentioned back in August when Electronic Arts announced that Epic Games and People Can Fly were working on a new multi-platform property for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC as part of its EA Partners program.

Among the many year-end stories file sharing site Torrent Freak tabulated the most pirated games of 2009. Using data from public BitTorrent tracker reports they calculated the total number of times each game had been downloaded. It comes as little surprise to see Modern Warfare 2 take the ignominious top spot with a whopping 4.1 million PC copies downloaded and another 970,000 for the Xbox 360. That figure indicates potentially staggering growth in PC piracy during 2009. Last year Spore, a game that had been much maligned for its security features, claimed the top at only 1.7 million downloads. Besides Modern Warfare 2 more than doubling up on that figure, all five of the most downloaded games of 2009 (the other four being the Sims 3, Prototype, Need for Speed Shift, and Street Figher 4) eclipsed that mark. Video games do...

Ah, Plinko. The great grandfather of Peggle. A staple of The Price Is Right for decades. What better way to waste away an afternoon than with a bouncy game of chance? You see, we've been provided with several copies of Ubisoft's television-inspired The Price Is Right: 2010 Edition. And after much turmoil amongst the Shacknews staff as to how to handle the giveaway, we stumbled upon an ingenious solution: Plinko. PC, Wii and Nintendo DS copies are up for grabs, just respond in the comments below and tell us (or, preferably, show us) how you fare in this Flash version of Plinko. But before you go, a quick word from The Price Is Right announcer Rich Fields: [video]16210[/video] Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream. And should you be curious about the ...

New footage of Tecmo KOEI's First of the North Star-inspired Dynasty Warriors spin-off Hokuto Musou has emerged via the game's official site, as noticed by andriasang. Based on the well-known anime and manga, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 action game combines the face-exploding series with the numerous foes of the Dynasty Warriors games. Alongside a mode that's "faithful to the spirit of the original manga," there will also be a "completely new storyline." Before we get to gameplay, though, why don't we take a look at some CG cinematics: [video]16202[/video] Shackvideo users can use the <a href="http:/...

Initially slated to arrive during the "holiday season," the first post-release downloadable add-on for BioWare's fantasy RPG Dragon Age will hit PC and Xbox 360 next Tuesday, January 5, the developer and publisher / studio owner Electronic Arts announced today. Priced at 400 BioWare Points / 400 Microsoft Points / $4.99, "Return to Ostagar" brings players "to the fateful battleground in Ostagar where the Grey Wardens were nearly wiped out," offering up new items, more darkspawn to kill, and "a second chance to add Dog to your party" in the process. The add-on is also coming to PlayStation 3 eventually, with today's announcement simply noting that the PlayStation 3 release is expected "later in the month." [video]1621...

Nintendo's Wii Football PatentWith EA Sports (Madden NFL, FIFA, NBA Live, NHL) teasing that it will "announce a new game sometime in January," Destructoid has heard (via "sources close to the project") that this new effort is a Wii game dubbed "NFL Trainer." Similar to the actual sporting good products EA released earlier this year, the game is said to coach players on how to properly hold and throw a football alongside a variety of other "football-based exercises and workouts." Obviously, su...

"I woke up with the power out," our jolly ol' friend Alice might say of her current situation, were she here and a fan of The Arcade Fire. Does she like The Arcade Fire, or even know of them? I don't know. I hope so. I'd ask, but, you know, her power is out. Not just "the heart of man" kind of power, mind you. Electricity, the kind that helps provide us with toasty Pop Tarts in the morn and the light to keep monsters away in the eve. I'm not worried, though. We've fought side-by-side countless times in Left 4 Dead. Should the worst come to light, or rather, darkness, she knows to start grabbing pills.

As a light snow continues to blanket my little corner of northeast Indiana--"the unmiddle," as the airport signage advertising local industry calls it--I find myself finally getting into the holiday spirit, just in time to yank all the ornaments off my tree and pawn the prickly fire hazard off to someone else for proper handling and disposal. But before I get around to accidentally stabbing myself with pine needles, the news: 3DR Teases 'Numerous' Duke Nukem Games Mass Effect 2 Trailers: 'Why I Kill,' by Grunt and Thane 'MechWarrior: Living Legends' Crysis Mod Stomps Out Nintendo Downloads Bring Oregon Trail DSi, Sega VC Sale Borderlands 'Mad Moxxi' DLC Inter...

Rios and Salem are back yet another with another real-life adventure, proving that even our fictional fist-bumping, ass-slapping PMCs are prone to everyday airport peril. The duo's next proper adventure, Army of Two: The 40th Day, lands in North America on January 12 and Europe on January 15. A downloadable demo of the cooperative action game is now available on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with a PSP demo due soon. [video]16153[/video] Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

New Mass Effect 2 information recently surfaced on the BioWare Community Forums, shedding light on the process of importing saved game information from the first Mass Effect game, and confirming a "New Game +" mode for the highly anticipated sequel. As previously reported, players of Mass Effect 2 will be given the option to import completed character data from the first Mass Effect when beginning a new game. Xbox 360 users will need to be signed into Xbox LIVE to import previous character data from the Xbox 360 hard drive. Importin...

Though the Midnight Riders didn't hit the big time until their explosive debut in Left 4 Dead 2 circa November 2009, the fictional quartet's YouTube Channel has been updated with an overlooked 1998 single, titled "All I Want For Christmas (is to Kick Your Ass)." As can be surmised from its title, the festive jingle isn't exactly safe for work. [video]16154[/video] Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream. As for the history behind the tune, the legendary rockers explain: In 1987, the Midnight Riders were asked to participate in a children's charity Christmas album with their rock peers. The Riders refused. In a 1993 Guitar God Magazine article, Dusty explained: "Givin' kids charity just makes 'em weak, man. Teach a kid to fish, he can eat fish his who...

With the second downloadable add-on for Borderlands due out on Xbox 360 tomorrow (and PlayStation 3 next week and PC, well, sometime), we caught up with designer Matthew Armstrong for more on the latest addition to Gearbox's colorful shooter-RPG. And while Matthew wasn't able to answer all our questions--the matchmaking team had already taken off for the holiday, so they couldn't tell us if there's an option for online players to seek out other DLC owners--he was able to shed some light on other aspects, including the new areas, why there aren't new foes in Riot Mode's ever-increasing enemy waves, the reasons behind the later PlayStation 3 and PC releases, and just why Gearbox is charging for more in-game storage. <span class...

In a Force-ful holiday treat, BioWare and LucasArts have issued a new "developer dispatch" for Star Wars: The Old Republic examining the MMO's two Sith classes. The first PC MMO to emerge from Mass Effect and Dragon Age developer BioWare, The Old Republic has no release date quite yet, though beta sign-ups are open. [video]16152[/video]

It's a busy week for Nintendo's WiiWare and DSiWare download stores, with PilotWings, Oregon Trail and Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth arriving in North America and Sega running discounts on a selection of classic Genesis titles for the Virtual Console. Plus there's Eat! Fat! Fight!, "a game that celebrates eating, getting fat and fighting." DSiWare The Oregon Trail - $8 Sudoku Sensei - $5 Glow Artisan - $5 Master of Illusion Express: Psychic Camera - $2 Arcade Hoops Basketball - $2 Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth and The Oregon Trail. ...