All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

#consoletaisen The battle for weekly console dominance in Japan, where Sony and Nintendo, not Microsoft, rule the roost, was a wash. Even Steven. Neck and neck. Dead heat. OK, Nintendo did have a little bit of a lead. More »

#clips Ah, Team Slayer. Halo: Reach packs new multiplayer modes like Stockpile and Invasion, but in the beta, even those typically devolved into Slayer-esque battles of headshot-and-revenge. Here's five minutes of Slayer on "Reflection," inspired by "Ivory Tower" from Halo 2. More »

Fun fact: Europe makes up 20 percent of Joystiq's traffic, with half of that being from the UK. So, first off, sincere thanks to Europe!

With that said, we will be over in Germany next week for GDC Europe and GamesCom. EA and Sony have back-to-back press conferences scheduled for next Tuesday, starting at 10:00 a.m. EDT. Although we aren't expecting another reveal like last year's PS3 Slim, surprises are always welcome. So, check out our coverage of Europe's biggest gaming show next week.

What's everyone playing?

Team IGN UK road-tests PlayStation Move and casts its verdict on The Last Airbender.

Back in June, the list of exhibitors and performers was revealed for PAX Prime, and now the official site just posted the full schedule for this year's show. PAX 2010 is looking especially busy, consisting of the usual Penny Arcade Q&A panels, but also an interesting Kinect justification panel, a look at Insomniac's next PS3 game and the future of PC gaming. Seriously, check out this link -- there's so much, we're getting tired just looking at it!

#review Scott Pilgrim, a rock and roll hero in his own mind, meets the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers. To win her, Scott must use a skill set one can only learn from video games and comic books to succeed. More »

Tune in for all the updates.

#valve Valve will be injecting life into Left 4 Dead 2 in the form of featured community maps for the PC. The developer says it plans to begin hosting bi-weekly community campaigns on its own servers, starting with "Two Evil Eyes." More »

#screengrab As seen on Reddit. More »

Amazon sent out word of a Castlevania: Lords of Shadow limited edition a bit early this week by releasing a mockup image of the package. Now the retailer has boldly tweeted (if one can do something called "tweeting" in a bold manner) release info for the limited edition, pricing it at $79.99 on PS3 and Xbox 360. The image is exactly the same as this week's mockup, meaning that we will get that nice hand-painted artwork on the box (that looks a lot like the work of longtime Castlevania artist Ayami Kojima) along with the soundtrack and artbook, that were shown before.

The Amazon listings also show a Halloween release date for both the standard and limited editions, though we're hesitant to confirm any release dates from retailers as "official" without checking in with Konami -- which we're doing now.

Ubisoft sends word that a demo of its latest combat game taking place in the wild blue yonder will soon be available on the mundane colorless expanse of the internet. A single-player sampling of HAWX 2 is scheduled for arrival on the Xbox Marketplace next Monday, August 16, with the PS3 demo touching down on PSN a day later on Tuesday, August 17.

Both versions will contain the same two missions from the game's story-driven campaign. One mission will have players donning the flightsuit of a Russian pilot on the trail of stolen aircraft, while the other is from the perspective of a US flyboy and will let players experience the simulated thrill of launching from an aircraft carrier. HAWX 2 will taxi onto store shelves September 7 for PS3 and 360, followed by PC and Wii releases later in the year.

Rage represents a rather large milestone for Carmack's id team. Not only is it the first game to use id Tech 4, it's the first id game to be published by new owner Bethesda. It's also the first new IP from the team in over a decade, since 1996's release of Quake. If a recent interview in the Official PlayStation Magazine (via CVG) is to be believed, it's likely that the new new IP from id will be just as far away.

"I doubt we're going to do another IP," Carmack told OPM. "We want to support Wolfenstein, Doom and Quake -- and hopefully we can add Rage onto that. ... Obviously, if Rage is a success then we'll want to do a Rage 2." Considering the lengthy development cycles at id (evidenced by the currently-MIA Doom 4) who knows when the next new IP will bubble out of the company?

Especially with that Commander Keen reboot getting in the way, right?

Limited edition controllers a crowning acheivement.

#ohfun I love PBS, and not in a snobby way - History Detectives does an amazing job proving or disproving family myths, always in a very respectful manner. But an Antiques Roadshow video game? That's like watching old people *crag*. More »

Thanks to Left 4 Dead 2, Friday has become some kind of weekly masochistic holiday. This week proves no different, as the latest mutation, Iron Man, pits the survivors against the Infected with "no respawns, no restarts, no ammo, all tension." In other words, you get the ammo you start with, no one respawns and, should your whole crew bite the dust (or be bitten by dusty zombies), you'll have to start the entire campaign over again. Ouch.

In other news, the Left 4 Dead Blog also dropped some hints about upcoming DLC. Those who finished "The Passing" DLC will know that someone from the original Left 4 Dead heads off for the great Safe House in the sky (don't hit the source link if you'd like this to remain unspoiled). According to the blog, a forthcoming comic and DLC will explain exactly how the survivor kicked the bucket. We're no psychics, but we're guessing it was zombies.

Another major trade show? The videogame industry never sleeps.

#clips You may be older than the target market for Activision and Robomodo's next Tony Hawk game, but perhaps video of Tony Hawk Shred will bring out the kid in you. More »

If you thought Valve was going to cash out its stock in Team Fortress 2 after releasing an update for the game's ninth and final class, then you thought wrong. Speaking to PC Gamer, Valve's Robin Walker revealed that a mess of new content would be added to the game in yet another free update next month. Of course, after feeding "next month" through our inscrutable Valve Time Converter, that time period actually ranges between September 2010 and April 2035.

These updates will add around 20 items and weapons to the game, all of which come from the user-created Polycount contest winners. Unlike other community items, these will be playtested and balanced, and will have stats on par with Valve's equipment. Players will be also be able to trade items when the update goes live, one of the shooter's most oft-requested features. Also, a new game mode will be included in the update, though Walker remained mum on the particulars of this new gametype. Given our wide collection of beautiful hats, we're really hoping it's some sort of fashion show.

The Wii and DS versions will work together to give players a brand new character to play.

Hi everyone! Time for this week’s video store updates:

Kicking off for the first time ever, Sony brings you Artist of the Month. We give you access to the hottest music videos and behind the scenes footage from a new artist every month right to PlayStation Network and Qriocity. Visit the video store now to download the hit ‘Cooler That Me’ and other exclusive content from our featured artist for August, Mike Posner. For more information on Artist of the Month, go here.

Next, in honor of the theatrical release of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World and the exclusive early release of the game on PS3, we’ve put together a Heroes & Villains collection featuring your favorite cinematic heroes and villains in films like Superbad, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Not Another Teen Movie, and more!

On the US store this week:

• Tickle your funny bone and visit the Deal of the Week collection where you’ll find incredible savings on hilarious comedies like Meet the Spartans, Epic Movie, Idiocracy, all at limited-time low prices.
• Also, check out films featuring not-so-ordinary heroes in our Spotlight on The Other Guys collection. Brace yourself for action-packed films such as The Departed, Zoolander, Curious George, and other great titles.
• Finally, this weekend is your last chance to purchase Kick-Ass in SD or HD on the PlayStation Store and receive an exclusive look at the digital comic as your gift-with-purchase. Take advantage of this exciting offer before Sunday, 8/15.

On the Canada store this week:

• Check out exciting new additions of your favorite movies such as Date Night, Death at a Funeral, Repo Men, and many other great titles!
• Be sure to check out newly added episodes from your favorite TV shows this week including iCarly, Entourage, The Sopranos, and more.

Other TV and Movie arrivals to hit the stores this week:

Just in TV

US Store: American Pickers, Cake Boss, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Intervention, It’s Effin’ Science, Master of Martial Hearts, Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, The Closer, Solved, Warren the Ape, Memphis Beat, Masterchef, Hawthorne, The LXD, Rescue Me, The Colony, Pretty Little Liars, Unnatural History, Warehouse 13, Chasing Mummies, Man vs. Wild, Pros vs. Joes, Psych, Soul Eater, The Real World, and Tosh.0.

Canada Store: The Wire, MTV Cribs, Trauma, Jimmy Neutron, Lewis Black’s Root Of All Evil, Crank Yankers, Comedy Central Presents: Stand-Up, The Wire, Sex and the City, and George Carlin: It’s Bad for Ya

New Release Movies

US Store: Letters to God, Multiple Sarcasms, My Name is Khan, The Good Heart, The Joneses, The Thorn In The Heart, The Tiger’s Tail, Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day, and Weather Girl

Canada Store: Drag Me To Hell, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Fighting, Funny People, I’m Reed Fish, Weather Girl, Duplicity, and Iodine

And last but not least, be sure to check out the hilarious trailer for Date Night, now available on the store!

Top Movie Downloads (US only)

• Kick-Ass
• Clash of the Titans
• Date Night
• Cop Out
• Repo Men (Unrated)
• The Losers
• Hot Tub Time Machine (Unrated Version)
• Batman: Under the Red Hood
• Diary Of A Wimpy Kid
• After.Life

Top Ten TV Downloads (US only)

• Futurama | Season 7 That Darn Katz!
• The Boondocks | Season 3 The Color Ruckus
• The Boondocks | Season 3 The Fried Chicken Flu
• Stan Lee’s Superhumans | Season 1 Electro Man
• Jersey Shore | Season Miami The Hangover
• Naruto Shippuden Uncut | Season 1, Vol. 4 Infiltration: The Den of the Snake!
• Shark Week | Season 2010 Ultimate Air Jaws
• Family Guy | Season 8 Brian & Stewie
• Futurama | Season 7 The Late Philip J. Fry
• Burn Notice | Season 4 Center of the Storm

For being a remake of Halo 2's Ivory Tower, Reflection doesn't look like it's changed much. Aside from giving it a graphical overhaul, the map's layout in Halo: Reach is pretty much what we remember. Large open area, some tight hallways and that elevator -- we call it the "deathvator" because, let's be honest, anybody riding that thing is going to get murdered.

Head on past the break and soak in five minutes of what the latter half of your September is going to be like, courtesy of 343 Industries.

[Thanks, Glenn]

High rise hot tubs, bar brawls, and vampires.

#books It's a book! For Fable diehards with a thirst for some off-game fiction—courtesy of prolific writer Peter David—there's Fable: The Balverine Order. It's the rare paperback that lets players unlock a unique item in a video game. More »

So, you're disappointed that there wasn't any hot Doom 4 news in yesterday's QuakeCon 2010 keynote. Buck up, bronco -- Steam recently knocked the price of every Doom game in the store down by 66 percent, making it that much easier to drown your sorrows in pure, gib-filled nostalgia.

Who the hell knows if/when we’ll get a Wii-specific trailer for NBA 2K11? I figured I’d post up this trailer, just so we could get a look at the gameplay. At the very least, we get a Snoop Dogg rap all about 2K11!

Two worlds clash in the flurry of combat.

#clips Snoop Dogg provides the theme, custom-fit to NBA 2K11, in a montage 2K Sports gave exclusively to IGN earlier today. Jordan on Kobe, the Bad Boys bringing it up, LeBron in Miami, Ewing with the up-and-under. It'll fire you up. More »