Online retailer Amazon seems to have gotten wind of Toys R Us' generous buy one, get one half-off deal, and decided to nearly replicate it. Unlike Toys R Us, Amazon is limiting the promotion to selected games and accessories -- but when the selection includes the likes of Call of Duty: Black Ops, Gran Turismo 5, Dance Central and Goldeneye, you're bound to find something that fits your fancy.
#rumor
According to a major James Bond universe fan site, a "stealth" game starring Britain's most famous secret agent is being worked on by Raven Software, the guys behind Singularity, Hexen and Jedi Knight II. More »
Moon Studios' upcoming game Warsoup combines a sci-fi-style first-person shooter with an RTS-style view of all of your teammates, creating a hybrid of, as the developers put it, Starcraft and Halo. It also uses a somewhat cartoony, "minimalist" look, which is likely important in a game in which you have to focus on building resources in addition to shooting. There's also an interesting class-based upgrading mechanic that allows players to dynamically adjust their abilities.
Check out some gameplay footage after the break, narrated by devs from Moon Studios. Judging from icons displayed at the end of the video, Moon is aiming for PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and Mac releases, and even browser versions.
It doesn't appear Sony has much to say about PS3 firmware 3.55, available "soon." Why? Because it seemingly only adds a security patch. We're certain that you will be much more vocal about the inconvenience of mandatory installs, the lack of certain oft-requested features, and the ongoing battle between Sony and hackers in our comments section.
#fallout
After over a month of various technical woes, particularly on the PC version of the game, it seems as though Fallout: New Vegas may actually be fixed soon. Maybe. More »
Capcom announced today that its Monster Hunter series is still capturing the attention of Japanese gamers, as Monster Hunter Portable 3rd -- which will go by the international title Monster Hunter Freedom 3 -- has shipped two million units during its first week in the region. According to Capcom, the franchise has sold over 15 million units since 2004.
Wii-exclusive Monster Hunter Tri did well in the region, but clearly not as well as its portable counterpart. There's currently no announcement of when portable monster hunters outside of Japan can get their 3rd fix.
#sony
The PlayStation 3 just got updated, bringing the machine's firmware to v3.55. Sony say "this is a minor update that adds a security patch". What ever could they mean? More »
Defend The House, a troupe of game sleuths, just debuted its fourth episode of Halo: Reach "Mythbusters," dispelling the hearsay of the land's people and offering us the cold hard facts we desire. Be sure to thank them the next time you almost try to trick a sniper with a hologram.
Microsoft's ridiculous Games for Windows Live holiday promotion continues, offering another game for a price worth paying even if you don't care about the game, or don't know what the game is! Today, it's S.T.A.L.K.E.R, on sale for 99 cents.
It's the perfect time to catch up with the goings-on in desolate, irradiated future Chernobyl before the sequel arrives in 2012 -- or, if you're like us, it's the perfect time to add yet another game to your near-infinite backlog. It's better than spending full price for a game you'll never play, right?
#review id Software, the studio behind Doom and Quake, is bringing its upcoming first-person shooter Rage to Apple's iOS with Rage HD. Rage is impressive looking, and so is Rage HD. But how does it play? More »
Speaking with GameSpot about his company's forthcoming releases and business strategy, THQ CEO Brian Farrell suggested that reports of the game industry's death have been greatly exaggerated. Those "reports" -- perhaps better thought of as a general perception shared by many investors, analysts, media outlets and informed consumers -- can be largely attributed to declining software sales over the past few years, as tracked by the NPD Group on a monthly basis. "I'm a big fan of NPD and we're not declaring war on them," Farrell assured, "but what we've been trying to clarify is people are looking at just NPD now, right?"
While NPD is in the process of expanding the scope of its reports (and also limiting them), the group has traditionally tallied only U.S. sales of new (physical) software, in addition to those of hardware and accessories, painting an increasingly bleak picture of the industry as revenue continues to shift to other sectors. (NPD now intends to track sales data across a wide range of revenue streams, including digital and mobile platforms and social networks, not to mention used-game businesses and rentals.) "I'm not being critical of [NPD], but it's just a lot of investors or people who look at the industry and see the NPD box product sales are down," Farrell lamented, before juxtaposing that perception with THQ's point of view: "more people are playing games than ever before."
"[We] as an industry need to come up with a different way to look at the industry to capture all those revenue streams," he continued. "So I think the industry is a lot healthier than just what NPD is reporting."
THQ will test that apparent vitality next spring with the release of MX vs. ATV Alive, which will be budget-priced at $40 and supported by a steady stream of DLC. "You know, hopefully tens of millions of dollars will come from just that single product."
#wow
Next week Tonight, the world of Warcraft will change forever with the release of Cataclysm. Here's everything you need to know before Deathwing the Destroyer comes over and trashes the place. [Republished for the launch of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.] More »
#party
There may be only three of the seven of us here in New York this week, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to have a little reader gathering. More »
That Dead Space 2 multiplayer beta preview not enough for you? Tough, you've got to wait until January 25 until you can play more, but we've got the next best thing to tide you over: new footage. Vault past the break and check out three (count 'em, three) all-new videos.
