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Starting today, Diablo 3 is ... well, it's very different. Blizzard has released a humongous patch for the game, overhauling many of its features. The highlight is probably the introduction of "Loot 2.0," a heavy reworking of the loot system that was first announced alongside the Reaper of Souls expansion last year. Among other changes, Loot 2.0 features the "Smart Drop" system, making it more likely that the items players discover will be specifically tailored to their character class.

The Nightmare, Hell and Inferno difficulty modes have been replaced by a new dynamic difficulty system, which itself is divided into subcategories: Normal, Hard, Expert, Master and Torment, with the latter being further divided into six gradations. New social features include Clans and Communities, which give players access to private member rosters, news and info postings, and dedicated chat.

On top of all this are loads of character-specific updates, boss and monster tweaks, new stats for heroes and more than we could possibly squeeze into this post. For every little detail, you can peruse the patch notes, and Blizzard's official online Diablo 3 guide has also been updated to walk players through all the changes.

Oh, and don't forget that there's one huge change that's still to come: The auction house is closing on March 18.
[Image: Activision]

Some villains strive for wealth and power. Some villains strive for glory. But a surprising number of villains are motivated solely by their tangled relationships with the hero. These are love-hate relationships, in which the villain just wants to impress the hero or spend quality time together. Here are the 12 most codependent supervillains, in no particular order.Read more...

iOS gets the love today with discounts on some of the ecosystem's best titles. Get downloading.Read more...

Coming from a Develop-Online interview with Peter Molyneux in regards to his new game, Godus...

D: What about other devices with touch inputs like PlayStation Vita, Wii U, 3DS?

PM: I think the Vita is a possibility. I think the Wii U, if you tweak that very clumsy device, is a possibility but I find Wii U very awkward.

I was going to make a snide comment here, but I'll let Dumb and Dumber handle this...

Coming from a report by IDC and App Annie...

- 3DS moved an additional 10m games last year compared with the year before
- 30m games sold in total
- boxed and full-game digital spending on portables rose by nine per cent between 2012 and 2013
- top three grossing games on 3DS in 2013 were Pokemon X&Y, Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon

Private school ruined Greg Miller. Listen to Brian Altano get to the bottom of the problem while the kids play Minecraft.

We gave you a heads up on this info a couple weeks back, but now the data has confirmed it. The Wii U install base in Japan has grown larger than that of the Xbox 360. If you're looking for numbers, the Wii U has now sold 1,643,095 units in Japan, compared to the Xbox 360's 1,641,528 lifetime to date total.

Can you believe it's been 3 years since the 3DS launched? The system had a rocky start, but boy did it ever turn things around! Now a lot of people say that the 3DS is the must-have system on the market right now. I can definitely agree with that sentiment! Let's hope the celebration runs all the way through to year 4...and 5...and 6...and 7...

Gods Will Be Watching is a dark, depressing and mentally taxing point-and-click adventure from Deconstructeam and Hotline Miami publisher Devolver Digital, due out in June for PC, Mac and Linux. Note that when we say "dark, depressing and mentally taxing," we mean it in the most fun way possible.

That's this game's shtick: It places Sgt. Burden in the middle of violent interstellar tensions and asks him to decide who lives, who dies, who eats and who gets tortured - including himself - in a number of unpleasant scenarios. At times, it's either his crew or the world. Gods Will Be Watching mixes puzzles and decision-making with pixelated violence and psychological struggle.

"Our team set out to make a new breed of point-and click-adventure and capture the feeling of having to make heavy decisions with sometimes dark consequences," Deconstructeam founder Jordi de Paco, says in a press release. "We understand that Gods Will Be Watching is a departure for the genre but think we have an opportunity to break new ground in storytelling and the weight of decisions."

Gods Will Be Watching launches on Steam, GOG and Humble in June. It started as a Ludum Dare 26 game, and you can play that original jam project right here. Pre-orders for a DRM version plus a Steam key are up now at a 10 percent discount, or $9. [Image: Devolver Digital]

1980s nostalgia is easy to exploit for cheap jokes and lazy humor. But an 80s cartoon version of Dark Souls II? I'd buy that for a dollar.Read more...

Paranoia—and the fact that you can only see naked characters' weapons when they're using them—fuels the survival game Rust. YouTuber rewrite illustrates this with an excellent and funny example of why you shouldn't trust anyone in the game, even players who look like new spawns.Read more...

The Mighty Quest For Epic Loot is Now Free to Play in Open Beta on Steam!

The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot is a brand new game from Ubisoft Montreal that thrusts you in an outrageous medieval fantasy world called Opulencia where wealth, status and showboating are the name of the game!

As a newcomer to Opulencia, you will hack n slash your way through hundreds of castles designed by the ingenious minds of your fellow players!

Dont forget to show them whos boss by constructing deadly keep of your very own in this kingdom, size really does matter!

Luke -- Friday Night Lights' Scott Porter -- comes to IGN Playing Dead to talk walkers and showoff Season 2's newest trailer.

The following image was sent over via email by Mixed Bag, an indie dev. As you can see, the devs seem to be teasing a reveal for the Wii U tomorrow. For those wondering, Mixed Bag have previously worked on Futuridium.

PR email

Zelda games shall be forever gripped close to Nintendo’s chest, but remakes, demakes and homages frequently turn up on the shores of PC gaming. Zelda VR aims to re-build The Legend of Zelda – yeah, the original, top-down, NES Zelda – for virtual reality headsets.

An early build is available to download now, and I’ve had a go in a video below. … [visit site to read more]

Bethesda announced that it will begin selling QuakeCon 2014 passes next week, revealing a number of premium packages for early-bird buyers looking to secure event access and bring-your-own-computer (BYOC) seating.

On March 5, attendees can purchase a $175 QuakeCon 2014 bundle that includes reserved-access seating for all panels, events, and presentations, along with a bonus t-shirt, lanyard, and signed print. A $150 package that includes two t-shirts, a headset, and other goodies goes on sale March 19. Additional premium packages will be available for purchase on April 2 and April 16.

All packages are limited in quantity but optional, as general admission is free. QuakeCon 2014 will take place at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas, between July 17 and July 20.

[Image: Bethesda]

WildStar's Design Producer Stephan Frost walks us through the ways you can deck out your mount in the upcoming MMO.

Turtle Rock explains why its 4v1 shooter could only be done on new-generation consoles.