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Are there still a few multiplayer maps in Modern Warfare 2 which you’ve yet to decorate with your own bullet-splattered blood? You might want to look into this week’s Xbox Live Marketplace deal: The Stimulus Pack and the Resurgence Pack are half-price this week, available at 600 Microsoft Points. Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package — 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50), down from 1,200 Microsoft Points ($15) Modern Warfare 2 Resurgence Package — 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50), down from 1,200 Microsoft Points ($15) Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Here’s another reason EA may have ditched the “Taliban” from Medal of Honor’s multiplayer: if the publisher had lost US Army support for the game, they may never have been able to run this ad! It doesn’t do much for us as a game trailer, but for the average consumer watching it (it’s a TV spot) it’ll surely make some kind of impact; after all, it’s not often you see this kind of serious, real-world tone taken with a video game. Some may think it’s a little heavy-handed, blurring out their faces, but considering the game is based on a conflict still very much going on today, it would have been worse showing a bunch of actual soldiers’ faces effectively endorsing a piece of entertainment. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

On top of announcing an earlier than expected playlist update (coming this Tuesday), Bungie revealed last night that it has reset the credits and ranks of “approximately” 15,000 Halo: Reach accounts. The studio also applied a one day credit earning ban on affected players, less for punishment than to “ensure that recipients receive an in-game notification of the action taken.” The resets were handled last evening and specifically targeted folks who employed “an exploit that allowed players to complete a Challenge 20+ times via itentional network manipulation (i.e., disconnects.).” Bungie will also be completing a “more comprehensive pass” later this week, after the studio is confident enough in its automated banning system. We’re taking this move as further proof of the age old adage — cheaters never win. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Activision and Eutechnyx announced the February 2011 release of NASCAR The Game 2011 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. With a fresh infusion of real world detail and blistering racing action, NASCAR The Game 2011 completely redefines what fans can expect from a NASCAR racing game. NASCAR The Game 2011 has been built from the ground up to make a thoroughly new experience. The team started by speaking with the people who know NASCAR best – the fans – and took that insight to the teams, drivers and officials to completely embrace what makes NASCAR America’s #1 motorsport. Players can choose to play as themselves or as one of the sport’s real-world drivers as they battle it out for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship. Each pro driver has the AI characteristics of his or her real world counterpart, setting the stage for intense rivalries played out on the track. Damage is meticulously detailed and multi-car wrecks are the most extreme ever experienced in an officially licensed racing game. From the 22 real world tracks to full pit stop strategy action, NASCAR The Game 2011 captures the real atmosphere, sense of speed and spectacle that embodies NASCAR. Players can even feel the thrill of a win with the interactive celebration mode. The game also includes in-depth multiplayer modes which allow up to 16 players to battle it out for the win online. In both online and offline races, players earn NASCAR experience points which help unlock rewards such as decal packs or special car designs, as well as career sponsorships and special races throughout career mode. Everything you do on the track counts! Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Ubisoft has released a new video for Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, and it’s below the break. In it, you get to see Ezio and Leonardo meet up in Rome before our intrepid assassin starts going around killing people in a quest to destroy Leonardo’s war machines. It’s rather cool. Brotherhood is out on November 16 in the US and November 19 in the UK for PS3 and Xbox 360. The PC version is coming next year. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

I think everyone is working their way around... give em a week to play with it and then it will pick up quickly

Vic Contrats on popping the Cherry, you will soon receive a $25 gift certificate in your email for the Urgent Fury Market Place

We're back with the twenty-second episode of Zipline, the official Zipper Interactive podcast! This week we're joined by Zipper Vice President Mike Gutmann who stops by to fill us in on the future of MAG and when we can expect to hear more about SOCOM 4 (and how soon we'll see a demo!). Zipline Podcast, Episode 22 31.2MB 34m:07s Subscribe to Zipline on iTunes You can discuss this episode by clicking this link. More...

The 11th-hour renaming of the playable Taliban fighters as the “Opposing Force” in this month’s forthcoming Medal of Honor game is upsetting some gamers who say publisher Electronic Arts isn’t standing up for games or free speech. To those gamers, EA said today, try the demo version of the game and see what impact the change has made. “The reason we’re posting the multiplayer demo next week is so people can judge for themselves,” EA spokesman Jeff Brown told Kotaku. “Does changing one word in the menu screen have any impact on the actual play of the game that takes place in Afghanistan? If they think we shouldn’t have done that, I urge them to play it.” Medal of Honor, which will be out for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on October 12, is a war game set during the modern conflict in Afghanistan. It’s been known for many months that players will control the single-player portion of the game through the eyes of forces allied to the United States. It’s also been known that, in multiplayer, gamers were going to be able to choose to control U.S. or Taliban fighters. The inclusion of the Taliban riled some people and caused the game to be blocked from sale on most U.S military bases worldwide. After defending that creative decision for weeks, EA today said it would rename the multiplayer faction. Brown said that the renaming of the Taliban in the multiplayer mode of the forthcoming Medal of Honor game, set for release on October 12, “was made very late in the development cycle and quite recently.” The change was made public this morning in an online statement by Medal of Honor’s lead producer Greg Goodrich. He cited “feedback from friends and families of fallen soldiers who have expressed concern over the inclusion of the Taliban in the multiplayer portion of our game.” While Goodrich said that majority of feedback was “overwhelmingly positive,” the studio decided to change the word Taliban from the menu selection screen in multiplayer. He added that “this franchise will never willfully disrespect, intentionally or otherwise, your memory and service.” Goodrich said in his statement that the Taliban name change would not affect gameplay. Brown added that it won’t affect the look of the game either.”The only thing that has changed is one seven-letter word in the menu screen,” Jeff Brown, a spokesperson for Electronic Arts told Kotaku today. “There is not a single pixel or frame that is changed.” The Taliban remain part of the enemy fighting force in the game’s single-player mode. Earlier this summer, divisions of the U.S. Armed Forces which determine what gets sold on military bases declined to allow Medal of Honor to be sold due to its inclusion of playable Taliban characters. Brown said that decision was not a factor in the renaming change and that retail concerns didn’t compel this switch. Despite the minimizing of the Taliban name change, EA’s move today nonetheless is a shift from prior statements which had more aggressively defended its range of expression. Only weeks ago, Brown had likened the option to play as the Americans or Taliban in Medal of Honor multiplayer as akin to choosing sides in a childhood game of cops and robbers. Even today he affirms that EA desires the same freedom of expression enjoyed by other forms of entertainment. “If you could place a fiction in Afghanistan in a book or in a movie or in a TV show or other contemporary work , then why draw an artificial distinction of ‘but not in a video game?’” he said. He called it “kind of interesting” that the United States Supreme Court will be hearing arguments early next month that will involve that question about whether video games should be given the same speech protections as other forms of entertainment. By calling them the “opposing force” in Medal Of Honor, the game’s developers now ensure that players will no longer be able to choose to be a Taliban fighter in the game. But, said Brown, “The game takes place in Afghanistan. It’s pretty clear who is fighting who.” Play the multiplayer demo, he urges, and see for yourself, if the name change is a big deal or not. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

In this latest Call of Duty: Black Ops video we get an in-depth look at the customization of multiplayer in the game, in particular we learn all about the importance of in-game currency and horses that can shoot guns. Customization and personalization are two very important design agendas for the makers of Call of Duty: Black Ops, according to Dan Bunting, online director for developer Treyarch. “We really wanted to make the player fell like they were making the game their own,” he said. But all of those customizations will come with a price, and in-game currency price. David Vonderhaar, the game’s design director, says this currency system is different than just a level system. “Previous games you would unlock all content based on your level,” he said. “In the currency system what happens is you unlock the main features. You then use the currency to unlock what you want from that category.” And currency is only earned in online matches. Wow, and check out the emblem editor. A horse with guns for hooves? Yes, please. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

It looks like Epic’s Cliff Bleszinski was more than just three days off when he told Jimmy Fallon on national TV that Gears of War 3 was hitting on April 8. The next day Microsoft shifted the date a bit, saying the game would actually be hitting on April 5, 2011. Today the publisher is shifting Gears 3 a bit more… to the fall of 2011. And they say the, let’s just call it a delay, has nothing to do with development time and everything to do with marketing. “Gears of War 3 promises to be the biggest entertainment launch of 2011,” the Microsoft statement reads. “The teams at Microsoft Game Studios and Epic Games have done great work thus far readying the title for release in the Spring of 2011. However, we’ve elected to move the launch of Gears of War 3 until Fall 2011 to make it the marquee title for the holiday season.” Fair enough. But why would they decide now, just a week or so into fall 2010, to push such a huge title back five or so months? Microsoft declined to say, so let’s speculate. If it is indeed purely about marketing, there are a couple of things that could be at play here. Epic’s other big game, Bulletstorm, is set to knock us off our feet on Feb. 22, 2011. Maybe they wanted to give that a bit more breathing room. And what about the other huge Xbox 360 shooter exclusive, Halo? Maybe this oddly timed redeployment of Gears of War 3 was somehow spurred by the inner machinations of that still untitled, undated, relatively unknown Halo game by 343 Industries. We’ll probably never know, but isn’t it fun to ponder? Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Responding to the reaction of the “friends and families of fallen soldiers,” Electronic Arts today said today they are removing the Taliban as playable characters from their upcoming military shooter Medal of Honor. The opposing force that the U.S. military take on in Afghanistan in multiplayer bouts is now called the “opposing force.” Medal of Honor came under intense pressure from the military after it became known that in the multiplayer portions of the game, players would be able to take on the role of Taliban fighters. In early September, the commanding general of the Army and Air Force Exchange Services told Kotaku that he decided to have Medal of Honor pulled from U.S. military bases worldwide because of the “well-documented reports of depictions of Taliban fighters engaging American troops” in the game. Electronic Arts declined to comment at the time about whether the decision by the Army & Air Force Exchange Services would impact the design of the game. In a statement this morning on the Medal of Honor website, Greg Goodrich, executive producer of Medal of Honor, said the decision to drop the Taliban reference was driven purely by the feedback from friends and families of fallen soldiers. “This is a very important voice to the Medal of Honor team,” he wrote. “This is a voice that has earned the right to be listened to. It is a voice that we care deeply about. Because of this, and because the heartbeat of Medal of Honor has always resided in the reverence for American and Allied soldiers, we have decided to rename the opposing team in Medal of Honor multiplayer from Taliban to Opposing Force.” Goodrich said the change will not directly affect gamers or alter gameplay. Here is Goodrich’s statement in full: In the past few months, we have received feedback from all over the world regarding the multiplayer portion of Medal of Honor. We’ve received notes from gamers, active military, and friends and family of servicemen and women currently deployed overseas. The majority of this feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. For this, the Medal of Honor team is deeply appreciative. However, we have also received feedback from friends and families of fallen soldiers who have expressed concern over the inclusion of the Taliban in the multiplayer portion of our game. This is a very important voice to the Medal of Honor team. This is a voice that has earned the right to be listened to. It is a voice that we care deeply about. Because of this, and because the heartbeat of Medal of Honor has always resided in the reverence for American and Allied soldiers, we have decided to rename the opposing team in Medal of Honor multiplayer from Taliban to Opposing Force. While this change should not directly affect gamers, as it does not fundamentally alter the gameplay, we are making this change for the men and women serving in the military and for the families of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice – this franchise will never willfully disrespect, intentionally or otherwise, your memory and service. To all who serve – we appreciate you, we thank you, and we do not take you for granted. And to the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines currently serving overseas, stay safe and come home soon. Greg Goodrich Executive Producer Medal of Honor We have reached out to Electronic Arts and the Army & Air Force Exchange Services to see how this decision will impact the availability of the game on military bases worldwide and will update when we hear back. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

After teasing us earlier this week, Rockstar finally delivers the terrifying trailer for Red Dead Redemption’s Undead Nightmare downloadable content. It was well worth the wait. The end of the trailer tells us that the Undead Nightmare downloadable content is coming “very soon,” but that’s not soon enough. Multiplayer is entertaining and all, but what I crave is more single-player story gameplay in Red Dead, and that’s exactly what this trailer is giving me. And in case you’re more of a multiplayer fan, there’ll be something in there for you as well. Just let us single-player fans have our moment. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

GT’s got up the first multiplayer trailer of Homefront, the Kaos Studios-made shooter. Get it after the break. The clip shows American and Korean forces in a firefight in a suburb as the latter is in the midst of calling a curfew. Homefront’s story sees a economically weakened United States invaded by a strong-growing united Korea, consisting of North and South as well as Japan. It releases in March for PS3, 360 and PC. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Warner and Day 1 Studios released a new F.E.A.R. 3 trailer today, and we have posted it below for you. In it, the viewer is given a glimpse of Alma unleashing all manner of hell within her mind upon the world, as she gets closer to giving birth – again. What comes out of her sick, twisted mind is not very pretty, and we feel for those who become privy to the horrors set upon by the demented hag. Watch for yourself. The shooter has slipped into 2011, as you well know by now, but once released it will grace PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

The 2.0 patch for Sony’s MAG went live today, bringing with it PlayStation Move support and enough game tweaks and changes it could be considered a whole new game. The full list of changes hitting in MAG patch 2.0 is huge. Developer Zipper Interactive has upped the level cap 60 to 70. There’s a new in-game economy system in which players earn Credit Points for completing objectives. The skill tree has been revamped, with sweeping changes and new additions to every skillset. Weapons, gear, and apparel have all been tweaked and tuned. Bugs have been fixed. On top of all of that, Sony’s PlayStation Move peripheral is now fully supported in the game, giving a few more people reason to shell out $50 for the controller. It sounds like there are plenty of reasons to return to MAG today. Who’s going in? Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

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Confirming what it calls one of the “worst kept secrets” the makers of the next Call of Duty said today that you’ll be able to shoot zombies in Call of Duty: Black Ops in the game’s four-player co-op mode. The November—scheduled Black Ops is being made by Treyarch, the studio that tucked a zombie-shooting mode in its previous game, 2008′s Call of Duty: World at War. The zombie mode was popular enough to spawn iPhone spin-offs. Black Ops is set during the Cold War, a period of world history that was zombie-free, but zombies were nonetheless expected and their inclusion leaked earlier this week. The official news today doesn’t say zombies will be in the main single-player storyline campaign, but locks them in for a four-player co-op mode. Treyarch boss Mark Lamia said in a press release today that the studio has “taken extra special care to retain the essential ingredients of our Zombie game, and have also crafted a nice surprise for the fans.” Guess on the surprise? Zombie Kennedy and Zombie Castro? Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Rockstar has sent over an image for Red Dead Redemption, teasing the western’s forthcoming Undead Nightmare DLC. It’s posted in full below. Our hero, John Marston, sure looks a bit worse for wear doesn’t he? Screens for the new DLC are scheduled to hit tomorrow, and a trailer showcasing the new DLC is slated for Thursday. We’ll post everything we can get our hands on for you here, so you don’t have to go scrounging around for it yourself. No exact date yet, but we’ve heard rumblings it will be released the week of Halloween on PSN and XBL. We’ll just have to wait and see what Rockstar says about that this week, though. Until then, you can always amuse yourself by playing Liars and Cheaters. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

How appropriate! Uncharted 2: Among Thieves — our 2009 “Game of the Year” — is finally getting a Game of the Year Edition. The $49.99 package includes the well-received sequel on a Blu-ray disc, as well as a “super voucher” which allows users to download $35 worth of post-launch DLC, including: PlayStation Heroes Skin Pack Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune Multiplayer Pack Uncharted 2 Siege Expansion Pack Currency Multiplier which grants Double XP up to level 10 in Multiplayer Golden Guns option for the AK-47 and the 92FS 9mm pistol for use in Multiplayer Early access to “Revenge” Booster – you still have to purchase it with in-game cash! Uncharted: Eye of Indra – Motion Comic Bundle (which includes Episodes 1-4) Uncharted: Eye of Indra – Rika Raja and Daniel Pinkerton Character Skins Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Avatar Pack 1 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Avatar Pack 2 Uncharted Avatar Pack 3 Uncharted Avatar Pack 4 Pinball Heroes – Uncharted for the PSP The Uncharted 2: Game of the Year Edition will launch on October 12. The following Saturday, the game’s online multiplayer mode will play host to a playlist featuring Naughty Dog’s favorite “The Lab” custom gametypes. A few of the developers will also be online to challenge fans, though we imagine their home-team advantage might make playing against them an exercise in futility. Source: PlayStation.Blog Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Ubisoft’s put live the multiplayer beta of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood for EU PlayStation Plus members. The beta weighs in at a massive 3054Mb, and features nine different characters across two maps – Rome and Castel Gandolfo – with two modes available to play: Alliance and Wanted. For those without a PS Plus sub, it goes live for all next week. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood releases on November 19 for PS3 and 360, with a 2011 release on PC. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Our Developer Profile series introduces you to the many faces of Zipper Interactive. From designers to artists to programmers to audio engineers to producers, you’ll meet the creative minds that make Zipper what it is (and maybe learn a few surprises along the way). This week's profile introduces you to Zipper Interactive's Vice President, Mike Gutmann. Mike has been with the company basically since the start, and he'll be on this week's Zipline podcast to answer your questions! Job Title: Vice President Years at Zipper: 14 Years in the Industry: 14 Favorite Zipper Game: SOCOM 2 Favorite Non-Zipper Game: Uncharted 2 Motto: "Be prepared." What is it that you do specifically, and can you walk us through your typical day? For the longest time I’ve felt like my days are anything but typical -- I really just try to fill in the gaps and make sure everyone here has what they need to make great games. I try to get in relatively early and I like to grab the latest build to take a look at the current state of the game. Then I spend a better part of my day bouncing between teams, talking through features, and generally trying to keep everyone well informed about where we are and where we need to be. How did you get into the industry? Before joining Zipper I had worked with Brian Soderberg so I had an idea about what he was up to. It wasn’t long after that that I decided to give game development a try. 15 years later, here we are... What are some other games or projects that you’ve worked on in the past? I’ve had a hand in about every title Zipper has made, including Recoil and Mech Warrior 3 for the PC and all of the SOCOMs. What’s your proudest moment? Oh man... That’s a tricky one. The moments that really stand out in my mind all boil down to my participation as part of the team. Whether it be debugging issues, brainstorming ideas, or just flat out solving problems -- I’m proud of the team we’ve got here and what we’ve been able to accomplish over the past 14 years. Is there anything you’d like to say to the fans? Thank you for all the support over the years! One of the things that makes game development so exciting is having the opportunity to put a title out, have lots (hopefully lots!) of people check it out, and then to hear what they think. That is one of the most rewarding aspects of game development and wouldn’t happen without you fans! Don't forget to click this link and leave your questions to Mike for this week's Zipline podcast! More...

Now wait a minute, how did I get the blame for this

Acutally it was on time, the blog posts to the forums are catching up is the issue

Cosmic = Chili right