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It’s a safe bet that Call of Duty: Black Ops will become the de facto multiplayer shooter of the fall, deservedly so for the intelligent, exciting online features that developer Treyarch is adding to the series—most notably, gambling. Of the hours’ worth of Call of Duty: Black Ops that I played at Activision’s multiplayer preview event in Los Angeles tonight, it was the newly revealed Wager Matches that packed the most punch. Nothing of substance was on the line as I was gambling with other people’s “money” in the form CoD Points. (CP is the stuff players will use to buy new weapons, perks, killstreaks, etc. and is different from the Experience Points, or XP, acquired while playing multiplayer.) The meat and potatoes modes—the frenzied Capture the Flag, the destructive Search and Destroy, Team Deathmatch—were intact, a delight to play, but familiar. Capturing enemy flags and defending the one guarded by my team of strangers on a map dubbed “Slaughter House” was as adrenaline filled and chaotic as ever. Capture the Flag, a staple, plays almost exactly as it did in the most recent Call of Duty. Perfectly fine. Those now expected modes were spiced up by some of Black Ops’ new killstreaks, like the RC-XD remote control explosive car which brings pint-sized but deadly driving to Call of Duty multiplayer. Players can also drop a SAM Turret onto the playfield that will target aircraft like the killstreak-called Attack Chopper. The vicious Attack Dogs of Call of Duty: World At War return in Black Ops, one of the late killstreaks that can help root out campers. Mortar Team was an interesting addition. Acquiring that killstreak lets the player paint three targets onto the map with mortar fire raining down on the map. It’s similar to World At War’s Artillery Strike. The Care Package killstreak can, in addition to dropping other killstreaks, provide players with rare weapons, like a mini-gun and rocket launcher. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try those rare weapons on for size. Black Ops appears to nail the obligatory online competitive aspects of a Call of Duty game, but Treyarch has something new and exciting to complement the multiplayer suite. You Want Some Of This Action? Wager Matches are wildly different custom game types. Comprised of four distinct free-for-all game types—One In The Chamber, Sharpshooter, Sticks and Stones, and Gun Game—players will ante up in a matchmaking lobby, wagering a set amount of the CoD Points they’ve accumulated by playing this and other multiplayer modes. The most nail-biting of those four Wager Match types, from my experience, was Gun Game. The rules are simple. Each player starts with the lowest tier weapon, a revolver. Each time a player scores a kill, he’ll upgrade to the next weapon. There are 20 tiers of weapon in Gun Game, so players will advance from pistol to dual wielding pistols to shotguns to semi-automatic machine guns to assault rifles to grenade launchers… and beyond. While the power of those weapons tends to increase from tier to tier, the transition from tier to tier can be jarring, resetting the player’s expectations of what his weapon is capable of. The tension of Gun Game increases sharply as players reach the final two tiers—the explosive crossbow and the ballistic knife. Those are two weapons that carry very limited ammo and slow reload times, leaving the player extremely vulnerable at top weapon tiers—and that’s right around the time when other players are armed with assault rifles and “Thumper”-like grenade launchers. The other twist in Gun Game is that suffering knife kills drops players down a tier, a most painful regression. As much as I adored Gun Game, no Wager Match type managed to disappoint. Sticks and Stones was enjoyable for different reasons. Players are armed only with an explosive crossbow, ballistic knife and one tomahawk. Kills with the crossbow and knife will accumulate in-game wealth. A successful hit with the tomahawk—a thrown blade that requires expert accuracy—will bankrupt its victim. The weapon selection in Sticks and Stones leaves each player with minimal ammunition. Players must choose their shots carefully, for reloading or recovering one’s tomahawk is slow, leaving a player vulnerable to attack. Sticks and Stones sometimes takes a turn for the comical as players engage in a deadly dance that slowly plays out as opponents square off, taking single shots, reloading in unison, firing again, missing again, reloading. It’s as if it will ultimately devolve into each opponent throwing their crossbows at each other, then their boots, then settling the contest with a fist fight. Sharpshooter was another great equalizer. There is no weapon imbalance here. Every player in Sharpshooter is using the same type of gun at the same time. Players will start with a choice from the game’s massive arsenal then switch to the next randomly chosen weapon. You may be playing with a shotgun at one point, then cycle to dual-wielded SMGs the next, a missile launcher 30 seconds later. The only differentiating factor in Sharpshooter are perks that players acquire with each kill. Skill and familiarity with Call of Duty: Black Ops’ broad range of weapons will be key to seeing success in Sharpshooter. And while One In The Chamber, a Wager Match game type that grants each competitor three lives but just one bullet, was fun to play, it was my least favorite of the quartet. Players can acquire additional bullets by killing their opponents, so you’ll need to be accurate with a pistol or skilled with a knife. One In The Chamber can lead to some tense hand-to-hand combat moments, but it was too lacking in variety, less panic-filled than Gun Game to make the top of my list. However, I spoke to other Black Ops players who felt the opposite, that One In The Chamber managed to stand out at the strongest Wager Match type. Location, Location, Location During my hands-on time with Call of Duty: Black Ops, I played on only a handful of maps. “Summit” is built on a snowy, flurry-filled Russian base. There’s a large, covered command center at its core, with pathways that run along the map’s border and a handful of small sheds in which to take shelter. Otherwise, it’s very open in its design. “Radiation” was my favorite of the lot. It’s full of nooks and crannies in which to explore (or camp), dark passageways in which to sneak and hide. There’s a large open area in the center, flanked by platforms that offer high ground and a great view of the map. There’s also an underground pathway in Radiation that can be accessed by doors. Players can choose to open or close those doors via a switch on a raised platform. “Launch” is a tight, close quarters map set on a missile platform. I played both Radiation and Launch in Gun Game mode, with the latter providing a much zippier experience, thanks to the tight proximity of players. At certain intervals, one of the massive missiles will blast off, violently rocking the playfield. Players can initiate these rocket launches themselves, perhaps to disorient the competition. I also played a few Capture the Flag rounds on “Slaughter House,” a decimated urban area of Vietnam built from blown apart buildings and mini-mountains of rubble. Slaughter House is filled with pathways to explore, alleyways and buildings interweaving for a map that’s stuffed with avenues to sprint through. The map flows splendidly. Perks & Killstreaks You want a list of the unlockable and purchaseable perks and killstreaks in Call of Duty: Black Ops? Here you go! Perk 1 Lightweight – Move Faster (Pro) Scavenger – Pick up ammo from fallen enemies. Replenish lethal grenades. (Pro) Ghost – Undetectable by the Spy Plane and the Blackbird. Flak Jacket – Reduces explosive damage. Hardline – Killstreaks require 1 less kill. Perk 2 Hardened – Bullets penetrate better. Scout – Hold breath longer. Steady Aim – Increased hip-fire accuracy. Sleight of Hand – Faster reloads. Warlord – Equip two attachments to your primary weapon. Perk 3 Marathon – Longer sprint. Ninja – Silent movement. Second Chance – Pull out your pistol before dying. Hacker – Ability to detect enemy equipment and explosives. Tactical Mask – Reduces the effect of flash and concussion grenades. Killstreaks 3 – Spy Plane 3 – RC-XD (remote bomb) 4 – Counter Spy Plane 4 – SAM Turret 5 – Care Package 5 – Napalm Strike 6 – Sentry Gun 6 – Mortar Team 7 – Attack Helicopter 7 – Valkyrie Rockets 8 – Blackbird 8 – Rolling Thunder 9 – Chopper Gunner 11 – Attack Dogs 11 – Gunship Final Thoughts Treyarch appears to be on its way to delivering an impressive follow up to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, a multiplayer experience that builds smartly upon that seminal shooter. Players’ expectations for a rock solid multiplayer component in Black Ops should be well met, with Wager Matches providing a surprising variation on the robust suite of familiar game types. It would be nice to see Wager Matches extend to more game types, including team-based play and standard deathmatch game types. But Call of Duty: Black Ops’ multiplayer is, without a doubt, very promising. We’ll have more from our hands-on experience with Call of Duty: Black Ops soon. 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As of noon today all GameStop stores located on military bases will no longer be advertising or selling copies of Electronic Arts’ upcoming military shooter Medal of Honor because an aspect of the game includes playable Taliban characters, sources tell Kotaku. Confirmed by calls to several GameStops located on military bases, the decision was made “out of respect for our past and present men and women in uniform,” according to the letter sent to all GameStop employees this morning and obtained by Kotaku. The Army and Air Force Exchange Services has confirmed to Kotaku that they requested the game pulled from the 49 GameStop’s located on bases in the continent U.S. The ban, an AAFES representative told Kotaku, also extends to all military PXs worldwide. “GameStop has agreed out of respect for our past and present men and women in uniform we will not carry Medal of Honor in any of our AAFES based stores…,” the email reads. “As such, GameStop agreed to have all marketing material pulled by noon today and to stop taking reservations. Customers who enter our AAFES stores and wish to reserve Medal of Honor can and should be directed to the nearest GameStop location off base. “GameStop fully supports AAFES in this endeavor and is sensitive to the fact that in multiplayer mode one side will assume the role of Taliban fighter.” The stores on bases contacted by Kotaku all confirmed that they no longer will be selling the game and referred us to GameStops in town to pick up the title when it comes out. Electronic Arts declined to comment further for this story. The commanding general of the Army and Air Force Exchange Services confirmed today that his decision was based on the inclusion of Taliban in the game. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Today, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and NetherRealm Studios are unleashing an all-new trailer for the highly-anticipated video game Mortal Kombat releasing in 2011 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The rocking trailer features several classic Mortal Kombat fighters hidden in the shadows preparing for their next vicious attack. Even in the darkness, players will recognize the blue blaze of Raiden’s electricity and the iconic spear attack of Scorpion. You’ll find these kombatants are just as brutal, if not more, under the veil of darkness. See the original music video by Disturbed . Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

If you don’t already own this, you’re about to have no excuse to catch up. EA just said put out an HD trailer for an Ultimate Edition of Battlefield Bad Company 2, confirming all its contents. The pack includes the game, four-player co-op-based Onslaught mode, Battlefield 1943 and access to six vehicle and weapon upgrades in alternate vehicle fire, improved vehicle armour, a new SMG, the M1911 pistol, a tracer dart pistol and something else that either isn’t listed or we missed. Que sera. The last hurrah for EA Dice’s much-loved shooter releases on September 3 for 360 and PS3. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Little-publicised flight sim Apache: Air Assault will release on November 9 for 360 and PS3, Activision said overnight. Who knew? Gaijin Entertainment, developer of IL-2 Sturmovik Birds of Prey, is doing this. It’s the firm’s first “helicopter combat simulator,” apparently. The game features air-to-air and air-to-ground action, in locales “from the jungles of Central America to the mountains of Central Asia”. You can either pilot solo or co-pilot with a friend over 16 multi-stage missions, real-world satellite photography included. For the record, Birds of Prey was pretty much amazing, and the inclusion of co-op here should definitely put Apache on your radar. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

The Xbox 360 controller gets a little more fighter friendly later this year, with a new version featuring a transforming d-pad and monochrome buttons hitting stores on November 9. So what’s a transforming d-pad? As Major Nelson demonstrates in the video below, users can change the new Xbox 360 controller’s directional pad from a flat surface to an actual raised d-pad with a twist of the base. One second it’s flat, the next it’s beautifully raised, perfect for performing quarter-circles until the cows come home. Plus it’s got those lovely grey buttons, which should be extremely confusing to anyone that’s memorized the normal controller’s four colors instead of the letters, like me. But hey, raised d-pad! The new controller will be packaged exclusively with the new Play & Charge kits Microsoft is releasing on November 9. The package will retail for $64.99. Gaze into the shiny face of this wondrous new thing and forget all about that $10 Xbox Live price hike. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Christ. Here we go. Microsoft just announced that it’s raising the cost of an Xbox Live Gold subscription in Canada, Mexico, the US and the UK as of November 1. Captain Common Sense said, “This will not go down well.” Up, up, up Nelson’s just announced the move, saying Microsoft wants to thank “loyal members and give you the opportunity to lock in your current price with an additional discount”: you can do so now. Let’s see how hard Sony can beat the “we don’t charge for PSN” drum now. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Ready for a little cognitive dissonance? Check out this footage of the Gamescom build of Bulletstorm, featuring commentary by producer Tanya Jessen. The game is as violent, gory, and inexplicably disgusting as ever (you can even hear the infamous “Yum yum blister juice” line spoken in this clip), and Jessen’s discussion is calm and conversational, even as she describes four-barreled shotguns and mutants covered with pus . 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 we go straight to the top and get the scoop on Brian Soderberg, President and Co-Founder of Zipper. Job Title: President, Co-founder Years at Zipper: 15 Years in the Industry: ~16 officially. Prior to starting Zipper, I dabbled in games for the Atari systems on the side while I was working in the defense simulation and research industry. When we formed Zipper we first focused on PC games, then moved to console games when we joined forces with Sony. Favorite Zipper Game: SOCOM, with MAG a close 2nd. The most recently released Zipper title tends to be my fave. =) Favorite Non-Zipper Game: Well, as a golfer, I’ve put the most time into Hot Shots Golf (I've finished every version on PS2, PSP and PS3). =) Motto: Quality over quantity. What is it that you do specifically, and can you walk us through your typical day? From a high level, two things: 1. Helping set the overall course for Zipper strategically. We frequently update our "5 Year Plan", attempting to adapt quickly to the ever-changing video game business and development areas. 2. Addressing “issues” that come up on a day to day basis at Zipper. As I’m sure you know, video game development is an organic & hectic process; there are always several things that require attention. We are continually trying new ideas to make development go more smoothly and make our games better. Our latest process change is to do the majority of our development with cross-discipline “Strike Teams”, where small teams (of artists, designers, and programmers) are physically co-located to make sure all areas are addressed quickly and efficiently based on the strike team’s collective goals. This is going quite well, but any change is tough and requires careful management. How did you get into the industry? Back in college I was hooked on standup arcade games, starting with Asteroids, Galaga, Donkey Kong and dozens more. When I got a job in the Boeing 757 Flight Controls Group, I spent my lunch hours in the nearby bars playing arcade games. Later, while working at Loral on military simulators, I started a game group within the company. Shortly after that I quit and started Zipper to do computer and video games. What are some other games or projects that you’ve worked on in the past? My first game, a one man effort, was developing “TimeBomb” for the Atari console, then 400 and 800. It fit in an 8K cartridge by a few hundred bytes. =) Followed by the Zipper releases: 1. DeathDrome – PC 2. Recoil – PC 3. Top Gun – PC 4. Crimson Skies – PC 5. MechWarrior 3 – PC 6. SOCOM 1, 2, 3, Combined Assault, Fire Team Bravo 1 and 2 – PS2 and PSP 7. MAG – PS3 8. SOCOM 4 – Coming soon... In the beginning, I did quite a bit of programming and project management. Around the time of SOCOM 2, I started to do much less programming and focused on the management side. What’s your proudest moment? I would say 3 things in this order: 1. Finishing SOCOM 1 – this was a huge title, our first with Sony (our new publisher at the time) and we were attempting many new things for Zipper, as well as firsts for the industry. I was super proud of getting this completed and then enjoyed the positive feedback from the SOCOM community. 2. Finishing DeathDrome – since this was our first Zipper title. It was a good game, but it had a stealth launch, which is never a good marketing approach. =) 3. Finishing my first personal game project, TimeBomb, that I actually received a check in payment for. We won’t mention how small the check was. =) Is there anything you’d like to say to the fans? I’m super excited to get SOCOM 4 complete and out to our fans. It’s been great to get back to working on this fantastic series and I’m really looking forward to the launch and the feedback from the community. Also, thanks to ALL of our fans of SOCOM and MAG. We love hearing from our community! We do listen, and having the SOCOM & MAG players give us feedback really helps us when we’re working on our current game development effort as well as when we’re charting our longer term 5 year plan and beyond! Don't forget to click this link and leave your questions to Brian for this week's Zipline podcast! More...

Another Friday means it's time for the next episode of Zipline, the official Zipper Interactive podcast. This week, Brian Soderberg, Zipper's President and Co-Founder, talks about the studio's past, present and even hints of its future... Zipline Podcast, Episode 18 39.5MB | 43m:06s Subscribe to Zipline on iTunes You can discuss this episode by clicking this link. More...

Rockstar has dished more detailed on the Liars and Cheaters Pack slated to hit Red Dead Redemption next month. Think you’ve got what it takes to dabble in competitive multiplayer? Then read on below, cowpoke. The pack focuses on the expansion of the free roam multiplayer experience, as well as adding a new competitive multiplayer mode. New features include Multiplayer Poker and Liar’s Dice, and also includes the content previously announced as the Free Roam Pack. The Free Roam Pack was originally planned as a free download, but due to the platform networks’ restrictions on numbers of free packs Rockstar can give away, it instead added it to The Liars and Cheats Pack as one Free Roam release. Here’s the full rundown on what you’ll get: Multiplayer Poker and Liars’ Dice Games Multiplayer Horse Races – Ride out against your friends and foes online – with mounted combat guns blazing. The Explosive Rifle – An devastatingly destructive new weapon with its own new single-player and multiplayer challenges. Seven New Gang Hideouts Four New Hunting Grounds Stronghold Competitive Multiplayer Mode – Teams take turns in attack and defense in multi-tiered Competitive games. Posse Scoring and Leaderboards – Compare stats with other posses and compete to see who are the kings of the Free Roam frontier. The pack also adds 15 additional multiplayer characters from the RDR storyline, along with new Achievements and Trophies. The Liars and Cheaters Pack will be released on September 21 worldwide on PSN and XBL for $9.99/£7.99/800 MSP. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

In part one of EA’s Medal of Honor experience video series, titled Fallen Angel, there’s a great deal of running, shooting, exploding, and colorful language. Last week at Gamescom, Crecente got to play through a level of Medal of Honor flying a gunship. Now EA lets us explore the more down-to-earth aspects of the title’s gameplay, running and shooting. I’ve done so much running and shooting in my lifetime that it’s hard to distinguish one from the other. It would be an interesting experiment to strip the UI elements from the latest five or six modern-day military shooters and see if the uninitiated could tell the difference. The be completely honest, I might be hard-pressed. Now show me what happens when a player dies in each game, and I become Mr. Wizard. I am a connoisseur of first-person shooter death. My mother always told me to find something I am good at and stick with it. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

If the North American special edition of Dead Rising 2 wasn’t good enough for you, you’ll likely love Capcom’s High Stakes Edition, packed with swag and available now for preorder via the Capcom Store while supplies last. This is the ultimate collector’s edition for Dead Rising 2 fans, and it’s only available in extremely limited quantities from the Capcom Store. For $89.99 for the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 versions, you’ll score a copy of the game, a lovely Dead Rising 2 poker set complete with blood stained dealer chip and playing cards, a Fortune City Visitor Map, and a code for redeeming the Psycho costume and skills downloadable content. On top of all that, one lucky winner will find a Golden Terror is Reality XVII ticket, which can be redeemed for a six foot tall replica of Burt the Zombie. Here’s the full list of what’s included: Dead Rising 2 Game (Xbox 360 or PS3) Poker set in a black high-impact case sporting the Fortune City logo and including: 100 poker chips- 4 different colors featuring the Fortune City logo 2 decks of ‘blood-stained’ custom playing cards featuring character art 5 green dice 1 ‘blood-stained’ dealer chip Fortune City Visitor Map featuring the game map and ads for Fortune City locations and attractions Terror is Reality XVII admission ticket with redemption code for the unique Psycho costume and skills downloadable content One Dead Rising 2 High Stakes Edition will contain the ‘Golden’ Terror Is Reality XVII admission ticket, which is redeemable for Burt the Zombie, a 6′ Dead Rising 2 zombie replica Again, supplies are extremely limited, so hop on this now or risk being left out in the cold with all the zombies Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Yesterday, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia was granted a temporary injunction by the nation’s Federal Court to block the importation and sale of the new PS3 modchips. The injunction means that until August 31, none of the modchip’s Australian distributors will be able to import, sell or otherwise offload the devices. What’s more, they have to take all the stock they already have and leave them with Sony’s solicitors until the August 31 deadline passes. Sony has from now until August 31 to convince the courts that the injunction becomes a more permanent arrangement (temporary injunctions are designed to maintain the “status quo” until a matter can be settled). If they succeed, it’ll mean the end of legal sales of the device in Australia, but if they fail, then once September 1 rolls around the chips will be able to go on sale. This is an interesting development, since a 2005 Supreme Court ruling determined that the sale of modchips was legal in Australia (though Nintendo was recently successful in banning the R4). We’ve contacted Sony to see how they managed to get around this, and will update if we hear back. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Ubisoft’s released the walkthrough video of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood shown at gamescom. We have it for you below. In it, you’ll see the large city of Rome, a metropolis three times bigger than Florence in Assassin’s Creed 2. The video shows the sorts of antics and assassinations you can get up to in the game. Obviously, your game may not play out like it does in the video. Viva la differenza. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood releases on November 16 in the US and November 19 in the UK, and will be made available on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 in regular and Limited Edition format, creepy Jack-in-the-Box included. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

PSN will undergo routine maintenance on Monday August 30 from 8.00am-9.00pm BST, SCEE said today. During this time, the PlayStation Store, PlayStation Home an any part of Account Management, such as your Download List, will be unavailable. You will, however, be able to play games online and sign-in on the PlayStation Blog. Too bad it’s happening during a Bank Holiday. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

It's a proud week for us here at Zipper Interactive as tomorrow marks the 8th birthday of our first-ever PS2 game and the title that started a huge multimillion-selling franchise, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs. To celebrate the eight-year mark, we've put together a special video for our fans. In it, you'll experience the gamescom 2010 SOCOM 4 demo in its entirety with commentary by lead designer, Travis Steiner. This is the first time anywhere that you'll see the gamescom demo played all the way through and in high-definition, making it a "must watch" for anyone even remotely interested in what we have in store for 2011. Let us know what you think below, and please accept our sincerest thanks for making the first eight years of SOCOM as great as they have been. Here's to many more to come! Want to talk about the demo and all that crazy action? Discuss it on the official SOCOM 4 forums! More...

More black and white teaser art for Batman: Arkham City. You can never have enough of that. The image is shown on the newest cover of OPM, which features Harley Quinn and Batman. Quinn was in the original teaser for the game last December, alongside the Joker. Get the full art below. Batman: Arkham City launches next fall on PS3, 360 and PC. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

As if MAG, the truly massive action game from Zipper Interactive wasn’t intense enough, the freshly released MAG beta is PlayStation Move compatible making it the first FPS on the market to support the upcoming motion controller. So… just how accurate is the PlayStation Move when using it to aim in a fast-paced FPS. We’ve got the very first gameplay footage right here. Using the Dualshock 3 controller’s analog stick for movement and using the PlayStation Move to aim, shoot, etc. looks a little something like this. More videos are posted over here. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

EA just put out a video of the multiplayer perks afforded by the Crysis 2 Limited Edition, showing off bonus classes, a weapon skin and more. The game’s premium versions were announced last week at gamescom. “Bonus XP” means day one access to five pre-set classes in Assault, Scout, Sniper, Demolitions and Defence. A SCAR weapon skin is included. This is a “digital camouflage” for an assault rifle. A bonus weapon attachment will be given to buyers in the form of a SCAR hologram decoy, an under-slung fake soldier launcher for the SCAR rifle. Neat. If you’re willing to shell out for one of the super-packs, you’ll also get a “unique platinum dogtag,” which displays rank and status after you’ve been killed.. The Limited Edition is available for no extra cost, but it is, obviously, limited, and you’ll only get it by pre-ordering. A Nano version is also available, but that’ll set you back £119.99 as it “extremely limited”. It includes the Limited Edition housed in a steel case plus an 11” statue of the game’s hero, Prophet, on top of a New York taxi cab, a high-quality art book, all packaged inside a backpack modelled after the Nanosuit itself. Crysis 2 ships on March 25 next year. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

The gods have answered (or so it seems), because the one, one feature most MAG players have wanted since the game’s release in January was multiple character slots. Come August 31st, though, you can do just that at the cost of .99 cents per slot, and per month! You can purchase up to two slots for a total of three all together, and with each slot purchase you make you can use that character for up to 30 days, at which point another payment will need to be made. If, however, you don’t want to renew your subscription just yet, the character stays in a ‘sleep’ mode until you wake it up with another payment. I don’t know about this one, it seems Zipper dropped the ball with this feature. Will you take advantage of a new character slot? Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Commander Fury & Urgent Fury’s new Director Of Marketing Julian Dossantos share a pint. Plus, EA/DICE faces a possible legal fire fight because of questionable content in the forthcoming Medal Of Honor reboot. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Classic game show Press Your Luck will have a video game incarnation available starting tomorrow, August 24, on PSN. The game features online and couch co-op for up to three people, along with solo play and over 2,500 trivia questions. The game will likely be $10, but we’ll have to wait for confirmation tomorrow. Sadly, the video game based on the ’80s game show does not feature announcer Rod Roddy nor host Peter Tomarken, who died in 2003 and 2006, respectively. However, it does feature the Whammy, whose lifeforce is filled through human suffering and a steady diet of $100 bills. Check out a video of the game below. 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 we go straight to the top and get the scoop on Brian Soderberg, President and Co-Founder of Zipper. Job Title: President, Co-founder Years at Zipper: 15 Years in the Industry: ~16 officially. Prior to starting Zipper, I dabbled in games for the Atari systems on the side while I was working in the defense simulation and research industry. When we formed Zipper we first focused on PC games, then moved to console games when we joined forces with Sony. Favorite Zipper Game: SOCOM, with MAG a close 2nd. The most recently released Zipper title tends to be my fave. =) Favorite Non-Zipper Game: Well, as a golfer, I’ve put the most time into Hot Shots Golf (I've finished every version on PS2, PSP and PS3). =) Motto: Quality or quantity. What is it that you do specifically, and can you walk us through your typical day? From a high level, two things: 1. Helping set the overall course for Zipper strategically. We frequently update our "5 Year Plan", attempting to adapt quickly to the ever-changing video game business and development areas. 2. Addressing “issues” that come up on a day to day basis at Zipper. As I’m sure you know, video game development is an organic & hectic process; there are always several things that require attention. We are continually trying new ideas to make development go more smoothly and make our games better. Our latest process change is to do the majority of our development with cross-discipline “Strike Teams”, where small teams (of artists, designers, and programmers) are physically co-located to make sure all areas are addressed quickly and efficiently based on the strike team’s collective goals. This is going quite well, but any change is tough and requires careful management. How did you get into the industry? Back in college I was hooked on standup arcade games, starting with Asteroids, Galaga, Donkey Kong and dozens more. When I got a job in the Boeing 757 Flight Controls Group, I spent my lunch hours in the nearby bars playing arcade games. Later, while working at Loral on military simulators, I started a game group within the company. Shortly after that I quit and started Zipper to do computer and video games. What are some other games or projects that you’ve worked on in the past? My first game, a one man effort, was developing “TimeBomb” for the Atari console, then 400 and 800. It fit in an 8K cartridge by a few hundred bytes. =) Followed by the Zipper releases: 1. DeathDrome – PC 2. Recoil – PC 3. Top Gun – PC 4. Crimson Skies – PC 5. MechWarrior 3 – PC 6. SOCOM 1, 2, 3, Combined Assault, Fire Team Bravo 1 and 2 – PS2 and PSP 7. MAG – PS3 8. SOCOM 4 – Coming soon... In the beginning, I did quite a bit of programming and project management. Around the time of SOCOM 2, I started to do much less programming and focused on the management side. What’s your proudest moment? I would say 3 things in this order: 1. Finishing SOCOM 1 – this was a huge title, our first with Sony (our new publisher at the time) and we were attempting many new things for Zipper, as well as firsts for the industry. I was super proud of getting this completed and then enjoyed the positive feedback from the SOCOM community. 2. Finishing DeathDrome – since this was our first Zipper title. It was a good game, but it had a stealth launch, which is never a good marketing approach. =) 3. Finishing my first personal game project, TimeBomb, that I actually received a check in payment for. We won’t mention how small the check was. =) Is there anything you’d like to say to the fans? I’m super excited to get SOCOM 4 complete and out to our fans. It’s been great to get back to working on this fantastic series and I’m really looking forward to the launch and the feedback from the community. Also, thanks to ALL of our fans of SOCOM and MAG. We love hearing from our community! We do listen, and having the SOCOM & MAG players give us feedback really helps us when we’re working on our current game development effort as well as when we’re charting our longer term 5 year plan and beyond! Don't forget to click this link and leave your questions to Brian for this week's Zipline podcast! More...

While PC modders were completely locked out of Modern Warfare 2, Treyarch’s confirmed modding tools will be available for Black Ops, no doubt to the delight of many. “We plan to open the game up for modding sometime post-launch,” said a Treyarch staffer on the game’s forum. “We do not know yet to what extent you will be able to mod the game. There are some purely technical issues related to engine and internal tool enhancements that do not easily fit the modtools paradigm. “We have looked at it close enough to see that it is non-trivial and we will have to pick it up again post-launch. Right now we are completely focused on finishing the game. “And, dev console: confirmed.” The news will be welcomed in the PC community, which went flat-out nuts when Infinity Ward decided the PC version of Modern Warfare 2 wouldn’t include dedicated servers or modding. Black Ops releases on November 9 for PC, 360 and PS3. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...