Star Trek Online trailer packs explosions, thoughtful narration
by Richard Mitchell 
{ 6 days ago } 
Alas, it looks like the ol' "STO Assets" folder is still slated for quite a beating before the game finally releases in February.
NPD lists top-selling games of 2009 in US -- excluding December
by Alexander Sliwinski { 6 days ago }
The only other non-Nintendo titles at the top are Halo 3: ODST with 2 million and Madden NFL 10 on Xbox 360 with 1.5 million at the six and nine spots, respectively. Otherwise, Nintendo owns this list with first-party titles. If you're prepared to gaze upon the stunning sales Nintendo had in 2009, head on over to IndustryGamers for the data.
Age of Conan gets 'unlimited free trial,' fine print
by Randy Nelson { 6 days ago }
Funcom has made its barbaric MMO Age of Conan free-to-play -- well, at least in a sense. From today through January 1, those who download the game client and create an account will be able to play for free until their character reaches level 20 (basically the game's first zone).
Doesn't exactly seem "unlimited," unless ... oh, we see, you can create a new character once you reach the free trial level cap and play through the same content again -- until that character reached level 20, and so on. Funcom is hoping that folks who go in for the trial experience will be so captivated that they'll want to pony up the money to see what lies beyond level 20. (Hint: It's more of the same.)
Funcom is calling this "a special holiday offer to anyone who wishes to experience the sexy and savage world of Conan." We're calling it a cry for attention.
Doesn't exactly seem "unlimited," unless ... oh, we see, you can create a new character once you reach the free trial level cap and play through the same content again -- until that character reached level 20, and so on. Funcom is hoping that folks who go in for the trial experience will be so captivated that they'll want to pony up the money to see what lies beyond level 20. (Hint: It's more of the same.)
Funcom is calling this "a special holiday offer to anyone who wishes to experience the sexy and savage world of Conan." We're calling it a cry for attention.
Science: Uncharted 2 is the best game of 2009
by Justin McElroy { 6 days ago } 
In all seriousness, while Metacritic has collected some interesting, worthwhile data in its report, we're not sure what the point is in trying to pick the best system or game of 2009 just going by statistics. We've relied on numbers just to help us organize our annual Game of the Year selection, and even so, just look how much damage they were still capable of.
iPhone It In: Cobra Command
by JC Fletcher { 6 days ago } 
Cobra Command is actually a bit more complex than your average Dragon's Lair type game, but it works just fine with the iPhone's controls. It's also the most '80s thing you'll ever experience.
Gallery: Cobra Command (iPhone)
ESRB: M-rated 'SABRE Team' deploying on Wii
by JC Fletcher { 6 days ago }
The publisher is listed as Collision Studios, developer of Jumper: Griffin's Story on Wii and PS2, as well as both Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010 and Daisy Fuentes Pilates. Maybe, to save money, Collision will reuse some celebrity character models, and we'll see a couple of Daisy Fuenteses providing cover fire. At the very least, all the soldiers should be limber. The dev is also responsible for 300: March to Glory on PSP.
The name SABRE Team was also used by a 1992 Amiga game. This could be a refresh of that series, but since the original was a strategy game and this is an FPS, even if it is based on the same source material, it'll bear little resemblance.
This Wednesday: Alien Breed Evolution brings about Puzzlegeddon on XBLA
by Richard Mitchell { 6 days ago }
Alien Breed Evolution and Puzzlegeddon will run you 800
($10) apiece.Dante's Inferno producer hopes for sequel, despite challenges
by Justin McElroy { 7 days ago }
There's a hitch though: While Knight knows that EA will want a sequel to the game if it performs well, he's not sure that the follow up in The Divine Comedy, Purgatorio, will lend itself as well to a game.
... So Visceral can turn one of the great literary works into a game about a scythe-wielding maniac fighting nipple-born monsters, but making a game about the seven-layer Mount of Purgatory that ends in Earthly Paradise is beyond it? Really?
Aliens vs. Predator attempts Aussie classification on appeal
by Alexander Sliwinski { 7 days ago }
The most recent high-profile game to attempt an appeal with the Aussie ratings board was Valve's Left 4 Dead 2 -- it failed. However, an edited version of the zombie apocalypse survival trainer was released in the region. We've contacted Sega for comment on the matter.
[Via GamePolitics]
Mac gamers to enter the Dragon Age on Dec. 21
by Randy Nelson { 7 days ago }
It's a much-better-than-usual day to be a Mac gamer: EA and Transgaming have announced that they're bringing BioWare's downright fabulous Dragon Age: Origins to OS X on December 21. The game will be released via "popular online digital retailers" including GameTree, Direct2Drive, GamersGate, GameTap and Best Buy as a download only (sorry, packaging-philes).
Two versions of the game will be offered up: Standard and Digital Deluxe. Both will include the Stone Prisoner add-on content and Blood Armor, while the later grows that list with the Warden's Keep expansion, wallpapers and in-game items. They'll run $49.95 and $64.95, respectively.
Two versions of the game will be offered up: Standard and Digital Deluxe. Both will include the Stone Prisoner add-on content and Blood Armor, while the later grows that list with the Warden's Keep expansion, wallpapers and in-game items. They'll run $49.95 and $64.95, respectively.
Now Playing: December 14-20, 2009
by James Ransom-Wiley { 7 days ago } 
Mass Effect 2 dev profiles Sentinel class, the 'Jack of All Trades'
by Ben Gilbert { 7 days ago }
Skilled in both biotic skills (thats space magic, folks) and tech abilities, Norman says the Sentinel is "the only class that can blast through any enemy's defenses ... with or without your squad backing you up." With only a handful of weeks left before the game's January 26 release date, it won't be long before we get to find out exactly how adept the Sentinel is for ourselves.
Gallery: Mass Effect 2 (Sentinel Class)
Team Fortress 2 getting crafty in next update
by Griffin McElroy { 7 days ago }
So, frequent updates, personal inventories, multiple classes and a crafting system? Seriously, this game is like, a couple dragons short of becoming the next big MMORPG.
[Via Big Download]
Spec Ops: The Line not dusting up until Nov. 2010 at earliest
by Justin McElroy { 7 days ago }
Yes, it's a long way off, but don't get depressed! Your friends at Joystiq have a wonderful way of filling your quota for desert-based e-murder in the interim: 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand. With Game of the Year list time just around the corner, has there ever been a better moment to revisit the most points-laden diamond skull hunt of the year? We think not.
Square Enix plans '0 Day Attack on Earth' for Dec. 23
by Randy Nelson { 7 days ago }
Square Enix is swooping in like some kind of Tetsuya Nomura-designed Santa Claus and delivering the world what it wants -- nay, needs -- just in time for the hap-hap-happiest time of the year: a twin-stick shooter for Xbox Live Arcade. Its been announced via the game's official Twitter feed that 0 Day Attack in Earth will invade the Xbox Live Marketplace on December 23.
Like Sony's The Last Guy, 0 Day Attack on Earth uses satellite photography for its real-world city battle zones -- only players are tooling around high above the ground blasting ginormous alien invaders with a friend, or just solo. We went hands-in with the game at TGS 2009 and found it to be ... well, the verdict's still out of this world.
