When big video game publishers balked at funding a new point-and-click adventure game from Tim Schafer’s Double Fine Productions, Schafer took his proposal to the fans via Kickstarter. Less than 24 hours later, fans have pledged double the game’s required budget.

Day of the Tentacle. Full Throttle. Grim Fandango. Psychonauts. Brutal Legend. Stacking. Once Upon a Monster.

These are the games of Tim Schafer. His game studio, Double Fine, wants to make an old-school adventure game — the kind we never get anymore. With Schafer at the helm, you’d think it would seem like a sure bet to a publisher. This is the man who produced some of the finest adventure games ever played.

But everyone Schafer approached to publish and fun his new (retro) concept said no. Hard to believe, but there it is. So for the first time ever, a major game studio has turned to crowd-funding to get its game made. Yesterday, Double Fine put up a proposal on KickStarter, asking for pledges from fans for at least $400,000 to finance the game. Less than 24 hours later, KickStarter pledges have more than doubled the game’s requested budget.

I’m blown away by this. I mean, how cool must it be for a game developer to be working on a game purely for the fans who so badly want it. Imagine the creative freedom Double Fine now has for this game! I am so in.

This could be something very special.

Not much is known about the game aside from its genre. No artwork has been released, or details made known about it, except that the developer expects it to be available for PC in October, via Steam. In another cool twist, Double Fine is teaming documentary production house 2 Player Productions to create an ongoing series of behind-the-scenes documentaries that chronicle the game’s creation from beginning to end. With this documentary series, Schafer promises “an honest, in-depth insight into a modern art form that will both entertain and educate gamers and non-gamers alike.”

On the KickStarter page, Schafer said that if the desired budget was exceeded, they would funnel the additional funds back into the game and the documentary for things like professional voice-over work, a high quality soundtrack, and — to the delight of this fan — more platforms for the game. Mac and iOS versions are Double Fine’s top priorities after the standard PC game, but at the rate funds are pouring in, it’s conceivable that additional versions could be made for the likes of Xbox Live Arcade, PSN, Android, and more.

Pledges start at $15, which will get you a copy of the PC game, beta access, access to the documentary series, and access to a private discussion community.

Since this is already such a huge success, maybe more big-name game developers will take notice and follow suit. I say, bring on the creative renaissance in gaming!

Check out this John Woo-esque short film made to unveil a brand new IP from Square Enix London called Sleeping Dogs — a gritty crime thriller dealing with the Hong Kong Triads.

I strongly recommend watching the trailer before you read anymore (but note that it’s bloody and brutal, so keep the kids away). There’s a twist at the end that sets up a big plot point from the game.

Okay, watched it? Back with me? Let’s continue.

Sleeping Dogs puts you in the shoes of Wei Shen, a cop and talented fighter who’s given a difficult assignment: go undercover with the Triads to try and bring it down from the inside. As you saw in the trailer, it takes some doing, but he does earn the Triads’ trust. The game will build on this, placing the player in increasingly sticky situations that require tough moral choices and lightning-fast combat skills. Will Shen hold to his purpose, or will he get sucked too far into the world of the Triads?

You’ll be able to freely explore Hong Kong island, Grand Theft Auto style. Every spot, every landmark, every street corner or skyscraper building potentially offers some new mission or confrontation for you to deal with. Shen will engage in hand-to-hand martial arts, vehicle races through bustling city streets, and intense shoot-outs. Square Enix London is particularly excited about its new combat system, which it claims is much more intuitive than your standard fare, giving you access to bone-crunching moves that can be used against multiple enemies at one time.

In addition to guns and martial arts, you’ll also be able to take full advantage of the interactive environment around you, using anything and everything you see to your advantage. The developer cites examples such as circular saws, incinerators, refrigerator doors, and phone booths as just a few of the kinds of things you can use for defense and offense.

Sleeping Dogs is expected to drop later this year for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. Take a look at the first screens from the game below. Then let us know what you think of Sleeping Dogs in the comment area.

You are not looking at a real human being. Hard as it is to believe, this video demo of a new 3D skin mapping technique is CGI being rendered in real-time.

Imagine playing Call of Duty or Skyrim or Arkham City with in-game characters that look every bit as 100% real as you and me, with living, breathing skin that’s both uniform and randomized to the perfect degree — perfect enough to fool the ultra-discerning human eye. Created by a pair of researchers named Jorge Jimenez and Diego Gutierrez, it’s called “Separable Subsurface Scattering” (SSS), it was made to be used by video game developers who need realistic human skin in modern video games.

The amazing thing to me is that the video and the technology behind it are not pre-rendered. It’s written in Direct X 10, and to prove it, Jimenez and Gutierrez have made their tech demo freely available to download. I know as I watch it that this character is a fabrication, but my mind refuses to accept that it’s not real, because it’s flawless.

Now I’m dying to see a character using SSS skin in motion. Let’s see the skin move, stretch, and contract. If it’s just as believable in how it moves, then future video game avatars are about to ascend to a whole new level of realism.

On Saturday, 13,000 Half-Life fans showed up on Steam to play Half-Life 2 multiplayer simultaneously. That’s 10k more HL2 players at one time than the Steam servers are accustomed to. Their reasons for gathering to play? They want to know the status of Half-Life 3.

30,000 players originally signed a pledge to play over the weekend, but in the end, less than half of them showed up. The idea was cooked up by the Steam Community Group, who (like many of us) have grown frustrated at Valve’s refusal to comment on future plans for Half-Life 3 and/or Half-Life 2: Episode 3. But rather than risk ticking off the games’ developers, SCG decided to hold a more positive “protest” to send a message to Valve.

In their own words, that message is:

Your oldest and longest running fanbase would like better communication.

Waiting patiently for over four years can be challenging as a fan… Valve had stated that information was scheduled to be released towards the end of 2008, and we believe that if they have chosen to change those plans, fans should be acknowledged, regardless of developmental plans for the next Half-Life project.

The entire trilogy of [Half-Life 2] episodes was scheduled to be completed and released by 2007, and if Valve have decided to do other things for the time being, that is fine; all that we ask for is a basic response on the matter, and to let fans know whether or not the current story arc is scheduled to conclude at another point in time.

I’m all for creators keeping their secrets. Creative expression is largely dependent upon surprise, after all. But I sympathize 100% with these Half-Life fans. I will cheer them on until they get results, because I think they’re in the right. They’re not asking for Valve to spill all their secrets. They just want some idea of whether or not Half-Life 3 and/or Half-Life 2: Episode 3 are even in the cards, particularly the latter, which was due for release five years ago.

You know, if they’re saving their big reveal for E3, that’s perfectly understandable. But throw the fans a bone in the meantime. A morsel. Anything. Something as vague as, “We can’t comment on Half-Life at the moment, but stay tuned!” would appease the masses.

Valve is in no way required to respond to their fans. Delays are inevitable, and Valve has a history of them, due to the uncompromising quality of the games they produce. Then there’s the industry, which goes through seasons of change, financial/business considerations, employee turnover, and any number of other reasons why developers alter their plans all the time. No doubt Valve has a very good reason for not releasing Episode 3 when they said they would.

But they’ve fostered a symbiotic relationship with their fans based on mutual communication from the start. Now, after making promises to their fans regarding the future of the franchise, they’re dead silent. This is unacceptable. Valve has a moral responsibility to at least comment on any change to the promises they’ve made to their fans. And it’s not like we’re talking about a few months of silence, here. Valve has been in total black-out on the topic of Half-Life for five years.

There’s a word for that kind of blatant neglect of fan interest and enthusiasm.

It’s called disloyalty.

The popular deck building game, Ascension is no stranger at Forevergeek. So when we fond out that a certain Alan Gerding planned an Ascension Wedding Proposal to his girlfriend Crystol Shelton, we were absolutely delighted.

Alan contacted Justin Gary’s crew asking for help. He wanted to do an elaborate wedding proposal during one of their gaming sessions. It appears that Ascension was the all time game of choice between the couple. For those unfamiliar with the game, we’ve done three features here:

Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer
Ascension: Return of the Fallen
An Interview with Justin Gary, Creator of Ascension

Watch the proposal below. Alan caught everything on his Flip camera. The video is hilarious because Crystol was too stunned to even notice the ring.

Alan wanted to surprise his girlfriend by having a special card constructed which he was to shuffle into the deck. The guys from Gary Games were glad to oblige and they developed a card, illustrated by Eric Sabee himself, a staple artist throughout the Ascension series. He was able to capture Alan and Crystol’s faces into the card.

Ring of Gerd was the card they developed under Alan’s careful guidance. It’s crafted in the style of the Lifebound faction (makes sense) with their faces captured in Sabee fashion.

The flavor text is romantic-geeky: “Crystol, life is but a game. As long as we have one another, we shall never lose.” Ring of Gerd gives infinite LOVE and can never be discarded or banished.

Gary Games also created a promotional card for actual play called Ring of Life which will be made available this February at Game Day Locations.

As a card, Ring of Life is especially useful if you build your deck around Lifebound cards. Not only does it give you one extra white for casting, it also becomes useful for drawing more cards when used in tandem with the new Unite ability in Storm of Souls. If you go Lifebound, you’ll be able to draw through your deck much faster while gaining Victory Points / whites when you draw cards like Lionheart and Starchild. The ring converts all heroes into Lifebound heroes allowing you to expand your casting pool and gaining points. You’ll definitely steamroll through you deck.

Once again, congratulations to Alan and Crystol!

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in 'The Hunger Games'

The much-anticipated Hunger Games movie is almost here, and as an avid fan of the books, I’m hungry for any scrap of news I can get my hands on. I’m a bit surprised that Lionsgate has no plans for a big console or PC tie-in game, but they just announced today a “social game” that actually sounds promising.

Social game maker Funtactix has been contracted by Lionsgate to create The Hunger Games Adventures, which will launch the same day as the movie, on March 23, 2012. It’s billed as an adventure game with social elements, where players will be able to explore all of Panem (the post-apocalyptic nation where The Hunger Games takes place), including the Capitol and all twelve Districts, and interact with characters from the book. The game sends players on missions, which advance their individual storyline within Panem. The game will roll out in chapters, each of which will expand the game world.

Particularly enticing to fans of the books will be the official Map of Panem, considered canon to both the films and the books, which shows for the first time, exactly how all of the Districts are laid out. The Hunger Games Adventures promises to be the first place fans will get access to this map; it will be a reward for successful playing of the game.

Funtactix hasn’t yet revealed how the social elements of the game will work, though one imagines that you’ll be able to create your own in-world avatar and solve puzzles and complete missions with friends. The developer also isn’t saying yet what the intended platform for the game is (though the words “social game” are synonymous with Facebook for most of us), but this player expects it to be a standard in-browser game of some kind.

Lionsgate and Funtactix point readers to the web address www.thehungergamesadventures.com for more information about the game, but at the moment, the URL just points to the movie’s Facebook page.

Is there another character or object in modern video games that inspires devotion like Portal‘s Weighted Companion Cube? Here’s how some fans have expressed their adoration for the grey box of love.

I’m amazed at how many fans have burst into mellifluous poetry over this “character” that’s not alive and never speaks, and is only in the game for a few minutes. I think it has something to do with the fact that WCC (spoiler!) is executed/destroyed by order of the game’s villainous artificial intelligence, GLaDOS, after helping the player at a crucial moment.

Below I provide you with excerpts of some of the most interesting WCC poems I’ve seen. Click on the links to read the full versions.

A deeply sorrowful player still laments the Cube’s demise:

My only friend
In these dark times
You told me not to dispair
GLaDOS said not to listen
To anything you said
Told me not to care

Not in cruelty,
Not in wrath,
The Reaper came today;
An Angel visited
this gray path
And took the cube away.

Here’s a heartfelt Ode that’s hopeful for a reunion with the Companion Cube in the afterlife. An excerpt:

For it seems that the delicious cake
Was actually a lie.
To lure me to a hot place
Where I shall surly die.

So into the fires that stole my cube
I shall also pass.
But I don’t fear this burning death
As it will reunite me with my cube at last.

And we will spend eternity
In our little private hell.
And we will talk about our hopes and dreams
And maybe have some cake as well.

Not every player has fond memories. This free verse (non-rhyming) poem expresses very mixed feelings:

Oh Companion Cube,
I wish you ill.
The trouble you bare me,
Is it all really worth it?
But then I remember,
Those days back in Aperture Labs,
Where you, my only friend,
Kept me company, made me glad.

The oddest entry on this list has some surprisingly dirty thoughts about WCC:

Into my life through a hole in the sky,
As you fell into my hands I felt glad.
Never thought I would ever say good bye.
Did I just think of you scantily clad?

I think this is my favorite. It oscillates between feelings of guilt and inevitability, quite beautifully:

i held him over the open pit
with seconds before it shut
if there was only another way
could someone tell me what?

i couldn’t save my best friend’s life
there was nothing i could do
i dropped him in and watched
as red fire turned to blue

after the horrid deed was done
i heard the voice once more.
she seemed happy that i murdered him
and she opened up the door.

Finally, here’s a music video for a player who was so moved, she wrote a love song for her Companion Cube and even filmed a music video!

Instagram collage created using InstaBG.

Xbox was the first out of the online network gate with Xbox Live in 2002. Sony got into the swing of things four years later with PSN (though the paid subscription arm of their service, PSN Plus, just launched in 2010). At long last, Nintendo has decided to step up to the plate with the “Nintendo Network.”

Nintendo has been halfheartedly offering multiplayer capabilities for Wii and DS (and now 3DS) for a while now via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, but most of the features that fans of Xbox Live and PSN know and love have been left by the wayside. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata in a quarterly financial briefing on Friday said that he’s aware that WFC has always been “focused upon specific functionalities and concepts” instead of offering the wide range of features that online gamers want, such as player accounts/profiles, multiple players on a single device, and achievements.

Nintendo’s efforts here seem largely tied to the launch of the new Wii U console, though Wii and 3DS users will also be able to take advantage of its services. Iwata says that his company intends to use Nintento Network tie together its disparate online offerings into a single, unified service, including downloadable games and DLC, gamer competitions, and of course multiplayer gaming. He made this jab at the glut of DLC plaguing the industry these days:

Nintendo, as a software maker, does not plan to deploy businesses where our consumers cannot know in advance which item will appear as the result of their payment and they have to repeat the payments and, before they know it, they end up spending a huge amount of money in order to obtain the items they originally wanted to purchase.

His comments aren’t unwelcome. Having to download additional content in order to finish a game or play it the way you want to play it rates on the annoyance scale right up there with the Red Ring of Death.

But is anybody else struck by the hypocrisy in what he’s saying here? Replace the word “software” from his statement with “hardware,” and you get an exact description of how Nintendo handled its last few console launches. Most early Wii owners “originally wanted to purchase” a motion controlling console that offered precise motion tracking, but we didn’t get that until the add-on “Wii Motion Plus” controllers came along a few years later, requiring an additional purchase. Most 3DS buyers wanted to buy a handheld device that offered all of the controls we needed right there in the device, but less than a year after its launch, the “Extended Slide Pad” was released to add the second thumbstick that Nintendo suddenly realized should have been there all along.

Iwata didn’t provide a launch date for the Nintento Network, but it’s safe to assume it will launch alongside the Wii U as one of its key selling points.

A couple of days ago I found a link to a video of a college student who was recreating the popular Arkham Horror board game for the PC. It wasn’t an official release by Fantasy Flight Games, but rather a graduation requirement for school. Her plan seems to be pretty solid. Since this is a school project, EU law covers this as fair use and she intends to present this post-grad to the guys from FFG and see if some partnership can be struck.

In the meantime, Andi needs your help. She’s looking for beta testers till Feb 5 2012. You may be an Arkham Horror fan — or a fan of board games in general and getting a free download definitely won’t hurt. The game looks epic. One of the things I never liked about Arkham Horror was that there were just too many expansions to play and I got into it pretty late. The game’s setup is also pretty tedious as you’ll need about 3 square meters of space to get this game really going. This digital edition solves everything.

It must be noted that this isn’t just a direct port of the game. It’s a “3D interactive” version of Arkham Horror where you actually walk around the board and do stuff.

The game is currently only available on the PC with support for old school LAN. VoIP support for multiplayer to be added in the future. But as of now, let’s give Andi our full support to make this game a reality!

The buzz for LucasArts’ Kinect Star Wars is decidedly negative. But the Force is strong with this new live-action promotional trailer.

Since it was first announced, Kinect Star Wars video game has filled fans with anxiety. The idea of using Microsoft’s motion-sensing technology to control a hacking-and-slashing Jedi is an alluring one, but the game is saddled with dreaded on-rails gameplay and controls that are reportedly full of bugs. All in all, it looks like a lackluster cash-in title, but consumers will make the ultimate judgment when it’s finally released in April.

But even if it’s a stinker, when you’ve got as much money as Lucasfilm does, you can afford to create awesome promotional materials like this one for any product you choose. The video — which contains no in-game footage whatsoever — imagines what would happen if an everyday, dorky kind of guy was put into Obi-Wan Kenobi’s shoes for his final duel against Darth Vader aboard the Death Star. Things don’t quite go the way Vader’s expecting, and the results are pretty funny.

I should point out that it’s all good fun until the very last “payoff” shot, which will either make you laugh hysterically, or want to gauge your eyes out. When you see the buildup that precedes it, it won’t be remotely surprising. But it’s worse than you’ll be imagining. You’ve been warned.

LEGO Minecraft

A while back, we told you that Minecraft had submitted an application to LEGO Cuusoo for official LEGO Minecraft branded sets. The application got more than 10,000 votes from Cuusoo members, so LEGO reviewed the proposal and formally announced that it’s been approved!

In a post on the Cuusoo blog, LEGO made the announcement by stating that The LEGO Group is “developing a concept that celebrates the best aspects of building with the LEGO system and in Minecraft,” as we speak. LEGO didn’t go into any details on what kind of set or sets might be made available, or when they’ll be released, which is understandable. Product development is something that LEGO never rushes, which is one reason that their products are always so high in quality.

I don’t normally get excited over avatar clothing you have to pay for — be it Mii apparel, PlayStation Home gear, or Xbox wearables — but this might be worth making an exception for. Threadless, maker of some of the coolest t-shirts and hoodies on the planet, has brought a collection of their classic shirts to the Avatar Marketplace.

Xbox Live Avatar Marketplace is selling Threadless’ selection of twenty-four items for 80 MS Points ($1) per t-shirt, and 160 MS Points ($2) for hoodies. Right now there are just two hoodies available, but I’m sure more will be added if Threadless’ virtual clothes sell well.

Among the classic Threadless tees that fans will recognize are “Cookie Loves Milk,” “Funkalicious,” and “Living in Harmony.” Head over to the Avatar Marketplace to window shop all twenty-four designs, and buy some for yourself.

Fan-made BioShock Infinite magazine cover by Alex Garner

Holy retro fan art, Batman! This is astounding.

Comic book artist Alex Garner created this faux cover to The Saturday Evening Post, that beautifully captures the steampunk/Americana feel of the upcoming game.

Game Informer first pointed out Garner’s work on this piece, and as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to share it. On his DeviantArt page, where the image was originally posted, Garner explains that he created this just for fun, as a tribute to the style of Post cover artist from yesteryear, J.C. Leyendecker. Everything from the art style used to the game’s two main characters — Booker and Elizabeth — standing front and center, takes its cues from Leyendecker’s style, while mixing in Garner’s own sensibilities.

Another interesting point is where he notes that he drew Elizabeth’s pose as looking up so that it would “resonate her paranoia of Songbird’s pursuit” of her. (Check out this game play video if you’re lost on all these plot points.) He also states that he worked on this little passion project for an hour a day between his paid commission work, for an unknown number of days.

This is without a doubt the craziest thing you will see all day. Someone has created a mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim that substitutes dragons with My Little Pony.

It’s an unholy union of two worlds that had no right to meet. Seeing realistic fire spew from the mouths of those fluffy, frilly little ponies has a certain train-wreck quality to it. It’s just hard to look away from this inevitable mashup of a childhood icon with a decidedly grown-up video game. But I’m torn over what to call it.

My Little Skyrim? The Elder Ponies? Anybody got a better one?

If you’d like to download the “My Little Pony Dragon” mod, you can find the necessary files at SkyrimNexus. The creator says that it’s an incomplete build, but has fans to finish it.

This high tech claw game must be seen to be believed, because it’s a 3D projection (sans goofy glasses) up on the side of a building, and it could actually be played. Among the prizes that could be grabbed and won were a brand new car.

You know those crazy claw games at fairs and Walmart and restaurant entrances? The goofy armature-in-a-glass-box kiosks that nobody ever seems to win? The folks at Chevy decided to take the claw game concept to the next level in support of the 2012 Chevy Sonic, and teamed up with Pearl Media to come up with one of the coolest interactive simulations I’ve ever seen.

The game is mapped to the surface of the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, so it can do things like make the projection look like parts of the building are opening up and falling away to reveal the claw. It’s an impressive use of technology — particularly for a giant PR stunt — that makes me wish I was in L.A. in mid-December so I could’ve stopped by and checked it out in person.

Pearl Media set the Guinness World Record for the “World’s Largest Architectural Projection-Mapped Game” by creating the “World’s Largest Claw Game.” (What a mouthful. ) You can see the projected claw game in action in the video above, and trust me: your mind is going to be blown.

The more I see of Ubisoft’s forthcoming download-only first-person survival game I Am Alive, the more I’m digging it. This new trailer shows you how realistic combat is in this survival-focused, post-apocalyptic city.

The name of the game is “resources,” because they are so very few. As one player in this trailer says, since he’s not going to fight you, he’s literally not worth one of your precious bullets. When was the last time you heard an NPC say something like that?

Guns are just one way you have to dispatch enemies, but that’s only when you must fight at all. Ubisoft advises you to avoid combat whenever possible, by staying clear of hostile encounters or even bluffing your way out of a fight. When fighting is unavoidable, you can use a knife to slit your opponent’s throat, or snipe them from afar with a bow and arrow, after which you can retrieve your arrow from the body.

What impresses me is that this is really how you’d fight in the real world, in a scenario such as the one presented in the game. You wouldn’t have unlimited ammo; you’d have whatever you can get your hands on, and you’d use it sparingly because you wouldn’t know when or if you’ll be getting more. You’d favor bladed weapons that don’t require ammunition, and you certainly wouldn’t seek out other city residents just to try and kill them.

I Am Alive hits Xbox Live on February 15th.

Doom on Xbox Live

Bethesda announced today that a day Xbox gamers have been awaiting for a very long time has finally come: the original Doom is available for download from Xbox Live Arcade.

Scheduled for release today (it will probably be available by the time you read this), this crucial piece of video game history will cost you 400 Microsoft Points (US $5).

Doom, first released for the PC in 1993, is widely regarded as one of the most important video games of all time, because it propagated the 3D shooter as a major new genre for games, and was the first widely-available multiplayer game — footsteps hundreds of games have followed in. It’s also remembered as one of the most controversial games of all time, thanks to its excess of blood, gore, and satanic imagery.

Id Software’s classic game is fully Xbox Live compatible, so you can jump into deathmatch online, or team up with a friend to play through the game in co-op.

From the screenhots below, the technology used to power Doom seems downright archaic today. I can’t help wondering what it would be like if Id had given Doom an HD upgrade; not a full-blown remake, just higher-res textures, character models, etc., like Halo: Anniversary.

Rockstar Games announced today that Max Payne 3 has been delayed from March to May. You may commence weeping.

Console owners (X360 and PS3, anyway) will get their grubby little hands on Max Payne 3 on May 15th, while PC players must wait until May 29th. This puts the game in the month that fans have come to identify as belonging exclusively to Rockstar’s biggest releases. (Both Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire released in the month of May.)

As frustrating as this may be for fans, it’s a far bigger deal for publisher Take Two Interactive, because it moves Max out of Take Two’s fiscal year. Their fiscal calendar begins in April and run through March. Accordingly, Take Two is now expecting to post a loss for the current fiscal year.

Take Two CEO Strauss Zelnick says of the delay, “We do not take changes to our release schedule lightly, and this short delay will ensure that Max Payne 3 delivers the highest quality, groundbreaking entertainment experience that is expected from our company.”

There are any number of possible reasons why the game was delayed. Maybe Rockstar simply wanted to put it into its favorite month of the year, as I mentioned above. Maybe the game needs a final polish and just won’t be ready by March. Maybe Rockstar wanted to clear out of March to avoid conflict with other big-name brands; already scheduled for March of 2012 are expected hits like Mass Effect 3, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Street Fighter x Tekken, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, and Ninja Gaiden 3.

Until today, it was widely believed throughout the industry that Rockstar might release Grand Theft Auto V this May, but now that seems unlikely.

Is this earth-shattering news, or just “yeah, duh”?

The Daily is reporting an exclusive scoop today that Microsoft is working on its own answer to the likes of AppleTV and Boxee, in the form of a Kinect set-top box that doesn’t require an Xbox to run.

It’s not like it’s hard to imagine. With all of the inroads Xbox has made over the last year to carrying live television from broadcast and cable networks, as well as on-demand viewing apps like Netflix well established, you might even call this notion a no-brainer. The idea here is to remove the Xbox from the equation for those looking for a simplified, all-in-one entertainment experience.

“Kinect Box,” as the device may be called (“Kinect HD” is also under consideration, which implies upgraded technology inside) is expected to be a flat, box-type device resembling a small DVD player — unlike the swivel-friendly current Kinect sensor — that can sit alone atop your TV set or on a shelf. Simplified ports and cables are expected as well, with a single cord that branches out to USB, HDMI, and power.

Presumably the device will have a sizable hard drive, but no optical drive, so it wouldn’t play Xbox 360 discs. Everything would be based on digital downloads, and while a big emphasis will likely be on movies, music, TV, and the social apps, downloadable Kinect games from Xbox Live Arcade will also be playable. It’ll have wifi built in, to accommodate all of those downloads.

Since it’s Kinect, you’ll control it with voice commands and gestures, and it’s expected to be compatible with the new Xbox Companion app for Windows Phone, as well.

The Daily reveals that Kinect Box, or whatever it ends up being called, was intended for release right about now-ish (probably in time for CES in Las Vegas, which just ended), but it’s been pushed back to an unknown time frame. But it’s still expected to arrive before the third generation Xbox (the gaming industry’s worst-kept secret is that Microsoft has been working on the next Xbox for months, if not years), which most pundits have pinpointed for 2013. So you’ll probably be able to get a Kinect Box of your own before this Christmas.

As for the price? The Daily believes it will be aggressively priced at around $150.

Inception has made its mark as one of the most thought provoking films ever made in recent history. What surprises me is that Inception’s IP isn’t being milked for what it’s worth. Call it respect for the franchise or something much deeper. I don’t know. Nonetheless, when I read about a card game based on INCEPTION from planet China, I was intrigued.

Yes, that’s serious trademark stuff there. But that’s not stopping it from being way epic. The art is amazing. The gameplay — well I really have no idea how it plays but I can surmise that the game has the following components based on the subtexts and captions:

a. You can either play as one of the Extractors that needs to get into the final dream level or play as the Mark that needs to prevent the Extractors from achieving their goal

b. Winning the game entails getting through all four stages and opening the “safe” to unlock the secret of the Mark. Extractors typically work together but there can only be one winner. If, by the time the draw pile is finished the mission isn’t accomplished, everyone wakes up and the Mark wins.

Looks pretty straightforward. Well ,the mechanics are. But the character cards start to boggle you after you do an initial look through. In fact if you take a look further, it goes farther away from INCEPTION and puts familiar characters into play: Nicolas Cage from Lord of War, Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Ezio from Assassin’s Creed, a hybrid of Joker / Sith Lord (with matching lightning fingers!) .. and a couple more.

Mind-boggling. It’s a total fan mashup that makes use of Inception’s plot to bring forth game mechanics that don’t seem to suck.

[SOURCE]

Max Payne 3 screenshot

…But I don’t. Not yet.

I just don’t get the idea of taking a series that’s built on hard-boiled, noir-y darkness, and moving it to exotic, sun-soaked Brazil. What is Rockstar Games thinking with Max Payne 3?

The first Max Payne was a revelation, immersing players in an emotional story of righteous revenge in highly original ways. It was a tightly-woven tale wrapped in a game that pushed the medium forward with John Woo-style gun play and bullet time physics — long before Woo or The Matrix came to video games. The second game was pretty much “more of the same,” but at least the developers were smart enough to know not to screw up a smart formula that worked.

Max Payne 3 picks up the story and the character eight long years after the events of the second game, and rather inexplicably changes the formula in very drastic ways. And no matter how many trailers and developer videos that Rockstar releases showcasing how they’re using the latest technology to create a Max that’s more gee-whiz eye-popping than ever — and the tech does look impressive, I’m not disputing that — I just can’t get my head around this new setting. No matter how much research Rockstar conducts to ensure serious realism. Not to mention the screenshots that show this older Max going all John McClane, sporting a newly bald head and wife-beater.

Call it a classic case of cognitive dissonance if you want. And maybe I’ll feel differently if/when I get the chance to play the game for myself. I’m all for bold choices in game design; we need all of the envelope-pushing we can get. But from the outside looking in, Max Payne 3 — which was written by Dan Houser, the writer behind several of Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto games as well as Red Dead Redemption — feels like an unnecessary course change that sends Max into the familiar “blistering sunset” aesthetic of Rockstar’s other games.

I hope I’m wrong. Max deserves better. In the meantime, check out the latest game video and screens.

The legal battle between Bethesda and Interplay over the rights to make an MMO based on the Fallout franchise has at last been resolved. Basically: Bethesda wins, but owes Interplay $2 million.

The story goes that back in 1997, Interplay created the first Fallout game, an RPG that became a big hit on the PC. This was followed by Interplay’s sequels Fallout: Tactics and Fallout 2. The series then languished in development hell for ten long years before Bethesda acquired the rights to create sequels to the series, and developed Fallout 3, which transformed the top-down RPG into a first-person shooter hybrid, a la Mass Effect or Deus Ex. It was a hit, and spawned loads of DLC and eventually Fallout: New Vegas.

In late 2006, while Bethesda was hard at work on Fallout 3, the people at Interplay decided they wanted to create an MMO based on the franchise. Bethesda executives gave a provisional okay, so long as Interplay could raise the $30 million needed to build the game, and start development by April 2009. That date came and gone with no MMO funding on Interplay’s part, but they refused to give back the rights, saying they would still create the game eventually. Bethesda balked, wanting back the rights to create the Fallout MMO themselves. And the inevitable legal battle ensued.

Earlier this month, the court ruled in Bethesda’s favor, awarding them the entire franchise and all rights to future Fallout game development including the MMO, although Interplay still has the right to sell their original three Fallout games for two more years, and Bethesda is required to pay Interplay $2 million. Both parties are required to pay their own legal costs for the five-year battle.

It should be noted that just because Bethesda now has the right to build a Fallout-based MMO doesn’t mean they’ll do so immediately. But hey — they wouldn’t have sunk five years of legal costs and a $2 million settlement into this if they had no intention of doing it at all.

Details about Xbox Live Arcade’s “House Party” promotion have leaked today, revealing the four titles that will be available in weekly succession, most likely starting in February. This year’s batch takes the “arcade” out of the picture, with a lineup of mostly top-notch first-person shooters.

Watching the above leaked trailer for “House Party 2012″ reveals that the four games being released once a week are: Alan Wake’s American Nightmare, Warp, Nexuiz, and I Am Alive. Microsoft hasn’t announced the exact order or release dates about any of these games, but here’s a quick rundown of what we know about each title:

Alan Wake's American Nightmare

Alan Wake’s American Nightmare: It’s not exactly a “sequel” to the underrated FPS from Max Payne creator Remedy Entertainment. It’s a new chapter to Alan Wake’s story, a sidequel that tackles the mystery of the evil Mr. Scratch. It also introduces some wild new game modes and fun weapons. Expected to be an Xbox exclusive.

Warp

Warp: The only puzzle-based game on the list, EA’s Warp is a top-down stealth adventure that puts you into the shoes of Zero, a little orange alien who’s attempting to escape from an underwater prison. What makes Warp unique are Zero’s five special abilities: warp (teleport anywhere), frag (teleport into objects or enemies to destroy them from the inside out), echo (distract enemies with a replica of yourself), swap (trade places between your Echo and any object), and launch (teleport into objects and shoot them at high speeds). Looks like a fun, quirky game that could generate a lot of buzz.

Nexuiz

Nexuiz: No idea how you pronounce it, but it’s described by publisher THQ as a fast-paced, competitive “arena shooter.” It’s powered by Crytek’s powerful CryEngine 3, and features a futuristic art style influenced by Victorian architecture. It pits members of two alien races in broadcasted combat with one another, as part of a treaty to end a very long-running war. Of the four, this is the one I’m least sold on, but hopefully it will be a fun surprise. Despite that wretched name.

I Am Alive

I Am Alive: I just recently mentioned how intrigued I am by this long-delayed, post-apocalyptic survival game from Ubisoft. Back in the day, it was first planned as a retail purchase, but over time, it’s transitioned into a download-only title. Its immersive, open-world action mixes scavenging with fighting, while the protagonist searches a destroyed city for his missing wife and daughter. Expect lots of emotional, moral choices that will leave you feeling good about yourself — or show just what a terrible person you really are.

Since this list is leaked information, we’ll call it “unconfirmed,” even though that splashy trailer from Microsoft is all the confirmation anyone needs. Release dates and prices will no doubt be announced by MS when the time is right.

Unless specific dates are given, all release schedules are estimates.

Assassin’s Creed III

Ubisoft
Release Date: November 2012

Ubisoft is notorious for playing its cards close to the vest when it comes to its most profitable franchise, so no one really knows what 2012 will bring for Assassin’s Creed. Here are the few things we do know: there will be a new AC game in 2012, and the story of Ezio Auditore ended with Revelations. Since II, Brotherhood, and Revelations constituted essentially three parts of AC‘s second chapter, logic dictates that it’s time for Assassin’s Creed III. But who knows? Maybe Ubisoft will surprise us.

Assassin’s Creed is due for a revolution. Revelations pushed the Renaissance setting to its limits; the next game in the series has more riding on it than any other, requiring a reinvention that brings us a new assassin, a new setting, and lots of new gameplay mechanics. Personally, I’m pondering  what it would be like to play as a modern-day assassin (aka, Desmond Miles). Imagine an assassin running along the rooftops of a modern metropolis, climbing the sides of skyscrapers with a retractable grappling hook. Cars and trucks on the streets that Desmond could leap atop as they speed by. Modern weaponry like pistols and sniper rifles added to the mix. Plus, Desmond’s story arc needs to wrap up by the end of this year, to beat the whole “end of the world in December 2012″ deadline.

All eyes are on Assassin’s Creed‘s next move, because it has to be the biggest, baddest entry yet. [Image credit.]

BioShock Infinite

Irrational Games
Release Date: TBD

Easily the most anticipated game of 2012. BioShock seemingly popped up on everyone’s radars from out of nowhere, produced by a company that had never had a major, triple-A hit game. By the end of 2007, everyone knew who and what Irrational Games was, and fans watched with baited breath to see what they would do next. While a second BioShock game was produced by another studio, Irrational plugged away at its next big title that furthered its philosophical commentaries on culture while introducing brand new ways of playing modern video games.

The world was stunned when Irrational unveiled BioShock Infinite, which traded the murky underwater city of Rapture for a steampunk city in the sky called Columbia. Irrational isn’t saying how Infinite is connected to the original game, beyond thematic elements, but the in-game footage they’ve shown off so far has been absolutely stunning, revealing entirely new depths of emotional development and player immersion than anything the medium has before produced. It’s also got some crackling, original gameplay mechanics that completely defy description.

If there’s a bigger or more universally buzzed-about game in 2012 than BioShock Infinite, I don’t know what it is.

Diablo III

Blizzard
Release Date: March 31, 2012

Eleven years. That’s how long fans have been waiting for the next chapter in the bestselling, acclaimed Diablo series. Blizzard may have taken its time to get back to the world of Sanctuary, but it looks like the perfect mixture of the familiar elements that fans love, and a whole slew of new features that bring the series into the new millennium.

Diablo III’s new features include, among other things, fully destructible environments, drop-in/drop-out co-op, an enhanced quest system, random level generator, and lots of re-imagined interface elements that are intended to speed up gameplay. With five character classes (barbarian, demon hunter, monk, witch doctor, and wizard), two auction houses, three artisan types, skill-modifying items called Skill Runes, and loads more, Diablo III is certain to be the source of many sleepless nights.

Right now, the game is planned only for Windows and Mac OS X — the two platforms Blizzard makes most of its games for. But this gamer is wondering if, when, and how Blizzard might jump to the console world by streamlining the controls of some of its most popular titles. Do you think it could be done?

Dishonored

Arkane Studios
Release Date: May 2012?

Just when you think there are no more original ideas in gaming, along comes Dishonored, one of the most “out there” concepts I’ve ever heard. The fictional city of Dunwall, where Dishonored is set, is part of a parallel reality where the main fuel source is whale oil (yeah, I really just said that), an oppressive government is entering its industrial revolution, and man-eating rats are ready to feast on wayward travelers. This is just the tip of the iceberg, though. There’s also an engrossing storyline; a mysterious being called “The Outsider,” who gave Corvo his abilities; and a persistent open world where events take place whether you’re there to witness them or not.

As protagonist Corvo, an infamous assassin, you’ll have access to a strange array of powers and weapons, including teleportation, time manipulation, possessing the bodies of animals, and a collection of blades and guns. Despite these powerful tools at your disposal, the game values stealth above all else.

The biggest headlines surrounding Dishonored have revolved around the talent behind it. The game’s masterminds include Harvey Smith (Deus Ex, Thief), Raf Colantonio (Arx Fatalis, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic), and art director Viktor Antonov (Half-Life 2‘s City 17). The deeper you dig into Dishonored, the more you see how Smith and Colantonio are creating nothing less than an entirely new fantasy myth, with the potential to have the breadth and scope of Middle Earth or Westeros.

Gotham City Impostors

Monolith Productions
Release Date: February 2012

With no new entry in the Arkham Asylum series planned for 2012, how will gamers get their Batman fix this year? Gotham City Impostors to the rescue!

A purely online multiplayer game, Impostors imagines a Gotham City where wannabe Batmen and Jokers battle it out night after night, not so much for the ideological stances of their idols, but more out of a Fight Club kind of catharsis. The difference is that Impostors‘ players use guns. The game blends a colorful, over-the-top art style with serious blood and violence. Players will get to customize their on-screen avatars, and fight in teams of up to eight players against opposing teams in all-out deathmatch, though there are other modes as well, such as “Fumigation” and “Psychological Warfare.”

Gotham City Impostors, which is a download-only title for Windows, Xbox Live Arcade, and PSN, is expected to be as fun as it is controversial. For its part, DC Comics is embracing the idea fully, with a series of comic books releasing to support the new game.

Halo 4

343 Industries
Release Date: October 2012

343 Industries is an internal studio, created by Microsoft specifically to carry on the Halo franchise after Bungie made its exit. Which makes Halo 4 the first game in the series to have zero involvement from Bungie. 343 hit all the sweet spots with Halo: Anniversary, and their downloadable multiplayer maps have been solid. But those were just their warm-ups.

For their opening act, 343 must convince gamers everywhere that Halo is bigger than its creator. One can only imagine the sweat dripping from the brows in 343′s offices, with the pressure they’re under to not screw up Xbox’s signature franchise. Halo 4 finds a newly awakened Master Chief — with Cortana, ever at his side — taking on a brand new threat (read: not the Covenant or the Flood) that could devastate the entire universe. Scuttlebutt says the new threat comes straight from the Forerunners (the mystical creators of the Halos) and a massive, hollow, artificial world (a Dyson Sphere). Might Master Chief stumble upon the Forerunners’ homeworld?

Halo 4 is expected to up the ante with a huge, epic scope, and a stronger focus on storytelling and exploration. It’s also the start of a new trilogy. The stakes for 343 Industries could not possibly be higher.

I Am Alive

Ubisoft Shanghai
Release Date: February or March 2012

A year after some mysterious cataclysm decimated the Earth, a male survivor wanders the desolate cityscape of what was once a metropolis called Haventon, scavenging for supplies, fending off malevolent attacks from surviving gangs, and searching for his missing wife and daughter. But the hero’s biggest antagonist is not the surviving humans, it’s the city itself, which has become one big death trap, filled with toxic dust and dilapidated structures that collapse dynamically around him.

I Am Alive got my attention due to its unusual gameplay (for a third-person title) that puts its focus on survival more than gunplay, and because of its unique setting. Haventon’s city streets are filled with dust that can’t be breathed, so the player will need to acquire a gas mask and climb up skyscrapers to get some fresh air. It’s also a wide open playground, where you can search and scavenge, and where you’ll be faced with lots of hard moral choices. What do you do when, after spending significant amounts of time getting your hands on needed medicine or food, you encounter a sick child who can’t fend for herself and needs the supplies more than you do?

Another download-only title, this one is planned for XBLA and PSN.

Journey

Thatgamecompany
Release Date: May 2012?

Jenova Chen, the creator of Flow and Flower, will this year deliver his next mind-altering drug game, Journey. You “play” as a nondescript robed figure in the desert, walking ever onward toward a mountain in the distance. Along the way, you’ll find bits of cloth you can use to fly, briefly, as well as various magical objects and mysterious ruins. All of this is expected to play into the story somehow, but no one but

As with all Thatgamecompany titles, Journey is more of an experience than a game, meant to induce a particular state of mind. The crux of the game lies in the other player(s) you’ll encounter as  you walk. The twist is that while these other lonely, robed figures are real players connected to you via multiplayer, you will never know who they are or anything about them. You’re both identified only by a symbol on the front of your robes, and no form of communication is possible. This anonymity intentionally strips players of all but the most basic of human connections, giving you only the choice of whether to help one another or not.

Yet another download-only title (noticing a trend?), this one will be a PSN exclusive.

Mass Effect 3

Bioware
Release Date: March 6, 2012

The end has come, and the fate of Earth itself lies in the balance. Only Commander Shepard and his/her elite crew can raise an army from civilizations all over the galaxy to fight the Reapers and stop Earth’s total annihilation. Yes, variables from your saved files from the first two games will work directly with the new game to determine how your own personal storyline is completed. But there’s another wrinkle: Cerberus, the secret organization that Shepard worked for in Mass Effect 2, has turned against you, and is now actively hunting you down.

Combat in Mass Effect 3 has been greatly refined, allowing for a much faster-paced, more intense experience. You’ll travel to a host of all new worlds, including a massive city on Earth. The difficulty level will increase and adapt to you as you play. And for the first time, multiplayer is being added, allowing for four-player co-op in a specialized missions.

Mass Effect was planned by BioWare from the beginning as a trilogy, so at last we’re going to see how the whole thing ends — or rather, we’ll determine for ourselves how it ends (it’s even possible to lose to the Reapers) — in March.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Platinum Games
Release Date: TBA

This spinoff of the Metal Gear Solid series puts you in the cyborg ninja shoes of Raiden, several years after the end of the fourth game. Unlike the flagship series, where stealth is the main focus, this new title instead is about action. You’ll wield a special sword that can cut through literally anything — including your enemies, in a variety of ways. You can select which direction you want to slice, and the on-screen action will show the result of cutting in that exact direction. Expect loads of blood and gore.

Other details are scarce, as Platinum — who famously took over from Kojima Productions, though Kojima is still producing — is keeping plot details under wraps.

Prey 2

Human Head Studios
Release Date: July 2012?

Prey was an interesting, if rather old-school, scifi shooter, but it was hardly memorable. So gamers everywhere were scratching their heads when Bethesda announced that a Prey 2 was on the way. And then came the explanation, screenshots, and a trailer.

Ain’t nobody scratching their heads anymore. Prey 2 departs from the original game so completely, it might as well be a new IP. The new game is set on the alien world Exodus, which is basically Blade Runner with aliens. Lots and lots of aliens. You play as Killian Samuels, a U.S. Marshall who found himself on Exodus after a mysterious airplane-vs.-UFO event, and years later now works as a bounty hunter on this alien world. What has me excited is the darkly stylish, moody atmosphere of the living, breathing open world you play in, and the fast-paced combat that’s every bit as vertical as it is horizontal.

If Human Head pulls it off, Prey 2 could set a new standard for “sandbox” shooters. If not, it could turn out to be just another Doom 3 or F.E.A.R. clone. I know what I’m rooting for.

Tomb Raider

Crystal Dynamics
Release Date: October 2012

If any gaming franchise is in desperate need of a makeover, it’s Tomb Raider. The character is beloved by gamers everywhere (her high class pedigree and her… other assets… made for an unexpected combo), but her games have been extremely hit-and-miss. Developer after developer have tried new takes on the character again and again, shifting her adventures in wildly varying directions. But it looks like this full reboot might have finally found the magic formula to reviving Lara.

A far darker, more serious take on the character’s origin is presented in the new Tomb Raider, where Lara finds herself in survivor mode while shipwrecked on a dangerous island. It looks like a frightening, intense experience that promises to mold this young Lara into the adventurer we know, and early impressions have been downright glowing. The newly serious tone has removed the tongue entirely from cheek, and you need no more evidence than to look at Lara’s visage in the new game: she’s dirty, she’s tough-but-fragile, and her proportions are remarkably normal.

This is the Lara Croft you’re looking for, and she’s coming to a screen near you this Fall.

Honorable Mentions

Borderlands 2 (Gearbox, July 30, 2012)
Bigger, badder, more more more. Borderlands 2 takes everything gamers loved about the original and gives it new complexities. Gearbox is smart enough not to fix what wasn’t broken, so fans of the first game are sure to devour this one.

Max Payne 3 (Rockstar, March 2012)
An older, even more world-weary Max shaves his head, develops a spare tire, and heads to exotic Brazil, where he’s (surprise!) double-crossed and out for revenge. Upgraded graphics will deliver more realistic physics for bullet time than ever before.

Twisted Metal (Eat Sleep Play, February 24, 2012)
Looks like a fun update of the original manic driver/shooter, but I’ve not seen much evidence of it doing anything particularly new or innovative.

Coming… When?

Grand Theft Auto V
It goes without saying that anytime Rockstar releases a new iteration of its juggernaut series, it’s a big honkin’ deal. But other than announcing GTA5‘s existence, Rockstar is keeping mum on when players will get their hands on it. This year? Next year? Considering all the work that goes into developing the massive open worlds that GTA is known for… it could be a while. Depends on how long it’s already been in development.

The Last Guardian
Team Ico’s expected third masterpiece about the relationship between a human and a colossal creature has been delayed so many times, who really knows when it will finally see the light of day? Perfection doesn’t happen overnight, people. We just have to be patient. A lot.

The Last of Us
No idea if Naughty Dog’s brand new IP will release in 2012 or 2013, but it looks terrific. And since Naughty Dog has expanded its staff to accommodate two teams, this game doesn’t mean that there can’t be an Uncharted 4 (though U4 has yet to be announced).

Game Informer's February cover story on 'XCOM: Enemy Unknown'

For a while now, 2k Marin has been working on XCOM, a new take on the venerable series that reimagines it as a shooter set during an alien invasion in the 1960s. Today comes word that a second XCOM game is in the works — and this one follows in the strategic footsteps of its PC ancestors.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown is coming soonish from Firaxis Games, the turn-based strategy games company best known for the many Sid Meier’s Civilization games. Enemy Unknown will give you command of a global anti-alien defense force, a position that will require tactical decision making and a certain comfort level with the responsibilities of leadership.

Games Informer brings the first scoop about the game, which is said to include destructible tactical environments, a unique interaction between RTS view and turn-based combat, a progressive upgrade system, and the power to control every shot fired by XCOM soldiers on the battlefield.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown is coming this Fall to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.