Gamescom will be a place of many wonders this year and among those will be a title announced today called Red Faction: Battlegrounds to be published by THQ on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2011. The famous fan-favorite destructibility will make its triumphant return once again in Red Faction: Battlegrounds and is accompanied by the addition of mechs, tanks, and other annihilation-based vehicular weapons. This title will be digitally distributed across the PSN and XBLA store and marketplace respectively.

Combat will take place below and on top of Mars territory as developer Volition Inc. executive produces the project developed by THQ Digital Studios UK who sets out for players to experience a four-man (or woman)  local / online multi-player experience across game modes like Survival, Annihilate, and Flag Frenzy. Ranking up will unlock bonuses for the upcoming full title Red Faction: Armageddon. The aim of is to provide a totally easy-to-get-hooked version of the franchise and interest old players and new alike with the downloadable entry Red Faction Battlegrounds.

Hit the break for the announcement trailer and screens released today for this title.

Last night, Engadget’s Editor-In-Chief Joshua Topolsky came across some information about a device that has gamers and tech whores drooling. A Sony Erricson Android phone outfitted with a D-pad, a touch pad and bearing the PlayStation name. This device is said to run the yet-to-release Android 3.0 (Gingerbread) operating system. Now while this device, on paper, may have the features straight out of a fanboy’s wet dream (mine included), the reality is that it could very well become Sony’s worst nightmare.

If you’re unfamiliar with Android, the Google-created and Linux-based operating system, in the past two years it has pretty much taken over the smart-phone market in the US. While Apple and their iPhone are tied down to the Death Star also known as AT&T they also have an application store that has more restrictions than a 3rd world prison. On the other hand Google has always promoted this idea of Android being a truly open platform for everyone. And when I say everyone it’s not only about carriers, it’s about app developers and even homebrew creators, modders, and tinkerers. So much so that there are whole communities devoted to “rooting” any and all Android devices.

Once someone has “root” they pretty much have complete access to the entire phone, including sensitive files and folders which allow for full modification. Some phones are so easy to root that it can literally be done with one click. How would they stop piracy on a platform that kind-of unofficially condones it? I mean seriously, as of this writing, in the Android market there’s currently an app called PSX4Droid that allows you to boot up your PS One (wink wink) “Back Up” files. Cool? Yes. Ethical and practical? I just don’t know.

So while most will see this new device as the next Sony platform, a place for great games to thrive in the mobile market like never before, there are serious security risks. Sony has been fighting the war on piracy of their portable titles since the PlayStation Portable released in 2005 (stateside). I am sure some of you will say that piracy on the PSP is done by a very small minority or that it isn’t prevalent, but if that was the case why would Sony release constant firmware updates to their portable?

I am among those who will be the first to tell you that this device is capable of great things and brings a new chapter to the PlayStation brand. For the aesthetically-driven, imagine only having to hold one slim device in your pocket at a time and having access to your smart-phone, and all that entails, in addition to a full-featured gaming device all-in-one. For the first time downloading games from the PSN store will be possible on the go, with or without Wi-Fi. In addition to this, many location-based features we’ve seen already in the mobile market can be added to games, or spawn new concepts entirely.

The ability for the PlayStation platform to make this transition will also allow for a new wave of games to hit from developers large and small who favor the open platform Android has brought to the world and the low entry barriers it presents, but at what cost remains to be seen. Android’s open platform could very well prove to be too vulnerable for this new yet-unborn PlayStation to survive in.

How will Sony stop any army of experienced rooters that will be just waiting to tear apart the device the minute that its launched. How will Android 3.0 help to protect the integrity of the PSP integration without losing what Android is all about? Or will Sony’s entry force Android to close the doors and lock them up as it transitions to 3.0?

What do you think? Is it a match made in heaven? Or is it a Sony Nightmare in the making?

Let us know in the comments section!

If you are anywhere near a game retailer between 9:30pm and midnight of July 26th, 2010 then you may want to get yourself in on some early StarCraft II action via the midnight launch plans going on in locations like the EB Games in Brisbane City, Australia. Those who wish to get there copy at midnight must have it pre-ordered by 12pm July 21st at ebgames.com.au. If you aren’t in Brisbane, no worries, check out the full list of participating stores for Australia here. The event should be a good time for long-time StarCraft‘ers wish the chance to participate in trivia contests, cosplay contests, an interesting photo opportunity, and even a “sound-alike” contest which will have players trying to imitate their favorite StarCraft unit.

Not living or currently in the beautiful land of Australia and still want to pick up your game early? No problem! Hit the break for the rest of the locations scattered around Europe where gamers can pick up StarCraft II at midnight, as well as the details of which game developers who worked on the game will be at what location. Don’t say we didn’t warn you, this will be StarCraft-tastic, so if you aren’t okay with that just stay home!

• London, UK @ Store: GAME (location map) with Carl Chimes (Lead Software Engineer) in attendance.
• Berlin, Germany @ Store: Media Markt (location map) with Rob McNaughton (Lead Technical Artist) in attendance.
• Paris, France @ Store: FNAC (location map) with Dustin Browder (Game Director) in attendance.
• Stockholm, Sweden @ Store: Webhallen (location map) with Chris Sigaty (Production Director) in attendance.
• Moscow, Russia @ Store: Media Markt (location map) with Tony Hsu (Game Producer) in attendance.

[incGamers]

Two games that made big waves in the web Flash games market are making their way over to iPhone and iPod Touch this month, as well as the iPad in fully optimized HD resolution in July. The games in this Physics Gamebox, which FDG Entertainment seeks to bring forth, include over 300 levels, all destructible, taking place over two games from developer Johnny-K.

Gamers will be able to dig in to the Physics Gamebox and enjoy Ragdoll Cannon and Roly-Poly Cannon on the iPod Touch and iPhone for the low cost of $2.99 while the iPad edition titled Physics Gamebox HD will hit in July for $6.99. Enjoy the game-play footage and trailer after the break.

Dropping blocks rock my socks! If you are a fan of old school games like Tetris and the often unique new-school incarnations (Zoop anyone?) then you will surely find this electronica music-puzzle title calling your name. Block Cascade Fusion is now available for download on the PlayStation Store for the PSP and PSP-GO at the price of £2.39 / €2.99. A free downloadable remix soundtrack to the game is also available to gamers who pick up the title. Check out the trailer after the break.

Come celebrate the launch of Super Mario Galaxy 2 on Sunday, May 23 from 11am to 2pm at Nintendo World Store in New York City.

The event is promised to have a Super Mario Galaxy 2 challenge for an opportunity to take home prizes. What kind of prizes? We’ll just have to wait and see. Attendees can also meet Mario and Luigi, and the voice actor of Mario, Charles Martinet.

It will also be a good opportunity to be one of the first people to play and purchase Super Mario Galaxy 2. Hope to see you all there.

Recently the readers have asked us to delve into the topic of the new Electronic Arts Online Pass and what it means to video games in the future. Not only does this new “feature” attack used game sales, limit the user’s rights, and generally betray the sacred relationship between gamer and game, but it is also a belligerent act that will put pressure on other publishers big and small. We already pay a hefty fee to pick up a game, now EA has made sure that if you don’t pick up your EA Sports games brand new you will have to pay even more to get it online. This means more than just attacking used games, which is bad enough in itself to most gamers; this is about attacking the entire industry. Allow me to explain how this recent action by EA is a symbol of how greed seeks to destroy gaming as we know it in a very active, calculated, and deceptive manner.

GameTrailers cites that when Electronic Arts created Mass Effect 2’s Cerberus Network it was a step towards this Online Pass type of thinking, but it additional add-on content to the game. As everyone knows, online multiplayer, franchise mode, and the types of features EA’s Online Pass will limit access to are not additional content or “bonus” content as they have re-labeled them, but have actually been mainstay features in their sports franchises dating back to the earliest eras in online gaming. Games like World of Warcraft are often criticized for their hefty online fees. I’m one of the people who often say it is an unreasonable amount of money to pay to play online. But even I have to stop and think each time about the thousands of updates, tweaks, fixes, and overall additional content being added to the game every week, month, and year. Beyond that, I have to stop and think about the thousands of dedicated servers and their likely outrageously high specifications as well as the enormous electricity bill for housing so many millions of players in virtual worlds together at the same time. Do EA Sports games? Oh that’s right; they have no dedicated servers or substantial additional content via updates. Instead EA has taken the route of delivering a typical game every year and charging for micro-transactions from everything to cheat codes to actual regular unlock-able content already in the game for people who just want the achievements not to actually play the game!

Games That Are Sold Used, Soon Incomplete EA Sports Games Join Them

The great excuse here is that used games are cutting into EA’s sales. They will tell you that this Online Pass is nothing to  be afraid of, it is necessary for the good of the industry, it is for your own good little Johnny, don’t make me tell you twice. Well the fact of the matter is this is a boldface lie. When you buy a game brand new and sell it used, does GameStop say “Hey EA some one came and sold this back to us we want our money back for buying it from you.”. The answer is absolutely not. Will you ever hear an executive at EA tell you they lost money from the situation? Yes sir. So where is the disconnection occurring here?

The disconnection is from the assumption that if x amount of people buy a game used they would have also bought it new, and thus those potential new sales instead only went to GameStop’s benefit, and not EA’s. I have several problems with this type of thinking including the fact that there is no evidence to support such an assumption. I’ve heard plenty of people say things like “I would buy that game, only if it was used.” and felt the sentiment myself enough times to know that just because a person bought a game used does not automatically mean they would buy it brand new. Lots of EA Sports fans only buy their sports games used because of how little they change year to year, so EA has some foundation in their argument, but they are assuming these people will be capable and willing to buy all of their games at top price now. Thinking this will not have long-term ramifications is short-sighted to say the least. We all know that Electronic Arts rakes in plenty of revenue and has no need to attack the used game market, this is not an act of self-preservation it is an act of greed defended by basic capitalistic ideals.

Let’s face more cold hard facts, I seem to be in the mood for those today. The world economy has seen better times. Jobless claims are at all-time highs and this move is a dual-edge sword that will help and hurt Electronic Arts at the same time. On the one hand, their plan will appeal to many who already buy new games because there is no change needed on their part. On the other hand, many gamers will scoff at the ridiculous idea of paying for what has always been free and instead of converting used-EA Sports fans to new-EA Sports buyers EA will have a lot of boycotts and lost sales on their hands. While this occurs, the competition for such games becomes much pressured. While eliminating a risk for themselves, Electronic Arts will be creating more risks and worries for other publishers and developers big and small. As if EA Sports games didn’t have enough going for them, they will now hit players with the “Pay full price or go home” attitude which will leave wallets more drained than ever. That means less chance you might spend on a Backbreaker or Tecmo Bowl and certainly little to no chance left for titles like Hot Shots Golf, that I have yet to meet a fan of.

The fact that this business practice of separating online as a “bonus” service will not catch on still doesn’t help these companies. While they will be doing the best to provide their greatest online experience, there will always be that voice in the back of your head telling you the EA version might be better. It’s a big company, they have big development teams, they have lots of money, and they have the sanctioned, guaranteed, mediocre-or-better sports experience at all times. Supporters of EA’s new Online Pass should keep in mind the overwhelming psychological effect Electronic Arts already has on consumers and realize that this is just more propaganda in the long run. The existence of an Online Pass in itself is suggestive that EA’s online experience in sports is better than yours and there’s really nothing you can do to combat that because adding more cost to unestablished intellectual properties will only produce flops.

Will Every Non-EA Sports Game Be The Next Beyond Good & Evil?

Bad economic conditions are leading to dog-eat-dog survival tactics. In the end, this is not about cutting costs, gaining back lost sales, providing for the gamer anything new/better, or even maintaining the past level of quality. No, in the end this is nothing more than a strong-arm tactic similar to Activision’s price gauging of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and now Call of Duty: Black Ops. Instead of trying to help gaming stay alive in the recession these companies are leading by example through greed and muscle from the highest levels down. If you can only afford a few games a year and you enjoy a good football game and a good shooter, how long until you only buy Madden and Call of Duty games exclusively? There may be a time when that is all that is left because greed is in a position to kill gaming.

Sales run a lot of this industry, so when the people with the most sales tell you they don’t have enough it is time to question what these people are telling us. Does everyone so quickly forget the fact that last-gen we only had to pay $50 for brand new titles? If prices continue to soar like this for games and gaming modes cost extra, there will be no room left for any creativity or originality. I hope gamers out there understand that competition breeds quality and monopolies breed fat, rich, embarrassing companies that do not know when enough is enough. You pay to play, but some day you may end up having a distorted sense of what is good because you are afraid to venture away from big names like EA and Activision who will take your wallet over by force.

$$$ You Could Of Bought A Better Game Instead Of This $$$

On the other side of the fence, GameStop’s reaction to this is yet to be seen in full. IGN Reports that Dan DeMatteo, Chief Executive Officer of GameStop Corp., is “excited” to work with Electronic Arts in selling downloadable content such as the Online Pass. If Electronic Arts was making up for lost sales it appears they are providing GameStop a cut for any customers they sell Online Passes to who may of not known they needed one. It is a bit early to judge how far out of their way GameStop will go to educate gamers about the new Electronic Arts Sports Online Pass policy, but likely it will vary from store to store. One thing is for sure, we should be seeing much cheaper price tags on EA Sports used games. Consumers are now getting an incomplete game so GameStop will hopefully; finally give a better deal to the buyers of used games.

This week the Rock Band store will be rocked by none other than classic metal group Judas Priest. The songs being released will come from their British Steel live album. You can pick them up for PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, or Xbox 360 versions of the game in their respective Rock Band Stores Tuesday May 11th (Wednesday May 12th for European PSN members). You can pick up the British Steel 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition box set from Judas Priest’s website. Read more for the full track list and pricing.

Available on Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation 3 system (May 11):

·         “Breaking the Law (Live)” +

·         “Rapid Fire (Live)” +

·         “Metal Gods (Live)”

·         “Grinder (Live)” +

·         “United (Live)” +

·         “Living After Midnight (Live)”

·         “You Don’t Have to Be Old to Be Wise (Live)”

·         “The Rage (Live)” +

·         “Steeler (Live)” +

(All tracks are original master recordings)

(These tracks will be available in Europe on PlayStation 3 May 12)

These tracks will be available for purchase as “British Steel 30th Anniversary,”as well as individual tracks on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 system, and as individual tracks only on Wii. Tracks marked with “+” are also available for download in the family-friendly LEGO® Rock Band Music Store.

Price: $1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track
$14.99, £7.49 UK, €10.99 EU (1200 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for “British Steel 30th Anniversary”
$2.00 USD (200 Wii Points™) per track

** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change. **

If you have been a part of the UFC Undisputed 2010 community web-site (or join today) early access to the demo is now yours. A redeem code for either PSN or Xbox Live will be given to members who will get to experience Exhibition Mode, and challenge friends offline in Tournament Mode. Hit the link here and sign up now if you haven’t already for your early demo.

If you’re an avid World of Warcraft player, you’ll already know about the four vanity pets that are already on the Blizzard Store for purchase. Two of them are purely digital and two require you to purchase a matching plushy to obtain. Today they’ve upped the number of in-game items you can purchase on the store by two. The vanity pet Lil’XT and the Celestial Steed mount are now available on the store for purchase at $10 and $25 respectively.

If you care to drop $25 on a virtual item, the mount looks pretty spiffy. It will match your current allowably flying mount speed. If you’ve purchased epic flying, it’ll be 280% speed, if you already have a flying mount that goes 310% speed, it’ll match that. It’s flexible! And, who doesn’t want to add another vanity pet to their collection? Ten bucks is a much more manageable price if you want to go that route.

In an attempt to reward gamers this month for choosing GameFly the rent-from-home delivery service is offering up to 50% more value for your games when you trade them in.  If some of your games are having a low trade-in value at GameStop still, even with their bonus event, then this might be your best bet.  Read more for some detail as to which games will get you the most bucks back.

Get up to $32.50 back for Heavy Rain on PlayStation 3 if alternative games aren’t exactly your thing, or $32.50 if Alien vs Predator is collecting some dust.  Halo 3: ODST will still get you $22.50 and $25 for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.  Unlike GameStop they also still buy and sell the original Xbox games.  Here’s some of the games you can get more for this month than last month on the Xbox 360 system:

The new add-on for Resident Evil 5 has released!  You can download it today on Xbox Live and tomorrow on PlayStation Store.  In this pack you will play through new storyline content alluded to in Single Player cut-scenes during Resident Evil 5. Lost in Nightmares takes you back to Spencer’s mansion to find out what happened to Jill there that night.  You will also receive two new characters for Mercenaries and Versus with this download pack including new unique load outs, additional challenges, as well as added achievements and trophies.  Be sure to be on the lookout for Desperate Escape as well, the next DLC coming to Resident Evil 5 in March.

[Ps3Informer]

Download 5 Song Pack: Otis Redding Pack 01 $8.49 (680 Microsoft Points) £4.39 UK, €6.59 EU

Otis Redding – “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) (200 Wii Points) £.99 UK, €1.49 EU

Otis Redding – “Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)” $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) (200 Wii Points) £.99 UK, €1.49 EU

Otis Redding – “I’m Sick Y’all” $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) (200 Wii Points) £.99 UK, €1.49 EU

Otis Redding – “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember” $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) (200 Wii Points) £.99 UK, €1.49 EU

Otis Redding – “Love Man” $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) (200 Wii Points) £.99 UK, €1.49 EU

All Time Low – “Weightless” $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) (200 Wii Points) £.99 UK, €1.49 EU

Alphabeat – “Fascination” $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) (200 Wii Points) £.99 UK, €1.49 EU

Brian Setzer Orchestra – “Stray Cat Strut” $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) (200 Wii Points) £.99 UK, €1.49 EU

The Chemical Brothers – “Let Forever Be” $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) (200 Wii Points) £.99 UK, €1.49 EU

But is the shopping experience at these video game stores different between males and females.  That depends.

Maybe it’s just me and I have had a lot of really mean people talk crap while playing video games, but there are SOME stores that have employees that treat their customers differently.

Here’s a situation that happened not too long ago.

I called into this store trying to inquire about a game I was looking for.  (SOOOOO not going to tell you what the game was other than the fact it was a semi-old game).  That’s not the point here.  As I was saying, I called this store to inquire about their inventory and see if they had the game in stock.  Sales clerk checks his database, or so he says (I hear keyboard tapping).  He tells me it’s in stock and I can come pick it up whenever I had the chance.

Thinking to myself, “Thank goodness I called.”  WRONG!  SO WRONG!!!  I got to the store to try and pick up the game, and the game is not in stock!  I first checked the shelves, then I realized… the shelves are barely in alphabetical order.  So I ask up at the cash wrap to have them track down the game I was looking for.  NOTHING.  The guy at the cash wrap, who by the way, was not the guy I spoke with on the phone, told me the game I was looking for was not in stock and that I should check with another store.  This scenario has not only happened once but multiple times with 3 different stores around my area.  It has me thinking that the guys, and sometimes even the females that work there only dish out information to whom they deem ‘GAMER’.  Everyone else just falls into the ‘STUPID’ category.

I’m not one to seriously gripe not unless something really horrible goes on (like at PacSun and Forever21 –but we won’t go there), but this was just a minute issue compared to other situations I have been in.

Which brings me back to the concept.  Guys / males get far way better treatment at game stores than girls / females.  Parents?  Forget about it.  They’re dead meat!  Everything a parent or parents go looking for, the sales clerk has a plan for that.. counter sales!  So then the parents or parent ends up buying stuff they really don’t need.

Very few video game related stores have associates that will treat their customers equally.  And those very few stores I can appreciate.

As a fan of the series, I am more than curious to see how this system will turn out. Personally, I find it a bit awkward being that the Xbox Live Marketplace already does this, and has done this since its inception. Why Molyneux needs another “system” embedded in the game to perform the same functions that their current console of choice supports is more perplexing than anything I can fathom. However, I’m not going to belittle the man’s vision – I welcome the new “in-game store” with open arms. I’m just a bit curious to see how this thing will pan out.

As far as a PSP Go price cut, I personally have never seen product receive a price cut before it’s launched in any industry, especially the video game industry. There is a possibility that Sony has been listening to the gaming public’s out cry about the price, but the most you can likely expect is a downloadable-game voucher pack-in, not a price cut. It’s a premium product, with a premium price.

The PS3 Slim’s announcement at this point is obvious and I don’t feel like beating a dead horse. I’ll let the N4G crowd kill each other over this one.

The last two mentions were the ones that I found most interesting out of the entire bunch. This “New” PSN being referred to is most likely a new PSN Store, namely a PS2 Store. Firmware 3.0, rather than introducing things gamers have been waiting on like voice messaging and cross-game chat, will probably bring about the long forgotten “Backwards Compatibility” feature.

Does Sony’s very recent patent of Emotion Engine emulation technology on the Cell Processor ring a bell? If not, have a look for yourself. Maybe you’re a skeptic, and reading patent information isn’t your thing, well in that case check out this photo from about a year ago (which everyone has forgotten about), right before the PSN Video Store was launched. It Showcases the PS2’s Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty in a PSN-like store. Coincidence, highly doubt it.

Q.With all of the money they have been losing every single quarter/year since launch, why would Sony still have this technology researched and then patented? A. To USE it!

Sony is trying they’re hardest to play catch-up in a race that is all but lost this generation. By adding Backwards Compatibilty, Sony instantly transforms the PS3 into the console with the most playable games on the market. I want to make it clear that this in no way is intended to start a flame war, I just want to try to piece something together with an actual basis for argument rather than using unnamed “sources”. Either way, all of us will be seing the fruits of Sony’s labor next week during the convention and all speculation will go to rest, so stay tuned!