Day-one AC: Revelations PS3 copies include
original game

Ubisoft is giving away the first Assassin's Creed for those who buy Assassin's Creed: Revelations on PlayStation 3 during launch. Day-one purchases will include the 2007 game (Has it really been that long?) on the Blu-ray disc.

Considering how wary of new intellectual property game-buying consumers can be, it wouldn't shock me to hear that quite a few current series players didn't become fans until a game or two had already been released. Question is, will they want to go so far back?

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Voodoo Chronicles: First Sign Walkthrough (PC)

Welcome to the Voodoo Chronicles: First Sign Collector's Edition walkthrough on Gamezebo. Voodoo Chronicles: First Sign is a hidden object adventure game played on the PC created by Space Monkey Games. This walkthrough includes tips and tricks, helpful hints, and a strategy guide for how to complete Voodoo Chronicles: First Sign.

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Cursed Memories: Secret of Agony Creek
Walkthrough (PC)

Welcome to the Cursed Memories: Secret of Agony Creek walkthrough on Gamezebo. Cursed Memories: Secret of Agony Creek is a hidden object/adventure game played on the PC created by Vast Studios. This walkthrough includes tips and tricks, helpful hints, and a strategy guide to how to complete Cursed Memories: Secret of Agony Creek.

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Vote in Backlog Series 26: Comic Relief

_{[Backlog is the ongoing quest to rid Conrad Zimmerman's collection of unfinished games. As voted on by the Destructoid community, Conrad plays each game from start to finish live on Destructoid's Twitch.tv channel every weeknight at 8pm Pacific]}

It's time once more for you, the Destructoid audience, to determine how I spend what passes for my leisure time. We'll soon be ready to start our twenty-sixth game on Backlog and the theme this go around is as straightforward as they come. All of the games in our new crop are based on comic book properties.

Take a gander at the list and pick the game you'd like to see me play through next!

X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Developed by Raven Software
Released May 1, 2009

Who doesn't love Wolverine? He might have been a little over-used from time to time, but that's just because there's nothing you can't apply a gruff and insensitive guy with knives in his hands to. Of the games to feature the cunning Canuck in a leading role, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is regarded by many as the very best.

The Red Star
Developed by Acclaim Studios / Archangel Studios
Released April 23, 2007

Based on the graphic novel series of same name, The Red Star is a game which went through a difficult development as Acclaim Studios shut down shortly after a demo of the game appeared in August of 2004. The final product, a combination of third-person shooting and fighting game mechanics, wouldn't see release until three years later, it's development completed by Archangel Studios. Probably too late, and the completed Xbox version was never even put on store shelves.

The game sounds awesome and I've always wanted to try it. The copy I picked up on the cheap has been sitting around for an awful long time.

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
Developed by Treyarch
Released on October 21, 2008

 I really like Spider-Man games, even most of the bad ones. The curse of the sandbox is magnified by all the ability orbs crammed throughout New York and I can't seem to stay on track more than a couple of minutes every time I fire up this game. But swinging through the city is always fantastic fun and I love the way the two costumes work together, so this would be a delightful choice.

Hellboy: The Science of Evil
Developed by Krome Studios
Released June 24, 2008

I dig Hellboy. I can't resist a good alternate history, particularly if it involves nazi occultists and steampunk science. I should probably learn to do something about that because I'm led to understand that this Hellboy game is mediocre at best. I snagged it for less than a tenner, so I'm not crying any tears but I can't say that I've felt a whole lot of motivation to even drop it in at all.

Mystery Game

Finally, we have the Mystery Game. Don't make the mistake of choosing this for curiosity's sake, as people have clamored before to know what it was and groaned when they learned. The intent here is to select the Mystery Game if none of the other games appeal to you, so voting for it just because you want to know what it is is kind of a dick move. 

If the Mystery Game is not chosen, it'll roll over into the next series where it will continue to be a mystery.

There you have it. Make your selection in the poll below and make your case in the comments for the game you want to see next on Backlog!

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Dtoid People's Choice Award: TGS Game of Show!

The Tokyo Game Show has closed its doors on another year, and what a year it's been! Between the booth babes, cosplayers, strippers and sweat, I'm as surprised as you that our esteemed editors managed to get any work done, let alone file dozens of newsworthy nuggets about the hottest upcoming games and hardware. Go team!

Now that our boys are safely back in their home country, it's time for you to look back on what you saw and pick your favorites! Dale, Hamza and Allistair already voiced their opinions, but now it's your chance to be heard!

So click here to cast your vote for Destructoid's 2011 People's Choice Award for TGS! (And don't forget to share your choice in the comments!)

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F1 2011 developer diary features safety cars

by: Travis Huinker
NEWS - The fourth and final of the developer diaries for F1 2011 has been released by Codemasters that showcases various new additions including safety cars, KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), DRS (Drag Reduction System), and Pirelli tires. Since being partly oblivious to the various mechanics of F1 racing, I will believe the developers in their discussion of these significant improvements to the game series.

F1 2011 launches on September 20 in North America for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. The title is also currently in development for Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita.

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Fight alongside Felicia Day in Dragon Age 2: Mark
of the Assassin

by: Travis Huinker
NEWS - Felicia Day will be gracing the world of Dragon Age 2 as an elven assassin named Tallis. She will be playing the character in both the upcoming web series Dragon Age: Redemption and downloadable content Mark of the Assassin. The debut trailer for Mark of the Assassin showcases some of her character's elvish methods of gracefully shredding enemies into bits and pieces.

Dragon Age 2: Mark of the Assassin will be available for download on October 11 for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.Click here to view the rest of the content.


Read The Full Article:
http://www.gamingnexus.com/FullNews/Fight-alongside-Felicia-Day-in-Dragon-Age-2-M
ark-of-the-Assassin/Item24198.aspx

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Smedley: Free-to-play is the future

There's no denying that the free-to-play games has become increasingly more popular in the West. Not only do we have new f2p IPs popping up all over the place, established subscription games are going over to that model as well. While it's been predominant for a long time in parts of Asia, it's been a lot more controversial in the West. Fears of lack of balance or glorified demos have put some gamers off entirely.

Hot on the heels of SOE's announcement of DC Universe Online's imminent transformation to a f2p MMO, SOE President John Smedley has written an editorial predicting the death of the subscription model and the future of f2p.

Smedley believes that BioWare's upcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, will be the last major subscription based MMO, he also thinks that it will have a legitimate shot at getting 2 million subscribers. He cites cost as one of the core reasons that subscriptions are on the way out as it is a big hurdle for some players. This isn't really anything new, gamers have criticized continually paying for a game since MMO's took off, but the dominant game in the MMO genre is still subscription based. However, as the market has expanded there are plenty of options for those who don't want to pay to play.

Another issue with the increased market is console gamers. Outside of the Xbox LIVE subscription, console gamers don't really have to worry about extra costs unless they are purchasing new content. But the few MMOs which have made their way to consoles treat them the same way as they treat their PC counterparts. It's not just console gamers who have a problem with subscriptions. According to Smedley 40% of people who gave a reason for leaving Everquest II blamed subscriptions. Since changing to f2p the game saw an increase in players and has apparently been a success. Lord of the Rings Online is another example of this, Turbine got three times the revenue from the game when it went free and saw a significant increase in players.

By taking up front and subscription costs out of the equation there is no real barrier stopping curious consumers from giving the title a shot. By appealing to a global market including China and Korea where the model is already a success and by cutting out the retail middlemen which restrict indie studios, Smedley thinks that that market will increase even more in terms of consumers and developers.

I'm a big proponent of f2p games. I don't actually play for free that often since I like to experience as much of a game as possible and so often end up paying for a premium membership. Regardless, I think that having that free option makes good business sense. It opens the game up to more people than a demo or a review can, it provides a big boost in sever populations, which when low can really cripple an MMO and it gives the consumer a lot more time to decide if they want to become a paying customer. Even in the cases where the free players are restricted rather severely, they are still getting more freedom than if they were playing a demo.

I don't think that it's as clear cut as Smedley makes it out to be, though. In games where community is so important I think it's risky to create a system where you get two different classes of player based on how much money they are willing to drop. It creates a divide in the community that isn't based on skill or any sort of in game mechanics. Even though hurdles such as cost have been removed, new ones have been put in their place.

What do you fine folks think the future holds for f2p titles? Will it become the dominant model for online games? Should it, even?

The Free Future [gamesindustry.biz]

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Clan of Champions Localized for Western Release
in 2012

Acquire has partnered with NIS America to release a localized version of Clan of Champions, a “hardcore multiplayer game” for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. Players pick a elf, orc, or human and venture into “mission” style objective solo or with two other friends in co-op mode. Additionally, there is also a competitive [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://monstervine.com/2011/09/clan-of-champions-localized-for-western-release-in
-2012/

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Relaxation: Rage and Katamari

_{[Last week's Bloggers Wanted topic asked you to tell me how you use video games to relax. Our first promoted blog on that topic is from Revuhlooshun, who explains how Katamari Damacy helps takes his mind off the incredibly depressing material he has to study as a History major. If you want to participate in our Bloggers Wanted topic and see your own blog on the front page, take a look at our current prompt about TGS. -- JRo]}

Being a History major makes you want to smash the world sometimes. It’s a field where you dedicate your time studying the repeated failures and cruelties of human life and organized society – uplifting, to say the least. You see the world for what it was and what it is: largely, a steaming pile of crap. You notice trends and patterns that seem to govern man throughout the times, soon discovering what it shall become: largely, a steaming pile of crap. You can’t believe the things that are done, the atrocities committed, in the names of so many wild or useless ideas. It makes you mad.

It makes you so mad, you just want to roll everything into a ball.

A lot of people think the Prince is trying to help his family out, gathering everything he can to build new stars and planets in order to make the universe whole. I imagine him like me: on a rampage to condense all its vile, wicked, and corrupt elements and then fling it all into space. I mean, those people really can’t enjoy being bundled together with a dozen cats and a lawn mower. Traveling on an airline and sharing an arm rest is annoying enough – imagine if you had to fly like that.

It’s hard not to love Katamari. You have these fighting games with long strings of combos and inputs and tier charts; shooters with a bajillion upgrades and killstreaks, dipped in melodrama; RPGs with droves of cutscenes filled with the gibberish of a homeschooled wizard; and simply all sorts of games which blend every genre they can think of, with so many things to unlock, so many things to memorize…

Do you know what the instruction booklet for a Katamari game looks like? No one does, because no one looks at them. You just roll shit into a ball. That’s it. What the hell do you need a manual for?

You just move your thumbs and roll things up. You don’t have to think about it, unless it’s one of those annoying levels where you have to hit a certain size, or only have a certain amount of money to roll things up with (and you inevitably grab those gold bars hidden underneath the cheap ramen because you’re not paying attention – they get me every time!).

You see how the world works against itself on a daily basis. How utterly complicated and hopeless it can be at times while it pulls itself apart. You watch as the train hits the same wall over and over again, only to continue on its merry way right back into it. People begin to disregard facts in favor of their opinions, preventing any sort of discussion to help qualm the planet’s ailments. It is depressing. It saps your hope and optimism.

Then comes this kid and his ball. Just rolling. And they are hating. They’re trying to catch him riding dirty.

But they won’t. Because he’s going to roll their asses up.

Meanwhile, the world burns, painted in ruined, miserable hues of brown and black, bombed out buildings decorating a town or village that’s probably known nothing but hatred and bloodshed for past couple of decades. Half of it starves while the other half drags off to war – there are literally around 130 or so armed conflicts going on right now across the globe. You see the images of gray and dreary cities, even in America, and you see the faces of a beaten and miserable people, for whatever reason: poverty, strife, genocide, occupation. It breaks your heart.

But that’s never what it looks like in a Katamari game, it merely looks like a homeless man threw up in your face. And your only reaction is “Bro, how the hell did you even afford Prime Rib?”

Every couple of years they release a new Katamari game with the same formula that remains largely unchanged. It is one of the few games I don't mind playing over and over with nothing but new levels and crazy acid-induced visuals to preoccupy my brain. In fact, I wish they would make Katamari games a yearly thing, kind of like Madden. I would buy Katamari '10, Katamari '11, Katamari '12, on and on until the end of time. It's like pizza, or sex -- it's just something that never ceases to amaze, and even the worst of it is still pretty damn good.

For just an hour or two, I can escape the world. North and South Korea don’t have 160 miles worth of landmines separating them, one in five people don’t live on less than $1 a day, people aren’t being imprisoned for speaking their minds, women aren’t having their heads used as tree ornaments in Mexico, economies aren’t tanking, and no one is suffering.

And if any of that is going on, you can roll it all up and make a dope ass space station for major points.

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