A lot of games these days have some incredibly gory executions. Whether it’s snapping someone’s neck with a shotgun in Gears of War 3 or ripping off a god’s head in God of War III, executions have become the norm. The Darkness II is quickly earning a spot in that category with some awesome, cel-shaded executions. Check the trailer below to see what the Darkness can do to a guy who pisses you off. Yikes.

The Darkness II slashes necks on February 7 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. If you can’t wait another week, go on and download the demo. It’s awesome.

• The Darkness II Has Co-Op and It’s Awesome (Hands On)
• The Darkness II Pushed Back to 2012
• Marc Silvestri Plays The Darkness II, Calls It “Insane” and “Bad Ass”
• The Sickest Game I Saw At The GDC Will Be Playable at PAX East!!
• The Darkness II: If You Can Think It, You Can Do It
• New Darkness II Trailer Shows ‘Artfully Executed’ Executions

Guess what?  They’re co-op modes in The Darkness II.  Guess what else?  I’ve played them and they’re fun as hell.

Let’s get right to it.  It’s called Vendettas and if you’ve played any sort of Call of Duty Spec Ops you’ll feel right at home here.

Except this isn’t quite like CoD Spec Ops.  Not only do you get to play as one of four very distinct and crazy characters with very distinct and crazy weapons, but each of these characters has their own backstory and they all tie into the main plot of The Darkness II.  Thus making vendettas infinitely cooler than Spec Ops. It also supports up to four players.  Word.

Before we go any further, check out this trailer to get a better idea of what I’m talking about:

Yes, I quite enjoyed that too.

Now let’s run down the cast courtesy of 2K, shall we?

First up:

Inugami (The Samurai)

Inugami is a very dark character, mentally unstable and driven only by his need for revenge. He names himself after a dog god of Japan that legends say was created from extreme suffering, trained to exact revenge upon the enemies of its master.

Inugami has the power of Swarm. His Swarm power resembles an attack of miniature Yokai demons of all kinds.

He wields Kusanagi – a mystical weapon that was said to have destructive properties. Historical documents dating from the 7^th Century tell of how the Emperor Temmu fell ill as a result of wielding the sword, and how Kusanagi was then removed and placed in a shrine. But even at that time, Kusanagi was already hundreds of years old. Its origins remain unknown.

Here’s my take: Inugami is the stereotypical Samurai Warrior.  Silent but deadly and very skilled.  Kusunagi controls like one of Jackie’s demon arms, meaning that you can swing the sword around with the thumbstick in any direction you choose while you spray bullets with whatever’s in your other hand.

Each character has brutal execution move that can be used on a stunned or nearly dead opponent. Inugami’s excution is a rather satisfying disemboweling.  He pairs well with just about any other character, preferably a ranged character since he will have to get up close and personal to use Kusunagi.

Next we have:

Shoshanna (The Hebrew Hammer)

Shoshanna is an ultra-efficient agent for Mossad, a woman with the highest degree of training. She is highly unimaginative and utterly receptive to the orders of her superiors with the agency. She does not question her mission, nor does she question the existence of the magic she sees all around her. This makes her the perfect operative in New York.

Shoshanna wields the Arm of the Night, a powerful weapon fused with Dark essence. It’s been in her family for over 75 years, though everyone who has carried it before hasn’t lived to see their 30^th birthday. However, for her, the legacy of hunting and destroying evil wherever it hides in the world is worth the price.

She possesses the power of Gun Channeling.  Interestingly, the Darkness has become entranced with technology – it knows that the newest weapons are capable of more efficient death and destruction.

Here’s my take:  Shoshanna is a ranged character who works best if you fight with reckless abandon.  I’ve spent some time with the IDF and I’ve known many a Shoshanna in my day but I’ve never met one as badass as this.  Her Arm of the Night is a sawed off shotgun that actually feels quite similar to an 1887 in Modern Warfare 2.  And yes, by that I mean it is uber powerful and has far too much range.

Your gameplay with Shoshanna will consist mostly of using an Uzi in one hand then using your Arm of the Night to finish enemies off with the other.  You’ll literally hear all sorts of click click boom.  As a ranged character who can make her firearms extra powerful via gun channeling, she pairs well with almost any other character.  Her execution move involves shooting an enemy in the groin then shoving her shotgun down their throat and blowing their brains out.  I want to marry her.

Next up is:

• Serious Sam 3 Is So F**king Old School It Hurts (Hands On)
• Three Hours With Skyrim, Two Brave Bosmers and One Lying Khajiit
• Diablo III Closed Beta Full Video Playthrough With Commentary
• What We Love (And Hate) So Far About Battlefield 3
• What We Love (And Hate) So Far About Diablo III
• One Hour With Skyrim Finally Made Me a True Believer (Hands On)

You can tell that the voice actors in a lot of video games “phone it in”  both literally and figuratively.

That’s sure as hell not the case with the voice cast of BioShock Infinite, oh no.

Ken Levine and his team at Irrational Games want to squeeze every last drop of emotion out of their actors, even if that means making them cry:

Dedication to your craft and fun.  You can has them.

For more awesome behind the scenes info on BioShock Infinite and it’s voice cast, check out part one of this series.

• Meet The Actors Behind BioShock Infinite (Video)
• Behold The First Two Minutes of the BioShock Infinite E3 Gameplay Demo!!
• BioShock Infinite Gets 39 E3 2011 Best of Show Awards
• Bioshock Infinite: ‘Tears’ and Their Dramatic Effects on Gameplay (Trailer and Screens)
• Bioshock: Infinite – Irrational Games Explains the Excitement of “Sky-Lines”
• These New Bioshock Infinite Screenshots Are Sad But True

Although it’s still light years away from release, BioShock Infinite has already garnered mountains of praise.  We, amongst many others, even gave it Game of Show at this year’s E3 expo.

One of the main reasons for this is the clear connection players already seem to have with the game’s main characters Booker and Elizabeth.

Watch below as voice actors Troy Baker and Courtnee Draper (along with Irrational’s Ken Levine) give us some insight into their soon to be iconic characters.

Yeah, there are attractive voice actors apparently…

Stay tuned to RipTen for part II.

• The BioShock Infinite Voice Cast Is Insanely Committed
• Behold The First Two Minutes of the BioShock Infinite E3 Gameplay Demo!!
• BioShock Infinite Gets 39 E3 2011 Best of Show Awards
• These New Bioshock Infinite Screenshots Are Sad But True
• Bioshock Infinite: ‘Tears’ and Their Dramatic Effects on Gameplay (Trailer and Screens)
• Ken Levine Explains the Factions of Bioshock Infinite

2K has released an artfully brutal trailer showcasing some of the executions players will be able to perform in The Darkness II.

Gamers may remember The Darkness, 2007′s ambitious but ultimately flawed Horror/FPS which featured the experiences of mobster Jackie Estacado and his possession by an evil entity known as The Darkness. Although it received positive reviews, many felt the game had the potential to be far better.

The Darkness II will pick up where the the previous game left off and promises to create a more even experience.

The Darkness II is scheduled for release on the PC, 360 and PS3 in February 2012. Check out the ‘Artfully Executed’ trailer below.

• What is The Darkness? This New Trailer for ‘The Darkness II’ Helps Explain
• Marc Silvestri Plays The Darkness II, Calls It “Insane” and “Bad Ass”
• The Darkness II Release Date and Box Art Revealed (Trailer/Screens)
• The Sickest Game I Saw At The GDC Will Be Playable at PAX East!!
• Darkness II Trailer Shows Off Sweet Executions
• The Darkness II Playable Demo Now Available for Xbox LIVE Gold Members

More proof that nothing can stop the leaking of information, be it Wikileaks wires or just 14 minutes of Borderlands 2 footage.

Someone (perhaps Youtube user bspatz77) has managed to get a camera into a Borderlands 2 event and film nearly quarter of an hour’s worth of gameplay footage.

It’s certified as wobble-cam but if you’re a big Borderlands fan or just want to see more of the game there is a lot of footage here. The video, found by VG24/7, is below.

• The First Borderlands 2 Teaser Trailer Is Here!!
• Borderlands 2 Explodes in Our Face (In a Good Way) at PAX
• Borderlands 2 Will Be 1/3 Bigger Than the First Game
• Borderlands 2 Deathmatch Multiplayer? Gearbox Is, “Thinking About It”
• Two Whole New Borderlands 2 Screens + Plenty of Facts
• The First Piece of Borderlands 2 Artwork Appears

Yesterday we got the first teaser trailer, now we’ve got some new screens and a bunch of info:

Here’s what you need to know:

• Gunzerker Leads a Cast of All-New Characters and All-New Classes: Step into the role of the Gunzerker, whose highly deadly skills allow him to dual-wield any two weapons found in the game. Not only that, you will build on that skill to do more things with two guns than you ever imagined possible. Dual machine guns? Cool. Dual rocket launchers? Of course! Dual Sniper Rifles? Sure, if that’s your thing! Want to try other styles? More tactical perhaps? There are multiple classes to choose from!

• Dynamic Co-op online, split-screen and LAN: Share your adventures with friends both online and via LAN. Borderlands 2 features a seamless system enabling you to drop in and drop out of a campaign without ever having to restart the game. On top of that you can even take your new gear from any game to any other!

• World Connected Story:  You will find yourself left for dead in the frozen tundra of Pandora as you begin your quest of revenge and redemption. Expose the evil surrounding the Hyperion Corporation and take on the perpetrator of a universe-wide grand deception — the nefarious Hyperion CEO, Handsome Jack. (Oh, also: he’s stolen credit for the opening of the Vault.)

• New Badass Gun System: An entirely new take on the groundbreaking procedural system means millions upon millions of possible weapons. The variety and style of guns in Borderlands 2 is staggering, and you’ll see tons of new and innovative ways to engage foes on Pandora. Fire, electricity, corrosive acid, and much more will all be at your disposal as you fight your way through the Hyperion Corporation’s forces!

• 87 Bazillion…Everything: In addition to the new gun system, you will lust after procedurally generated shields, grenades, Alien Artifacts, class mods and much, much more.  And you thought the original Borderlands had a ton of loot!

• Brand new environments on Pandora: Hunt through entirely brand new areas of Pandora that are more alive than ever!  From the arctic tundra, through the dangerous grasslands, past the mysterious corrosive caverns to beyond, you’ll be surprised by the unpredictable world of Pandora at every turn!

• Brand new enemies:  A whole slew of new enemies are out there to kill you in Borderlands 2. Hulking, gorilla-like Bullymongs, vicious predatory Stalkers and the Hyperion mechanical army, run by Handsome Jack, are just some of the new enemies you will be facing off against on Pandora.  New strategies will need to be created for every fight, as enemies now interact and aid each other to ensure you don’t get far in the world of Pandora.

So there you have it.  New guns, new enemies and new classes.  What else do you want?  There ain’t no rest for Gearbox until this one is out folks

Stay tuned to RipTen for continued coverage of Borderlands 2.

• These New Bioshock Infinite Screenshots Are Sad But True
• Behold This New Dark Souls Trailer and Screens from Gamescom
• The First Borderlands 2 Teaser Trailer Is Here!!
• Borderlands 2 Explodes in Our Face (In a Good Way) at PAX
• Borderlands 2 Is Official. It’s Coming in 2012. See It At Gamescom and PAX.
• Serious Sam 3 Is So F**king Old School It Hurts (Hands On)

Gearbox Software and 2K Games have just released the first trailer for Borderlands 2.  It’s only a teaser, but it’s good enough to already get you hype for the game.

Borderlands 2 is set to release sometime in 2012.  There ain’t no rest for the wicked… or Gearbox Software.

• Two Whole New Borderlands 2 Screens + Plenty of Facts
• Borderlands 2 Is Official. It’s Coming in 2012. See It At Gamescom and PAX.
• You’re Not Supposed to Be Seeing This Leaked Borderlands 2 Footage
• Borderlands 2 Explodes in Our Face (In a Good Way) at PAX
• Borderlands 2 Deathmatch Multiplayer? Gearbox Is, “Thinking About It”
• Borderlands 2 Will Be 1/3 Bigger Than the First Game

2K Sports has announced the complete soundtrack for their upcoming NBA 2K12. This year’s cross-genre soundtrack highlights both popular megastars and up-and-coming bands, featuring 28 tracks with music from Eminem & Royce Da 5’9″, Travis Barker, Busta Rhymes, Lil Jon, Twista, Cee-Lo, Q-Tip and more.

Vice President of marketing for 2K Sports, Jason Argent stated today:

“Music has always been an integral part of our NBA 2K video games, as it further immerses players into the world of basketball and enhances their gaming experience.

It was important to us that the NBA 2K12 soundtrack was not only what you hear while navigating the menus, but also in real-life situations like pre-game highlight introductions and during timeouts, just as you would hear a song while at a game or watching on TV.”

Check out the full track list for NBA 2K12 below:

• Eminem & Royce Da 5’9″ – Fast Lane
• Travis Barker featuring Yelawolf, Twista, Busta Rhymes and Lil Jon -
• Let’s Go
• CyHi Da Prynce – Sideways (2K Remix)
• Kurtis Blow – Basketball
• Friendly Fires – Skeleton Boy
• Machine Drum – Let It (edIT Remix)
• Aceyalone featuring Cee-Lo – Workin’ Man’s Blues
• Freddie Gibbs – Look Easy (2K Original)
• Chiddy Bang featuring Q-Tip – Here We Go
• Zion I featuring Rebelution- Many Stylez
• Duck Down All -Stars 2 – Shout The Winners Out (2K Original)
• Middle Class Rut – New Low
• Bassnectar – Cozza Frenzy
• Ancient Astronauts – Still a Soldier
• Alex K. and D.J.I.G. – Now’s My Time (2K Original)
• See-I – Haterz
• James Pants – We’re Through
• Shinobi Ninja – Rock Hood
• DELS – Shapeshift
• Hudson Mohawke – Thunder Bay (instrumental)
• Mr. Chop – Intermezzo 2 (instrumental)
• Kid Mac featuring Mat McHugh – Hear You Calling
• Thunderball – Make Your Move
• The Freeze Tag – The Shuffle (instrumental)
• The Death Set – It’s Another Day
• Project Lionheart -They Come Back
• Jamaica – By The Numbers
• XV – Awesome

NBA 2K12 is set to release October 4th for Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, PSP and PC.

• 2K Sports Releases First Screenshot of NBA 2K12 – It’s Dirk Nowitzki Scoring on LeBron
• NBA Jam gets Bundled with 360, PS3 Copies of NBA Elite 11
• Darkness II Trailer Shows Off Sweet Executions
• The Darkness II Has Co-Op and It’s Awesome (Hands On)
• The BioShock Infinite Voice Cast Is Insanely Committed
• Meet The Actors Behind BioShock Infinite (Video)

Ey oh, what gives Estacado, where the fuck you think you’re goin?!  You son of a bitch!  Get the fuck back here!

Sigh, yes… The Darkness II has been pushed back to 2012.  February 7th, 2012 to be exact.

The team behind The Darkness will be at San Diego Comic Con this week, I’ll be sure to ask them just what the fuck is going on.

In the meantime, check out our latest interview with Darkness creator Marc Silvestri.

• What is The Darkness? This New Trailer for ‘The Darkness II’ Helps Explain
• Marc Silvestri Plays The Darkness II, Calls It “Insane” and “Bad Ass”
• The Darkness II Limited Edition Pre-Order Bonuses Detailed
• The Darkness II Release Date and Box Art Revealed (Trailer/Screens)
• The Darkness II: If You Can Think It, You Can Do It
• Darkness II Trailer Shows Off Sweet Executions

Sid Meier’s Civilization World for Facebook is launching it’s open beta next week.  That’s right, Uncle Sid wants YOU to play Civ World with all of your Facebook friends… for free!

Here’s the lowdown from 2k and Firaxis:

From the multi-award winning Sid Meier’s Civilization® strategy game series, comes the famously addictive gameplay that has made it one of the greatest game series of all time, accessible to everyone on Facebook for free. In Sid Meier’sCivilization World, players join together with their friends to create the world’s most powerful, richest, smartest, or just plain coolest civilization. Leaders will also manage and grow their own city to maximize production and happiness. Collaborative players benefit the most as they team up with friends to win great battles, create great wonders of the world, share technologies and spy on enemies. Play as much as you like, whenever you like on your epic quest to build the most powerful nation and rule the world.

Features:

• Persistent Game: Rule the world on your time, Civilization World is there when you want to play. Civilization World introduces a unique Facebook game with a persistent, non-stop game world that has a definitive beginning and end, offering you the chance to  work with your friends or compete against them as you lead your civilization to victory.

Most Accessible Civ Game Ever: With a set of trusted advisors who will explain game functionality and provide helpful hints and strategies, even first-time players will be confident in the choices they make… and it’s free to play! Experienced players can also help guide their friends who are new to the game, as they work together to rule the world. As an option, players can purchase can use “Civ -Bucks” and use them,” which is the games premium currency, for vanity items or for a limited amount of game impacting items such as an extra harvest.

• Become Ruler of the World with a Little Help from Your Friends: Developed from the ground up to take advantage of the social fun and accessibility of Facebook, Civilization World is a collaborative experience in which you work with friends to conquer the world. Strategize on the next great wonder to build, which technology to research, or which civilization to invade, and proudly display your spoils in your trophy room and visit your friends to see their medals, statistics and achievements. Take part in a real community of leaders and ideas, where intellect and cunning can win loyalties and battles just as surely as great legions.

• Full Civ Experience from the Father of the Franchise: Civilization World is a true Civilization game on Facebook developed by legendary game designer Sid Meier. As the world’s most award-winning game designer, Sid Meier has taken the 20 year history of the Civilization franchise and created a deep, social gaming experience on an evolving platform.

Will Civ World catch on and be the next breakout social gaming phenomenon?  Only time will tell.  If it doesn’t, look for Sid Meier’s Mafia Wars… coming soon.

• Double Civilization and Scenario Pack Coming to Civ V December 16
• Massive Civilization V Patch Out Now
• RipTen Review: Sid Meier’s Civilization V (PC)
• Civilization V Special Edition Details Announced
• 2K Games Announces Civilization V GOTY Edition
• Daily Deal: Civilization IV

Want to know why we gave BioShock Infinite our Best of Show award at E3 2011?  Well, you’ll have to see what we saw.  Unfortunately, you can’t see the full demo just yet, but 2K and Irrational Games have released the first two minutes of the E3 gameplay demo, so that’s what you get for now:

Trust me when I say that it only gets better from there.  BioShock Infinite isn’t so much a first person shooter as it is a first person experience, and you’ll be able to see the rest of what we saw next week.

Stay tuned to RipTen for continued coverage of BioShock Infinite and all things Irrational.

• BioShock Infinite Gets 39 E3 2011 Best of Show Awards
• Behold Bioshock Infinite’s Complete E3 2011 Gameplay Demo!
• The BioShock Infinite Voice Cast Is Insanely Committed
• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Director’s Walkthrough is Epic
• E3 2011: Bioshock Infinite Gameplay Trailer Soars
• Meet The Actors Behind BioShock Infinite (Video)

Here at RipTen, we’ve got pretty good taste in games.  Don’t agree?  Well, fuck you, everyone else apparently does.

RipTen named BioShock Infinite our Game of Show at E3 this year, and so did 38 other awesome outlets.  Want to know who else?  Well,  2K and Irrational Games were kind enough to send over this list:

Best of Show Honors

1UP
CNET
CNET TV
Cheat Code Central
Destructoid
Digital Trends
EGM
Electric Playground
Eurogamer.it
Everyeye.it
Examiner
FPSGuru
G4 X-Play
Game Informer
Game Informer — #1 Game in E3 Hot 50
Game Rant
Game Critics Awards
GameReactor TV
Game Revolution
GamerNode
Gamer Theory
GameSpy
GameTrailers
gamrFeed (VGChartz)
Giant Bomb
GotGame
IGN
Lazygamer.net
Machinima
Meristation
MovieStinger
MSNBC
MTV Multiplayer
Official Xbox Magazine UK
Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Game Guy Blog
RipTen
USA Today
Venture Beat Videogamer

So, yeah, BioShock Infinite already looks like a serious contender for GOTY 2012 and all of these other awesome people agree.  Once again, if you don’t believe us, go fuck yourself ^__^ Just kidding, we love u guys.  <3

Stay tuned to RipTen for continued coverage of Bioshock Infinite and all things Irrational.

• Behold The First Two Minutes of the BioShock Infinite E3 Gameplay Demo!!
• The BioShock Infinite Voice Cast Is Insanely Committed
• Meet The Actors Behind BioShock Infinite (Video)
• These New Bioshock Infinite Screenshots Are Sad But True
• Behold Bioshock Infinite’s Complete E3 2011 Gameplay Demo!
• RipTen’s Best of E3 2011 Awards

I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Marc Silvestri is one bad motherfucker.  In fact, standing damn near seven feet tall, he’s one BIG bad motherfucker.  Back in 2007, RipTen first interviewed this renowned illustrator and creator of The Darkness prior to the release of the original game inspired by his work.

Now, four years later, we’ve had the pleasure of sitting down with the CEO of Top Cow Productions once again – this time right after he’d gotten his hands on The Darkness II for the very first time.

Better yet, we brought in 2K Games producer Seth Olshfski to talk with Marc as he gave us his impressions.

Seth’s reactions are priceless and you can tell that both he and Marc are extremely proud of what has been created with The Darkness II:

The Darkness II comes to life on October 4th.  Can you handle the bad ass insanity?

• What is The Darkness? This New Trailer for ‘The Darkness II’ Helps Explain
• The Darkness II Pushed Back to 2012
• The Darkness II: If You Can Think It, You Can Do It
• The Darkness II Limited Edition Pre-Order Bonuses Detailed
• The Darkness II Release Date and Box Art Revealed (Trailer/Screens)
• The Sickest Game I Saw At The GDC Will Be Playable at PAX East!!

Last night I had the pleasure of playing The Darkness II again, and today I have the pleasure of sharing some brutally awesome news with you.

The Darkness II will be released on October 4th, 2011 in the states and October 7th internationally.

Here’s the official word from 2k:

New York, NY – May 4, 2011 – 2K Games announced today that The Darkness(TM) II, the sequel to the million unit-selling 2007 title, The Darkness(TM), will be available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC on October 4, 2011 in North America and October 7, 2011 internationally. Inspired by the supernatural horror comic book series created by Top Cow Productions, Inc., and developed by Digital Extremes, The Darkness II breaks from the sea of conventional first-person shooters (FPS), and takes players down a brutal and personal path as Jackie Estacado, wielder of Darkness – an ancient and ruthless force of chaos and destruction.

Better yet, 2K dropped us a new trailer, screens and the sickest box art I’ve seen all year:

Look for my fresh interviews with 2K and TopCow from last night’s Darkness II preview event very soon. In the meantime, check out my last interview with The Darkness II project director Sheldon Carter.

• What is The Darkness? This New Trailer for ‘The Darkness II’ Helps Explain
• The Darkness II Pushed Back to 2012
• Marc Silvestri Plays The Darkness II, Calls It “Insane” and “Bad Ass”
• The Darkness II: If You Can Think It, You Can Do It
• The Darkness II Launch Trailer Blazes to the Sounds of Nine Inch Nails
• New Darkness II Trailer Shows ‘Artfully Executed’ Executions

Duke Nukem is like a one man Mötley Crüe.  He rocks, and he’s got babes… Lots of babes.

The fuck else do you want me to say?  This trailer has animated tits in it.

Enjoy:

• New Duke Nukem Forever Trailer Gets Some!!
• The First Borderlands 2 Teaser Trailer Is Here!!
• Duke Nukem Forever Delayed Again… Seriously
• If Feminists Disapprove of Duke – Pitchford Says, “Come Get Some”
• Pre-Order Duke Nukem Forever from Walmart and Get This Bitchin’ Trucker Hat!
• Gearbox: Making Pigs Fly, Robots Dance, and Why They’re Just Getting Started

2K has released a developer diary for The Darkness II. Unfortunately, it contains does not contain gameplay. What it does include is Project Manager Sheldon Carter talking about what’s in The Darkness II, its storyline, and how the team went about development.

Also be sure to check out our interview with Sheldon from the GDC

Watch and enjoy! The Darkness II is due for a Fall 2011 release.

• The Darkness II Pushed Back to 2012
• Marc Silvestri Plays The Darkness II, Calls It “Insane” and “Bad Ass”
• The Darkness II: If You Can Think It, You Can Do It
• The Witcher 2 Developers Discuss Why the Xbox Version is More Than a Port
• The Darkness II Developer Diary Discusses Co-op
• New Resident Evil 6 Dev Diary Shows Breathtaking Gameplay

“Duke Never Comes Early” well, apparently he doesn’t come on time either. *Sigh.*

Watch as Randy Pitchford and the gang at Gearbox try to lighten the mood…

So, yeah. June 14th now, or “When it’s Done” I suppose.  Anyone else notice it’s going international first?

Duke doesn’t even get to launch in the US of A.

Here’s what the President of 2K had to say for himself:

“In case you haven’t heard, Duke never comes early,” said Christoph
Hartmann, president of 2K. “We’re committed to deliver a laugh-out-loud,
politically incorrect experience that people will talk about for years
to come. We thank Duke’s fans for their continued patience – I promise
this won’t take another 15 years.”

 

Whatever…I’m over it. Who’s up for some Crysis?

• If Feminists Disapprove of Duke – Pitchford Says, “Come Get Some”
• Gearbox: Making Pigs Fly, Robots Dance, and Why They’re Just Getting Started
• Gearbox: Making Pigs Fly, Robots Dance, and Why They’re Just Getting Started (II)
• Gearbox: Making Pigs Fly, Robots Dance, and Why They’re Just Getting Started (III)
• Gearbox: Making Pigs Fly, Robots Dance, and Why They’re Just Getting Started (IV)
• Gearbox: Making Pigs Fly, Robots Dance, and Why They’re Just Getting Started (V)

What, you thought there wasn’t gon be no Mafia II final edition!?  What, wit all dat DLC you ain’t played yet!?  Fuggedaboutit!!

Mafia II is one hell of a game, especially on a high end PC.  However, there was all sorts of DLC released and it looks as if 2K has decided to put out a Director’s Cut that will include all the things you may have missed.

What did you miss? The Betrayal of Jimmy, Jimmy’s Vendetta, Joe’s Adventures, and a slew of other things 2K probably decided to leave out of the original game.

Check out the listing HERE.

-

Source: Joystiq

• Mafia II DLC Gives Fans the Open World Mayhem They’ve Been Waiting For
• Ey, Oh, Joe Barbaro Get’s His Own Trailer and Mafia II DLC in November
• Even More Mafia II DLC On The Way – Live It Up In “Joe’s Adventures”
• RipTen Video Review: Mafia II (PC)
• Mafia II Makes Me Proud To Be a PC Gamer
• E310 Preview: Mafia II: More Than Just a GTA Clone

Tennis, Baseball, Soccer, heck even the NFL. What do all these sports have in common? Balls and men. Wait, let me reword that… The fundamental elements don’t change. Tennis sees two players hit a ball, Baseball two teams hit and catch balls, Soccer is still boring and the NFL is still full of huge (yet awesome) promotions.

For that exact reason, sports video games can often stagnate and become a case of “Been there, done that” unless the developer not only keeps it fresh, but still manages to keep the core gameplay enjoyable for both newcomers and fans of their classic series’.

Top Spin, a Tennis simulation series originally created as a title for the original Xbox way back in 2003, has successfully kept itself both fun and surprisingly ‘new’ throughout four games and a stack of sales. Top Spin 3 was quite infamous for trying to refine the controller mechanics that the prior two games had established. Players controlled their shots through a “risk” meter that required you to essentially time your shots perfectly each and every time. It was difficult to use and basically deterred me from playing the game every time I felt the urge to have a hit across the net.

2K Czech is at the reigns of Top Spin 4 and they’re taking the series in a more casual direction – which is both good and bad, but onto that later. Instead of controlling your shots through the aforementioned “risk” meter, your four face buttons now control the immediate shots. With that being said there’s still a lot of control afforded through this system and suppressing the button for varied amounts of times directly controls the speed and power of your shots that you play. The system is ultimately simple but it works – and that’s what matters during those tight points and important rallies. My one gripe with this new system was how difficult it was to time “Perfect” and “Good” shots – but after a few hours of practice – I nailed it. On another note there’s very little analog control in the game besides your serving which once again feels simple and great.

Like I mentioned in my opening statement, sports games often stagnate and become repetitive, and unfortunately the campaign in Top Spin 4 is hit and miss. Top Spin 4 features an amazingly in-depth player creation system, one that allows you to make either Fabio or the ugliest person to ever grace the clay.  From then on it’s all business as you play through one exhibition match and one special tournament each month. The special events range from simple things like practice matches to new and interesting promotional events that allow you to earn fans an in-game experience points. Your XP can be assigned to different areas based on three major trees, those being offensive baseline, defensive baseline and finally serve and volley.

It’s extremely rewarding to see your custom player go from seemingly nobody to star of the digital tennis world. As mentioned above though there’s some slight gripes with the campaign, the most noticeable of which being the AI scaling. Upon playing my first tournament I came up against Roger Federer, perhaps the greatest player in Tennis history.  As it should, this promptly caused my palms to become sweaty and my skill levels suddenly became questionable.

Needless to say though, it was pointless. I absolutely demolished Federer in what I would call a cakewalk, a warm-up, it was too easy. Whilst I thought this was to allow you more experience with some of the games greats, it really ruined the impact of seeing the superstars for the first time. All of that being said though, once you hit the higher levels (The game is capped at 20), the players we admire on television become their fearsome selves on the court.

Now, once you complete the base campaign your focus will no doubt shift over to the equally great multiplayer experience. One of the great ideas I’ve seen of late in multiplayer gaming is a “World Tour” mode that sees you pitted against a plethora of other players in a desperate bid to grab the number one global ranking. Throughout each week there is a new ‘season’ that can be won by one single player. All in-game actions that you conduct, whether it be singleplayer or multiplayer, net you experience that not only drives the replayability factor but also gives you a ‘tangible’ reward for your hard work.

Whilst Top Spin 4 is not without it’s faults, it’s definitely a step in the right direction both for new and old fans like myself.  A great career mode hampered by some poor AI scaling issues is redeemed by an intuitive multiplayer experience and incredibly strong and easily recognizable player roster.

Here’s The Rundown:

+ Great gameplay that is easy to master and understand
+ Healthy roster ensures some great matchups
- Scaling in career mode is a bit strange
- Control system is hit and miss… Pun intended.

Top Spin 4 was developed by 2K Czech and published by 2K Sports. Top Spin 4 was released on the 15th of March 2011 for $59.99 on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Our copy was provided by the publisher. The game was played til completion in single player and split hours across both multiplayer and split-screen multiplayer.

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