Ubisoft’s highly-anticipated Watch_Dogs title is set for release on current generation consoles on November 19th in the US and November 22nd in the UK. No word yet on the next-generation versions of the game which presumably will also arrive by Holiday 2013.

Ubisoft has also revealed various UK editions of the game, all offering different physical and digital goodies. Unlike recent “limited editions” of games, Watch_Dogs UK versions will vary more by retailer than previous games have. If you order the “Dedsec Edition” you’ll receive an Aiden Pearce statue whereas if you order the “Vigilante Edition” you will recceive Pearce’s iconic mask and cap.

Here’s a breakdown of the current European offerings:

• The Dedsec Edition [UK Retailers] 23cm figurine of protagonist Aiden Pearce, a collector’s box, a Watch Dogs art book, the soundtrack, a Watch Dogs map of Chicago, four collectible cards and three badges. In addition, there will be three single-player missions (Palace, Signature Shot, Breakthrough) with “almost 60 minutes of additional gameplay.”
• The Vigilante Edition [GAME (UK) / GameStop (Ireland)] Aiden Pearce’s cap and mask, collectors box, soundtrack.ALso included is an additional SP mission (Palace Pack – also included in Dedsec)
• The Uplay Exclusive Edition. Available through the Uplay website, the “steelbook” case is the edition’s physical content. It also includes the Palace Pack, Signature Shot and Breakthrough Packs from the Dedsec Edition.
• The Special Edition [GAME (UK)]  Includes Breakthrough Pack but no additional physical content.

Enter the GeForce Titan Ultra, which purportedly is a full GK110 chip with all 2880 CUDA cores and 15 SMX units active. By comparison, the current Titan has 2688 CUDA cores, meaning 1 SMX unit is shaved off. The rumored Titan Lite or LE is expected to have 2496 CUDA cores.

This will fill the product line nicely if Nvidia wants to release the cut-down Titan at $600 or so, leaving the regular Titan at $800 and the Ultra at $1000+ respectively.

As always, time will tell if any of these products come to fruition. That said, given the high entry point at $1000 for Nvidia’s newest GPU, this move would appeal to enthusiasts looking for a better value proposition while appeasing those looking for a bit more performance regardless of price.

Surprisingly one of the shortest lines at the show was Diablo III for the PlayStation 3. Whether or not that is omniscient of what is to come is an interesting question. Can the console version even compare to the PC game?

Blizzard has decided to completely overhaul the game, from the removal of the real-money auction house, to the entire user interface for consoles. That much we’ve already known. However, from my experience with the game I found that they’re changing a lot more.

Let’s start with the graphics, something which we were discussing in our forums earlier this month. Can the PS3 even handle Diablo III? Well the answer is: sort of. In order to make the game playable on the aging system, the game is comparable to the low settings you’d find on the computer. Your character is noticeably pixelated around the edges, although it was more noticeable for me as the demo monitor’s proximity was much closer than your average TV sitting distance.

However, even at “low” PC settings, Diablo III still looks like a great game for this generation. Diablo III is less about maxing out your system with high resolution textures and breathtaking lighting effects and more about just wrecking absolute havoc on your enemies. In this aspect, Diablo III on the PS3 succeeds. It’s no visual feat, but that’s not what the console version is trying to bring to our living rooms.

Mob Density 

In order to achieve the desired performance levels, even with toned-down graphics, it seems that Blizzard has also reduced the total amount of enemies in any one particular area. The PAX East demo had me running around Act III’s Fields of Slaughter, usually an area highly saturated with monsters.

Unfortunately this wasn’t the case in the console version. I found myself brawling with only a few enemies here and there. There was, without a doubt, a significant decrease in the amount of enemies present. One of the toughest challenges in Diablo III is being able to successfully crowd control and it’s looking like that sort of challenge won’t exist on the console.

You may be quick to point out that this could be a design choice since you’re using a controller vs. a keyboard and mouse. However to test another theory, that it was a technical limitation – I attempted to group up a large number of monsters. When I had thought I had grouped up a decent amount I proceeded to do away with them. In doing so the frame rate seemingly dropped below 30fps without much effort. So is it possible that this is a technical limitation or could it also be a result of a game deisgn choice in favor of console controls?

Update: In an interview at PAX East, Lead Designer Josh Mosqueira talked about this very topic. Mosqueira has stated that it was a design choice with the control scheme in  mind. He also states that the monsters are more staggered and not reduced in number – that personally wasn’t my experience in the game. There were significantly less in total.

Controls

The console controls were surprisingly accurate and responsive. While I cannot comment on some of the more “mouse demanding” classes of the Wizard and Demon Hunter, the Barbarian class seemed to be specifically tailored for such gamepad controlling.

The character’s skills are mapped to the controller’s face buttons as well as R1 and R2 buttons. Players can utilize a potion with one of the left triggers as well. Navigation is handled with the left analog with a dodge ability dedicated to the right analog. The dodge ability will be more likely suited for kiting classes rather than the barbarian I played.

User Interface

In bringing the world of Sanctuary to consoles, Blizzard has restructured the user interface and menu systems. In my short time with the game’s menu system and interface it seems that Diablo III is being “dumbed down.” Blizzard has already come out in saying that this isn’t the case but I can’t help but feel like it is.

When you pick up an item that your character can equip a small graphic indicator pops up (shown above) that shows whether or not it increase or decreases any of your characters three core stats – vitality, armor and damage. While it’s a nice addition, you still have to pick up the item to determine whether or not it is worth keeping. On the PC side you are able to look at the items full stats prior to even picking it up (unless of course it is unidentified).

When picked up, items are automatically classified into different areas of your inventory system. Items which you cannot equip are stored in their own separate group while all those you can equip are stored in their respective areas. It’s an interesting system but one that will definitely have a steeper learning curve than the PC counterpart.

Enjoyable?

From the above text it looks like I’m not a huge fan of Diablo III on the PS3. That’s partially true. The seemingly lackluster graphics and mob density issues are technical limitations that can’t be ignored. The user interface is simplified and lacks in functionality comparable to the PC version.

However I think that Diablo III may fit perfectly on consoles. The Barbarian class played incredibly well with the controller and felt like it meant to be played with a controller. As an experienced and avid Diablo fan I can also say that the removal of the real-money auction house will also not be missed. It has ruined the market economy on the PC and made acquiring gear less of skill and dedication and more of how big your wallet is.

The PC version also has been going through somewhat of an identity crisis on how it is to be played. The game shipped with no dueling functionality, an inferno difficulty that was conquered too quickly, loot exploits and a poor endgame. Several PC patches later and we’re almost at a “final” version of Diablo III – something the console versions of the game will, without a doubt, benefit from.

Diablo III is currently scheduled to arrive on the PS3 and next-generation PS4 consoles. No other console announcements have been made but rumors are expecting other console support to be announced as well in the future.

Comparatively, the GeForce Titan has 2688 CUDA cores, a 384-bit memory bus, 6 GB of GDDR5. Therefore, this card is looking like a slight downgrade, at least on paper. It would however, fill the price gap nicely between the $500 GTX680 and $1000 Titan, especially if Nvidia has a second cut-down variant ready, like a GTX770.

The card will reportedly launch around July to August. Unfortunately, we wouldn’t expect Nvidia to price these too aggressively unless AMD has new cards in the pipeline as well.

“name”: “Trophy001″,
“defaultvalue”: 0,
“displayName”: “Chapter I”,
“hidden”: 0,
“description”: “Defeat the Ice Titan”,
“icon”: “http://media.steampowered.com/steamcommunity/public/images/apps/234080/2cda3e43e63ff76096c35852623863e2055b9c7d.jpg”,
“icongray”: “http://media.steampowered.com/steamcommunity/public/images/apps/234080/64a092ff34e0dd52f703acc479cc64934ac45abf.jpg”
},
{
“name”: “Trophy002″,
“defaultvalue”: 0,
“displayName”: “Chapter II”,
“hidden”: 0,
“description”: “Get the Dark Gauntlet”,
“icon”: “http://media.steampowered.com/steamcommunity/public/images/apps/234080/4365ca1debc2b2ad827ce968515f4fb6e2814f49.jpg”,
“icongray”: “http://media.steampowered.com/steamcommunity/public/images/apps/234080/649cc3c015f2e80d07657e6e85df464a7e8f162d.jpg”
},
{
“name”: “Trophy003″,
“defaultvalue”: 0,
“displayName”: “Chapter III”,
“hidden”: 0,
“description”: “Acquire the power of the first Dark Lord”,
“icon”: “http://media.steampowered.com/steamcommunity/public/images/apps/234080/d800633fefa3f95e32637b0ff2cac4e9e5874a7c.jpg”,
“icongray”: “http://media.steampowered.com/steamcommunity/public/images/apps/234080/291ac95baa86a01ea9a4f8e348163a9f32b07330.jpg”
},
{
“name”: “Trophy004″,
“defaultvalue”: 0,
“displayName”: “Chapter IV”,
“hidden”: 0,
“description”: “Kill the Crow Witch”,
“icon”: “http://media.steampowered.com/steamcommunity/public/images/apps/234080/95eb202d6064cf61f4ed990001a1ba1d3618a0ad.jpg”,
“icongray”: “http://media.steampowered.com/steamcommunity/public/images/apps/234080/66c4d0be00bd652e98303f4ca0a894de66855a36.jpg”
},
{
“name”: “Trophy005″,
“defaultvalue”: 0,
“displayName”: “Chapter V”,
“hidden”: 0,
“description”: “Gain access to the Vampire Castle”,
“icon”: “http://media.steampowered.com/steamcommunity/public/images/apps/234080/df953d73ec616cf96add77e0ee26d5d99ddcf156.jpg”,
“icongray”: “http://media.steampowered.com/steamcommunity/public/images/apps/234080/5398ec235c8d1cef5e82dac48f13ca23b9937789.jpg”
},

There you have it, looks like we’ll see the original Castlevania: Lords of Shadow on Steam at some point. The console versions suffered from a sluggish frame rate which marred the experience for some, which obviously will be a non-issue on PC. Here’s hoping an official announcement isn’t too far off.

That said, Microsoft is still denying any existence of a port.

“We currently do not have plans to release any Halo titles on Steam, nor do we currently have plans to release a PC version of Halo 3,” a spokesperson told Eurogamer.

Despite a complete denial, with the recent Age of Empires II announcement that seemingly came out of nowhere, we still wouldn’t be surprised if Halo receives similar treatment at this point.

You’ll also now find Steam-specific game pages complete with dedicated leaderboards, a recent player listing, and an up-to-date list of any added achievements. There’s still quite a few things on our to-do list, such as region-specific leaderboards and improved sorting options. That will come in the next few weeks, but in the meantime, if you have any feedback or bug reports, please sound off in the comments!

Following the sale of THQ assets earlier this year it was unclear how the release of Metro: Last Light would be affected. Today our concerns have been put to rest and Deep Silver has confirmed a May 14th release in the US and May 17th in Europe. The release is a simultaneous multi-platform release with the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Christofer Sundberg, CEO of Avalanche Studios, took to Instagram today to tease an image of what looks to be Just Cause 3. It has been nearly three years since the last entry in the series and the timing is just about right.

In the picture one may notice not one, but two new air vehicles. The one closest to Rico looks like it may even be a blimp while the one furthest away resembles a large military aircraft.

Previously Sunberg tweeted what was presumed to be another image of the game, along with words suggesting the title will be released this year:

We’re making awesome games at #avalanchestudios! This year will be awesome! #yearoftheavalanche @… instagr.am/p/VrXdz6JwtU/

— Christofer Sundberg (@CHSundberg) February 13, 2013

A rough look at the differences between the final game and the demo

A critical light has been cast on the industry in the past week as both consumers and press have felt cheated by Aliens: Colonial Marines. The game, released on February 12th, received mostly negative reviews from the press. Most outlets criticized the game for its lackluster campaign, underwhelming graphics, and broken nature.

Normally this wouldn’t be a huge issue – we see previews of games all the time before they are released and are able to gauge a game before it hits store shelves. Even here at eXophase we have previewed a number of games well before they are released, especially around E3.

However, Aliens: Colonial Marines has played a rather deceptive game on us. Several news outlets were provided with closed-door previews (hands-off) of the game ahead of its release. These outlets would then return and write a preview of the game based on their experience. The reporters were told they were seeing “alpha” game code which was not representative of the final game. Whenever we hear this we always assume that the game may change, most likely for the better. This was not the case with Aliens: Colonial Marines.

Videogamer’s detailed looked at some of the differences

The demo provided to the press was apparently pre-scripted and pre-rendered footage. It did not represent accurate in-game footage like they were deceived to believe. The game’s particle effects, lighting, fog and shadows all portrayed a dark and tense atmosphere. In the final version of the game, many of these were either dialed down or removed completely  The game’s lighting was radically different, presenting an entirely different atmosphere than what was shown previously. Many particle effects were eliminated entirely as well.

Did you also know that you can clip through characters? Just walk right through any NPC in the game and you will find yourself inside of them. This is unacceptable, especially when coming from a veteran game development studio such as Gearbox Software.

In a growing industry which demands players to pre-order games to receive bonus in-game content, content that many think should be included with all purchases, deception like this is unacceptable. How do we know that the game we’ve been following for 5 years is going to deliver its promises, even with something as basic as the game’s fundamental atmosphere. We can’t even rely on the press previews to correctly represent the game.

We don’t usually talk about personnel matters for a number of reasons. There seems to be an unusual amount of speculation about some recent changes here, so I thought I’d take the unusual step of addressing them. No, we aren’t canceling any projects. No, we aren’t changing any priorities or projects we’ve been discussing. No, this isn’t about Steam or Linux or hardware or [insert game name here]. We’re not going to discuss why anyone in particular is or isn’t working here.

Jeri Ellsworth, a computer chip designer working on input devices for Valve projects first broke word of being let go from the company yesterday. News of several other departures hit the wire today, including HL2 character designer and TF2 art lead Moby Francke, as well as Steam business director Jason Holtman. The full list of impacted positions is below. While Ellsworth specifically mentioned being fired, it is not clear if all of those named were laid off or if some left on their own accord.

Moby Francke, Half-Life 2 character designer and Team Fortress 2 art lead
Jason Holtman, director of business development for Steam and Steamworks
Keith Huggins, character animator and animator for Team Fortress 2 “Meet the” video series
Tom Leonard, software engineer for Half-Life 2 and Left 4 Dead
Realm Lovejoy, artist for Half-Life 2, Portal, and Left 4 Dead. She was also part of the original DigiPen-turned-Valve team that created Narbacular Drop, the inspiration for Portal
Marc Nagel, test lead for Half-Life, Counter-Strike, and patch updates
Bay Raitt, animator for Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, and Portal
Elan Ruskin, engine programmer for Left 4 Dead, Portal 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Matthew Russell, animator for Team Fortress 2 “Meet the” video series

 

Thanks, Engadget.

While the particulars of her role at Valve are unknown for the most part, previous photos of her office space showed a prototype input device. Given her expertise as a self-taught computer chip designer, it’s not a stretch to say that she was likely working on innovative approaches to input for Valve’s Steambox.

Valve showed off prototype designs of the Steambox at CES earlier this year. Details are still very hush-hush however, as the company is in the process of pitching ideas to possible hardware partners. Last we heard, anyway.

Previously in beta, the Mac edition of Origin carries similar functionality to its PC counterpart. Like Valve’s Steam Play initiative, select EA titles purchased from Origin will work on both PC and Mac. A unified (Mac/PC) My Games library houses these titles for quick access.

To celebrate the launch, EA is running deep discounts on its The Sims franchise — all expansions and the base game can be had for 50 percent off.

Project Awakended seeks to revive a previously cancelled title from Midway Games which was code-named Project Hero before the studio got canned. The Kickstarter project was started by Phosphor Games Studio, a studio comprised of some former Midway members who worked on the Project Hero previously. The Kickstarter was started in an effort to allow for a full-time focus and staff to be placed on Project Awakened rather than being divided among other jobs the studio has to take in order to say afloat.

The game has a relatively simple concept – allow the player to craft their very own hero and abilities, progressing through the game the way that best suits their character’s chosen abilities. Ranging from melee combat to telekinetic powers the options are yours to choose.

The game will be built using Unreal Engine 4, Epic Game’s next-generation engine and is slated for an August 2014 closed beta test on the PC.

Today CD Projekt RED has revealed that a third, and final, entry into The Witcher series is being worked on and set for a 2014 release. The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt will feature a new mature, non-linear story with an open world environment.

The new open world environment is supposedly 30 times as large as the one found in The Witcher 2, all while maintaining the integrity of the game’s story line. No specific consoles were named except for “high-end platforms,” though GameInformer’s latest issue has confirmed that The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt will be coming to next-gen consoles.

For those interested in the series, GOG and Steam are currently selling the games at 50% off and Xbox 360 owners can find a permanent price cut for The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition by $10.

[Update: Gematsu has a breakdown of the game's new direction and features - courtesy of GameInformer's latest issue.]

Over the past year, Microsoft has brought over a few games to Steam, including Fable III and Age of Empires III. A belated release of the Halo titles might strike us as odd – especially with the way the company is pushing its Xbox Live storefront on Windows 8 – but certainly not out of character.

First spotted by NeoGAF, other notable listings exposed in the registry leak include Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition, Fez, Dyad, Quantum Conundrum 2, The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match, and Shadow Warrior Complete. Before Valve removed the entries, community hubs for Halo were accessible via Steam as well.

Judging from previous Steam leaks, we could be waiting awhile for these titles even if they do appear eventually, but it’s a glimmer of hope especially for those that have been waiting for more Halo on PC.

Delays for high-profile titles are hardly uncommon, especially when it comes to Rockstar. Still, the wait will likely be worth it once the game is in our hands. The lengthy development cycle of Max Payne 3 is a prime example.

Rockstar is calling GTA V its “deepest, most beautiful and most immersive world yet.” More information drops are promised over the next few months.

On Crysis 3′s Community Day Sean Tracey, Senior Field Applications Engineer for Crytek, took to the stage to show off some of the engine’s newest additions. The live demo of the SDK included a look at the new particle systems (shading/lighting), cloth handling, pixel accurate displacement mapping. lens effects, area lighting and volume fog shadows.

The folks over at Crysis-HQ managed to record close to 30 minutes of the demo for our enjoyment. The video was heavily focused towards the development crowd but consumers can still take a peek at the video and get a sense of what new things are coming in Crysis 3.

The most impressive portions came when Tracey showed off the new pixel accurate dispalcement mapping (PADM) which replaces tessellation for some objects, providing for increased in-game performance.There’s a lot in the video, and it provides some nice insight into some of the smaller details that are often overlooked in games.

Dead Space 3, according to Eurogamer, will feature micro-transactions within the game to improve player weapons. With the game’s new weapon crafting system, players will have to harvest resources to upgrade their weapons or, as the title suggests, use your hard earned cash in a micro-transaction. There’s no word on pricing yet and no “transaction-exclusive” items or resources.

Dead Space 3 is set to be released on February 5th and a demo is currently available on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.

Dirty Bomb, the next game from Brink developer Splash Damage, has received its first gameplay trailer. The trailer is of “pre-alpha multiplayer footage” and contains about three minutes of back and forth action in the war-torn streets of London. Unlike their previous mutli-platform game, Dirty Bomb is being developed as a free-to-play title for the PC.

If the pre-alpha footage was to your liking then you can proceed to the game’s webpage and sign-up for an account, which will preserve your name and put you in queue for the upcoming beta.

The third story-based content update for Darksiders 2 has been announced. Titled The Demon Lord Belial, the DLC will continue Death’s journey through a demolished Earth as he faces another twisted enemy.

If you’ve got a hankering for some more Darksiders 2 action, you’ll be glad to know that The Demon Lord Belial will launch tomorrow across multiple platforms. Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC versions of the add-on content will all pop up tomorrow for 800 Microsoft Points or $9.99. As per usual, season pass owners automatically receive the DLC without having to pay anything extra.

No word on the Wii U version of this DLC. That might be because at this point the Wii U doesn’t support DLC, which explains why that version of Darksiders 2 includes content packs right on the disc. Here’s hoping THQ addresses this situation in the near future and lets fans know if The Demon Lord Belial will be available on Nintendo’s latest platform.

Famed adventure game developer Telltale Games previously announced that the retail edition of The Walking Dead would launch on December 4 across Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. For those keeping track, that’s tomorrow — it’s not launching tomorrow after all, so please don’t go out to buy it. There, I just saved you from looking foolish. You’re welcome.

Thankfully, you won’t have to wait too long to get your hands on the collected edition of this highly successful and immensely popular take on comic creator Robert Kirkman’s wonderful brainchild. Telltale has confirmed that The Walking Dead will scratch and bite its way to retailers next week on December 11.

The collection will be priced at $29.99, though a GameStop-exclusive Collector’s Edition bundle, which is being sold in limited quantities and comes with a compendium collecting the first 48 issues of the comic book, will run you $69.99. Additionally, Best Buy will feature a variant cover for all platforms and is the only place you can snag the PC version. Because during a zombie apocalypse, a few options are nice.

The internet is in a frenzy yet again. What was it, two minutes since the last outburst? The box art for 2K Games and Irrational Games’ upcoming BioShock Infinite has been unleashed on the good ol’ internet, and people don’t seem very happy about it. Actually, that may be an understatement.

As you can see from the full cover art below, we’ve got protagonist Booker DeWitt holding a shotgun while the American flag burns behind him. A lot of people have been drawing comparisons between this box art and the first Uncharted, and I’ll give them that — that’s actually a valid comparison.

What I don’t understand is the crazy negative reception the artwork has received. I mean, it’s just cover art, right? Personally, I don’t even think it’s that bad, but if I did, I wouldn’t riot on the web. You don’t see Call of Duty fans complaining about every single hideously boring cover that those games sport. Then there’s Skyrim, one of the greatest games this generation, which only featured a title and a symbol on a black background. Not very exciting.

Seriously, people are making too big a deal about this. Then again, first world problems and all that …

Edmund McMillen recently announced that The Binding of Isaac, his hit roguelike shmup project from 2011, was confirmed for release on consoles. As expected, the indie gaming community flooded the Super Meat Boy developer with questions regarding the game, which he also stated would feature a brand new 16-bit look and a bonus expansion.

McMillen took to his blog and addressed several queries, in the process revealing more details on the aptly titled The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. According to the designer, Nicalis (who’s worked on Cave Story and VVVVVV ports in the past) will be handling the development of Rebirth. Thus far, the game is set to land on PlayStation 3, Vita, and Steam, and the company is in talks with Microsoft and Nintendo. Additionally, an iOS version is being looked into, though nothing has been confirmed yet.

Rebirth will include the Wrath of the Lamb DLC that was released this year for the original PC version, and a brand new expansion will beef up the experience even more. A new ending, chapter, characters, and items are just a few of the content updates that are being teased. After seeing for myself just how much bigger the game could get with Wrath of the Lamb, I can only imagine the oodles of content that this new expansion will include.

As a fan of the original version of Isaac, I’m pretty stoked about this 16-bit remake. I’m especially looking forward to playing the game using a regular controller, and I can’t wait to jump into the local two-player co-op with a buddy. If you’re a fan of indie games, roguelikes, or shmups, I’d highly suggest watching out for Rebirth.

Back in September Memetic Games and Digital Tribes Games announced that they would be developing an updated version of Dementium 2, which originally launched on the DS in 2010, for PC and Mac. Back then, the Renegade Kid-developed horror FPS was praised for delivering a solid shooter experience on Nintendo’s original dual screen handheld.

The enhanced remake is being built on the Unity Engine, and it will support both Xbox 360 and mouse/keyboard configurations. A new trailer was released for the game, and it looks, well, kind of cheesy, to be honest. But seriously, that may not be a bad thing. Check it out for yourself.

Truth be told, I actually find the trailer a bit endearing. It has a distinct ’90s charm to it. Visually, Dementium 2 on PC and Mac doesn’t appear to be a graphical powerhouse, but it certainly looks like a game that would’ve creeped some folks out a few years ago. I’m not going to count it out yet, because the game proved to be quite enjoyable on the DS, so it’s likely that PC and Mac players will also be treated to a joyfully chilling title.

At the very least, it would be cool if we got a pleasantly campy game that’s fun to play.

The internet community has banded together once more for justice and equality! No longer do people want to be demoralized! No longer will they stand idly by as their dreams are crushed! The time for change is now! Rockstar Games, the people have spoken, and they want Grand Theft Auto 5 on PC!

Seriously, does anyone else think it’s kind of silly that a petition for a PC version of Grand Theft Auto 5 has been started? I mean, even though the game has only been announced for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 thus far, it’s highly likely that PC gamers will also get a chance to check out the next venture into crime and car theft from Rockstar.

Some folks may argue that Grand Theft Auto 4 wasn’t as strong on PC as it was on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. While that argument is certainly valid, Max Payne 3 proved that Rockstar can develop one hell of a PC title that’s on par with its console brethren.

The petition currently boasts a whopping 70,000 signatures, and it’s roughly 30,000 signatures away from its goal. If you agree that “GTA is an amazing PC game and the idea of it not being on PC is a mistake,” you might want to join this internet movement. Personally, I’m already expecting a PC version of Grand Theft Auto 5, so I will do no such thing.

Bethesda and Arkaine Studios have announced that the first DLC pack for Dishonored will land on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on December 11. Titled Dunwall City Trials, the add-on will sport an attractive price tag of 400 Microsoft Points or $4.99.

Dishonored players who download the DLC will be treated to 10 challenge maps. Multiple skills and gameplay styles will be put to the test, and players will be tasked with utilizing multiple abilities and weapons.

Dunwall City Trials will be the first of three planned add-on content packs. The next two, due out in 2013, will be story-based, and the first of those is set to launch sometime in spring.

People have been wondering whether BioShock Infinite will feature a multiplayer component. Rumors have been popping up on the good ol’ internet, leading many to believe that some modes had been removed from the final game. So what’s the final story on multiplayer in Infinite? According to series creator, writer, and designer Ken Levine, there will be no multiplayer functionality in the game.

Some folks are bound to be disappointed after hoping that this feature would’ve been included in Infinite. Others, however, seem to be fine with the omission considering the BioShock series is a strong single-player franchise. Personally, I just want to check the game out for myself because it looks pretty rad.

It should be noted that BioShock 2 introduced multiplayer to the series. This feature was well received by fans, so it makes sense that a few individuals aren’t very pleased about the lack of multiplayer in Infinite. Either way, if you fancy yourself a BioShock lover or just a steampunk aficionado, you can expect Infinite on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC in February 2013.

Can’t get enough Borderlands 2? Well, you’re in luck, because 2K Games and Gearbox Software have launched the latest round of story DLC for the game. Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage was made available today across the Xbox Live Marketplace, PlayStation Store, and Steam.

As previously explained, Torgue is one of the many weapons manufacturers in the world of Borderlands 2. Considering the main game is already partially about awesome weaponry, it’s kind of cool to see that an entire DLC pack was dedicated to an in-game arms dealer.

Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage is available for download now. You can snag it on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC versions of Borderlands 2 for 800 Microsoft Points or $9.99.

I think we can all agree that online passes are just plain dumb, right? That’s why it’s great to know that a publisher like IO Interactive has decided to refrain from including the feature (read: setback) from one of the more anticipated games of the year.

Hitman: Absolution (which was recently reviewed by Conan O’Brien) will launch with its online Contracts mode completely free to play for everyone. That means if you buy a used copy of the game, you’ll still get to enjoy it in its complete form. That’s definitely a nice move on the part of IO. “We’d actually planned to have this mode accessible via a code in the game’s box, but we really want to make it available to anybody that plays the game — so we want to take a new approach,” stated the developer.

Early copies of Absolution will still contain those nasty online passes, but you can enjoy the game without them. IO explained that players outside of North America will have to redeem the passes to unlock Contracts. That said, if you don’t own a pass, you can access the mode through the “buy Contracts pass” option, where you’ll be able to snag the component for free.

It’s great to see one of the year’s biggest titles disregarding online passes. Here’s hoping more publishers and developers follow suit. Seriously, those damn things are just gross.

Update: The Closed Beta has officially wrapped up – thanks to all those who participated.

A few months ago we teamed up with Mechanist Games for the alpha release of its promising browser-based MMORPG City of Steam. The title will officially hit beta status tomorrow, and we’ve got a slew of keys up for grabs that can be redeemed starting now through December 28. Simply post a comment below and we’ll automatically send a key to the email associated with your Exophase.com account within the next few minutes.

Specific dates and instructions on how to redeem are included after the break. The keys provided can be used across all four phases of the beta test.

Chock full of content, City of Steam aims to break new ground in the browser-based gaming space. The game features extensive character and weapon customization, branching storylines, along with 10 races and 4 classes. Additionally, more is on the way, we’re told.

The dev team also plans to incorporate more features based on community involvement — those interested can check out the Steam-o-Meter page for more info.

How to redeem your key:

1. After getting your Beta key, head to the City of Steam website here .
2. Register an account (or sign in if you already have one), copy/paste your Beta Key, click the register/sign-in button, then click on the ‘Play Now’ button and test out City of Steam’s Closed Beta release (or if the test is not yet up, your key will be safely activated and ready for when the game goes live).
3. Enjoy!

The Closed Beta Test will run through 4 periods: Nov. 16-20, Nov. 30-Dec. 4, Dec. 14-18 and Dec. 23-28, starting on Fridays (except for the last test, which runs from Saturday to the following Friday) at 19:00 PST (22:00 EST) and lasting until Tuesdays at 00:00 PST (03:00 EST). Keep your key in a safe place if you’ve received one early. Beta starts soon!
Each Beta season will be chock full of events and activities that will give players a chance to win cool swag and in-game extras. This is still a Closed Beta version, so be sure to help out the developers by reporting bugs on the forum and getting involved with the community. City of Steam strives on community-driven development from input from players like you!

If you would like to support the development further and get some cool extras at the same time, head to the Support Us section of the website.

Note: One account can only activate one single Beta key code.

For those who may be unaware, Conan O’Brien runs a segment on his show titled Clueless Gamer. In the past, Conan has reviewed titles such as Skyrim, Resident Evil 6, Minecraft, Just Dance 4 and Michael Phelps: Push the Limit.

The talk show host has made no attempt to call himself a video game expert. In fact, he’s openly expressed that he’s not really into video games. Regardless of that fact, publishers continue to send him review copies of their games, and the results are hilarious every single time.

The latest game to appear on Clueless Gamer is Hitman: Absolution from Square Enix and IO Interactive. The game is due out on November 20 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, but you can get an early (and incredibly funny) look at the game now as Conan gives his insight on the stealth-action title.

For many, Conan has long been considered one of the greatest things to happen to comedy. Now he’s one of the greatest things to happen to video games. Is it weird that I want to play Absolution mostly because it looks so damn hilarious?

It’s been quite the lengthy road leading up to this point, but Telltale Games has announced that The Walking Dead will reach its season finale soon. Titled The Walking Dead: Episode 5 – No Time Left, the final chapter in this wildly successful adventure game series will come to a halt next week.

The game will launch on the PlayStation Network on November 20. Xbox Live Marketplace, PC, Mac, and iOS versions will follow shortly the next day. Because ya know, if you’re going to have a zombie apocalypse, you might as well spread it evenly across all gaming platforms.

No Time Left was preceded by four truly riveting chapters of zombie lore and tough decisions. Each game managed to get more tense and, to put it bluntly, really effed up, providing an experience that fans were quick to jump into.

After the upcoming season finale’s launch, you really have to wonder how long it’ll take for Telltale to continue the series with a second season.

Grand Theft Auto 5 details have been trickling in lately, slowly revealing more about the game’s characters, mechanics, and plot. Last week, we found out that Rockstar Games’ upcoming open world action-adventure game would star not one, but three protagonists. Now, the title’s second trailer has formally introduced us to these charming lads.

From the looks of it, this definitely seems to be Rockstar’s biggest venture into the Grand Theft Auto universe. Each of the three main characters has his own agenda and background. Judging from the trailer, a common goal will unite these three men, making for quite the interesting tale of crime, killing, and deception.

Aside from helicopter explosions, train-hopping, and jumping off airplanes, there are some nice narrative details revealed in the trailer. If you were skeptical about Grand Theft Auto 5 like I was, this trailer may just change your mind. 2013 couldn’t come soon enough.

Tomb Raider is due out in North America on March 5, 2013, and Crystal Dynamics has revealed the contents of the upcoming Collector’s Edition, which is available for pre-order and will be priced at $99.99. This Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 bundle will include:

• Lara Croft action figure with three sets of alternate hands (say what?!)
• Endurance Survival Kit tin
• 15″ x 19″ reversible poster/map
• 5″ x 7″ lithograph print
• Soundtrack CD
• Iron-on shield patches
• Weapons Pack DLC

For PC owners, details surrounding the Collector’s Edition are currently pending. That said, you can pre-order the game on Steam for $44.99. A higher number of pre-orders unlocks different reward tiers, so if you’d rather get some hefty digital content as opposed to tangible goodies, this may be the way to go.

So who’s pre-ordering Tomb Raider?

What’s the deal with Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6: Patriots? Well, it’s still in development, apparently. Accordiong to Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, the game may even be headed to the next wave of consoles.

The development of Patriots became a bit rocky when three developers left the team. As a result, the process hasn’t been as smooth as Ubisoft would’ve hoped for. That said, the game is most definitely still a thing, which should please tactical shooter fans looking forward to the anti-terrorism-themed title.

The lengthy development time seems to have resulted in Patriots possibly becoming a next-gen title. Polygon asked Guillemot if this was the case, and he responded that “there’s a good chance it can be.”

When Patriots does launch, it’ll task players with making tough moral choices in-game such as deciding whether certain characters live or die. “You have to make decisions and that implies lots of ethical choices,” said Guillemot. “But that’s what is interesting with the concept — being able to give a choice to the person who is playing.”

After Doom 3: BFG Edition landed on Steam last month, the original version of the game was removed from Valve’s digital distribution service. This resulted in a negative reaction among fans as BFG Edition isn’t exactly the mod-friendly title that the original game was.

Now, though, a report from Rock Paper Shotgun indicates that the old school iteration of Doom 3 has been relaunched on Steam. What this means is that gamers can now go mod-crazy once more. To sweeten the deal, you can snag the combo pack which includes Doom 3 and the Resurrection of Evil DLC for $12.99.

The addition of this version of the game doesn’t mean BFG Edition is going anywhere. If you’d rather play the modernized revamp which also includes Doom and Doom 2, you can do exactly that. Yay for options!

Last week, Kalypso Media revealed that it was porting Sine Mora to PC this month. The game was previously available on Xbox Live Arcade where it launched to favorable reviews. Now we’re awaiting a PlayStation 3 and Vita release via the PlayStation Network.

If you’re a PC lovin’ individual, however, you can currently snag Sine Mora on Steam and Green man Gaming. The game is currently available for $9.99, though Green Man Gaming is offering it for a buck cheaper. Ya know, so you can buy some chips to munch on while you play.

Developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and Digital Reality, Sine Mora delivers hectic shoot ‘em up gameplay across a steampunk-inspired world. Here’s hoping we get some news on the PlayStation Network version in the near future.

For a while now PlayStation 3 owners have been wondering when and if they’ll get DLC for The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. The past several months have been rife with confusion and speculation, but now Bethesda has addressed the fans’ concerns. Well, kind of. It’s really more like an update of an update.

The company took to Twitter and announced that add-on content for both the PlayStation 3 and PC versions of Skyrim wasn’t very far off. “To update: we’re also close on new Skyrim content for PS3 and PC,” tweeted Bethesda.

While that particular update may be fairly ambiguous, it’s still better than a previous announcement Bethesda made where it stated that the content might never be available on the PlayStation 3. Here’s hoping fans do get new content as it’s a total shame that PlayStation 3 users got the short end of the bargain with Dawnguard.

It was a bit surprising for a lot of individuals finding out that Q-Games would release its next game solely on PC. After years of being a well-known PlayStation brand, PixelJunk will feature a game exclusive to PC. Tentatively titled PixelJunk 1-6, the game’s details are still under wraps. Q-Games, however, decided to explain just why it chose the PC this time around.

“People quickly jump to the conclusion that we’re jumping ship from PSN but we’re simply a very experimental company (we even have a Facebook version of PixelJunk Monsters!),” said Q-Games head Dylan Cuthbert in a statement to Eurogamer.

The studio’s president went on to reaffirm that there are no intentions to move away from Sony platforms, especially considering the fact that there are currently eight PixelJunk titles available on the PlayStation Network. “And for the slightly different development/publication approach we wanted to try and take for 1-6 Steam seemed most appropriate. Given our history with Sony I think people are being rather hasty in thinking ‘Q is jumping ship’ or other such nonsense.”

I had no idea people were losing sleep over this whole PixelJunk 1-6 business. I mean, sure, I thought it was a bit odd that Q-Games was developing a PC-only title, but I guess I didn’t think much of it. Whatever the project turns into as its development continues, I really hope its a solid product like the developer has become known for delivering.