‘Dead or Alive Dimensions’On 3DS Requires Just One Finger To Play» MTV Multiplayer

The"Dead or Alive"series seems like it has always gotten a bad rap. Out of all of the fighting franchises on the market, it comes off as the least respectable for a series of reasons. If you look past the over-the-top story lines and the jiggle physics, and focus solely on the gameplay,"DOA"has a reputation as a button masher (I've always suspected it's the subject of theall time best comedy bit about video games). However, in a few months, when"Dead or Alive Dimensions"hits the 3DS, it looks like the series is going to evolve into a screen masher.

Yesterday in New York City, where"Dead or Alive Dimensions"was shown off just feet from"Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition,"the two fighting games showed off simplistic, touch screen-based controls. However, there was one fundamental difference between the two; you couldn't play a whole match only using the analog circle and the touch screen in"SSFIV3DE,"but you could in"DOA."

When playing"Dimensions"the lower screen displays your character's move list, showing off the button strokes for each individual attack; alone this isn't too out of the ordinary. However, if you touch one of the moves during a battle, your character will perform that attack, and they can do itas many times as you want. Spamming is old hat for newcomers to any fighting game, but at least prior to"Dimensions"you had to be able to figure out what each of the buttons did. Now it's as simple as picking your move from a list and waiting for an opportunity.

For an in-depth breakdown of the controls, complete with video, check outKotaku's demonstrationfrom a Tecmo Koei representative, and you'll get a better sense of the touch screen controls.

Increasing a game's accessibility always seems to come at some cost, and in this case, it seems like it is lowering the bar so low that anyone that can tap their finger has a fighting chance at taking down their opponents. This control scheme options obviously isn't going to ruin the reputation of"Dead or Alive,"but I think it is going to make it a heck of a lot harder for longtime fans of the series, like myself, to not losing to our girlfriends because they're repeatedly hitting the same move on the screen.

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Nintendo 3DS Announcement Liveblog» MTV Multiplayer

We're here in downtown New York City, waiting to hear the last remaining secrets on Nintendo's next handheld, the Nintendo 3DS. All the action starts at 9am EST, so keep checking back, as we'll be updating this blog nonstop throughout the presentation!

9:00AM EST
Reggie Fils-Aime, the president of Nintendo of America, takes the stage! Oh dear, the teleprompter appears to not be working, so he's blaming Michael Pachter instead.

Ah, we're up and running."This is going to be a big day for Nintendo.""The opening of a vast new world in 3-D entertainment."

Reggie is walking through the major Nintendo moments in modern gaming. Super Mario 64, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, etc..."The next big step in the modern era of video games: The Nintendo 3DS."

9:08

"You adjust the 3D to meet your needs. One size doesn't have to fit all."Reggie detailing the"pay-offs"to 3-D.

"The first, obviously, is games.""We've always seen ourselves as a much larger entertainment industry."Reggie touting the games, videos and ability to take 3-D photos.

"Will drive connected experience like no Nintendo device before!"

Revealing price, launch date, launch games today.

3DS will come in two colors, blue and black, at launch.

9:12

Showing a reel of the 3DS and all of its tech details. SD memory card slot, slot for both DS and 3DS games.

Analog circle pad"opens up new worlds."Built in accelerometer and gyroscope. System packed with its own charging cradles.

New"home"button basically acts as a guide button, even while the game pauses in the background.

3D depth slider allows you to adjust 3D as much as you like.

So far, nothing terribly earth-shattering. Mostly stuff that was revealed at E3 last year.

9:16

Reggie moving on to talk about the launch games. Ok, here comes some news! Keep in mind that not all of these are launch day titles. They may be"launch window,"which could last a few weeks or months beyond launch.

Pilotwings Resort
Set on the same island as Wii Fit and Wii Sports Resort.

Nintendogs + Cats
"Not only does the fur look absolutely pettable..."Yes, Reggie just said that.

Steeldiver
Submarine game that was first shown as a tech demo for the Nintendo DS. Now it's a full 3DS title. Look through the periscope and rotate your body to spin the periscope, using the gyroscope.

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Improved graphics and 3D visuals, natch.

Kid Icarus Uprising

9:21

Reggie introducing the 3rd party titles that'll be here at the event.

Dead or Alive Dimensions
Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D
Madden NFL Football 3D (Peter Moore -"Bringing it into a more simplistic manner.")
Super Street Fighter 4 3D Edition
Asphalt 3D
Combat of Giants
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D
Ridge Racer 3D
Lego Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars

LAUNCH WINDOW = The weeks between the launch of the 3DS and E3

More than 30 games to launch in that period."Sports, action, shooter, fighter, family, racing, RPG.""All available at or very soon following launch day."

Activity Log that tracks physical movement and virtual action
Which games you've played and for how long.
Walking earns"play coins"to acquire bonus content

Mii Maker
Let's you take a picture and create a Mii automatically
Miis are collected in Street Pass mode wirelessly

Face Raiders
Pre-installed game. Inserts your own picture into a shooting game.

AR Games
Games played with the VR cards that come packed with the system.

Enhanced internet browser& 3D video player

Same audio software included on DSi is pre-installled.

Simple System Online updates will come to update the firmware after purchase.

Friend Code Update
Only one code necessary and you only need to register it once. It's hardware specific, not software specific. So it's the same code for every game you play.

Street Pass
Connects 3DS systems while in sleep mode or while you're playing another game. Exchanges game data automatically.

Spot Pass
Basically indicates when you're connected to WiFi.

None of these transfers occur unless you want them to.

Nintendo E-Shop
Steady progression of Game Boy and Game Boy Color hits will come, in addition to new downloadable content titles. Showing off the updated store. Watch 3D videos of games."Simpler, smoother and more robust."

More than 5,000 interactive units will be set up to give retailers a sample of how the 3DS works. Attempting to reach 400,000 during an 8 week launch campaign.

WHEN AND HOW MUCH?

PRICE: $249
RELEASE DATE: March 27, 2011

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Bizarre Creations Gets Closure Recommendation From Activision» MTV Multiplayer

It's always sad to see a video game development studio close up shop, especially when said developer has been a uniquely creative force within the industry. Yet that's exactly what seems to be happening with"Project Gotham Racing"and"Geometry Wars"developer Bizarre Creations.

Following Activision's unsuccessful attempts to sell the Liverpool-based studio, the publisher has issued a recommendation that Bizarre close up shop, Developreports. An unnamed Activision executive further said that the team at Bizarre will accept Activision's recommendation. Sad days.

Bizarre was established in 1994, and they launched a number of successful series' before Activision scooped them up in 2007:"Formula 1,"which was a best-seller in Europe,"Project Gotham Racing,""Geometry Wars"and"Fur Fighters."They put out a couple of solid titles following the Activision acquisition, including"Boom Boom Rocket"and combo-driven third-person shooter"The Club,"but nothing that captured gamer's heart the way the company's earlier efforts had.

Bizarre had two solid console releases last year: the action-focused third-person shooter"James Bond 007: Blood Stone"and the gorgeous arcade racer"Blur."Sadly, the pair of fun-but-not-blockbuster releases weren't enough and now we have to bid the studio adieu.

Activision Worldwide Studios CEO Coddy Johnson told Develop that the publisher had"looked at all options"before issuing their recommendation."I want to be clear,"he said."Our first choice was to try and keep this group together and find a buyer for the studio."Johnson promised that outgoing employees will be treated fairly and given access to counseling and placement services, but the tough choice ultimately had to be made."This decision comes after a few months of exhausted examination of a number of different options across the board."

It's a bummer to be sure. The great thing about working in the video games field -- particularly on the development side -- is that it's only getting bigger. As the medium continues to grow in popularity, more jobs are created. And just because the Bizarre name looks like it will cease to exist, there's no reason a core of the group's most talented creative couldn't stay together. The rest snowballs from there, or doesn't, as it always goes in business.

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Nintendo 3DS Launch Games List Offers Variety, Lacks Zelda And Kid Icarus» MTV Multiplayer

Today unleashed many theretofore unknown details on the launch of the Nintendo 3DS, including the price ($249) the release date (March 27, 2011) and the list of launch games. Well,"launch window"games. We're not clear on the games that'll be available right at the system's launch, but Nintendo did release a list of games that'll release sometime between March 27 and the start of E3 in early June. Apparently that list will include at least 30 games, but right now, Nintendo is only confirming the following:

Pilotwings Resort
Nintendogs + Cats
Steel Driver
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked
Super Street Fighter 4 3D Edition
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D
Madden NFL Football
The Sims 3
Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D
Lego Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars
Ridge Racer 3D
Dual Pen Sports
Super Monkey Ball 3D
Thor: God of Thunder
Crush 3D
Bust-a-Move Universe
Samurai Warriors: Chronicles
Dead or Alive Dimensions
Asphalt 3D
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Shadow Wars
Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 3D
Rayman 3D
Rabbids Travel in Time

So that's 24 titles, with at least 7 still to be named. What's missing from that list are two of the most anticipated 3DS games, though."Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D"and"Kid Icarus: Uprising"are both listed by Nintendo as titles that are"in the works,"along with"Star Fox 64 3D,"and new Mario Kart, Animal Crossing and Paper Mario games.

Sure, you could argue that"Kid Icarus"and"Legend of Zelda"are among those missing 7, but why then would Nintendo list them out separately from the launch window games? Sounds a lot like both will be missing the window, relegated to summer and beyond.

It's a shame, because, at present, Nintendo doesn't seem to have a killer first-party game for the first couple months of its new handheld's lifecycle. It's a rarity for Nintendo, which is always front in center, software-wise, when they launch new hardware. It's not to say that"Pilotwings,""Nintendogs + Cats"and"Steel Driver"are bad games, but they're certainly not the games Nintendo fans are likely clamoring for.

We'll be speaking with Nintendo tomorrow morning about some of our remaining questions, but if you have anything you're dying to know, let us know in the comments or onTwitterand we'll be sure to answer some of them.

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‘Dead Space 2′Dev Diary Explores Multiplayer Necromorph Abilities» MTV Multiplayer

There are plenty of reasons to be excited about"Dead Space 2,"but the number one reason for many players is the addition of an online multiplayer mode to the game. While the story certainly looks like it's going to deliver, being able to duke it out in human vs. necromorph four-on-four match-ups adds immense replay value to the disc. Anewly released developer diaryfrom Electronic Arts' Visceral Games details each of the player-controllable necromorphs, which you can read about after the jump.

First up is the Pack, one of several new enemies in"Dead Space 2."Looking like a zombified adolescent with seriously long fingers (and only three per hand), the Pack is a quick little bugger who seems to excel at hit& run and kamikaze tactics.

Next comes the Lurker, the rodent-like critters which spout three dart-shooting tentacles from their... errr... posteriors. The long range of their dart attacks coupled with their ability to walk on walls and ceilings makes these guys excellent for those who prefer sniper roles. Sniping is a luxury humans do not have in"Dead Space,"given the fact that they're basically screwed and on the run, always.

Next up is another newcomer, the aptly named Puker. These guys are built for close-quarters action. They can puke at you (naturally), flail their arms wildly in a powerful-yet-ridiculous looking melee attack and stare you down with a special attack that slows all humans caught in their gaze. The safe recommendation seems to be that you should take Pukers out from a distance, but you just try playing it safe when one of these bastards pops up out of the vent in the floor directly behind you.

Finally there's the Spitter, our lone female necromorph. She strongly resembles the vanilla necromorphs that you fight through most of the first game: a humanoid being with extra-long arms that arc up over the head and then back down, ending in spiky talons. This appears to be your basic mid-range soldier class, with a quick ranged attack and decent melee.

Every necromorph player is also able to see outlines of human players through walls and make use of each maps many vents to scare the crap out of unsuspecting opponents with a vicious attack from behind. The necromorph classes all have one other ability in common: to jump into your face at close range and attack it ferociously. If you end up on the human side of an engagement, try to make sure that doesn't happen.

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‘Doom,’‘Maniac Mansion’Among 11 Classics Getting Postmortem Talks At GDC» MTV Multiplayer

One of our favorite collective pastimes as gamers is looking back on all of the great stuff we played in the before time, when"joystick"referred to the thing sticking out of the machine you shoved your quarters into. This year's Game Developer's Conference, which goes down in San Francisco between February 28 and March 4, will pay particular attention to that facet of our shared experience with 11 developer-hosted"classic"postmortems.

The idea is to put the developer of each of the 11 featured titles onto a stage and have him -- they're all dudes -- take questions on their work from the gathered attendees. It's a pretty all star lineup that the GDC planners have put together, including several of the show's own past (and present) Lifetime Achievement Award winners. For those of us who won't be able to make it to San Francisco, the 11 lectures will be filmed and made available for viewing on GDC's site sometime after the show closes.

Here's a breakdown of who will be speaking and for what, with GDC's own descriptions:

- Prince Of Persia (Jordan Mechner)
"Decades before it was a Hollywood film with tens of millions of dollars and hundreds of workers supporting its production, Prince of Persia was mostly the project of a single man. Jordan Mechner rotoscoped the game's fluid and realistic character animations, designed its difficult puzzles, crafted its thrilling sword-fighting combat, and penned its captivating story. He will present a postmortem discussion on the landmark cinematic platformer."

- Pac-Man (Toru Iwatani)
"More than just the man who created and designed Pac-Man, Toru Iwatani revolutionized an arcade industry filled with space shooters and Pong clones, introducing a new kind of game that was both immediately accessible and highly addictive. In this session, Iwatani will share how he created one of the world's most successful and beloved arcade games around a circle with a wedge sliced off."

- Elite (David Braben)
"When it launched over 25 years ago, Elite amazed science fiction fans with its interstellar missions presented with wireframe 3D graphics, eight galaxies to explore, and thousands of procedurally generated planets. Co-creator David Braben, a stalwart in the video game industry and founder/chairman of Frontier Developments, will discuss the genesis of the space-trading sim that went on to inspire titles like EVE Online, Freelancer, Wing Commander: Privateer, and many other sci-fi games."

- Another World/Out Of This World (Eric Chahi)
"Released across more than a dozen platforms since its 1991 debut, Out of This World (a.k.a. Another World) has long been a favorite among critics and sophisticated gamers alike for its cinematic cutscenes and atmospheric presentation. Out Of This World's creator Eric Chahi will reveal his process developing the innovative game and building its memorable scenes."

- Marble Madness (Mark Cerny)
"Mark Cerny is a legend in the games industry, working as a consultant, producer, and programmer on hits like Resistance, Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, Spyro the Dragon, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Before building that near-incomparable resume, though, he designed Atari's Marble Madness, the addictive and maddening arcade game that ate scads of quarters as players craved another spin of its trackball. Along with the game's catchy soundtrack and Escher-esque graphics, Cerny will share insights on how he designed the classic title."

- Doom (John Romero)
"Few games can match the ubiquity and legacy of Doom, the seminal first-person shooter that ushered in thousands of mods, clones, and successors. Programmer, game designer, level designer and Doom II final boss John Romero will deliver a postmortem on the game showing never-before-seen material, memorializing its immersive but nerve-wracking 3D environments, networked multiplayer deathmatches, Satanic imagery and themes, Barney WADs, exploding barrels, and BFG 9000."

- Pitfall! (David Crane)
"Pitfall! isn't just one of the most successful and cherished releases of the Atari 2600; it's also the game many immediately think of whenever the decades-old console comes up in a conversation. Industry legend David Crane, co-founder of Activision and Absolute Entertainment (A Boy and His Blob), will reminisce about Pitfall!'s vine-swinging hero Harry and the breakthrough game he famously designed with just a blank sheet of paper and 10 minutes of brainstorming."

- Bejeweled (Jason Kapalka)
"As one of the top most popular puzzle games of all time, Bejeweled and its spin-offs and sequels are everywhere. The man behind the addictive match-three game, PopCap co-founder and chief creative officer Jason Kapalka , will deliver a postmortem talk about designing the franchise that's seen more than 150 million downloads and sold over 25 million copies."

- Populous (Peter Molyneux)
"One of the first god games ever released, Bullfrog's Populous beguiled players with its premise of playing as an all-powerful divine being capable of shaping the earth. Populous' always entertaining designer Peter Molyneux, who went on to found Lionhead Studios, where he helped create the game's spiritual descendant Black& White and popular RPG series Fable, will talk about his work on the ground-breaking (and -raising and -lowering) isometric sim."

- Raid On Bungeling Bay (Will Wright)
"Before he became a household name with gamers, Will Wright created Raid on Bungeling Bay, a helicopter action/strategy title for the Commodore 64, NES, and and MSX. The unassuming game would serve as the inspiration for Wright's much, much, much more popular Sim City series, as it was during his tinkering with Raid on Bungeling Bay's editor that the designer discovered building complex cities was more fun and had more potential than destroying them."

- Maniac Mansion (Ron Gilbert)
"Cherished by adventure game fans and reviled by hamsters everywhere, Maniac Mansion was the first adventure game LucasArts developed on its SCUMM (Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion) platform - the beloved scripting engine used for subsequent classics like Sam& Max and the Monkey Island series. Ron Gilbert will talk about his work on Maniac Mansion, touching on the game's multiple endings, point-and-click interface and its oddball cast of characters."

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Behold The‘StarCraft’Equivalent of Deep Blue» MTV Multiplayer

"StarCraft"is insanely popular for a reason. Developer Blizzard crafted what many consider to be the perfect real-time strategy experience, with three perfectly balanced factions waging war and a robust AI engine that is capable of effectively juggling the array of options available to human players. That's how most of us see it anyway. The AI is no match for the world's top players, and that's where the StarCraft AI Competition comes in. This year, a group of students at UC Berkeley took the top prize for giving top human contenders a non-human foe to sweat about with their ominously named Berkeley Overmind.

This is where I'd normally make a Skynet crack, only ArsTechnicabeat me to itin the headline for a feature chronicling the birth of the Berkeley Overmind."StarCraft"was released in 1998, but the possibilities for a user-created AI model --"agent,"as it is formally referred to -- only sprung up in 2009 when Blizzard released the Brood War API, a toolkit designed for that very purpose. The 2010 StarCraft AI Competition was the first of its kind, which is what makes the Berkeley win so noteworthy.

The"Overmind"in the AI's name is a reference to the game's Zerg faction, which is what the Berkeley team's creation is built to control. The lengthy ArsTechnica article -- which, it should be noted, provides plenty of detail to bring the uninitiated up to speed -- explains in details how the Zerg mutalisk units came to form the backbone of the AI's success.

Mutalisks are powerful units in the game for what you spend on them, but the advantage is balanced by the fact that they are weak to area attacks and difficult to control in large numbers. Since an AI-controlled faction doesn't have to worry about the complexity of grand-scale micromanagement, the programmers set their efforts to exploiting this advantage.

The Berkeley Overmind builds elaborate threat maps based on enemy unit sightings -- oh yes, it does recon too -- and knowledge of attack damage and distance specifications for each unit. Using that, it is able to plot safe paths for units to travel along, alter those same paths on the fly as situations demand and, in effect, harness the full potential of a mutalisk swarm in ways that no human player could ever hope to.

It's a fascinating breakdown, not just of how one user-created AI toppled a top human contender, but also just in terms of exploring the general thought processes that unfold as a game's artificial intelligence is constructed. Definitely worth a read.

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A Sad, Creepy, Robotic Metroid-Vania For Your Friday» MTV Multiplayer

It's sad that not to many recent games have embraced the Metroid-vania model of gameplay, apart from"Shadow Complex"and, well,"Metroid: Other M."Granted, it's a lot of work to created a massive, explorable map and interesting power-ups, but dang if it isn't one of my favorite types of games. While we wait for major publishers to jump on the Metroid-vania bandwagon, indie developers are filling in the gaps nicely. Take, for example,"K.O.L.M."from Armor Games. It's a Flash game that manages to capture the exploration-heavy nature of Metroid while adding in a dose of depression and sniping of an unloving parent.

Many Metroid-vania games being with you collecting some basic ability like, say, Jump."K.O.L.M."goes one step further, as you begin the game as a robot without eyes or legs. Your vision is severely hampered and you can only move at a snail's pace. Stumbling around in a blurry jumble, you eventually stumble upon your eyes and legs and discover that it's up to you to collect the rest of your parts. It's all in an effort to please Mother, an unknown force who watches your actions on CCTV. In the text box at the bottom of the screen, she'll send you passive-aggressive messages, egging you on through your quest.

The gameplay isn't terribly unique for a Metroid-vania game, but the dark, depressing tone and haunting piano soundtrack give"K.O.L.M."its own feel. The whole adventure takes about a hour, making it a solid way to spend your lunch break. It's also a Flash game, so it'll run on most computers and is completely free.

Give it a shot and let me know what you think in the comments or onTwitter.

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‘Hook Worlds’Dev On The Joy Of Hats And The Death Of MMOs - Developer Pop Quiz #19» MTV Multiplayer

Developer Pop Quizis a weekly interview series in which we ask developers from around the industry the same 10 questions and post their responses.

Thanks to the App Store anyone can become a renowned game developer. Such is the case of Rocketcat Games' Kepa Auwae, who, along with some friends, designed, developed and published one of last year's App Store indie darlings,"Hook Champ."After releasing"Super QuickHook,"the best reviewed iPhone game in 2010 (according toMetacritic) and"Hook Worlds,"Kepa and his team are hard at work on their first RPG, but he had time to answer our questions in this week's Developer Pop Quiz.

Name:Kepa Auwae
Title:Owner/Developer
Company:Rocketcat Games
Job Description:Game and level design.
First title worked on:"Hook Champ,"October 2009
Most recent title worked on:"Hook Worlds"

What game has most influenced you, and why?
I couldn't pick one game, you're getting a big list. Roguelikes, for their randomized content and timelessness:"Nethack,""Dungeon Crawl."
Best FPS games for combat feel:"Doom,""Half-Life 1".
Games with great community (mod) content:"TF2,""Quake,""Half-Life,""Knytt Stories."
Favorite RPG games I want to borrow from some day:"Zelda 1,""Secret of Mana,""Fallout 1-2."Games with fancy hats:"TF2,"Pixeljam's game"Dino Run."
Inspiration for our first game series, the grappling hook trilogy:"Bionic Commando,""Dino Run."

What are you playing right now?
"Doom"mod called"Aeons of Death."It also adds so many weapons and monsters that I'm still finding new ones. It's almost like a roguelike, since the content's randomized and you really can't find everything in a single game.

What was your first break in the games industry?
Just thought I'd make a game a couple years ago, got a couple friends and made a team. App Store lets anyone make and sell a game, there's no barrier for entry. They'll even welcome people with no design experience. I guess that's kind of a double-edged sword, but it let us in.

What's the best advice you've ever gotten?
"Learn from the mistakes of others."

Where do you look for inspiration?
Other games, especially older ones. They're full of design lessons, unusual concepts, and cautionary tales that you can learn just from playing through them.

What's the biggest lesson you've learned about game development?
People really like hat customization in games. No joke.

What has been the low point of your career?
Well, when our first big game for the iPhone,"Hook Champ,"was nominated as a finalist for that year's IGF. The nomination itself was great, but due to a clerical error, it wasn't put on the finalist showcase for a few days. This caused game news sites to not cover it, so it was like the game didn't exist. That was pretty harsh.

What do you think is the biggest problem current games suffer from?
I think many games are too disposable. They're designed with no mod content tools in mind, no community involvement, no real replay value, no updates. You play them for however long they advertise on the back of their box, then they're designed to be thrown away until the sequel's out. This problem is why I started making games in the first place.

What is the most important thing that has happened to gaming in the last 10 years?
Steam, easily. If it was 20 years, I'd have said"Quake."Its popularization of server/client multiplayer, the incredible mod community that still has an impact to this day, and all the games and companies that have that one single game to thank for existing.

Where do you see gaming in 5 years?
I think developers will completely abandon MMOs and Social games, for the most part. Both genres were dead-ends, and they always allowed only one developer at a time to have any real success. Instead, most developers will make games with deep mechanics, designed for heavy replay value mixed with community content. These games will also strongly feature hat customization... top hats, bowlers, straw boaters. SO badass.

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‘Skyrim’Dev Details Dragon Shouts, Collectible Power Words That Will Make You Happy» MTV Multiplayer

Barring any surprise"Star Wars: The Old Republic"announcements, there is no question that"The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim"is my most-anticipated game of this year. The previous game,"Oblivion,"was for many the first indication of what could be expected from the current generation of gaming console. So it is with no small amount of excitement that we look forward to returning to Tamriel. The latest piece of information to emerge on the game covers a tool in your wandering hero's arsenal: Dragon Shouts.

The name is admittedly a little goofy, but you won't laugh at the power offered by this new ability system that exists as a complement to the game's magic. Every time you slay a dragon in the game -- which, you should note, probably means that there will be plenty to slay -- you absorb the soul of your kill, which is key to learning the powerful shouts, Game Informerreveals. You'll eventually come across walls inscribed with an ancient script, from which your Dragonborn hero will be able to pull out individual words.

Each shout is comprised of three words, and there are three levels to develop for every shout, with 60 words to collect and 20 shouts in all. Bethesda is keeping quiet on the full extent of the powers granted by each shout, but it could be anything from slowing down time to quickly closing the distance between yourself and a faraway enemy to... summoning a real, live dragon to do your bidding. My $60 was already as good as spent anyway, but I certainly won't complain about having the opportunity to lay waste to EVERYTHING with the aid of my trusty dragon.

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Nintendo Says Never To Justin Bieber’s‘Never Say Never’Movie» MTV Multiplayer

The soon-to-be 17-year-old pop star Justin Bieber flat-out did not exist yet when Nintendo unleashed their NES gaming console on the world back in the '80s, but that age gap isn't going to stop him from using the"Super Mario Bros."theme in his upcoming 3-D concert movie/life documentary"Justin Bieber: Never Say Never."No, what's going to stop Bieber from using a 15-second snippet of the insanely catch NES standard's theme music in the movie is Nintendo itself.

"Never Say Never"director John Chutweetedon Saturday,"aw C'mon Nintendo! Y won't u let us use the Mario theme for 15 secs in the@Justinbiebermovie...talk about free advertising passed up. Oops."

For starters, it ought to be said that there's precedent for having licensed Nintendo music in your movie. Edgar Wright pulled it off, with no less a game than"The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past,"in last year's amazing-but-horribly underseen comic book adaptation,"Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World."

Beyond that... look. I'm going to be the guy who says it. There will be others. There probably have been already. But I'll say it too. Bieber is a huge presence in pop culture today, no question. But he's no Nintendo. So I'm not sure that the publisher passing up on"free advertising"is much of a big deal.

We're still talking about the NES and the gaming devices that followed it today, and we'll be doing the same thing 20 years from now, only the Wii, DS and 3DS and who knows what else will also be involved in the conversation. I can't say where Mr. Bieber will be 20 years from now, but I can predict with a fair amount of certainty that he won't have been at the forefront of a musical revolution.

Prove me wrong, Beeb. Prove me wrong.

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‘Killzone 3′To Include‘SOCOM 4′Multiplayer Beta Access» MTV Multiplayer

"Killzone 3"is out on February 22, and even if you're already sold on bringing the fight back to the Helghast, Sony is still working to add more value to your purchase. You hear that?Even if you don't want free crap, free crap is exactly what you're going to get.Only this isn't crap. It's access to the"SOCOM 4"multiplayer beta.

The beta access will be offered to buyers of both the beefy Helghast Edition and standalone disc-in-a-box edition, so don't start trembling at the thought of having to shell out big money for the more expensive collector's set just to get your early"SOCOM 4"on. Therevealon the PlayStation Blog does note that the beta will only be included in"specially marked"copies of the game. That probably means all of them at launch, but be sure to look over your purchase and make sure when 2/22 arrives.

Here's what"SOCOM"developer Zipper Interactive's Chris Roper had to say:

To get early access to the beta, look for the 'SOCOM 4' callout on the front of all eligible copies of 'Killzone 3' (including both the standalone and Helghast Editions). Inside the box you’ll find a PSN code that you’ll be able to redeem for your early access as soon as the beta goes live. To find out when the 'SOCOM 4' multiplayer beta begins, be sure to check back at SOCOM.com once you pick up your copy of 'Killzone 3,' hitting shelves on February 22nd.

We’ll have more information on the 'SOCOM 4' multiplayer beta itself in the near future. For now, take a look at the callout for the beta on the awesome 'Killzone 3' box art!

So it sounds like the"SOCOM 4"beta won't be availablestartingon February 22, which means you'll have to hang onto that PSN code. Just don't do what I did with"Battlefield: Bad Company 2"and forget the code exists. Those things come armed with expiration dates.

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‘Chrono Trigger’Fanmade Sequel Keeps Franchise Alive» MTV Multiplayer

"Chrono Trigger"is widely hailed as one of the best -- if notthebest -- RPG of the 16-bit generation, largely because it is... well... kinda awesome. The world-saving adventures of Crono and his fellow time-travelers are instantly captivating, reaching past the primitive visuals of the time to deliver an affecting story that is packed with fun gameplay. A sequel followed in 2000,"Chrono Cross,"and it was equally well-received. There's been nothing since though, which brings us to"Crimson Skies,"a fanmade project whose aim to continue the story has been underway since 2004 and which is now available online for you to check out.

"Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes"is actually a mod of the original game, probably because modding a PlayStation release, which"Chrono Cross"was, is quite a bit more difficult. The fanmade sequel was planned for a May 31, 2009 release -- boasting 10 different endings and roughly 35 hours of game, spread across 23 chapters in all -- when disaster struck. Square-Enix sent the fan developers a cease& desist letter which brought the project to a crashing halt as all materials and modifications were taken down and all work ceased. You can still check some of their stuff out over atthe original website.

OR you can simply try the game out for yourself, provided you understand how to make an SNES emulator work with homebrew ROMs. This is because a Reddit user going by the name buu700 posteddownload linksfor a build of the game which is described as being more recent than the final"98% beta"that the team was working on at the time the Square Enix Cease and Desist came through. Get it quickly though, before it disappears into Internet obscurity once more.

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Nintendo 3DS Taken Apart, Put On Display» MTV Multiplayer

With Nintendo's 3DS handheld almost here, we're getting more glimpses of the soon-to-be-released device every day. The wait is pretty agonizing-- this is glasses-free 3-D we're talking about here, people. Even reports ofa 3-5 hour battery lifefor games played in 3-D mode aren't enough to derail the excitement. Which is a good thing, since a crapton of photos have popped up online showcasing the delicate innards of a leaked 3DS.

No, it's not as exciting as video game screenshots or raw footage. Really, what you're looking at is a bunch of circuit boards, microchips and the like. There's no fancy-schmancy accelerometer to ooo and ahh over. The big selling point for the 3DS -- glasses-free 3-D --really just requires a specially designed screen. You've seen screens before. Here's another one.

Groovy. If anyone's got some insight into what functions the various bits and pieces do, by all means share it in the comments. I definitely see the makings of the device's analog pad as well as the game cartridge slot. I wonder where the enchanted hamster wheel that makes the 3-D happen is located....

Take a long look at these pics, which you can find the rest of over atTVGZone.com. Savor it. Chances are high you won't be so excited to explore the inner workings of the 3DS once you have your very own in-hand a few weeks from now.

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‘Marvel vs. Capcom 3′Will Pit Rage Quitters Against Rage Quitters» MTV Multiplayer

The recent boom of fighting games, thanks in no small part to the success of"Street Fighter 4,"has led to some pretty intense bouts. But in an age where online gaming is the primary source for multiplayer, problems often arise. Take, for example, the rage quitter, who decides to yank his or her ethernet cord the second they think they're going to lose the match. It's sadly a common occurrence in online fighting games, but for"Marvel vs. Capcom 3,"Capcomhas come up with a clever way to combat those impatient, tempestuous souls.

Here's how they plan on stemming the tide: Let's say you're a rage quitter. Any time you take one too many hydukens to the face, you yank the cord. Being selfish and stupid, you probably don't realize that most games track that as an instant loss for you and an instant win for the other player. But even though the other player is getting the win, that doesn't make the experience all that much fun.

So how do you stop normal players from having to deal with rage quitters? Simple! Just match people who quit early regularly with other people who quit early regularly. Suddenly you have an entire community of annoying, selfish players locked in a bubble, just playing with other annoying, selfish players.

On the back-end,"Marvel vs. Capcom 3"will silently keep track of how often you quit a match early. Just doing it once every week or so probably won't stick you in the horrible rage-quitting queue, but do it on a regular basis and you can consider yourself excommunicated. A devious solution to an ever-present problem. Here's hoping it works as well as it sounds on paper.

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‘Homefront’DLC All Coming To Xbox Live First, Including Launch Day Map» MTV Multiplayer

A horde of gaming journalists gathered in New York City today, where THQ Core Games boss Danny Bilson and his team were on hand to show off the multiplayer component in the company's Kaos Studios-developed upcoming new IP"Homefront,"which hits stores on March 8. Multiplayer's glorious leaderRuss Frushtickwill surely be bringing you word on how that went down soon enough, but the event also brought with it the reveal of some exciting news for the Xbox Live contingent of future"Homefront"players: timed-exclusive DLC.

THQ has been hyping up the game's multiplayer mode for some time. Among other things, they've made it clear that the game will be supported after launch with plenty of DLC. Today brought confirmation that all future"Homefront"DLC releases will come to Xbox Live first. There's no word yet on how long PlayStation 3 owners will be waiting for their own releases. The program will kick off on the day the game launches in March, with the Xbox-exclusive Suburbs map going up for download. More info from Microsoft is promised next week.

I'm not sure what to make of this move. My Xbox 360 is the console I tend to game online with, so I'm excited purely as a gamer. But as someone who observes and comments on the industry every day, I have to wonder what PS3-only gamers are thinking right now. Does this make you less interested in"Homefront"in any way? What is an acceptable amount of time between the exclusive 360 release and the eventual PS3 release? While 360 owners are surely excited about the news -- especially the online folk who love to engage in ridiculous"my console is better than your console"debates -- is that excitement worth potentially alienating PS3 gamers? THQ doesn't seem to think so. Only time will tell how this all shakes out.

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Grateful Dead Facebook Game Coming, Hippies Rejoice» MTV Multiplayer

Oh what a long, strange trip it will continue to be. Two unlikely forces in pop culture are coming together in the oddest of ways. Social media monolith Facebook is set to be home to a game based on the life and music of '60s-era rock band, the Grateful Dead, Rolling Stonereports.

The game is being developed by Curious Sense, populated by people who are described by the band's legacy manager as"lifelong Deadheads."They're planning what sounds like a pretty varied assortment of Dead-themed activities that take the form of minigames, all of them branching out from each user's theme-customizable hub, which will be based on themes and ideas from the band's music and career.

Facebook is apparently just one of the planned points of entry for the game's players. Curious Sense is also working to integrate access to the game into the band's website,Dead.netas well as"online game portals"and unspecified mobile devices. It sounds as if the plan is to centralize all user data, in order to better link up the experience across multiple platforms.

Curious Sense CEO Adam Blumenthal has a bit to say about how it will all unfold."Players will explore a Grateful Dead-themed world comprised of many types of games, earning points for game play and points for other ways of participating in the Grateful Dead experience,"he said."This will be a social game, a game model we think we can innovate, given the very social nature of Grateful Dead fans and the rich online community that has existed online around the Dead since the mid-1980s with The Well. Visually it will be eclectic, like the Dead is."

"Whimsy, surprises and pranks will delight,"he added."There will have to be a Miracle button,"referring to the fan practice of pleading for a Miracle -- or free ticket -- to fellow tailgaters in the parking lot before each show.

It certainly seems like an odd pairing of ideas, but Blumenthal is correct in dating the online presence of Dead fans back to the 1980s.The WELL-- Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link -- is one of the earliest online communities, formed in 1985 as a Bulletin Board Service (BBS!!) before the Internet even existed. A sizable user base built up around it, including no small number of Dead fans, who gathered to discuss music& politics and trade the band's live concert recordings.

The community still exists today, albeit in a relatively archaic form by present-day standards as The WELL is essentially a message board. They don't exactly have"World of Warcraft"numbers, with only 4,000 or so members, but the Dead's reach extends far beyond the well and I have a feeling that Curious Sense's efforts will be met with a warm reception. Provided that the work is good, and faithful, of course.

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Activision Picks‘Shattered Dimensions’Dev As Lead On Future Spider-Man Games» MTV Multiplayer

"Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions"came out late last year and, in a giant"screw you"to other recent Spidey games, it defied the odds and didn't suck. Thank the developer, Beenox. Activision certainly is. They've named the Quebec-based studio as the lead on the publisher's future"Spider-Man"releases, including the tie-in to Sony's upcoming theatrical franchise reboot, which they're currently working on.

Let's just hope they're not also cooking up a"Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark"game.

Beenox was founded in 2000 and acquired by Activision in 2005. They spent much of their early life as a company building up their name on PC and Mac ports of popular games, including the third and fourth"Tony Hawk's Pro Skater"games,"X-Men: Legends II"and even a handful of"Spider-Man"games (including the exceedingly solid"Ultimate Spider-Man"). Since joining Activision they've developed two movie tie-in games --"Monsters Vs. Aliens"and"Bee Movie Game"-- as well as"Guitar Hero Smash Hits,"before moving on to"Shattered Dimensions."

Activision has had the"Spider-Man"license caught in its web since 2000, before even the Sam Raimi-directed film trilogy launched. Treyarch, the developer most gamers are celebrating these days for their superlative work on the latest"Call of Duty"game, handled the development of the three Raimi movie tie-ins as well as the console version of"Ultimate."They also worked with Shaba Games on the development of"Spider-Man: Web of Shadows,"which was modeled after the open-world presentation of the movie tie-in games.

Beenox earned praise for their work on"Shattered Dimensions"for breaking free from the previously established mold and for delivering an original story that spanned across four different versions of Spidey in Marvel's Multiverse. The four different flavors of Spider-Man on offer was a key component in keeping the gameplay feeling fresh throughout the experience. Here's hoping they bring a similar sense of originality and experimentation to their work on the movie reboot tie-in.

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Arizona Gunman’s Gaming Forum Postings Reveal A Troubled Mind» MTV Multiplayer

In the aftermath of the Saturday shooting in Tuscon, AZ, authorities and observers alike are still trying to grasp exactly what would lead Jared Lee Loughner, 22, to kill six people and wound 13 others during his attempted assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Efforts to understand the troubled young man have now led to the gaming sphere.

The Wall Street Journalreportsthat Loughner was active in the forums of a"gaming site,"with 131 posts made between April and June 2010, many of which speak to his mental state of being. While there is nothing that directly suggests the crime he was to commit this past weekend, the postings in general paint the picture of a depressed man, frustrated by his inability to land a job and find a girlfriend.

These are relatively normal concerns for your average 22-year-old, and not particularly surprising. More troubling are those posts which speak directly to Loughner's skewed outlook."Does anyone have aggression 24/7?"he wrote on May 9 of last year. And later that month:"I bet your hungry...Because i know how to cut a body open and eat you for more then a week. ;-)"

The range of responses he received from his fellow forum users sounds pretty typical. Some offered job hunting tips or simply commiserated, while others responded with mocking and scorn.

It is important to state here that nothing from the gaming forum --"Earth Empires"is the game -- could or should be used to build an explanation for Loughner doing what he did. They help paint a picture for sure, particularly his darker comments, but if there was some catalyzing moment that led him to his current situation, it is not obviously stated in the message board postings that have been revealed.

Really, this is all about trying to make sense of a senseless situation. It is no surprise at all that Lougher, a 22-year-old male, was an active gamer, but the WSJ report doesn't in any way suggest that his actions had anything to do with his choice of leisure activities. What this really amounts to is an inside look into Loughner's psyche, disseminating what he had to say in a space that he seemed to perceive as"safe."

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‘LEGO Battles: Ninjago’Brings Ninja And LEGOs Together At Last» MTV Multiplayer

I think we're pretty much all in agreement that ninja are awesome. It's one of those simple facts, like"water is wet"or"dogs are whores for treats."You know what could make themmoreawesome though? LEGOs! And that's where TT Games, Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment and"LEGO Battles: Ninjago"come in.

The publisher announced"LEGO Battles: Ninjago"this morning in a press release, with a spring 2011 release date planned for the Nintendo DS game. It is a sequel to the 2009 DS release"LEGO Battles,"which is essentially a simple real-time strategy game. Reviews were generally mixed, though with a lean toward the positive side of things. That game, of course, didn't feature any of Japan's legendary silent assassins.

"Ninjago"corrects that omission and then some. The story, which involves seeking out a recovering four legendary weapons, serves up both a good and an evil campaign as well as a separate selection of Battle Mode challenges. Cameos from the previous game are promised, as is a return of the multiplayer mode seen in"Battles."Two of the older modes return, joined by four new ones.

A LEGO game release would be nothing without a toy tie-in, and that's happening. In addition to announcing"Ninjago"-themed LEGO sets, the company also revealed that a"Ninjago"world will be featured in their upcoming MMO,"LEGO Universe."You can learn more about the coming of"Ninjago"on LEGO'snewly launchedwebsite for the property.

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Wesley Snipes Trying Game Development From Prison» MTV Multiplayer

Wesley Snipes, who is currently serving a 3-year prison term for tax evasion, is already thinking about the future. Specifically he's thinking about a new franchise he's looking to develop called"Julius Styles: The International,"which he plans on turning into a movie once he's out of jail. And what action movie is complete without a video game counterpart? Yep, Snipes is jumping into game development, as well, with a downloadable title featuring his eponymous hero.

Speaking withIGN, Snipes said he"was inspired by my desire to bring my 'Art of War,' 'Murder at 1600' and 'Passenger 57' characters into the game world."The best parts of those characters (whose emotional range is so vast that it's even hard to remember their names!) are basically pulled together in the ass-kicking, puzzle-solving persona that is Julius Styles.

The plan is to release the video game on Xbox Live, PSN and iOS this Summer, so as to get people excited for the impending release of the movie in...um...2013. Here's hoping the first Julius Styles game is such a huge success that six sequels will help to fill in that two year span!

As for gameplay, Snipes describes it as a game that"pits your street knowledge survival skills with your academic intellect and spiritual intuition."Sure, why not.

While I can't vouch for the quality of"Julius Styles: The International,"I can ask myself whether the developers, or Snipes, have ever heard of anactresswho happens to have a very similar name. C'mon, she was on"Dexter"this season! Someone had to notice it.

Anyway, very much looking forward to the inevitable follow-up,"Georgette Clooney: The International 2."

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Blizzard, Where Do‘World Of WarCraft’Pets Come From?» MTV Multiplayer

Now that the insane launch of"Cataclysm"is behind us, we can start to kick back and enjoy the new lands stretching out across Azeroth. While killing monsters and forming raids is a common way to while away the hours in"World of WarCraft,"many players opt for more peaceful pastimes. For example, they collect non-combat pets. Even though these pets are little more than window dressing for your character, people are obsessed with discovering rare ones. Blizzard has also taken to giving pets as door prizes forBlizzConattendees and packing them into special editions of their games.

Which leads me to an important question:Where do"World of WarCraft"pets come from?Cory Stockton, the lead content designer on the game, was more than happy to enlighten me on the process of how a pet is added to"WoW."

The origins of most of the pets in"WoW"are simple enough, as they are just modified versions of models already in the game. For example, Stockton worked a lot onTol Barad, a PvP raid zone in"Cataclysm."The zone happens to have a dock where there are a bunch of Tauren fishing and Stockton wanted a seagull hanging around the dock to act as window dressing:

"We requested a seagull from the character art team and my seagull came in. I got some basic animations on it. Like it being perched, it flying around in circles. I thought the seagull looked really great, so I wanted to make a pet out of it. At that point I just requested a couple extra fun animations, so we have an animation of the seagull flying in a loop and we have an animation of it pecking around in the ground...it ended up looking so cool, once we got it from the character team."

Stockton went on to explain that most of the pets tend to come as an after-thought, but in a good way."A lot of times, an asset will come in and we won't even know that we're going to make a pet out of it. But when it gets in a designers hands, things like that can end up becoming much more than we originally envisioned."

Cory'sseagullis currently a faction reward for boosting reputation in Tol Barad.

But a seagull is a pretty straight-forward pet. What about some of the more exotic ones, likeMini TyraelorMini Thor? I was curious if there was a limit to what Blizzard was willing to put in when it comes to pets that fit universe of"WoW."

"I wouldn't say we can do anything. You'd be seeing a lot more stuff if that were the case. We want the pets to feel like they at least came from the universe. Even the pets you see that are sold on theBlizzard pet store, they come from the Blizzard universe, so they make sense. We definitely don't want to put something in the game that's so out of context that when you see it, it pulls you out of the world that you're in.

So basically anything in the Blizzard universe is fair game. Seems to me like there's one Blizzard franchise just crying out for some pet attention, so I asked Cory how likely it would be to see tiny Lost Vikings following Orcish shaman into battle. He definitely didn't rule out the possibility:"We've got to keep some pets {for later}! 'WoW''s got a long time to go."

{image via}

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Microsoft Confirms That Kinect PC Support Is Coming» MTV Multiplayer

Barely a day goes by anymore without you seeing some video of a bizarre, newKinectPC hack on your video gaming news website of choice. Put the tech out there and the homebrew crowd will go to town on it, that's just the way of things. It looks now as though at some point down the road making the Kinect play nice with your computer will be made easier thanks to planned PC support from Microsoft.

Speaking to the BBC at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer hinted thatsuch supportfor the Kinect is very much in the cards. It's all part of the company's larger plan.

"Well we certainly started out on Xbox and we're very focused in on gaming,"he said."We're the number one game console in a lot of countries and we're very happy about that. We're trying to do two major things though. We're trying to move beyond gaming to include the world of socialization -- movies, TV and music -- and we're trying to make the whole experience accessible to everybody in the family, not just the traditional gamer."

And that's when things get interesting. The BBC interviewer asks Ballmer point-blank about the prospect of seeing formalized PC support for the Kinect. He stumbles over his words a bit as he replies, probably trying to come up with a PR-friendly on-the-spot response without revealing too much."We'll support that in a formal way in the right time, and when we have an announcement to make we'll make it."

Sly, Ballmer. Very sly. You can't hide the truth from us though. Of course Kinect PC support is coming. Look at how popular these hacks are. Official Windows support means more opportunities to make money. After all, people are clearly interested. Who knows when we'll see it though. Frankly, I'd like to see Kinect games find their footing before the device branches out in other directions.

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Simple Mode In‘Marvel Vs Capcom 3′: Hated By Harcore, Loved By Newbs» MTV Multiplayer

It's undeniable that Capcom has a tradition of making great fighting games. However, as good as their games are, there is one very obvious flaw that most of them possess; there is a high barrier of entry for beginners. Unless you're willing to dig in, and put long hours into perfecting super moves and multi-hit combos, you're not going to be any good, and that usually equates to a bad multiplayer experience, ruining the crux of their games."Marvel Vs. Capcom 3"is looking to put an end to all of that with the introduction of Simple mode, a new way for inexperienced gamers to enjoy one of themost anticipated games of 2011.

Russ has already done a great job of explainingwhat Simple mode is, and who it was made for, but it's reasonable to question whether or not it is going to serve as a crutch for gamers. In other words, is Simple mode going help or hinder new players by either teaching them the game, or holding them back from perfecting it?

It doesn't take much to realize that Simple mode levels the playing field of fighting games like nothing else. Anyone who played"Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom"will agree that Capcom was making strides in the direction of accessibility with that game's simplified control scheme, and two-button layout. However, Simple mode leaves in a good deal of the complexity that"Tatsunoko"removed, while at the same time making it even easier for newcomers to hold their own.

In Defense of Button Mashing

Some people may call it button mashing, but that’s where everyone starts with fighting games. You don't know what's punch, what's kick, how to throw a fireball, or pull off an awesome full-screen-super-hyper-alpha-combo move, so you just press all the buttons and hope for the best. As much as people may deny it, that's where they all started...Seth, Daigo, Justin Wong, all of them, at some point, mashed buttons.

The difference is, the Seths and Justin Wongs of the world had to stop mashing buttons to get better. They had to learn how to pull off the awesome full-screen-super-hyper-alpha-combo moves, or else they'd just be a couple of dudes hanging out at an arcade. And that's where Simple mode is going to fail gamers.

Don't get me wrong, I think Simple mode is a great way for potential new fans to get introduced to an amazing game, without the level of frustration that comes along with losing every match without taking down even one of your opponent's characters. Unfortunately, it's that frustration that drives players to practice, to compete, and just get better. It's the same argument against giving every kid in Little League a trophy for just showing up: what's the point in even trying?

Russ makes a great point in his article, stating that,"All the mode does is take the memorization of the special moves out of the equation, letting two players go at it using pure tactics and timing."He's right, but there's a bit more too it. It makes the game almost too accessible. Perhaps that's just an elitist attitude, but learning from your mistakes is one of the most fundamental aspects of being a human, and if you're not going to be given the option to make mistakes where does that leave us as a species?

A Balancing Act

Yes, Simple mode only offers an abbreviated move set for each character. Sure, you won't be able to pull off the strongest combos, but if you can still manage to take down all of your friends without those things, does it really matter? And if so, are you ever going to play without it? One possible solution to this dilemma would be for the game to turn off Simple mode as an option after a certain period of time, or if the player climbs above a certain win percentage, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards.

I want to be clear; it's not that I don't support Simple mode, I'm just concerned that if players overuse it they'll never need to step up their game. While that may be fine for some people, maybe the next Daigo is going to pick up the fight stick for the first time with"Marvel Vs. Capcom 3,"and if he/she never gets past using Simple mode, they'll likely never achieve their full potential.

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‘Skyrim’Game Informer Cover Serves Up A Mystery» MTV Multiplayer

Brace yourselves"Elder Scrolls"fans. The next 11 months are going to be BRUTAL."The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim"was confirmed late last year for an 11/11/11 release date, which means we have a ton of time before being given the opportunity to wander aimlessly around Tamriel again, killing any hapless, non-quest-specific civilians who cross your path. That's howIroll anyway.

The wait will be a little easier to bear when the February issue of Game Informer arrives, featuring a"Skyrim"cover story... and a bonus secret that you can get started puzzling over right now.

The front cover features the silver, dragon-shaped"Skyrim"emblem that you likely saw in the trailer. It's on the backside where things start to get interesting. (Click the image below for a larger version)

Note the text that's there. Nothing you can read, unless you happen to be fluent in the series'fictional language. You could try deciphering it using that link, but the text on the GI cover appears to be in a slightly different font, making some of the letters hard to distinguish. Unless that's not even Daedric? Super-fans... a little help?

Or you could not waste any time and just be patient, since GI intends to reveal the meaning of the text later today.Or you can try to solve it yourself!None of it matters anyway. If you're an average gamer, chances are that you just want to see some screens already. For that, you'll have to wait until the magazine hits news stands.

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‘Beyond Good And Evil HD’Trailer Is Here!» MTV Multiplayer

This isn't the"Beyond Good& Evil 2"news that you've been hoping and wishing and sacrificing puppies for. Itisthe next best thing though: news of"Beyond Good& Evil HD,"the upcoming Xbox Live/PlayStation Network hi-res remake.A trailer, really.

Perhaps this because it's been a while since I last played the game, but it really doesn't look so different. Of course, these HD upgrades are usually little more than a new widescreen aspect ratio and some light visual polish,andthis trailer is streaming off of the Internet. But it looks like the kickass adventure game we all remember.

Not that that's a bad thing. When you tweak an awesome game for an HD re-release and the graphics don't look much improved, that doesn't make it any less of an awesome game. That's not to mention the fact that it will be available for download on your HD console marketplace of choice. Before that, people had to rely on the Wii's backward compatibility with GameCube games or the exceptionally buggy PC version. Now, not only do you get to use your nifty newer gamepads, you also get Achievements/Trophies. Score.

If you haven't played"BG&E"and you consider yourself a fan of games like"Zelda,""Darksiders"and RPG-lite action/adventures, you should look at this HD remake as a must-buy proposition. The dated graphics are easy to get past in the face of the exceedingly tight gameplay on offer. I won't spoil the surprise of discovering the story for yourself, but I will hit you with one more selling point: the photojournalist main character's best friend is a fat, person-sized talking pig.

There's no release date known for the game other than"2011,"but hopefully this new trailer is a sign that it won't be much longer!

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‘Morrowind’Gets An Extra Life With Uber-Mod» MTV Multiplayer

Visit any of the assorted"Elder Scrolls"-focused message boards across the Internet and you'll find that there's a sizable contingent of gamers who do not enjoy the award-winning gameplay in Bethesda Softworks'"The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion."They opt instead for the third game in the series,"Morrowind,"for a variety of reasons. The big problem with going back and playing the older game is the graphics;"Morrowind"simply isn't up to the standards of today's games. Fortunately, where there's a robust modding community, there's a way. Which brings us to the subject of this post: the2011 Morrowind Mod Compendium, by Tyler Smith.

What you're really getting here is a boatload of"Morrowind"mods -- mostly visual enhancements -- bundled into one (relatively) easy to install package. You'll need some extra disk space, more than 4GB in all, but provided you've got that and"Morrowind"with its"Tribunal"and"Bloodmoon"expansion packs (or the Game of the Year edition, which has everything), you're all set. You can even run this with a Steam version of the game, provided you're willing to take a few extra steps. Smith has it all very clearly laid outon his website, which you should definitely check out.

Perhaps the biggest reason longtime fans tend to choose"Morrowind"over"Oblivion"is the way the world changes around you."Morrowind"is a fairly standard open-world RPG in the sense that there are simply those places where you shouldn't venture to if you happen to be a low-level character. Monsters will take you down in one hit, that is provided you get through the two-hits-to-kill ones that you'll surely encounter on the way.

"Oblivion"takes a radically different approach. As your player character levels up, the world"levels"around him/her. It is technically possible to complete the entire game without ever leveling up your character. The idea is to keep the challenge at a relatively constant level throughout the experience.

While the idea is noble in its intentions, in practice it ended up angering a great many longtime fans. An RPG should have its danger zones, they argued, cool places that you can only look at from afar until you've reached a point where your character can handle the challenge. They're not wrong, but it's definitely a subjective viewpoint.

All that aside,"Morrowind"comes packing a very rich world, equally as detailed as any of Bethesda's other open-world RPGs. There's still plenty of reason to play it, and moreso now thanks to this unofficial expansion. You can take a look at the changes yourself in the video below. And of course, the whole thing can be downloaded for free. So dust off that old copy of"Morrowind"and fire it up again-- based on this video, you won't be disappointed.

{viaDestructoid}

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‘Final Fantasy Fallout’? NES-Style Remake Sends Us Back In Time» MTV Multiplayer

Forget for a minute that"Fallout"and"Fallout 2"exist. It's difficult, I know. Just work with me here. So in this horrible nightmare of an existence, we didn't get to know the world of"Fallout"until 2008, when"Fallout 3"was released. Or did we?

Those crafty bastards at Bethesda Softworks must have cracked open a time capsule or something, becausethe publisher's blogis linking to an8-bit versionof the Vault Dweller's adventures through the Capital Wasteland.

Fortunately, wedolive in a world where those earlier games exist. This 8-bit edition -- which is all in indecipherable Japanese, naturally (unless you happen to speak the language) -- was actually created by Bethesda folk to live on the game's Japanese website. Why, you ask? Stop asking questions! Just enjoy the freaking thing!

Granted, those who don't speak Japanese are going to have a hard time figuring things out. It's like the"Fallout 3"import that never was. The text menu-based play bears no small resemblance to the earliest games in the"Final Fantasy"series. It's impossible to know what's going on, but totally awesome seeing the game's gigantic map rendered in 8-bit form.

If anyone out there in the reading audience understands Japanese, I'd love for you to check out the site and share your findings. Since it's built on some kind of in-browser gaming platform, Google Translate won't be any kind of help. I'll admit, part of me hopes that all of the Japanese text is intentional gibberish since the whole thing really exists as some sort of bizarre bow to the still-popular practice of importing Japanese games.

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Marvel‘Secret Wars’Trademark Alludes To Video Games» MTV Multiplayer

Marvel Comics has tapped their rich history of mega-crossovers like""The Infinity Gauntlet"and"Civil War"for video game material in the past. Such stories provide great excuses to stuff as many characters as possible into a book, and the same truism applies to Xbox and PlayStation titles. Now, a freshly filed trademark shows that the company at the very least wants to keep their gaming options open for"Secret Wars,"too, whether that means they have something specific in mind yet or not.

Computer game cartridges, computer game programs and computer game software are all covered explicitly in a filing marked"December 23, 2010,"which was spotted over atSiliconera. Just to cover their bases, the publishing home of Spider-Man and Captain America also included bicycle helmets, animated films, DVD's and sunglasses. I haven't seen any bicycle helmets offered as pre-order bonuses recently, but I supposed the road has been paved for that if Marvel so desires at some point in the future thanks to this document.

Even if you aren't a comics reader, you may recall seeing the action figures of the '80s that resulted from the"Secret Wars"story. The tale revolved around the actions of a cosmic being named the Beyonder who whisked many of Marvel's biggest heroes and villains away to a place called Battleworld and ordered them to engage in combat.

If"Marvel vs. Capcom 3"turns out to be a huge success,"Secret Wars"would make a fine premise for launching a Marvel-only fighting game as a follow-up. Alternatively, they may be interested in revisiting the Ultimate Alliance franchise for a new sequel, and this trademark could be employed there as well.

Would you like to see someone put out a"Secret Wars"game? Are there any comic book crossovers you'd prefer to see become video games instead? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

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‘Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam’Review - Jungle Beat(down)» MTV Multiplayer

In the summer of 2009, EA and DICE took a bit of a risk and released"Battlefield 1943."Although it was released on XBLA and PSN, it wasn't what you'd normally expect from a downloadable game, offering the sort of FPS multiplayer depth that we had seen from previous entries in the series, just in a slightly smaller package. The risk paid off."1943"was not only a hit, but it introduced new fans to the franchise, just in time for the release of"Battlefield: Bad Company 2."Now EA has released a Vietnam-themed expansion for"BC2,"but has the franchise well gone dry or does this trip into the jungle fill it to the brim once more?

THE BASICS

"Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam"simply takes all of the core gameplay components of the standard"BC2"multiplayer experience and throws in period-appropriate weapons, vehicles and maps. For $15, you're getting four new maps (soon to be a fifth), 15 new weapons and 6 new vehicles, ranging from tanks to helicopters to assault boats.

"Vietnam"exists within"Bad Company 2"and requires the full game to run, but it is separated out from the rest of the game in a different menu, with the modern day maps and weapons existing on totally different servers."Vietnam"does carry over your rank and experience, and any experience or badges you earn while playing the expansion transports back to the main game. The two main multiplayer modes, Rush and Conquest, are playable across the expansion's maps.

THE HIGHS

A Totally Authentic Feel
Even though the core of the gameplay in"Vietnam"remains basically the same as it was in"BC2,"tons of effort was put into making it feel authentic to the time period. Mission briefings are presented as '60s-style film reels and music from the era blares out of tanks as they roll into battle. Soldier models look like they were ripped from"Platoon"and weapons are dingy, rusted and cobbled together. It's a re-skin of the main game, sure, but it's an incredibly convincing one that gives"BC2"a fresh new look at feel.

Level Playing Field
One of the issues with"Bad Company 2"was that the balancing of the weapons could've been handled better. The starting weapons, invariably, would be outclassed by weapons which could take ten to twenty hours to unlock, depending on your skills. In"Vietnam,"all of the weapons are unlocked from the start, with each class getting three variants of their weapon type (SMGs for engineers, sniper rifles for scounts, etc). The perks are still locked based on level, so you'll be at a disadvantage if you're below, say, level 15, but at least you'll know that your gear is up to snuff.

THE LOWS

Not Newbie Friendly
If you mostly just played the single-player of"Bad Company 2"but are interested in the new Vietnam setting, you should be wary. The learning curve when hopping into multiplayer is harsh and you will die. A lot. The equivalent would be hopping into"Black Ops"for the very first time today, when almost every player on there seems to know every map by heart and has a crack shot."Vietnam"is even trickier, as it favors grouping and coordination, so if you're playing on your own, you're going to be doing a lot of running from spawn point to spawn point. It's a good idea to squad up with randoms, as squad members who are still alive can act as mobile spawn points.

THE VERDICT

For fans of the multiplayer in"Bad Company 2,"the"Vietnam"expansion is not to be missed. It's a fresh new coat of paint on a game which may have been starting to look a bit long in the tooth. The new weapons, maps and attention to period-appropriate presentation make it a model for other post-release expansion packs. Here's looking at you,"Black Ops."

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