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Publisher Electronic Arts has released a new developer walkthrough for the upcoming game Mercenaries 2. This walkthrough demonstrates the different styles of play offered by the three different mercenaries by following each one around as they complete the mission of destroying a helicopter and exiting the arena. Take a look at the video below.



Mercenaries 2 is set for release in August and more information can be found on the official site here.

According to an article on Joystiq, 2K Games the developer for Bioshock on the PC and 360 will be bringing on game development studio Digital Extremes to help optimize Bioshock for the Playstation 3.

2K Games has announced a partnership with Dark Sector developer, Digital Extremes, to aid in the completion of the PlayStation 3 version of superb submerged shooter, BioShock. Digital Extremes is the fourth studio to join the project -- 2K Marin, 2K Australia and 2K Boston have already dove in -- and aims to give PS3 players a "fully optimized experience," complete with new features and content. And trophies, probably.

James Schmalz, CEO and founder of Digital Extremes, noted that the decision to work on the critically acclaimed project didn't even require a brain. "When 2K approached us to assist with development on BioShock for the PLAYSTATION 3 system, it was a no-brainer," he said. "You really can't ask for a more exciting, technically impressive world to work in than Rapture, and the incredible knowledge and talent between the 2K studios and our team at Digital Extremes is unprecedented." Apparently, when it launches this October, BioShock will make the PS3 "sing with Big Daddy goodness and Little Sister 'thank you's'."

Read the article in it's entirety here.

You can read the official press release from Take 2 Games here.

The EA Sports label president continues to believe that the PC market for authentic simulation sports games has "declined radically." He fully explains his position. Check it out:

In early April EA Sports label head Peter Moore confirmed that EA would not release Madden NFL 09 for the PC because of "very serious business challenges." In a follow-up interview with GameDaily BIZ, he then acknowledged, "I know I pissed off a lot of people." Now in his latest official blog entry, Moore has decided once again to revisit the issue to explain his stance on PC gaming as clearly as possible.

Here are what he sees as the "core issues that continue to be up for (very spirited) debate."

- The PC as a platform for authentic, fully-licensed, simulation sports games has declined radically in the past three years as the next generation consoles, with their high definition graphics and 5.1 sound capabilities have attracted millions of consumers to eschew the "lean in" PC sports gaming experience for the "lean back" full room console experience.

- The business model for PC games is evolving from packaged goods to a download model. The on-line experience is paramount, and hundreds of companies in this space are experimenting with direct-to-consumer revenue models, incorporating premium downloadable content, sponsored downloads, micro-transactions, subscriptions and massive tournament play. Read More...

You can read the rest of Moore's statement at Gamedaily.

On the official Playstation Blog Sony has posted some information of as to why they have decided to pull the new 2.40 Firmware for the Playstation 3. Check it out:

As has been reported on many gaming blogs and websites, we have temporarily taken Firmware v2.40 offline. We’ve received a limited number of calls from consumers experiencing an issue with installing the system software update on their PS3. While our consumer services department has seen a low volume of calls on this topic, we are committed to providing the PS3 community with XMB access features delivered in the v2.40 update. We are working diligently to isolate the problem for those few consumers and to identify a solution before we put the firmware back up.

We’ll provide further information as necessary here on the Blog.

Read the whole post from Sony here.

According to the Joystiq blog PS3FanBoy Sony has removed the new Firmware 2.40 update from it's servers due to complications with some owners Playstation 3's. Check it out:

We're receiving reports that PS3s are no longer updating to firmware 2.40. Consoles currently running 2.36 are stating that there are no available updates when a system update is attempted. It seems that downloading the firmware from the official sites is also impossible. Firefox 404s out on the Japanese, European and American sites. Has the latest firmware been pulled from the net? If so, why? If you're having issues with grabbing the latest update be sure to let us know.

We'll be contacting Sony to find out exactly what's going on, so keep an eye on us for more info. Hopefully soon.

Update: Confirmed. Firmware 2.40 is currently unavailable.

Read the original post from PS3FanBoy here.

While I myself have had no troubles with updating and no users on our boards have reported issues this is still something quite serious, hopefully Sony will have a 2.41 released to clear up the problems that some users are having.

[Update] Sony has posted a new blog update about the firmware being pulled.

According to Oblivion-Lost.de the publisher for the upcoming shooter S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky Deep Silver has now revealed more information regarding the release date and the coming versions of the anticipated S.T.A.L.K.E.R. prequel. Check it out:

Yesterday Publisher Deep Silver confirmed the release date of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Prequels Clear Sky and also revealed detailed information about the coming release versions.

Like already promised S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Clear Sky will be released on time at the 29th August 2008 and will be available in two different builds, like already done with S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl. The Collectors Edition will be shipped with nice nifty extras like the shiny steel case, a bonus DVD with making-of information, a OST and additional artworks and you can buy it for 49.99 Euro, the standard build will still be available for 39.99 Euro.

Fans of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. novel will be happy as well, because you will get the 3rd installment of the franchise with the interesting name Apocalypse for free bundled with the Collector’s Edition. Additional you’ll also get a big Din A2 map of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. world and a nice alum-pin with the Clear Sky-design and –logo.

So you can see: The ambitious S.T.A.L.K.E.R. fans will get a lot for their money.

You can get to the news here.

Ensemble Studios, the creators behind the highly popular Age of Empires series, have released four new screenshots today from their Xbox 360 RTS Halo Wars. Check them out:


You can learn all about this game over on the official website.

Our very own Kieran Manzi recently had the chance to play through EA and DICE's recently released game Battlefield: Bad Company. Here is the intro to the review:

Battlefield: Bad Company is a first person shooter for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 and is the next game in the long series of the Battlefield franchise from now EA owned studio Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment or Dice for short.

The Battlefield franchise is well known for it’s multiplayer, and has not done a singleplayer side of a game apart from the multiplayer maps with A.I. controlled bots. So this was quite interesting to see what DICE could do with a real singleplayer campaign.

Battlefield: Bad Company puts you in the combat boots of Preston Marlow, a fresh transfer into 222nd Army Battalion’s B-Company, commonly referred to Bad Company.

After joining up with your new squad you meet the eccentric crew that will soon be fighting beside you. You are led by Sergeant Clarence Redford, a military man who has had enough of war and is ready to retire to a nice relaxing fishing spot. Also in your squad is Private Terence Sweetwater, a techy guy who didn’t really expect to be on the frontlines, oddly enough during the entire game Sweetwater reminded me of Kevin Leggett the radio operator from Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30. And last but not least Private George Gordon Jr. Haggard, this guy is a real character. Haggard is your typical country boy in accent and all, he wants to blow stuff up, drive and play with every toy the army has to offer, reminds me of some of the people around here. (Southern Ohio)

So be sure to check out this full review right here. What did you think of Bad Company? Feel free to post your thoughts as well as your feedback to our review right here on Total Battlefield.

To further discuss this review, visit this thread.

IGN recently had the opportunity to go hands on with Lucas Arts' new game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Take a look:

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has long held promises of grand technology that would help bring the Star Wars universe, and indeed the Force, to gamers like we've never seen before. I'd seen the game a number of times at various presentations, but without having actually played the game myself, I was always wondering whether the technology would hold up and offer gamers something more than a tech demo. After playing through a few levels of The Force Unleashed last week, it appears that LucasArts may indeed deliver on its promise and give us a new look at the Force like we've never experienced.

Though Vader's secret apprentice will serve as your persona throughout the bulk of the game, you begin The Force Unleashed as the Sith Lord himself on a mission to Kashyyyk in search of a rogue Jedi. At this point in the Star Wars timeline, situated between episodes III and IV, Vader has taken it upon himself to scour the universe and wipe out the remaining Jedi, and his prey at the start of the game has taken up residence on the Wookiee home world.

The entire article can be found here. With the game being released on September 16th, are you looking forward to seeing the new Euphoria engine or would you prefer to play with the CryENGINE?

The official Xbox Magazine Online has a new article up today, explaining why 360 games should care about PC gaming. Take a look:

Before I ever became a console gamer, I played games on my PC. I’m sure most of us start out this way. Maybe some of you made the immediate jump from diapers to Donkey Kong, but the rest of us battled the fire-throwing imps of Doom and the unruly citizens of [Your Name Here]-ville in SimCity before we ever knew the name Mario. While many of us have now progressed to the likes of Halo and Gears of War, the nostalgia of PC gaming never dies.

Things sure have changed...

For those paying attention, the world of PC gaming is eagerly anticipating the release of two very important games. The first, Spore, is expected to be released this September— although the game is no stranger to delays. Spore, the proverbial masterpiece of Sim’s creator Will Wright, promises to innovate gaming in a way not seen since Mario jumped off the page into the third-dimension. The game’s announcement at the 2005 Game Developer’s Conference immediately captured my interest. The transition from single-cell organism, to simple life form, to sentient creature, to entire civilization, to interstellar conquest was a scope never imagined before. Initial rumors speculated the game would release on every platform imaginable; from the expected PC release, to Xbox, handhelds, and even cell phones! The console gamer in me was giddy (and few parts of me are ever giddy). Latest reports suggest that an Xbox 360 version may still be available someday, but for now it’s PC all the way. Read More...

Read the rest of OXM's article here.