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Terry Cavanagh picks up 'proper, meaty puzzle game,' Halting Problem

Terry Cavanagh working on 'Halting Problem,' a puzzle game
Terry Cavanagh throws a ton of game ideas into the online hive mind, and it looks like he found one that sticks with Halting Problem (tentative title). Last week Cavanagh posted a set of Vines – "Pushing a block" and "Fistbump" – and this weekend he wrote in his blog that Halting Problem will probably be his "main focus for a while."

"A proper, meaty puzzle game is something I've wanted to make for ages, and I'm having lots of fun just messing around with the mechanics for this one and seeing what I can make out of them," Cavanagh said. It's inspired by DROD, but also things like Qrostar games, Zachtronic games, and my flatmate Increpare's games."

Cavanagh said he's really excited about this one – and so is that happy little sprite.

Arkham Origins stars Deathstroke in some playable capacity

Amazon listing shows Deathstroke playable in Arkham Origins
A Batman: Arkham Origins pre-order image on Amazon offers Deathstroke as a playable character via DLC. Check it out in a rolling image header here.

Batman and Deathstroke went head-to-head in last week's teaser video, but there was no word on how the striker of mortality would be incorporated into Arkham Origins. This could be a Catwoman in Arkham City situation, where she got an entire spin-off campaign, or it might be something entirely new.

One aspect of Arkham Origins is confirmed today – Kevin Conroy will return as a voice actor.

Why Defiance's 'fun now, depth later' is great for MMORPGs

This is a weekly column from freelancer Rowan Kaiser, which focuses on "Western" role-playing games: their stories, their histories, their mechanics, their insanity, and their inanity.

Why Defiance's 'fun now, depth later' is great for MMORPGs
I had my World of Warcraft year. In 2007, when 'The Burning Crusade' came out, the game clicked with me and it became almost the only thing I played for months on end, to the point where I started raiding with an up-and-coming guild. I know many other people who've had that year, with WoW or some other massively multiplayer game, before they lost interest, burnt out, or continued out of habit more than joy. In the last year or so, I've tried several massively-multiplayer role-playing games – Star Wars: The Old Republic, Guild Wars 2, The Secret World – and couldn't find that magic again. I could admire the design, but quickly lost interest in playing them. I was starting to think I'd never really like a massively multiplayer game again – and then, on a whim, I decided to check out Defiance.

Defiance is the main game I've been playing for two weeks now, and this may continue. It's not that it's less flawed than the other MMORPGs, but instead that the parts of the game that it focuses on hold much more appeal to me. To put it another way: Most games within this genre are focused on combat, and Defiance's combat is significantly more fun for me than its competitors'.

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Kevin Conroy returns for Batman: Arkham Origins


Kevin Conroy will be in Batman: Arkham Origins, and he's already spent 10 months in the studio recording those gruff-yet-dulcet tones. Conroy confirmed his involvement at Dallas Comic-Con, but didn't specify if he plays The Bat himself – not that he has to. He opened the panel with, "I am vengeance. I am the night. I am Batman." Because, you know, he is.

NAG magazine reported in April that Warner Bros. had passed on Conroy for Arkham Origins.

Conroy voiced Batman in both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, and he was the man behind Bruce Wayne in Batman: The Animated Series, Batman: Beyond and subsequent DC universe cartoon spin-offs. Arkham Origins is scheduled to launch on October 25 for Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Wii U.

Get $20 to $25 off BioShock Infinite on Amazon today

Today's Gold Box deal of the day on Amazon is BioShock Infinite. Downloadable PC versions of the game are $25 off ($35), whereas boxed copies of the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are $20 off ($40) for today only.

Meanwhile, $35 Steam codes through Groupon for the game appear to still be available until the end of the day. What we're trying to say is, today might be a good day to buy a new game.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Madden 25 trailer gets defensive

Image This video for Madden 25 shows a sizzle reel of defensive features while San Francisco 49ers linebacker Navorro Bowman discusses tactics for tackling players in the NFL. The game will see some under-the-hood changes, including Infinity Engine improvements and the addition of heat-seeker tackling. ... Continue Reading

Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is naming a new console

This time around on the Webcomic Wrapup, we're trying to embrace the idea of a new console a little more than before. Considering Microsoft's big Xbox reveal is mere days away, it seems like a good time to have fun playing Fantasy Hardware Manufacturer.

So, this week's question is: If you were in charge of naming the console being unveiled on May 21, what would you call it? While you contemplate just how viable a system named "infinity" is, check out last week's webcomics and vote for your favorites after the break!

Increasingly Damn Late (Penny Arcade)
Card Captor Engie (Nerf Now)
A Berry Important Job (Awkward Zombie)
Nailed It (The Gamercat)
Why it won't be called Xbox Infinity (Another Videogame Webcomic)
The Sims Career Ladder (Dorkly)
Sonic Shredder (Angimoto)
Leave It to Weegee (Life in Aggro)

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Mega Man 5 OST busts into the Capcom Store

Mega Man 5 OST busts into the Capcom Store
The original soundtrack for Mega Man 5 is now available for $8.95 on Capcom's official shop; it's almost as if they planned its release to coincide with the debut of Mega Man 5 on the 3DS Virtual Console. What a weird coincidence!

At 57 hot jams long, Mega Man 5's soundtrack was composed by Mari Yamaguchi, who was often credited mononymously (as "Mari") for her work at Capcom. She also composed the music for Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts and several of the songs on the Breath of Fire soundtrack, in addition to handling arrangement duties for the TurboGrafx-16 version of Street Fighter 2: Champion Edition. Yamaguchi returned to the Mega Man franchise in 2010, penning the stage theme for Mega Man 10's Sheep Man.

Report: Assassin's Creed movie to open in May of 2015

Report Assassin's Creed movie to open in May of 2015
New Regency Films and Ubisoft Motion Pictures' Assassin's Creed movie collaboration will hit theaters May 22, 2015, according to Box Office Mojo. Starring Michael Fassbender, the movie concerns "a man who learns his ancestors were trained assassins after he is kidnapped by a secret org with ties to the Knights Templar, and sent back in time to retrieve historical artifacts," according to a Variety report last year.

We're guessing this release date means that Ubisoft is going to continue to ignore our repeated (and might we add, quite generous) offers to write the film as a reimagined version of You've Got Mail.

Among the Sleep Kickstarter ends nearly $50k beyond its target

Krillbite Studio's first-person baby simulator/horror game Among the Sleep has completed its 30-day Kickstarter campaign, raising a grand total of $248,358 from 8,110 backers – nearly $50,000 more than the $200,000 fundraising goal originally set.

All that extra cash will be put towards buying ice cream, Oculus Rift compatibility and a developer commentary track, though the campaign's bonus earnings didn't extend far enough for the "supersecret free DLC" stretch goal to be funded. Among the Sleep is expected to launch on PC, OSX and Linux during the fourth quarter of this year, but intrigued folks can go ahead and check out the game's public alpha.

Resident Evil: Revelations adds Pirate Jill, Sailor Chris, Ninja Keith

Resident Evil Revelations adds Pirate Jill, Sailor Chris, Ninja Keith
The upcoming console/PC iteration of Resident Evil: Revelations will include a trio of confusing new costumes for Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield and Keith Lumley, Capcom has announced. As can be seen in the gallery, Jill and Chris both sport equally leggy nautical-themed outfits, while Keith channels his inner One Piece character as a shirtless sword-guy in hammer pants.

Costumes are unlocked by playing through the game's Campaign and Raid modes, in addition to "other unlocking mechanisms" that Capcom is keeping a secret. We're just hoping Capcom eventually rides this train of thought all the way to its logical extreme: Pretty Soldier Sailor Claire Redfield.

Ouya booth to be open to the public in a parking lot outside of E3

Ouya's E3 presence will be open to the public, as it plans to show off games for its console in a parking lot down the street from the Los Angeles Convention Center where E3 will be held in June. The information comes from an email to registered Ouya developers from head of developer relations, Kellee Santiago.

Santiago says Ouya will provide developers with "everything you'll need to put on a killer game demo," such as an Ouya console, controllers and TV, during the convention's entire three-day stretch from June 11 to June 13. Registered developers, of which there are over 10,000, have until May 28 to submit a form declaring their intent to show off their game at the Ouya lot, with hourly time slots available for each of the three days.

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Journey producer Robin Hunicke to speak at Boston Festival of Indie Games

The Boston Festival of Indie Games has announced that its keynote speaker will be Robin Hunicke, former executive producer of Journey. Hunicke's talk, Finding Meaning in Gameplay, will "focus on how developers can create games that inspire new feelings, by looking inward and examining the everyday experiences of their own lives," according to the festival's site.

Hunicke left thatgamecompany in late March 2012 for Tiny Speck, before co-founding indie studio Funomena in September 2012 with former thatgamecompany programmer Martin Middleton.

The Boston Festival of Indie Games, which is in its second year of existence, will be held on September 14. Its planners are raising funds on Kickstarter to improve the event, and are currently $2,414 shy of their $15,000 goal with 11 days left in the funding campaign. Incentive for those pledging $25 or more (aside from a warm, charitable feeling) is a PC bundle that includes Fieldrunners and Go Home Dinosaurs.

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Costco UK selling full-size F1 simulator for just £90,000

Costco UK selling fullsize F1 simulator for just 90,000
Costco UK is selling an FMCG International F1 racing simulator for £89,999.89 (including delivery and installation!), or $138,338.83, which is still significantly cheaper than owning an actual Formula 1 car. We also assume it's probably a tiny bit safer and easier to maintain, but that's just a hunch.

The body is available in "your own choice of colour" and is made out of various combinations of composite materials, alloys and carbon fiber, with real wheels, tyres, chromed-out exhaust tips and everything. There's no engine or transmission, obviously, but it does come with one of those totally awesome detachable steering wheels.

The gaming portion of the rig is powered by an Intel Core i7, an SSD of unknown capacity, 16 gigs of RAM and a non-specified graphics card outputting to three 23-inch adjustable TFT monitors. Meanwhile, sweet jams are pumped through a 5.1 audio system into both the car's body and your body, since the subwoofer is located directly behind the driver's seat.

Sims 3 producers guide you through Island Paradise DLC


EA recently provided us with a producer walkthrough video for The Sims 3 Island Paradise DLC, an upcoming expansion pack for the game. The DLC takes players to the Isle Paradiso where, as seen in the video, they can cruise on houseboats from port to port.

Players will also get to build their own resort on the island when the expansion launches June 28. Before that, however, The Sims 3 Dragon Valley world will open on May 30.

Grid 2 gameplay trailer drifts through Japan

Image This gameplay video for Grid 2 shows a racer drifting around turns on a downhill course in Okutama, Tokyo in Japan. Grid 2 is coming to PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on May 28. ... Continue Reading

Dust: An Elysian Tail scampers onto Steam May 24

Next week marks the Steam debut of Humble Heart's XBLA darling, Dust: An Elysian Tail. Dean Dodrill, animator and creator of Dust, took to Twitter to announce the May 24 launch date; though there is currently no Steam product page.

Dust: An Elysian Tail is a 2D action platformer in the vein of Metroid and Castlevania, featuring beautiful hand-drawn sprites throughout. Aside from being visually appealing, it's also a delight – a game our review said "doesn't do much to innovate the platform-adventure sub-genre, but it does manage to look and play beautifully throughout, and sometimes that's enough."

Team Fortress 2 'Robotic Boogaloo' update tangos with Steam


The first community-created updated for Team Fortress 2 has rolled out: 'Robotic Boogaloo.' Continuing the robot theme of previous Team Fortress 2 updates, Robotic Boogaloo adds 57 new artisanal hats, helmets, bonnets, turbans, crowns, toppers and other headgear – all created by the community.

Robotic Boogaloo isn't all hats but, naturally, it's mostly hats. Each new Team Fortress 2 item can be found within RoboCrates – rare drops after June 3 – that can be opened with a key from the Mann Co. store, each costing $2.50. The revenue from these items will then be shared amongst all creators responsible for Robotic Boogaloo content.

Dungeon Defenders 2 begins character profiles with 'Man and Machine'

Image Trendy Entertainment's Dungeon Defenders 2, which is split into a tower defense sequel and a MOBA, has begun releasing videos for the latter portion of its DNA. Every Wednesday, the studio will highlight a new character for the player-versus-player mode. First up is the "Man and Machine." ... Continue Reading

Report: Remastered Final Fantasy VIII coming to PC in Japan

Report Remastered iFinal Fantasy VIIIi coming to PC in Japan
[Rough translation of the above dialogue: "...whatever."]

The ever-sullen Squall and his friends are set to make a high-resolution return, as Famitsu reports that Square Enix is developing a remastered PC version of Final Fantasy VIII.

Final Fantasy VIII was originally released for the PlayStation in 1999, and PC players saw a no-frills Windows port one year later. News of Final Fantasy VIII's forthcoming rerelease follows up on last year's upgraded PC port of Final Fantasy VII, which added cloud saving and unlockable achievements. While the new version of Final Fantasy VIII boasts a graphical update, no further details are known, and a release date has not been announced.
[Image Credit: Famitsu]

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