dead-space posts

Dead Space 2 is going to be very, very violent and gory. Most of you reading this know that the upcoming sequel to 2009's sci-fi survival horror games is not going to be for kids. As it turns out, publisher Electronic Arts wants to show that it is very aware of this fact by showing footage of the game to typical non-gaming moms.

At least we think that's what these moms are watching in a new TV commercial that popped up this weekend for the game. We don't actually see what they are seeing; we just see their reactions and hear their comments which, as you might imagine, are not complementary. EA is using this to basically say, "Hey, your mom won't like it which means it's going to be awesome!" This idea could backfire, however, if some mainstream news reporter makes an issue of perhaps having this "M" rated game appeal to kids via this TV spot.

[Via Destructoid]

Isaac Clarke is having one hell of an awful time, and if Dead Space 2 is any indication, he's in for a lot worse. It's roughly two weeks away, but EA has released a launch trailer which shows off some gameplay and cinematic footage. With plenty of new NPCs, cool set pieces, and (of course) necromorphs to dismember violently, Dead Space 2 looks to be a worthy sequel. At least if this trailer is any indication! As far as content goes, though, it doesn't actually show us anything new or exciting, except perhaps a few people we haven't seen before.

Download HD Dead Space 2 Launch Trailer
Check out all Dead Space 2 downloads

Those that haven't played Dead Space, or read any of the Dead Space material, should be forewarned: this trailer is one massive spoiler. It follows the entire backstory of Dead Space, right down the the starting concept of a mining ship that finds something horrific. It's an excellent recap, though, and hits all the major points of the original backstory, the first game, and the events that happen between the first and the second game. If you want a little perspective into why you are so insane in Dead Space 2, this is a good trailer to get your bearings with.

Download HD Dead Space 2 'The Excavations' Video
Check out all Dead Space 2 downloads

It's our first Bits and Bytes column of 2011. Awww ... the news posts are so cute at this age.

• The countdown to 1 million paid copies of Minecraft continues ... the game's sales are now at about 930,000 copies according to the stats page.
• If you still have your save game file from the original Dead Space game, you can use it to unlock the game's original plasma gun for use in Dead Space 2 later this month.
• The regular news update from Mass Effect 2's Cerebus Network will shut down after January 24 although the network will come back to announce one last DLC and for the launch of Mass Effect 3.

You now have less that 24 hours before the third annual Steam holiday sale ends. That means you will have less than a day to take advantage of the price cuts that are available on nearly all PC games on the service. It also means that you have until 1 pm Eastern time until these extra-special price cuts (all repeats of previous one-day sales) expire:

Neverwinter Nights 2 Platinum - $9.99
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl/Call of Pripyat bundle - $4.99
Left 4 Dead 2 - $6.80
Grand Theft Auto IV + Episodes from Liberty City - $9.99
Empire/Napoleon Total War Game of the Year Edition - $24.99
The Hitman Collection - $7.49 for three-game bundle (Hitman: Codename 47, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Hitman Blood Money)
Mafia 2 - $12.49
Dead Space - $6.80
Plants Vs Zombies Game of the Year Edition - $3.99
Amnesia The Dark Descent - $6.80
Need For Speed Hot Pursuit - $29.99
Killing Floor Complete Pack - $4.99

The Steam PC game download site continues to willingly give out some huge one-day price cuts on top of the sales that are already in place as part of its annual holiday sales event. Here's the latest list of games with price cuts that will last until 1 pm Eastern time on Thursday:

Dead Space - $6.80
Plants Vs Zombies Game of the Year Edition - $4
Swords and Soldiers - $2.50
Kane and Lynch 2 - $4.99
Brothers In Arms series - Save 50 percent off all games in series
Hearts of Iron III Complete Pack (game plus all DLC) - $14.10
City of Heroes Going Rogue Complete Collection - $10
Greed Corp - $2.50
The Quake Collection (all games in series except Quake IV and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars) - $10.20
Sniper Ghost Warrior - $7.50
The Ball - $4.99
Amnesia The Dark Descent - $6.80 or $4.80 if you own any game in the Penumbra series.

How freaking amazing is it that that a bundle of five indie games can generate half a million dollars in just one day with a "pay what you want" business model? Yeah, that whole "PC gaming is dead" argument is toast.

• Steam updates are available today for Garry's Mod, Zen Bound 2, Nimbus and Clones.
• BioWare is holding a "12 Days of Christmas" contest where folks can win cool prizes like Mass Effect and Dragon Age-branded gaming PCs.
• The upcoming free-to-play MMO Faxion Online is now taking sign-ups for the game's closed beta test.
• Dead Space Aftermath, a new direct-to-DVD anime based on the Dead Space games, is due out on January 25. Here's a (rather bloody) trailer.
• Do you deliberately and habitually leave games in the middle of battle in League of Legends? Then get ready for the automated ban hammer to fall on you.

Dead Space 2 is rapidly shaping up to be one of our must-buy games of next year, and this newest trailer only cements it even further. While a few trailers have hinted at the station that Isaac will be spending his time on, none have truly tackled the issue, and this one aims to give us a good look at The Sprawl. It does a fairly good, if heavily cut and jittery, job at showing off the newly infested city. Frankly, it's not too scary, but the ridiculous amount of awesome action sequences more than makes up for this. Besides, the first game wasn't scary either!

Download HD Dead Space 2 'The Sprawl' Trailer
Check out all Dead Space 2 downloads

Dead Space 2 has had a bit of a rocky road for the PC platform. The sequel to the acclaimed 2008 sci-fi survival horror game from Electronic Arts was first announced as coming for the PC and then EA revealed that the PC port was not certain. A few month later EA finally gave PC owners a sign of relief as it confirmed that a PC port was coming after all.

Now EA has announced that a playable demo for Dead Space 2 is due for release on December 21 for the Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles. Unfortunately, Big Download has now confirmed with an EA PR rep that the demo will bypass the PC platform. This is basically the same decision that EA made when it didn't offer the pre-release demo for Need For Speed Hot Pursuit for PC owners. The full version of Dead Space 2 is still coming to the PC on January 25.

The holiday season continues to be a good one for PC gamers looking for that next great sale. The PC game download site GamersGate already has a special deal where orders for four PC games will get the cheapest one for free. This week the site has put quite a few PC games on the price chopping block from now until the end of the day Sunday.

Some of the deals this week include the original BioShock for just $4.99, the original Dead Space for just $6.78, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky for a mere $3.98, and Command and Conquer 4 for just $7.98. Keep in mind that GamersGate also has daily sales deals as well from now until Christmas Day.