New Crysis 2 screens get shooty

EA’s released a bunch of new shots of Crysis 2. Guns are very much included.


Nothing too surprising. Just some bits of concept art and screens showing off the destruction of New York.

Get them all over at GameInfoWire.

The screens appeared following the Crytek shooter getting a new trailer over the Christmas break.

Crysis 2 releases on March 22 in the US and March 25 in Europe for PS3, 360 and PC.

Add Classic Sci-Fi Goodness to Your Desktop with the Matrix Theme for Windows 7

Sometimes classic movie themes work even better than themes that focus on new releases and the Matrix Theme for Windows 7 is a perfect example. The theme comes with 32 Hi-Res wallpapers, custom sounds from the movie, and Matrix icons all in one terrific package. The only question left is…do you take the blue pill or the red one?

Need more Matrix goodness? Then pop on over to browse through our 
 Desktop Fun: Matrix Wallpaper Collection and Desktop Fun: Sci-Fi Icons Packs Series 2 posts.  
*The Matrix Documentations & Matrix Rebooted icon packs are towards the bottom.

The Matrix Theme For Windows 7 (Movie Themes) [VikiTech]

James Cameron is impressed with Crysis 2 in 3D, says Crytek

Crytek has said film director James Cameron has seen Crysis 2 running in 3D and is apparently impressed with it.

Speaking with Edge, Cevat Yerli said such a compliment makes him confident Crysis 2 will be “a super-high-end 3D experience on all formats”. Yerli went on to say that the firm’s upcoming shooter was not the first time the team has delved into 3D tech, as it began working on a project two and a half years ago that was “exclusively in stereoscopic 3D”.

“A lot of this knowledge is now in the Crysis 2 3D experience,” he said. “That’s why we have, in my opinion, a benchmark 3D implementation. I’ll even claim it’s the same as Avatar’s status in 3D.

“James Cameron has seen Crysis 2, and he loved what he saw because his eyes are trained for 3D more than anyone else’s, and that makes me confident that we have a super-high-end 3D experience on all formats.”

When asked how Cameron happened to get at look at Crysis 2, Yerli slyly replied: “that’s another story.”

Crysis 2 releases on March 22 in the US and March 25 in Europe for PS3, 360 and PC. The latest screens for it can be found here.

Original Article at VG247

HTC HD7 vs Apple iPhone 4

HTC HD2 gets its very own Windows Phone 7 ROM (video)

While its original OS might be yesterday's news, the 4.3 inch HTC HD2 with 1GHz Snapdragon processor still has plenty of life in it thanks to the industrious efforts of the global development community. A new Windows Phone 7 ROM has just been released by DFT (Dark Forces Team) for your flashing pleasures. While it's said to be working at nearly 100 percent, it does come with the caveat of lacking access to any Windows Live services. As such, you won't be downloading apps or media from Marketplace or setting up your avatar on Xbox Live -- pretty serious omissions for a WP7 device. Nevertheless, if you're an HD2 owner just aching for a taste of Microsoft's newest OS then now's your chance. Video of the ROM in action after the break.

[Thanks, br0adband]

Japanese doctor turns hot toddy into superconductor catalyst

It's rare that hot booze does anything more than get you drunk, and possibly make you sick, but according to Dr. Yoshihiko Takano, the drink you're sucking on could facilitate the levitation of a train. After a party for a colleague, the Japanese scientist found that FeTe0.8S0.2 (composed of iron, tellurium, and tellurium sulfide), when soaked in warm booze overnight, shows signs of increased superconductivity -- another in a long line of liquor-enhanced discoveries that could have far reaching effects on everything from consumer electronics to public transportation. Dr. Takano decided to test the material (known to become a superconductor after soaking in water) in the leftover alcohol from the party: beer, red wine, white wine, sake, shochu, and whiskey. As it turns out, red wine has the highest superconducting volume fraction at 62.4 percent -- nearly four times higher than the ethanol-water control samples. Dr. Takano and his colleagues speculate that the ease with which wine and beer oxidize could be play a key role in the increase in superconductivity. We speculate that even a superconductor gets a little hopped up after soaking in a bottle of wine.

Physorg

Mysterious 7-inch Viewsonic Android tablet breaks cover, reveals little

Let's see, if there's a ViewPad 10 and a ViewPad 4, logic would dictate that a ViewPad 7 couldn't be far out, right? Unfortunately for those convinced, Viewsonic actually has a 7-inch ViewPad on the market already, and the device you're peering at above most certainly isn't it. This gem was spotted by CarryPad at Zinio's CES booth, complete with Android 2.2, the outfit's own content software and... well, who knows what else. Chippy noted that booth attendees weren't exactly hip with him toying around with the device, though he did remark that performance seemed snappier than usual when compared to the other 7-inchers out there. So, will Viewsonic come clean with its LTE-enabled, 7-inch miracle-of-a-tablet? Highly doubtful, but who said dreaming was a crime?
 Netbook News, CarryPad

IGN's 'Indie Open House' teams selected, move in

The five indie dev teams selected by IGN to receive free office space at the media outlet's HQ in San Francisco moved in this week. The "Indie Open House" program grants those groups free office space for the next six months, along with access to available resources.

The teams include: students from Carnegie Mellon working on a medieval combat game; a group working on a steam punk action game with Parkour mechanics; and another assembling a cooperative platformer with furry aliens for up to 100 players.

Some advice for the devs: You're at IGN. Buy the features editor shots until they agree to do a 1,200 word piece and don't take anything less than an 8 from the reviews editor -- it helps to copy their hard drive for blackmail material. See: access to available resources.

New Bomberman Live Battlefest DLC launches, things get furry

Good news, Bombermen and Bomberwomen -- a pair of new maps and outfits (including the creepy, lycanthropic Werebomb) have arrived in Bomberman Live: Battlefest as part of the Bomb Up Pack #2. Check out the gallery below to see exactly what your 240 Microsoft Points ($3) will buy you.
Source: Xbox.com

'Gods Eater Burst' GameStop pre-order includes bonus DLC

If you plan to pick up D3 Publisher's anime-style, Monster Hunter-style PSP action RPG, Gods Eater Burst, you might as well pick it up from GameStop. D3 announced today that pre-orders from GameStop will include an exclusive downloadable content pack, including new missions and fights against two of the game's creepy, part-weapon "Aragami" monsters.

That's not a typo in the headline, by the way. D3 sneaked in a name change recently: The game is now "Gods Eater Burst" instead of "God Eater Burst." We guess D3 didn't want to give the impression that it was about eating the God ... just some gods.
Source: GameStop

BioShock 2 DLC draws closer to release on PC

PC gamers anxious to extend their BioShock 2 experience should pop a Paying Attention plasmid right now: those add-ons are still coming. The first of the two campaign add-ons offered to console gamers, Protector Trials, is currently on track to be submitted for certification at the end of January. Once approved, there shouldn't be too long of a wait before aspiring father figure types can get to protectin' their younger, creepier sisters.

As for Minerva's Den, it'll be a longer wait: 2K Games says it's on track to submit to certification in early March. The delay comes from the fact that the PC port of the acclaimed add-on was only in the earliest stages of development when 2K Games decided it didn't want to pursue a PC release, only to subsequently change its mind.

If you want to know more, check out this thread on the 2K forums, where community manager Elizabeth Tobey is promising to answer questions.

• Via: Big Download
• Source: 2K Games

Super Meat Boy soundtrack now available in 2 CD special edition

If you've managed to resist downloading the impossibly cheap Super Meat Boy soundtrack, you'll be interested to know that now there's a much more physical and significantly more awesome version available. The 2 CD set includes all the music from the downloadable release and also includes menu and cutscene music, two new remixes and more. It also comes in the neato case seen above.

The 2 CD set can be had for $10 -- or more, if you're so inclined -- plus shipping. For an additional $5, you can also order a copy of the soundtrack signed by its composer Danny Baranowsky. See hi-res images of the packaging in the gallery below.
Source: Super Meat Boy Double CD Special Edition Soundtrack

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 European pre-order bonus: T-shirts!

Capcom has revealed the pre-order bonuses for Marvel vs Capcom 3 in Europe. ShopTo and GameStation pre-orderers will snag a comic or a SteelBook edition of the game, respectively, both of which are already part of the North American collector's edition.

Most retailers, however, will be offering some sweet T-shirts. There are seven different shirts, each unique to a different retailer. We're a bit partial to Blockbuster's tee, pictured above. Check out the other shirts in the gallery below.
Source: Capcom

Pokemon Black and White reach five million sales in Japan

The two latest additions to the neverending Pokémon franchise managed to move an incredible 2.6 million units during their first two days on Japanese store shelves -- but how have Black and White fared since then? Unsurprisingly, they've done just fine; according to sales statistics from Enterbrain, this week saw the pair's combined sales reach 5,036,724 units.

Pokémon Black and White aren't the first games to reach this impressive mark -- in fact, four other DS games have managed to reach five million sales in the past. However, no other DS title has managed to reach five million quite as quickly as Black and White, which have only been available for 17 weeks. We guess that just goes to prove that, for some people "Gotta Catch 'Em All" isn't just a catchphrase, it's a way of life.
Source: Andriasang

Planet Moon studios loses funding, Bigpoint acquires staff

It was a less-than-happy holiday season for the folks over at Planet Moon Studios, it seems -- multiple sources are reporting that the studio responsible for games such as Giants: Citizen Kabuto and Armed & Dangerous ran out of funding last December, due to the loss of a "substantial amount" of money allegedly owed by investors. CEO Aaron Loeb says his company will file suit against its debtors.

Fortunately, MMO developer Bigpoint has picked up 37 staff members from Planet Moon, swelling the ranks of its San Francisco studio to more than 100 people. Bigpoint's CEO, Heko Hubertz, says the refugee staffers will be put to work using their cross-platform experience on Bigpoint's titles, which it just recently claimed have an audience of over 150 million users.

Joystiq has reached out to Loeb for a comment on the pending legal action, and to learn what happened to any titles the company currently has (or had) in development. We'll let you know when we hear back.

Source: Next-gen.biz, Gamasutra

Gameloft boss defends company's clones

Cloning is a hot-button topic, the ethics of which continue to be explored by legislatures, theologians and George Lucas. In the games world, one company is at the forefront of the science: Gameloft. Its experiments -- including the recent Shadow Guardian, a facsimile of Uncharted 2 -- have been praised by some and reviled by others. Gameloft CEO Michel Guillemot says that's okay (and the sales numbers would agree).

"The video game industry has always played around a limited number of themes," Guillemot proposed in an interview with IGN. "There is maybe one new idea a year." He further addressed Gameloft's detractors by saying, "The damaging thing is if you do a bad expression of a good idea." Hmmm ... We wonder if Guillemot was thinking about Capcom's MaXplosion when he said that.

Source: IGN