Daily Wrap-Up 2.08.10

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Here’s what went on today in the world of video games, technology and popular culture:

• In this Morning Hangover, Patrick Klepek asks what you played this weekend.
• LucasArts today announced Lego Star Wars: Clone Wars is on the way.
• The winners of the 2009 Mod of the Year awards have been announced. A mod for MechWarrior took home the Player’s Choice award.
• Jake Gaskill took a long, hard look at Bioshock 2.
• VIDEO: Need Melee Tips In AVP? Sega’s Latest Trailer Has You Covered
• VIDEO: Backbreaker Trailer Lists Features To Take On Other Football Games (*Cough* Madden)
• Bungie is "saddened" by the news that Halo 2 won’t be playable online soon. Fans are equally disappointed.
• The ESRB has revealed that EA’s Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will feature a section that takes place during World War II.
• Madden NFL 10 was surprisingly accurate in its SuperBowl prediction.
• After seven weeks, Avatar is finally knocked off the top box-office spot.
• Q Games has dropped a few hints about PixelJunk Shooter 2. Here’s what we know!
• The first details on Fallout: New Vegas are starting to emerge!
• A lot has happened to Rapture over the past 10 years. Before you dive back in, you might want to check out our BioShock 2 launch primer
• Director, Joe Johnston dropped major details on the upcoming Captain America film.
• EA revealed its lineup of 2010 titles today, which includes a new shooter from Epic Games, a new Dragon Age title and a new Spore.
• Electronic Arts has announced that Dragon Age: Origins has sold 2.7 million copies and Left 4 Dead 2 pushed 2.9 million copies.
• EA is describing Criterion Games’ upcoming Need For Speed reinvention as "action" based.
• Everything you need to know about DICE 2010, but were afraid to ask.
• EA says they are planning more services like Mass Effect 2’s Cerberus Network for their upcoming games.
• Check our new releases list to find out what games are hitting your platforms of choice this week.
• VIDEO: MLB 2K10 Examines Pitcher vs. Hitter Gameplay Mechanics
• EA is promising "something far-reaching from Mass Effect" that’s dropping sometime in early 2011.
• Want to be Feedback’s question of the week?
• X-Play takes a look at ten years of The Sims.
• Peter Molyneux plans to reveal some big and upsetting news regarding Fable III this week.
• Tomorrow, you’ll be able to download new DLC for Mass Effect 2.
• If you’re thinking about staying Up All Night with Bayonetta, don’t worry. We understand. We really do.
• Not sure what to expect from Dante’s Inferno? Don’t worry, our Launch Primer’s here to help.
• X-Play recently went hands-on with Split Second. Here’s what they thought.

X-Play Goes Hands-On With Split Second

I’ve been anxiously awaiting Split/Second ever since I played Pure, the massively underrated ATV racer from a little while back. Luckily, Split/Second look like it could have some broader appeal. Not convinced? Check out X-Play’s latest hands-on with SplitSecond for more.

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Launch Primer: Dante’s Inferno

Ever find yourself in a situation where all of your friends are talking about the latest and greatest game, and you can’t contribute to the conversation because you haven’t been paying attention? Solve that problem with our Launch Primers: everything you need to know (except the spoilers) about a game that’s about to be released.

Dante’s Inferno
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PSP
MSRP: $59.99 (console), $39.99 (PSP)
ESRB Rating: Mature 

All Dante’s Inferno Content

Videos   |    Previews   |   Screenshot Galleries   |   News Stories

What kind of game is it?

A modern day beat ‘em up. A hack ‘n slash. Have you played God of War? You have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Dante’s Inferno. Dead Space developer Visceral Games have lifted the best elements of God of War’s combat and tossed it into a journey through Hell that’s based on the first part of Dante Alighieri’s three-part epic poem, The Divine Comedy. Dante must travel through the nine circles of Hell to save his princess from none other than Lucifer.

Who’s the developer?

Visceral Games, formerly known as EA Redwood Shores, is same studio within Electronic Arts that developed Dead Space. It’s not the same team (they’re working on Dead Space 2), but you can definitely tell it’s from the same thinktank. They also worked on the internally developed the Wii spin-off, Dead Space: Extraction, both The Godfather games and The Simpsons Game.

What’s the story?

Most of the people interested in Dante’s Inferno probably aren’t that familiar with The Divine Comedy, the 14th century poem that Dante’s Inferno draws inspiration from. Visceral Games has lifted the basic story setup — a man pushing his way through the nine circles of Hell, each one representing a different Christian sin, in pursuit of his love, Beatrice — and tweaked it. The roles of some characters have been adjusted (i.e. Virgil) and plenty of subplots removed, but the journey to the pit of Hell remains.

What’d we say?

It’s impossible to discuss Dante’s Inferno without discussing its primary influence, God of War. It caused some controversy in the comments, but I argued it was a massive compliment.

"Is imitation necessarily a bad thing? On one hand, the use of the word suggests imitation is easy. I assume most developers who tried to make a game like Halo, Modern Warfare or World of Warcraft will quickly tell you that’s not necessarily the case. Good imitation isn’t an easy task. Dante’s Inferno is a very well crafted action game, largely because it succeeds at using its inspirations effectively."

See it in action:

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Up All Night With Bayonetta

Adam gives you the dirty, dirty reasons why Bayonetta’s tight…over the top the combat, and supple…acrobatic death dealing are the perfect recipe for a game that will have you wanting to stay Up All Night.

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New Armor, Shotgun For Mass Effect 2 Available Tomorrow

Tomorrow, some much anticipated armor and a shotgun will be available for Mass Effect 2 players. Both PC and 360 gamers will be able to download the gear for free at noon through the in-game Cerberus Network. Here’s what’s on-tap:

Cerberus Assault Armor
Cerberus assault armor is designed for shock troops, turn the tide of battle against creatures or forces that would decimate normal soldiers.
Increases heavy weapon ammo capacity by +10%
Increases shields by +10%
Increases health by +10%

M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun
The M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun is a longer-range shotgun with armor-piercing loads. This design also violates several intergalactic weapons treaties, so the M-22a is not distributed to militaries.

What do you think? Pretty hot, right?

Source: Bioware Forums

Big, Upsetting Fable III Announcement Coming This Week

Upon hearing the news last week that Peter Molyneux and the whimsical wizards over at Lionhead Studios plan to show off Fable III at Microsoft’s X10 event this week, I’m guessing that quite a few Fable fans selected the “Jump for Joy” option from their personal action menus. If this describes your response, then Molyneux has some words of warning for you.

"There’s some – Wow – there’s some very, very big things happening in Fable. Bigger than you think, and it’s going to really going to upset people. I’m really scared. When I go out and tell people what it is, they’re going to get super pissed off. They really are. But it’s the right thing to do,” Molyneux recently told Game Reactor.

Seeing as gamers have come to expect Molyneux games to have their release dates pushed at least a few times, it would be hard to imagine that a Fable III delay would really "piss off" that many gamers. If the game were 100 percent Project Natal-powered, then that would definitely elicit some rather unpleasant feelings among players. This is probably the least likely scenario, seeing as I doubt Microsoft would pull a Tony Hawk Ride with one of their most precious franchises, but anything’s possible I guess. Fortunately, we only have to wait a few days before we know the devastating truth.

Source: Game Reactor (via VG247)

X-Play Looks At A Decade Of The Sims

Last week marked the 10th anniversary of the release of EA’s The Sims. Three games, countless add-ons and millions of players later, The Sims franchise occupies a unique place within gaming culture.

Check out X-Play’s all access look at the series in the video below:

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Be Feedback’s Question Of The Week!

I seem to be the only person in the office who hasn’t finished Mass Effect 2, which is why it’s convenient that BioShock 2 has decided to be released the week after, totally screwing with my free time. That’s a long way of saying: we’re going to be talking about BioShock 2 on Feedback this week, so don’t ask any questions about BioShock 2! We’ve got it covered. That said, if you want to be Feedback’s question of the week, it’s time to head to the comments.

Also, a reminder. You have a better chance of getting picked if you have an avatar!

Have something to share? Sitting on a news tip? E-mail me. You can also follow me on Twitter.

"Something Far-Reaching From Mass Effect" Coming In Early 2011

After the launch of Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2, you’d think BioWare would be quiet for a little while. But according to comments from Electronic Arts COO John Schappert, there is "something far-reaching from Mass Effect" coming between January 1 and March 31, 2011.

Schapper’s comments came during a discussion of EA’s latest financial results and he provided no other details during the conference call. Is it Mass Effect 3 already? Is it an expansion pack?

In an earlier press release, EA listed an unnamed Dragon Age title coming to consoles, handhelds and PC during the same period. Schappert did not mention the Dragon Age title during the conference call. It’s possible Schappert meant to reference Dragon Age, but accidentally said Mass Effect.

I’ve contacted EA for clarification. Stay tuned.

Have something to share? Sitting on a news tip? E-mail me. You can also follow me on Twitter.

MLB 2K10 Examines Pitcher vs. Hitter Gameplay Mechanics

Even though baseball is labeled as a team sport, any good fan knows how easily a game can come down to the dramatic interaction between a great pitcher or hitter. The sports equivalent of a duel. This special installment of the MLB 2K10 Hitters vs. Pitchers series focuses on the retooled hitting and pitching mechanics in the game.

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