Ken Block Signs On for Dirt 2

Ken Block, rally car driver extraordinaire, is the new face of the DiRT franchise. He explains why he decided to get involved in Codemasters' racer in the video below. Using inspiration from the late (and sorely missed) Colin McRae, the new kid on the block regales his story of getting involved in the sport of rally racing and how he hopes to fill the enormous shoes left behind by Colin. The video shows Ken's influence on the sport and even a few glimpses of the gameplay. Expect lots of big air opportunities in DiRT 2, as is Ken's trademark style.

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Dead Rising 2 will render 6,000 zombies on screen at once

In a recent GDC presentation about the over powered graphics engine behind Dead Rising 2, Izmeth Siddeek, the game's character art lead, made a rather shocking announcement: "Dead Rising 2 deals with the rendering of the greatest number of characters ever seen in a video game," he said. In laymen terms words, the insanely massive amounts of on-screen zombies featured in the original Dead Rising will apparently increase by a huge margin in the upcoming sequel.

The bloated zombie processing power can be accredited to developer Blue Castle's implementation of new visual technology called Mental Mill, which is capable of rendering large groups of characters without sacrificing graphical quality. Mental Mill product manager Laura Scholl claimed the new software will allow over 6,000 zombies to appear on-screen at once! This will provide multitudes of the undead that will surely be easy on the eyes.

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Need For Speed: 'SHIFT' Trailer

Earlier today, Major Nelson released news a new trailer from the upcoming racing sim Need For Speed: SHIFT. The teaser trailer manages to give us a glimpse of the high speed racing action we've come to expect from the series. Personally, I think the NFS franchise should return to its roots and make a sequel to Most Wanted. Something about out running police in epic 20 minute car chases across a city never gets old. Lookout for Need For Speed: Shift releasing on the xbox 360 and ps3 on September 17.

Add to your Xbox 360 download que

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Fight For Every Yard In Madden NFL 10

Fresh from EA Sports Peter Moore's blog, the very first screenshot of Madden NFL 10 has been released. Pete mentions in his blog that, "From everything I have seen in Madden NFL 10 so far this year, the authenticity of gameplay is showing striking improvement in physics, realism and responsiveness. Having recently sat through a full product review from our team in Orlando, it's abundantly clear that this could be the deepest, most graphically-rich Madden ever, and a stunning testament to the talented development team who have had a maniacal focus delivering a landmark title to Madden Nation in 2009." That's a mighty big compliment coming from Peter Moore. He hasn't been the easiest guy to please in the past. However, judging from the screenshot, Madden NFL 10 is shaping up to be a beautiful looking game.

Source: Peter Moore's Bolg

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Max Payne 3 coming to Xbox 360, PS3, PC this winter

Rockstar Games announced today that Max Payne 3 is currently in development and scheduled for a winter 2009 release on the Xbox 360. Developed by Rockstar Vancouver, Max Payne 3 will tell the story of a retired police detective caught up in a world of corruption, backstabbing, and intense violence.

The award-winning franchise is known for putting players in the role of Max Payne, a hard-boiled New York City detective with a thirst for violence, out to avenge the death of his family. The latest installment delivers more of the classic elements and hyper-intense action that fans have come to love, while moving the story of Max in a new direction.

Here's what Rockstar head honcho Sam Houser had to say about the upcoming sequel: "We're starting a new chapter of Max's life with this game. This is Max as we've never seen him before, a few years older, more world-weary and cynical than ever. We experience the downward spiral of his life after the events of Max Payne 2 and witness his last chance for salvation."

I think I speak for everyone when I ask this but. ... More cynical? Really? Like, is he just stealing candy from babies and choking them to death with the wrappers?

Source: TakeTwo Interactive

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'Scratch: The Ultimate DJ' Trailer

MTV Multiplayer posted the first-ever trailer for the upcoming 7 Studios/Mix Master Mike project, Scratch: The Ultimate DJ. The trailer gives us a glimpse of what to expect in the game. Everything from gameplay footage (multicolored buttons on a track), a few of the featured contributing musicians (Black Eyed Peas, Beastie Boys and Kanye West) and a some of the characters with which you'll be spinning vinyl with (albeit horrendously grotesque urban stereotypes). Check out the video below and see for yourself.

MTV Shows

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Ali and Tyson Square Off in Fight Night Round 4 Trailer

IGN has uploaded a shiny new gameplay trailer for the recently announced Fight Night Round 4 and it's pretty much full of what anyone would expect, overgrown men beating each other senseless. This time around the cover's boxers showcase the legendary Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, both of whom are featured in the video below, Fight Night Round 4 claims to be even more realistic than any previous fight nights. I just hope they make it super realistic and give players the option to bite opponents ears off.

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New Batman Arkham Asylum Trailer

Remain calm folks! MTV Multiplayer just debuted a brand spanking new trailer for Batman Arkham Asylum. This is definitely a game that's shaping up to be one of this summer's biggest hits. The trailer focuses on Batman’s Invisible Predator stealth combat techniques. I can't wait to drag some poor unsuspecting henchman into oblivion.

MTV Shows

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Is Resident Evil 5 Racist?

In a recent article by the Wall Street Journal, Jamin Brophy-Warren tackles the racial implications that many are claiming to see in Capcom's upcoming shooter, Resident Evil 5. The game's producer Jun Takeuchi recently said, "There is no racial element to it all," and Capcom's Chris Kramer expands on that point, stating to the WSJ that the game adopts an "anti-colonialist" stance. Mr. Kramer is referring to white protagonist Chris Redfield, shooting his way through RE5's African non-zombies, and the imagery it represents with regards to traditional Western colonialism on the continent.

The theme of the article is one of finding out if whether or not the game is racist, rather than starting with a condemnation and then going forward like we've seen so many times in mainstream video game coverage. Jamin speaks to an array of major game developers (including Fallout 3's Todd Howard) and even broaches the topic of racism in American society being perpetuated by a largely Caucasian game industry.

RE5 begins with Chris Redfield walking through an African village that appears uninfected. He sees some men kicking something in a sack. The implication here is that even before the infection, these people are portrayed as bad people. If RE5 were set on another continent and these characters had white skin, no one would give it a second thought. Typical “village full of bad guys” gaming cliché? Possibly, but these characters are black and such an imagery can be perceived to have racist undertones.

Does this image and the fact that the core gameplay has you shooting black men and women make RE5 racist? The answer is going to vary greatly from one person to the next and, perhaps more significantly, from one region to the next.

In Japan, for example, it’s unlikely that the events depicted in Resident Evil 5 will be viewed as racist in any way. Japan and other Asian nations never experienced centuries of racist oppression against blacks.

In Europe and America, where racism continues to be an issue to this day, and where, less than two centuries ago, slavery was legal, the imagery will likely resonate more substantially.

I’ve played the first half of RE5 and through those three chapters gamers spend a good majority of time shooting people with dark skin. There are moments that some will never connect with racism, but some others will definitely see a clear use of racist iconography.

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Big Sisters Come Out To Play in BioShock 2

2K's lips have been pinned shut about details behind their big sequel, BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams, which is why Game Informer's April cover featuring a hulking lean Big Sister has everyone all giddy.

The April issue of Game Informer features a cover story on BioShock 2. The magazine's site has now posted the cover image, giving us a first look at the new "Big Sister" character teased by the game's official site, along with the confirmation that players will be returning to the first BioShock's setting: the underwater city of Rapture.

The Big Sister looks to be as iconic as her predecessor, the Big Daddy, sporting interesting details including bows tied to her Little Sister "carrying cage" and what appears to be either an arm-mounted rifle or potentially -- not to mention more fittingly -- a large ADAM syringe.

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Caution: Rumors Ahead

This just in, VGEutopia is reporting that we're in for more Xbox360 sku changes soon. According to it's "sources" the Pro and Arcade models will be getting upgrades and the Elite will be used STRICTLY for Limited Edition situations, like the red bundle being released on March 13th. Here are the two rumors being tossed around from their sources:

1. The Arcade Model will stay the same except getting more internal memory from 256MB to 512MB and getting the chrome disk drive instead of the matte. The pricing will stay the same for now. The Pro Model will also receive an upgraded hard drive from 60GB to 80GB and the pricing will stay the same for now.

2. With the Arcade Model a 20GB hard drive will be included as well as the 256MB of internal memory. This will allow for easier swapping and backup options. Included game will change and prices will stay the same. The Pro Model will include a 80 or 120GB hard drive upgrade with an additional 256MB of internal memory for the same reasons as the Arcade model. Included games will change and a HDMI cable will be included. The price may drop from $299.99 to $279.99.

Future limited edition models will include a themed console with matching controller, 180GB or 200GB hard drive, whatever included game and a price of $379.99 to $399.99. The disk drive color will also receive a "situational" change. All Elite accessories will still be included as well as a possible wireless headset upgrade.

If these rumors are true, it only solidifies the reason why Sony HAS to release a price drop soon or they will inevitably go the way of the Betamax, floppy disks, and mix tapes.

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