CALL OF CUTY BLACK OP TIPS: Call of Duty: Black Ops is just a couple days old, but that doesn’t mean you need to head into virtual battle unprepared. You need tips for gathering XP and CoD Points, both essential for beefing up your arsenal with new weapons, killstreaks and attachments. Don’t think less of yourself for seeking out strategies for a military shooter — the U.S. armed forces impart the nugget of wisdom “Aim Towards Enemy” in rocket launcher instruction manuals — so think of this how-to guide for leveling up quickly and raking in CoD points as the gaming equivalent of friendly advice on how not to blow yourself up.

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In attempting to stuff new magic into a venerated series, DICE approaches game design by creating innovation and not intentional repetition. The developer isn’t interested in recreating their old games, but fundamentally craft new and visceral experiences for players. Essentially, they want to make the only Battlefield game you’d look to play.

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At Captivate, Capcom revealed the first ten playable characters in Street Fighter X Tekken, while producer Yoshinori Ono spoke at length about Tekken’s affinity for unusual characters and how Street Fighter X Tekken will handle the situation.

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Max Payne may have suffered the indignity of a horrendously embarassing cinematic adaptation that nearly crushed all the goodwill Marky Mark had cultivated since Boogie Nights, but plenty of video games have been subject to similar ordeals–the abomination that was the Super Mario Bros. movie didn’t kill the game franchise upon which it was based, and while the Max Payne series certainly isn’t as iconic as the Mario games, it has served up enough entertainment to recover from that minor tragedy.

However, fans of the franchise were disappointed when it was announced that the third entry in the series was put on hold. Thankfully, some screenshots, courtesy of IGN, indicate that the project is still in development.

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Much about the Dragon Age II differs from the original, but recently DA2′s lead designer Mike Laidlaw has opened up about his feelings on all things Dragon Age II and continue to try to spin criticisms of design choices from a different light.

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We never could really get into The Witcher’s time-based mouse attacks, but the world of the Witcher offered fans of PC RPGs an alternative to the simple and overused mechanics of mainstream role playing games. CD Projekt has steadily been working on a sequel and have built an entirely new engine for The Witcher 2. To delight of fans everywhere, time-based clicking has moved aside.

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Bethesda is holding a contest aimed at prospective parents: name your baby ‘Dovahkiin’ (after the fictional protagonist from the developer’s upcoming game “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim”), and be rewarded with a lifetime key to all Bethesda/Zenimax titles released on Steam. The child must be born on the game’s release date, which thankfully limits the number of children who could potentially have their lives ruined by stupid parents.

Add this to the already long list of silly, stupid and ultimately pointless things video game makers do to promote their work. And yes, the irony that complaining about this contest is just what Bethesda wants isn’t lost. Still, complaining is good for the soul, and it’s far more honest than jumping on the ‘Love the idea, Bethesda!’ bandwagon.

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Hit PC game “Minecraft” is a huge success despite the fact it’s still a work in progress.

The current ‘beta’ code of the Sweden-developed game was released in December, and according to online statistics over one million people have purchased the yet-to-be-completed version. Over three million people in total downloaded it.

So, what’s next for the completely out of left field game that merges building blocks and zombies? Mobile phones.

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He sorta looks like he's smiling...

Sweden-based video game developer Frictional Games enjoys making PC horror adventures, like 2010s “Amnesia: The Dark Descent” and the earlier “Penumbra” series. However, a recent update to the company’s official blog exudes an emotion in stark contrast to those its games explore: happiness. And for those who can’t wait to experience its next dark and dreary foray into the horror genre (maybe!), Frictional divulges a few minor details sure to get fans’ hairs on end.

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