30 Days Until Resident Evil 6

With only 30 days to go until Resident Evil 6 is released on October 2nd, we count down 30 reasons why Capcom’s latest zombie infested survival horror game has us ready to destroy wave after wave of the bloody undead in terrifying new ways. You rolling with us? Pack a shotgun and never look back, this is the dirty 30 for Resident Evil 6. BRRRAAAAAIIINNNSS!!

30

The Zombies Are Smarter Than Ever Now

Like much, much, much smarter. They jump, spit acid and fight back with weapons. These things don't just grunt and groan. They eat brains and ace math tests. Run, man. RUN!

29

The Special Editions Rock

Why snag just the game when you can get copies of a bunch of classic Evils or even a hoodie? There are a ton of options, so stop being so boring.

28

That Logo Looks Like A Giraffe And A....

Love flourishes in the strangest of places. Sometimes a man loves a woman. Sometimes a woman loves a giraffe. Sometimes two fish smoke cigarettes after an argument. The Resident Evil 6 logo is like the world's most perversely inspiring rorschach test! Watch this Up At Noon bit for even more.

27

The Achievements!

There's an Achievement named "Duty Calls" in case you were worried there wouldn't be enough action to go with that survival horror. Plenty more Achievement spoilers at that link, if you're into that kind of thing.

26

Ada Wong Is Back, Baby

And yes, we missed her too. Don't lie, so did you.

25

This Mysterious Man

What is he doing? Maybe he's READING THIS VERY ARTICLE!

24

You Probably Have Better Skin Than This Guy, So Cheer Up!

23

Leon, Chris & Eminem In The SAME GAME!

22

That Title Screen Guy Will Totally Yell "RESIDENT...EVIIIIL. SIX!" When You Press Start On The Title Screen

He did it for every other Resident Evil game so why fire him now?

21

Resident Evil.Net Keeps The Game Going FOREVA AND EVA

Regularly updated new content and events? This makes us very happy.

20

We Couldn't Wait So We Did Awesome Break Downs Of The Resident Evil Games Leading Up To RE6

Our homie Lucas M. Thomas has been doing amazingly detailed breakdowns of all the Resident evil classics. Join us in celebrating our old, withered nostalgia.

19

The Amazing IGN Wiki Means You'll Never Get Stuck

We'll keep updating it with backstory, cheats and full walkthroughs but we'd love if you helped us, too.

18

That Whole Zombie Infection Thing? Yeah, It's Global Now

(Although once again, Greenland is safe from the rest of the world's problems)

17

It Has A Naked Human-Spider Boss Woman Thingy That We Can't Even Show You

We would probably get arrested for throwing a picture in here but that won't stop us from talking about it.

16

DAAAAAWWWWWWWWWW!!

SO CUTE!!!

15

It's F***ing Legit!

Or so says @GenaMarini and she's probably right.

14

This Game Has Some Weird-Ass Enemies, Man!

Zombie mutant prize claw people? What the hell?!?! Well, it's not like being populated with freakish weirdos is new for the series or anything.

13

***ZOMBIE CAT BREAK!***

Hey look, it's Albert Whisker! We're so, so sorry.

12

Multiple Story Campaigns

Oh, you want branching stories and entire campaigns with different lead characters? Here are three to start you off:

And that's not even all of them...

11

Some Crazy, Talented People Are Working On This

Just watch our making-of video for proof!

10

The Bio Ball

Hypodermic fun for the whole family!

9

It Takes Place In The Same Universe As Sleeping Dogs If You're A Fan Fiction Writer Or Crazy Conspiracy Theorist

It doesn't really, but we can pretend.

8

It Comes With An Umbrella Corporation Umbrella If You Pre-Order It

Never heard of an Umbrella Umbrella? Let our resident (see what we did there?) video hostess Naomi Kyle show you one in action.

7

The Game's Producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi Is No Slouch

From classics like Dino Crisis, Resident Evil 2 to Killer7 and Devil May Cry, this guy is a legend.

6

It's Not Resident Evil 5

Nuff' said.

5

It's The Only Game This Year With Crossbows

OK, so that's bullsh*t. There are thousands of games this year with crossbows. But we like this crossbow the best.

4

It Reminds Us Of Resident Evil 2...

3

...And The Village From Resident Evil 4

2

That CRAZY Plane Crash Scene

1

And Finally? Zombie Party Time!

Excited for Resident Evil 6 as we are? Well you absolutely should be by now. Be sure to let us know just how excited in the comments below.

Source : ign[dot]com

PAX: Gears of War: Judgment -- Free-for-All Madness

Normally, playing a match of Gears of War’s multiplayer involves taking a lot of cover. But in the recently announced free-for-all mode for Gears of War: Judgment, it just doesn’t work for me. When nine other players barrel down on me from every angle I find I become paranoid, constantly spinning around and looking for the next chaotic gunfight.

The average life in free-for-all Judgment match is short. With no teammates around to chase off a would-be executioner, you’re dead when you get downed (and in the case of the PAX build, you died immediately). Free-for-all matches thus end up making you feel much more vulnerable than you do in other Gears gametypes. No one is there to pick you up when you fall, and the other nine people are out for blood as much as you, so they aren’t going to watch your back or protect your flanks.

Maps have specifically designed for Judgment’s free-for-all mode as well. Unlike past Gears games, where they basically adapted various maps to whatever game mode you were playing, these maps have been tailored for 10 player insanity. If the match at PAX was any indication, they're also a bit smaller than you’d expect. The result is that you never go more than a few seconds without running into someone to shoot, and more often it’s the third player who rushes in to clean up two wounded fighters than scores big.

If you want to play team-based matches Judgment has those too, but free-for-all looks like the most approachable option for someone looking to learn Judgment’s mechanics. Anyone who’s hopped into an older Gears multiplayer match knows how hard it can be to get into. What often happens is that you queue up, you finally join, you run to cover and then you’re summarily blasted into pieces by a super-skilled player with a shotgun and get to be a spectator for a few minutes before repeating. In free-for-all, though, you can respawn a few seconds after being killed. Thus you can play a bit more reckless and experiment more, learning to use weapons you might normally try, or even going for melee kills just for the heck of it. Sure, you might not be the one who comes out on top in the end, but you’re not going to have to wait for long respawn timers or let down a team.

Even if you're a super seasoned Gears player you'll have a few new control changes to get used to in Judgment. While Epic hasn't messed with the now-iconic Active Reload, they have basically eliminated the need for you to use the D-pad. Switching between your two weapons has been moved to the Y button, and throwing grenades is now as simple as tapping the left bumper. As obvious as these changes sound to anyone who plays other competitive shooters on the Xbox, it's a bit odd to never reach awkwardly with your left thumb to switch beween your gear. It makes Gears combat feel a lot more flexible and makes reacting to different situations much easier, and fits perfectly with the amped-up pacing of free-for-all mode.

With many more modes yet to be announced, Gears of War: Judgment already looks like it has something for longtime fans and newcomers alike. Judgment releases March 19th, 2013.

Source : ign[dot]com

PAX: Halo 4 Updates Grifball and Oddball

If you've ever wanted to throw your skull before, you'll enjoy the changes planned for several multiplayer modes in Halo 4. 343 Industries announced today that players will be able to pass and catch the ball/skull/bomb in both Grifball and Oddball during its Halo panel at PAX.  This news comes a day after the announcement of Capture the Flag (CTF), and a new War Games map, Exile. Similar to allowing the flag carrier to carry a Magnum in CTF, you'll also be able to weild a pistol while carrying the ball in Oddball. Assassinations are also possible which apparently vaporzize your enemies.

Here's the two modes in action.

Both modes themselves are carry-overs from past Halo games, Oddball featuring classic "earn points each second you control the ball" gameplay, while Grifball arms players with Gravity Hammers and Swords in a bid to score points by carrying the ball to the other team's goal.

Including a weapon in CTF makes enough sense given how wide open t=most CTF-ready maps are, but I wonder about adding a pistol to the ball-carrier mix given the typically smaller-sized arenas best suited for Oddball. There's something about relying solely on melee attacks that's always balanced out the gameplay, so it'll be interesting to see how it plays (343 only showed the mode off via its presentation, it wasn't playable).

In case you missed it yesterday, here's what we thought of the new CTF mode.

Casey Lynch is Editor-in-Chief of IGN.com. Follow his non-sequitur ramblings about video games, '80s films and Protest the Hero on IGN and Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

PAX: Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes Demo Impressions

Today at PAX, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima unveiled the first gameplay of Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes, which he called a "prologue" to Metal Gear Solid 5.

The Fox Engine driven "current gen" gameplay demo first shown last week in Tokyo offers a first look at who is presumably Big Boss and new vehicle gameplay, but more importantly we now know what the next Metal Gear Solid game will look like running. Here it is if you haven't watched it already.

First and foremost, the demo shows off the muscle of Fox Engine, looking as next-gen as anything could (Kojima again reiterated that this was not a tech demo, but a true gameplay demo for current-gen systems). The non-gameplay but "in-engine" pre-roll introduces an unidentified man making his way through a high-security base, possibly a camp of the Les Enfant Terrible. The internet is already speculating that this man is Volgin. We want to throw another guess out there - could this instead be The Fury, who burned to "death" in Metal Gear Solid 3?

Volgin or The Fury? Someone else?

Regardless, we're next shown a child in a cage - Paz - who appears to have headphones plugged into her chest (she unplugs them, replugging them into an old walkman). She's betrayed the man somehow. He tells the girl to give his regards to her "Boss" (yes, capital B in sub-titles) as he leaves.

The scarred man pulls away in a jeep convoy, a helicopter buzzing overhead, both of which foreshadow the use of vehicles in Ground Zeroes.

Next up: Snake or Big Boss? He's credited and addressed as Snake in the demo, but it makes more sense based on the "prologue" timeline, that and his eye-patch is on his right eye.

Yes, it's been too long.

Being called Snake works for Big Boss as well considering that Snake is Big Boss' codename. It could be either, as they both appear to be eluded to in the below on-screen quote, "From 'FOX', two phantoms were born." We're going to go out on a limb and call him Big Boss.

Big Boss or Snake?

We see the stealth mechanics in play here for the first time, crouching through the base, avoiding spotlights and taking out a guard with a silenced pistol. We also see Big Boss grab a jeep, and quickly reverse himself out of sight. It's during this section that we see a high-tech tracking device, called a 1Droid in the upper left corner (in beta version 1.02, no less). One crazy theory we have is this could possibly imply either Vita second-screen options, or even crazier, Wii U possibilities. Or maybe iPad? Smart glass? Or it's just a fancy Metal Gear Google map. I know, we're nuts.

That's right: Droid, not Apple.

Grand Theft Solid.

The demo closes with Big Boss catching a lift on a chopper, which Kojima said would serve as a means to travel between missions, and even different countries in the game. The vehicles featured customize-able music, with "Flight of the Valkyries" providing a dramatic backdrop for the demo. Kojima noted that the volume of the music will effect if you're discovered.

Flares are your friend.

So what do you think? Will we be playing as Big Boss? Snake? If so, which ones? And who's the scarred man at the beginning? And why does Pax listen to her body with headphones? So many questions! Right or wrong, tell us what you think in the comments below and let's figure this out.

Casey Lynch is Editor-in-Chief of IGN.com. Hear about his love for PAX , metal, and Dark Souls on IGN and Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

PAX: Fifteen Minutes of Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes Gameplay

We just saw the first gameplay footage of Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes at the PAX 2012 Metal Gear panel.

We are uploading the video. Tune back here in about 30 minutes and we'll have the video piping hot and ready to chew on.

Developing...

Casey Lynch is Editor-in-Chief of IGN.com. Hear about his love for PAX , metal, and Dark Souls on IGN and Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Magic the Gathering 2013 Expansion Details

If you clicked on that headline I assume you already know how awesome the Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers games are. You've finished the campaign and unlocked all the decks in the 2013 edition, and now you're ready for more. Well, let's get right to the details of the upcoming expansion, then.

What's new in the Magic: the Gathering -- Duels of the Planeswalker 2013 expansion?

• Five new two-color decks
• Ten new campaign challenges
• Five new puzzle challenges

Okay, how much will it cost, Daemon?
$5, dear reader.

When can we play it?
This fall. Look for a simultaneous release on all platforms (360, PS3, PC, and iPad).

These are some screens of the new content:

Ten new campaign challenges.

Five new two-color decks.

Daemon is IGN's Senior Editor and his love of Magic is probably the nerdiest thing about him. You should follow him on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Gamer Fatigue and the Creative Renaissance

Sometimes, boring games sell well. That is why they are made. Corporations that produce tedious, repetitious drivel are merely fulfilling their function, which is to enrich shareholders. They measure success in sales numbers and margins. They like predictability.

But even the most undemanding, conservative consumers eventually grow tired of formulas, and so games publishers seek to innovate, to try new things in order to build blueprints for the future.

This is the constant friction-point in the business of games, the drive to churn out games that will hit quarterly targets now, and the fear that failure to try new things will severely impact the quarterly results of the future.

'Gamer fatigue' is a phrase used this week by Dishonored co-director Harvey Smith, to describe what happens when the marketing guys gain too much power over the creative process. This is what happens when the corporations' need for quick returns outweigh both concerns about the future and the artistic vision of the game-maker.

But his message is a positive one. He points out that, even at the tail-end of a console generation, we are seeing artistic, interesting creations. Games like Dishonored, Beyond: Two Souls and The Last of Us are leading the charge against the AAA standards that fill the shelves of GameStop, while digital experimentation through XBL, PSN and Steam is a source of much that is challenging and new.

In an interview with GI Biz, Smith said, “You could attribute it to gamer fatigue. How many games have been released now where you're a soldier, or a space marine, or you're surrounded by elves and wizards, or you're robbing a bank in L.A.? I'm still an optimist, and I still have a great time playing games, but...most stuff is just variations on things we've seen before. If you've been around for a while you've seen it over and over and over."

There have been times in the past when it seemed that the marketers were taking too much creative power. The argument went that the ‘market’ should dictate what was produced, and there are still people who believe that consumer buying patterns are the ultimate measure of artistic endeavor.

But markets are not open and free systems, and in gaming’s past this was especially the case. It wasn’t that long ago when the only realistic way to get a game into the hands of the public-at-large was through one of a limited number of powerful publishing companies. Even now, we do not live in a utopia of creative freedom, but things have definitely changed, giving more power back to the people who actually know how to make games, and want to try to expand the form.

Looking back at the bad old days, Smith says, "I remember working at companies where people would tell me that role-playing games don't sell. I once had an executive tell me that first-person games don't sell. It can fly in the face of reality.”

He adds, “There are many ways to be successful. You could go out and aim for a very mainstream story...and you can capture an audience that way and be very successful. On the other hand, you can be completely rock 'n' roll about it and say, 'F*ck it, we're gonna do everything different from everyone else’. We're driven by this one impulse creatively. At a certain point, I came to mistrust formulas, because I've seen so many examples of people failing or succeeding by following a certain blueprint.”

Most of us are guilty of perpetuating formulas. We buy games that we know will be enjoyable, but that fail to surprise or even particularly delight us.

But what we really want is to be taken to new and unusual worlds, to be shocked and amazed at new experiences.

Source : ign[dot]com

Halo 4: New Capture the Flag Tweaks Send Wargames Into Exile

Popcorn and soda, French fries and ketchup, binge drinking and chain smoking – Capture the Flag (CTF) and Halo multiplayer go as inseparably together as Master Chief and Cortana, and we just played 343 Industries' new take on the series' beloved objective-based War Games variant at Penny Arcade Expo (PAX).

Playing on the just announced map, Exile, the too-and-fro of vehicle control, flag management (the game type was set to 3-Flag captures to win), route closing and pew-pew strategery felt familiar enough, but featured some changes that make as much sense as they make the mode feel – dare I say – fresh again.

More notably are the tweaks made to the flag runner. Specifically, the ability to actually run is great; no one liked being slowed down while bearing the banner. Second, flag carriers can now brandish a weapon (in this case, the Magnum) instead of relying solely on the flag as a means of defense (which typically resulted in manic drop-shoot-recapture attempts). For those who prefer the patented Halo CQC of flag melee, 343 has added a comical skull-skewering kill animation, dubbed the "Flagssassination," which I admit I have no idea how to spell.

The heads-up display improves the on-screen flag prompts of yore to keep you apprised of where both flags are at all times, and in what state they're in (defend, escort, capture, etc). 343 says the more obvious prompts were intentionally implemented to help communicate clear cues to players (largely motivated by lowering the learning curve for newcomers), especially when respawning.

You've been "Flagsassinated."

Anyone who plays CTF knows that the gametype is only as good as the map you play it on, and 343 choose to debut its CTF mode on a new battleground called Exile.

An almost all outdoor, symmetrical mid-size map, Exile features two bases on opposite sides of a donut-like course that plays like an all outdoor version of Halo 3’s Rat Race. It’s vehicle-heavy – we saw a Banshee, Ghosts, Gauss Warthogs, and even a Scorpion tank – so most matches require quick teamwork to establish a vehicular foothold, or suffer the blastacular consequences. Caves and in-base halls abound, too, to duck in and out of when hunkering down to defend or wind through in the chase.

In play were also a number of Halo 4’s custom loadouts, weapons, armor abilities, and tactical packages. Two that stood out were the Thruster Pack and the Regeneration Field armor abilities. Both feel like improved versions of older abilities/equipment. Thruster works like a horizontal jet pack; engaging it jumps you quickly in bursts in a third-person view, yanking you out of splash damage range, making you a tough moving target, or quickly closing the gap for a melee kill. Regeneration Field works more defensively, like an updated Regenerator from Halo 3 but with a twist: upon use, it deploys a force wave that pushes opponents off your immediate six, followed by a shield regenerating health buff of sorts.

"I'm a bad, bad man."

Considering all of this, CTF plays like you’d expect it to -- and even a bit better. At its core, it’s the same CTF you’ve been playing since those LAN parties you hosted in your parents living rooms, racing across Blood Gulch in Warthogs, trying to reach the center of the map to grab rockets first. It’s still fun, there’s still a palpable cooperate-or-die sensibility to it, but the additions and improvements to the flag carrier work really well, make sense, and don’t overtly jeopardize the balance of gameplay.

Exile is also fun on the Halo map continuum. Aesthetically, it's decidedly spartan and falls somewhere between the bright, warm, mid-day look of Halo 3’s High Ground and Halo CE: Anniversary’s Firefight map, Installation 04.

For more on all things Halo 4, check out and contribute to our Halo 4 wiki. And dig a bunch of new screenshots from Exile below.

"Have a nice TRIP. See you next FALL."

Psst...don't turn around.

"Keeeee-ya!"

A look at the "Exile" map. Quaint!

Another area of "Exile."

Casey Lynch is Editor-in-Chief of IGN.com. Follow his non-sequitur ramblings about video games, '80s films and Protest the Hero on IGN and Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

IGN @ PAX -- We're Excited to See Games, Panels and Meet You

PAX Prime 2012 is going down this weekend, August 31-September 2, in Seattle. IGN will be there hosting Meet & Greets and panels, and generally getting panda with PAX attendees when we're not seeing games right alongside you. Here's what you should be planning to attend, and some of the games and panels we're the most excited about.

IGN Meet & Greet

• When: Friday, August 31, 6-10PM
• Where: GameWorks, right across the street from the convention center (1151 7th Ave., between Pike St. and Pine St.).
• What: IGN wants to meet you and greet you. We'll be giving away exclusive t-shirts (see below), and the first 150 guests get free booze!

IGN Panel

• When: Saturday, September 1, 6PM
• Where: Serpent Theater
• What: IGN Presents -- The Game Show! Think you know your video game trivia? Come prove it at IGN's first ever Game Show and win fabulous gaming-related prizes.  IGN Editors will be picking contestants from the audience and testing their gamer wisdom, Price Is Right-style. If you know the year the Super Nintendo was released and can identify the music from Mega Man 2, you will do well on IGN's Game Show!

PAX is a consumer show, and while a lot of the bigger games and demos are things we might have seen at E3 or Gamescom, we know it's a huge deal for everyone to get to play them for themselves. That being said, we on the press side are also huge fans just like everyone else, so for us it's a chance tocheck these games out again and see some of the industry's biggest names speak. Best of all, we get to see a lot of hot upcoming indie games; the type of titles that are easy to miss unless you're looking, especially in a year when so many huge games are releasing. Here are just a few games and panels we're looking forward to at this year's PAX.

Torchlight II

We've checked out this action-RPG a few times in the past, but we're always excited for another loot-focused title that draws inspiration from Diablo.

Dead Island Riptide

Another game in the Dead Island universe? That sounds pretty alright to us, and since we haven't seen it yet we're excited to see what's changing.

Chasing Aurora

This striking-looking indie game has our attention not only thanks to its cool art style, but also that it's one of few games playable on Wii U at the show.

PC Gamer Megapanel

Minecraft creator Markus Persson and DayZ creator Dean Hall take the stage with other designers to discuss storytelling in games.

Kojima on Metal Gear

Industry luminary Hideo Kojima discusses the past, present and future of the Metal Gear franchise.

Riot Games Panel

Join the creators of League as they discuss the process of making their game, taking questions from the community.

These are only a few of the many, many games and panels at PAX. For a full breakdown on the panels, as well as to get a good idea of what companies are showing games, check out the official PAX site.

See you next week!

Art by the one and only Brian Altano.

Source : ign[dot]com

Mass Effect 3: Leviathan DLC Review

The first piece of Mass Effect 3 DLC, From Ashes, expanded upon the Protheans' history and succeeded in delivering a passable piece of entertainment that supplemented the existing story. Since then we've had the Extended Cut DLC that fans asked for, and three multiplayer packs adding weapons and maps, but none have added weight to the Mass Effect chronology like the Leviathan DLC.

At about three hours long, Leviathan doesn’t quite reach the perfect mix of combat and storytelling that drove older add-ons like Mass Effect 2’s Lair of the Shadow Broker. Instead, it focuses on revealing story elements that impact the trilogy as far back as the original Mass Effect.

After Shepard receives a message from Admiral Hackett via the Normandy’s computer, you’ll head to a new lab on the Citadel. There you’ll speak with a man named Dr. Bryson and begin investigating “important new information about the Reapers that could have a direct bearing on the war.” After some dialogue and an action prompt (I’m being vague to avoid spoilers) you’re off to your first combat area, something that you’re going to do at least two more times. It's here you’ll encounter this DLC’s weakness.

“

If you’re playing Leviathan during your first playthrough of Mass Effect 3, the events will resonate more powerfully than for those who have finished the game.

For starters, the combat portions fail. It’s merely a trudge through sets of the same enemies you’ve fought a million times, appearing like so many targets to absorb your rounds and slow your progress, feeling intentionally propped up to extend the length of your stay. Frankly, it feels like filler, and here’s why: Remember the explosions going off while you scoured every level of the building in the Shadow Broker content for Liara? And how the tension created by her plight drove you toward the story’s conclusion? There’s nothing character-driven in Leviathan that connects with your crew or friendly characters, nothing compelling you to kill the cannon fodder. It’s hard – or worse, forgettable – to fight for characters you probably won’t really care about.

While the combat isn’t as motivated or as strong as it could be, let me be clear: the story told here is exciting, and worth playing for the weight it holds within the entire series. It does an amazing job of making you feel awkward and uneasy as you’re exploring strange areas that are decidedly unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Some of the set pieces, like the ocean wreckage you’ll come across, are desolate and destroyed, but beautiful just the same, and will have you stopping to take in the new environments unique to the series. The locale also makes a perfect place to surprise you with Leviathan’s final revelation.

If you’re playing Leviathan during your first playthrough of Mass Effect 3, the events will resonate more powerfully than for those who have finished the game. The dialogue added at the end (about 30 seconds' worth) just isn’t as impactful if you’ve completed the game multiple times, because you still know how it all ends. That could be a problem with this DLC, and all future story-driven DLC for that matter. When you know the outcome, it’s hard to go back just to hear one more story told by “the Shepard”.

Source : ign[dot]com