Watch this space for more details as they come

As an added incentive, players who finish the demo will unlock special items for when the full game arrives, as well as bonus items for Mass Effect 3 when it launches in March. What’s more, further Reckoning items can be unlocked for playing the Mass Effect 3 demo, due out in the next few weeks. For something free, it sounds so wonderful. Check for details and trailer after the break.

From press release:

By playing the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning demo, gamers will receive two unlocks for Mass Effect 3:
· Reckoner Knight Armor: This armor will maximize damage done in close-quarters combat while a beefed–up power cell feeds energy into weapon systems to increase projectile velocity.
· The Chakram Launcher: This weapon uses a fabricator to manufacture lightweight, explosive ammunition discs. This weapon is earned after completing the Reckoning demo and watching the trailer at the end.

By playing the upcoming Mass Effect 3 demo, fans will unlock the following items for Reckoning when the game launches on February 7, inspired by Mass Effect:
· N7 Armor: Players can unlock special armor inspired by Commander Shepard’s iconic N7 battle armor including Helm, Cuirass, Gauntlets, Chausses and Greaves.
· Onmiblade Daggers: A holographic blade stemming from Commander Shepard’s Omni-Tool, the Omni-blade allows players to stab enemies in close combat. Once players install and play the Mass Effect 3 demo, they will unlock the daggers.

In addition to the Mass Effect items above, players who play the Reckoning demo will also unlock:
· Twist of Fate Card: This card boosts the player’s ice resistance and is immediately unlocked when he or she activates the Reckoning demo using his or her Origin account.
· Twinned Souls Chakram: A unique weapon that damages enemies while boosting player health and mana in Reckoning.
· The Infernal Helm: Unlocked after completing the Reckoning Tutorial Mode, this protective helmet increases players’ fire damage throughout Amalur.

There has been a lot of loud trumpeting about the superiority of FPS’ this year and it’s easy to see why with so many hitting shelves this holiday season. Battlefield 3 is Electronic Arts’ golden boy entry into the fray who has had much resting on its shoulders. With the addition of single-player and coop campaigns as well as a brand new engine, Frostbyte 2, DICE and EA look to champion the market this holiday season. Does the latest iteration of the Battlefield franchise have what it takes to beat out the best? Or are there crosshairs already focused on this latest FPS?

Battlefield 3 splits itself into three separate experiences, the single player campaign, the coop campaign and the much-touted multiplayer. The single player seats you behind marine Sgt. Blackburn as he’s interrogated for information regarding a possible terrorist threat in New York. Utilizing a series of flashbacks, you play mainly through the eyes of Blackburn but also out of several other varying perspectives. It’s nothing original these days but it does have a lot of parts that are truly engaging, especially when you play in the heat of battle or drive a tank. Unfortunately, though not surprisingly, the campaign ends before you know it, especially when it feels like things are just picking up momentum.

More importantly, the short campaign ends up feeling more like a glorified tech demo which, while impressive, feels like it could have been so much more. I was disappointed that there were some moments that felt set up for awesomeness and then didn’t end up paying off, such as an early level where you enter the cockpit of a fighter jet but rather than pilot it you instead sit backseat and focus on firing off flares and shooting down other enemy fighters. In retrospect, it probably gives you more opportunity to view the world that DICE’s Frostbyte 2 engine created but that only adds to the tech demo feeling. Don’t get me wrong: Battlefield 3’s single player campaign is by no means bad but it feels if there was a bit more effort put into it along with a more unique story, it could have been something truly special.

The coop campaign takes select missions from or inspired by the single player mode and adapts them for two players. Missions can vary from defending a specific area to providing air support via helicopter to ground patrols. Overall, coop doesn’t feel forced and it’s nice if you have a friend you can play with but the experience is little more than just that: campaign with a friend. While the coop mode also boasts multiplayer weapon unlocks, it takes a substantial amount of points to do so – so dedication is a must.

Finally we get to the multiplayer which, as far as anyone else is concerned, is the real meat of the game — as it throws no punches. Even on consoles, while maps and player limits have been down-sized, maps feel spacious and combat feels delightfully strategic while retaining the fast-paced action. Maps support up to 12 on 12 with five game modes available at launch: Conquest, Rush, Squad Rush, Squad Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch. Conquest acts as a variant of Capture the Flag, whereby teams each have a number of lives and you capture flags to set spawn points across the map. Squad and regular versions of Battlefield’s signature Rush mode sees one team playing the offensive while the other is on defense. Those on the offensive try to capture strategic locations that open up more of the map eventually leading in the capture of the enemy team’s HQ. Squad and Team Deathmatch remain self-explanatory.

Multiplayer loadouts are grouped into four classes: the Assault, the Support, the Engineer and the Recon. The Assault class is now a hybrid of the Assault and Medic classes from Battlefield: Bad Company 2, given a position of killing power but also the ability to deploy medkits and defibrillate dead players back to life. The Support class starts with machine guns, can give out ammo, and is the most effective at a new mechanic called ‘suppressive fire’, which blurs enemy vision and stops their health regeneration when firing in their general direction, even if you don’t hit them. The Engineer class remains largely unchanged from Bad Company 2, can repair vehicles and also take them out with a variety of explosive weaponry. Finally, the Recon class returns as the sniper of the group but now requires players to hold their breath with a click of the thumbstick in order to achieve optimum accuracy.

Each class gains experience as you use them, catering more to players that stick to their style, however your overall rank accumulates with XP you gain from all the classes cumulatively. Individually, as you can imagine, leveling up a specific class gives you access to their specific gadgets like the defibrillator for the Assault class and also gives you access to more of your factions weapons. This allows you to experiment a bit with your styles of play and the weapons you prefer. This meta-system of ranking has become commonplace in multiplayer games but DICE does it well here, rewarding XP for many of the actions you do, like offering suppressing fire or healing teammates. While the top players will still level up fast, this at least means that newer players to the series will still be able to level up at decent pace.

When it comes to presentation, Battlefield 3 is no pushover as the graphics are spot on, bringing a lush variety of colour and light to the warzone that really helps set the atmosphere. I can tell you that even on the console editions, the game looks gorgeous. While it’s easy to see that our modern consoles are showing their age (can I get a bit of anti-aliasing please?), there is something to be said about the way light shines through windows or the resulting smoke and dust from leveling a building. It’s impressive to see a breath of fresh air coming from these machines. Character animations are realistic and detailed during multiplayer and rarely glitch as much as they did in DICE’s beta. Guns each sound and feel unique and the voice work does a good job of selling you the campaign. It begs mentioning how cool the user interface looks, with its glowing blue HUD wrapped around your screen – nothing new, but definitely sleek. All and all, presentation is great here aside from a few texture pop-in hiccups every so often.

Too Long; Didn’t Read

It feels like it’s been a long time coming but Battlefield 3 is finally here. Months of previews detailing the game’s new shiny visuals and multiplayer have not disappointed those who awaited it. DICE’s offering to the FPS market this season is a solid game with fast-paced yet strategic combat and wide-open 12 on 12 player combat. Multiplayer is fun and rewarding with a deep upgrade system that tries to remain accessible to everyone. It is unfortunate that the game stumbles a bit on it’s single-player but there are truly some good moments to be had, and it’s a great way to get a taste of the online action. Be it on console or PC, this is one fight you won’t wanna miss.

MonsterVine Ranking: 4 out of 5

•Lake Floria and the Parella Tribe: Later in his quest, Link must make his way to an as-yet-undiscovered section of the Faron Woods that is home to Lake Floria. The lake is inhabited by the squid-like Parella tribe, which makes its first appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Even when revisiting past areas like Faron Woods, players will make new discoveries and, occasionally, find drastic changes to the environment that require them to explore these areas in entirely different ways.

•Swimming: As one might expect, getting to and exploring Lake Floria requires Link to swim. The intuitive motion control of the Wii Remote Plus gives players a natural way to control Link as he swims across the lake’s surface or into its watery depths.

•Insects and Potions: Throughout the game, Link travels back and forth between the surface and Skyloft. Players can collect bugs in the various areas they visit, and these insects can be used to infuse new ingredients into the variety of different potions available for purchase at the bazaar in Skyloft, giving the potions powerful new effects. Players can experiment with different potions and insects to find the concoctions that best meet their needs.

•Fun Fun Island: Also new in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is Fun Fun Island, one of the small islands that float above the clouds near Link’s hometown. As the name suggests, there’s a lot of fun to be had there, but before Link can enjoy everything the island has to offer, he must find a way to fulfill the request of its lone inhabitant.

•Whip: Players can use the Wii Remote Plus to lash Link’s whip at enemies and objects. The whip also can be used to grab items and is integral to solving certain puzzles. Link’s items can be selected in real time without pausing the game when he is on the ground, making it easier to switch between a sword and other items.

–Buy a 3DS and get $25 credit (Amazon)
–Buy a game, get a second half off (Toys R Us)
–Dragon Quest discounts galore (Amazon)
–Pre-order madness at Gamestop

For the full list, head here. Don’t forget your wallet/purse!

The Gamerator has a built-in tap and refrigerated interior for housing a standard keg of the gamers choice. Two cup holders are included to house the players brew while they play on the 26 inch flat-panel HDTV. All units come standard with dual joystick setups and a trackball system, and an even sweeter edition is that consoles from both past and present, can be hooked up to The Gamerator via optional special adaptors.

85 licensed classic arcade titles come pre-programmed on the Gamerator. Some of the games included are Castlevenia, Street Fighter 2 Champions Edition, Gauntlet, Mortal Kombat, and many more. The cabinet also includes a Windows-Based PC, which allows owners to freely add other games, programs and online access. It’s two base colors include black and brushed metal, however, the Gamerator can be customized with any two-color scheme for an additional charge.

The Gamerator is available at a base price of $3,499. If you would like to learn more about this hybrid of awesome, or would like to order your very own cabinet, visit www.thegamerator.com.

Congressmen Kevin Brady, co-leader of E-TECH, has already done research into the video game industry to help promote the launch of the new caucus:

* In 2010, computer and video games contributed $24 billion in sales to the U.S. economy.
* The computer and video games industry employs 120,000 Americans in high-paying jobs in 34 states.
* Computer and video games help soldiers rehabilitate, keep seniors active, and educate our children.

It will be interesting to see what this new caucus can do for the industry in Congress, and what sort of impact can come from it. We will follow E-TECH and keep you posted on what it can do for the industry.

Source: Videogamevoters.org

So for now, the serial is suspended until I can figure this out.

The rules are the same as last year–within the April 1 Newswire, there will be five fake stories hidden with the real ones. The real stories will take you to the actual source, while the fake ones will take you to a random YouTube video.

Ready to find the fakes again this year?

Until tomorrow,
SparklingBlue