Bethesda Announces Launch Dates For Brink & Hunted

Creating a little buzz this afternoon, Bethesda Softworks has announced a pair of release dates for their 2011 line-up. Word is Splash Damage's Brink will begin shipping to stores in North America on May 17th and Europe on May 20th, with inXile Entertainment's Hunted: The Demon’s Forge slated for release in North America on June 1st and Europe on June 3rd. Here's the scoop:

January 27, 2011 (Rockville, MD) – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax® Media company, today announced the release dates of four multiplatform AAA titles shipping in 2011. Brink™, Hunted: The Demon’s Forge™, RAGE™, and The Elder Scrolls® V: Skyrim™ are all slated for release on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and Games for Windows.

Brink, an immersive first-person shooter under development at Splash Damage, will be available in North America on May 17th and in Europe on May 20th. Brink was named as the ‘Game of Show’ at Eurogamer Expo 2010, while G4TV.com declared “Brink takes shooters to a whole new level.” Blending single-player, co-op, and multiplayer action into one seamless experience, Brink features dynamic battlefields, extensive customization options, and an innovative control system.

Hunted, a fantasy action game, will be available in retail stores across North America on June 1st and on store shelves in Europe on June 3rd. Hunted is a fresh take on the classic dungeon crawl experience that delivers the intensity and action of a modern-day shooter. Hunted, under development at inXile Entertainment, has been called “A Dungeon Crawl for the Gears Age” by Kotaku.com and has been described by Eurogamer as “violent, deceptively thoughtful and witty.”

RAGE, the highly anticipated first-person shooter from legendary 21c8developer id Software, will hit retail shelves across North America on September 13th and throughout Europe on September 16th. The game has already won numerous awards at E3 2010, including ‘Best Overall Game of Show’ from IGN and three ‘Best of E3’ Game Critics Awards including ‘Best Console Game’. RAGE features intense first-person shooter action, breakneck vehicle combat, an expansive world to explore and jaw-dropping graphics powered by id’s revolutionary id Tech 5 technology.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the most recently announced title from world-renowned developer Bethesda Game Studios. The studio is widely known for developing the 2008 Game of the Year, Fallout® 3 and the 2006 Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion®. Skyrim, the latest chapter in The Elder Scrolls saga, re-imagines and revolutionizes the open-world fantasy epic and will launch worldwide on November 11th (11.11.11).

“We are thrilled to offer our fans such a strong roster of games,” said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. “We are particularly excited to present such a diverse lineup of high quality titles. 2011 will be a great year for gamers.”

Hunted, Brink, RAGE, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim have not yet been rated by the ESRB.

For more information visit Hunted at www.HuntedTheGame.com, Brink at www.BrinkTheGame.com, RAGE at www.RAGE.com, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim at www.ElderScrolls.com.

It's going to be a great year for gaming!

Bulletstorm 'Skillisode #3' Trailer

Moving right along, the fine folks over at People Can Fly have released a new gameplay trailer for their upcoming first person shooter, Bulletstorm. Clocking in at just over a minute long, this video shows off some of the different skillshots you can pull off in the game. Pretty sweet stuff! Enjoy:

Thanks to GameTrailers for the above stream. Mirrors are also available at GamersHell and FileShack.

Bulletstorm is scheduled for release on February 22nd.

Pure Pwnage TV, web series on "indefinite hold"

The gaming mockumentary series that started the web show craze has been laid to rest, it seems. Pure Pwnage writer and actor Jarett Cale (who plays star and pro gamer Jeremy) writes on the official forums that the new TV series has not been renewed for a second season by Showcase, and though they could sell it to another network, the ones he thought it would be a great fit for it have declined. We've put in a query with Showcase as for the reasons behind the decision to not renew.

Putting another nail in the coffin, after "struggling" to go on with the web series, Cale has put it on "indefinite hold."

A movie, however, is currently in talks, though it's not clear at this stage how likely it is to go ahead.

Cale adds they should've stopped producing the show in September 2008, but his desire to finish it overcame him.

"I wasn't and will never be comfortable leaving the story where it is," he comments, "Although that's something I might just have to accept."

Response to the news is surprisingly civil, to which he says, "Thanks so much for all the kind words and thoughts, it's far more than I expected given the nature of my post. Warms the soul." He adds that he'll be doing an interview based on the various questions at hand shortly.

In the meantime, Cale will be spending "much needed quality time" with his girlfriend and newborn son.

Source:The OFFICIAL Pure Pwnage forums

Sections:Console Games, PC Games

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New screenshots depict Black Ops 'First Strike' maps in hi-res detail

By now, you should be pretty familiar with the five new Black Ops maps, available next week on February 1 to the Xbox LIVE community. The gameplay footage has been pouring in, but if you haven't already gotten your fix, Acti and Treyarch released new screenshots today, highlighting the five different environments.

Treyarch has promised more dynamic maps with the 'First Strike' DLC, adding in breakable landscapes and a new way of getting around: ziplines. Snipers may also find new places to hide, which makes everyone else pretty unhappy.

Then there's the 'Ascension' map, made just for you zombie lovers (or zombie killers). Only one screenshot in today's collection touches on that, but it's appropriately spooky. The team also came up with poster art to celebrate the undead, reminiscent of action movie posters from decades past -- or Left 4 Dead.

Image Gallery

Sections:Microsoft Consoles, Console Games, PC Games, Sony Consoles

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Vindictus kicks off Blood Lord debut with football event

Vindictus players can hop online right now to hack away at the new Blood Lord boss and also be greeted by a humorous surprise: a football event. The in-game cash shop has been stocked with football-themed hairstyles, face paint, body tattoos, and helmets but the best part of this event happens during boss fights.

When you encounter a boss monster, you'll find footballs nearby to kick them with. If you manage to deal the killing blow with a football, you'll receive a coupon; three coupons can be traded in for a jersey that'll grant special bonuses if the player also equips a football helmet. Special items will be rewarded to players if the Blood Lord himself is knocked out with a football so keep your kicking leg steady and aim between the eyes.

Section:PC Games

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[Update] Deus Ex: Human Revolution is roughly 25 hours long

If a game's worth is measured by how long it takes to finish, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is already one step ahead of the competition. According to the lastest issue of PC Gamer, Eidos Montreal's upcoming stealth shooter should take roughly 25 hours to complete from beginning to end.

Producer David Anfossi explained that during the testing team's six-day week, they've played "six hours every day, [and] most of them don't complete the game." Anfossi was also eager to mention the range of strategies players can employ in Human Revolution.

"The ones that are more casual gamers, who are used to more 'corridor, cut-scene, corridor, cut-scene' type of gameplay - they play it that way for a while. Then suddenly, there's this new world that opens to them, and they start getting a bit more creative."

Still nothing solid in terms of a release date, and the game was recently delayed until at least April.

Update: Eidos caught wind of ths 25-hour claim, and game completionists may be pleased to know the estimate is merely a modest assessment. The studio replied via Twitter:

DX:HR is 25 hours long? Maybe, but if you like to do everything, 25 hours isn't even close.

Source:CVG

Sections:Microsoft Consoles, Console Games, PC Games, Sony Consoles

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Monday Night Combat Patched

Hitting the web today is a new patch for Uber Entertainment's multiplayer shooter, Monday Night Combat. In addition to the usual laundry list of bug fixes and gameplay tweaks, this update adds a Pro Gear system, an Honors system, a "MNC Fever" Protag and a Juice Bot mascot replacement. You can find the full changelog right here or just relaunch your Steam client to start downloading.