Mass Effect 2 launch trailer

A darker game, to be sure:

Word is, ME2 will offer between 20 and 30 hours of playtime.

The five biggest earners in competitive gaming

You're not pro. These guys are pro.

Fun fact: four out of the five are primarily or exclusively PC gamers.

Never heard of 'em

Monday Thursday Music: "This Too Shall Pass" by OK Go.

I only found this video because one of the band members wrote a rather fascinating open letter explaining why the option to embed their YouTube offerings is disabled. Definitely worth a read.

BioShock 2 - caveat emptor

Early adopters, beware. Along with the standard system requirements, the Steam BS2 page offers this little gem:

Initial installation requires one-time internet connection; Ability to save game, earn achievements, receive title updates and online play requires log-in to Games for Windows LIVE; software installations required including Microsoft Visual C++2008 Runtime Libraries, Games for Windows LIVE client, Games for Windows LIVE Client Patch, Sony DADC SecuROM, Microsoft DirectX.

It's not clear at this point whether you'll have to have Steam installed to play the game if you buy it someplace else, but let's just assume you get it on Steam.  That's three separate layers of authentication (Steam, GFWL, and SecurROM) just to make it past the first save, or to earn the first achievement.  It's possible that all three systems will work together seamlessly, with nothing more than an extra account to create (though it's actually two accounts, an online and an offline, in the case of GFWL). It's possible, but I wouldn't bet on it.

GFWL has a decidedly poor reputation among gamers. (See here, here and here for testimonials, though the evidence of pervasive frustration is all anecdotal). As a potential purchaser, your best option is to wait to see if the official forums light up with tales of installation/activation/saving problems in the days after release. You might save yourself some aggravation.

Crysis 2: out of the bush

 This is the cover of the March 2010 PlayStation magazine:

Alas, it seems there will be no option to throw turtles at Koreans this time around.

Nvidia Forceware 196.21

Nvidia's Forceware 196.21 drivers for Windows XP, Vista and 7 are now available. For the GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, 200 and ION series cards, these drivers add SLI and multi-GPU support for a number of games, including Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Dirt 2, GREED: Black Border, Mass Effect 2, Mortal Online, Ninja Blade, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (the demo), Planet 51, RUSE, Serious Sam HD, and Wings of Prey.

The package also includes the 9.09.1112 PhysX drivers, and various bug fixes.

Brink "Character Customization" preview

Know what? Don't care. I hope they've invested this much effort in the gameplay, or I won't care even more than I already don't.

BC2 "Squad Rush" game mode trailer

Please, please tell me that the server admin system will be adequate.

Just adequate ... that's all I ask.

The dog days of DLC

From Blue's News:

BIOWARE UNVEILS ‘THE CERBERUS NETWORK’ – AN IN-GAME PIPELINE FOR DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT IN MASS EFFECT 2

On January 26 Mass Effect 2 Players Can Download Exciting Bonus Content

Edmonton, Alberta (January 19, 2010) – BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today revealed ‘The Cerberus Network’, an in-game portal in Mass Effect 2 that will keep fans engaged with the rich and dynamic Mass Effect universe through downloadable content (DLC) and news. ‘The Cerberus Network’ is activated exclusively by original purchasers of Mass Effect 2 through a single-use unlock code that comes included in retail and digital versions of the game worldwide. ‘The Cerberus Network’ is a conduit for players to receive bonus content as well as daily messages and news on upcoming releases for Mass Effect 2 for no extra charge. For players who do not buy the game new, ‘The Cerberus Network’ can be unlocked through a one-time, in-game purchase of a new activation code*.

* Activation is tied to a specific EA Online account and is non-transferable.

IIRC, Cerberus is a mythological three-headed dog monster that guards the gates of Hell, ensuring that none of the damned escape.

So it's not the best mascot BioWare could have chosen. But it is a great way for the developer to cash-in on used game sales, which obviously benefits the fans. So that must be what it's about, or they wouldn't have said it. Right?

Those in need of an immediate distraction can check out a class-by-class "walkthrough" of ME2 on Video Games Blogger.

GDC award nominees announced

The organizers' press release is here.  And the nominees for the Game Developers Choice Awards Game of the Year are:

Uncharted 2 (Naughty Dog)

Dragon Age: Origins (BioWare)

Batman: Arkham Asylum (Rocksteady Studios)

Demon's Souls (From Software)

Assassin's Creed II (Ubisoft Montreal)

I haven't played any of them, so I'm submitting a write-in vote for Pole Dance Hero.