GameGeex

Way back when the PlayStation Move was first announced, they showed off the technology at E3 2010 with a game called Sorcery.  It's taken a long time, but Sorcery is finally coming to light, and will land on the PlayStation Network May 22nd.  Those of you interested in the game can preload it using the recent updates to the PSN, rather than having to wait until the game launches on Tuesday.

PC titles have been doing this for a while now, so it's great to see consoles taking a step in this direction.  Players want access to the game the instant it becomes available, so why not allow gamers to load their purchases ahead of time and start playing the instant the clock strikes midnight on release day?

I've included a couple Sorcery trailers below for those who haven't had a chance to learn much about the game.  It really looks like a lot of fun.

Let me just start by saying, I loved Portal.  It's not often that I find a game that challenges and delights years without all that nasty gore stuff the kids are so into nowadays.  I've been pining for the end of the series, knowing I will never again step into Aperture with Chel.  Luckily I don't have to, because the genius behind Portal, a Miss Kim Swift, is making a new game, and it's one I am incredibly excited about.

Enter Quantum Conundrum, a physics puzzle game set inside a mad scientist's mansion.  The puzzle style and the humor will sound very much familiar to Portal fans, because, naturally, they come from the same source.  The game itself launches sometime this summer via publishing by Square Enix (see if you can catch their odd cameo in the trailer below), but you can enjoy the game's peculiar take on time after the jump.

It doesn't look good for Curt Schilling and 38 Studios, makers of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.  Over the course of the last few days an issue with the developer's financial standing has come to light, which is making the state of Rhode Island very nervous. Why is that?  Because the state leant 38 Studios $112.6 million dollars, and now is looking to collect a payment of $1.125 million.  Now that's a big check to write.

Today things took a turn for the worse, and 38 Studios had to cut a check to the Rhode Island state government, at the expense of payroll.  Contractors were let go, but it seemed at least alright until the developer's COO had to admit that there wasn't enough money in the bank to back the check.  Rhode Island returned the useless piece of paper, and everyone involved clenched their teeth.  At the moment, now that the day is tumbling toward its end, it seems Curt Schilling is either stepping away from 38 Studios, or is being used as the scapegoat for the entire debacle, because he's now been removed from the company website.  

I don't see how this is going to end well, and much of it is reminding me of Flagship Studios and their complete collapse back in 2008.  The trouble is that this time, the markers are in the hands of the taxpayers of Rhode Island, and to default on the loan would mean harsh times for the state that put so much support behind 38 Studios.  I suppose it's possible that a larger gaming company -- Nexon, or EA, or even Perfect World -- could step in and throw money into the hole until it fills up, but that seem likely.  For the moment the gaming industry as a whole is holding their breath, hoping that things will turn out okay for 38 Studios, and thanking whatever deities they worship that they aren't in Curt Schilling's shoes.

Treasure hunters rejoice, your lust for loot is being well rewarded -- at least as far as 2Ks Borderlands 2 is concerned.  Today they released information about the Collector's Edition, the Limited Edition, and the preorder incentives that they are dangling before your swag loving eyes to entice you to spend your hard earned credits dollars.

Gamers who pre-order the Deluxe Vault Hunter’s Collector's Edition, Ultimate Loot Chest Limited Edition or the standard edition of Borderlands 2 from participating retailers will also gain access to the Borderlands 2 Premiere Club, allowing them to download the Gearbox Gun Pack, a Golden Key, the Vault Hunter’s Relic and an all-new fifth character class - the Mechromancer. The Gearbox Gun Pack is a collection of unique guns to help players begin their journey on Pandora. The Golden Key is used to unlock a rare in-game item in the mysterious Golden Sanctuary Loot Chest found in Borderlands 2. The Vault Hunter’s Relic is an in-game item that boosts players’ gear-hunting fortune while playing solo or teaming up with friends. The Mechromancer character class will be available following launch when development of the character is complete and is free to those who pre-order Borderlands 2, and will be available for purchase for those who do not.

Miss Harley Quinn hasn't had a good time of it lately.  Ever since the end of Batman Arkham City she's been missing her main squeeze, and plotting her revenge.  Luckily for us she doesn't have to wait too much longer, because Harley Quinn's Revenge, the final DLC for the game, will be out on May 29th.  For those who haven't yet picked up Batman Arkham City, you can also get the Game of the Year Edition that day, which will include all the DLC from the game, so you can experience the entire story from beginning to end. 

For the rest of us who already have the game, Harley Quinn's Revenge Pack will be available for $9.99 on PSN, and 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live Arcade.  As the video says, payback is a b---, and so is she.

While the crowds gathered at Irvine Spectrum, frothed into a frenzy during the midnight launch of Diablo III, I got the chance to sit down in a relatively quiet corner with Senior System Designer Jason Bender to talk turkey about Blizzard Entertainment's Action RPG.  The resulting conversation was fascinating, spanning everything from the reason Blizzard hires so many RTS game designers to exactly why Jason loves so much about the Treasure Goblin.  

I almost didn't get the chance to talk with Jason, but I'm glad I did.  What he had to tell me opened my eyes to a new way of thinking about game design concepts, and what it really means to be a system designer. Hit the jump to read the interview in its entirety, that is if you can take some time from playing your Demonhunter.

Let me start off by saying that I love the Diablo series. In fact, "love" may be too simple a word the define the dynamic relationship we have. In the past, I have dedicated countless hours to enjoying everything that Diablo and Diablo II had to offer. I will admit that I've had my indiscretions - I have dallied with Torchlight, Titan Quest, Sacred and Sacred 2, but I swear the whole time I was thinking of you, Diablo. It was always meant to be you.

So you can understand my emotional agony at having to wait 12 long years for the next installment of the series, which is 3 times as long as the development time between Diablo 1 & 2. Taking that trend to its next hyperbolic conclusion, however, is exactly the kind of thing I do around here at /Silly, so it lends itself directly to today's comic. Let me know if you enjoyed it or not in the comments below. And lets all hope and pray that this comic never comes true.

-Arthur "Arturis" Orneck has fought the forces of hell on so many occasions, he now has a parking pass in purgatory and everyone shouts his name when he enters, like how they greeted Norm on Cheers.

They are an elusive breed.  Rarely will you catch a glimpse of them, unless you stalk them in their native habitat of gaming conventions and League of Legends matches.  They are easiest to see at night, when the moon is high and the games are launching.  

Now you've caught a break:  Someone told you the Game Geex would be down at the Irvine Spectrum, milling around with the other Blizzard Entertainment fans, eagerly awaiting the countdown to midnight for the launch of Diablo III.  Do you have the nerve to venture out to find them?  

We'll be hanging out before the event at Wahoo's Fish Tacos starting at around 6 PM depending on traffic and parking.  If you get the chance, stop on by and say hello.  We'll most likely be there until 7:30 PM, when we'll have to break off and get down to the actual blogging work we're there to do.  I look forward to getting a chance to hang with you all.  See you there!

Welcome to The First Fifteen, where we test the widely-held theory that you can learn all you need to know about a video game in the first fifteen minutes of playtime.  First up, Minecraft Xbox 360.

Two days ago Mojang in conjunction with 4J Studios released a new version of Minecraft, Minecraft Xbox 360.  As a veteran Minecraft player, I was excited to get my hands on the game, and figured this would be the perfect opportunity to start out The First Fifteen column I had been planning for months.  So I set my timer, started up the game, and prepared myself for something new and yet familiar.

I mention that I've played Minecraft before, mostly so that you'll understand that even with someone who's built castles and villages and waged war on Cave Spiders in Forgotten Mine Shafts and even the occasional Enderman, things can go very very wrong.  

This just in from the Blizzard press relations office:  Blizzard Entertainment and Valve have come to an agreement regarding the DOTA IP.  For months now a legal battle was waged, but Blizzard has relented, and will allow Valve to make their DOTA 2 product unhindered.  Blizzard DOTA will now be called Blizzard All-Stars, but any community use of the DOTA name will continue as long as it's not for commercial use.  

"Both Blizzard and Valve recognize that, at the end of the day, players just want to be able to play the games they're looking forward to, so we're happy to come to an agreement that helps both of us stay focused on that," said Rob Pardo, executive vice president of game design at Blizzard Entertainment. "As part of this agreement, we're going to be changing the name of Blizzard DOTA to Blizzard All-Stars, which ultimately better reflects the design of our game. We look forward to going into more detail on that at a later date."

"We're pleased that we could come to an agreement with Blizzard without drawing things out in a way that would benefit no one," said Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve. "We both want to focus on the things our fans care about, creating and shipping great games for our communities."