I’m excited for this announcement as I am a fan of anything that originally had a price hurdle that becomes free, and rather like the idea that I can play as much as I want of DDO.   In this case the company is going the route of micro-transactions to profit.   In order to experience some dungeons/classes or to boost a character a small fee may be paid (Reminds me of the Gunbound system).   Oddly enough I rather support this idea, not only can I play until I run into blocked content (I know there is a class and some other content blocked off, I am under the impression you can reach max level and play a large amount of the game) - plus I can pick and choose to my hearts’ content. If nothing else, I’m certainly not going to argue with free.   An instanced based dungeon crawler I can get all my buddies to play since it’s free?   Count me in.

Hit the jump for images of the quick sign-up and download process at www.ddo.com.

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Many of you have played one of The Behemoth’s more well-known constructions, like Castle Crashers or Alien Hominid.  I would wager, however, that few of you modern gamers are aquainted with Dad ‘n Me, a far earlier collaboration between artist Dan Paladin and Newgrounds creator Tom Fulp.

On Newgrounds, where Sturgeon’s Law is always in effect, the works of Paladin and Fulp are part of the 10% content that is worth dying for.  While you’re waiting for your XBLA remake of Turtles in Time (NSFW; odd it should be that way since it’s a link to this site), give Dad ‘n Me a shot.  It can be methadone to the heroin that is Turtles, holding you over until you can feel the potency of the real fix.

In Dad ‘n Me, players take control of a little skull-faced bruiser who’d like nothing more to visit terrible, bestial violence upon the hapless children of his neighborhood.  He’s been egged on by his father, presumably, who hails from one of this design team’s even older works, Chainsaw the Children.  Like father like son, I suppose.

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As many of you know, the Game Developers Conference wrapped up not more than three days ago, and one of the highlights of the show every year is the Independent Developers Festival, where independent game developers show their wares and compete for the funding and attention of major publishers.

I’m a major fan of independent games.  Though they often lack the depth of story possessed by many games produced by large teams with professional funding, I’ve noticed that most independent game developers are driven to excel in other ways–most often by pioneering innovative, interesting, or addicting concepts.

Two games which exemplify this focus on innovative and engrossing ideas are Auditorium, by the Philadelphia-based Cipher Prime, and Gravity Hook, by Adam Atomic and Danny Baranowsky.  They’re from different genres entirely, but each one holds promise.

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As many of you may be aware, the newly created Xbox LIVE Productions creation, Fable II Pub Games, was released to gamers everywhere via Gamestop & Amazon’s Fable II pre-order codes. (The game was also released on the Xbox Live Arcade, where it can be purchased in full for 800 Microsoft SpaceBux, or $10). However, the immediate response by hardcore Fable fans has been starkly polarized — some love the game while others seem to loathe it.

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Ubisoft just started a contest where you can win a trip to Vegas, among other less glamourous and safer prizes. The Grand Prize is a three day/two night trip to Las Vegas with airfare and hotels covered. While they at least had the decency to give you a hotel room to take hookers to, their expenses are not covered and all the money you inevitably gamble away will come from your own pocket. Fortunately, however, once you’ve lost your house, money, dignity, and whatever else you once had, you’ll at least have an Xbox 360 Elite and a copy of Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Limited Edition to go back to since those are included in the Grand Prize.

The Runner Up gets a 1TB Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus, and I’m not sure how it relates to Rainbow Six Vegas 2 but you can’t complain about an extra terabyte to store everything from porn to the illegal copy of Rainbow Six Vegas 2 you’ll probably download if you don’t win it in this contest. Ubisoft values the hard drive at $400, but Newegg.com will sell it to you for under $300.

There is one Grand Prize as well as one Runner Up, and 10 Additional Winners will get the Limited Edition of Rainbow Six Vegas 2.

Entries are accepted until 11:59pm PST March 31st, 2008, and the winner will be chosen on one of the worst days they could picked, April 1st.

For those of you currently experiencing the awesomeness that is Rock Band, you may already be aware that the guitar controllers are pieces of junk. I found that out about a day or two after purchasing the game, where down strumming doesn’t work at all. After sending an e-mail, I hadn’t heard back in over a weeks time, not that I was all that perturbed to begin with. This was the case with many gamers, however, and thus EA decided to offer a free game to those who had to wait; predictions of mediocre titles ensued.

Well, in my inbox this morning, I finally received a link to a form page at EA which lists the available titles I can pick from (not to mention today I got my replacement guitar back in, and I only shipped it on Wednesday last week, and I didn’t even ask for express shipping…SCORE!). So, are there some worthwhile games to be had? Or is it a shitstorm of bargain bin garbage? Hit the jump for a full listing to find out!

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By now, I’m sure that you know about my hatred for Bioshock. Dispel that for a moment in your minds and listen to what I’ve got to say; Take-Two just announced that the new Bioshock DLC (for Xbox 360 and Games for Windows) will be available today. The downloadable content, which is free to all users who have the game, includes new plasmids and gene tonics such as:

* Sonic Boom: Hurls creatures and objects back with a blast of force
* EVE saver: Enables Plasmids to use less EVE
* Vending Expert: Reduces prices in the vending machines
* Machine Buster: Increases the amount of damage players deal to cameras, bots and turrets

Additionally, the downloadable content will unlock another achievement, confirming the rumor and giving players who can beat the game on hard mode without dying 100 achievement points. Also, Take-Two has added a widescreen option for all widescreen tv users who had to deal with screen adjusting the first time through.

All in all, this looks like a very solid add-on to a *cough* verysolidgame *cough*. What was that, you ask? Nothing, I just had something in my throat.

[Via Kotaku]

You read it right. If you purchase Super Mario Galaxy at your local Toys “R” Us, you can receieve a $25 gift card for free. The offer is good from 11/11/07 to 11/17/07, and I’m not completely sure if you can use the gift card right away on Super Mario Galaxy, but this is still a GREAT deal. You can check out this week’s magazine ad to browse the deal and check the details.

Despite the fact that Oblivion came out over a year ago (at least for Xbox 360 and PC owners), the developers have been keeping it fresh with downloadable content. The most recent and last official downloadable add-on, The Fighter’s Stronghold, was made available today and fortunately it’s completely free. Here are the details on what there is to do:

Defeat the attacking marauders and become lord of Battlehorn Castle. Located in the Colovian Highlands west of Chorrol, this expansive castle will allow you to live the life of a noble warrior, with private quarters, grand dining hall, wine cellar, barracks, training room and more. And what castle would be complete without a few hidden passages and dark secrets?

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The Entertainment Software Association sent out a press release applauding the sentencing of a man who pleaded guilty to “two felony counts of trafficking in counterfeit products.” This California “game pirate” by the name of Frederick Brown was found to have hundreds of illegal game discs when his home was searched earlier in the year.

Ric Hirsch, senior vice president for intellectual property enforcement at the ESA, said that “Sentences that include jail time send a clear message that we take this stuff way too seriously violating intellectual property rights is a serious crime with significant consequences and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” Frederick Brown has been sentenced for a year, the first 90 days of which will be spent in a prison along with those who have committed similarly punishable crimes like rape, murder, and all those prison worthy offenses. However, the “fullest extent” includes more than jail time, as it will not be his only punishment. After finishing that there will be 5 years of probation, with certain computer use restrictions. And no piracy case would be complete without a ridiculous amount of money involved - so he will be fined $100,000 and will have to pay the ESA more than $10,000 in a restitution payment.

It looks like they’re trying to make a big deal to scare away others and set an example…but seriously, is all of this really necessary?