Arthur Gies

Previews Editor

Arthur is your curmudgeonly (but fair!) local Previews Editor. He's been writing about games since 2007, and has had work appear on 1up.com, Gamespy, PC World, The Washington Post, Team Xbox, and most recently served as an Editor at IGN. He co-hosts one of the internet's most hated podcasts, Rebel FM. But your mom would probably like him. At least, that's what she said last night.

Articles by Arthur Gies

Mass Effect 3 Private Beta live now for some Xbox Live users (Update: more pictures, more users)
According to a tipster, some Xbox Live users who received access to the Dashboard Preview Program today had another surprise waiting for them: early access to the Mass Effect 3 Beta. We haven't gotten official confirmation from EA yet, so we can't confirm with one hundred percent certainty whether or not this is really-real. The picture is, um, pretty convincing, though. EA announced the Mass Effect 3 Beta/demo a short time ago, specifying that it would eventually be open to all, but available early to purchasers of Battlefield 3. We guess it didn't mean available earlier-est. Update: Well, that didn't take long. Lightning fast posters over at NeoGAF have downloaded the client and have started posting pictures.
PSA: You [probably] won't be banned for playing MW3 early - we think
At this point, you'd be forgiven for not knowing up from down with regards to early copies of next week's Modern Warfare 3. Is it safe to play online? Will you be banned? Where could you even find a copy of Modern Warfare 3 early? We can't blame you. Even we haven't even been sure – after some vaguely foreboding comments from Xbox Live's Stephen Toulouse earlier today, we felt compelled to warn you all that maybe, just maybe you should put that $1700, three-day early copy of Modern Warfare 3 on the shelf until Tuesday. But, in the event your neck isn't sore from all the back and forth over the last 36 hours, we've got the final definitive word from Activision itself... we hope: "We value and appreciate the community's support. We have no interest in banning legitimate copies in these last few days. We just ask for everyone to wait for Tuesday when everybody can play the game together." So, we guess you can play Modern Warfare 3 – assuming you've committed the dark retail magic necessary to acquire it early that it. Us? We'll be over here in the corner, where we don't have to look right or left for a while.
The edge of civilization in I Am Alive
For a game set in the aftermath of a disaster of enormous magnitude, I Am Alive looks to be composed of small triumphs and intimate terrors. Every ledge climbed is an achievement. An unloaded gun might be as useful as a full magazine. And the scariest thing around isn't the crumbling remains of a fictional US city – it's the people that are left to pick up their own pieces.%Gallery-137722%
Joe Danger: Special Edition officially official for XBLA
It was just a week ago when the Korean Game Ratings Board kind of, sort of implied that PSN hit Joe Danger was on its way to Xbox Live. While everyone involved was maddeningly silent amidst requests for confirmation or denial, developer Hello Games announced this morning that Joe Danger: Special Edition is in fact on its way to Xbox Live – and published by Microsoft, no less. This is unusual, given Microsoft's generally restrictive policies with regards to first-party publishing on Xbox Live. Development duties on the port are being handled in-house at Hello Games, but it's not a simple translation. Hello have, in the words of Studio Managing Director Sean Murray "revisited the original," in an attempt to sand off some of the rough edges. "I think we knew that Joe Danger was a hard game, but it could be frustrating [too]," Murray continued. "I think we've really changed that, it's a much more joyous game now, through like a thousand changes big and small." Hello Games has also spent time adding "new environments, gameplay modes, characters – lots," said Murray. "I'm not sure it would be possible for someone to complete in under 30 hours now... the game is huge." %Gallery-138305%
PSA: How to open your ports for Battlefield 3
Are you getting into games of Battlefield 3, but still having issues? Are you finding yourself dying before you think you should possibly be dead, or seeing an absurd delay between when you pull the trigger and when bullets come out of the end of your gun? Are you screaming at your television about how fast your network connection is and how bad your lag in Battlefield 3 should not be? We might be able to help. You got to open your ports, dawg.
Battlefield 3 Console review: Squad score bonus
(Disclaimer: The bulk of this review appeared earlier this week when we published our final word on Battlefield 3 for PC. This review includes that text, as well as specific comments about the console versions of the game.) Let's sit down for a few minutes and talk about Battlefield 3. Let's step outside of the hype, the constant back and forth between fans of the series and fans of, you know, that series. Let's leave the baggage attached by EA's masochistic desire to sidle right up against that game, and we can ignore that beta too. I know it's hard. But let's do it anyway. Instead, let's talk about what we've been told is DICE's most ambitious, biggest game ever. And let's talk about how Battlefield 3 is simultaneously disappointing in that respect, and brilliant in others, and why that might be OK anyway -- maybe even great.%Gallery-137343%
PSA: Xbox 360 Battlefield 3 servers are down, EA 'aware'
While we're working on getting you a review of the console versions of Battlefield 3, we're in the same boat as many of you this evening: the Xbox 360 version is currently unplayable online due to server difficulties. Developer DICE has commented on the situation via Twitter, stating that they're working on the problem and will have the game running as soon as possible. Hopefully the issues are resolved soon - we've got unlocks to, uh, unlock.
Battlefield 3 review: Squad score bonus
Let's sit down for a few minutes and talk about Battlefield 3. Let's step outside of the hype, the constant back and forth between fans of the series and fans of, you know, that series. Let's leave the baggage attached by EA's masochistic desire to sidle right up against that game, and we can ignore that beta too. I know it's hard. But let's do it anyway. Instead, let's talk about what we've been told is DICE's most ambitious, biggest game ever. And let's talk about how Battlefield 3 is simultaneously disappointing in that respect, and brilliant in others, and why that might be OK anyway -- maybe even great.%Gallery-137343%
Diablo 3 limited edition includes Diablo 2, Diablo skull USB drive
Hey, remember that amazing StarCraft 2 special edition? You know, the huge one, with the full sized art book, and the USB drive with Starcraft and Starcraft: Brood War? And the WoW pet? Man, that was sweet. Well we hope you like Diablo 3, because, like, that's pretty much exactly what they're doing for the Diablo 3 Limited Edition. Announced at today's Blizzcon press conference, the Limited edition will also come with a behind-the-scenes DVD. Diablo 2 will be included in the box on a special USB drive (in a holder shaped like freaking Diablo's skull), and, for users who register their LE, an in-game mount for WoW, Tyrael's Charger. And don't forget that giant art book. So. Awesome.
BioWare announces details of upcoming Mass Effect 3 demo
Buyers of next week's Battlefield 3 have a sci-fi surprise in store, as first run copies of EA's shooter juggernaut also include a code to access Mass Effect 3's recently announced cooperative multiplayer mode. The demo will launch in January, though the actual date is yet to be determined. For the non-cooperatively inclined, don't fret -- the demo will also include a section of the single-player campaign. Users in every region in which Battlefield 3 is available will have access to the multiplayer portion of the demo, provided they buy Battlefield, that is. It sounds like the single-player portion just might be free to all, regardless of your Battlefield status. You can find more information at the official BioWare forums.
Dragon Age 2 - Mark of the Assassin Review
A mysterious woman hoping to use you for a heist during a rich guy's party, her motivations much more complicated than they initially seem... wait a minute. Dragon Age 2: Mark of the Assassin, the second major DLC release for Bioware's current fantasy RPG series, has a strikingly familiar premise. Similar, even, to Mass Effect 2's Stolen Memory downloadable add-on, which also featured an enigmatic female thief looking to use Shepard to robin-hood somebody. But that's where the similarities end. Where Stolen Memory felt like a tight, fast, well-paced attempt to tell a character's story, Mark of the Assassin is a much more sprawling exercise. Unfortunately, that's generally to its detriment.%Gallery-136264%
City Interactive announces Sniper and Combat Wings release dates
Do you like wings? Well, what about ghosts? How about those things with additional adjectives or nouns? We hope you fall in there somewhere, and so does City Interactive, who announced release dates for both Combat Wings: The Great Battles of World War II and Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 on Wednesday. No, we don't mean they're coming out on Wednesday. In fact, Combat Wings will grace you with its aerial, er, grace, next February -- on the 7th for the United States, and the 10th for Europe. Meanwhile, Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2, the followup to last year's critically something-or-othered release, will be available on March 16th in Europe and the 20th in the States.
Double Fine Happy Action Theater will make you a pigeon toilet
You heard that correctly, though that's obviously not the only thing happening in this trailer for Double Fine's newest cavalcade of Kinect funtimes. There's also ball kicking, and fireworks, and dancing, and hot lava! Pretty much everything you need to know about Happy Action Theater is here, although you haven't really seen the game sold until you see someone pull a Terminator 2. Double Fine Happy Action Theater will release next year this holiday on Xbox Live, courtesy of Microsoft Studios.
Iron Brigade DLC official, involves Mars and bears
That DLC for Trenche- er, we mean, Iron Brigade, that was kind of sort of revealed back in August is now official. And it's officially weird. At least, the premise is. Titled "Rise of the Martian Bear," the premise goes like this: nemesis and all-around poster boy for the evils of Monovision, Vlad, was defeated, but not before he had time to transfer his consciousness into his pet bear. And that did the obvious thing and ran to Mars in order to regroup and rebuild the forces of evil and what we presume is more red-tinged bad reality television. Rise of the Martian Bear doesn't have a release date, though Double Fine told us it should be "soon." Like, really soon. Meanwhile, once you do get your hands on it, you'll bask in the wonder of new missions and an objective-oriented wave-based survival mode. Which is kind of hard, judging by the small bit we played last week.
Deja Review: Crysis
We're of the firm opinion that your time is too precious, too valuable to be spent reading a full review for a game that was already reviewed many, many years ago. What's the point of applying a score to a game that's old enough to be enrolled in the sixth grade? That's why we invented Deja Review: A quick look at the new features and relative agelessness of remade, revived and re-released games. The original Crysis is an abstract concept for many. Whether through actual technical limitations or a perception thereof, it was the destroyer of worlds and PCs, seen as out of reach for all but the most tech-driven of PC gamers. It's been so easy to get caught up in the question of "Can it run Crysis?" that there's a swath of gamers who have never asked, "How is Crysis?" But here we are, with Crysis (the first) finally making its way to six year old hardware. It runs. But is it fun?%Gallery-134861%
PSA: Compromised PSN info used in mass access attempt
In a post on the Official PlayStation Blog tonight, the Chief Information Security Officer for Sony Phillip Reitinger informed users that a major, concerted wave of sign-in attempts were made using login and password information "obtained from one or more compromised lists from other companies, sites or other sources." Sony has, in their words, "taken steps to mitigate this activity." Reitenger specified that credit card information had not been compromised. Accounts affected by the mass access attempt have received prompts via email to reset their passwords. Sony Online Entertainment accounts affected have also been provisionally disabled until their passwords are changed.
PSN Tuesday: Sideway: New York and the attack of the add-ons
This week doesn't see quite the onslaught of new stuff that last week did, but man, there are a ton of add-ons for your existing games to make up for it. Seriously. A lot of add-ons. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
Assassin's Creed: Revelations - Hooked in Istanbul
I'm playing Assassin's Creed: Revelations, and I can't remember how to lock on during combat. How embarrassing. And then I'm told there's even more equipment being added to change the way the game plays, and I wonder how Ubisoft Montreal could possibly make Assassin's Creed, a game that's been accused of creaking under the weight of its mechanics, better through adding more to that. But if my initial time with Assassin's Creed: Revelations is proper precedent, the Hookblade is a sign of how Ubisoft is tying Assassin's Creed's various mechanics more closely together.%Gallery-136270%
The beta and Battlefield 3
Last week, I spent some six hours with a not-quite-final-but-close version of Battlefield 3. I think EA and DICE would like for me to talk about the single player but really, I don't have anything more to say about it than I did a few weeks ago. I can't talk about most of the multiplayer maps I played with any specificity, other than the Grand Bazaar level, which, hallelujah, had a tank in it. But at this point, I feel confident in making the following statement: Releasing a beta for Battlefield 3 might be the biggest mistake EA has made with its biggest game this year.%Gallery-136045%
UFC on Xbox Live: Full-access octagon
If I didn't know better, I'd think Microsoft and the UFC want you to gamble. At least, that's the impression I get after spending about half an hour with the upcoming UFC app for Xbox Live. It does a lot of cool things in its capacity as Xbox Live's first true Pay-Per-View offering -- more than any Pay-Per-View implementation I've ever seen. But the ability for Xbox Live members to interact with their friends list, to effectively compete against each other for the most accurate fight picks, might be the thing that sticks out the most. And it makes Vegas jealous to boot.%Gallery-136028%