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Warner Bros. Humble Bundle on the way [update: confirmed, live]
Update: Humble Bundle confirmed it's launching a WB Games bundle that's expected later today, featuring six games: F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin, F.E.A.R. 3, Lord of the Rings: War in the North, Scribblenauts Unlimited, and the Game of the Year Editions of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. Each game purchase is redeemable through Steam, but you'll have to pay over the average to unlock Scribblenauts Unlimited and Arkham City. Update 2: The WB Games collection is live and kicking on Humble Bundle. It'll run for two weeks, ending on November 19. Original Story: Warner Bros will become the latest big-name company to take center stage in a Humble Bundle, going by an apparently premature update (deleted but screen-capped above) on the Scribblenauts Facebook page. The series' official account listed Scribblenauts Unlimited as one of six games included in a bundle raising money for DC Entertainment's We Can Be Heroes charity campaign, but said bundle isn't live (yet). We've reached out to Warner Bros. for comment. If accurate, Warner Bros. would follow EA, Double Fine, and THQ as one of the rather more recognizable names to get in on the Humble Bundle act. The site partially raises money for charity by featuring downloadable collections of games at pay-what-you-want prices, such as the weekly sale on games by Worms dev Team 17 that it's currently hosting.
Steam Holiday Sale continues with Dishonored, Future Soldier, Darksiders franchise and more
Valve's unceasing quest for the bottom of your bank account continues today with six new daily deals, as part of its ongoing annual Steam Holiday Sale promotion.Today's stable of temptations include Dishonored for $30, Darksiders and Darksiders 2 (plus a wealth of DLC) for $13.59, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier for $15 (or as part of a massive $68 Tom Clancy's franchise pack), all three FEAR games (plus DLC) for $13.71, as well as SimCity 4 and Psychonauts for less than five bucks each.As always, various Flash Sales will come and go throughout the day, so remember to check the store periodically. Alternatively, add games you're interested in to your wishlist, and Valve will email you if they happen to go on sale.
Steam Summer Sale, Day 9: Dungeon Defenders, Crysis 2, Civ 5 and more
Well, we're more than a week into the Steam Summer Sale and there's still no end in sight. No end to the savings, that is! (Can you tell we used to write copy for a local used car dealership?)Today's deep discounts include Dungeon Defenders, Fear 3, Magicka and Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad GOTYE, all for less than five smackers each, and Civilization 5, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Crysis 2 and Driver: San Fancisco for less than a tenner. Today's indie bundle is also no slouch, touting the now-classic VVVVVV, as well as the ballistically brilliant Jamestown.
Grab a Kinect (with Child of Eden!) for $120 at Amazon (update: $100 through buy.com)
We were a bit discouraged when we checked Amazon's game deal of the day and saw that it was a paltry $10 discount on the PC version of Fable 3. But there are more exciting deals to be found this week (in addition to that great Halloween sale). One of the retailer's "Deals of the Week" knocks 20% off the retail price of Kinect, allowing you to get the sensor, Kinect Adventures, and a download of Child of Eden for $119.99. You can also get the previous bundle, without Child of Eden, for the same price, if you really think you or the lucky recipient of this gift is going to hate Child of Eden that much. Other week-long deals include Rift for $9, and (easy participant of the Halloween deal) FEAR 3 on PS3 or Xbox 360 for $28. Update: Dealzon pointed out that it's currently $107.24 at buy.com -- and, if you go through Buy's eBay site, it's $99.99.]
S.A.V.3. on games all day with Amazon Lightning Deals
Amazon has dropped a selection of Lightning Deals on us, and while we can't be 100% sure of the identities of all the mystery deals (and less sure of the prices) it looks like there's enough stuff in there that you'll want to keep an Amazon window open, and an alarm clock set. Right now, F.E.A.R. 3 is $20 on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Upcoming discounts include GTA IV, Mortal Kombat, and what is likely No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise. To round out the deal while flattening your tummy, the ongoing Deal of the Day is Zumba Fitness for Wii or Xbox 360.
FEAR 3 video shows off some high-powered sound recording
Rarely do hardcore gun enthusiasts and A/V nerds have anything in common, but when they do, they drink Dos Equis it's a beautiful thing. "The Sounds of Combat," a F.E.A.R. 3 behind-the-scenes video, shows how the dudes at Day 1 Studios recorded audio from a range of firearms, including a Smith & Wesson 500 Magnum to a .50 caliber Barrett Machine Gun, all with a set of fancy microphones. If Alma didn't scare you enough, maybe the recoil on some of these beasts will.
Zumba Fitness manages chart-topping hat trick in UK
Zumba Fitness has maintained the top spot on the UK charts for three straight weeks, with Chart-Track prognosticating the title has "a good chance of holding on for a few more weeks yet." The workout dance game has reached the top spot in the UK a total of six times and -- here's the mind blowing part -- last week beat the sales of the games in spots two through five combined, despite Zumba experiencing a 5 percent drop in sales. We know this time is "quiet" in terms of sales, but this is just getting seriously awkward. With the completion of Wimbledon 2011, two tennis titles racketed up some sales. Virtua Tennis 4 stormed the court, moving up 15 spots into the fifth seat, while Top Spin 4 jumped two spots into eigth. Last week's debut titles to crack the top 40 were Capcom's Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D and THQ's UFC Personal Trainer, at spots 21 and 22, respectively. Check out the UK's top ten games after the break.
Zumba Fitness stays atop UK charts for fifth week, LA Noire brings up second place
It seems that 505 Games' Zumba Fitness motion game is destined to occupy every living room in the UK, as it was the UK's highest selling title last week -- even after 31 weeks of availability. Regaining a place in the top five, Rockstar's LA Noire took second place, though it saw a 15 percent dip in sales. Here's where things get really depressing: Suda 51 and Shinji Mikami's excellent Shadows of the Damned debuted on the charts at number 31, beaten not only by the likes of recently released stinkfest Duke Nukem Forever, but even older titles like Art Academy and EA Sports Active 2. FEAR 3 faced a starkly different reception, landing the number three spot just below LA Noire. We're not mad, UK readers and EA marketers -- just, ya know, disappointed.
FEAR 3 review: Scores, not scares
It must be extremely difficult to truly scare a person who wants to be scared. Sure, at a mechanical level, fear is an involuntary reaction to the perception of threat -- but it's hard to upgrade fear to deep, inexorable terror without the element of surprise. FEAR 3's capacity for terror has been telegraphed by two predecessors, executive credits for acclaimed horror-makers John Carpenter and Steve Niles ... and also, the game has "fear" in the title. With a combination like that, fear shouldn't just be feared -- it should be expected. The most surprising thing about FEAR 3, however, is that those scares never come. For better and for worse, the franchise's latest outing has eschewed the horror classification in favor of a more action-packed, score-centric experience.%Gallery-121180%
Don't face this FEAR 3 launch trailer alone
There really aren't many challenges you can't conquer in this life with the aid of your brother, you know. Even when those challenges involve psychic supersoldiers, and also, your brother is a really mean ghost -- the less-than-ideal situation featured in the FEAR 3 launch trailer posted below.
FEAR 3 trailer gets in the heads of John Carpenter and Steve Niles
Few people on this Earth know more about spooking the meek like director John Carpenter and comic writer Steve Niles. Check out the video below to see them talk about the scares they contributed to FEAR 3 -- don't worry, the video itself isn't too terrifying. Unless you're afraid of mustaches.
FEAR 3 trailer has a lot of soul, survival
Joining the likes of "Soul King" and the imaginatively titled "F***ing Run!" in FEAR 3's array of multiplayer modes is "Soul Survivor," a twist on the last man standing scenario. Players will face an ally turned evil and, if killed, become spectres themselves, tasked with eliminating the living.
Fear 3 'Contractions' co-op mode gives us the mega-creeps
The latest trailer for Fear 3, which shows off the game's "Contractions" co-op multiplayer survival mode, makes us more unsettled than the trailers that preceded it. Maybe it's that eerie fog. Maybe it's the omnipresence of Alma. Maybe it's because of all the totally gross pregnancy contractions.
FEAR 3 trailer becomes the king of soul
Be a soul man in FEAR 3's "soul king" multiplayer mode. As the trailer's Valium-dosed voiceover so intensely describes, the mode is the most competitive in the game. Check out more multiplayer details in our preview.
FEAR 3 trailer aims to choose a favorite son
Whether it's how many Replica Soldiers you can toast or which genocidal anti-hero son is going to get top bunk when this is all over, competition is a core component of the sibling protagonists' relationship in FEAR 3 -- the ultimate prize being, uh, the favored son of a genocidal, creepy blood-soaked psycho mother!
FEAR 3 101: How to survive 'The Wall of Death'
This latest FEAR 3 trailer depicts a rather straightforward survival strategy for the game's unique multiplayer mode: "F***ing Run!"
FEAR 3 delayed to June 24 in the UK, June 21 in the US
Fear and surprise go hand in hand sometimes, so imagine our fearprise (surprear?) when we heard that FEAR 3's release had been pushed back a month in the UK. Originally set to launch on May 27, the game will now debut on June 24 in the UK, Warner Bros. revealed to Videogamer. No exact reason for the latest delay was provided. In January, the game was pushed from March to May, but no specific date was announced. We contacted Warner Bros. and was told the game is now on pace to ship in the US on June 21. FEAR 3 revolves around brothers Point Man and Paxton Fettel, sons of FEAR cover girl and downright creep-o, Alma. The third entry in the series features a "divergent co-op" experience and a plethora of multiplayer modes, which we previewed earlier this month. [Thanks, Tyler C]
FEAR 3 multiplayer preview: Corrupting influence
FEAR 3 will feature four multiplayer gametypes, each an isolated mode largely dissimilar to the others. We already got a look at the aptly named "F**king Run!" scenario during PAX East, and at a recent preview event I got my hands on the three other modes, as well as a second take of F**king Run. What Day 1 Studios has done with the multiplayer component of FEAR 3 is employ an "everything but the kitchen sink" philosophy. The various modes offer widely varying experiences -- including deathmatch-type competition, co-operative play and scenarios that combine the two. This variety would seem to offer alternatives for players that get bored with any one mode, but with the exception of F**king Run, I didn't find any of the gametypes to be particularly unique or exciting. The alternatives, then, seem to be a bit limited. %Gallery-121180%
FEAR 3 trailer is all about family values
"Normal" family values may include stuff like "be polite to your mom" and "care for others," but the siblings in FEAR 3 have to deal with things that are a bit more ... sinister.
FEAR 3 set to spook the UK on May 27
If you're a horror game enthusiast living in the United Kingdom, you may want to spend the next couple of months avoiding any circumstances that may frighten you. Warner Bros. just announced that FEAR 3 is set to launch in your territory on May 27, meaning you've only got a little over nine weeks to store up all of your body's natural terror juices before playing through FEAR 3's titularly appropriate, spooky campaign. Us Statesiders are also curious about how long we've got to prepare for all the phantasmagoria -- we've contacted Warner Bros. for an update on the game's North American release date.
