epic

Gears of War 3 landing worldwide Sept. 20

It may be one of the jewels in Microsoft's 2011 lineup, but Gears of War 3 has had a tumultuous time on the road to release. The game's unveiling was set to take place on talk show "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" but was delayed, though not before the game's release date was reportedly leaked on Xbox Live. Shortly after the "Late Night" showing, Microsoft confirmed that the game would be landing in April, but then had to renege on its initial promise and delay the game to a holiday 2011 release.

Today, Microsoft announced a new worldwide release date for Gears of War 3 of September 20. This brings territories such as Japan, Australia, and Europe in line with the U.S., which was originally going to get the game first when it was slated for an April release date.

Microsoft has also named some of the maps and weapons that are due to appear in the game when it lands in September.

Read more of " Gears of War 3 landing Sept. 20" at GameSpot. … Read more

Ask Maggie: On hot trends at Mobile World Congress

BARCELONA, Spain--There are many reasons why I love Barcelona: the food, the wine, the art, the architecture--and of course, the mobile phones.

You didn't know Barcelona was a hotbed of activity for the mobile industry? Well, for a week every February, the GSM (Groupe Speciale Mobile) Association hosts the Mobile World Congress, the world's largest trade show and conference for the mobile industry. And the funky city on the Mediterranean is flooded with anyone and everyone in the mobile industry.

I've been lucky enough to attend the show for the past five years. And this year, I … Read more

Epic Games parody pokes fun at Call of Duty

Call of Duty may be a blockbuster success on a global scale, but Activision's cash cow isn't quite bullet-proof. For example, Epic Games is taking shots at the franchise with Duty Calls: The Calm Before the Storm, a free downloadable game parody that mocks the military first-person shooter and a number of its gameplay conventions.

The difference between Duty Calls and its inspiration becomes apparent as soon as players start the game. Upon being dropped into a level, a voice gives the player marching orders over the radio.

"Here's your objective," the commanding officer says. "Blah blah blah blah secret base. Blah blah blah blah plan. Blah blah blah nuclear missile bomb. Blah blah blah counting on you. Utmost importance. Win. Good luck." … Read more

Report: Disney lays off half its game staff

Walt Disney has laid off hundreds of people in its game development division as it transitions from console content to more casual gaming, according to CNBC.

Citing an unnamed source, CNBC reported that Disney may have eliminated up to 350 of the 700 jobs in the company's game development office.

However, a source close to Disney told CNET today that the layoffs are not nearly as steep as CNBC is reporting.

The news is all the more surprising when one considers that Disney launched the popular Epic Mickey on the Nintendo Wii less than two months ago. The release … Read more

Should the iPhone 5 get a larger screen?

Last year, with all the new Android smartphones with 4-inch and larger screens hitting the market, I posted an article asking readers whether they thought the iPhone's screen was too small. In a poll, close to 50 percent of the respondents said, yes, they'd like to see Apple make the next iPhone's screen larger.

Now I'm getting some grief from readers after leaving out "larger screen" when I recently updated my piece on the the 20 feature upgrades I'd like to see in the iPhone 5, so I thought I'd better take … Read more

It's time to fight for your destiny!

A couple months ago a tech demo called Epic Citadel hit the App Store showing off Epic Games' Unreal III graphics engine on an iOS device. There wasn't much action to Epic Citadel besides walking and looking around at an intricate castle landscape, but the graphics were nothing short of jaw-dropping for the iOS. Epic promised that games were coming soon using the esteemed graphics engine, and iOS gamers everywhere waited to see what Epic could come up with that would work on a touch-screen device.

Infinity Blade, Epic's first game for the iOS, is finally here and … Read more

Epic's Infinity Blade hands-on: Prettiest game on the iPhone/iPad

One of the biggest splashes in the iOS gaming scene came during an Apple keynote earlier this year when a preview of an upcoming game from Epic, using the Unreal engine, showcased graphics that seemed like they came from a next-gen console. A free preview of this game, called Epic Citadel, debuted shortly afterward. As a demo of the graphics prowess in the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, it was unparalleled.

The full game is now available, and its name has changed to Infinity Blade. The universal app costs $5.99, and the bottom line is this: its graphics top … Read more

The decade's 30 biggest tech flops

First, an admission. We ran this same story last year with many of the same picks. At the time, several readers said we were not only wrong for running it, but were downright ignorant.

As elbrado67 so eloquently put it:

We still have another year left in the decade, I would expect more from a "tech" site to be scientifically correct. You start counting with "1," not "0." Despite popular belief on the news and everywhere else, the new "Millennium" started in 2001, not 2000. Please stop dumbing everything down.

Many others … Read more

preGame 34: Epic Mickey

Today on preGame, we'll demo the highly anticipated Wii exclusive game from Disney, Epic Mickey. We can't remember the last time Mickey starred in his own game, so make sure to catch our gameplay and impressions.

But first we'll screen the brand-new full in-game trailer for L.A. Noire, the '40s-inspired mystery thriller from Rockstar Games. Due out in the Spring, L.A. Noire features some of the most impressive facial expressions on characters we've ever seen; no joke!

Finally, Mark helps pick apart Jeff's top 10 games of 2010 post. Did your favorite game … Read more