PC gaming has an inconsistent history. There was a time when PC gamers were the ones getting the optimal interactive experiences, while console gamers still got great content that sadly didn’t look as good. More recently, however, it seems that PC versions of countless games just don’t deliver when compared to their console counterparts. Sure, they may look better, but oftentimes you’ll hear about how bugs and technical issues plague PC games, and that’s after these games launch a considerably long period of time after the console versions.

In an interview with PC World, Rockstar Games went into detail regarding the specs of Max Payne 3 for the PC. Judging from what the company had to say, it looks like gamers who have been waiting patiently for the PC version of Max Payne 3 won’t be disappointed.

“In terms of the original list of specs we distributed, they were the extremes of the entire range that we had tested, from the lowest players could reasonably run, through to the most powerful rigs we could put together.,” said Kevin Hoare, lead PC designer for Max Payne 3. “We know that variety and customization is one of the strengths of the PC platform, so if you’re a hardcore PC player with an incredibly customized rig, our game is going to shine on your system. If you’re coming in at the bottom end, you’re still going to be able to have a great time playing Max Payne 3.”

Additionally, Hoare stated that Rockstar managed to “close the gap” between the console and PC versions of Max Payne 3. Considering the PC version is releasing just under three weeks after its Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 brethren, it’s easy to see the truth in that statement.

It’s great to see a developer taking great strides to ensure that its game is equally impressive across all platforms. Check out Rockstar’s official site for a full list of PC specs and graphical customization options. Scalable water quality, anyone?

A job listing posted over on parent company ZeniMax’s site calls for a talented 3D environmental artist, specifically with experience “with the full range of Next-Gen asset creation, from high resolution and low polygon modeling, to UV and multi-pass texture creation.” Candidates should also have “familiarity with the id Software family of engines, tools and material creation.”

Doom 4 is apparently still headed to PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2013 — though we still haven’t seen or heard a peep about it in quite awhile. It’ll be a no-show at this year’s E3, too, unless a surprise announcement is in store. Makes us wonder if the project is switching over to next-gen. Only time will tell, we suppose.

“As we mentioned in our original announcement, our goal has always been to ensure everyone has the smoothest experience possible when the real-money auction house launches, and we need a bit more time to iron out the existing general stability and gameplay issues before that feature goes live,” read an announcement on the official Diablo 3 forums.

Additionally, the company has issued a response to reports of rampant account hacking, stating that all cases of unauthorized access occurred before a Battle.net Authenticator or Battle.net Mobile Authenticator app was attached to the player’s account. Blizzard has yet to identify any case where an account was compromised outside the usual phishing or social engineering attempts.

It’s a sad day for the folks who worked on Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. According to a source close to Joystiq, both 38 Studios and Big Huge Games have laid off their entire respective staffs. Ouch!

All of this is a result of a recent financial fiasco where 38 Studios was unable to pay the Rhode Island state government a large sum of money. It’s a long and complicated story, but here’s the short version: If 38 Studios doesn’t pay up, the Amalur IP will become the property of Rhode Island, and taxpayers living in the state may owe up to $112.6 million from 2013 through 2020.

“Big Huge Games was home for my wife and me for our adult lives so far,” tweeted former lead world designer at Big Huge Games Colin Campbell. “I’ll miss it terribly, but so proud. Good night and good luck.”

Already different studios have been showing their support for the unfortunate individuals who lost their jobs via Twitter, with kind words and even job offerings. Here’s hoping these talented game makers aren’t without jobs for too long. Best of luck to the former 38 Studios and Big Huge Games staffs.

Are you still playing Skyrim? Yeah, same here. It looks like those of us who have been taking our time with the game (as well as those who plan to revisit it) are getting something super sweet: mounted combat!

According to Bethesda, the new 1.6 update also fixes a number of bugs including situational crash issues, randomly immobile enemies, and button input problems. The beta update is available to Steam users, so be sure to check out Bethesda’s blog for details on how to download the patch.

It’s good to see continued fixes making their rounds for Skyrim. I doubt the game will ever be completely glitch-free, but at least little things (and in some cases big things) are still getting patched up. Seriously, though, mounted combat! That’s so awesome!

Stay tuned for details on when the 1.6 update will be available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Skyrim.

It’s worth noting that the count does not include copies that given out as part of the World of Warcraft Annual Pass promotion, which 1.2 million players took advantage of, bringing the day one tally to an impressive 4.7 million. Post-launch sales haven’t showed any signs of slowing down either, with Blizzard reporting a total of 6.3 million copies sold with first week sales added in.

In a statement, Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime acknowledged the raft of issues that Diablo 3 players experienced during the launch hours, which seem to have settled down since.

“We also regret that our preparations were not enough to ensure everyone had a seamless experience when they did so,” said Morhaime. He added, “I want to reaffirm our commitment to make sure the millions of Diablo III players out there have a great experience with the game moving forward, and I also want to thank them for their ongoing support.”

As any Blizzard fan knows, the company has a strong commitment to polish. We’d expect more refinements to be made as the company takes in feedback from the community. Later this month, Blizzard will launch the in-game Diablo 3 Auction House – allowing players to buy and sell items with real money or Battle.net credits.

Yesterday we reported that Max Payne 3 had sold approximately three million units since its launch last Tuesday. We also learned that the PC version of the game is set to drop next week. Today we have some more news straight from Take-Two Interactive, this time regarding Max Payne 3‘s upcoming DLC.

Rockstar Games’ current DLC plans for its hit shooter are as follows:

• Local Justice Map Pack – June 2012
• Disorganized Crime Map Pack – Summer 2012
• Deathmatch Made In Heaven Mode Pack – Summer 2012
• Hostage Negotiation Map Pack – Summer 2012
• New York Minute Co-Op Pack – Summer 2012
• Painful Memories Map Pack – Fall 2012
• Trickle Down Economics Map Pack – Fall 2012

It looks like Rockstar’s got the next few months covered as far as Max Payne 3 is concerned. The DLC listed above includes new characters, maps, items, modes, and more, all designed to further enhance the game’s stellar online multiplayer component. Worth noting is the New York Minute Co-Op Pack. While Rockstar didn’t release details on that DLC, the fact that there’s a cooperative mode planned for the game is pretty interesting to think about.

Beyond that, Take-Two revealed that Max Payne 3 has been quite the success, selling approximately 3 million units during its initial launch on consoles. The PC version is scheduled to release next week on June 1. A steady stream of downloadable content is also planned throughout summer and early fall.

Some more DLC is now available for Saints Row: The Third players. The Penthouse Pack download lets you add a few new homies to your gang, specifically a bunch of buxom ladies famous for their work with Penthouse.

You’ll be able to enlist the services of Penthouse’s Nikki Benz, Justine Joli, Ryan Keely, and Heather Vandeven. Oh, and I don’t mean those types of services. Geez! That means you’ll be able to gang bang (urban warfare, not the other thing) your way through the city of Steelport alongside these respectable adult models and performers.

Despite the fact that the original announcement for the Penthouse Pack stated that the DLC would be free to Season Pass owners, it seems that’s not the case. The content is priced at 240 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360 gamers and $3.00 for folks gaming on the PlayStation 3 or PC.

Umm … Strap it on?

Dead Island first landed on consoles and PC on September 6 in North America. The game, while not without a few flaws, managed to deliver a zombie experience that was just pure fun and worth the price of admission.

Publisher Deep Silver has just announced Dead Island: Game of the Year Edition. You’ll get the main game plus the Ryder White’s Campaign DLC, which offers a different perspective on the story of Dead Island. The game will also include the Bloodbath Arena DLC and the Ripper weapon mod.

Dead Island: Game of the Year Edition lands on June 26, just in time to provide a nice summer gaming experience for those of us who have yet to play the zombie fest. The game will be available for $29.99 across the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

Alongside the announcement, Capcom confirmed that a PC version of the title is coming after the  console equivalents. Beyond that, the company wasn’t specific on a release window, though did say development is “well underway.” This should please those that were upset over the decision to target 30 FPS on consoles, as the PC edition will no doubt run 60 FPS or above if you have a rig capable of handling it.

In terms of aesthetics, DmC represents a complete makeover from previous entries in the franchise, starring a new — younger — Dante. Retained is the fast-paced gameplay, which sees players hack n’ slash their way through legions of demonic foes, while performing stylish combos.

Look for plenty of hands-on impressions to surface soon, as Capcom says the title will be playable at E3 2012 next month. Also, we’ve uploaded a few new screens over at VGIMG, showcasing character Kat.

Payday: The Heist and Left 4 Dead often draw comparisons to each other due to their group-based shooter gameplay. It looks like the two universes will collide, because developer Overkill Entertainment has revealed that there will be a crossover of sorts between the two franchises down the road.

“We are excited to be able to confirm that an in-depth collaboration between Overkill and Valve is currently in production,” said Overkill’s Ulf Anderson. “We are working on a very cool blend of Payday and Left 4 Dead. I am sure it is so exciting that it will have some players check into the hospital before we are done.”

According to VG24/7, Overkill is also planning a sequel to Payday, so that should be exciting for fans of the game. It looks like there are some long-term plans for the series, and this collaboration is certainly a promising starting point for the future of the IP. Here’s hoping the two developers can create one compelling world where both franchises fit seamlessly and provide gamers with some intense action.

Also, the prospect of bank-robbing thugs and flesh-eating zombies all in the same game just seems really cool.

It’s not clear how the hackers gained access at this time, though signs are pointing to a possible breach on Blizzard’s own servers – as even some users that use a authenticator for login claim to have been hit. So far, Blizzard has yet to issue an official statement over the rash of hacking reports. For affected users, Blizzard’s tech support is apparently suggesting to purchase an authenticator to increase account security.

For all we know, this could just be a result of poor security practices by end users, or social engineering tactics. However, the sheer number of people reporting issues suggests otherwise. Just take a gander in one forum thread to see for yourself. Obviously, if the hack was performed server-side, that’s much more concerning. Here’s hoping Blizzard addresses this soon. In the meantime, it may be wise to keep an eye on your account.

Currently, Origin boasts a userbase of 12 million gamers worldwide.

“The public support for crowd-funding creative game ideas coming from small developers today is nothing short of phenomenal,” said Origin senior VP David DeMartini. He added, “It’s also incredibly healthy for the gaming industry. Gamers around the world deserve a chance to play every great new game, and by waiving distribution fees on Origin we can help make that a reality for successfully crowd-funded developers.”

Notably, inXile Entertainment has already jumped on board to take advantage of this distribution deal on a non-exclusive basis. Wasteland 2, a post-apocalyptic that raked in over 2.9 million from Kickstarter backers, is headed to Origin – joining the previously announced Steam and DRM free release. Whatever gripes you may have with Origin, you have to admit this is a nice initiative from EA – especially since it comes with no strings attached. Interested parties can fill out the application form over on EA’s site for more information.

Famed adventure game developer Telltale Games has reported that The Walking Dead Episode 1: A New Day has officially hit the one million sales mark. That’s awesome news for both Telltale and The Walking Dead, as the game was received quite well by gamers. What that means is that most of those one million sales are made up of satisfied fans who got a great game.

According to Telltale, The Walking Dead is its fastest-selling series. Episode 1 topped sales charts across Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and Steam, and because this is just the first of five episodes in the series, we can definitely expect The Walking Dead to continue to rake in revenue for the folks making the games.

Currently, Telltale is planning to release The Walking Dead for iOS platforms this summer. Additionally, Episode 2: Starved for Help is scheduled to land on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, PC, and Mac next month. Here’s hoping the next chapter in the series is as great as Episode 1, so the franchise can continue selling well, and so fans of The Walking Dead can keep getting content worth being stoked about.

Publisher 2K Games has revealed full details on two special edition bundles for the Gearbox-developed FPS/RPG Borderlands 2. The first is the Deluxe Vault Hunter’s Collector’s Edition, which is priced at $99.99. You’ll get Borderlands 2, Marcus Kincaid bobblehead, Inside the Vault: The Art & Design of Borderlands 2 art book, set of stickers, map of Pandora, download code for a digital comic book, and extra in-game goodies.

The second bundle is the Ultimate Loot Chest Limited Edition, which sports a hefty $149.99 price tag. It’s hefty for a reason, though, because it includes everything from the first bundle, and it also comes packed with a steel book case, Creatures of Pandora ID chart, set of lithograph postcards, field notes by Sir Hammerlock, cloth map of Pandora, and a numbered certificate of authenticity. Also, this bundle is totally going to include a red loot box replica, which easily makes that $149.99 justifiable. I mean, it’s a freaking loot box, people! Just like in the game!

Borderlands 2 is currently scheduled to land on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on September 18. Both special edition bundles will be available across all three platforms, so you don’t need to worry about being snubbed if you prefer one console over the other. And because we have a few months until the game launches, that gives us plenty of time to save up our hard-earned coins for one of these two sets. Seriously, though, that red loot box is going to be awesome.

It turns out there is a workaround however, one that Apple seems to currently approve of, but you’ll have to ask them first. The developers of Zombies, Run! came up with the solution of releasing a paid and free app, the latter containing some introductory content with an optional authentication mechanism to unlock the full version. Basically the same as a password gate, but since the free app contained some content and the unlock was entirely optional, Apple gave it the go ahead.

It’s not a clear-cut solution as the developers Zombies, Run! point out. The policy could certainly change in the future and anyone interested in going this route should contact Apple first. At any rate, it’s nice to hear that Apple is giving some leeway to these Kickstarter projects. Apple may lose out on the initial round of sales, but ultimately it benefits them once the app is officially released. It will be interesting to see how bigger projects, like the recently funded Republique approach this.

While the job listing on LinkedIn via Twitter doesn’t exactly spell out Deus Ex 4, the franchise has been particularly revered for its open-ended gameplay set within a structured world. Additionally, the project is based on an “existing IP” that combines “elements of choice and stealth within the gameplay.” Yeah, this sounds like Deus Ex. While Thief 4 could be a possible candidate as well, that’s already been announced for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

What’s more, is that project is being built from the ground-up to take advantage of next-generation platforms due out within the next few years. A wide range of vacancies are open, from senior gameplay programmer to cinematic director. Next-gen can’t come soon enough, eh?

Gamers are irate over the fact that they were unable to play Diablo III last night. Servers were down, and players weren’t allowed to enter the game, even if they wanted to play on their own. This is due to Diablo III‘s required internet connection, which bars any players from entering the game’s world unless they’re online.

Additionally, Blizzard’s DRM tomfoolery isn’t helping, and this has become one of the main reasons for some huge criticism among players. As a result, Diablo III has received a massive amount of negative fan reviews on Metacritic. Gamers are calling the title a disaster, and they even go so far as to unleash their verbal hatred for its gameplay and graphics, with people saying that the game is boring and repetitive, all the while failing to deliver decent visual design.

I haven’t had the chance to play Diablo III, and because I mainly use my rig to play indie games, the chances of that happening are pretty slim. But wow, guys, is the game really that bad? Does it deserve the 3.6/10 rating that it’s gotten from gamers on Metacritic? If so, I’m glad I never invested any time into the series, because this just seems like one steaming pile of disappointment.

What’s under the hood? A Grid GPU boasts 3,072 CUDA cores — the same as NVIDIA’s flagship GTX690 card. It also includes 8GB of VRAM, with memory and shader performance clocking in at 320 GB/sec and 4.7 TFLOPS, respectively. The wattage rating comes in at a respectable 250W — reasonable when you consider how much power the card is packing.

Impressively, with the Grid tech, NVIDIA says server power-consumption per game stream has been reduced to about one-half that of previous implementations. Under ideal conditions, the Grid platform reduces server latency to as little as 10 milliseconds. According to NVIDIA, “gamers will feel like they are playing on a gaming supercomputer located in the same room. Lightning-fast play is now possible, even when the gaming supercomputer is miles away.”

OnLive competitor Gaikai will be one of the first providers to deploy the new tech. Additionally, several industry figures and developers have praised NVIDIA’s latest effort.

“Cloud has the potential to deliver an even more powerful experience in the future by enabling ultra-high-end GPUs like the GeForce GTX 680 to stream ultra-high-quality graphics such as those made possible by UE4 to a huge range of devices, well beyond console capabilities. The result will be that more people can enjoy EPIC’s games on more devices at higher quality,” said Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney.

“It is exciting to watch how cloud gaming is becoming mature and gives better and better user experience — and NVIDIA’s GeForce GRID technology is example of it. We are looking forward to see how cloud computing using this technology will change the future of gaming and the overall gaming experience and how it will affect consoles and PCs,” said CD Projekt RED lead programmer Bartlomiej Wronski.

Many have questioned the viability of cloud-driven gaming platforms in the past, but it goes without saying that NVIDIA’s Grid tech looks to be a game-changer. Going forward, it’ll be exciting to see how the platform evolves.

Additionally, Microsoft PR guru Major Nelson reveals that a whopping 5.2 million hours have been spent in the game, with a total of 2.4 million hours going towards the multiplayer component. To date, 4 million multiplayer sessions have been created. Impressive statistics all around.

Clearly, console gamers were frothing at the mouth for Minecraft. Here’s hoping 4J Studios deliver on their promise to bring the Xbox edition up to parity with its PC brethren, which can look really nice with a few graphical enhancements as shown in the screenshot above.

Originally slated for launch in fall 2012, the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot has been pushed back until the first quarter of 2013. News of the delay comes courtesy of the official Tomb Raider forums, where Crystal Dynamics head Darrell Gallagher was quoted to say that the studio is attempting to make not only a great Tomb Raider game, but the best game possible from the team.

“When Crystal Dynamics first set out to reboot the Tomb Raider franchise, there were two goals that we were extremely passionate about,” said Gallagher. “The first was to create a modern Tomb Raider game that would surprise and excite gamers. The second was to make this the best game of our careers, something we would be really proud to be a part of. We truly believe that we have something very special on our hands and we can’t wait to share it with you.”

Gallagher went on to explain that in order to deliver in terms of quality, extra time was necessary to ensure that fans get exactly what they’ve been wanting out of a Tomb Raider game. He also confirmed that the game would be showcased at this year’s E3. Anyone who’s been looking forward to Tomb Raider should definitely be stoked to get some more info and a closer look at the gameplay when the huge trade event takes place next month.

Tomb Raider looks like a promising title and has quickly become a game to watch out for. So if the developers need a few months to make some tweaks and enhancements, more power to them. I’m certain Tomb Raider fans want the best experience possible, and if a delay is what it takes, we really can’t complain. Plus, if Crystal Dynamics was to release the game this fall, it probably wouldn’t be the best marketing strategy with games like Borderlands 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Assassin’s Creed III, and Resident Evil 6 among others launching during that time.

Jetpack Joyride is an addictive little iOS game that manages to deliver a compelling experience that’s both worthwhile and rewarding. The game strays away from the model that plagued mobile titles in the past, and though it’s certainly a simple game with intuitive controls, it still manages to capture gamers’ attention and gives them a reason to care about the mobile gaming scene.

Now, developer Halfbrick is taking the addictive gem to Facebook to reach an even wider audience. While this version of Jetpack Joyride is technically in beta, it still feels like the complete experience found on iOS devices. Power-ups, coins, and obstacles are all there to deliver a fast-paced runner experience that’s really entertaining. And if you’re wondering about the missions and achievements, those are in the Facebook version of Jetpack Joyride, too.

I only got a chance to play a bit of the game on a friend’s iPad not too long ago, but in those few short sessions, I fell in love with Jetpack Joyride. Now that the game is on Facebook, I’ve taken the liberty of seeing if it’s as worthy of my time as the original and, well, let’s just say this post was supposed to go live a lot earlier. I know what I’ll be playing this weekend.

Street Fighter X Tekken launched on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in March to positive reviews. The game is now officially available on the PC via digital download.

You can currently download Street Fighter X Tekken at any major digital download site for $49.99. The game includes 38 fighters from both the Street Fighter and Tekken universes, and it features all of the game modes from its console brethren. Additionally, the PC port will also sport 3D functionality.

I actually didn’t enjoy Street Fighter X Tekken at first, mainly because I found the gems system to be too much of an exercise in boredom and monotony. Still, if you dig deep enough, you definitely get a dedicated fighter that showcases Capcom’s expertise in the genre. If you have yet to play Street Fighter X Tekken but you’ve been meaning to, it wouldn’t hurt to look into the PC version. It is $10 cheaper after all.

“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, Blizzard’s executive VP of game design.

He added, “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 Valve boss Gabe Newell. “We both want to focus on the things our fans care about, creating and shipping great games for our communities.”

Sales of 7 million are projected for RE6, which launches October worldwide. Capcom did not include PC sales in the estimate, suggesting that it’ll be a later release. Additionally, the company expects sales of 2 million for the controversial DmC – Devil May Cry reboot, which interestingly is lower than the 2.7 million sell-through figure its predecessor mustered. Elsewhere, sales of 1.5 million are expected for Dragon’s Dogma, with Lost Planet 3 coming in at 1.4 million.

The forecast is fairly reasonable for the most part, though we’re not entirely sure on DmC with the amount of fan backlash its received. Then again, perhaps the new look will bring in a different crowd.

Those that join up will receive a free copy of the game by May 29. It’s non-giftable, so you’ll receive nothing provided you already own the title, unfortunately.

Oh, and according to the Steam page for Midnight Club 2, it’s currently not supported on Windows 7 or Vista. There’s a workaround outlined here, one that comes at the expense of disabling a built-in security feature. Here’s hoping Rockstar has a compatibility patch in the works for the majority of us running on a somewhat recent OS.

Carmack’s retrospective provides insight into the design decisions and technical hurdles involved with development. Remember, this was back when games shipped on floppy disks. Well worth a watch. Additionally, for those feeling nostalgic, Bethesda has launched a version of Wolfenstein that runs entirely in your browser.

The funds will back a number of unannounced projects throughout fiscal 2013. EA’s FY 2013 runs from April 1, 2012 to March 31,  2013. While no specific details were given beyond that, this essentially confirms that new platforms from Sony and Microsoft will arrive by 2013.

In addition, EA revealed that its Origin service has amassed 11 registered million players and generated $150 million in just ten months. We’ll take that as an indication that we won’t see any of EA’s more recent PC titles turn up on Steam anytime soon.

This Wednesday, the company will launch a new feature dubbed Social Club Crews, allowing users to organize Max Payne 3 Multiplayer Crews ahead of the game’s May 15 launch.

Bucking a common trend of simply making changes to appeal to a wider audience, Relic is aiming to please fans first and foremost, noting that it has “resisted the temptation to shoehorn needless modes and mini-games in where they’re not welcome.” Lead designer Quinn Duffy added that “We want more authenticity, we want more realism, we want more tactical improvements.”

* Log into your Steam account online from your computer or mobile device at www.steampowered.com

* Visit your Games list by navigating to the Community and then clicking GAMES in the secondary navigation bar. If you’re logged into the Steam client, the games list will reflect the installation state of your library on that machine.

* Locate your game and tap the install button to initiate your remote download.

To enroll in Steam’s beta program, simply navigate to File -> Settings, select the Account tab and open up Change… under Beta Participation. From there, click the dropdown menu to opt-in. Once again, this goes to show why Steam is several steps ahead of the competition.

As promised, the first trailer to Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has been released today during the NBA playoffs.  It looks like the rumors have been confirmed and this game will not follow in the direct footsteps of Black Ops even though it shares the same name.

Black Ops 2 will be set in the year 2025, further beyond the timeline other recent Call of Duty games have pushed. Will this be the downfall of the Call of Duty franchise or will it be what pushes it to even greater heights? We’ll have to wait until November 13th to find out.

First up is The Local Justice Map Pack, which adds “the Police Precinct map for Gang Wars, Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Payne Killer multiplayer modes.” The pack will also feature “two additional maps for Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Payne Killer, new precinct-themed multiplayer avatar items, multiplayer challenges, and more.”

Going forward, Disorganized Crime Map Pack, Deathmatch Made In Heaven Mode Pack, Hostage Negotiation Map Pack, New York Minute Co-Op Pack will round out the summer lineup. Fall 2012 will see two more additions, namely Painful Memories Map Pack and Trickle Down Economics Map Pack. Details will be forthcoming as release time approaches.

What’s more, is that the game’s release date of November 13, 2012 has been revealed, as clearly depicted on the card. Below that is the logo design.

The reveal trailer is scheduled to broadcast on May 1 during the NBA playoffs.

Creations can be directly published to Steam Workshop from within the game, which means you never have to leave the confines of Portal 2. While it’s possible to build your own maps using Valve’s Source SDK authoring tools, the associated learning curve put it out of reach for many. The streamlined approach of this puzzle maker will no doubt attract a much larger audience.

How flexible the in-game editor is remains to be seen, but we’ll find out on May 8. Valve noted the DLC is for PC and Mac only. No word on if PS3 owners will get similar treatment down the road.

Ubisoft’s reportedly throwing around the idea of sequel that delves into a mythical setting, with castles, dragons, ghosts and Greek gods. The survey, outed by a Kotaku reader, also included video footage of what the game might look like.

A screencap above depicts Rayman climbing up on a dragon’s tail. Given that this doesn’t appear to be a mock-up that was quickly thrown together, it seems Ubi is seriously considering a sequel.

Hit the break for the complete list of system specifications.

Max Payne 3 PC System Specifications

Operating System:
Windows 7 32/64 Service Pack 1, Windows Vista 32/64 Service Pack 2, Windows XP 32/64 Service Pack 3

Processor:
Intel Dual Core 2.4 GHZ – i7 3930K 6 Core x 3.06 GHZ / AMD Dual Core 2.6 GHZ – FX8150 8 Core x 3.6 GHZ

RAM:
2GB – 16GB

Video Card:
NVIDIA® 8600 GT 512MB VRAM – NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 680 2GB VRAM / Radeon HD 3400 512MB VRAM – Radeon HD 7970 3GB VRAM

Sound Card:
100% Direct X 9.0 compatible – Direct X 9.0 compatible supporting Dolby Digital Live

HDD Space:
35 GB

There’s really no guideline as to what is “recommended” here — only that Max Payne 3 will indeed take advantage of 6-8 core CPU, 16GB RAM, and a top-of-the-line graphics card if you have it. Considering what’s listed at the low-end, it seems MP3 will scale quite well. Initially, GTA IV and LA Noire both shipped with a myriad of performance issues on the platform, so it’s reassuring that Rockstar has taken strides to improve the efficiency of its engine.

The game’s out May 29 on PC, trailing the console debut by two weeks.

If you weren’t selected as one of the privileged to partake in the beta launched last year, now’s your chance. It features access to all five of the game’s classes, and allows players to level up to 13.

Note that character data and accounts will not transfer over from the beta, as Blizzard noted earlier this week. A full reset, along with termination of the beta servers, will occur on May 1. That’s two weeks before the game officially launches.

Stamped on the poster is a May 2 date, with the subtext reading “Return for Debriefing,” which could be a reference to the conspiracy plotline in Black Ops. A blurred solider is depicted in the background, along with a Treyarch logo near the bottom.

Call of Duty titles traditionally release in the fall, with a reveal occurring just before E3 time — Modern Warfare 3 was announced in May of last year as well, so the timing seems right.