While GTA IV was lauded for its visuals at release, this mod takes it to another level, arguably inching the closest we’ve seen to photo-realism. See for yourself in the video below. If you happen to notice sporadically flickering reflections, the author notes this is  a byproduct of Rockstar’s in-game video recorder, the actual game does not suffer from this.

While the file contained “user names, email addresses, encrypted billing addresses and encrypted credit card information,” it reassuringly did not include password data. No evidence suggests the encrypted contents were compromised either, which is good news. Transactions from 2004-2008 were listed in the file.

While Valve believes your credit card data is safe, it still suggests to remain cautious by keeping an eye on statements and activity. Turning Steam Guard on is recommended for added account protection.

According to the filing, Blizzard claims Valve has no rights to DOTA mark, pointing to “more than seven years of goodwill” that it has backed the DOTA name with.

Despite having no “official” ties to Warcraft itself, Blizzard asserts the trademark registration will not only damage them, but the “the legions of Blizzard fans that have worked for years with Blizzard and its products, including by causing consumers to falsely believe that Valve’s products are affiliated, sponsored or endorsed by Blizzard and are related or connected to Warcraft III.”

As evidence, Blizzard lays claim to its strong ties to the DOTA mark, noting that it has distributed DOTA mods directly from Battle.net and associated websites. Moreover, Blizzard points out that it has advertised DOTA at several gaming conventions, including its own BlizzCon.

Further, Blizzard says it has “licensed third-parties” to exploit the DOTA mark in cross-promotion with Warcraft on various fansites such as dota-allstars.com, playdota.com, and getdota.com. These arrangements were made “subject to and consistent with the terms of the Warcraft III EULA,” the company says.

DOTA had very strong ties to Blizzard — and still does — but unofficially, a key point that certainly dilutes Blizzard’s arguments from a pure legal standpoint. In any case, we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out.

“As we continue to strengthen our leadership position in interactive entertainment, our proven management team and talented employees delivered another extraordinary year of outperformance. With better than expected net revenues, record earnings, record operating margins, and having generated nearly $1 billion in operating cash flow, Activision Blizzard continues to set the industry success bar,” commented CEO Bobby Kotick in a statement.

In other fun-facts, Activision says Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 players logged more than 639 million hours of online gameplay through December 31, 2011, topping the previous outing Black Ops in total unique gamers by 12 percent.

While it’s purely a PC exclusive affair for now, a Wii U release is also on the cards. Entirely free-to-play, the tactical squad-based shooter promises extensive weapon customization, backed by an always-connected social experience. Additionally, the company has sent over a new trailer that gives an overview of the game’s diverse classes. Hit the break to see it.

Psychonauts developer Double Fine is out to breathe new life into the rather dormant genre of point and click adventure titles. In a bold move, the studio has turned to fans for funding by launching a Kickstarter goal of $400,000.

Backers will gain exclusive access to a Steam beta of the project by pledging at least $15. That includes a finished copy once it is officially released. There are other incentives if you’re willing to pitch in even more, from autographed posters to a personal mini-portrait illustrated by artists on the development team.

All supporters will be given the opportunity to start a dialogue with developers by sharing ideas and feedback on a private forum throughout the course of development, which is estimated to last six to eight months.

As of writing, it looks like the Kickstarter is attracting a sizable amount of attention. So far, a whopping $284,000 has been pledged, that’s around 71 percent of the target fulfilled in just a few hours. Entirely free from creative limitations and deadlines imposed by publishers, it’ll be interesting to see how the project takes shape over the coming months.

Rocksteady more than proved themselves with Arkham Aslyum, so we’re not surprised to see it doing so well. Still, it’s always great to see a licensed effort not take the quick cash-in route.

Players take on the role of undercover cop Wei Shen, setting out to take down an organization deeply rooted in criminal activity, which is none other than the Hong Kong Triads. The city of Hong Kong is realized through its neon-lit side streets and sprawling street markets. A tale of loyalty and betrayal unfolds during Wei’s investigation, leading him to question his own motives.

Sleeping Dogs features a combat system that allows players to pull off an extensive set of martial arts moves, including “bone-crunching kicks and combos, vicious counters and a cinematic set of environmental takedowns making use of countless real-world items from circular saws to phone booths, incinerators to refrigerator doors.” 

“From the moment you pick up the controller and experience the blend of driving, close combat and shooting you know you’re playing something fresh and a bit special,” said Square Enix GM Lee Singleton.

“Sleeping Dogs has one of the best melee combat systems out there – it’s super brutal with devastating takedown moves, and when added to UFG’s proven heritage in driving games, a first class story and the vibrant backdrop of the Hong Kong underworld we get a fiery recipe with fun written all over it.”

Sleeping Dogs is due out Q2 2012 on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.

Additionally, in a surprise drop, Bethesda has made a high-res texture pack available as free DLC on Steam. Weighing in at around 3.1GB, you’ll need a beefy PC to run it. Specifics weren’t given, only to “make sure your system requirements exceed Skyrim’s recommended specs before attempting to install.” We can’t wait to see what it looks like in motion.

For those who haven’t picked up Bethesda’s mammoth RPG yet, the company is running a 33% off midweek madness sale on Steam as well, bringing the total damage down to $40. Alternatively, you can grab the entire Elder Scrolls Collection pack – which includes Morrowind and Oblivion – for $50.

No details on the open world effort were provided, though unless on the off-chance it’s a new IP, we’re placing our bets on a sequel to Red Dead Redemption. Given the enormous success of the first title, a follow-up seems like a no-brainer. The only question is: will it land on current or next-gen platforms?

“The TF2 team is working on something brand new for 2012. We can’t tell you what it is, because they won’t tell us, but what they WILL say is that it isn’t a hat, it isn’t a map, and go away. From this we can only conclude that the TF2 team is working on some ungodly hat-map hybrid that you can wear on your head while you run around in it. You heard it here first. Also last, because they just told us it’s not that either. But it’s really cool, ” reads an update on the TF2 blog.

TF2: the game that keeps on giving.

Beyond that, THQ shed light on its schedule for 2013 and beyond, which is full of big-hitters. We’ll see Devil’s Third from Tomonobu Itagaki of Ninja Gaiden fame and a yet-to-be named title from Turtle Rock Studio, the studio behind the original Left 4 Dead. Crytek-developed Homefront 2 is also on the same roadmap.

The late debut carries a budget price, with the standard edition priced at $29.99, which includes downloadable content scenarios The Signal and The Writer. A Collector’s Edition will also be on offer for $34.99.

Key PC enhancements include a “wide selection of customizable graphics settings,” the ability to change field of view settings and hide on-screen HUD elements for more immersive gameplay, as well as AMD Eyefinity 3D and NVIDIA NVISION2 3D support.

The Creation Kit will give PC modders access to official tools Bethesda used to develop the game. Perhaps even more exciting is a mod delivery network dubbed Steam Workshop that will launch alongside the kit, allowing hobbyist developers to share their creations via Steam. Bethesda has given a sneak peek at the effort in the video clip below.

Notable features include one-click installs and the ability to subscribe to mods for automatic updating. If you’ve ever strayed away from mods due to the hassle of setting them up, well, there’s seemingly no excuse with this.

“Steam has always been a great platform for indie games and I have admired the way they have supported non-traditional game development with titles such as Terraria, Bastion, World of Goo, etc,” said Q Games boss Dylan Cuthbert.

He added, “We like PSN a lot but Baiyon and I also simply want to allow more people to experience Eden as it is a truly unique game, even now almost 4 years on it is still fresh and new. We had a blast revisiting it to prepare it for Steam.”

Look for Eden to hit Steam next week. It’ll set you back $9.99 regularly, but in true Steam fashion – to sweeten the deal for eager purchasers – a 20% discount will be applied during the first week.

During its extensive beta period, which is still on-going, Blizzard has removed several core features from the game after finding that they did not properly fit the play style or lore of the game. The two most recent casualties which have been removed from the game in the latest patch are the companion pets and reforging scrolls.

Blizzard’s Community Manager, Nethaera, has explained to the community that the removal of these features have been a result of their undeveloped state. Nethaera also commented on the “cutesy” nature of the companion pets being a take-away from the dark and gritty environment. To further develop these features would result in delaying the game even longer, something neither Blizzard nor its community would were ecstatic about.

Additional hours of gameplay: New major adventures set in previously unseen locations, expanding the story and introducing new characters, mysteries and monsters.

New Game Introduction and Cinematics: All new animations and cut scenes, including a new, three and a half minute pre-rendered cinematic depicting the assassination of King Demavend of Aedirn. BAFTA Award winner and Academy Award nominee Tomasz Baginski brings this key historical event to life, setting the stage for the story told in The Witcher 2.

A pretty hefty update. Might be high time for another playthrough.

This means you’ll never miss another Steam sale, which could potentially be bad for your wallet, but hey, we’re grateful anyway.

“The Steam app comes from many direct requests from our customers,” said Valve president Gabe Newell.

“Seeing which of your friends are online and playing a game, sending quick messages, looking at screenshots for an upcoming game, or catching a sale – these are all features customers have requested. Mobile is changing way people interact, play games and consume media, and the Steam app is part of our commitment to meet customer demands and expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone.”

Those who wish to join the beta can sign-up for possible inclusion by hitting up this link from their mobile device. The app is also now available in the associated iOS and Android markets.

Ubisoft’s announced that its majestic platformer Rayman Origins will arrive on PC March 29. Featuring beautiful hand-drawn visuals, the title retains the charm of Rayman’s original platforming romps, while introducing four player jump-in/jump-out co-op.

As a pre-order incentive, Ubi tells us that those who reserve the game now at “participating retailers” will receive a  downloadable copy of Rayman 2. Steam in particular was not mentioned, but we’d be surprised if it doesn’t turn up there soon.

We’ve included the system requirements, which look quite modest, after the break.

Minimum configuration
OS: Windows® XP SP3 / Windows Vista® SP2 / Windows® 7 SP1
Processor: Intel Pentium IV 3.00 Ghz or AMD Athlon64 3000+ @ 1.8 Ghz
Memory: 1 GB Windows XP / 1.5 GB Windows Vista – Windows 7
Graphics: 128 MB DirectX®9 / Radeon X600XT or GeForce 6800GT
DirectX®: DirectX 9.0c or higher
Sound: DirectX 9.0-compliant sound card

Recommended configuration
OS: Windows® XP SP3 / Windows Vista® SP2 / Windows® 7 SP1
Processor: Intel Core2Duo E4400 @ 2.00 Ghz or AMD Athlon64X2 3800+ @ 2.00Ghz
Memory: 2 GB Windows XP / Vista / Windows 7
Graphics: 256 MB DirectX®9 / Radeon HD 2600XT or GeForce 8600GT
DirectX®: DirectX 9.0c or higher
Sound: DirectX 9.0-compliant sound card

This comes amid the company’s “jam-packed” schedule, as both Diablo 3 and StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm are slated for a release later this year. Perhaps Blizzard doesn’t want to take the chance of delaying their arrival any further. That said, it isn’t the first time BlizzCon has taken a break, as there wasn’t a show  in 2006 either.

Still, the absence of BlizzCon comes off as a bit surprising, considering it’s like a mini-E3 for Bliz fans these days. The attendance numbers certainly prove it — around 26,000 people attended last year’s show.

According to a Gamasutra report, users can also look forward to offerings from Robot Entertainment, CD Projekt Red, Freebird Games, Recoil Games, Autumn Games, 1C Company, inXile entertainment, Paradox Interactive, Core Learning Ltd. and N3V Games in the near future.

There’s no word on what titles we’ll see specifically from the aforementioned publishers, but you can bet that majority of them will be bringing the bulk of their Steam catalog over.

“Hey Twitter, I’m no longer working at Blizzard or on D3. I’ve had a great 5 years there and those guys are going to kill it with Diablo,” said Parker. There’s no word on where he is headed.

What does it mean for the project? Probably not much, we certainly wouldn’t be concerned. High-level departures midway into development can be a blow, but Blizzard is way past that point as it would seem most resources have been diverted to simply polishing up the game and taking in feedback from the beta.

Hit the break for more details.

OS: Windows Vista or Windows 7 (see below for Windows XP)
PROCESSOR: A dual core processor is required:
AMD: Athlon X2 2.8GHz
Intel: Core 2 Duo 2GHz
MEMORY: 2 GB
HARD DRIVE: 8 GB
VIDEO CARD: DirectX 10 compatible or later with 512MB RAM
AMD: ATI Radeon 3650, 4450, 5550, 6450 or higher (per series)
NVIDIA: GeForce 8600GT, 9500GT, GT120, GT430, GT520 (per series)
SOUND CARD: DirectX 9.0c compatible
INPUT: Mouse and keyboard, Xbox360 controller also supported

Both The Signal and The Writer DLCs will be included in the PC release.

Capcom’s officially announced that Resident Evil 6 is in development for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. It’s scheduled for November 20 on consoles, with a Windows PC release “coming later.”

Plot-wise, the title takes place  ten years after the Raccoon City incident in RE2. The government decides to go public with details of the incident in order to curb a recent resurgence in bioterrorist activity. Not long after, all hell breaks loose. An attack leaves the President transformed “beyond recognition,” leaving Leon S. Kennedy – who is standing beside his leader – a difficult choice.

The cast is joined by fan-favorite Chris Redfield, who teams up alongside Leon to face an “unprecedented” threat. Capcom says Resident Evil 6 will mark a revolutionary step forward in the franchise, eclipsing all previous titles in scope and scale.

“Resident Evil 6 represents a giant stride forward in the evolution of the series,” said R&D head Katsuhiko Ichii.

“The development team, led by Hiroyuki Kobayashi, is working tirelessly to deliver the most impressive Resident Evil title ever both in terms of scope and production values. We are all genuinely excited by the title and cannot wait to share it with the world.”

Trailer is above.

Thankfully, the company has reaffirmed via  a Twitter tweet that the mod tools are still due out this month. The toolset will launch with support for Steam Workshop, meaning mod creators will be able to deploy their work via Steam, though those who prefer can still opt to use third-party services.

Additionally, the PC version has slipped even further. Originally a simultaneous release, it’s now slated to launch two weeks after the console equivalents, on May 29 in North America. Internationally it’ll launch June 1.

No concrete reasoning behind the delay was given, but a two month delay clearly signals that it needed more development time.

The listing calls for a gameplay/AI programmer well versed in C++, backed by prior experience on shipped titles. Notably, the project will be powered by the “next iteration of Remedy’s in-house engine that was previously used in Alan Wake and Alan Wake’s American Nightmare.”

No further details were divulged. Alan Wake 2 seems like a obvious guess, though there’s always the chance it could be something new entirely. Currently, the studio is busy churning out a PC version of the original Wake alongside a standalone XBLA scenario known as Alan Wake’s American Nightmare.

Those hoping to play Mass Effect 3 on Steam will be sadly disappointed to hear that Electronic Arts will be requiring the use of Origin for PC players to play Mass Effect 3 at launch. The game will require both physical and digital versions of Mass Effect 3 to have a constant connection to Origin in the form of a one time single authorization for the single player game.

The constant connection to Origin will be required for those playing the multiplayer portion of the game. Here is the reason EA has given as to why it is preventing its games from releasing on Steam.

During initial release Mass Effect 3 will be available on Origin and a number of other 3rd party digital retailers, but not on Steam at this time. Steam has adopted a set of restrictive terms of service which limit how developers interact with customers to deliver patches and other downloadable content. We are intent on providing Mass Effect to players with the best possible experience no matter where they purchase or play their game, and are happy to partner with any download service that does not restrict our abilityto connect directly with our consumers.

Mass Effect 3 will be releasing on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on March 6.

(GameTrailers)

“The Stalker team is extremely happy! Why? Because we are continuing work on Stalker 2 after the holidays,” reads the post.

While there’s still a snag, things sound more hopeful than before. GSC spokesperson Oleg Yavorsky tells Edge that the company is in the process of trying to secure funding for the project.

“We are still in the process of seeking funding to back up the project. We are hopeful things turn out well eventually. The team really wants to see STALKER continue,” said Yavorsky.

Ubisoft’s newest entry in the Ghost Recon franchise has seen its ups and downs like a seesaw. It’s newest title is Ghost Recon Future Soldier and was originally supposed to release last fall and have a beta just before release. Unfortunately it was delayed and supposedly going to be ready for release in March of this year. Now, we have some good news and bad news.

The good news is that Ubisoft has confirmed a PC version of the game will be released alongside the console versions. The bad news is that the game has been delayed once again (third time’s a charm!) and is set for release on May 22, 2012 in the US and May 25, 2012 in Europe. The other good news is that the beta has finally been dated for April for consoles (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) and a PC beta will follow shortly thereafter.

Via Press Release

Yup. Josh Mosqueira is lead designer for the Diablo console project.

While no further details were provided, it’s still nice to receive an official confirmation on this. Although Blizzard’s roots are firmly established in the PC, they have ventured over to consoles in the past. The original Diablo was released on PSOne and in a bizarre move, StarCraft even made it over to the N64. Certainly, Diablo is the most console friendly of its franchises so we’re not surprised to hear it is making the jump once again.

The asking price for this RTS oldie is $19.99 until January 9, representing a 50% discount. Otherwise, it’s $40. Fairly steep even when you factor in the deal, considering how long ago this was released.

Still, it’s nice to see Microsoft jumping on the Steam bandwagon. This, combined with the arrival of Fable 3, certainly bodes well for Steam availability of Alan Wake PC, which is due out in the coming months.

Impressive, to say the least. It’s unclear how this stacks up to PSN or Xbox Live, as neither Microsoft or Sony have shared recent usage data. Still, considering Steam was just shy of the 4 million mark not long ago — about 4 months, this represents a 25 percent growth since then. Well deserved, we’d say. Valve knows how to keep its customers happy.

Bethesda’s open-world RPG Skyrim stands as the most played game over the past couple weeks, a title it has held since launch.

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The switch looks to be seamless. “We’ll take care of everything for you – transferring your account and purchase history to GameFly so you can pick up right where you left off (you’ll just need to reset your password for security). If you already have a GameFly account, we’ll combine the two,” reads the email.

Beyond that, it’s mentioned that non-game files such as Prima Guides will not be available on GameFly’s service, so existing D2D customers are urged to download those as soon as possible.

The new service aims to compete with Steam, offering full digital downloads combined with an ‘Unlimited PC Play’ feature that gives members unrestricted access to hundreds of titles for $15.95 a month. As it stands, the selection isn’t anything to write home about — but it is expected to grow in the near future.

Today, Metro 2033, Singularity, Portal 2, Bunch of Heroes, Just Cause 2, Fable III, and Max Payne are among the wallet-tempting daily deals.

Additionally, Valve has put together a Great Gift Pile, giving users the opportunity to win coupons and other gifts on Steam simply by playing games and completing listed achievements/objectives. A total of six will be offered each day, with more details offered here. Time to dig into that backcatalog!

The extent of the breach seems minimal. So far, Square Enix has not found any evidence to suggest that personal information was compromised. User logins and credit card details remain safe, as they were not stored on the affected server.

“We take data security extremely seriously and we regret any inconvenience this may have caused our customers and fans. We appreciate your patience and support at this time as we finalize our investigation over the next few days,” reads the email.

The company made it a point to highlight the success of the PC version. In North America, the PC release of Skyrim outsold all other PC games by a factor of over three to one. An impressive statistic, no doubt.

What’s more, is that Valve says Skyrim is the fastest selling title in Steam’s history. Well deserved, we’d say. Unfortunately, digital sales figures were not divulged – and the provided revenue figure does not include Steam transactions.

It’s a bit of a slow news day today, so here’s a look at a crazy jet crash in Battlefield 3 on the new map pack, Back to Karkand. The new update is now available for download on consoles and PC and is free for those who bought new copies of the game and 15 bucks for everyone else.

This comes mere days after the announcement of Alan Wake: American Nightmare, which is an XBLA exclusive affair for now. Remedy says the PC version of Wake will be situated in the same release window, so expect it around first quarter of 2012.

“Coming in early 2012, the game will give PC gamers the Alan Wake experience they have been patiently waiting for. Remedy is a developer with deep roots in the PC space (Death Rally and Max Payne 1 and 2), so the game will have the high resolution polish that longtime fans will expect,” reads the announcement.

There’s no word on pricing. The title did show up in Steam registry files a few days ago, so it would appear it’s coming to Valve’s digital distribution service.