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Gordon Freeman Half-LifeBlack Box, the PC-only package which included Episode 2, Team Fortress 2 and Portal has been canned by Valve. The reasoning behind this was not revealed, but it’s likely a move to help promote Steam.

“The Black Box has been cancelled,” said Doug Lombardi, Valve’s director of marketing. “We’re going to have one package, The Orange Box, available on the PC (US$49.99) as well as the 360 and PS3 (US$ 59.99). In addition to the three new products—Portal, Team Fortress 2, and Half-Life: Episode Two—The Orange Box will also contain the full version of Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One. Those who purchase the PC version of The Orange Box will get three separate Steam product codes: One for the three new games, one for HL2, and one for Episode One. This way a PC Orange Box owner can give away their Half-Life 2 or Episode One unused Steam product codes if they don’t need a copy of those games. We are excited to deliver the highest value of new gaming content ever offered in one box.”

It sounds like a fair bargain to me – that’s a lot of content for $50 (or $60 if you’re on consoles). Those who wish to save money will be able to download all of the new content directly from Steam – a route which many gamers are likely to take, meaning Steam will see a nice boost in traffic. With more and more games looking to Steam as a viable means of distribution, this increase in download numbers will likely help to coax some naysayers into jumping on the bandwagon.

Read More | IGN UK

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Dave KarrakerWhile Dave Karraker may have a difficult job in trying to spin the moronic statements made by seemingly every Sony exec related to the PlayStation, sometimes he just makes things worse. You know, when he goes out on his own and says things like this:

That’s kind of a tough question to answer. I am pretty sure if you asked just about any real gamer out there if they would like to have a PS3, their answer would be a resounding “Yes!” I think a lot of this goes back to the proliferation of the Internet, where a very vocal minority can make a lot of noise and potentially alter perceptions of the masses, whether they are accurate or not. A lot of this, naturally, is driven by the media who seem focused on taking swipes at us lately, without taking in the full picture.

Vocal minority? Maybe so, but apparently Mr. Karraker hasn’t taken a look at the NPD numbers for last month – the ones where the sold an absolutely abysmal 82,000 units. (By comparison, the Xbox 360 sold 174,000 units and the Wii 360,000.) When is Sony going to collectively stop bragging? The reason the media takes so many swipes at Sony is because they seem too caught up in trying to convince everyone that the PS3 is the greatest thing around… without actually backing it up with anything of substance. My advice: shut up and let your games do the talking.

Read More | GamePro

GTA IVLike seemingly every other game on the market, ’s IV will be releasing a special edition of the game, which will retail for $89.99. That’s a whole $30 more than the standard game, so there must be something in there to really make it worthwhile, right?

Well, that all depends on your ability to care about what is, for the most part, some worthless junk. Those three extra Hamiltons will land you a metal case, some special packaging, a soundtrack CD with exclusive tracks, a keychain, a customized Rockstar Games duffle bag, a behind-the-scenes art book and, of course, a copy of GTA IV. No special in-game treatment for you special edition owners out there.

$90 is a whole lot to ask for what boils down to a CD, art book, and metal case. With ’s Legendary Edition priced at $129.99, just how high can the price go on these special/collector’s editions? And when you factor in the already-promised downloadable content for the game, diehard GTA fans will be forking over quite the load of cash this October.

Read More | 1UP

Latest Gear Live Videos

Like Christmas or New Year’s Day, each year we’re presented with a new installment of . Being the only NFL-branded game on the market, it’s undoubtedly going to rock the sales charts later this year. But, it’ll be facing some stiffer competition now that 2K Games is back (the team behind the, in my opinion, superior NFL 2K franchise) with All-Pro Football 2K8. Regardless, Madden is a force to be reckoned with, and just recently we got to see the first footage of the game.

Looks pretty sweet, but hopefully those one-handed receptions won’t be commonplace. It looks like is feeling the competition creep up on it and will be looking to really deliver a true next-gen pigskin game later this year.


GamerAndy LiveWe are back with another episode of GamerAndy Live! This week GamerAndy, GamerEdie, and Gear Live‘s Andru Edwards are behind the mic, bringing you a fresh dose of this week’s gaming news. Be sure to hit us up on the forums and let us know what you think.

SHOW NOTES FOR EPISODE 79:

  • A recent ruling by the Copyright Royalty Board threatens Internet radio and independent musicians by increasing costs to webcasters by 1,200 percent retroactively…and even for non-RIAA music. Please send a letter to your representatives to help reevaluate this Draconian and dangerous decision!
  • Sony throws party to celebrate God of War II. Great. The centerpiece of this event? A partially decapitated goat—and guests are invited to reach into the still-warm body, grab handfuls of offal and eat it. Good lord, what were they thinking?!? (Warning: Photo slightly NSFW in the United States for slight nippleage.)
  • Edie discusses the relative difference of “titties,” “boobies,” “boobs,” and “tits.” Andy defines “gazongas.”
  • The Xbox 360 Elite: Does Andru care? Does Edie?
  • Hironobu Sakaguchi (Red Racer, Final Fantasy) + Ken Kutaragi = BFF? Apparently not.
  • Speaking of Krazy Ken: He’s gone. Sony doesn’t want him, and neither does Nintendo, apparently. Sayonara, Sony! Konnichiwa, Mickey-Dees!
  • Andy goes into more detail about his recent PS3 purchase… and it’s not pretty. Andru and Edie also discuss the possibilities for Playstation Home, both pros and cons.
  • Edie still hearts her PS2, and Bully.
  • Andy rails about Kotaku’s recent habit of using countless internal search links in their stories—frustrating as hell, he says.

SPIDERPS3 360 Box artOkay, I can’t speak for the game yet - who knows, swinging around cityscapes for a third time may be just as fun as the first outing. But my God, Sony has painted themselves into a corner with this whole PS3/Spiderman font crossover thing. I mean, just look at that Spider Man 3 360 box. There’s the big sideways, PS3 -font logo on the lefthand side, which would make me think “Oh, this must be a PS3 game!”, but then there’s that huge honkin’ Xbox 360 logo at the top! Gah! And to top it off, there’s a big “3” smack-dab, front and center. Does this mean Playstation 3? It’s like, it’s a PS3 game... but it’s NOT a PS3 game. Whoa. It certainly looks like it has something to do with the Playstation, what with that PS3 font and all. Oh wait, that’s the Spiderman font as well.

Of course, we all know what this means. It’s all part of a secret, UNDERCOVER PLAN by Sony and Microsoft to make people amenable to their UPCOMING MERGER! That’s right, you heard it here first! RUMOR: Sony and Microsoft will merge, soon after the release of Spiderman 3. Or is it SPIDERMAN 3? Anyway, it all makes perfect sense!!!!! It’s the only way to counter the threat of Nintendo taking over the world with their magic wands!!! Can’t you see, CAN’T YOU SEE!!?!!!?! (brain asplodes)

Read More | Gamestop.com

Devil May Cry 4

Capcom today released a horde of screen shots for their upcoming, newly multiplatform title, Devil May Cry 4. For fans of the series, there’s a ton to be gleaned from the over fifty new screens released, including shots of playable characters Nero and Dante and their custom attacks. Also featured are two boss stages featuring the demons Frost and Belial in ice and a bunch of environmental shots from the ice and fort city stages along with some concept art. The screen shots seem a little uneven, though, probably representative of the early stage of development; the fort city renders look good, and hopefully the action will live up to past installments.

Read More | Game Watch

Gamer Andy LiveHi there folks, Andy here of GamerAndy Live! As the new kid on the block here at PlayFeed and Gear Live, I’m happy to be bring you episode 78 of our little exodus into the gaming stratosphere.  Along the way you’ll be bumrushed by by the astral maurader known as “Edie” and the cosmic butt-pirate called George.  Our topics are many and varied.  Our methods are uncoventional.  Our show is Uncensored. Very uncensored.

If you’re new to the show, then don’t let talk of the Bloodthirsty Macarena(tm) throw you off - Listen in for a few shows and you’ll be able to proudly claim “I am the master of Chapple Banditry!” along with our Hardcores currently residing in the forums

With that said, I’m warning you right now Big spoiler in this episode - NAZIS LOSE!

SHOW NOTES FOR EPISODE 78:

In the GamerAndy Live! Mailbag:

  • What the hell is Tom Clancy’s End Wars?
  • Any news on Fable 2?
  • Mass Effect delayed?
  • What do you think about the Silent Hill 5 interview?
  • Is the market ready for the next big MMORPG? Yes. Is it Lord of the Rings Online? No.
  • Sony Online Entertainment nukes accounts of lazy Star Wars Galaxies players
  • Kane and Lynch, Crossfire not XBox 360 exclusives anymore
  • 80GB PS3 Rumor

Everybody loves Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles...


Assassins Kickin' it Old Skool

Looks like Assassin’s Creed may be taking a chunk of time out of your beginnig-of-quarter studying schedule, for all you gamer-students out there. If Amazon.com‘s listing is correct, the game will be launching on September 25th this year. Currently, you can pre-order the Ubisoft game for either Xbox 360 or the Playstation 3, from Amazon’s website, for $59.99. Interestingly, there’s also an Assassin’s Creed DS listing over at Amazon, but we’re not going to give that too much credibility.

Personally, I can’t wait to see if there’s any difference between the 360 and PS3 versions of the title. Given that the game was one of the most visually impressive demonstrations of the PS3 hardware, it’ll be interesting to see how the worst-kept non-exclusivity secret in gaming plays on supposedly inferior hardware.

Read More | Amazon.com

Call me strange, but I like videogames because they help me to escape reality, not re-tell the most terrible parts of it. Hence, I’ve never really been one to heed the “Call” of WWII shooters and Desert-Storm style combat ops… still, the trailer for this game is looking quite technically impressive, and I do love me a good FPS from time to time. Plus, I’m glad to see Activision won’t be retelling WWII a fourth time!

Call of Duty 4 will be the first game in the series to deal with modern warfare, and it looks to focus mainly on Middle East conflicts (and there are lots to choose from!) In addition to the trailer above, the website is also open now at CharlieOscarDelta.com. Enjoy, you baby-killing war-fueled violence-freaks you! 😉

No details on platform or release date are available yet, but we’ll keep you updated as the news rolls in!

Read More | COD4 Website

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