A new "complimentary addition for current EQII subscribers with characters level 80-90" will hit Sony Online Entertainment's flagship PC MMO the same day that the new 'Sentinel's Fate' expansion hits.

The free add-on, called Battlegrounds, enables up to forty-eight questers to engage in player-versus-player combat matches that can be joined from any server. When the free update launches on February 16, players can duke it out in three new zones in an attempt to unlock a new Chaos armor set.

A retail boxed version of 'Sentinel's Fate,' EverQuest II's newest paid expansion, will also be available on February 16 at retail, followed by a downloadable release on February 23. Key features of the expansion include "400 new quests, 12 epic dungeon additions and over 2,000 new weapons, pieces of armor and items." The price of admission will be $39.99 for the standard version, or $69.99 for the collector's edition.

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Here are the feature lists for each of the three Battlegrounds included in the complimentary add-on:

Battlefield of Ganak
Game Type: Capture the Flag
Players: 6 Person Group
Environment: Outdoor arena with two large oppositional bases with intersecting interiors.
Objective: Capture the enemy's flag located within their base and return it to your base with your flag still in place.
Win Condition: First team to successfully capture and return three flags wins.

Smuggler's Den Game Type: Hold Territory
Players: 24 Person Group
Environment: Five spires on top of two pinnacles jutting out of a raging ocean.
Objective: Gain control and hold towers longer than the opposition to earn Tower Tickets.
Win Condition: First team to reach the displayed Tower Ticket goal wins.

Gears of Klak'Anon Game Type: Hold the Relic
Players: 6 Person Group
Environment: Industrious clockwork foundry containing scientific equipment in motion
Objective: Acquire and hold the relic to accrue points faster than the opposition.
Win Condition: First team to reach the set score wins.

Elaborating on this morning's announcement of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, publisher Ubisoft has confirmed that the military shooter is coming to more than PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

"Ghost Recon, it will be multi-platform. It will be on all the platforms: PC, PS3, 360, Wii and PSP and [Nintendo] DS," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot responded today after an investor asked him to clarify the title's platforms.

But while Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfare developer Ubisoft Paris has been tasked with the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions, the Wii version will be handled by a different team and sport "a different approach...created for that Wii population."

The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Future Soldier are due in holiday 2010, with Ubisoft noting that the game and the rest of its announced titles are due before Christmas 2010. However, it's unclear if that window applies to Future Soldier PC--when asked earlier today, the company noted it "will tell more about the PC version later."

As Ubisoft continues to slowly unveil new details on the multiplayer-enabled Assassin's Creed II follow-up due this year, the company offered a few new tidbits today.

"There has been a lot of excitement around the next installment of [the] Assassin's Creed franchise," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guilletmot told investors. "What we can say today is that it marks the return of the now legendary Ezio, but this time he will strike directly at the heart of the Templars order in Rome. In addition to this full new adventure, players will also be able to challenge their friends in a very innovative assassination multiplayer."

It was also stated that all of the company's currently announced games should be released before Christmas 2010, suggesting a holiday release at the latest.

As for Assassin's Creed II, Ubisoft noted that the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 sequel shipped "close to eight million units" between its release in November 2009 and the end of December 2009. A "Director's Cut" of AC2 is due to hit PC in March 2010.

If the opportunity to snag Frozenbyter's excellent platform-puzzler on the cheap has previously passed you by, good news! Trine PC is once again just $5 on Steam--that's 75% off--meaning that you have another few days to rectify the situation.

Representing the outlet's latest "Midweek Madness" sale, the discount is valid through Thursday, February 11. A separate sale, one that sees the price of various Total War games knocked down by some 66%, will be running through the end of the week.

And should you be the sort that wishes to play before they pay, a downloadable demo of Trine and its curious wizard can be found on FileShack and Steam. The game's also available on PlayStation 3 as a PlayStation Store download, though it runs $20.

With Ubisoft planning to release a number of sequels and follow-ups across the next year, such as Splinter Cell: Conviction and Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, the publisher has now outlined a new strategy to produce more frequent entries in its top brands.

As Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot explained today in a conference call with investors:

Our clear goal today is to come more regularly with top brands. For example, it took three to four years to come back with Splinter Cell, Driver, Prince of Persia or Ghost Recon. We believe we can launch them more often without risk or brand fatigue.

This commitment to our franchises doesn't mean that we will not continue to launch new intellectual properties, as certain projects have been under development for some time and...will be launched in financial year 11 [April 2010 - March 2011] and financial year 12 [April 2011 - March 2012].

In all, the company plans to release at least seven "franchise titles" by the end of March 2011--already announced are Splinter Cell: Conviction... Read more

Another bit of downloadable content for Forza Motorsport 3 arrived today--this one adding two layouts of the Nurburgring Grand Prix Circuit--alongside word that Turn 10's Xbox 360 exclusive racer has now sold over two million copies since it hit retailers in October 2009.

Priced at 400 Microsoft Points ($5), the 134MB "Nurburgring Grand Prix Circuit Track Pack" is now available through the Xbox Live Marketplace, with an assortment of media showing off the virtual recreation.

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What time is it on the Island of Perfection? Why, I think you know the answer.

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Okay, so that video didn't offer any actual gameplay from the sadistic action-puzzler but it certainly gives you a feel for the project's tone. Plus, well. Peanut Butter. Jelly.

The latest from WET vets A2M, Naughty Bear hits PlayStation and Xbox 360 in Q2 2010.

SEGA's video game adaptation of Iron Man 2 will hit North America on May 4, mere days before the theatrical feature film's May 7 release, the publisher confirmed today.

Though "based on the cinematic universe" of the film, SEGA San Francisco's heroic shooter features an original story crafted by Iron Man and Casanova comic scribe Matt Fraction, complete with villains that aren't in the movie, like Crimson Dynamo.

Also exclusive to the game is an all-new song from "metal superstars" Lamb of God, with SEGA noting that "the music of Lamb of God definitely evokes the intensity of Iron Man action and we are very excited to have them working with us for the game."

Iron Man 2: The Video Game is coming to PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS and PSP--though the Nintendo DS edition of the action game will apparently lack the Lamb of God tune--with developer SEGA San Francisco (formerly Secret Level) said to have "paid close attention" to the various criticisms of its previous Iron Man movie game.

For a glimpse of the game, scope out the two trailers that have hit thus far... Read more

The second batch of downloadable content for BioWare's sci-fi shooter RPG Mass Effect 2 will hit PC and Xbox 360 today, bringing the promised Cerberus Assault Armor and M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun to those with access to the online Cerberus Network.

Access to The Cerberus Network and its variety of downloadable goodies comes free with new copies of Mass Effect 2 in an effort to fight piracy and used sales--those that play a second-hand or rented copy of the game must pony up $15 for access.

But while more downloadable content, including a hover tank, is on the way, not all of the downloadable add-ons for Mass Effect 2 will be free through... Read more

Blizzard has revealed the female form of Diablo 3's monk class and her fists of fury with concept art and a character render over on the PC action RPG's official website.

Unlike its predecessors which pegged classes to one sex or the other, Diablo 3 will offer male and female forms of all character classes. Except the archivist, probably.

This reveal and the recent batch of new screenshots are a little cruel, considering all we know about Diablo 3's eventual release is that it won't be any time this year. Blizzard might know it announces its games too early but that certainly won't stop its teasing.

Both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 motion-tracking add-ons coming in late 2010 will launch alongside support from publisher Electronic Arts, the company has affirmed.

"With respect to the motion control games on [Project] Natal / Xbox and the Sony Motion Controller, we will be supporting both of those platforms at launch," explained EA COO John Schappert in a conference call. "We don't have any titles to announce right now on those, but we will be supporting those and we are hopeful on those."

While Schappert was vague on the specific titles, the company noted that its motion-centric exercise franchise EA SPORTS Active--an obvious pick for Project Natal and PlayStation Motion support--will be expanding beyond the Wii... Read more

Gleemaker PopCap has pinned the mid-February release iPhone and iPod Touch release of its lawn defense game Plants vs. Zombies to February 15, via Twitter.

Pricing has yet to be announced, though PopCap's other iPhone offerings are currently priced at between $2.99 and $4.99. Peggle cost $4.99 at launch before dropping.

Never forget that uraniwa ni zombies ga and we most certainly do not want zombies on the lawn. Do enjoy the roof level music in this new iPhone trailer.

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Developer NetDevil has opened beta registration for LEGO Universe (PC), providing the opportunity to help test the block-buster MMO before it launches sometime this year.

While some signups are a rather detailed affair, this one is relatively simple--after signing in with a LEGO ID, one simply states if they have no, some, or much experience testing online games. Of course, not everyone will be chosen to participate; " You have now joined our bravest heroes so be ready to answer the call, you might get chosen to battle," declares the site after you've signed up.

No word as to when the beta will kick off, though with the game due later this year, expect it sooner than later. Thanks for the heads up, GoldfishInAJarOfPickles.

The new entry in Ubisoft's tactical shooter Ghost Recon known previously only as 'Ghost Recon 4' will be named Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier and be released during the 2010 holiday season, the publisher announced today.

Few details were given, other than it's coming from Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter developer Ubisoft Paris and a press release boasts of "cutting-edge technology, prototype high-tech weaponry, and state-of-the-art single-player and multiplayer modes."

Invitations to a multiplayer beta running this summer will "for a limited time" be bestowed upon players buying Splinter Cell Conviction on Xbox 360, whose release date has been set in stone for on April 13 in North America then April 16 in Europe.

The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions will be released simultaneously in the 2010 holiday season, according to Ubisoft senior community developer Kimi Matsuzaki on Twitter, while she also says "We will tell more about the PC version later."

'Ghost Recon 4' was initially scheduled for release before the end of March 2010 before being pushed back to between April 2010 and the end of of March 2011. Apparently development has picked up pace since Future Warrior was last heard from.

The PC edition of Dead Space 2 was conspiciously abscent from EA's fiscal year 2011 release lineup revealed yesterday--because apparently there is no longer a PC edition.

"As of right now a PC sku is not in the plan," an EA representative told Blue's News. No reason was given for scrapping the PC edition, which the video games colossus announced alongside Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions a mere three months ago.

Though Dead Space sold over one million copies in a period of under two months, PC sales evidently accounted for too small a percentage of those sales by EA's standards.

Meanwhile, an EA survey received by Kotaku suggests that the on-rails shooter Dead Space: Extraction--which sold poorly when it was release on Wii in September--might receive an Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network release potentially for $15.

The survey also revealed we may see a "resource strategy game" named 'Planet Cracker,' which tasks players with maximizing profit and defending ore from "Space Pirates" and could provide in-game rewards in Dead Space 2.

Coming from series creator Visceral Games, Dead Space 2 is slated to hit Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and unspecified handheld(s) between January 1 and March 31, 2011.

2K's subaqueous sequel BioShock 2 launched worldwide today and many of you might already have a copy in your hands. Steam copies are now unlocked, midnight openings were held in thousands of stores, and my own Special Edition arrived in the post today.

I only had time to install and see the first few minutes so I can't say much about the game yet but I can tell you that this seems a splendid Special Edition. What I like most is that the art book's a proper chunky hardcover affair with great glossy artwork and interesting factoids--a most welcome change from the flimsy magazine-quality art 'books' often found in SEs, CEs and the like. The other gubbins are lovely too.

Did you opt for console or PC? How do you feel about returning to Rapture? Are you one of the skeptics yet unconvinced and, if so, why? To hide spoiler-y material, encase the questionable content in question within o[spoiler tags]o, as demonstrated right there.

Here's all previous BioShock 2 coverage for reference. A half-dozen new short gameplay trailers also arrived this morning and can be found over on FileShack.

How can one sum up Tuesday February 9, 2010, in a single, short Morning Discussion? Probably with a link to a video of possibly the world's first natural sighting of an oarfish. The ocean is mysterious, wonderful and amazing and one day will destroy us all. If we're lucky, the ocean's life will be responsible for our downfall. We can but dream.

On a related note, today we have a dedicated BioShock 2 Chat Thread for all you Rapturian rotters to share their gossip and watery whispers. Chat-a-chat.

In a conference call Q&A after their earnings report, Electronic Arts executives waxed about recent successes and strategies with downloadable content.

EA CEO John Riccitiello shared the motivation behind their inclusion of paid DLC in all their titles this year. "We sort of initiated our approach here originally with NBA Live with Dynamic DNA almost a year-and-a-half ago. In every case, what we've seen is a very positive response from the consumer and in each case, particularly with Dragon Age, a strong pickup in revenue per user. By and large, they like the extra content and we think it's a strong positive move...we've got similar strong PDLC programs with all of our titles this year."

COO John Schappert embellished on the success of Dragon Age DLC. "We had downloadable content in addition to the pack-in content, if you will, available for purchase on day one. The first week, we did over a million dollars in sales on that title... Read more

Watching the credits to Mass Effect 2 all I could think about was the continuing struggle it seems to be for video games to nail an ending. It's one of the clearer examples of the hurdles designers face in uniting the narrative of a game with the playing of it. While an uneasy balance can often be struck during most of the game, climactic moments expose that fractured relationship between the two.

After the ongoing internal push-pull between the action and the narrative for dominance throughout the game, this particularly held true in Mass Effect 2. I appreciate the dilemma facing the team at the end. With so much invested in improving the combat for the sequel there had to be this tremendous sense of need for a big payoff. From there it must have been a very short road to the cliched ending sequence that resulted.

Giving in to that -- taking the easy way in a sense by falling back on formulaic design -- took the wind out of my sails at the worst possible point in the game. As the culmination of my investment in the game and its world this bizarre and hokey encounter felt out of place and left me unsatisfied. It didn't help matters that the execution of it came off as completely cheesy as well, but I chalk that up to being symptomatic of that sort of design.

In the end (hah!), Mass Effect 2 succeeds in spite of its ending. That speaks to the quality of its journey. With the tech now completely conquered maybe the final installment can bring things to a more satisfying conclusion.

In the meantime, Shacknews soldiers on with stories like these to help you pass the time:

• Check out some pre-alpha Natural Selection 2 love
• More Lego Star Wars coming
• Rise of the Triad on the way to iPhone
• NeoGAF volunteers making 'Dedubro' for realz
• Molyneux promises upsetting Fable 3 announcement
• EA sets release windows for a number of games
• Final Fantasy 13 will save Japanese game development

Prove your pastry prowess and create Dunkin's next donut

It's not gouging, Apple's just staying nimble with iPad pricing

Here's a disgusting but potentially effective anti-theft lunch bag

A slew of Ferraris are coming to Need for Speed SHIFT this month -- but for the next eight days exclusively to Xbox LIVE -- via a 'Ferrari Racing Series' downloadable content pack from publisher Electronic Arts. The new DLC packs in ten different Ferraris and eight new racing events containing forty-six challenges designed specifically for the new cars.

The new cars can be used in online races and the pack includes one hundred twenty-five new gamerpoints worth of achievements to be unlocked.

Here's a complete list of what's included:

Ten New Cars
• 1996 Ferrari F50 GT
• 2005 Ferrari F430 Spider
• 2005 Ferrari FXX
• 2005 Ferrari Superamerica... Read more