Fans didn't take too kindly to that announcement, pointing out that the price difference between a 2GB memory stick and 4GB memory stick is negligible. "I have no idea why Capcom has any fans left," Shacker peepooppooppee commented. "They're probably the most hostile and least consumer-friendly company."

Undoubtedly, many others shared that sentiment. Likely succumbing to fan demand, the publisher has announced a new price point for the upcoming 3DS game: a standard $39.99.

"After weeks of effort, we've been able to lower the price to $39.99," Capcom announced on its blog. "We've spent weeks looking for a way to bring your cost down to standard 3DS pricing. Today we can finally confirm we were successful in this, and hope the reduced price encourages even more people to check out this strong entry in the Resident Evil canon."

We're not entirely sure what "effort" was placed into making the game more affordable to manufacture. While this sounds like a poorly contrived PR message, we can't complain about the end result: saving ten bucks.

With regard to cloud saving, the official PlayStation Blog reveals that Franchise, Season, and 'Road to The Show' save files can be uploaded to the cloud via a PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Vita where it will then be accessible by either platform. Only one save file for each game mode per PSN account will be available, but players can overwrite that file as many times as they please.

MLB 12: The Show allows cloud saving.

When it comes to MLB 12's Franchise mode, a number of other improvements will also be included. More realistic trades based on things like individual teams' strategic needs, and more detailed information will be presented via the trade interface. Player lineups will also reportedly be easier to adjust.

CPU player generation has been upgraded as well, resulting in things like "more authentic pitch repertoires," and fewer players with stats that are a bit too balanced. In other words, the CPU will generate players that have more defined strengths and weaknesses, much like in real life. Player cards have also been enhanced a bit, and will now be accessible from any game screen on which the player can be highlighted.

Rounding out the list of noted improvements are some upgrades to the Franchise menu, which include "adding in your next game information, displaying the current standings, and showing you the current league leaders for batting and pitching."

MLB 12: The Show comes out on March 6 for both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.

Weekend Confirmed Ep. 97: 01/27/2012

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If you're viewing this in the GameFly application, you can play Weekend Confirmed Episode 97 directly.

Weekend Confirmed comes in four segments to make it easy to listen to in segments or all at once. Here's the timing for this week's episode:

Show Breakdown:

Round 1 00:00:00 to 00:26:56

Whatcha Been Playing Part 1 00:27:31 to 00:57:24

Whatcha Been Playing Part 2 00:58:21 to 01:24:55

Listener Feedback/Front Page News 01:25:55 to 02:03:57

Original music in the show by Del Rio. Get his latest Album, The Wait is Over on iTunes. Check out more, including the Super Mega Worm mix and other mash-ups on his ReverbNation page or Facebook page, and follow him on twitter delriomusic.

Jeff Cannata can also be seen on The Totally Rad Show. They've gone daily so there's a new segment to watch every day of the week!

Follow the Weekend Confirmed hosts on Twitter, too! Garnett Lee @GarnettLee, Jeff Cannata @jeffcannata, and Xav de Matos @xav.

Remember to join the Official Facebook Weekend Confirmed Page and add us to your Facebook routine. We'll be keeping you up with the latest on the show there as well.

"This SKU is part of a promotional offer and will sell out immediately so we strongly recommend that you purchase your PS Vita early to make sure you get the extra value," Sony's John Koller wrote on the PlayStation.Blog.

The bonus only applies to the vanilla 3G system. The wi-fi only system and the "First Edition" bundle are not eligible for the offer. The PlayStation Vita will be available on February 22nd.

Max Payne delighted and surprised many gamers and critics alike when it was released back in 2001 for the PC with its blend of solid 3rd-person shooting and gritty noir-style presentation. The introduction of Bullet Time--which allowed players to slow time to a crawl while dodging and returning enemy fire--was brand new, and quite a huge deal at the time. Comic book-style cut-scenes and some appropriately melodramatic voice-over narration blended with the revenge-themed story to create an experience brimming with as much style as gunplay.

Many of us who loved Max Payne when it first came out played through it multiple times, despite its linear storyline and gameplay. Shacknews user friedram echoes this sentiment, stating, "I really loved this game. My girlfriend (now wife) bought it for me, I must have played through it 5+ times."

Max Payne's popularity also spawned some fan-made mods, the best of which was called "Kung Fu 3.0," which empowered Max with some crazy slow-motion martial artistry. Shacknews user Xulu decried our failure to mention the popular mod in our initial post, which you can see in-action, below.

Shacknews user erdstapa recollects the addictive nature of the gunplay, recollecting how he and some friends played the game into the wee hours of the morning. "Two friends came over with the game to check it out just after the release. We played it until 3 A.M., when two of us dozed off," he explains. "In the morning, we found my other friend still in front of the PC barely sitting up and desperately clutching the mouse in his hand and whispering 'Must... play... more...' That's how addictive it is!"

Check out the original Chatty thread for more stories and memories from Max Payne.

Max Payne on MobyGames.com

Max Payne was a police officer of the New York City police. On one terrible day, his wife and newborn daughter were killed by three junkies, who broke into his apartment after having ingested a new designer drug known as Valkyr. After the tragedy, Max quit the police force and joined the Drug Enforcement Administration. Three years later, during a raid on a mafia compound that was reportedly trafficking Valkyr, his best friend and fellow DEA agent Alex is killed, and he becomes the prime suspect in his murder. Now Max is all alone in the cold, snowy night of New York. The mob is out to get him. The police are out to get him. The only way out is with guns blazing, because he has nothing to lose.

Max Payne is a third person shooter stylistically influenced by film noir, "hardboiled" detective stories, and Hong-Kong action cinema. Max can perform rolls and leaps to try and dodge enemy fire. The weapons at his disposal range from baseball bats to Ingram sub-machine guns, grenades, Molotov cocktails, and others. A unique feature of the game is the usage of the so-called Bullet Time - a time-slowing ability that was popularized by the first Matrix movie.

Moby Games Classic is our chance to look back at the games that helped shape the video game industry with the help of our sister site MobyGames.com. It combines a short history lesson on the title and anecdotes from the Shacknews community.

As noted by Destructoid, the "Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Online Pass" unlocks the "House of Valor" faction quest, which includes "seven additional single-player quests."

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning's online pass revealed

Warner Bros. received some flak for locking Catwoman behind an online pass in last year's single-player Batman: Arkham City. Those without a new code would be able to buy her campaign for an additional $15. EA implemented "online pass" features in Mass Effect 2 as well, locking an extra character and additional missions behind a DLC pay wall.

It's likely (but not confirmed) that the "House of Valor" faction quest will also be available for purchase separately. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning comes out for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 on February 7.

Taking part in these (seemingly doomed) battles will contribute to your Galactic Readiness as part of the Galaxy at War system. Check out the trailer below.

Joystiq reports that the unaffected studios are THQ San Diego, Relic, Volition, Vigil, and THQ Montreal -- all studios that focus on core games.

This follows an announcement from earlier this week, in which THQ announced it will focus on core games on existing consoles, emerging platforms, and expand its digital properties. The announcement included the revelation that the company would exit its various licensed kids' properties, while continuing to sell some previously released licensed titles.

"As recently announced, the company is exiting the kids' licensed games category, and is focusing on its core game franchises and developing its digital initiatives," THQ said in a statement. "The company will provide greater financial detail regarding the costs and organizational benefit on its third quarter 2012 conference call scheduled for Thursday, February 2, 2012."

When the publisher began closing studios last year, its silver lining was healthy projections for Saints Row: The Third and the uDraw peripheral game. Saints Row managed to sell through 3.8 million copies, but the uDraw saw weak sales that led to layoffs. Given these results, it's not surprising that now THQ is leaning more on core games, and less on family-friendly titles.

New to the PC release is the ability to warp back to your last resting position, helpful for when you take a one-minute long fall off the top of the level. Plus, you can save your progress within each garden, so you can pick up where you left off rather than restarting from the beginning.

Q-Games founder Dylan Cuthbert hinted at future Steam releases in the PixelJunk series, citing Eden as merely the first one. He describes why he chose to make Eden the Steam series debut. "When I was thinking through the catalog of PixelJunk games, Eden was the one that stood out to me as perfect for the Steam audience," Cuthbert said. "The beautiful graphics and colors are striking on a PC monitor especially at higher resolutions than the standard 'HDTV' 1080p and the game is perfect for the more point/click style that comes with mouse control."

The game and its soundtrack will be available on February 2. Q-Games teased that early purchases will be available for 20% off.

Zynga touts social features that range from racing against your friends, to getting help from them by filling out spaces on the board for each friend. You can also play with up to six cards at once, and use power-ups to boost your progress. The game sports three settings, including Vegas Lights, Pirate's Paradise, and Farmville Bounty.

Bingo will be part of the Zynga Casino along with Zynga Poker. The company is reportedly interested in moving towards online gambling, which would mean real money on the line in exchange for real prizes. Zynga Casino would probably be at the forefront of that effort.

"If you hold an opinion that differs from the gamers, and you think that it will benefit them in the long run, that's okay," Kern said. "But the fact that you're not saying that to them, when you've enlisted their support in the past and are now completely unresponsive, I think that was disingenuous.

"And as the outrage grew - this is conjecture on my part - I think they found themselves between a rock and hard place. 'Oh my gosh, we really do have competing values here.' To me, it looked like they went into paralysis mode, and then afterwards when both bills were shelved, that was kind of damage control, to come out and say, 'Actually, we're withdrawing support.' They were trying to have their cake and eat it too," Kern told GamesIndustry.biz. He says he was "disappointed" that the withdrawal was "wishy-washy."

That withdrawal he's referring to came several hours after major backers of the bills, like Senator Harry Reid and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, publicly stated they were putting the bill on hold.

Kern suggests these pieces of legislation, and others in the future, are the product of old thinking. "What you're seeing is a reaction to try and preserve the old business model, and so you've got big companies lining up on one side and a lot of small studios lining up on the other," he said. "Small studios are tired of being reliant on publishers, for distribution, for finance, for everything else. It doesn't have to be that way any more."

As for the League for Gamers, Kern says that his lobbying group and gamers need to be mindful of future attempts to make similar legislation. He warns that ACTA is being pushed under the guise of "anti-counterfeiting," and that lawmakers might try to split the bills into component parts. "So it's going to be a lot more subtle next time, and we're going to have to be that much more attentive," he said. "It might involve looking at multiple pieces of legislation and figuring out if they're coalescing into something that would be detrimental to the internet and to gaming."

The revelation came on this week's episode of the PlayStation Blogcast (via Joystiq), but about all we know is that it's a multiplayer demo coming on January 31. More details are promised soon.

Twisted Metal is headed to PlayStation 3 on Valentine's Day, February 14. The first print run comes with a free code to download 2001's Twisted Metal Black, but, unfortunately, the game another code that's far less welcome--an 'online pass,' which creator David Jaffe is not happy about.

Look, here are some real people pretending to be video game characters, and, more importantly, ridiculous vehicles attempting to destroy each other:

While we will undoubtedly have to wait until E3 to see the system's launch library in action, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata says that it will be key to launch the system with key games. He points to the 3DS, which many pointed to as a disappointing follow-up to the DS line. Nintendo blamed the lack of key launch titles as a reason for the handheld's sluggish start. "The company is aiming to firmly complete the development of the entire system and prepare sufficient software so that the Wii U will be at its best at the time of the launch," Nintendo's Satoru Iwata promised. "Needless to say, we have learned a bitter lesson from the launch of the Nintendo 3DS."

3DS sales have surged over the recent months, thanks to a price cut and the launch of two Mario games.

As well as a Demolition Derby mode, Dirt Showdown will pack stuntastic freestyle driving in Hoonigan mode, and full-contact racing on obstacle-strewn tracks. If you're simply looking for a quiet drive in the countryside, you'll have to look elsewhere--doubtless there's a niche German simulator to fulfill your desires.

Dirt Showdown is slated for release on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in May. Check out the first batch of screenshots here.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, seen by many as Nintendo's own swansong for the Wii, has sold 3.42 million copies since launch. Super Mario 3D Land, Mario's first foray onto the 3DS, has sold 5.03 million copies since launch.

3DS had a number of other first-party million-sellers. In spite of launching in December, Mario Kart 7 has already amassed 4.54 million sales. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D has pushed 2.49 million copies.

On the DS, Kirby's Mass Attack managed to reach 1.01 million in sales. The rest of the heavy-hitters are from the back catalog, including Pokemon Black & White (14.4 million), New Super Mario Bros. (28.7 million), and Mario Kart DS (22.3 million).

Kirby also performed quite well on the Wii, with Kirby's Return to Dream Land selling 1.21 million copies. Back catalog titles are so performing well on the Wii, including Mario Kart Wii (31.9 million), New Super Mario Bros. Wii (25.4 million), and Super Mario Galaxy (10.4 million).

That's expected to change in the next fiscal year. "In the first half of the next fiscal term, we are now anticipating to get out of the situation that we sell the hardware below cost," Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said.

When the system launched, the materials cost of the 3DS was about $101, excluding the cost of R&D, marketing, retail, etc. It's likely to cost significantly less now. By Nintendo's estimate, the company will stop losing money by September of this year.

While investors will have to brace for a rough fiscal 2012, Nintendo predicts the next fiscal year should offer far better news. Sales of the 3DS have "drastically increased," and once Nintendo returns to being profitable on hardware again, the momentum will only help the company. According to their investor's report, the platform is selling at a faster pace than the original DS or the Wii in first-year sales. "This brought a pleasant surprise to the video game industry and changed the thoughts of third-party software developers for the better," Iwata gloated.

3DS sales surged past Wii, DS in its first year

The next fiscal year, which begins in April, already has a number of key titles: Paper Mario, Luigi's Mansion 2, Mario Tennis, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, and more. But of course, everyone's favorite Italian plumber will be making a return.

"We are planning to release a totally new side-scrolling action Super Mario in 2D as a key title for the Nintendo 3DS in the next fiscal year," Iwata promised. He offered no other details, but given the mention of 2D, it is likely to be similar to the New Super Mario Bros. series. A fiscal year release means it will be available for sale before March 2013.

As opposed to the end of last year, when Nintendo's heavy-hitting 3DS games seemed to come all at once, this year's line-up is expected to be a bit better planned. "We intend to release these various titles without any extreme interruptions." Plus, "in addition to what you can see here, a number of titles unannounced from third-party developers will be available."

By adding NFC support into the controller, Nintendo is hoping it will be able to create "cards and figurines" that can exchange data with the system, and even enable direct payments.

NFC is widely used in Japan for payments and metro access. In America, the technology can be found on American Express ExpressPay cards, MasterCard PayPass, and more. While NFC can be found in most modern Japanese phones, only a select American phones currently have the tech embedded. It's expected to become standard in future smartphones in the US. The Wii U will adhere to both FeliCa and MIFARE standards, making it compatible with most NFC devices. Here's a demonstration of NFC tech used in the Nexus S:

Activision's Skylanders game also takes advantage of NFC by embedding the tech into its collectible figurines. It's clear that Nintendo sees value in that lucrative toy/game hybrid market.

The Nintendo Network will cover both the 3DS and the Wii U. The service will be far more comprehensive than the online coverage Nintendo has previously offered, and will provide gamers with features made standard by Xbox Live and PlayStation Network.

Mario Kart 7 already offers "community" features akin to clans in other online-enabled games. That concept will be expanded in future online titles on Nintendo platforms. More significantly, the Nintendo Network will eventually offer a user ID system, beginning with the Wii U. Referred to as a "personal account," Nintendo hopes that by having identities (and not friend codes), multiple family members will be able to use the same system.

The Nintendo Network

The Nintendo Network may also offer digital distribution of retail games. Nintendo has no set launch date for this feature, but notes that the "concept was built into the design of the Nintendo 3DS," and will be built into the Wii U as well.

Finally, the Nintendo Network will also provide downloadable content and add-ons. Square Enix's Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy will be the first game to provide DLC on the 3DS; additional songs can be purchased after release.

Nintendo has reiterated that its own DLC strategy will somehow be different from that of its competitors. The company has promised not to nickle and dime consumers with microtransactions, a popular business model for many freemium games. "Please note that Nintendo, as a software maker, does not plan to deploy businesses where our consumers cannot know in advance which item will appear as the result of their payment and they have to repeat the payments and, before they know it, they end up spending a huge amount of money in order to obtain the items they originally wanted to purchase."

Pac-Man will be featured riding Mokujin, while the Mega Man selected is the "classic" (See also: Terrible) box art character from the original Mega Man game in the US.

"If you're like me, you may be wondering, 'w... why that version of Mega Man?' Well, in the spirit of crossover fun, the dev team wanted both Capcom and Namco's mascots to join the fray in a slightly silly, goofy way," Capcom's community manager Brett Elston wrote on his Capcom-Unity blog.

As for the classic Blue Bomber, Capcom says more is to come for him. "Make no mistake though, classic Blue Bomber Mega Man still has a future, and we have Top Men (not Top Man) on the case." December marks the 25th anniversary for the classic character.

[Update] Capcom has confirmed that all bonus characters--Sony cats Kuro and Toro, Pac-Man, Mega Man, and Cole McGrath from Infamous will be available on both the PS3 and Vita.

The European game ratings entity known as PEGI has recently rated both Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3 for both Sony and Microsoft's current generation of consoles.

Industry news site Siliconera also points out that Konami's Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection received similar treatment, with Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and Metal Gear Solid: PeaceWalker all receiving individual digital HD releases on the PlayStation Network in Japan. Those digital releases are also slated to hit on Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network in North America sometime in 2012.

The North American retail release of the Silent Hill: HD Collection is slated for a March 6 release.

Honey Badger Don't Care

Honey badgers, you see, are perpetually hungry and tenacious creatures that take what they want, which usually amounts to all sorts of disgusting food that ranges from rodents, to poisonous snakes; maybe even a little bee larvae for dessert.

Developer and publisher MEDL Mobile isn't technically indie, but the game's inspiration and collaborative development with the originator of the idea gives the game decidedly independent roots. It is, of course, based on the incredibly funny faux-documentary style YouTube video called "The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger," which was put together and flamboyantly narrated by a comedian known only as Randall. (At the time of this post, the video has nearly 35 million views.)

"Honey Badger Don't Care" is basically a side-scrolling action game, the mechanics of which you've likely seen in a number of other mobile titles. The player controls the titular badger, who runs from left to right, dodging obstacles like thorn bushes and rocks, while trying to eat as many delicious critters as he can get his jaws on. Much like a furry land-shark, the honey badger must stay on the move and keep eating to make sure his strength and hunger levels don't drop too low, while fending off scavengers like jackals and eagles.

"Honey Badger Don't Care" (iOS) is also compatible with Game Center, and includes a number of achievements to unlock. My favorite part is that the game includes voice-over narration and sound effects by the original viral video creator, Randall himself. Well-worth the $0.99 price tag, if you ask me. Just be aware, in order to get the full experience (some of Randall's narration is a bit "blue" in tone), you'll want to pick up the uncensored Android version of the app. The game also has lightly censored varieties available in both Android and iOS flavors.

You can check out the official trailer for "Honey Badger Don't Care" below, followed by Randall's viral video that originated all of this silly madness.

Former Shacknews editor and current Gearbox Community Manager Chris Faylor tells Shacknews that the upcoming PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 shooter is set for sometime within the fall 2012 release window.

In Sega's official statement, provided by Faylor via the Gearbox forum, the publisher noted that "creativity and invention" don't "necessarily follow the structure of an assembly line."

"While setting clear goals, deadlines and predictions is helpful, they are often subjective. We don't want to sacrifice the creative process just for the sake of following a blue print. We prefer to have the creative discovery shape that blue print because our goal is to make a great game, and we are prioritizing this goal over the previously targeted date," the company's statement concluded.

A new trailer for the game is expected to launch tomorrow.

The Facebook version of Angry Birds is scheduled for a Valentine's Day launch and will offer new features not found in the mobile version of the game. Social is obviously a big focus, as leaderboards will play heavily into the game's design.

You'll be able to buy your way to higher scores via microtransactions. You'll be able to buy bigger, better, stronger birds, and you'll be able to buy power-ups (like an earthquake, for 99 cents). Rovio's Peter Vesterbacka told Penn-Olsen that 30% of Angry Birds players are "interested" in buying power-ups. Given the game's multimillion audience, power-ups are quite a lucrative venture.

In addition to the new social features, Angry Birds on Facebook will promise "higher quality animation" which can be appreciated when playing in full screen mode. Finally, the game that millions play while on the toilet is getting the big-budget big-screen treatment it deserves.

(via VentureBeat)

We've asked Ubisoft for more details on the variant, but haven't heard back at the time of publishing.

The unlock is specific to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game, Ubisoft told fans on its Facebook page. All variant maps had already been unlocked as a goodwill gesture to PC players after the holidays.