The PC is host to every kind of game I can think of: strategy, action, shooter, driving, role-playing, you name it. Hey, I have no idea what you like. Maybe you’re the kind of person who likes playing as your favorite comic book and movie heroes:

Perhaps you fancy yourself a suave spy…or a bloodsucking freak:

Could be that you’re looking for the kind of games that your kids can enjoy as much (if not more) than you will:

Maybe you’re more the exact opposite, looking for an M-rated gorefest:

Well, I don’t care. And by “I don’t care,” I mean, whatever you are into, the odds are good that you will like something shown above, because all 12 of those games are going to one lucky winner next week. Just get your entry form in by the end of Monday, September 26, and I will pick the winner Tuesday the 27th. And then you just have to make some room on our hard drive! The usual info in the FAQ applies so give it a peek. Best of luck!

UPDATE 9/27: Congratulations to Bradley Brock of Gainesville Florida, who says he is a mutant superhero robot. Of course he is.

No, wait, don’t go! I know there are a lot of websites out there, and they can offer you things I can’t. I’m just a humble community manager, and I do the best I can. But you mean the world to me — I want to keep you, baby. I keep trying to give you what I think will make you happy. Remember when I gave you six shirts? Then I gave you eight shirts. So now, if giving away ten shirts is what it takes, then ten shirts is what I will give away. Please, just give me a chance.

Look at what I’ve got for you. They’re all size Large, just the way you like them. There’s a a classic Guitar Hero III shirt, one of those cool Singularity shirts with the TMD blueprints on the back and the logo on the front, and two Transformers shirts — the Dark of the Moon one has Optimus Prime on the back and the logo on the front, and the Save Cybertron shirt doesn’t even say Transformers on it — nice and subtle, just the way you like your tees. See? I remember.

And here, I’ve got a mix of the old and the new — classic 2600 shirts based on Grand Prix and River Raid, plus two GoldenEye 007 shirts, which sort of span your love of 90s nostalgia with the modern reinventions of one of the greatest console shooters ever made. You appreciate the finer things, and I know that. This is all for you.

And to top it all off, I’ve got the biggest franchise in gaming for you — a Call of Duty Elite shirt and a Jinx Black Ops shirt. They’re sure to look good on you. I mean, look at you — how could they not?

Look, I’m begging — I’m on my knees here. Please, just take these ten shirts — all of them, just for you! — and give me another chance.

I don’t want to pressure you. I can give you time to think about it. Just let me know if you want them by the end of Thursday, September 15, and if luck smiles on both of us, I’ll send them out the next day and I’ll tell the world that they’re yours. I think you already know all about the Contest FAQ – but I just want to remind you that I mean every word.

I think we can make this work. You just have to let me know if this makes you happy. Write your thoughts below. I’ll be waiting.

WINNER: Jumay Hipolito of Salinas, California, decided to give me one more chance. So I decided to give her 10 t-shirts.

Oh Medium, my Medium, you are so maligned;
In gamer t-shirts, you’re harder to find.
For gamers, at least goes the stereotype,
Are huge — and this is the Medium’s gripe!
“Just because I play games doesn’t mean I’m 2X!
I’m a moderate person in many respects.
Yet all the good game shirts are often enormous –
You would think they’d make Medium, expressly for us!”
Well, never you fear, my average-sized friend
I’ve got six gaming t-shirts that I hope won’t offend:

Tony, Transformers, GH and James Bond -- just think what they'll look like when you put them on!

These two shirts have something the other four lack...

...both designs on the front AND designs on the back!

Each will fit you exactly, though your build may be slight
Not swimmy, but also not tight — they’re just right!
Just enter the drawing by Thursday of this week;
All six of these shirts go to one lucky geek.
If you’re heading to PAX or perhaps to XP
You’ll have these in time for the nerdfests. Trust me!
If you have any questions, please check out the FAQ
I’ll announce the big winner on Friday — check back.

UPDATE 8/19:
Hundreds of entrants all wanted the shirts
But if you’re not Jason Kulczycki, this update might hurt.
In Sterling Heights, Michigan, he’s a well-dressed geek
Or he will be, when his prizes arrive next week.

There’s a huge summer sale going on at Steam, and that includes lots of Activision & Sierra PC games at reduced prices — some of which I’ve talked about before. The games on sale are at least 25% off, with most items up at 33%. Games on sale include:

33% off:

• Call of Duty: Black Ops
• Call of Duty: Black Ops First Strike DLC
• Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation DLC
• Prototype
• Singularity
• Transformers: War for Cybertron
• Wolfenstein
• Blur
• James Bond 007: Blood Stone
• James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace
• Call of Duty
• Call of Duty: United Offensive
• Shrek: Forever After
• Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines
• Space Quest Collection
• King’s Quest Collection
• Aces of the Galaxy
• TimeShift
• GUN
• 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures
• Monster Jam
• Cabela’s Big Game Hunter: Trophy Bucks
• Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
• Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved

25% off:

• Call of Duty: World at War
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus DLC
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Resurgence DLC

Let me put this one up there again: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved is $2.67. TWO BUCKS AND CHANGE. If nothing else, get that.

July 4th is coming up fast — the annual celebration of American independence. It’s time for flag-wavin’, burger-grillin’, and firework-splodin’. And in the spirit of ’76, I support your right to bared arms. That’s why I’m giving away a big melting pot of different Activision game t-shirts, all size Large.

Optimus Prime graces the back of the Transformers: Dark of the Moon shirt (the logo is on the front)...and he looks like he's got it in for Johnny Napalm.

The reverse side of the Singularity shirt (logo on front) features a cool breakdown of the TMD. The two GoldenEye shirts tell the world that you like gold but you don't play fair.

Old school meets new school. Grand Prix box art is on black, while that Activision rainbow logo is on a navy shirt. The Call of Duty: Black Ops logo is actually off to the lower right on that gray shirt.

Yes, that’s eight Large t-shirts, in honor of the eight original colonies. And just like the Revolutionary War itself, there can be only one winner. That winner will be chosen at random from all the people who fill out the form below and submit it before the end of Thursday, June 30. I’ll announce the lucky duck and ship a box full o’ shirts on Friday, July 1. The patriotic trivia quiz is just for fun, but you should read the Contest FAQ — it’s your civil duty. Good luck and [deity of your choice] bless America!

UPDATE 7/1: Jonathan Glidden of Ontario CA is a sharp-dressed man — or will be when he gets his box full of shirts. Thanks to all who entered!

We did XL. We did L. Now it’s time for M. If you wear a Medium t-shirt, this is the giveaway for you.

I’ve got six shirts: COD Black Ops, Singularity, Tony Hawk: Shred, and three variations on Guitar Hero. One Medium-sized winner gets ‘em all.

The TMD illustration is the back of the Singularity shirt

Lou from GHIII, the WoR logo, and the Dickies work shirt says "Event Staff" on the back

See? Told you.

Wanna win? Of course you do. Fill out the form before the end of Monday, April11th at 11:59 Pacific time, because I’m picking the winner at random on Tuesday the 12th. If you haven’t read my Contest FAQ, you might want to give it a look, since it has some useful info. Good luck!

UPDATE 4/12: Our winner — Brad Perry of Yukon, OK — admits that his mom still does his laundry. Doh! Sorry for giving you more work, mom!

I know if everybody could go to PAX East, they would, but you can’t for any number of reasons. That’s why, with some help from the staffers at PAX East, I was able to record the panel I moderated this morning. Here’s the audio straight off the sound board, and since there were no visual aids, you really are not missing anything — it was just a deep conversation with a great cross-section of leaders from three different studios. We talked about how Singularity was pitched to Activision, Star Wars geeks, how Activision works with the studios without cramping their style, a really bad fishing pun, zebras on fire, what Vicarious Visions is working on now, and the warm loving arms of Bobby Kotick. Here’s the official description of the panel:

Owned but Independent: Running a Studio at Activision

How do you make gamers happy, make your development team happy, AND make your corporate parent company happy all at the same time? Somehow, the people on this panel have found a way. Join our panelists as they explain what life is really like working with the world’s biggest gaming software publisher. Dan “One of Swords” Amrich moderates.

Panelists include: Peter Della Penna [Studio Head, High Moon Studios], Eric Biessman [Senior Project Lead, Raven Software], Jennifer O’Neal [Executive Producer, Vicarious Visions], Dan Amrich [Social Media Manager, Activision]

No music, nothin’ fancy on the production this time — this is just what was heard by the attendees. Hope you enjoy hearing it — wish you were here!

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I have come to believe that every gamer loves three things: extra lives, saving princesses, and free t-shirts. (Maybe not even in that order.) So, in the spirit of the XL laundry-avoidance giveaway from a few months ago, I have a half-dozen promotional gaming shirts in the same size — Large — and they could be yours. They look amazingly like this: 

COD: Black Ops, GoldenEye, and Transformers

Singularity, Tony Hawk: Shred, and GH: Aerosmith

All shirts are size Large and all shirts are unworn…but if you want some of those, hey, I’m happy to clean out my dresser. By the way, the Guitar Hero: Aerosmith shirt is a 3/4 baseball jersey, the blue one is Singularity (I showed the back with the TMD illustrations because it was cool; the front is the logo in white across the chest), and I think that’s the last of the eco-friendly Cybertron t-shirts in my stash.

How easy is it to win all six shirts? Too easy. Send an email (one per person, please) to freestuff@oneofswords.com with the subject line “L Shirts” before Thursday, February 24th at 11:59 Pacific time and I will pick the winner at random on Friday the 25th. Please include your name, address, and phone number (just for FedEx if something gets lost). Full details about how this works, who is eligible, and all that stuff are in my Contest FAQ, so please give it a look.

Good luck!

UPDATE 2/25: Congratulations to Luis Roldan of Summerfield, Florida, who was just chosen by random.org as the lucky random winner. Judging from the amount of entries, this is a popular giveaway, so I will look to do more of these kinds of giveaways as I get more shirts in!

Good news! My panel pitch was accepted for this year’s PAX East convention in Boston this March. Here’s just one of the many things going on at this year’s show that you might find interesting:

Owned But Independent: Running a Studio at Activision
Saturday, March 12 – 11am – Naga Theatre
How do you make gamers happy, make your development team happy, AND make your corporate parent company happy all at the same time? Somehow, the people on this panel have found a way. Join Peter Della Penna from High Moon Studios (Transformers: War for Cybertron), Eric Biessman from Raven Software (Singularity), Dee Brown from Beenox (Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions), and Jennifer O’Neal from Vicarious Visions (Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2) as they explain what life is really like working with the world’s biggest gaming software publisher. Dan “One of Swords” Amrich moderates.

This is a panel I’ve wanted to do for a while, but getting the schedules together was a challenge because I invited busy, high-ranking people — two studio heads, one senior project lead, and one executive producer. But I’m thrilled they all said yes, and I think the resulting conversation will be interesting and worthwhile. There will be time for Q&A from the audience at the end, so hopefully you’ll get the chance to ask your burning question — ahem, your burning, on-topic question — and get an answer straight from the authoritative source.

Even if you wind up not being able to attend this panel, consider this confirmation: yes, I will be there, and a few other familiar faces will be there too, and yes, I want to meet up with as many people as I can. But we’ll get into all that later.

In games, I think writing is one of the elements that rarely gets the credit it deserves. It’s really difficult to not only build a plausible world but put plausible people in it, give them dialogue, relationships, motivations…all knowing that the player wants to write their own story through that story. I’ve always believed it was a lot tougher than people realized.

So it’s great to see both Joystiq and Kotaku report that Raven Software‘s Singularity was nominated for a Videogame Writing award by the Writer’s Guild of America. The nomination specifically credits the following people and titles: “Written by Marc Guggenheim, Lindsey Allen, Emily Silver; Additional Story and Writing: Jason Henderson, Adam Foshko, Michael Cassutt; Story and Script Consultant: Adam Foshko.”

Previous winners of the award were Uncharted 2 (2010) and The Force Unleashed (2009). This year it’s up against some major competition (Fallout: New Vegas and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood among them), but you know what they say — it’s an honor just to be nominated, and that’s true. Congrats to the writing team for being recognized and my fingers are hereby crossed.

It feels like just the other day I was saying how much I enjoyed Singularity‘s objective-based multiplayer mode, Extermination. And whattya know — Raven Software is hosting a community gameplay session this Friday night (December 17) on both PS3 and 360. Full details are on Raven’s Facebook page.

If you like objective-based MP games, you'll love Extermination

My personal life is still a wreck because I’ve just moved apartments, and my copies of Singularity (both 360 and PS3) are still in a box. And not the same box. If I can locate either one in time, I’ll join in!

It’s almost time to start making your New Year’s Resolutions, so I have one for anybody who wears a size XL: Don’t do laundry so often. That’s because I’m giving a collection of eight Activision game t-shirts away to one lucky winner. That’ll keep you from hitting the laundromat for another week and a day, right?

Yes, they're all XL

In alphabetical order, I’ve got shirts for Call of Duty: Black Ops (one of the nice Jinx ones), DJ Hero 2, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (yeah, really!), Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, Singularity, Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions, Tony Hawk: Shred, and Transformers: War for Cybertron. You might not immediately recognize the shirt for that last one, because it’s basically a child’s drawing that says “Save Cybertron — Conserve Energon.” But that’s exactly why it’s so cool.

Yes, they're all new and clean and unworn.

One winner gets all eight shirts. If you want to be that winner, send an email (one per person, please) to freestuff@oneofswords.com with the subject line “XL Shirts” before Sunday, December 19th at 11:59 Pacific time and I will pick the winner at random on Monday. Please include your name, address, and phone number (just for FedEx if something gets lost). Full details about how this works, who is eligible, and all that stuff are in my Contest FAQ, so please give it a look.

Make room in your shirt drawer, and good luck!

UPDATE: Congrats to Marty Noblett of Wadsworth, Ohio, who should be getting a sack of shirts just before Christmas. Keep your eye on the Freebies tab above for the latest giveaways!

In December, gamers compile their best-of lists. This is not one of them.

When I got here, I was surprised to learn how many games Activision actually publishes every year. Everybody knows big names like Call of Duty and Guitar Hero; Spider-Man and Transformers are a big deal for the company, too. But I learned just how popular the Cabela’s hunting and Rapala fishing games are, even though they are not traditionally aimed at the hardcore gamer. Same goes for iCarly and Zhu Zhu Pets and Bakugan. Hell, I heard Wipeout: The Game for Wii sold well, and I didn’t know that existed until it was out for a few weeks. Activision makes lots of different types of games for lots of different types of gamers.

But, with so many niche games, some of them are going to be underexposed and overlooked. So as we lurch into 2011, here’s a few that stand out to me as worth a reminder.

Blood Drive
Car combat
Developer: Sidhe Interactive

Ridiculous car combat, how I've missed you so.

Car combat is my jam. I also like killing zombies. Put them together and I’m going to be interested, so Blood Drive was a pleasant surprise for me this year. The game got mixed reviews and I can understand why — it’s intentionally difficult and, as OXM noted, the controls can be sluggish and the framerate sometimes sags — but this is one of those games where I want to forgive its flaws due to its ridiculous premise in a wildly underappreciated genre. Maybe it’s just like water in the desert for me, but there are enough good moments here to make me want to go back and play more. I think it helps if you go in knowing the flaws and accepting them for the sake of fun — assuming, of course, that you find car combat with zombies fun.

Singularity
First-person shooter
Developer: Raven Software

Humans with guns vs. monsters who puke. Advantage: Monsters

Singularity had an online video campaign (not to mention it appeared on the cover of Game Informer a year before it arrived), but people still said they didn’t know about the game until it came out. But the people who played it wound up giving it more love than I expected. It’s a mind-twisty shooter that wears its influences on its sleeve — if Doom 3 and BioShock had a baby in Russia, then gave it a glove that can manipulate objects in forward and backward in time, you’d be in the ballpark. It’s an old-school shooter with some novel and enjoyable twists.

Like an action movie, the single-player campaign unspools as a linear narrative, but the multiplayer is actually what surprised me the most. I’m a sucker for objective-based games, and Extermination’s attack/defend dynamic really appealed to me — as did the wide variety of customizable options each player has at their disposal. Yeah, you can choose to be a soldier or a medic, but you also choose your perks and weapons within that class, so two medics on the same team don’t have to be redundant. I spoke a bit about Extermination before and I really don’t think it got as much attention as it deserved.

Tony Hawk: Shred
Action sports
Developer: Robomodo

Could this be a case of "sins of the father"?

I tried Tony Hawk: Ride. I didn’t like it. I mean, I liked the idea of throwing away the past to reinvent the series, I liked the arcade-experience-in-your-living-room concept, the potential of what it could become — but when it came down to actually interacting with the game, I was as frustrated as the next person. For me, the risks they took in reinventing the franchise didn’t pay off in fun. However, early in 2010, I heard a follow-up game was already in the works, and that it would fix the control issues that so many gamers had reported. Okay, I thought, prove it. To my surprise, Robomodo did.

My biggest problem with Ride was that I moved one way on the board and the game often moved another; I just didn’t feel it was consistent or responsive, and I got frustrated (not to mention winded) just in the tutorial. Shred addresses that core problem, fixes it, and puts on a very different show. It’s got a light-hearted, kid-friendly theme and banks heavily on impossible tricks and crazy jumps, so it’s definitely not intended to be a sim, nor is it particuarly aimed at the now-adult players who made the TH franchise such a success. Also, as with Ride, it’s still built around short experiences on the board, so you don’t get fatigued. You might not like other stuff about the game — maybe the “go big” approach doesn’t appeal to you — but if the main complaint was “the controls suck,” that complaint isn’t valid this time around.

I hope more people check this out (it works with the Ride board, so you don’t need to buy a new controller if you already have last year’s game) because I think, in some ways, Shred is the game they wanted Ride to be. And I fear that the problems of Ride are keeping people from even trying Shred. I’ve seen a lot of people taking shots at Shred, but I haven’t seen a lot of people say they’ve played it. So I hope that changes.

Blur
Action Racing
Developer: Bizarre Creations

I simply crave it.

Okay, I lied — four games. But if you have been reading any part of my site this year, Blur is not something I can call an “overlooked” game — because I haven’t shut up about it since it shipped in May. Then again, why shut up now? I still highly recommend Blur, because it offers all the fun of a kart racer with power-up attacks, mixed with real-world sports cars that you dream about driving. Obviously, one of my favorites of 2010.

The last Singularity event went so well — and was attended by Raven Software developers, no less — that it only makes sense to do another, this time to share the love with the PlayStation 3 gamers.

If you haven’t tried Singularity online, you may be pleasantly surprised at the asymmetrical variety. It’s soldiers vs. creatures: The soldiers are bolstered by time-manipulating technology, so they can repair broken equipment, levitate objects, and blow the brains out of anything that comes near them, while the creatures can warp out of time, possess soldiers, walk on walls, vomit…all manner of fun stuff. Even if everyone plays the same class, the individual mods and weapon choices keep things personal and fresh. I can’t do better than point you to Raven Software’s own guide to multiplayer, but this fan video by Cyrus99 shows exactly how Extermination gameplay shakes down:

Click here to view the embedded video.

We had a blast last time we played, and I expect more awesome Extermination matches this time around. I’ll be on PlayStation Network Friday, August 27 from 6pm PT/9pm ET to 8pm PT/11pm ET. The folks from Raven Software say they are planning to attend, too, so use the Facebook event as a reminder if you like — but show up!

This screen is so awesome I had to run it again.

After many requests from fans of the game, I am happy to announce that this Friday, August 6, I’ll be playing Singularity on Xbox 360 from 6pm Pacific until 8pm Pacific. The game’s multiplayer is a different twist from most shooters — it’s humans vs. monsters.

Single greenbow all the way

I was tempted to play on PC for this one, and I have the PS3 edition as well, but the most requests I’ve gotten for this night come from 360 gamers. Make thy voices heard and I will plan these events accordingly.

If you’re not on my friends list, don’t freak out, just drop me a line and I’ll try to invite you in. If there are tons of people I’ll shuffle around lobbies. A lot of people say they will attend but don’t, so I never know if I’ll be switching lobbies all night or diving deep with a dedicated bunch of gamers. We’ll see how it goes. Facebook reminder is here.

I’ve received a common question lately: “I know I get Prototype free if I buy Singularity on Xbox 360 — but only for a while. How will I know if my copy of Singularity gets me Prototype too?”

Good question. Here is the answer:

That red sticker on the package means either the redemption voucher is inside that package…or the sticker IS the voucher. If you don’t see that sticker, you won’t be able to send away for a free copy of Prototype. (And again, this is a 360-only promotion, for reasons I’ve been unable to determine.) What’s more, as several people added to the comments below, the sticker itself often contains the key information you need, so do not throw the cellophane packaging away — you will need it.

This is a “while supplies last” “limited-time offer,” so if you are motivated by this promotion, don’t wait. Not sure how long those specially-marked packages will be in stock. But now you know what to look for.

Time for an editorial. Bear with me if this goes kind of “inside baseball.”

Singularity ships today. For a limited time, if you buy the Xbox 360 version, you will get a voucher in the box to send away for a free copy of Prototype. Prototype is pretty cool — I’m still playing through it, it got lost in the crazy shuffle that was my life last summer. But it also came out at a rough spot in the economic kerfuffle that has happening in 2009, and I think it kind of got forgotten (though reviews were just shy of 80% and NPD says it sold 500,000 units, which ain’t bad.) I thought that bonus deal was a good thing, in that one new IP was helping another.

Now, depending on who you talk to, they might not even know either game exists. Modern Warfare 2 was and is a juggernaut, grabbing critical acclaim, world records, and headlines in equal measure. Guitar Hero is the market leader for music games, even after last year’s “go big” ethos became this year’s “uh, okay, now let’s go smaller ’cause we think that’s smarter.” And while I definitely expect each new game, whether it’s part of a franchise or not, to deliver something new and innovative to me, I think a lot of people probably don’t realize that Activision just put out its fourth original IP in the last year. Prototype (June 2009), DJ Hero (October 2009), Blur (May 2010) and today’s Singularity make up the quartet. That’s pretty impressive; most companies launch maybe one a year, two if they feel aggressive.

That’s because launching a new IP is very risky. There’s no built-in awareness, the way you have with a game like Transformers: War for Cybertron or Goldeneye 007, so you have to fight for every scrap of attention. It’s hard to get on the cover of magazines, since they generally want recognizable games to help them sell issues. You are basically going on the strength of the game’s idea, the talent of its developers, and the craftiness of the marketing and PR department, and hoping your intended audience thinks it’s worth their time and money. It could be a surprise hit or it could disappear altogether, along with all the money poured into it. It is, like I said before, very risky.

But when you have megahits, you have the ability to take those risks. Activision Blizzard has had great success with its big franchises — Guitar Hero, Call of Duty, Tony Hawk, Warcraft, Diablo, Starcraft — and, well, that money goes back into game development and funding fresh ideas, both in those existing franchises and planting the seeds for new ones. Of course, those new IPs still have to bring home the bacon, but as always, the market decides what happens in that regard.

Truthfully, I think a lot of folks who accuse Activision of “milking” its titles don’t look beyond GH and COD when they levy that critique — but these four games are proof to the contrary. And if you believe new IPs are crucial to the success of the gaming industry, please shop accordingly.

Singularity ships Tuesday in the US, but it actually shipped in Europe and the UK on Friday, so many media outlets have had time to dig in and come to a conclusion on Raven’s time-twisted shooter. You shoot bullets, sure, but you also age objects backward and forward in time, solving puzzles and tearing holes in the fabric of reality. You even also time-manipulate people, turning them into horrible zombies or reducing them to dust. It’s fun. Check the videos for an overview of what kind of havoc you can cause.

Singularity manipulates time differently than other games you may have played. Sadly, the title Chrono Trigger was already taken.

Singularity was delayed for a few months (I had Singularity’s senior producer Jeff Poffenbarger on the podcast this past week to discuss that delay and what life is like at Raven) and as a result, the title sort of went “dark” for a while — not much was shown to the media while it underwent its upgrade, which helped preserve the surprise. The press is definitely getting more than they expected so far. Among the highlights:

Eurogamer
“Singularity is a straightforward, frivolous game where something new and entertaining is always just around the corner, whether it’s a sniper rifle with a slow-motion zoom function, or a gaggle of giant mutant komodo dragons that shoot rockets from their eyes…First-person shooters are always silly! Well done to Raven for making one that likes being silly.” (8 out of 10)

Yahoo Games UK & Ireland
“With the majority of recent first-person-shooters falling over themselves to appear so realistic, ‘Singularity’ says to hell with it, and brings back such favourites as colossal end-of-level boss creatures that make you freeze in your chair…’Singularity’ may not have the sophistication of ‘Halo’ or the lore of ‘Gears of War’ and ‘Killzone’, but it could teach all of them a thing or two about how to have some real fun.” (4 out of 5)

PlanetXbox360
“Singularity doesn’t try to do anything spectacular with being able to rewind/fast forward/pause time; it simply uses time manipulation in a focused manner which works better than anticipated…Singularity pulled the carpet from underneath my feet, and maybe that’s why I had so much fun with it. I went in expecting a mediocre FPS and came out feeling lot I got a lot more.” (8.5 out of 10)

GamesRadar
“It’s fantastic, inventive, refreshing, brutal, and frankly, the most fun I’ve had with an FPS in a long time…Singularity is the first non-Valve FPS in years that has come close to evoking that particular brand of clever, inventive, fast-flowing brutality known as ‘Going Gordon Freeman on someone’s ass’…It’s an absolute stormer and you need to give it your time.”

So far, so good — and it’s not too late to pre-order. Amazon is offering a free graphic novel with pre-orders and GameStop has been offering the Red Zek skin for multiplayer matches as its bonus. He’s the charming fellow there to the right who looks like he wants to eat your larynx.

Also, Xbox 360 gamers get a perk in the form of an in-box voucher for a free copy of Prototype, which is one of those “while supplies last/limited time offer” deals. (Sorry, Sony fans — I don’t rightly know why it’s 360 only.)

I’ll be digging into multiplayer and will host a few online sessions soon. Hope you get the game and join me!

Raven’s Jeff Poffenbarger joins us to talk a little bit about Singularity (which ships next week) and gives us some insight into how Raven operates up in the frozen tundra that is Madison, Wisconsin. You’ll get very little insight from co-host Hugh Sterbkaov and myself as we discuss Activision’s image problem, almost-too-good-to-be-true deals on Blur, Hugh’s adventure at the big Activision E3 event, why the hardcore audience will never like Kinect, and why, just this once, Christopher Walken is the wrong answer. Plus, freebies in the form of Transformers: War for Cybertron trivia!

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Special Guest: Raven Software’s Jeff Poffenbarger, Senior Producer of Singularity

Soundtrack: Yameen – available on iTunes, Amazon MP3, and all online music stores

Relevant show links:

Hugh has now been appropriately compensated for his co-hosting duties. For real, I got him some good stuff.

Good lord, there’s a lot of video to share today. The fourth Singularity trailer about the Time Manipulation Device, focusing on the gravity powers, was released today. I missed a few of the chapters but realized Machinima has them all on YouTube. So rather than just link to the new one, here’s the whole run. And since it’s Singularity, I will do them in chronological order.

Be warned that Singularity is an M-rated game, so these videos show people getting brutally clobbered. If you’re ready, hit the link.

Chapter 1: Age Revert

Click here to view the embedded video.

Chapter 2: Deadlock

Click here to view the embedded video.

Chapter 3: Impulse Power

Click here to view the embedded video.

Chapter 4: Gravity

Click here to view the embedded video.

Singularity comes out for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC on June 25th in the UK & Europe, and June 29th in North America.

The team at Raven Software has started its own blog about the making of Singularity, and the first entry, on the game’s art direction, was posted today. It features cool pictures like this one…

Spoiler: You will see this environment in Singularity

…but better still, it puts them into a context, and explains what the art team wanted to achieve with the specific looks and visual effects used in the final game.

Check it out, if not bookmark it. I would expect this blog will be fast-paced, since the game ships in just 29 days.

Grabbing this new Singularity trailer from the fine folks at GameTrailers.com because it’s supposed to go behind an age gate. In other words, it’s a little grisly. (In other words, it’s kinda cool.)

It’s self-explanatory, but there are more videos in this series coming, I’m told. My guess is they will appear before the game’s June 29 release date, but stay tuned.

Activision is known for big franchises, but I hear a lot of people ask “Where are the original IPs?” Well, they’re also here — and games like Guitar Hero and Call of Duty started out as original IPs, too. I think it’s every new property’s dream to become a franchise. But new IPs don’t always get enough attention, either in buzz or in sales, to get that far. Simply because new IPs don’t have that built-in brand awareness, they often need some champions out there calling attention to them. Every new game is not going to be to your tastes, but if you’re out there asking for fresh creative ideas and new worlds…well, the power is in your hands to support them when they arrive.

Last year, Prototype was a game that I didn’t think got enough love. It was a dark, violent, chaotic open-world game from the team at Radical up in Vancouver, and despite decent reviews (average score was just shy of 8), it just didn’t turn into a megahit. This year, Blur and Singularity come out a month apart, two new IPs that have both seen delays as the team asked for (and got) more time to make the best first impression for their original IPs. G4 posted a new Singularity trailer title “Cause and Affect” just a few hours ago.

So I suppose it’s only fitting that two of these original IPs will sort of help each other out. Activision announced today that if you buy Singularity on 360, you can mail in for a free copy of Prototype. If you were one of those people who didn’t have the budget or didn’t want to take the “risk” on an unproven idea, this is a pretty good two-for-one deal. Maybe this freebie will reduce the fear of supporting a new IP for some folks.

Why is it only 360? Don’t know, but I’m going to invoke my default guess until I can find out: It’s probably a business thing. Prototype is a Platinum Hit on Xbox 360 so maybe that paved the way for a deal like this, but I don’t rightly know and I will ask. I know some PS3 and PC gamers will be disappointed that their platforms are not involved, but I’m crossing my fingers; maybe the deal will expand before Singularity ships on June 29.

UPDATE: Got a few more details as my post was not clear. This offer is only good in the United States, and you get Prototype through a mail-in offer. Details will be inside the paperwork that comes with Singularity.

G4 has the scoop on the latest Singularity trailer, titled “Cause and Affect.” And yes, apparently, it’s supposed to be a pun, not a misspelling. Other than that, whattya think?

As you probably have heard, Singularity — Raven Software‘s upcoming shooter — uses time and time travel as a core plot device. I thought that was a good excuse to kick off the Prim3r series, wherein I find some topic relevant to an Activision game and offer three other things on that topic that you might also enjoy.

Time travel happens to be one of my favorite sci-fi constructs, so I’ve got a movie, a book, and a TV episode that came to mind once I started learning about Singularity. Let me be clear that these are not necessarily things that influenced the game — but if you like the topic and want to scratch the itch now in preparation for the game’s June 29 release, here are some of my personal suggestions of worthwhile stuff.

This is what you get from sports betting, kids.

Back to the Future Part II
The original is one of my favorite movies ever ever ever, and something I look to as a perfect example of great storytelling, quality moviemaking, and undeniable financial success. But I also like the sequel, which a lot of people don’t. It starts out light and fluffy but quickly goes dark and a little confusing as Marty encounters an alternate timeline where Biff has taken over Hill Valley and turned it into his own sleazy playground. There’s a fair amount of talk about how the alternate timeline came into existence, which turns a lot of people away, but I geeked out on it. Also, it’s a great example of how one person’s actions can alter the time stream and make it scary, and that comes into play in Singularity too. The DVD is cheap and recommended. (Bonus: Watch for Elijah Wood’s screen debut as the gamer in Cafe 80′s.)

"When am I, brotha?"

Lost: Season 4, Episode 5 — “The Constant”
Feels a little weird to recommend an episode of Lost in the middle of Season 4, but it’s honestly one of the best time-travel episodes of a TV show I’ve seen (with no offense intended to The Doctor) and it happens to be one of my favorite episodes of Lost, period. In “The Constant,” Desmond keeps flashing between 1996 and 2004, with some really heartwrenching results. You can watch it on ABC’s website or Hulu. (And this episode was directly influenced by the final episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, if you want to do a double-TV-feature.)

Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus
A book? You mean, like, one you read? I’m turning this one over to my sometimes podcast co-host Katrin Auch, who is a voracious reader and insisted that I include this Orson Scott Card novel.

“In a future where the world is dying, scientists open windows to the past to see where things went wrong. After pinpointing Columbus’ discovery of America as the turning point, the scientists learn more about history than they ever imagined thanks to a brilliant plot twist. Pastwatch really explores the importance of one person’s place in history.”

That’s three starting points. Naturally I want to hear your favorite time-travel jaunts in the comments…

The new “Last Resort” trailer for Singularity (which ships June 29 in the US) appeared yesterday. Here it is if you haven’t seen it yet.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I managed to avoid all the previous coverage of this game and am just now getting to mess around with an early build internally. Every game should be judged on its own merits, but I will admit that my ears perk up when I hear Raven Software is the developer. So I hope this lives up to its potential.

Whattya think so far?

Today Activision held a conference call to discuss its quarterly earnings and announced several games that will be coming out this year. I sat in on the call and my eyes glazed over on all the fiscal discussion, but I woke up when they started talking about new games. So, I’m only posting about the stuff that I think really matters. Accepting that the call was going to say “we turned a profit” and “MW2 is crazy popular” no matter what, let’s dig into some of the juicier bits and what I personally took away from them:

What Was Said: A new Call of Duty game will be released late in 2010.
My Take: Surprise! But still, this is one of those weird things where Activision had not yet actually announced that a new COD game would be coming out in 2010. You, me, and everybody else on the internet assumed it would happen because there’s a historical pattern…but it’s not actually official until Activision says “it’s official.” So, it’s official.

What Was Said: Activision will release only two music games this year: a new Guitar Hero title, and a sequel to DJ Hero.
My Take: Thank goodness. Like a lot of people, I felt overwhelmed by the number of Hero titles last year. That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy playing them, but I prefer it when a new Hero game is more of an event. So as a fan of “less is more” in this case, I’m glad that’s exactly what we get this year, one GH game and a sequel to DJ Hero. I just started playing DJ Hero myself (check my gamercard for my progress) and it’s humbling to go from playing GH on Expert to DJ on Medium. But I’m enjoying it, and I’m eager to hear what they build on for the next game.

What Was Said: A Spider-Man game is on the way this year.
My Take: Several people have been wondering how Marvel’s new relationship with Disney would affect Activision’s games. So at least this confirms that a) Activision and Marvel are still working together and b) it’s Spidey in the spotlight this year. I’ve seen a few screenshots of what they’re working on for this game…I liked what I saw and I’m both intrigued and a bit surprised. (And just because I’ve heard some confusion, Iron Man 2′s game will be published by Sega. Agent M over at Marvel.com has the scoop.)

What Was Said: A James Bond game is coming out this year, too.
My take: Twitter’s @MitchyD noted that this Bond game announcement comes even though there is no Bond movie this year. That’s correct. So that begs a question: what do you expect from a Bond game that isn’t based on a movie? Chime in below.

What Was Said: Shrek Forever After will ship in May, followed by Transformers: War for Cybertron and Singularity.
My Take: Mmm…not quite. Shrek is good to go for May, but Singularity is actually shipping in June. The statement on the call was a list of upcoming games starting with a May release, so I understand how it could sound like all those games were coming in May, and that’s what some outlets are reporting. But I just checked, and Singularity is slated for June. Just FYI — as I’ve said, clarity is my goal here.

What Was Said: The Tony Hawk Ride board took longer to develop than expected, which left less time to work on the software. A new TH Ride title is planned for this year.
My Take: Everything didn’t come together on Ride as planned, and the reviews made that much clear. But as someone who has the skateboard controller in his living room, I’m glad to hear that the part that is feature-complete is the physically larger and potentially more expensive part. Software is much easier to improve; I’m glad to hear I won’t have to upgrade the board for the next game. And I am curious to see what lessons were learned from last year. As an old arcade rat who played Top Skater and Air Trix, I like the idea of a physical board controller, and I just want the execution to live up to it.

UPDATE 2/11:
What Was Said: True Crime is gonna be a biggie.
My Take: To make up for leaving it out of the main infolanche, I tackled this in its own follow-up post.

Thoughts?