PC Gaming

When you wander into your local game shop on February 26, 2012 to pick up your freshly delivered copy of BioShock Infinite, the above image is the one that will greet you on the game's cover. Irrational Games and 2K Games gave fans their first look at the cover art over the weekend, and the reception (on Reddit, at least) hasn't been the most welcoming so far.

In fairness, the image chosen to grace the cover of BioShock Infinite is a surprising one, giving protagonist Booker DeWitt front and center (and solo) placement. It certainly sends a strong message about Irrational's BioShock follow-up. The original game kept its protagonist shrouded in mystery (for story-specific reasons, obviously), but DeWiit has been a definite focus in preview coverage for Infinite. 

Are you digging the cover art? If not, what's your beef?

If you like exotic locations, komodo dragons and lots of gunplay, and thought Skyfall was overrated, you're going to want to give Far Cry 3 a whirl when it releases on December 4th. The open world action game has been on our most anticipated list for far too long. For now, set your eyes on this launch trailer, all 10 mins worth for a deep dive into Rook Island:

Far Cry 3 is one of our most anticipated games this year. Are we crazy to think so? Let us know in the comments below.

Metro: Last Light's brand new live-action trailer "The Model" introduces us to a former fashion model trying to survive in Moscow's underground metro system. I'm a betting man so I'll wager this week's paycheck that she's universally respected and things work out great for her. I mean, after the apocalypse who do people always turn to for leadership? Models! DUH. Let's check out this Metro: Last Light trailer and see if I'm right:

Yikes! Rough stuff, huh? That said, bullets are currency in Metro: Last Light and that dude made it rain! The Model will be ballin for weeks!

What'd you think?

Yes, here's another one of those "let's jump to fun conclusions based on a third-party-hosted online survey" news posts! GMI Survey has an Assassin's Creed 3 post-mortem survey online (via Joystiq) that asks a lengthy series of questions about your gamer experience, your time with AC3, and, most importantly, the future of the Assassin's Creed series and what you'd like to see from it.

Don't read too deeply into these questions, though it's worth running through the survey if you want to let the powers-that-be know what you'd like to see more/less of in an Assassin's Creed game. Possibilities such as co-op story missions, underwater action, second screen functionality, and a new present-day hero are all mentioned (among others).

Ubisoft hasn't mentioned anything about its future Assassin's plans beyond the upcoming Tyranny of King George DLC; this survey's results will presumably help inform pre-production decisions on whatever comes after it.

Imperial troops are attacking Echo Base in the latest update for Rovio's Angry Birds Star Wars. The free-to-download content pack adds a series of levels set on the ice planet of Hoth, seen throughout the first third of Star Wars - Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

The new trailer highlights ice skating, pig-commandeered AT-ATs, though there's no gameplay featured. I can tell you what it looks like: Angry Birds in a snowy sci-fi setting. SPOILER!

Brink developer Splash Damage has been teasing an "11.29" reveal -- that's today, folks -- and now the lid is lifted: meet Dirty Bomb, an upcoming free-to-play shooter. There isn't any release date yet, nor have any other details been revealed, but the above trailer offers a few hints.

For example, it seems that some portion of the game is set in modern-day (or near-future) London. Dirty Bomb also appears to offer players the option of setting off into the battlefield as either a male soldier or a female soldier. Splash Damage always brings big ideas to the table in its game, even if the final picture doesn't entirely deliver. Here's hoping Dirty Bomb breaks away from that.

Ubisoft brings a built-in map editor back for Far Cry 3 from its predecessor, and a newly released trailer offers a look at how the feature works. It seems that those who have past experience with Far Cry 2's robust map editor will have a leg up here, though the new version (unsurprisingly) seems to offer a wider range of content that is more suited to the game's Rook Islands setting. Caves and waterfalls!

In a neat twist, your map creations in Far Cry 3's editor can be used in both multiplayer match-ups and in solo play. Lone wolf players can fill out their custom environments with AI-controlled characters, enemies and allies alike. Sounds like good times. Far Cry 3 arrives in stores on December 4, 2012 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows platforms.

It seems there won't be any kind of competitive or cooerative multiplayer included when BioShock Infinite hits stores on February 26, 2013. Irrational Games' Ken Levine confirmed as much on Twitter in response to fan queries.

The original BioShock was a single player-only affair as well, though BioShock 2 added an adversarial online mode that was good-not-great; it never really took off. It should also be mentioned here that BioShock 2 wasn't an Irrational Games production; Infinite brings the series back to the loving hands of Irrational and Levine. So "no multiplayer" isn't exactly anything new for the developer.

After a run that has lasted five years and three months, The MMO Report has officially come to an end. In this final episode, Casey reflects on this journey, welcomes a few guests, and issues his fond farewell.

Thank you all for watching the show. We couldn’t have done it without you and hope you enjoy the finale.

Gearbox Software continues to tease fans with bits of information about Aliens: Colonial Marines, set to arrive on February 12, 2013. The latest reveal focuses on the Survival multiplayer mode, which pits a squad of four humans against multiple waves of Xenomorphs.

It's not clear if the new mode is simply a Horde-style co-op situation or if you're actually going to face off against player-controlled Xenos in each wave, in a sort of Horde-meets-Beast arrangement (continuing the Gears of War comparison). It's looking slick though, especially with the abundance of Xeno types on display in this trailer.

The 8-bit era is long gone, but its playful, blocky aesthetic is here to stay. It's an attractive art style that culls the best its of nostalgia and familiarity to create slick, intriguing interfaces. And who doesn't love breezing through a colorful, simplified world that resembles something from their childhood?

Designing from the ground-up to create a game that resembles some of the best pieces of the heyday of gaming is an undertaking in itself, so it's no surprise so many titles, indie or otherwise, are adopting this approach. The result? Spirited endeavors that aren't just fun, but kickass. We've compiled five of our favorite modern pixelated fantasies for maximum enjoyment. Instead of falling into a turkey-induced coma after you gorge yourself this Thanksgiving, why not load up on these goodies instead?

1. Hotline Miami

A disturbing mess of gore, shotgun blasts, and the seedy underbelly of the night as far as assassins go, Hotline Miami may be one of the coolest experiences you'll ever have in an 8-bit playground. The top-down shooter relies on shockingly violent action with one-hit, one-kill blasts. It's the thinker's massacre. Low-res DeLoreans, menacing animal masks that grant the wearer powers, and chill techno really complete the package. The fact that pixelated red brains and tons of liters of blood stain each crime scene only adds to this truly bizarre and brutal puzzler. Sure, it could have been created with a more modern look, but it wouldn't have been the same. Somehow, the realism would have made it easier to desensitize the player. In this case, the low-quality graphics enhance the experience. And we happen to think it's pretty rad.

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Corridor Digital is back with its latest high-quality fan film, riffing off of Ubisoft's upcoming Far Cry 3 in Far Cry Happy Hour. The squeamish among you should note: things get a little bit gross. Not Saw/Hostel levels of gore, but definitely unsettling if you can't stand the sight of blood. Then again, if that's a problem you suffer from then you probably shouldn't be playing video games like Far Cry 3.

The moral of Far Cry Happy Hour is pretty clear, really: when you've been drugged by a gang of sadistic madmen who want to steal your poker winnings, it's important to remember that those guns in your hands aren't real. It's okay. Let them take the money. You don't need it. You certainly don't need it as much as you need your fingers. Yes, even the pinky.

Here's a neat idea: the latest Humble Bundle allows backers to cast votes on game pitches put forward by the developers at Tim Schafer's Double Fine studio (via Gamesindustry International). A minimum contribution of $1 gives you the right to vote, and the top four contenders will be cobbled into prototypes during the developer's upcoming Amnesia Fortnight .

The two-week internal event breaks the Double Fine crew down into smaller teams intended to bring fresh, new ideas to the table. It's worth noting that previous Amnesia Fortnight gatherings birthed Double Fine hits like Stacking and Iron Brigade.

With Humble Bundle in the mix, Double Fine's developers have put their prototype pitches forward for contributing fans to vote on. Once the list is whittled down to four, each team will have two weeks to put together a prototype around the idea. Those prototypes will then be given to all contributors, along with additional prototypes for Costume Quest and Happy Song (which became Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster) and a 2 Player Productions-produced accounting of the process.

The Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 launch included a multiplayer bonus for all 'first run' buyers in the form of the slightly tweaked, returning Nuketown 2025 map, available in the game's online play via a Nuketown 24/7 playlist. That playlist was removed yesterday, November 20, 2012, when the launch weekend Double XP promotion came to an end, prompting fan outcry.

Nuketown 24/7 is a holdever "special event" playlist from the Black Ops days, where the original Nuketown map was born. The fan outcry against the new playlist's removal came because, with Nuketown 24/7 gone, there was no longer any option to play it in the XP-driven public multiplayer. Aiming to please fans, Treyarch did the next best thing: a Bonus playlist was added to the game.

Bonus features a mode dubbed as "Chaos Moshpit," which rotates through a variety of game modes on Black Ops 2's smaller maps. Nuketown 2025 is joined on this playlist by Carrier, Cargo, Express, Hijacked, Slums, and Standoff, according to a tweet from Treyarch game design director David Vonderhaar.

G4tv issued a Hitman: Absolution challenge to IO Interacitve. Donell "Sushi Chef" Tucker (aka me) went up against IO Interactive's Sven "Looks like a Drug Dealer" Liebold, attempting to win the title of Silent Assassin. The rules were simple: each player must eliminate the King Of Chinatown on the hardest difficulty without being detected using one of many methods in the game. Seems simple, but only true professionals can accomplish this task. Will G4tv put IO Interactive to shame? Find out who won as you watch the ultimate Hitman: Absolution challenge down below.