DICE cancelled their development of Battlefield 1943 and Battlefield Bad Company 2 Onslaught mode for the PC yesterday, which foreshadowed something big was about to release. In fall of 2011, Battlefield 3 will officially release and bring soldiers what they have been asking for: Prone firing, 64 online multiplayer (PC) and jets.

From the trailer you will notice that there is still a lot of guess work to be done, as DICE loves to slowly roll out small details until the big show at the Games Developer Conference going from Feb 28 until March 3. It appears that Game Informer also has the first exclusive look into the game, and will have a full spread for their March edition.

Pre-orders also begin today for the limited edition PC version of the game, which can be purchased through the EA Store and downloaded in the Fall.

So, how about those PC games now?

Details

Full single-player campaign and a co-op campaign

64 online multiplayer for PC

Prone firing (laying down)

Using the new Frostbite Engine (new destruction and graphics)

Interactive environments (possibly setting down stationary guns, machine guns, anti-tank rockets, etc.)

Jets

Helicopters

Official Trailer for Battlefield 3

Duke Nukem Forever, the fabled unicorn of the game industry is alive, and now utilizing urinals.

While you are busy playing your terrible remake of Duke Nukem 3D for the iPhone – which happens to be free at the moment – you may be thinking, “Hey, where is the news on Duke Nuke Forever?” Apparently it’s in the pisser.

From what I can tell as of now, this looks to have some very interesting little features like we loved in Duke Nukem 3D. Although playing pool just consisted of randomly hitting the balls, this amazing – sarcasm – white board drawing action is top notch.

Apologies for the colorful language, but as you will clearly see, it’s justified.

Before Iron Man 2 premiered, there were a slew of custom Iron Man 2 pieces of merchandise floating around the net. Behold the 360.

Iron Man, or perhaps Tony Stark fans be warned, this custom Xbox 360 mod is not just for gamers, but a piece of art. Created by 19-year-old Zachariah Perry Cruse, sculpture student, has built a fully functioning Iron Man themed mod for the original Xbox 360.

In addition to being one of the more amazing modifications, the system totes a 120 GB hard drive (with custom Star Industry logo), red wireless controller and the other regular cords. According to Cruse, the system has only been used a few times to ensure it functions properly.

The price tag: $910, with over five days left on the auction.

[Iron Man Xbox 360]

Poll Results

We held a poll last week asking if you all would purchase the Xbox 360 Kinect, and the results are in.

From the 300 people that participated in our poll, it would appear that a majority of users were still split between whether they want to purchase the Kinect or not. Forty-four percent of you said you would purchase the Kinect, but 42 percent would not.

Judging by these close numbers, it would be safe to assume these results are due to a lack of information on the Kinect. The same type of results could be seen when the first iPhone was being advertised, but there was still a lack of user experience.

We will hold another poll on the purchase of the Kinect in November, a few weeks after it has hit the market. We will also compare these results with the initial sale numbers and see if they match up.

Red dot of doom

The Red Dot of Doom has been spotted in the wild. It appears when the new Xbox 360 overheats and must cool down.

The newest version of the Xbox 360, the slim, now warns gamers that their system has peaked its sustainable temperature and must cool down. Something tells me that if this appears often, long tournament gaming may have some slight issues in the future. Regardless, Microsoft has now put in some early warning indicators in effect, which is great.

In addition to the image shown above, the center of the power ring will flash a red dot. Microsoft has also removed the possibility of the red ring of death, as the lights will only flash green now.

[Via Microsoft]

Gamestop just loves leaking prices and release dates on their products and now it has spilled the beans with the Kinect.

According to the Gamestop pre-order page, the Kinect will cost $149.99. It will be in stores on November 4.

[polldaddy poll=3345543]

Project Natal

Project Natal, the uber motion capturing camera like device for the Xbox 360 has been sort of confirmed for October.

Speaking to GamerTagRadio, Microsoft’s marketing manager for Saudi Arabia, Syed Bilal Tariq, says that the Natal launch, “is going to be somewhere in October and we will be in a position to confirm the date at E3, which is in June, but definitely it is going to be October 2010.”

According to G4TV, Tariq is  actually a third party vendor and may not really have any true insight into the release date.

So what do you think the Natal will be called at release date?

Our guesses:

Xbox Capture

Xbox Vision

Xbox body scan creepy TSA machine

Wii just made Sony our bitch

Shot from the UAV helio and damn is it sweet.

Battlefield Bad Company 2 may not be out till March 2010, but we’ve got the first look and it is pretty.

Everything that was wrong about Battlefield Bad Company 2 seems to have been repair in the newest installment from DICE. Battlefield games are honestly one of our favorites, so this may just be a bit biased, and keep in mind that it’s still in beta testing. From the beta test we can inform you that there will be a much better form of destructibility, which DICE calls destruction 2.0. Rather than an entire wall just blowing up it now fragments and acts more realistic. Entire buildings can be destroyed by blowing out it’s infrastructure and you can even create improvise gun holes will a drill.

The next biggest upgrade to the game comes with fully customizable kits. You start with each of your basic weapons and every time you upgrade a kit, all classes get that same weapon. Clearly the assault and media class won’t get specialized guns like a sniper riffle, but you can mix and match them. Additionally, for each gun you choose under a class, you can choose the specific add ons.

Personal upgrades and add ons:

You can now upgrade your character will items that improve accuracy, damage, defense and additional weapons. Each sunsetting you set under a class will remember the personal upgrades you choose, which makes this a great improvement.

Goodbye old school artillery:

Remember that ridiculous large gun that you had to sit in to fire artillery at the enemy, only to get team killed? Well from what it seems, it’s finally gone. It has been replaced with a mobile computer that controls a small UAV helicopter (can be seen in the various screen shots), which can fire a missile that will pretty much take out anything. Every 40 seconds or so you can fire another missile, but the UAV helicopter is pretty weak, as one shot with a sniper rifle will take it down.

Graphics:

The details in the graphics have clearly been upgraded, which is always nice. It also doesn’t seem to slow down game performance of any kind.

Audio:

Where is the new remixed Battlefield theme? For shame DICE/EA! The sound in the game has also been upgraded. If you are camping in an area it’s not hard to hear those above you running around.

Kit improvements:

Guns are now more powerful, although are generally the same as the first Bad Company game. The medic now has paddles so if your teammates suck, you can do a bit more than just throwing health packs. Health packs themselves are now thrown down and heal all those who sit around it. Your health is no longer a static thing, as they took a card out of the Halo series and placed health regeneration into the game.

More to come as it’s discovered. Follow the various battlefield and Playstation names on Twitter, as you two can get your hands on the closed beta access. For those without a PS3 you can get it on your PC in the upcoming months and at the begging for 2010 it will be downloadable on the Xbox 360.

Zombie Ninja will own you.

Xbox Live has officially launched it’s early release update to allow it’s users onto Facebook and Twitter when connected to Xbox Live Gold. While the features are pretty dull and outdated, this can open up new doors to having “apps” on the Xbox 360. The quick  update will take less than 5 minutes to download, with an additional download needed for Facebook. Although currently it just lets you post your status and see basic updates there is obviously room for advancement. Twitter keeps all of it’s functionality with the exception of the explanation of why trending topics are trending topics (honestly our favorite thing on there, whoever writes those snarky brief explanations rocks).

Sadly there are no options at this time to update your status automatically by what game you are playing, even though over a year ago a Facebook app was made just for that. There will probably be an update in the not so distant future to automatically update your status with what you are doing on the Xbox and also boast about achievements and other nerdy gamer things. Perhaps this could lead to another form of parental control, where mommy and daddy can ensure little 12 year old billy is in fact doing homework and not playing Grand Theft Auto while acting like a bad ass (it’s happened to you and we all hate them kiddies). Obviously any half minded person can turn these features off but still, there is quite a bit of potential available.

Obviously Microsoft is a bit behind as the Wii and PS3 both have Web browsers in them, which means you don’t need to download apps just to get on Facebook or Twitter. PS3 also is a bit nicer as you can watch streaming videos on your TV rather than a smaller computer monitor (sorry tiny HD monitor, I love your big sister more).

More likely than not these custom apps will start to be more prevalent on the Xbox 360 and by time Project Natal is completed some form of a Web browser will be installed onto the console. Speaking of, around the time Natal is complete an accessory add on for Blu-Ray will in fact be available.

Here is the information and updates to the Xbox Live update that will be coming to everyone in the coming months. After Play This gains access to the beta test period we will give you futher information. The following information was posted on the Microsoft FAQ section.

Parties - (Available Now, US Only)

Everyone loves to Party!  Check out the new and improved party reconnections and streamlined party invites.

• Party Reconnections – If a user is disconnected from a party inadvertently, they will be automatically reconnected to the party without any user interaction
• Streamlined Party Invites – Invites are now just a click away!  Never again will you have to navigate through multiple screens to get all your friends together.

Account Management- (Available Now, All Regions)

Been an Xbox LIVE member for a while?  Check out some of the new features we’ve added just for you.

• Gold Member Veterans – Been here long?  Show it off!  Anyone looking at your gamer card will now know how long you’ve been an Xbox LIVE Gold member.  And who knows, there might be other perks for you, too.  Thanks for sticking around!
• Subscription Notification – If your Xbox LIVE subscription is about to run out, you will now be notified when you sign into Xbox LIVE.  No more surprises the next time you hop in to frag your friends.
• Fixing Invalid WLID’s – If the Winodws Live ID (WLID) you provided has expired, you will now be prompted to update it the next time you sign into Xbox LIVE.  (This feature coming later in the Preview)

Account Recovery - (Available Now, All Regions)

Many changes have gone into the account recovery process to speed it up and to increase reliability.

Avatars - (Available Now, All Regions)

Avatars have seen lots of love!  Check out the new Marketplace and Avatar Props.

• Avatar Props – You can now equip your avatar with animated items they can carry around and interact with.
• Avatar Marketplace – Reflect your sense of style with the new Avatar Marketplace.  Download and purchase premium items, including branded apparel from your favorite fashion labels and Xbox 360 games.

Netflix – (Available Now, US Only)

Now you can watch movies with your friends and find new movies to add to your Instant Queue without leaving your seat.

• Party Watch – Catch a show with your friends!  You can now bring your party into Netflix and watch a movie or TV show together.
• Find Content Faster – You can now browse through New Releases and other genre lists based on the types of shows you’ve previously watched, all from the comfort of your couch.
• Improved Playback Experience – Improvements have been made to ensure a better experience when adapting to changing network conditions.
• Improved Presence -Richer information is now displayed in the Friends channel and in the Guide showing what you and your friends are watching.

Video Display Options – (Available Now, All Regions)

Various improvements have been made to make it easier for you to see your game in the highest resolution possible when using an HDMI connection.

• Display Discovery – This feature allows you to override audio and/or video formats independent of the display’s capabilities.
• How it works – By default, the console uses the information provided by the display (via its EDID) to determine the audio and video capabilities of the device. However, often the data is invalid or malformed, hence compatibility issues are encountered. When disabling display discovery, the EDID of the display is ignored, thereby, enabling the audio and video settings to be overridden with the desired format regardless of display support.
• Who should use it? - The Display Discovery feature is available for DVI and HDMI connections in the Display settings section of System Settings in the dashboard. Please note that Display Discovery should only be disabled if audio and/or video related compatibility issues are encountered – otherwise, the output quality may be compromised.
• Monitor Support - Additional monitor resolutions are now available for HDMI connections.

User Ratings – (Available Now, All Regions)

User ratings help you find content that other people think is awesome!

• How it works – Every piece of game content on Marketplace can now be rated using a 5-star system.  Just open up the details on what you want to rate and chose the Rate button.  Each time you press the Rate button, you add one star to your personal rating.
• Sort by Ratings – Now you can easily find great games that you might have missed out on.  Just visit Browse All in either the Games or Video Marketplace and twist over to the Top Rated games to see what everyone’s been talking about.

Games on Demand – (Coming later in the Xbox LIVE Update Preview, All regions)

Enjoy the convenience of finding and buying new games right from your couch.  You can now download full Xbox 360 games over Xbox LIVE.

• Purchase – You can purchase a game through the Game Marketplace and download it directly to your console.  This purchase is also stored in your purchase history so you can delete it and download it again if you run out of space.
• Manuals – Game manuals will be available for these games on Xbox.com so that you will still have access to the full manual that comes with the boxed version of the game.
• Digital Rights Management (DRM) – Games on Demand titles follow the same licensing rights as all other forms of downloadable content.  Users are granted a user license that will allow the purchasing Gamertag to play the game on any console, and a console license that will allow anyone to play on the console that the content was originally downloaded to.  No physical disc is required to play these games!

UI Improvements – (Available Now, All Regions)

Some parts of the dashboard have been slightly re-organized to make it easier to find the things you’re looking for.

• Indie Games – We listened to our community and have decided to change Xbox LIVE Community Games to Xbox LIVE Indie Games. We feel this new name better represents the independent spirit of these titles.  User ratings are also available for Indie Games, which will allow you to share your rating for a game and use ratings from others to find new content.  We hope these changes will help people discover more games they love.
• Achievement Browser – You can now launch a game directly from the Achievement browser making it even easier for you to max out your Gamerscore.
• Achievement Tracking – A new All Games view inside the Profile panel includes a summary of Achievements earned across all the games played and shows off all your completed games.
• Achievements – Check out the changes to the Achievement browser while playing a game.  It’s now much easier to read through all the achievements so you can rack up the Gamerscore faster.
• Streamlined Navigation – New entry points in the Dashboard for Active Downloads, Redeem Code, Auto Sign-In (via Profile), Create Profile, and Recover Gamer Tag, so that these features are much easier to find.
• Voice Messages – When recording a voice message, a warning is now displayed if no audio is detected so you don’t accidentally send blank messages to your friends.

Console Settings – (Available Now, All Regions)
We’ve reorganized the Console Settings menu with fewer, more intuitive categories.

• Memory – Time stamps now appear in the Memory Area.  This is particularly handy when managing saved games.
• Friends List Sorting – It’s now much easier to find your friends!  Sort your friends list by Activity, Gamertag, or Online Status (default).  Just press the Y button while you’re viewing the friends list in the Guide to change the sorting order.