TimeShift wasn’t the block buster title that Sierra Entertainment was looking for. That is why today, Sierra announced that they will be releasing a free multiplayer map pack on Xbox Live today. Titled “Futures-Past Multiplayer Map Pack,” the pack contains five new maps, all compatible with the various game modes. If you have a free minute and were one of the few people who bought TimeShift, I would defiantly recommend giving the pack a download. What’s it going to cost ya?

Hit the jump for the full press release. Continued…



Today EA Games announced that they are going to be publishing Burnout Paradise for the PC. This is the first incarnation of the franchise to arrive on the PC. According to EA, the game is being “rebuilt specifically for the PC” including an expanded multiplayer and new “community driven content.”

I always thought that the Burnout games would be better on PC. You can get better frame rates and customized controls, two things I thought the Burnout games needed. Hopefully it will be released on steam so I don’t have to go to the store to pick it up.

Hit the jump for the full press release. Continued…



Today Gamecock announced that several of their titles will be available for digital distribution via GamersGate. The first title to hit is Stronghold Crusader Extreme, which should arrive sometime this month. Insecticide will arrive in June, followed by Velvet Assassin which should hit some time in Q3.

For the full press release, hit the jump. Continued…



Like most gamers, the first thing I tried out when I got my hands on Grand Theft Auto IV was the multiplayer. Unsure of how to do pretty much anything, I scoured the manual for some clues. Unfortunately there in no mention of muliplayer.

Today Rockstar Games released a guide containing all the info necessary to get started on GTA IV’s multiplayer.

If you still feel like a noob every time you log on, hit the jump for the full guide. Continued…



This is just a reminder that the demo of Haze, previously announced as out “early May,” will be hitting the PlayStation Network tomorrow, May 8. The demo features 4 player, drop-in/drop-out co-op multiplayer, as well as part of the standard single-player campaign. I don’t know about you guys, but I think it’s worth a download.



Rockstar Games has confirmed that they have released a patch for the PS3 version of Grand Theft Auto IV. Specifically, the patch addresses the issues dealing with online play.

“Rockstar Games has released a GTA IV patch for Playstation 3 today that prevents Gamespy’s servers from being overloaded and therefore reduces the impact on those servers that were causing the game to stutter and lock up. We continue to monitor the performance of the game both on and offline and will provide further updates as necessary. We want to assure everyone that, together with our hardware partners, we continue to strive to give our fans the best possible interactive entertainment experiences possible. This update will ensure that everyone will experience Grand Theft Auto IV the way it was intended. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused.”

Read: Rockstar Patches GTA IV’s PS3 Online Play.



id Software has just announced that it’s making Doom 4. While details are scant, it’s not a stretch to assume that the game is in production for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

“Doom is part of the id Software DNA and demands the greatest talent and brightest minds in the industry to bring the next installment of our flagship franchise to Earth,” said id CEO Todd Hollenshead.

The announcement comes in time for QuakeCon, which will be held July 31.

In addition to Doom 4, id is also working on the original IP Rage (a post-apocalyptic adventure) and the multiplayer-only Quake LIVE.

More details as they come. Continued…



After the conclusion of GGL’s Soldier of Fortune Payback tournament, Ryan “Epic” Rondo of the championship team Six Feet Under sat down with GGL to discuss his intentions going into this tournament, his team’s practice habits, and more. 6FU’s team members won $500 each as well as trips to New York City to have the finals match aired on GameplayHD.

GGL: Tell us your experience in the tournament and how you feel about the entire competition.

Ryan “Epic” Rondo: I thought the overall competition was great! The whole experience of making a show out of the game is exciting. Rather than just having a quick 20 minute match and being done with it, it was fun to make a show about it.

GGL: Did you specifically pick up Soldier of Fortune Payback to play in GGL’s SOF Payback tourney?

Rondo: Yes, I did.

GGL:
How often did you practice for this tournament?

Rondo: I played for about 1 week prior to the online ladder, played that out till a week before it ended, then went onto the Frontlines ladder, then played the Monday before we left. Continued…



Today two separate promotions were announced, both dealing with Rock Band track giveaways.

First up, Best Buy and the band Disturbed are teaming up. If you pre-order the latest Disturbed album from Best Buy, you get access to both “Inside the Fire” and “Perfect Insanity.” This offer is only available to Xbox 360 owners.

The other giveaway deals with the South Park season 11 DVD set. Apparently when you purchase the DVD, out later this year, you will get three unspecified Rock Band tracks. Unfortunately there are no other details.

Read: Disturbed, South Park Get Free Rock Band Tracks.



Last week, Blizzard Entertainment launched a new site with some pretty radical changes, namely the introduction of a digital download store. For the first time, gamers can purchase digital copies of Warcraft III, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, and StarCraft Anthology. More games (Diablo) are promised to be added later on.

This is just what I needed. As someone who has lost or destroyed three copies of StarCraft, I can’t justify buying physical copies anymore. Now I don’t have to deal with awkward store clerks and waste gas when I need to get my Craft on.

Read: Blizzard Gets Its Digital Download On.



Warcraft III great XiaoFeng “Sky” Li has completed his leg of the Olympic torch relay. The torch is on its way to Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

In addition to Sky, JaeHo “Moon” Jang (another WC3 juggernaut) and StarCraft luminary Junchun “PJ” Sha will also carry the torch at some point during the relay.

Here are some pictures of Sky’s relay:

Continued…



GGL received the Steelseries Ikari laser mouse many moons ago, but due to a review backlog, we were only able to open it up recently. Heidi Klum helped me with the review, and pardon the bad lighting, eh?