(click to play the video) We have an exciting new giveaway going on with the Play N Trade to give three lucky people an Xbox 360 Slim *and* a copy of the soon to be released Halo: Reach. Just visit avault.com/halo/ to enter and read all of the juicy details. The Giveaway is open to residents of North America only. The winners will be announced on the Avault Podcast on Thursday, September 9, 2010. The podcast guest on that show will be the Multiplayer Lead for Halo: Reach, Chris Carney.

So go Enter The Giveaway, mark your calendar, and listen to the show to gain all of the Halo: Reach knowledge you can get in advance of the game’s release and hopefully hear your name called among the winners.

Christmas came early for one of our readers this week, and our Grand Prize winner, Austin Bullard, joins the team this week for episode #96 of the Avault Podcast. Austin regales us with the story of his receipt of the shocking news, and not only his, but his mom’s reaction to our founder’s early morning phone call. “Cabin pressure was lost!” In Austin’s own words, his new ORIGIN GENESIS PC will help him realize his “lifelong gaming dreams.”

James Thrush, President of Super X Studios, also dropped by the show to bring news of their upcoming title Greg Hastings Paintball 2. Additionally, there’s a lot more gaming ground to cover and the guys chat about Vanquish vs. Lost Planet 2, Shank, Red Dead Redemption, Mafia II, Starcraft II, and Apple’s new iPod. If you haven’t yet entered our Play N Trade Halo: Reach Giveaway, you only have until Tuesday, so make with the clickage – now!

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With summer mere weeks away from falling by the wayside and ushering in those cooler climates that herald the holidays, it seems like a fitting time to wrap up the big Christmas in July promotion that has been featured on this site over the last two months. For 22 loyal listeners and readers of this site and its related podcasts, they didn’t need to deck their malls to see it’s never too early to hang the holly – for Christmas did indeed come early this year. And for one lucky contestant, he got the shock of his life when Avault founder Angel Munoz rung him up one sleepy September morn and announced the Big Prize was headed his way.

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Yes, Starcraft II is going to be the game for the next PC game night! Join our host, Patrick Watts, tonight at 9pm Eastern time. Game types will be determined once all are gathered. If we get enough people to say they are coming before hand we might be able to set up some type of tournament style and see who really is the top Starcraft II player in the Avault community, so please RSVP below. Patrick’s battle.net account is patrickmwatts@yahoo.com, so just send him a message or friend request to get in.

2K Games and Gearbox Software just announced that forever is nearly here, as Duke Nukem Forever will officially make its long-awaited debut for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC in 2011. Duke Nukem, the interactive entertainment industry’s most irreverent and quoted character of all time, will bring his signature brand of babe-lovin’, cigar-smoking, beer-chugging and butt-kicking action as he once again saves the Earth and its babes from hordes of invading aliens. An actual live demo is playable right now for all PAX Prime attendees that are 17 and older.

Publisher: Square-Enix
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Genre: Action-Adventure
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

Lara Croft is arguably the first true celebrity of video games. Sure, there have been mascots that have crossed over to the mainstream and become household words, but Lara did what neither Mario nor Sonic could ever do. She made gaming seem cool and adventurous to those who often looked upon the hobby as child’s play. With her initial title leading gamers into a brave new world of 3D adventure – launching fairly close to Mario’s first foray into that extra dimension – Lara put forth more than just a pretty face – even if those good looks helped her vault the velvet rope, repping appearances on everything from Entertainment Tonight to the U2 concert tour. And yes, she eventually fell from grace but that was largely to do with the poor handling of her core product and less about the character herself. Square-Enix, the new owners of Eidos’ darling, hopes to trade on her fame with their download-only release, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.

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(click to play the video)With a reach that spans generations, and a gameplay style that attempts to be both classic and fresh in equal measures, Worms: Reloaded sports over 60 single-player missions, team and game style customization, landscape editing tools (including the ability to import images), HD visuals and signature weapons from the series. The game is available via Steam, and Team Fortress 2 players that purchase it before September 2 will receive a Holy Hand Grenade and a Worms army hat for their soldier in-game.

An update just hit Alliance of Valiant Arms that includes an all-new map and multiplayer game mode. Players looking to jump straight into the deathmatch action can now quickly get their fill in the new AI Annihilation mode without having to wait for a full team to form up. Matches can start with as little as one person on each side of the conflict, as bots will fill in the open spots on each team to create a full match. AI combatants can also spawn with weapons not currently available in from the in-game store, allowing their human opponents to pick up new weapons from their corpses.

Jeremiah Slaczka, the founder and Creative Director of 5th Cell, dropped in for this week’s conversation on episode #96 of the Avault Podcast. Jeremiah shared his very unique origins in the industry story, and goes into great detail about how Scribblenauts came about in the first place. He also brought with him some Super Scribblenauts intel. What could you do with a zombie pregnant refrigerator?

As always, the show doesn’t end there. The guys also take the time to explore Angry Birds (the movie?), this week’s hot release Mafia II, user generated content, Rock Band 3, and which games they’re looking forward to in the near future. Don’t forget to get those Bungie-related questions in by September 6!

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(click to play the video)Kalypso Media just released a new video for Patrician IV: Conquest by Trade, their upcoming trading simulation that casts players in the role of a middle-ages era merchant. The video gives an overview of the construction features within the game, and shows how players, through the shrewd use of the town architect, can plan and build the kinds of structures and businesses that are key to expanding the player’s trading empire.

Patrician IV will be available for PC in September.

The operational-level WWII wargame, Decisive Campaigns: The Blitzkrieg from Warsaw to Paris is now available for purchase. In this debut release of the new wargame series, players can experience the tough strategic decisions and operational-level fighting as the leaders of historical operations like Case White, Case Yellow, and the hypothetical Operation Sealion.

Once in the battle, players move regiments and divisions, coordinate attacks and manage logistics during the early Blitzkrieg. The title also features unique actions for specific historical generals to provide a particular objective or front that extra needed push toward victory. Decisive Campaigns: The Blitzkrieg from Warsaw to Paris also includes a multiplayer feature where players can split up Axis or Allied armies between several people.

(click to play the video)Chillingo and indie developer MoreGames Entertainment have just brought Knight’s Rush, a brand new action-adventure game, to the App Store for $2.99. With added heroes and a campaign that features seven worlds to explore, players will discover new enemies, bosses, machines and traps during their adventure. Join the Horde and fight evil troops on your way to total domination.

PlayStation Move motion controller integration for Planet Minigolf will commence via a patch in conjunction with the launch of the Move motion controller on September 15 in Europe and September 19 in the United States. How will it work? Use the PlayStation Move motion controller as you would use a putter on the golf course. Additionally, multiplayer support is available that connects up to four Move motion controller’s at once.

“Never follow me.” With these words, Morrigan vanished into the shadows. Her plans and her whereabouts have remained a mystery…until now. But whether you seek answers, revenge, reconciliation, or that little something you or someone you care about may have left behind, you may find more than you bargained for. The dreaded Archdemon has been slain and the advance of the darkspawn halted by a lone, heroic Grey Warden (yes, we’re talking about you). The kingdom rejoices, but at least one question remains: what happened to Morrigan?

The sorceress joined the Wardens’ cause, but it is said her true purpose was not revealed until the eve of the last battle. She vanished into the shadows, and while rumors claimed she crossed over the mountains into Orlais, no trace of her path could be found.

Nearly a year has passed since the Archdemon’s death, and word has reached the Wardens that Morrigan has returned to Ferelden. She has been sighted in the southern wilderness where she was first encountered. Is it truly her? If it is, then why is she here and what secret does she carry with her? You must head into the forest to find out and tie up this last loose end once and for all.

Dragon Age: Origins – Witch Hunt releases September 7.

Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Developer: Disney Interactive Studios
Genre: Action
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

I haven’t seen the recent movie upon which The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is based. I come into this game only knowing that it’s probably loosely based on the famous animated segment from Fantasia. So, a cartoon short and a movie might make an interesting combination for an action game for the Nintendo DS.

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On October 5, cast ye gaze upon the horizon, pray to Poseidon for fair seas and set sail with Sid Meier’s Pirates. The classic swashbuckling game has been adapted for the Wii, and allows aspiring buccaneers to earn their sea legs serving as captain of one of 27 customizable man-of-war ships while they explore the Caribbean islands of the 17th century.

Descend upon unsuspecting seaside colonies armed with a motley crew of loyal seafaring scoundrels. Embark on missions to locate secret maps and discover treasure chests bursting with gold and jewels. Use these newly acquired riches to barter for supplies and build ships with stronger firepower and bigger sails for faster speed and better navigation. The title also includes two Wii-exclusive mini-games: Bombardment and Lock Picking.