Warner Bros. has released the first actual gameplay trailer for their upcoming action game, Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters. Featuring the voice and likeness of Ryan Reynolds (who plays the Lantern in the film which is out in a few months), the game allows players to assume the role of Hal Jordan to battle the Manhunters – a once noble android police force who are now bent on destroying the Green Lantern Corps. Players get to use the the Green Lantern Power Ring which produces a range of “hard-light” weapons including a Gatling gun, hammers fists, and much more. Players must try to restore order to the universe when the game goes on sale on June 7 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS.

Artix Entertainment has announced that the open beta release of HeroSmash, its newest MMORPG, is scheduled to launch April 28. In it, super villains and heroes battle against each other for control of strategic locations and items within Super City. Players choose to become either evil Super Villains or good Heroes and fight to ensure their side’s victory. There will be over 50 super powers available though in-game shops, quest rewards, and monster drops. Each character will only be able to equip 6 super powers at a time, but when not in combat, players can switch out which super powers they have equipped. Decked out in super battle armor and armed with a unique combination of super powers, players will be able to engage in both ground and air battles.

The ESRB is introducing a new, streamlined rating process for games that will only be sold and downloaded through console and handheld storefronts such as the Microsoft Xbox Live Arcade, Nintendo Wii or DSi Shop and the Sony PlayStation Store. These games will receive the same recognizable ESRB ratings via a process whose efficiency and ease of use provides the scalability necessary to address the steady increase of games delivered digitally across an ever-expanding multitude of new devices and outlets.

Starting today, publishers of these downloadable games will complete a different submission form than is used for other games. The new form contains a series of multiple choice questions designed to assess content across all relevant categories, such as violence, sexual content and language, among others. The questions also address important contextual factors such as the game’s realism and visual style, its incentives, the player’s perspective, and more. The responses provided determine the game’s rating, which is issued to the publisher as soon as a DVD reflecting all disclosed content is received by the ESRB. All other types of games will continue to undergo the traditional rating process, which involves completion of a more open-ended questionnaire and review of a content DVD by a minimum of three raters who reach consensus on the appropriate rating.

We can all agree that we have seen some incredible games in this current generation of consoles, but according to what Crysis 2‘s R&D graphics principle engineer, Tiago Sousa, told Eurogamer, things can look even better.

“My finger-pointing at Microsoft/Sony would really be on the memory side,” Sousa says. “It’s way too low, and the biggest crippling factor from a visual perspective.” He adds that he wants “a minimum of 8GB” on the next generation of consoles.

Rumors of a Wii 2 have been flying about, and this week on Episode #128.5 of AP.5, Turks, Micieli, Watts, and Billy bring them to your attention. Are the rumors true? What kind of motion controls will it have? Is there really room for the Nintendo console in today’s market? Do we want it to be more adult, or are we happy with the catalogue the way it is? For the team’s speculations on these and other Wii 2 questions, listen now!

You have mere hours left to get in on the MASSIVE Mass Luminosity Giveaway, so enter now!

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Duke Nukem is set to return June 14 when Duke Nukem Forever hits stores. The alien hordes are back and only Duke can save the world, again. Pig cops, alien shrink rays and enormous alien bosses won’t stop our hero from accomplishing his goals: save the world, save the babes and remain too cool while doing it. Shoot hoops, lift weights, read adult magazines, draw crude messages on whiteboards or ogle one of the many beautiful women that populate Duke’s life. And there’s also plenty of time to kick alien butt while taking names.

This video provides a rundown of Duke’s past heroics and a taste of the forthcoming carnage.

Hyperkin, a 3rd party developer of video game peripherals, has announced their upcoming launch of the SupaBoy Handheld Video Game Console designed for SNES game cartridges. The SupaBoy will play original SNES cartridges on a built-in 3.5″ LCD screen and is designed to emulate an original SNES controller including a D-pad and buttons on the front as well as right and left shoulder buttons. Hyperkin has also included two front loading ports that are compatible with full-size SNES controllers and video/audio out, allowing up to two players to play the SupaBoy on a regular TV screen. The device will retail for $79.99 when it releases this summer.

SupaBoy will be compatible with multiple SNES titles including: Super Mario RPG, Starfox, Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, Zelda, Noah’s Ark 3D, Aerobiz and others.

Bethesda Softworks has announced that everyone that pre-orders Rage in North America at Gamestop, Amazon.com, Steam and Direct-to-Drive will automatically be upgraded to the Anarchy Edition. This edition includes four exclusive in-game items: Double Barrel Shotgun, Crimson Elite Armor, Fists of RAGE & the Rat Rod Buggy. And while you’re waiting for the game to release in September, check out this shiny new Dead City gameplay video.

Sega America has released details about Sonic Generations, the video game title in development to celebrate Sonic the Hedgehog’s 20th Anniversary. In it, Sonic will be playable as both the classic 1991 character, and the modern day hero he has become, when it arrives in time for the upcoming holiday shopping season.

Set across three eras from the 20 years of Sonic the Hedgehog history, the recognizable environments of Sonic Generations have been re-built in HD and are playable in both classic side scrolling 2D from 1991, and the modern 3D style found in Sonic’s most recent adventures. Spin Dash and Spin Attack have been included for Classic Sonic, and the Homing Attack and Sonic Boost were brought along for Modern Sonic. The game’s updated menu system strives for immersion into Sonic’s universe with favorite characters and hidden treasures gradually revealed throughout the game.

Sonic’s universe is thrown into chaos when a mysterious new power creates time holes which pull him and his friends back through time. As a result, he encounters some surprises from his past, including Sonic as he was in 1991. Both Sonics must defeat this strange new enemy, save their friends, and find out who really is behind this diabolical deed.

Beginning today the 1993 SNES title, Mega Man X, can be downloaded for the Wii via the Virtual Console for 800 points. Hundreds of years after his death, Dr. Light’s final creation is discovered. Released from his capsule by Dr. Cain, “X” is born into the world of the future where robot rebellions are a thing of the past. But when Dr. Cain tries to implement Dr. Light’s designs into a new series of Reploids, something goes horribly wrong. Now, the future lies on the brink of destruction and X must use all of his newly discovered powers and abilities to hunt down the maverick Reploids and their leader, Sigma, before the human race is wiped from the planet.

Last Christmas was not a happy videogame holiday for big-box retailer Best Buy, which had disappointing sales of both hardware and software during December 2010. In an effort to climb out of the deep retail hole behind GameStop and Walmart, Best Buy has announced plans to spruce up their game sections with new sales desks and extra clerks, described at a recent Analyst Day event by senior VP Chris Homeister as being ”dedicated, informed and engaged employees focused only on gaming.” The revamped gaming sales areas are scheduled to be fully installed by February 2012, and will result in the shrinking of the stores’ music sections.

Source: Gamasutra

We know that hardcore gamers will do just about anything to pwn max noobs, but most draw the line at riding the lightning. However, a study conducted at the University of New Mexico seems to indicate that a tiny jolt might make the difference between defeat and flawless victory. Volunteers had a wet sponge and an electrode attached to their temples while playing a war simulation designed to train soldiers for deployment in Iraq. Those who received a 2-milliamp shock to the scalp (powered by a nine-volt battery) showed significant improvement in their in-game performance following a brief training period. But according to UNM neuroscientist Vincent Clark, ”…they don’t have a good intuitive or introspective sense about why.” Just don’t try it at home, OK?

Source: Nature.com

The figures are in for March, and it looks like the videogame industry took it on the chin once again. According to the NPD Group, hardware, software and accessories purchases brought in $1.47 billion last month, which is a four-percent drop from March 2010. Software sales took the biggest individual hit, dropping 16 percent (not including money spent on online games and gaming, which NPD doesn’t measure). Things were better on the hardware side, with sales rising 12 percent from last year. The Nintendo DS once again was the top seller, moving 100,000 units more than the 3DS, although to be fair, Nintendo’s pricey, glasses-free 3D handheld only had four days worth of sales to report, since it wasn’t released in North America until March 27.

Source: Associated Press

The gods haven’t looked too kindly on humanity, and Earth, as we know it, has been reduced to a group of island archipelagos, populated by BUDDIES, which are pint-sized creatures, unbound by gravity’s forces and free to float and frolic at their own whim and leisure. These BUDDIES have been given free reign over these colorful islands for their own pleasure. But, there is a way to stop them. Fun is the secret ingredient that will ground the BUDDIES and return gravity to Earth. As one of Earth’s last human survivors, it’s up to you to dish out a healthy dose of amusement to restore order on Earth.

Cargo: The Quest for Gravity arrives this May for PC.

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Paradox Interactive has released a new patch for Victoria II that both fixes and enhances the strategy title. There’s an improved AI for economy and military matters, and the economic system has been rebalanced with added support for proper free-market adaption. There’s also a new system for how gun boat diplomacy and bankruptcies work. On the political front, socialists can now back political reforms and liberals can participate in social reform. In the military arena, artillery is now a more useful unit, and mobilization does not punish sparsely populated countries as much as before. And there’s the requisite bug fixes, game balance tweaks and interface improvements.