In an unboxing video, David Silverman, BioWare Edmonton Marketing Director, revealed that all standard copies of Mass Effect 3 have a reversible cover which features the likes of FemShep.

Modern Warfare 3

Modern Warfare 3 contains countless hours of online multiplayer. We’re still leveling up and there is no end in sight. The recent addition of even more prestiges and clan challenges on Elite means that there’s even more to do now.

Best Online Multiplayer (Community)

Gears of War 3

Gears of War 3 has a plethora of online multiplayer modes. With Beast, Horde, and Competitive all fighting for a gamers attention, there’s no wonder the community loves the game. Post release support has added even more to the game with Horde improvements and a ton of characters, weapon skins, and maps.

Best Coop (Staff)

Portal 2

Portal 2 simply won our hearts over. Moving away from the main story never felt so right. Playing as Atlus and P-body was an experience few are likely to forget. With such a high emphasis on working together, in sync, to solve puzzles, very few games reach this level of mutual importance.

Best Coop (Community)

Gears of War 3

With Gears of War 3, Epic Games decided to up the number of players allowed in coop to four. The hearts of many were undoubtedly won over as they could all work together again the Locust Horde and their glowy counterparts.

Gearbox Software has announced that Borderlands 2 will be coming September 18. The team also unveiled the four new characters. As previously announced, Salvador is the Gunzerker, while he is joined by Maya, who appears to be similar to Lileth, Axton, who has a turret similar to Roland’s, and Zero, who instead of having a deathwing like Mordecai, has a sword and invisibility.

The team also announced preorder incentives for GameStop and Amazon as buyers will receive the Borderlands 2 Premiere Club. This includes:

• Golden Key – Unlock a rare item in the mysterious Sanctuary Loot Chest.
• Vault Hunter’s Relic – Play solo or team up with friends and boost your gear-hunting fortune.
• Gearbox Gunpack – A package of unique Gearbox Golden Guns to help you start your journey on Pandora.

Square Enix has released a in character video detailing Diana Burnwood, the handler of Agent 47. See what the International Contract Agency has in her file and then check out a behind the scenes video. Featuring exclusive art from comic artist Ben Oliver, the ICA Files provide an in-depth background check on the leading characters in Hitman: Absolution.

2K Games has announced that Spec Ops: The Line will be releasing on June 26, 2012. Those who preorder the game will get a free upgrade to the premium edition which includes the FUBAR pack “and additional multiplayer enhancements.” “We’re delighted to officially announce the first details about the multiplayer in Spec Ops: The Line,” said Denby Grace, senior producer at 2K Games. “In addition, people who pre-order the game are going to have an immediate advantage in the multiplayer mode.”

The FUBAR pack contains

• Twice the amount of experience points will be awarded during the first week of play, enabling gamers to expedite character ranking;
• The AK-47 weapon will unlock at rank one;
• The “Officer Class” will unlock at rank one. This character class includes several team-based advantages, such as reducing damage to teammates and increasing the effectiveness of other classes;
• Access to the “FUBAR Pack,” which contains exclusive accessories allowing players to customize their characters with unique and visually distinctive items.

“Spec Ops: The Line is 2K Games’ first foray into the military shooter genre,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “We’ve created a unique game that explores the dark realities of war and places players in difficult situations where the line between right and wrong becomes increasingly blurred as players fight to survive.”

Modern Warfare 3 

Sure the game gets a ton of hate. But Modern Warfare 3 is still the definitive shooter on the consoles. After reaching the top of the pile, the game changes up just enough to keep us wanting more.

Best Shooter (Community)

Gears of War 3

The community obviously appreciated all of the work Epic put into Gears of War 3. With a ton of updates, content support, and new playlists, Epic won the community’s vote.

Best Role Playing Game (Staff)

Dragon Age II

Sure, some would say that Dragon Age II isn’t nearly as good as the original, but it’s still a great role playing game at it’s core. It’s still a lot of fun to play, the voice acting remains stellar, and all that blood never gets old.

Best Role Playing Game (Community)

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The community simply loves Skyrim. With an almost unanimous decision, the six year wait paid off.

Best Racing Game (Staff & Community)

Forza Motorsport 4

Forza 4 keeps moving forward. With an improved campaign, more cars, and the plethora of design tools, the game simply won over our hearts.

Best Motion Controlled Game (Staff)

The Gunslinger

The Gunslinger was a game the staff really appreciated. The uniqueness of the content and successful Kinect integration set this title apart.

Best Motion Controlled Game (Community)

Dance Central 2

The community sure likes their dance parties because they chose Dance Central 2 as their Motion Controlled Game of the Year.

Best Fighting Game (Staff & Community)

Mortal Kombat

Finish him! ’nuff said.

Best Action Adventure (Staff)

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

Revelations delivered yet another stunning world. With Constantinople and Istanbul being the new locals, the game felt a lot different than the last one and delivered on it’s promises. The characters were amazing as always and the single player only left us wanting more.

Best Action Adventure (Community)

Uncharted 3

Nathan Drake’s most recent experience pulled the community in his favor as Uncharted 3 wins by a large margin.

Fans of Mass Effect lore should be glad to hear that BioWare has created an all new Twitter account dedicated to the Alliance News Network. The developer has been posting weekly detailing a headlining news story. The Twitter account looks like it will be updated more consistantly so fans should keep their eyes on it for breaking news across the galaxy before the release of Mass Effect 3.

The first headline reads,

Susskind Supercollider experiments on Calabi-Yau manifolds; results “promising,” say physicists.

BioWare has released the complete version of the Take Earth Back cinematic trailer which combines the announcement trailer and the most recent trailer which aired during Sunday’s episode of The Walking Dead. It runs over three minutes and contains full CGI footage of a human being turned into a husk, which grabbed my attention as I had to watch it over and over again. Be prepared to see a city completely flattened by the invading Reapers, this my friends, is genocide.

As an avid fan of things such as The X-Files and Twin Peaks, I jumped at the chance to play and review this title. I loved the atmosphere and pacing of the first game in the series and had high expectations and maybe a little bit of a skewed view heading into this review.

Story: Alan is trapped inside an episode of Night Springs he wrote early in his career. Night Springs is the Twin Peaks like show we were first introduced to in the original title by turning on TV’s in various places. Whats worse is he is not only trapped inside an episode but also trapped in Arizona. You are thrust into a search for Mr. Scratch, Alan’s doppelganger while once again battling the creatures of the darkness called the Taken. Will Alan, the champion of the light survive his own episode?

Gameplay: The make or break moment for any third person shooter is the first taste of the controls. If controls aren’t solid the whole experience will be destroyed (looks at Resident Evil 0). Alan Wake’s American Nightmare controls almost flawlessly with a small hiccup coming in the sprint mechanic. Fans of the original will be right at home with the left handed flashlight, right hand gun combo. Taken are protected by the darkness so you must use your flashlight to break their dark shields before opening fire. In the first game this added to the suspense factor but here it just feels like a chore. Collectible manuscript pages help flesh out the story and also help unlock weapon cases throughout the game. Arcade mode also adds to the meat of the game, pitting you in various places in a horde mode like setting. I really feel like Arcade mode could use multiplayer, but it is a small complaint.

Graphics/Audio: The Arizona desert caught in a unraveling mystery with a war between light and darkness being waged upon its roads and sands is beautifully detailed in the game. The game is also complimented by great sound design raning from the sound of spawning taken to the action movie like scene usage of Kasabian’s “Club Foot”. You really get the feeling something ominous is present in your little desert town. I wish the games climax lived up to the tone set by the sound and art design, but it just seems to fall flat even with superb graphic and audio support.

Overall: I approached this review already feeling like I was going to love the game. Like I stated earlier I am a huge fan of the original game and the similar nature it shares with my all time favorite TV show (The X-files). With that being laid out Alan Wake’s American Nightmare is a great game, sure the $15 dollar price tag is steep for a 3 hour story mode, but while the story lacks suspense and dread it still stands as the best offering from the XBLA this year. If you are a fan of Sci-Fi, Horror, or even just a third person shooter fan Alan Wake’s American Nightmare is for you.

Pros:
-Voice acting
-Atmosphere
-Solid controls
-Arcade mode adds some depth

Cons:
-Very short story
-Only a handful of locations
-Lacks suspense
-No multiplayer Arcade mode

Score: 8 out of 10

A copy of this game was provided by the developer for reviewing purposes.

We previously posted about a 90 second Mass Effect 3 trailer which was to debut during last night’s episode of The Walking Dead. Missed it? Here’s your chance to watch it.