With Xbox Live support for original Xbox titles set to be discontinued on April 15, the online multiplayer of Bungie's beloved Halo 2 doesn't have much time left. On April 15, all original Xbox games will no longer be able to access Live (whether played on an original Xbox or an Xbox 360). The reasoning behind the decision is to allow Xbox Live to continue to evolve in ways that are currently restricted by the ongoing support of original Xbox games. But as a result, unless you pick up a copy of Halo 2 on PC, the last opportunity to play the game online will be on

EA Sports Active was a bona fide hit last year, almost managing to challenge Nintendo's own Wii Fit in its debut month. This year, EA is following that success with not one but two sequels, both listed as "TBA" in the company's financial earnings report. Both are simply outed as console titles coming in the third quarter of 2010 -- that is to say, between October 1 and December 31.
We can't tell for certain what EA's plans are for the franchise,

Super Bowl XLIV has come and gone, and once again the EA Sports prediction has come true. This brings the grand total of accurate predictions up to six, with 2008 remaining as the only inaccurate game called by the company's Madden franchise simulation. As usual, however, the predicted score was much less accurate, and this year some unexpected plays by the New Orleans Saints took a major part in throwing off the simulation's idea of how the game would go down.
EA Sports predicted a high-scoring, nail-biting game through the first three quarters, ending at 24-21. In reality, the Colts took a modest 10-6 lead into halftime. It was after the half that the Saints found their momentum, starting with a risky onside kick that paid off with a touchdown. The Colts answered

Hey, remember Alpha Protocol? Sure you do. It's an espionage action RPG from Obsidian Entertainment? Originally planned for release way back in February 2009 before it was delayed twice, with the last setting it for a vague spring 2010 release? Well speaking to MTV Multiplayer, Sega explained why Alpha Protocol has been pushed back so much...and evidently announced they pushed it once again to summer.

There's still very little known about Metroid: Other M, the new installment in the Metroid franchise that's being developed in collaboration between Nintendo and Tecmo's Team Ninja. But in the pages of the latest Famitsu (via Andriasang), Metroid co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto explained a bit of what the game's focus will be.
"[Different] from the rest of the series, this time we're strongly depicting the human side of Samus through such things as movies," Yakamoto said. "She's a strong woman, but she also has a fragile side. We want to make a game whose charms can be felt from the story areas and these human touches as well. It's an action game, but it's capable of having a clear

I could see UFC announcer Bruce Buffer beaming from his chair -- at THQ's first-look event for UFC Undisputed 2010 -- as a photorealistic digital Buffer avatar performs his signature "180" move on the big screen. "They put me in the suit, with the tennis balls and everything," he tells the woman standing next to me.
If THQ cares enough to make sure UFC's famed announcer looks and moves authentically, then you can imagine how much work the developers are putting into the actual fighters. Last year, many of the athletes were designed using the game's create-a-fighter toolset; this time, every single one of the more than 100 fighters are now realistically rendered to enhance the UFC experience.

It's been a couple years, but maybe you remember the ridiculous fake controversy that erupted on Fox News after the first Mass Effect was released, where they flagrantly misrepresented the game's sex scenes as being hardcore with full-frontal nudity. Well members of BioWare's forums remember, and one asked the developer point blank if fear of another controversy led them to tone down the sex scenes in

When Sunsoft announced their return to western development last December, they made a re-release of their original Blaster Master on the Wii's Virtual Console their first priority. Now Blaster Master fans have a even more to be excited about: Sunsoft has announced that a brand new sequel called Blaster Master: Overdrive will be released on WiiWare this Monday, February 8.
In Blaster Master Overdrive, players control Alex, the world's "foremost biologist," as he attempts to save humanity from a virus that has mutated animals into flesh-eating

101 Free Games 2010
Even more of the best games money can't buy. By Scott Sharkey





Times are tough, sure. Nobody got a raise and ain't nobody complaining on account of well, they still have a job and would like to keep the thing. Belts tighten and we start cutting down on luxuries. On the up side, videogaming doesn't have to be one of them. There are great big sparkling piles of distractions out there. Worlds to conquer, castles to defend, and aliens to explode, and they all cost exactly zip. Maybe not all of them will perfectly suit your taste, but with 101 to pick from you're sure to find something that'll keep you busily avoiding anything

[Editor's note: Below you'll find a news column idea we're testing out. Instead of just recapping the big stories that you've probably read already, we're having Mike pick out some of the most interesting and bizarre headlines of the week and have fun with them. Is this something you'd read? Would you want things covered differently? Let us know in the comments as we give this new format a shot.]
Sit down with your favorite flavored God of War 3 Slurpee -- 'tis time to recap another week in gaming news. We'll be doing this every Friday until I'm

As a franchise prequel, Star Ocean 4 charts mankind's tentative first steps into space as they seek to colonize a new planet. Much like the rest of the series, it's an unapologetically Japanese-style RPG, the main differences here being terrible pacing and refined combat.
Being a JRPG, you can assume the following: you use swords and magic, you lead a band of plucky androgynous teenagers and "old" battle-hardened thirty-somethings against an "ultimate evil," the main protagonist has a ridiculous name (Edge Maverick), and you possess mysterious powers that you don't yet fully fathom. And although you try to blend in on the planets you visit, none of your characters can be bothered to change out of their gaudy space suits, put on different clothes, or hide their fancy space swords. But clichés and gaping plot holes aside, the story's

It's easy to reduce Halo: Combat Evolved to "dude in green power armor blows up some aliens," but when you actually think about all the words being said in-between the firefights, there's a lot of crazy, grand sci-fi going on. First, the Halo trilogy itself provides the widescreen sci-fi experience of Master Chief saving the galaxy from the Covenant and the Flood. And then there're the numerous books and even spin-off games (Halo 3: ODST, Halo Wars) which expand the Halo universe as a whole.
Already, Halo has the kind of lore filled with crazy words like "Jiralhanae"; and it's where "Reach" isn't just a verb, but a vital military colony with a

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Gamers are used to sensational news coverage about our favorite past time, but once in a while a report lowers the dialogue to a point at which it's hard to tell if we should be shaking our fists in anger, or laughing hysterically. For a great example, check out the recent report out of KDVR from Denver, Colorado (above). Right from the start, the report sounds perfectly fair and objective by referring to the games kids are "dying to play." It goes on to talk about the "growing" problem of child predators using game networks to find their victims.
While the report is critical of the gaming community, portraying it as a dangerous breeding ground for sexual abusers, the bigger problem here is how sensational and poorly-researched the piece is. It profiles a young female gamer who was spoken to inappropriately, but doesn't mention the outcome

I suppose it's only a matter of time until the ever-popular Harry Potter universe undergoes the Lego videogame treatment -- and I couldn't be more excited. I'm already a fan of developer Travelers' Tales' games (as well as the world of magic and muggles), so you can imagine my great enthusiasm as I stumble into a hotel room to take my first look at the block-breaking fun that Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 will be sporting come May.
Lego Harry Potter will be instantly familiar to those who have played past Lego games, as the basic series formula remains: you break blocks, pick up studs, find hidden collectibles, and unlock characters; all while watching the developer's humorous spin on storytelling. But the developers have also always done a good job at customizing the games for each

In what seems to be becoming something of a trend, THQ is packaging an older game with the upcoming shooter Metro 2033. In this case, last year's Red Faction: Guerilla.
Pre-ordering the upcoming post-apocalyptic shooter on Steam will net you the surprise hit as well, which was highly praised when it debuted last year. We gave it an "A" in our review.
On the face of it, Metro 2033 doesn't have a ton in common with Red Faction, apart from the publisher and maybe the