Commander Shepard is a man? It was the greatest lie ever created in future history. BioWare sought to fix this, admitting the savior of Earth (and the galaxy at large) could be recast as female.

Well, it seems the developer has gone one step further and slipped in the female Shepard on the reverse cover of Mass Effect 3 (standard edition). Sure, she's not black yet, but we'll take a partial truth for the time being.

Check out BioWare's unboxing video after the break.

Continue Reading

The power of two crowned indie developer darlings have joined together to form one team, set to bring the Amnesia franchise into a new era.

Speaking exclusively with Joystiq, Frictional Games and Dear Esther's thechineseroom have revealed their latest project, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.

Developed by thechineseroom and produced by Frictional Games, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is planned for a debut on PC later this year. No firm date has been set, but internally the two studios hope to launch before Halloween. A recent alternate reality game has been teasing the the next Amnesia's reveal, sending fans into a frenzy.

"It's not a direct sequel, in terms of it doesn't follow on from the story of Amnesia. It doesn't involve the same characters," Dear Esther writer Dan Pinchbeck told me. Instead, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs will be set in the same "alternate history and set in the same universe." In short, the game will look to scare your pants off.

Set in 1899, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs follows the "wealthy industrialist" Oswald Mandus, who has returned home from "a disastrous expedition to Mexico, which has ended in tragedy." Struck by a destructive fever, Mandus is haunted by dreams of a dark machine until he mysteriously regains consciousness. Months have passed, unbeknownst to the industry tycoon, and as he emerges from his slumber the roaring engine of a mysterious machine sputters to life.

A detailed interview with Frictional Games designer Thomas Grip and thechineseroom's Dan Pinchbeck is coming later today, delving deeper into the darkness with Amnesia's next chapter. And yes, the two discuss what A Machine for Pigs means.

"Oh, God. You're killing me," Remedy Entertainment's Oskari Hakkinen groaned when I pressed him for details on PC plans for Alan Wake's American Nightmare. "I've got nothing to announce at this point," he moans softly into his headset. After a moment of silence I burst into laughter and he quickly joins me.

As Head of Franchise Development, Oskari -- or Ozz, as he asks people to call him -- he'd certainly know Remedy's plan for Alan Wake's XBLA title coming to PC. But American Nightmare wasn't the basis for my call to the Finnish developer. It was Alan Wake's original tale I wanted to discuss, a game many skimmed past due to what many in the industry infuriatingly refer to as an "embarrassment of riches."

On the same day Alan Wake's long development process met its ultimate ship goal, it was greeted by a host of quality competition. The adrenaline-fueled Split/Second landed on shelves. The Prince of Persia returned to his roots in The Forgotten Sands.

Red Dead Redemption happened.

Continue Reading

Borderlands 2 will be out in North America on September 18, and internationally on September 21. That date might be enough incentive for you to pre-order -- it's so far away, and you might forget! -- but 2K offered initial incentive, in the form of the "Premiere Club."

Premiere Club members will get a unique "Gearbox Gun Pack," a "Golden Key" item to unlock something in the Golden Sanctuary Loot Chest, and the "Vault Hunter's Relic." These are all in-game items, by the way. 2K didn't really build a "Golden Sanctuary" and send out keys to it.

Joystiq can exclusively reveal that the next Metal Gear Solid will feature intense zero-gravity chess, cybernetic nano-crocodiles, mirror universe machinations and a trash-compactor escape scene that will serve both as Star Wars homage and finger-wagging sermon on humanity's crushing impact on the environment. Well, provided the Joystiq staff are hired to work on the game.

Kojima Productions has unveiled an extensive list of available jobs, hinged on evolving the in-development Fox Engine and, more importantly, bringing the next game in the Byzantine franchise to life. According to the page introduction, Hideo Kojima and co. are on the hunt for engineers, artists, designers and a brand manager to handle "the latest Metal Gear Solid targeted for high-end consoles and PC."

If you think you can bolster the Fox Engine with new rendering tech, create "fantastic game content," or cultivate MGS "as a global mega-hit franchise in all regions," you should swing by the Game Developers Conference Career Pavilion between March 6 and March 9 and make yourself known.

We might nudge you out of the way as we deliver our own game concept, which we're tentatively calling "Metal 6ear Solid: Sublimation Synthesis." Don't you just love the sound of that, Kojima?

Konami's announced the second pack of downloadable content for NeverDead, continuing the trend of suitable titles with "Expansion Pack Volume 2." This pack also unlocks a new playable character (just like the first download), this time putting you behind the controller as NADA's Chief Sullivan. And while the first pack opened up new modes for the Asylum level, this one focuses on the Sewers, bringing Onslaught, Egg Hunt, and the Fragile Alliance challenges to that area of the game.

There are two additional character costumes for the main character, to match the two new ones from the last pack. Expansion Pack Volume 2 will be available next week on February 28.

Continue Reading

Diana Burnwood is the female lead of the Hitman series, despite us rarely seeing her face. As Agent 47's handler, she's gone to great lengths to protect the hitman, going so far as to bring him back from the dead in a climactic act of vengeance. Now, she's the target. That's gratitude for you.

Continue Reading

BioWare has let slip a batch of Mass Effect 3 DLC on the Xbox Marketplace, titled From Ashes. This is presumably the same DLC as the rumored "From Dust" installment, which at least one GameStop customer may now need to get a refund for. Dust and ashes are two very different things, after all, but we bet any name switching came to avoid possible confusion with 2011's From Dust (if it wasn't a GameStop typo to begin with).

From Ashes will cost 800 Microsoft Points ($10). Mass Effect 2 included the squad member Zaeed as free DLC in new copies, and From Ashes could very well be a new iteration of this format.

For a brief description of the DLC (now with 100 percent more spoilers!) read on:

Continue Reading

A new, free-to-play entry in the classic MechWarrior series has been announced for the second half of 2012. MechWarrior Tactics is in development at Roadhouse Interactive and A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. Games, with publishing duties handled by Infinite Game Publishing.

MechWarrior Tactics is a free-to-play, turn-based strategy game employing micro-transactions for purchasing "vital combat and cosmetic resources to outfit each Mech, assemble a lance of four Mechs, and then go online for epic multiplayer showdowns competing for large payouts and top billing on global leaderboards." Right now, that's all we've got to go on -- if you want to register a commander name, you can head over to MechWarrior Tactics' official site.

Otherwise, feel free to go mech shopping via our gallery below.

Continue Reading

Fans were perturbed when they learned the classic Bullfrog-developed strategy series, Syndicate, would be rebooted in first-person form. The original was a beautiful and brutal affair, set in a cyberpunk world filled with corporate conspiracy. In its reboot, developer Starbreeze manages to hold onto some of those elements that made the original such an intriguing beast. Syndicate showcases its own beautiful brutality, shaking off the label of "just another shooter."

It's 2069. Corporations have ascended beyond the reach of simple governments and battle one another for technological advancement. Civilians are inconsequential, seen merely as pawns in the midst of each company's boardroom brawl, and are often gunned down by characters throughout the campaign simply for "getting in the way." You take the role of the mostly faceless Miles Kilo, an agent at the industry giant EuroCorp, where you have been outfitted with a prototype version of a chip that gives you control over connected devices around you, as well as a number of other abilities. Like other agents, you must work to keep your corporation at peak profitability.

Continue Reading