Impulse loves Red Faction. The other digital download service is currently offering a hip pre-order deal for Red Faction: Guerilla. If you choose to reserve your digital copy, Impulse will give you original Red Faction (2001) and Red Faction II (2002). Both titles use Volition’s Geo-Mod technology to a startling degree: don’t be shocked if you accidently fall in a hole of your own creation.

Guerilla won’t hit the PC until August 25 of this year, so you have some time to consider your purchase. The bonuses, however, can be claimed as soon as your Impulse account has been charged.

I loved the original Red Faction, but I never got around to playing the immediate follow-up. It’s odd, really, considering how much I enjoyed the first game. I did recently purchase Guerrilla and I’ve loved nearly every second of it. It’s my pick for open-world action game of the year -- a definite can't miss title. 

[Editor's Note: Forgive me, but I simply couldn't not use that picture again.]

Don't you just love those massive bundles on Steam that bring you an entire developer or publisher's catalog of games for a super discounted price? Of course you do, because saving money is always fun.

This time, we have got an appropriately-titled collection from 2K Games called the "Huge Game Pack." Sounds like one of those sketchy fifty-in-one "game systems" you'd find at a flea market, doesn't it? The bundle includes stuff like Sid Meier's Pirates!, BioShock, Freedom Force, X-COM, and a million versions of Civilization IV.

In total, there's 20 different games, and while the normal running price for this grouping is $60, the price has been brought down to $54 from now until July 7. If it weren't for Shacknews, I probably would have missed spotting this deal, so thank them for catching it!

Look, I don't mean to call Codemasters out, or say that DiRT 2 isn't attractive visually, but when it comes to these latest screenshots for the off-road racer, there appears to be more than meets the eye.

No, I'm not talking about Transformers, unfortunately; I mean the images look modified (I've seen a few 'shops in my day), and not indicative of the actual game. Which, let's face it, isn't anything new for the videogame industry.

Or maybe, just maybe, DiRT 2 looks so good that it'll have you thinking there's visual trickery afoot. In either case, the purpose of these images is to remind us of the game's existence, more than anything else. Job well done, guys.

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If you've still got a nasty taste in your mouth after 2004's Softmax-developed Magna Carta: Tears of Blood, it may be time to reconsider. Like the original, the prosaically-titled Magnacarta 2 doesn't have anything to do with the medieval British document of the same name. Nevertheless, it does feature big boobs and numbers coming out of people's heads, so that's enough to keep me interested.

The Tentacleporn Archipelago (better known as Japan) will get the title on August 6, and Namco Bandai will be localizing the game for Europe and North America some time this winter. So far, Magnacarta 2 is an Xbox 360 exclusive.

According to the new trailer (below the jump), this new game takes place 1,000 years after the original, which is how long it actually took to develop. There's not too much to comment on: the story is appropriately melodramatic, the character designs are questionable, and the production values are top-notch. If that sounds like a generic Japanese action-RPG, don't worry: Colette's E3 impressions were very positive.

Besides, y'know, big boobs and little numbers coming out of heads.

Hit the jump for a new trailer and a gallery full of screens, and if you need a little more visual stimulation, check out Magnacarta's first trailer.

[Via Gamekyo]

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The rumors are true! Fez, the hybrid 2D/3D indie platformer for PC that looks as if it could instantly bring joy to your life within the first few seconds of booting it up, has been confirmed for a 2010 Xbox LIVE Arcade release.

Polytron Corporation brings the good news in the form of an adorable image that really says it all. No, seriously, there's literally nothing more to the story than that.

I know I want Fez, and you probably want it too, so let us not only be thankful that independent gaming is doing as well as it has been lately, but also be happy that Fez will be seen by an entirely new audience when it makes it to LIVE Arcade.

[Thanks for the heads up, Ryan]

The Culdcept series rules. If you like board games, card games and screwing over your friends, there are few games which can compare. But, apart from a PS2 release and Culdcept Saga for the Xbox 360, predominately English-speaking Culdcept fans like the attractive and popular people pictured above have been left out in the cold.

Thankfully, some stalwart heroes over at GBATemp came to the rescue and have been working on an open translation of last year's Culdcept DS. While things look to have stalled out a bit on the project, all of the cards have had their mechanics translated. Individual card descriptions, story mode script and in-game taunts from characters still need a lot of work, but that's just icing. As long as I can play Culdcept DS, I'm a very happy camper.

If you can read Japanese, they have a wiki set up where you can contribute to the project. And you should, because Culdcept is awesome and you want to be part of something awesome, right?

[Thanks, P3T3Y!]

I was planning on spending this weekend drinking beer and grilling food up on my balcony considering it's the fourth of July and all, but after hearing about this, I couldn't help but think I might have to reserve an hour for a little gaming -- and pay absolutely nothing to do so!

Sega has announced that in the spirit of this patrotic holiday, they will be giving away the iPhone/iPod version of Columns Deluxe all weekend. I'm not sure what Columns has to do with good old American spirit, but you know, I don't care, because it's free and that rules.

The second best thing here (other than it being free, of course) is that you also get Puyo POP for free with it, so it's not one, but two games free. Head to the App store to grab it starting tomorrow and lasting through Sunday. O happy day!

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Once upon a time, the Dragon Ball franchise was behind some of Atari’s highest grossing titles. Throw the words “dragon” “ball” and “budokai” on a box and Atari would be looking at money in the bank. Those days are behind us -- Namco Bandai has announced that its secured exclusive North American rights to publish all future Dragon Ball titles across all major consoles and handhelds for the next five years.

The deal officially begins in January of 2010, but Namco Bandai are getting a head start later this year. The publisher has secured the rights to publish three Dragon Ball titles in 2009: Dragon Ball: Raging Blast for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3; Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo for the Wii; and Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans for Nintendo DS.  

This comes as huge blow to Atari, who has recently faced some very public hard times -- pulling out of E3, seeing Phil Harrison stepping down from his high-publicized position, and then selling off its European publishing arm. Our sources have been indicating trouble for Atari for quite some time now, too; we wouldn’t be surprised if Ghostbusters: The Videogame was the publisher’s last shelved retail title, if what we’re hearing has been accurate.

But despite its fiscal difficulty, we don’t think we’re seeing the last of Atari… just a few changes. The publisher has a huge back-catalog of strong, recognizable IPs that would be perfect for the digital download space. How does an updated version of Q*Bert or other classics sound? We wonder what the folks at Cryptic Studios are up to right now…

If you don’t know who Grandmaster Flash is, you need to take some kind of modern music history class. Or play Activision’s DJ Hero when it ships this fall… because he’s in it.

Grandmaster Flash contributed both his likeness and exclusive mixes to the game -- “DJ Kool & DJ Demo 'Here Comes My DJ' vs Gary Numan 'Cars'” and “Herbie Hancock 'Rockit' vs N.E.R.D. 'Lapdance'.” Additionally, you’ll hear his voice during the game’s tutorial mode, and developer Freestyle Games created an exclusive mix for the game using two of “Grandmaster Flash’s original creations” (whatever that means), “Boom” and “Tap.”

Activision has also released two gameplay videos of the aforementioned mix tracks, with both of them being played on Expert. While I haven’t put my hands on the deck yet, both of the tracks look really… easy. Maybe it’s just me, but I’d expect players to be hitting the middle button -- the sample trigger track -- more often than I’m seeing.

Maybe it’s one of those deceptively difficult games. I hope to find out as soon as Activision lets me go hands-on with the peripheral. Honestly, I can’t wait.

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Pre-orders for Insomniac’s upcoming Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time are going to have you making some tough choices. You see, there are a lot of pre-order bonuses; four of them, in fact. Thing is, they're each exclusive to different retailers.

There's a lot of this stuff -- and it's all pretty cool -- so hit the jump for the details.

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Alright, so after Dale's preview of Little King's Story at E3, you might have gotten the impression that he didn't like it so much ... or at least, that he was too tired to talk about it. Having actually been there for the preview though, I can vouch for the game: it looks absolutely gorgeous and has all the whimsy that you would hope for looking at the screenshots. Preordering it nabs you a free Onii figure, too!

XSEED announced today that the game has gone gold, and you can see more of that award winning action after the jump with three new gameplay videos that show off some of the classes in the game including carpenter, chef and more. The game will be on store shelves this July 21st -- are you thinking of picking up a copy?

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Infinite Space is an upcoming DS title from Sega which places you in the shoes of a young hero named Yuri battling his way through space in what sounds to be a bit of a sci-fi epic. That sounds like it could be an interesting RPG to me, but unfortunately the video about contains no gameplay whatsoever, instead going with the anime movie approach instead.

I like anime and everything, but I won't lie -- it's doing nothing for me in this particular trailer. What I want to see if how the game will actually play, and it looks like I'll have to wait a while for that yet. Infinite Space is currently slated for a Spring 2010 release. One thing I do really like about the look, though, is that it seems like a nod to Japan's classic 80's sci-fi anime. What do you think -- worth checking out, or are you tired of RPGs on the DS?

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Overlord was one of my favorite games of 2007. Its unique gameplay, evil-minded focus and silly sense of humor outshone the technical issues and awkward controls to create a fun and memorable title that proudly sits among my top titles of this generation.

Overlord II attempts to pull the same stunt, shining through with some ambitious new ideas and a chance to be far more tyrannical. However, the game's problems seem to have increased since the last game, with new ideas bringing new issues. 

Can this sequel repeat the creative success of the first game and remain brilliant in spite of its flaws, or do the issues drag this follow-up game down into the murky Netherworld? Read on as we review Overlord II. 

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The Steam price of Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic RPG Fallout 3 has been slashed. For what we’re guessing is a limited time, you can purchase the lauded follow-up to the beloved franchise for a mere twenty-five bones. That’s half-price and a spectacular deal, folks. Fallout 3 is a well-supported game with hours upon hours of Wasteland hoofing and violence. Plus, it has zombies (or at least that universe’s equivalent, Ghouls). Zombies equal awesome. ALWAYS.

Listen, we’re all about this deal and this game, obviously. How many of you are still straddling the fence? Was the price holding you back, or is something else? What's it like to be insane?

On a slightly related note, if you're an Achievement whore, the PC version of Fallout 3 has your back. As noted by Giant Bomb fifty billion years ago, all you need to do to get easy Achievements is bring up the console and type "addachievement x" Instead of the "x," put in the number of the Achievement you want and boom, free Achievement.

[Thanks, everyone who sent this in]

Eccentric game designer and all around mentalist f*ckpot Suda 51 has lent a little more fuel to the fire started by Marvelous earlier, stating that No More Heroes "needs" to move away from the Wii in order for it to have any legs. The cult design hero has stated that he wants NMH to be big, but it'll take looking beyond the little white waggle box in order to make it happen.

"I really want to make NMH a big franchise," states Suda, "and with this second episode have bigger success. I’m putting a lot of care into developing this IP, as I feel there’s a lot of potential.

"I think this is the last NMH that is going to be developed on Wii. To expand NMH to new possibilities, we need a new platform. Wii is a great platform, but we’ve done everything we can with it now."

It's not often you'll see a game designer who thinks that moving away from the Wii is a key to success, but most people don't think quite like Goichi Suda. NMH probably stands a chance of getting into the hands of more appreciative gamers on the Xbox 360 or PS3, but at the end of the day, the game's success hinges on one thing and one thing only -- marketing.

The latest trailer for the Wii-exclusive Resident Evil The Darkside Chronicles is about as unsurprising as trailers get. Zombies? Check. Hounds from hell? Check. Soaking wet zombies crawling out of sewer water? Done and done.

Then there are our good friends Claire, Leon, Steve, and -- as if we're supposed to act shocked -- Ada Wong. The gang is all here.

But as familiar as it all looks, it's hard to argue that The Darkside Chronicles doesn't look damned good. Resident Evil fans, and those who enjoy shooting at monsters and other assorted beasts, should be in for a treat. That is, whenever it comes out. Could be this year; could be next. Let's be patient, shall we?

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