Portal 2 DLC coming soon with free map editor

Valve has announced (via Destructoid) that the next free update for Portal 2 will include the Perpetual Testing Initiative, which is fancy Aperture-talk for what we in the shamefully Portal-poor world call “a level editor.” The PTI update, due for release as a free Steam download come May 8, will add a finalized version of the simplified map editor that saw beta-testing last year.

Above: That very editor in all its beta-version glory

Maps created within the Perpetual Testing Initiative will be available for sharing on the Steam Workshop (in case you'd gotten this far on hope and fumes, it should be clarified for definite that the PTI content's bound only for computer players). Valve's also said that some maps will get bundled into the game itself, though presumably that initial idea you had for a map shaped exactly like Mario's head might need a little fine-tuning if it'll make the cut.

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Max Payne 3 calls shotgun in latest weapons trailer

Max Payne is an in-your-face kind of guy, so it stands to reason that the shotgun is one of the vigilante's favorite go-to weapons. Learn how Rockstar plans to honor Mr.Payne's killing preferences (and then some) in the studio's newest weapons trailer.

http://www.gamesradar.com/max-payne-3-calls-shotgun-latest-weapons-trailer/

So, what'll it be? The semi-automatic M4 Super 90? The pump-action M500? How about the “wicked fast and light” Super Sport? To be honest, as long as it has a trigger and goes “bang”, we're not going to be too picky in the heat of battle. That being said, nothing says “ultimate bad ass” like dual wielding sawn-off Showstoppers.

This is the latest of many Max Payne 3 trailers to arrive from Rockstar's warehouse. See how the studio aims to make Max Payne's multiplayer one of the most dynamic yet in Max Payne 3 trailer brings Bullet Time to multiplayer, and read our preview of the online mode in Max Payne 3 – hands-on with Gang Wars, Payne Killer and multiplayer Bullet Time.

Max Payne 3 is scheduled to pump fist-sized holes into the PS3 and Xbox 360 on May 15 in North America, and May 18 worldwide. The PC version will also arrive as backup on May 29 in North America, and June 1in the UK and Australia.

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Resident Evil creator reveals survival horror game “Zwei”

Resident Evil and Vanquish creator Shinji Mikami is tapping into his creepier side for his first game with Tango Gameworks, the newest addition to ZeniMax's family of studios (read: Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami joins Bethesda at ZeniMax). In an interview with Japanese website Sokuho (translated by Andriasang), the industry veteran revealed the new game is will fall into the survival horror category, and is currently being developed under the codename “Zwei”.

“I've found my focus and once again I'm striving for pure survival horror,” wrote Mikami in Tango's website update. “I'm being very hands-on to see that the quality is there. Rest assured.”

Tango Gameworks posted a conceptual collage for Zwei, hinting at some of the game's atmosphere and tone.
Mikami said he selected the survival horror genre in order to live up to his fans expectations, and because it was one wherein he felt “most adept”. Few details were given about the actual game, except that planning started in 2010 and it will mostly likely be released for HD consoles. As for the name, Mikami explained it means the number 2, but that it really has nothing to do with the game's content.

More pics and info are expected shortly. While we wait, let us know what you think about Mikami returning to his horror origins.

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Torchlight 2 preorders launch, offering you a free game or Neverwinter key

No, there's no Torchlight 2 release date in this article. However, when the end's not in sight, you've just got to press on and collect as much loot as possible along the way – advice that holds just as true for buying the game as it does for playing it. Both Steam and Perfect World Entertainment are now taking your money in exchange for the promise to furnish you with a copy of the game at Runic's earliest convenience, with both offering equally generous preorder bonuses (via Game Informer).

Steam preorders for the game come bundled with a free copy of the original Torchlight, which ought to provide enough content to turn you into a mumbling shut-in, should that be your ambition in life. Alternatively you could reserve a copy with Perfect World in exchange for a beta key to Neverwinter, Cryptic's Dungeons & Dragons MMO that's not due for release until late this year (here's our recent Neverwinter preview for more on the title).

Torchlight 2's priced at $19.99/£14.99. This month's seen the Torchlight 2 release date teased alongside promises that the game'll be available around the same time as Diablo III – but not the exact same time, because Runic may have been locked away with this thing for a while but the company's not crazy.

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Australia won't see The Walking Dead game

Australia's strict classification laws for video games have once again stopped a game coming Down Under, only this time the publishers didn't even bother going through the classification process.

The video game adaptation of the Walking Dead has been on everyone's lips, however the game won't be sold in Australia or New Zealand.

On Telltale Games' official forum, a member asked about the release of The Walking Dead in Australia. An employee of Telltale replied with the following: "Sorry, but due to the OFLC ratings laws in Australia and New Zealand, and the fact that this is a mature game, we do not currently have plans to release the game there on consoles."

So there you have it: presumably because they expected to be refused classification, Telltale Games has opted to not submit the game at all.

Does this set a precedent for all games that contain mature content? Could Australia see more developers and publishers not releasing games here because of the hassle that comes with classification? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.

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S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 finally cancelled; Devs form new MMOFPS studio

So is S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 dead or what? Last year saw S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 cancelled as studio GSC Game World collapsed in a cloud of radioactive gossip, only for January to bring the revelation that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 isn't dead after all. So which is it for the game with the least-typable name in the history of the medium? Spoiler: The first one. Having for worked on the sequel - unpaid, mind - for upward of a year, the game's developers have finally said they simply can't get the rights necessary to complete and release the game. But even cancerous mushroom clouds have a silver lining.

Above: Scratchy film, subliminal bacteria and giant spiders - they know how to put together a dev diary over in that Ukraine

Here's the first developer diary from the newly-formed Vostok Games, composed of GSC employees still eager to get a decent game out of the ten years' hard work they put into the sadly-deceased sequel. The team's already got a good start on a decidedly S.T.A.L.K.E.R.-esque MMOFPS tentatively titled Survarium, which it's billing as a free-play shooter set in a post-apocalyptic world similar to S.T.A.L.K.E.R's Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Exclusion Zone.

Above: Here's the first concept art released for Vostok's newly-announced Survarium

As Vostok explains, with the loss of S.T.A.L.K.E.R's Chernobyl setting, the stage was set for a game with similar concerns on a much larger scale – so Survarium will comment not just on Chernobyl, but on more recent environmental catastrophes like those in Fukushima and the Mexican Gulf. Vostok is projecting a late 2013 launch for Survarium; keep an eye on the new studio's Youtube channel for future updates, all of them hopefully just as subliminally perturbing as the first.

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Final Fantasy XIV gets new patch and subscription incentives

Final Fantasy XIV has weathered its share of storms, but now Square Enix is offering some new incentives for those who give it a second chance. This week, the studio rolled out patch 1.22, introducing a slew of fresh missions, items, materia, recipes, and gameplay fixes; all of which can be enjoyed for less with the recently revealed Legacy Campaign and Welcome Back Campaign promotions.

The Legacy Campaign is being offered to subscribers who have been active for at least 90 days between January 6, 2012, and the commencement of the version 2.0 beta testing. Those that fit this criteria will be able to secure a reduced subscription rate of $9.99 per month. They will also receive an in-game Chocobo mount designed by FFXIV's art director and have their name immortalized in version 2.0's credits when it launches.

“The Legacy Campaign is our little way of saying thanks to those adventurers who have stuck by us even after billing commenced—for standing fast through rain, hail, shine, and the Seventh Umbral Era. Be sure not to miss out on this limited-time opportunity!” wrote Naoki Yoshida in his latest producer's message.

Meanwhile, the Welcome Back Campaign is geared to those who hold inactive accounts. It offers defectors a free, 10-day membership between May 9 and May 20.

There you have it: A new patch and subscription perks. Is this enough to make you interested, or are you over with Square Enix's online fantasy?

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The Binding of Isaac's Wrath of the Lamb “Mega Expansion” coming next month

The Binding of Isaac's Wrath of the Lamb expansion will be ready for download late next month, announced Isaac's proud creator, Edmund McMillen, today (via Joystiq). While the original Isaac's dad was the knife-happy one, gaming's favorite hysterically-crying little diabolist will get a stack of new items, frenemies and achievements when his progenitor's hard work finally comes to fruition – whereas his mother will still be trying to kill him.

McMillen says Team Meat has been working on the $3 DLC – Isaac's first and last add-on – for longer than the actual game itself, which is still in the news thanks to its irresistible mix of Zelda-style dungeon-crawling, Robotron-style shooting, and Swedish-death-metal-style religious iconoclasm. Yes, the game's truly got something for everyone, with the possible exception of people who think spitting devil-blood onto piles of damned excrement could possibly be less than a laff riot. (Don't knock it, etc).

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Mass Effect 3's Operation Exorcist launching soon, PS3 still not invited

BioWare's issued a briefing on its next Mass Effect 3 N7 Bounty Weekend, assigning Alliance forces to put down an army of Cerberus's sneakiest unit, and keep a squad together through the toughest missions.

Entitled Operation Exorcist, the multiplayer promotion runs this Friday at 6pm (PST) until Monday, April 30, at 5am (PST). Collectively, BioWare is challenging the ME3 online community to kill 1,000,000 of Cerberus's ninja-like Phantoms. Individually, it's daring entire squads to stay alive until extraction on any map set on Gold difficulty.

All players who participate in the N7 Bounty Weekend will receive a free Victory Pack, assuming the Phantom purge is successful. Meanwhile, teams who achieve their Gold map goal will limp away with a Commendation Pack.

Unfortunately, PS3 soldiers will have to watch the fun from the sidelines yet again, as Sony has yet to greenlight the ME3 N7 Bounty Weekends on the PlayStation Network. There is word this might change for future ME3 multiplayer weekends (read: ME3's next N7 Bounty Weekend teased, Sony “working” on PS3 inclusion), but for now it appears Operation Exorcist is an Xbox 360 and PC-only party.

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