Despite sporting a name that you would not show to your mother, Retromaster 5's new arena shooter is quite excellent and doesn't actually contain any inappropriate content. Much like Geometry Wars clone Vector Infector, it (we shall only refer to this game by a pronoun) is a simple, pixelated retro arena shooter with epilepsy-inducing graphics and a delightfully easy scoring scheme. Mixed with the retro feel about it all, it's very fun for freeware fans or shooter fans in general, and worth playing at least once. The name just happens to by NSFW. You have been warned.

[Via IndieGames]

BioWare head honcho and EA VP Ray Muzyka spoke with IGN in a video interview about the PC gaming industry and his company's upcoming projects for the platform. He had positive things to say about the state of PC gaming.

"I think the PC market right now is a very strong place. It's stronger than it's ever been," he said. He talked a bit about microtransactions, digital downloads, and other new developments, but added: "You know at the end of the day it all comes down to can you make a really great game really fun for your fans? And if you can do that and you understand who your fans really are, I think it's an incredibly great opportunity to develop for PC."

He also commented briefly on BioWare's mysterious new Dragon Age IP, saying it's the next generation of and the spiritual successor to the Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights tradition. There's some discussion of Mass Effect in the interview, as well -- reassurance about the DRM controversy, talk of the PC version's interface enhancements, and speculation about future games in the franchise.

Today via press release, it was announced that famed BioShock lead designer Kev Levine would be keynoting the 2008 Penny Arcade Expo (PAX). Levine, head of 2K Boston (formerly Irrational Games), has been tapped for his contributing role in the gaming industry and his unique story telling abilities to kick-start the event.

Apparently one other reason was a driving force behind the decision for the organizers of PAX, his pimpage. "Obviously, Ken is pimp supreme," said Penny Arcade's Robert Khoo, "We're super excited to have him open up the show."

Joined by Levine is a gaggle of musical guests, including: FreezePop, the MiniBosses, Jonathan Coulton of Portal's 'Still Alive' fame and many more.

The event also gives 20 lucky pre-registrants the opportunity to compete in a wide-range of games for a chance to win a trip for two to the Tokyo Game Show, $5000 dollars spending money and a new home theater system.

The fifth annual Penny Arcade Expo lands at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center in downtown Seattle, Washington on August 29-31.

According to FireFly Studios co-founder Simon Bradbury, new installments in the Stronghold and Crusader franchises will eventually see the light of day.

Bradbury said FireFly's current focus is the Xbox 360 and PC action game Dungeon Hero, which is set for a Spring 09 release, but would revisit the studio's other franchises eventually. "Certainly we'll be looking at Dungeon Hero first," he told Videogamer at the Stronghold Crusader Extreme/Dungeon Hero event in London, "I would think if we were to start off work in earnest on Stronghold, the next iteration, it would be after that. "

Bradbury mentions that while the studio feels it isn't time for a new Crusaders installment, fans have been asking for it and Firefly would eventually deliver.

It appears the speculation has been confirmed. Less than an hour ago Joystiq received confirmation from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) that LucasArts is no longer a member of the organization.

According to Rich Taylor, Senior VP of Communications and Research for the ESA, LucasArts has decided to allow their ESA membership expire and will not be renewing. "We value each member of our association, but respect the unique factors that led to LucasArts' decision," Taylor said in a statement released by the ESA.

Director of public relations at LucasArts Margaret Grohne responded to the announcement saying it was business as usual now that LucasArts has branched away from the ESA. "As a company we are still committed to bringing consumers the best interactive experience possible and support the ESA's mission in the industry. LucasArts will be participating in E3."

Recently the ESA was faced with a similar issue when Activision and Vivendi Games announced they had decided to depart the organization over unnamed "business" issues.

ESA's Rich Taylor and LucasArts Margaret Grohne's full statements are available after the jump.

Big robots are a staple science fiction, ranging from the mecha of Gundam to the more realistic Battletech series. Naturally, the PC have seen their fair share of mech games, mostly from the Battletech property (Mechwarrior 2, anyone?). In this same vein, a freeware mech combat game called Young's Modulus has been released to continue the robot-killing legacy. Featuring simple (but not bad) graphics, an interesting interface, and a more detail-oriented focus than most robot combat games, it's worth a try for any mecha combat fans. Plus, it even has a conquest mode, which is a nice change from most mech games.

A note to those who want to play it: To unlock the demo, input any 6-digit code. You can't use the numpad to insert the numbers.

[Via IndieGames]

It's been over three years since Blizzard first launched their massively successful fantasy MMO World of Warcraft. One of the reasons for its popularity is the fact that the game has relatively light system requirements. Of course this comes at the expense of leaving out some advanced in-game graphics and effects. But a new chat with a Blizzard team member at Eurogamer indicates that the game could someday get a graphical overall.

In fact when the upcoming expansion pack Wrath of the Lich King is released it will add some optional high-end graphical effects to the game. But according to Blizzard producer J. Allen Brack a complete graphical overhaul of the game was considered as well for this expansion and could be considered for a future expansion pack. However, Brack points out that some players might still play the original World of Warcraft client for a variety of reasons and as he states, " . . .the idea that we would spend so much time and energy on something and have people go, 'meh, that's not really for me,' that's not very exciting." So don't hold your breath for any DirectX10.1 upgrade anytime soon.

No doubt the cousin of Professor Science, the Jetpack Brontosaurus has been eagerly awaiting to explore the stars with his trusty thruster. The much anticipated browser game of his adventures has finally entered alpha, allowing anyone to step into his over-sized dinosaur boots. Featuring a few missions, there's not much to it at the moment, but it is an alpha. Check it out at the official Flashbang Studios site. You'll need the Unity Player installed on your browser to play, and remember to fill out the feedback form!

[Via IndieGames]

Dungeon Runners, the heavily satirical hack-'n-slash free-to-play MMO, has gotten even more chunky and delicious with the release of the third "Chunk". The chunk, which is a major content update (in the same fashion that NCSoft's own City of Heroes does Issues) includes all sorts of improvements and benefits for free members and paying members alike. There's a balancing of the PvP system, added membership benefits, new quests and NPCs (of course), and a variety of quality of life enhancements. Overall, it's a very solid addition to the game, and if you play Dungeon Runners, you'll be delighted with all the new stuff.

South American mythology doesn't usually show up as a basis for a game but the development team at the newly revealed Poland-based Gingerbread Studios is adding that kind of background to their just announced debut title. The Protector is a first/third person action game that uses two different playable characters, each of which is used in very different situations.

Those characters are British mercenary Jonathan Kane (the player guides him through the action-shooting series) and American archaeologist Jennifer Guile (she is the basis of the game's stealth action scenes). Together the duo are trying to combat a terrorist organization who wants to use an ancient artifact for, natch, nefarious purposes. The press release claims The Protector will have a fully interactive world, advanced AI and a variety of bad guys, including "mythical Aztec creatures." Start researching your ancient lost civilizations now. There's no word yet on a release date for the game.

Last week, I extolled the virtues of a crazy little platformer/shooter called Cave Story, and how I consider one of the best games of all-time. The problem is, though, that a lot of people aren't really into the whole action-adventure gameplay that Metroid, Castlevania, and Cave Story utilize. There are people who want uncomplicated platformers with left, right, and jump. For those people, there is no greater game than N.

Welcome, Herr Doktor. No doubt you have at least sampled the waters of the new TF2 update, resplendent in it's new content. However, you are not concerned over the new Gold Rush map, or the new Payload gametype. No, you are most likely aiming to obtain your überweapons: the Blütsauger, Kritzkrieg, and Übersaw. Unfortunately, you have to complete the many new medic achievements, ranging from the incredibly hard to the very simple. Thankfully for you, Herr Doktor, we have compiled a guide to acquiring those achievements in the easiest way possible. We have already given you the first, second, third and fourth, so here is the fifth. Keep this in mind the next time we proclaim our love for you.

The game is due for release on May 28 but today we have some new gameplay videos from the PC port of Mass Effect, the acclaimed sci-fi RPG from developer BioWare. You will be able to see how the game looks in comparison to the previously released Xbox 360 version. If you are not familiar with Mass Effect these movies will give you a taste of the gameplay goodness that will soon be available on your PC's hard drive.

Download the Mass Effect PC gameplay movies from Big Download now
Gameplay video 1
Gameplay video 2
Gameplay video 3
Gameplay video 4