Last evening, Call of Duty: Black Ops finally revealed the impressive spectacle of its multiplayer experience, a feature-rich offering that’ll leave gamers speechless. We played it; we broke it down; and we’re here to give you all the juicy details:

Read more on Call of Duty: Black Ops Multiplayer Reveal…

It’s raining Halo, more specifically Halo: Reach, as we get closer and closer to launch day. The latest videos from the front are this pair of videos from X-Play, showcasing the revamped Forge mode and the Multiplayer game inside Halo: Reach. Bungie’s creative director, Marcus Lehto, gives us a full tour of what to expect. Amazing how far this franchise has come; give the video a peek and I’m sure you’ll agree:

Read more on Halo: Reach Forge Mode and Multiplayer Previews…

PAX is my favorite video game related show all year, hands down. Why? Because it’s really for the gamers, and not the press, the industry, the men who live and breathe by the smell of money. This is a show made for the people with calluses on their fingers, and D20s in their pockets. If you’re a gamer, no matter what your speed, PAX Prime 2010 has something for you.

Read more on PAX 2010: What I’m Looking Forward To…

Being able to slice and dice storm troopers into bits with a lightsaber is always a welcomed feature for a Star Wars game, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II is no exception. However, you know what’s more fun? Slicing, dicing, and force powering your way through challenges, and then rubbing your score in your padawan pals’ faces. And as LucasArts associate producer Devin Hitch told us during Gamescom 2010, you’ll now be able to thanks to one of TFU2’s new modes.

“We’ve also got a brand new gameplay mode called Challenge Mode. These are kind of bite-sized, skill based gameplay modes where you’re testing your skill against navigation challenges or combat challenges. And you’ll be able to post all of your best scores to leaderboards on Xbox Live or PlayStation Network. So that way, you’ll be able to see how your skills with Starkiller stack up against your friends and the world.”

Read more on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 Interview With LucasArts’ Devin Hitch…

All new information on the multiplayer modes of Call of Duty: Black Ops was revealed at an event here in Los Angeles tonight. Our team is at the scene, so look for more details coming soon as they get their K/D ratio in sync. For now though, set your scopes on this brand new trailer for ‘Wager Match’ from Call of Duty: Black Ops, which also showcases some of the various new modes like "One in the Chamber," where players only start with one bullet in their gun, accruing more as they kill other players with melee. Insight from Treyarch on the new additions are also included, but enough reading, come check it out inside:

Read more on Call of Duty: Blacks Ops ‘Wager Match’ Trailer…

To generate a bit more buzz for Chair Entertainment’s newly announced iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch exclusive “Project Sword,” Epic Games has released a free tech demo called Epic Citadel. The Unreal Engine 3 powered app, the world’s first in fact, lets users wander through a gorgeously rendered medieval town filled to the brim with remarkable detail–birds chirping as they circle above, yellowing leaves blowing in the wind, sweeping vistas of the cliff-side kingdom, the glaring sun peeking through fluttering flags, etc.

Read more on Epic Games Wows With Stunning iPhone App Epic Citadel…

Tropical Storm Force Wind Speed Probabilities – 120 Hours – NOAA

(Best Syndication News) – Hurricane Earl is having maximum sustained wind speeds of 125 MPH which is now being classified as a category 3 storm by the National Hurricane Center. The winds strength is anticipated to fluctuate to more intensity over the next 24 to 36 hours. A hurricane warning has been issued from Bogue Inlet of North Carolina up northeastward toward the North Carolina / Virginia borders. The weather service is tracking the path of Hurricane Earl to arrive to North Carolina coastline by late Thursday. The hurricane watch includes the Pamlico and Albermarle sounds. There is also a hurricane watch issued from the North Carolina / Virgina border northwards toward Cape Henlopen, Delaware. There is a tropical storm warning issued from Cape Fear to west of Bogue Inlet.

Read more on Hurricane Earl Warning announced for North Carolina and Virginia Coast Areas…

The fact that sometimes we run through the office screaming "Jason! Jason! Jason!" at each other is testimony to the fact that Heavy Rain is an influential game. We’re big fans of it around here, so we were excited to test it out with PlayStation Move integration.

Heavy Rain creator David Cage has gone on record saying that there probably won’t be any more DLC because the team has been tapped to do Move support. Now, finally, we get to see the fruits of their labor.

Since Heavy Rain is a game based on quick time events, it seems a natural fit for the PlayStation Move. While most Move games want you to jump around the living room, Heavy Rain invites you to sit in a chair. It’s a nice change of pace from all that standing up. As to how Move is integrated into the game, it’s pretty seamless. For some actions, the motion controller is held horizontally and for others, vertically. Then you are instructed with arrows how to move the controller to make the player do what they need to do. Occasionally, you will need to hit the trigger or another button. Heavy Rain was also one of the only games we saw that used the navigation controller, which is what you use to walk around.

The fun part comes when you have to string the actions together. It can take some time to figure it out, but once you do, it does add to the experience. The trick is not to over think it. If you’re trying to open the refrigerator door, act like you’re opening a fridge door. Don’t get too wrapped up in what’s happening on the screen. The beauty of the Move is that you can actually do the motion and it will work.

While Move does definitely add to the experience, it’s not an overwhelming endorsement. Most people who had played Heavy Rain who got their hands on the Move version thought it was cool and all, but it couldn’t hold their attention for another playthrough. Basically, if you’ve never played Heavy Rain or you’re looking to play it again, try it with Move. If you’ve already played it, the Move stuff is cool, but it’s not enough to justify checking the game out again.

Sony is hoping to release the Move patch for Heavy Rain before Christmas.

Read more on The Verdict: Heavy Rain PlayStation Move Edition…

I love Tiger Woods. And I love golf. I’ve been playing both for a long, long time, and when I heard that EA would be integrating PlayStation Move controls into Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, I was very much looking forward to playing a game that showed my one-to-one prowess with the sticks.

So, you can imagine my disappointment when I played the game and realized that the end result is more complicated than playing traditional Tiger Woods or actually golf. I was so frustrated that I wanted to break my imaginary driver over my knee and spend the rest of the day at the 19th Hole, drowning my sorrows in a bucket of whiskey.

This frustration comes from the control scheme being way too complicated, making it almost impossible to play. The way you need to use the Move controller to calibrate your shot location and distance, especially when it comes to putting, is screamworthy. For a game that is so detail-oriented, having to trust motion control to locate a putt, for example, can take you minutes of time, and end with you just putting out of frustration in an effort to try and end the game faster at any cost. Power, too, is a point of frustration, in that you can practically tear your rotator cuff trying to get power behind your shot and end up with a 41%, but then take a lax attitude toward the next shot, and hit it at 100%, seemingly without any rhyme or reason.
 
This is not to say that there aren’t impressive things about the game. Turning your wrists to open and close the club face can be really helpful to play into a natural hook or slice you might have, and the ball will definitely respond to foibles in your swing. The presentation is gorgeous, as always with the Tiger Woods games.
 
There’s a great version of Tiger Woods to be made for the Move, I just know it. Perhaps once they have some time with the hardware, and can develop a game from square one with that in mind, it will emerge. This, sadly, just isn’t it.

Read more on The Verdict: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 PlayStation Move Edition…

Hurricane Earl 5-Day Path August 31, 2010 – NOAA

(Best Syndication News) – Hurricane Earl has reached a category four level with winds at 135 MPH. The National Hurricane center has tracked the path of Hurricane Earl to be heading toward North Carolina. A hurricane watch may be issued this afternoon for the Atlantic coastal areas in the US and residents in this area should be paying close attention to storm warnings in this area.

Read more on Hurricane Earl Updated to Category Four Winds with Path projected toward North Carolina…