In advance of the June 7, 2011 release of Red Faction: Armageddon, THQ announced today that a demo of the game will be available May, 3, 2011 for Xbox 360. (And if PSN is back up and running, then the demo will be available on Playstation 3 at the same time.)

From the press release:

In the demo, consumers will be introduced to Darius Mason and fight their way through the Martian sewers and an oncoming alien infestation. Meanwhile, Darius must clear his name as the colonists have blamed him for unleashing the alien threat that has ravaged the underground cities of Mars.

Players will have at their disposal the Nano Forge as they combat alien invaders with concussive blasts and core-shattering tremblers. Rebuild all that you destroy with the Nano Forge’s incredible Reconstruction ability. Finally, throw entire buildings at your enemies with Red Faction’s signature weapon, the Magnet Gun.

With only a couple of days left of April 2011, be sure to check the following recent articles and reviews:

REVIEWS:
Portal 2 (PC)
http://www.armchairempire.com/Reviews/PC%20Games/portal-2.htm

Fight Night Champion (360)
http://www.armchairempire.com/Reviews/xbox-360/fight-night-champion.htm

Crysis 2 (PS3)
http://www.armchairempire.com/Reviews/ps3/crysis-2.htm

PREVIEWS:
Battlefield 3 (360, PC, PS3)
http://www.armchairempire.com/Previews/multi-platform/battlefield-3.htm

Serious Sam 3: BFE (PC)
http://www.armchairempire.com/Previews/multi-platform/serious-sam-3.htm

FEATURES:
Project: HISTORY Part VII – Flat Earth Society
http://armchairempire.com/Features/project-history-part-07-flat-earth-society.htm

Here We Go Again (Editorial)
http://www.armchairempire.com/Editorials/here-we-go-again.htm

GOODIES:
The Barsoom Project (Book Review)
http://armchairempire.com/books/barsoom-project.htm

EA seems hellbent on creating controversy for the upcoming SSX. First it was the teaser trailer that lead many to decry the “Call of Duty” treatment the series seemed to be receiving. Then it was a name change. But nothing gets fan blood boiling faster than a vote.

EA has opened the polls on which franchise characters will return. The company has placed a Character Voting tab on the SSX Facebook page starting right now. The voting schedule is broken down like this:

Week of April 25 – Kaori, JP, Moby, Viggo
Week of May 2 – Zoe, Mac, Nate, Allegra
Week of May 9 – Psymon, Eddie, Griff, Tyson

It deserves to be noted that “SSX fans will be asked to select three out of those four characters that they would like to see make an appearance in the new SSX.” I’m glad EA made that stipulation because I felt immediate outrage that Psymon and Eddie were in the same bracket. If I only had to choose one I would have lost it!

I like grassroots movements, especially when it lacks a monetary goal. Sometimes the greater good is about more than just money (though in this instance you can make a donation benefiting AbleGamers, The Disabled Gamer Resource.

Case in point, a group of high school students from Chicago, Illinois’ Whitney M. Young High School. Led by students Daniel Romero, Evan London, Noelanni Alvarez, Courtney Mills, Donte White, and Adam He, “Gamers Go Green” has partnered with Evil Controllers for a green “Game Hour,” which Daniel Romero hopes will turn into “a nationally advertised holiday like Earth day.”

The idea of Game Hour is to “abstain from the use of the electricity” except for whatever equipment you need to play a video game for one full hour. “All families will be asked to sit down together and play a game, any game, and enjoy it together.”

Get involved by first “liking” the official page on Facebook.

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Sega has announced more details on the upcoming “Sonic Generations,” a title meant to commemorate Sonic the Hedgehog’s 20th Anniversary and which looks to deliver “the definitive gaming experience for Sonic fans old and new.”

Planned for release in the busy Holiday 2011 period, Sonic Generations will be set across “three defining eras” of Sonic games and will feature “instantly recognizable environments of Sonic Generations have been re-built in stunning HD and are now playable in both classic side scrolling 2D from 1991, as well as modern 3D style found in Sonic’s most recent adventures.  Each incarnation of Sonic in Sonic Generations comes complete with his trademark special move, Spin Dash and Spin Attack for Classic Sonic, and the Homing Attack and Sonic Boost for Modern Sonic.  An innovative new interactive menu system allows for complete immersion in Sonic’s universe with favorite characters and hidden treasures gradually being revealed throughout the game.”

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Bethesda has announced “incentives” for pre-ordering id Software’s upcoming “RAGE.”

As directly quoted from the press release, “everyone that pre-orders RAGE in North America at Gamestop, Amazon.com, Steam and Direct-to-Drive will automatically be upgraded for free to the “Anarchy” Edition.  This edition includes four exclusive in-game items (Double Barrel Shotgun, Crimson Elite Armor, Fists of RAGE & the Rat Rod Buggy).”

Sony Computer Entertainment today announced that its Playstation 3 console has surpassed “50 million units worldwide.” Alongside that good news, they also announced that the Playstation Move (launched back in September 2010) has reached the 8 million mark.

The rest of the press release practically glows with numbers, features, and tech specs but one number in particular might need some explanation. There’s mention of “more than 75 million registered accounts” on the Playstation Network. That’s 25 million accounts more than there are Playstation 3 consoles.  Someone explain!

Every Thursday we will provide an online version of the Imperial Proclamation. This update is for the week of April 11 – 16, 2011.

REVIEWS:
WWE All-Stars (360)

Nintendogs + Cats (3DS)

PREVIEWS:
Dead or Alive: Dimensions (3DS)

FEATURES:
Project: HISTORY Part VI – Chunnel #5

GOODIES:
iolo’s System Mechanic

CLASSIC REVIEW:
Fighting Force (PS1)

It was always a head-scratcher for me as to why the ability to browse Netflix on an Xbox 360 using Kinect wasn’t something that was available right out of the gate. However, today Microsoft and Netflix announced that Kinect users will be able to use the device to do just that beginning today.

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Today Majesco Entertainment announced that “Nano Assault” — development at Shin’en, which brought us Nanostray (DS) and Nanostray 2 (DS) — will be available this Fall for Nintendo’s 3DS portable. A “bullet hell” game is always a welcome addition to any game collection!

Nano Assault will feature “3D graphics that resemble electron microscope imagery. It’s within this dangerous microscopic world that players will navigate a Nanite ship through a cellular system, maneuvering through alien cell clusters, fighting off infections, and analyzing and destroying the virus’ core to ultimately save humanity.

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Nintendo recently released an updated list of upcoming games for Wii, the “Nintendo DS Family” and 3DS.  For Zelda fans it’s all about the reworked Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time  that features “the Master Quest – a second quest with revamped puzzles and redesigned dungeons that feature the same graphical and interface upgrades as the main game.”

See below for the full list of upcoming titles that includes Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters, Wii Play: Motion, Cars 2, and Thor: God of Thunder. (more…)

Better audio through science! And with a price tag of $199.99 (Psyko Carbon) and $149.99 (Psyko Krpyton), that’s a lot of science at work.

I’ve personally only used Psyko’s headsets at gaming events and I was impressed, even in the less-than-ideal setting of a noisy trade show. You can check Psyko’s official site or check below for more information on how the technology actually works. (more…)

My initial thought in reading about this news from Konami about an MGS clothing line was that Konami missed “April Fool’s!” by a few days but this might actually be legitimate, though it seems a little suspicious when tno picture of said clothing accompanied the release.

“METAL GEAR SOLID is one of the longest running video game franchises with an incredibly dedicated fan base, making METAL GEAR SOLID: PEACE WALKER and KONAMI the perfect choice to partner with for a new collection,” said Knut Bergel president and chief executive officer of musterbrand LLC.

“The new clothing line allows fans to extend their experience with the franchise even further through a unique and fashionable style.” Available for purchase online in US and Canada beginning on April 11, 2011, the collection, featuring well-known PEACE WALKER images, will include coats, sweatshirts, pants, t-shirts and hats, all inspired by clothing worn by characters in game. Additional items in the clothing line will be released quarterly and surrounding certain special events throughout the year.

Today EA announced the launch of Battlefield Play4Free “a deep, rich, adrenaline-filled Battlefield all-out war experience” and “combines the most popular maps from Battlefield 2 with the popular classes and powerful weapons of Battlefield: Bad Company 2.”

Having spent many, many hours with Bad Company 2, the description is enough to make me want to give this a whirl. And, hey, it’s free!

Battlefield Play4Free website: http://battlefield.play4free.com.