Play Guild Wars 2 Early, Get a Free Hat

ArenaNet has announced a limited edition hat for anyone who plays Guild Wars 2 early. From August 25th through September 12th, every player will receive a Celebration Hat, “a baseball cap with the iconic Guild Wars 2 dragon logo” that ArenaNet calls “a stylish addition to your town attire!”

The Celebration Hat will be available in the Black Lion Trading Company for zero gems. It can be found in the Style category by pressing O during the game and cannot be traded to other players. The Celebration Hat will be available to any character on your account.

Guild Wars 2 officially launches on August 28th but will be available starting tonight through ArenaNet’s headstart program, which allows anyone who pre-purchased and installed the game to play early. For more on the game’s skill combat, check out our interview with systems designer Jonathan Sharp.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

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Jet Set Willy 360 Release Date

The classic ZX Spectrum game Jet Set Willy is to be relaunched as Jet Set Willy 360 on Xbox 360.

The game will become available on August 24 as an Xbox Live Indie game available on Xbox Live. A Windows Phone version will also be released on the same date.

Jet Set Willy is the sequel to 1983's Manic Miner, and tasks you with tidying up Willy's house following a huge party in order to gain access to his bedroom. The game arrives courtesy of developer Elite Systems, who is apparently also considering bringing more classic re-releases to Microsoft's console.

Elite MD Steve Wilcox explained, "The release of Jet Set Willy 360 as an Xbox Live Indie Game and as a Windows Phone game is the next exciting step in bringing classic ZX Spectrum games to a new audience, via new devices and platforms and in the process restoring some order to the market.

"We began doing this some 22 months ago with our ZX Spectrum: Elite Collection Apps for iOS devices and in the intervening period there have been more than 100,000 paid instances. The release of Jet Set Willy 360 follows the positive reception and a successful launch of Manic Miner 360 as an Xbox Live Indie Game and as a Windows Phone game. It’s expected to be followed by more classic ZX Spectrum Games."

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

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Dust 514 Beta Headed to PlayStation Plus

CCP has announced a new beta period for Dust 514 exclusive to PlayStation Plus subscribers. Access will run two weeks, beginning on August 24th and ending on September 4th. While no new beta codes will be sent out during that period, people with All-Access Passes will still have access to the beta.

PlayStation Plus members will also receive a 50% discount on Dust’s Mercenary Pack, which is normally $19.99. The pack offers 4,000 Aurum, a 30-day active skill booster, and exclusive in-game items including a Dragonfly Scout dropsuit and Toxin ICD-9 submachine gun.

August 21st will also mark the launch of Dust’s Precursor update, which CCP detailed last week. In addition to live Dust 514 and EVE Online integration Precursor will also add Orbital Strikes, instant battle matchmaking, new environments, keyboard and mouse support and more.

Dust 514 will enter open beta later this year. For more about the game, read why it’s the deepest first-person shooter we’ve ever played.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

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Codemasters Teases Grid 2

A new trailer has strongly hinted that Grid 2 is on its way. And the trailer's website – www.theracereturns.com – promises that more information will arrive on August 8th.

The trailer keeps things pretty cryptic, with shots a car, a set of spinning wheels, and lots of smoke, before revealing a logo bearing the number 2. But all signs point towards a sequel to Grid, Codemasters' 2008 reboot of the TOCA series. Since 2008, the racing-focused publisher has released two installments of its popular Dirt franchise. Is Grid 2 just around the bend?

Daniel is IGN's UK Games Writer. He is an excellent driver and regularly watches People's Court. Follow him on IGN and Twitter.

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Sleeping Dogs Items Come to Team Fortress 2

Valve has announced a Sleeping Dogs crossover for Team Fortress 2. Players who pre-purchase Sleeping Dogs on Steam before August 14th will receive eight new items for free. A new King of the Hill map called Kong King is also listed as “coming soon.”

The Sleeping Dogs items include new weapons and clothing, as well as a “Red-Tape Recorder” that reverses enemy construction. A full list of the Sleeping Dogs items is available at the official Team Fortress site.

Sleeping Dogs will hit Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on August 14th. This marks the game’s second crossover, following < http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/07/25/sleeping-dogs-offers-bonus-to-just-cause-2-players target=_blank>a special bonus for Just Cause 2 playersannounced last week.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

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GaymerCon: The First LGBT Gaming Convention

GaymerCon, the first convention focused on LGBT geek culture, will debut on August 3rd, 2013. The event will take place in San Francisco, CA, and will celebrate under-represented groups in the gaming realm while also illuminating the presence of alternative sexualities both inside and outside the digital space.

"The goal of GaymerCon is to create a space where geek identified LGBT people can come together and build community," says GaymerCon Director of PR Benjamin Williams. GaymerCon Director Matt Conn also comments: "Historically, there has been very little content with LGBT themes or options in video games and other geek media. We hope to show the world that this audience not only exists, but is flourishing."

The organizers of GaymerCon are currently seeking funding through a Kickstarter campaign. The current goal, $25,000, will help the organizers secure a venue in San Francisco as well as produce more programming for the convention. At the time this article was written, an impressive $8,695 has already been raised with a full 29 days remaining.

Gamers interested in attending GaymerCon can contribute $30 to the Kickstarter campaign to reserve a two-day pass to the event, which will save attendees 5 to 10 dollars off the presale/door price. And according to the campaign home page, the organizers will "...turn you into a robot or something" with a $700 pledge!

Ryan Clements writes for IGN. He encourages readers to keep it clean and classy in the comments section below, lest he turn into a robot and reign terrible destruction down upon the trolls. Also, follow him on IGN or on Twitter!

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Final Modern Warfare 3 DLC Plans Revealed

Activision has announced the final pieces of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s season of content.

On August 9th, the Chaos Pack will launch on Xbox 360, offering a brand new Special Ops Chaos Mode, three new Face Off maps and four new Special Ops missions. The Face Off maps include Vortex, U-Turn and Intersection (previously released for Elite subscribers on Xbox 360 in June and PlayStation 3 in July). The Special Ops missions include Vertigo, Arctic Recon, Light ‘Em Up and Special Delivery.

On September 6th, the Final Assault Pack will launch, adding five new multiplayer maps. The maps include Boardwalk, Gulch and Parish (which leaked out earlier this week) as well as Decommission and Offshore, which hit Xbox 360 in July.

As always, the packs are arriving first on Xbox 360. Each pack will be available for $14.99 (1,200 Microsoft Points), but the content will arrive first to Premium Elite members for free. This will mark the end of Modern Warfare 3’s content season, which includes 29 separate pieces of content overall.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

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You Decide: Batman vs The Avengers

Off-Site: Cast Your Vote on IGN's YouTube Network

*Update* Voting will close Wednesday, August 1st at Midnight PST.*

Welcome to Versus, a video series where we'll be pitting two movies against each other and let you decide who the winner is.

We know you've spent countless hours trolling comments sections, defending the honor of your favorite franchise. Flamewar face-offs are the ultimate indulgence for passionate movie goers, so don't by shy. This episode features DC's The Dark Knight Rises and Marvel's The Avengers. We'll be looking at four categories in this episode -- Story, Action Sequences, Sex Appeal and the Villains. The overall winner is decided based on the total cumulative votes across all the categories.

This is a fun feature for IGN, but if you think we can improve it please send us your comments and tell us what you think of the show. You can help IGN shape future face-offs and tell us what movies you want us to choose next.

How It Works

• Watch the Video
• Vote: Click on Your Favorite (Annotated)
• Each View is a Vote

Remember, you MUST have annotations turned on. The category winners and overall champion will be announced late next week right here on IGN.

Who Are You Rooting For? Share Your Votes on Twitter!

The Dark Knight Rises, click here Tweet

Marvel's The Avengers, click here Tweet

Destin is an editor at IGN, and can usually be heard helping you through our many video guides. Follow IGN on Twitter, and yell at Destin on IGN and Twitter.

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