NBCU Shows Coming to Amazon Instant Video

More good news with regard to streaming video for members of Amazon's $79/year Prime service: a deal announced today with NBC Universal is bringing back-episodes of NBCU-owned shows like Battlestar Galactica, Parks and Recreation, Heroes and Friday Night Lights to Prime Instant Videos.

Prime Instant, Amazon's streaming video service, has been free for Amazon Prime members since it was introduced in February, 2011, and its library of available content has grown steadily in that time. "We continue to invest heavily in our content selection," said a spokesman for Amazon.

Amazon designed Prime Instant Video to compete directly with Netflix Instant, so while none of the content Amazon acquired today is exclusive (compared with several shows it recently optioned from Warner), playing catch-up with Netflix is a logical step for the service.

Prime members can check out all the new content here. Let us know what you're most excited about in the comments.

Jon Fox is a Seattle hipster who loves polar bears and climbing trees. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN.

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Command Prompt Ep. 9 -- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Diablo III, and Mutant Blobs Attack

In an attempt to make sense of the chaotic mass we call PC gaming, IGN's Anthony Gallegos and Charles Onyett put together a video show called Command Prompt. Barring any disastrous events or prolonged spells of acute laziness, new episodes will appear every week showing off three PC games.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

The follow up to the world's best competitive shooter is here. Join us as we get our brains blown out.

Diablo III

With the recent release of patch 1.0.4, we journey in to see what all has changed.

Mutant Blobs Attack!

This cute platformer was one of the best PlayStation Vita launch titles, and now it's finally out on Steam.

Charles Onyett is an Executive Editor at IGN, leads PC game coverage and used to think Pugna was his favorite Dota 2 hero, but recently decided it was Disruptor. You can follow him on Twitter and My IGN.

Anthony Gallegos is an Editor on IGN's PC team. He enjoys scaring the crap out of himself with horror games and then releasing some steam in shooters like Blacklight and Tribes. You can follow him on Twitter and on IGN.

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The Double Makes Your iPad the Ultimate Surrogate

Video chat apps like Skype or Apple's FaceTime are great, but they all share the same limitation: you don't have any say in where the webcam on the other end is pointed. Enter the Double, a $2,000 robotic iPad stand, similar in design to a Segway scooter, which transfers perspective control to the other end of a call.

Here's how it works: the remote iPad, which initiates the call, has a control interface overlay to manage the Double's movement and orientation. The iPad mounted on the Double display's the driver's face on its screen while streaming live video back.

It's compatible with any iPad with a front-facing camera. The height is remotely adjustable from four to five feet, and the developers claim its Lithium Ion battery will last up to eight hours, as long as you let the built in kick-stand down occasionally to let the auto-balance system rest.

The designers at Double Robotics see their creation as a business and education tool. They suggest using it for everything from conference calls to museum visits to college campus tours. It all reminded us of that Arrested Development episode with Larry the surrogate.

Someone with a bit more imagination might send the Double to a bar to deliver pickup lines without risking a drink to the face. Better yet: scare people! A mobile eye-level iPad probably looks exactly like a disembodied head in the dark. Or wheel it up real close to the fisheye peephole on someone's front door for the ultimate ding-dong-ditch.

How would you use a $2,000 iPod rover? Let us know in the comments.

Jon Fox is a Seattle hipster who loves polar bears and climbing trees. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN. 

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Exclusive: Solomon Kane Alt Poster Debut

In anticipation of the video-on-demand release of Michael J. Bassett's long-awaited Solomon Kane movie, IGN has a groovy new alternative poster for the film from Radius-TWC. Check out the image below:

Based on the books by pulp-era writer and Conan the Barbarian creator Robert E. Howard, the story centers on Solomon Kane, "a brutally efficient 16th Century killing machine. Armed with his signature pistols, cutlass and rapier, he and his men unleash their bloodlust as they fight for England in war after war on all continents." The film stars James Purefoy in the title role.

Solomon Kane will be available on VOD this Friday, August 24, and hits theaters Sept. 28.

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Nintendo Video Chat: Playing New Super Mario Bros. 2

Welcome back to another mushroom-y edition of Nintendo Video Chat, IGN's very own Nintendo-centric video podcast. This week we've got Audrey "OMG I Hosted The Fix!" Drake (otherwise known as ME!!), Sam "Mustache Power" Claiborn, Brian "I Hosted The Fix Too!" BRAP BRAP" Altano, and Fran "I Hate Wii" Mirabella. That last nickname was a joke, people. Well, they all are, but... anyway. Moving on. Let's talk Nintendo things, shall we?

This week we're playing through some levels of forthcoming 3DS game New Super Mario Bros. 2. Wahoo!! The game hits the States this Sunday, but if you don't mind a few spoilers, allow this podcast to serve as a lengthy early look at Mario's latest.

And as always, you can download the audio version of this episode on iTunes (whenever it decides to show up), or listen to it here.

While you're thinking of us, be sure to join our Nintendo Voice Chat Facebook page. Don't forget to give us a like while you're there! Why? Because every like we get is like an extra coin in your pocket. Except it's not like that at all. Do it anyway, though!

One last thing - don't forget to send your comments, questions and so on to nvc@ign.com. You can also follow us all on our IGN blogs and Twitter. We're especially interested in your feedback on our new format. This is all still very much in the experimental phase, so your insight is much appreciated.

Until next time, Koopalings - Game On!

Audrey Drake is an Associate Editor at IGN and a proud member of the IGN Nintendo team. She is also a lifelong gamer, a frequent banisher of evil and a wielder of various legendary blades. You can follow her wild adventures on her IGN blog and Twitter. Game on!

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What You Won't See in Assassin's Creed III

In December 2010, Ubisoft created a video that represented its ambitions for Assassin's Creed III - something known as target footage. Creative Director Alex Hutchinson insists that developers should always aim for exactly what they intend to ship, never over-estimating their capabilities or falling short of their own expectations. Hutchinson presented the Assassin's Creed III target gameplay render during his GDC Europe Keynote, and it was almost indistinguishable from what we've all seen from the near-finished game. In just a few short minutes, it establishes traversal and combat animation routines, the hunting mechanics, jumping through trees and climbing any cliff. But it isn't exactly Assassin's Creed III; a lot has changed along the way.

“

For a while we took the bow out of the game

"Some of the notable cuts from that footage include the idea of scalping," Hutchinson explained. It was something that was "historically defensible", but in the context of gameplay it was too gruesome and didn't serve much purpose for the character. For a while the bow was taken out of the game, too, because it wasn't historically supported enough to give Ubisoft the confidence to include it. Additional research eventually gave Assassin's Creed III's development team enough evidence to include it. There was originally a hook-blade as well, an extension of one of Ezio's tools, which you'd throw it at enemies to pull them toward you. "People on the team kept saying 'Get over here!' every time they used it," said Hutchinson. He took it out of the game, but a version of the device stayed in Assassin's Creed III -- you can hook enemies to yank them up tree branches.

Philadelphia was prototyped for Assassin's Creed III, but ultimately cut because "it just wasn't very much fun." Hutchinson said Philadelphia is "very, very flat, it's very, very rigid. The streets were too wide." It also would have represented the first "planned city" in the series -- Philadelphia was built on a grid, unlike the more unpredictable nature of past settings. Instead, Philly is a town you'll visit in cutscenes rather than suffer through in gameplay.

When it came to creating a main character, Hutchinson wanted a hero that could hang with Altair and Ezio. "I believe, even as someone who didn't work on [Assassin's Creed II], that Ezio is one of the best characters in games." Connor, therefore, had to be as iconic as Ezio and Altair. He was always intended to be Native American -- "We didn't want to make Mel Gibson from The Patriot fighting for America, nor did we want someone fighting for king and country -- but he wasn't always the guy we know now.

Early concepts deliberately went to artistic extremes. The "full on eagle outfit was never going to fly," Hutchinson said. In that particular image, Connor was decked out in wide-spreading feathers and had an an animal head for a hat. Ubisoft concepted him in all sorts of animal skins as well as minimalist robes before ultimately settling on subtle cultural twists on a classic white robe.

Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor for IGN's Xbox 360 team. He’s also quite Canadian. Read his ramblings on Twitter and follow him on IGN.

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Pokémon Profiles: Salamence (#373)

Welcome back to IGN's Pokémon Profiles! In case you missed the last installment, Pokémon Profiles is a video series in which we discuss the overall awesomeness of a different monster every week for your catching and watching pleasure. Afterward, we ask you to vote on which monster you'd like us to profile next. No generation is off limits - we intend to give due love and credit to them all.

And just to be crystal clear, the video below is the "profile" of which I speak - not this article. It is also in no way meant to include every detail of every Pokémon discussed - it's simply a brief, hopefully fun look at one of the many monsters we hold near and dear to our hearts. Make sense? Good, because up next is the badass known as Salamence. You guys sure do love your flying dragons!

That wraps up this week's Pokémon Profile! Starting next week, I'm actually going to have you folks vote on which monster I'm going to profile the following week, rather than the one I'll feature two weeks from then. It should be a bit more exciting (and less confusing) that way, as you won't have to wait a whole two weeks to see if your choice gets the spotlight. Since I already have the results of last week's poll to go on for the next episode, this means that voting will resume as normal next Monday. Did Lugia take the win, or did one of the other legendaries reign supreme? Come back next Monday to find out!

And be sure to let us know your thoughts on the beast that is Salamence. Has it ever graced your team, or did you give up halfway to level 50? Let us know in the comments below.

Until next time, PokéMasters - Game on!

Audrey Drake is an Associate Editor at IGN and a proud member of the IGN Nintendo team. She is also a lifelong gamer, a frequent banisher of evil and a wielder of various legendary blades. You can follow her wild adventures on her IGN blog and Twitter. Game on!

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Chernobyl Diaries Mutates on Blu-ray, DVD

Just in time for Halloween, Warner Home Video will bring Chernobyl Diaries to Blu-ray, DVD and digital download October 16, 2012. The found footage thriller, directed by Bradley Parker, was written and produced by Paranormal Activity creator Oren Peli.

Here's a synopsis of the feature, direct from Warner, "The film follows a group of six young tourists who, looking to go off the beaten path, hire an "extreme tour" guide. Ignoring warnings, he takes them into the city of Pripyat, the former home to the workers of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, but a deserted town since the disaster more than 25 years ago. After a brief exploration of the abandoned city, however, the group soon finds themselves stranded, only to discover that they are not alone."

Tech specs for the Blu-ray include a 1080p transfer (1.85:1 aspect ratio) with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. The DVD will feature an anamorphic widescreen presentation with 5.1 Dolby Digital audio.

Warner will release two separate Blu-ray discs -- a single-disc Movie-Only release, which includes an UltraViolet cloud streaming digital copy. There will also be a Blu-ray/DVD/UV combo pack, which includes numerous bonus features. Below is a breakdown of the included goodies:

• Alternate ending
• Uri's Extreme Tours infomercial
• Chernobyl Conspiracy viral video (also on DVD)
• Deleted scene

Suggested retail for this release is set at $35.99 for the Blu-ray Combo Pack, $29.99 for the Blu-ray, and $28.98 for the DVD. Amazon has the Blu-ray Combo Pack up for pre-order for $24.99, and $19.99 for the Movie-Only BD. The DVD pre-order price is currently $17.99.

Be on the lookout for a review of the Chernobyl Diaries on Blu-ray in the coming months. While you wait, be sure to check out our theatrical review.

Holy Social Networks, readers! Now you can follow R.L. Shaffer on Twitter, Facebook orMyIGN for quotes, rants, reviews, news and more!

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6 Video Game Titles That Lied Straight to Your Face

Video game titles and box art should work in unison to provide potential consumers some insight into what they may be buying.

Sometimes, however, they do entirely the opposite.

Lee Trevino’s Fighting Golf

Look alive. 1971 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Lee Trevino is lumbering towards you winding a sand wedge in lazy circles over his body like a medieval mace. You hear his battle cry grow louder as bursts through the loose shrub behind the bunker on the tenth, and he’s close enough now that you can see his balled fists and murderous expression.

It certainly looks like he’s spoiling for a fight. But this can’t be, you think. It’s Lee Trevino! The Merry Mex, famous PGA Tour jokester. This is the man who threw a rubber snake at Jack Nicklaus and popped up in Happy Gilmore to remind Shooter McGavin that Grizzly Adams did have a beard.

But your moment of hesitation is all the time Supermex needed. BAM! The golf club glances the top of your skull, taking with it a small chunk of scalp. You get time to clutch your head before BAM! Trevino follows up his first strike with a crashing fist to your face. You’re on the ground now and Trevino is looking down at you. Golf has changed.

Trevino, pictured celebrating another knockout victory.

Only it hasn’t because, despite the title, Lee Trevino’s Fighting Golf actually contains no fighting whatsoever. Lee Trevino’s Fighting Golf was just a regular old golf game, released for NES and arcade by SNK in 1988. It wasn’t even a bad game at the time; it just had a hopelessly misleading name.

It’s just about vanished from memory now, although it will live on in parody form forever. Lee Trevino’s Fighting Golf is regarded as the inspiration behind Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge, from back when The Simpsons was still funny.

Would you like to play again? You have selected, "No".

TOCA Race Driver 2

The TOCA racing game series began on PSone but really began to hit its stride on PS2 with TOCA Race Driver. If you don’t recognise the title, perhaps it’s because it was only known as TOCA Race Driver in the UK; it was also known as DTM Race Driver in Germany, V8 Supercars Race Driver in Australia and Pro Race Driver in North America.

TOCA are the organisers and administrators of the British Touring Car Championship, the BTCC. The BTCC was one of the real-world championships featured in TOCA Race Driver, alongside the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) and Australia’s V8 Supercars touring car category.

Stay with us.

Come the release of TOCA Race Driver 2, however, UK fans were pretty incensed to discover that despite the fact the franchise continued to license the TOCA name in the title, the actual British Touring Car Championship was not included. It didn’t return in TOCA Race Driver 3, either.

Mobile Light Force

As far as titles go, Mobile Light Force makes about as much sense something like Metal Gear Solid. That is, somewhere between none and two fifths of not much. But who cares, right? XS Games certainly didn’t.

In 2002/2003 XS Games released Mobile Light Force, a game that (based on the title and cover) appeared to be about a trio of off-brand Charlie’s Angels battling robots around a ruined city. But it wasn’t. It wasn’t that at all.

It really, really wasn't.

It was actually a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up featuring a robot, a young witch on a broomstick and an elderly homosexual man in a pedal-powered helicopter. You see, what XS Games had done was take the 1994 game Gunbird by Japanese company Psikyo and remove the plot, the ending, and all the character names.

It got stupider than this, however. XS released Mobile Light Force 2 on PS2 shortly after. The first one was actually Gunbird, so this one was Gunbird 2, right?

Nope. Granted, people probably should've been suspicious from the outset. When the answer to the question, "Can this publisher afford new cover art?" is a resounding, "No", alarm bells should start ringing.

Wow.

Mobile Light Force 2 was actually another Japanese top-down scrolling shooter. A different one: Shikigami no Shiro.

The whole thing became a farce, like one of those snowballing lies it’s impossible to keep track of. You know, like when you tell your wife and your boss slightly different stories as to your whereabouts and eventually everybody finds out you just got drunk and watched The Avengers that day instead of going to work.

The real sequel to Mobile Light Force, which was really Gunbird, was released on Dreamcast in Japan and the US under its proper title: Gunbird 2.

Air Raid 3

Phoenix Games was a European publisher known for its line of “Value Priced” titles for the PS2, Wii, DS, and PC. They didn’t describe themselves as a budget publisher. They described themselves as a super budget publisher. If budget games are like one-ply toilet paper, super budget games are like wiping your arse with your hand.

Phoenix specialised exclusively in games so lame that horses with broken legs would shoot them. The sheer awfulness of Phoenix’s entire catalogue is the stuff of legend. Air Raid 3 was no exception.

The much-anticipated sequel to nothing!

Air Raid 3 wasn’t a sequel to Air Raid 2. There was no Air Raid 2. There wasn’t even an Air Raid 1, as far as Phoenix is concerned.

There have been two games called Air Raid in the past. Air Raid for the Atari 2600 is actually widely considered to be the rarest game released for the console (back in 2010 the only complete game, cartridge and box, known to still exist reportedly sold for $31,600). There was also a PC game no-one has ever heard of called Air Raid: This is Not a Drill released back in 2003 by a company no-one has ever heard of either.

Air Raid 3 is a complete lie. You can’t manufacture credibility by making your brand new, super budget game a sequel to nothing, Phoenix Games.

Although you really did try, didn't you?

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

The story of how the US sequel to Super Mario Bros. wasn’t actually Super Mario Bros. 2, and how Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels is Super Mario Bros. 2, is a well-documented one. You can read about it here on this website, in fact.

The problem with the title is that it implies that this super secret sequel was literally lost, like a Hot Wheels that had vanished under the fridge until your mum found it while vacuuming.

"I dunno; it was here and then it wasn't."

Of course, if Nintendo of America was being honest it would’ve been called Super Mario Bros.: The Version We Figured Was Way Too Hard for You. It probably wouldn’t have looked quite as good on a packshot but how many copies would’ve been sold on spite alone?

Project Gotham Racing

What does Project Gotham Racing have to do with Batman? About as much as its spiritual precursor, Metropolis Street Racer, has to do with Superman.

"Wait, what?"

That is, precisely nothing.

Luke is Games Editor at IGN AU. You can chat to him about games, cars and other stuff on IGN here or find him and the rest of the Australian team by joining the IGN Australia Facebook community.

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Wreck-It Ralph Concept Art

Check out some cool new concept art from Disney Animation's upcoming video game valentine Wreck-It Ralph:

Wreck-It Ralph opens November 2.

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Command Prompt 6: Tribes, Awesomenauts and Thirty Flights of Loving

In an attempt to make sense of the chaotic mass we call PC gaming, IGN's Anthony Gallegos and Charles Onyett put together a video show called Command Prompt. Barring any disastrous events or prolonged spells of acute laziness, new episodes will appear every week showing off three PC games.

For the sixth episode we're joined by Xbox Associate Editor Mitch Dyer as we take a look at Hi-Rez Studio's awesomely fast shooter Tribes: Ascend, learn what it's like to be beat down in a 2D MOBA in Awesomenauts and then explore the bizarre world of Thirty Flights of Loving.

Tribes: Ascend

Hi-Rez Studios manages to make a unique feeling first-person shooter with Tribes: Ascend's ridiculously fast and skill-demanding combat.

Awesomenauts

Who knew it was possible? Ronimo Games manages to take the MOBA or DoTA-style gameplay of League of Legends and Dota 2 and implement it in a 2D environment.

Thirty Flights of Loving

Blendo Games, creators of Gravity Bone and Atom Zombie Smasher follow up with a haunting and bizarre story that takes only minutes to play.

Charles Onyett is an Executive Editor at IGN, leads PC game coverage and used to think Pugna was his favorite Dota 2 hero, but recently decided it was Disruptor. You can follow him on Twitter and My IGN.

Anthony Gallegos is an Editor on IGN's PC team. He enjoys scaring the crap out of himself with horror games and then releasing some steam in shooters like Blacklight and Tribes. You can follow him on Twitter and on IGN.

Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor with IGN. You can also follow Mitch on Twitter and IGN so he's not so scared and alone.

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All-Star Cast Revealed for Dishonored

The voice cast for Dishonored has been revealed, and it's quite impressive to say the least.

Academy award-winner Susan Sarandon, appearing for the first time in a video game, plays Granny Rags – a former aristocrat, she's been driven mad from years living on the streets of Dunwall. Chloë Grace Moretz ( Kick Ass's Hit Girl) voices Young Lady Emily, the daughter of the Empress who is kidnapped after her mother's death. Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister from Game of Thrones) stars as Emily's caretaker Calista.

Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs), Brad Dourif (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy), and John Slattery (Mad Men) also lend their vocal talents to Arkane Studio's first-person action game featuring a supernatural assassin driven by revenge.

And if that wasn't enough, it even stars Princess Leia. Well, Carrie Fisher will be heard throughout the city of Dunwall, broadcasting government propaganda on a speaker system.

“Having such talented actors voice Dishonored's compelling cast of characters adds a rich, powerful element to the game,” said Raphaël Colantonio, president of Arkane Studios. “We want to draw people into this virtual world and make it feel real. This celebrated cast adds wonderful depth and credibility to the overall Dishonored gameplay experience."

Dishonored is set for release in North American on October 9, 2012 and in Europe on October 12, 2012 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

Daniel is IGN's UK Games Writer. His favourite dystopia is the one we live in. Follow him on IGN and Twitter.

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How DayZ Came to Life

Very few video games can trace their origins to the jungles of Brunei, an unforgiving mountainous terrain of soul-sapping humidity, giant ants and longhouse-dwelling native peoples.

But this is where Dean Hall conceived of DayZ, the ArmA II apocalypse-survival mod that’s one of the most popular PC games in the world right now.

Brunei environment

Hall was dropped into the jungle while serving in the New Zealand Armed Forces, a 30-day infantry-survival exercise that strained he and his team-mates’ endurance. They foraged for food and water and tried to survive a relentless environment. As the heat began to take its toll he became malnourished, suffered an injury and, when it was over, spent months recovering in hospital.

The idea for DayZ came from that experience. Hall, aka ‘Rocket’, tells IGN, “I became very interested in a survival-type game, in the levels of subtleties and decision-making that's forced on you based on an emotional context. What happened in Brunei made me really reflect on those elements of the training exercise that brought out an emotional response in me. That's what DayZ is all about.”

DayZ Environment

He adds, “Brunei was a fantastic, life-changing experience for me, definitely. But with a bad element to it as well. I ran out of food very quickly and I was malnourished. So when I came back, my insides hadn't been working properly, my hair had started to fall out, my nails had turned yellow, and so when the whole pipe-works started up again, it tore itself to pieces.”

Purity and Primal Struggle

The game’s attraction is its purity in depicting a primal struggle to stay alive, to forage, avoid danger and stay healthy. It’s set in a tough world of zombies and spartan resources. But any player will tell you, the biggest danger is other survivors.

When you strip away the conventions of our society, of our civilization, this is what ‘post-apocalyptic’ survival really means. People mostly behave like bastards. Every now and again, they offer help, they group together, they create usefulness from the knick-knacks they find. DayZ is a simulation of how people behave in extraordinary circumstances.

It’s the game’s roots as a survival sim that persuaded Hall and the team to significantly change the rules. Previously, players would spawn with a gun in their possession. Now, they spawn entirely unarmed. Only a significant time-investment and deep risk-taking will yield up a rifle and a few rounds, or a blade. The use of these weapons is far from being a guarantee of survival. To zombies, gunshots sound like dinner bells. Any form of combat is extremely risky.

Hall explains the decision to spawn new characters without any defense. “When I originally scoped the mod out, I wanted it to be very brutal, and I wanted the finding of your first weapon to be a real event for the player. But that wasn't possible because of the way zombies were scripted to work. They basically chase you forever. Recent options made that change possible.

"Now, when I sat down and analyzed the numbers, I realized that a lot of new players were being killed by seasoned players, simply because they represented a risk. They were walking around with their Makarov, the little pistol, and they presented a risk to these veteran players. What we found is that a lot of veteran players won't shoot new players who don't have a weapon, because they present no risk. Obviously there's some people who will shoot you no matter what. But we've definitely found that there are people who don't.”

Choices and Tension

The game isn’t really about zombies, it’s about you, the choices you make and the skills you have.

Dean 'Rocket' Hall

Hall says, “We're all scared of natural disasters and big changes. Zombies are easy for us to explain in a narrative. The real part of it comes from the subtlety of its tension. Your character gets hungry, your character gets thirsty. There's no easily-definable mechanic that you can turn around and say, you have to eat every four hours, or you have to eat every three hours. The answer is always - 'well, it depends'. It depends on how much you're carrying, how often you're running, what the weather's doing, how injured you are. The idea is to create these subtle but intuitive tensions, and I think that's really what delivers for the players.”

He adds, “Your character is your character. For example, the stars in ArmA II are mapped to the time, location, and season that your mission's set in. If you can read the stars in real life, to figure out which direction is north or south, then you can do so in the game. There are no instructions, there's no manual, there's no tutorial, it's just you waking up on the beach and having to figure it out for yourself.”

Standalone Version

Of course, the mod has been an enormous success. ArmA II, which is required to play the mod, has been on Steam’s top-five list for weeks. Prague-based publisher Bohemia Interactive had almost 500,000 registered players at the beginning of July, a number that is now touching one million. The mod is a hot conversation piece in the media, on Twitter and Reddit. This is the sort of success that points towards a standalone launch and perhaps even console releases.

Hall says, “I've made no secret, right from the start, that I want to see this as a stand-alone product. There are a number of people who are definitely interested in doing that. I'm 100 percent confident that we will be coming out soon and telling people that it's going to happen. But obviously, there are a lot of things that we need to line up to ensure that it's in the right place."

DayZ is, he points out, an experiment, and the team are learning new things all the time. The mod is entirely free-to-play, though you still have to purchase ArmA II: Combined Operations.

“The experiment needs to continue," he says. "In terms of consoles, look, I think how Minecraft did it is really good. They nailed down the experience, then they looked at it. But that would really depend on the structure of which development team made DayZ as a stand-alone. There are issues with running such a broad game like ArmA on a console although it's been done before.”

Meanwhile, Bohemia is still developing ArmA III for release later this year, a game Hall was hired to work on early in 2012. Newly transplanted to the Czech Republic and unable to speak the language, he found plenty of free time to work on DayZ, before its success made the game his entire focus.

He says, “It was sad to not be working on that, because it is going to be a really awesome game, but for me I want to see DayZ become its own thing.”

Colin Campbell is a games journalist, based in Santa Cruz, California. You can join him on Twitter or at IGN.

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Resident Evil 6: When Smarter Zombies Attack

Zombies aren’t exactly considered top-shelf video game adversaries. They’re the entry level guys. The Goombas. The grunts. The guys you fight before you get to the bigger creatures that inevitably lead to a giant boss encounter. That holds true about Capcom’s Resident Evil series as well. Sensing the legions of the undead had seen their best days, the development team in Osaka, Japan retired the brain-eating monsters almost ten years ago, opting for villagers co-opted by parasites and viral outbreaks.

Now, with Resident Evil 6, zombies have returned. But they’re not the zombies you remember.

While various films, novels and games have tried their hand at animated corpses in different ways – changing their weaknesses or movement speeds – Capcom is changing the capabilities of its bad guy staple, and making sure heroes like Leon, Jake, Chris and the recently-announced Ada Wong face them in large numbers.

Zombies leap at you. They spit acid or shriek, causing your characters to cringe in pain. They use the weapons and armor they wore when they died. If you’re smart enough to take out their legs, they’ll crawl after you. They’re relentless, the decay of their flesh and minds doing nothing to erode their savage intent. One on one, the undead are still not much of a threat, but in a narrow, confined hallway, a half dozen of them can lead to multiple deaths.

These remade, re-imagined creations are just one part of Capcom’s ambitious Resident Evil 6, which features not one but four full campaigns, each of which was developed by its own team, each of which is approximately two-thirds the size of Resident Evil 5. Put it all together, and this sixth installment could be triple the size of its predecessor.

The zombies themselves – based on what we’ve played so far – are limited to the campaigns of Leon and Ada. Perhaps not coincidentally, both of these storylines carry a very old school tone. Leon and Helena’s investigation into the C-Virus outbreak in the city of Twin Oaks takes place in the dead of night, lending a very dark, murky atmosphere that gains tension through its bursts of action. Solemn, ominous treks through Tall Oaks University erupt into all-out zombie onslaughts, forcing you to quickly determine whether it’s worth fighting or fleeing. These things aren’t homeless people asking for change – they want to eat your brains.

Ada’s journey, by contrast, has a little more of an exploration angle to it, forcing players to investigate tombs and graveyards searching for missing emblems, gems and switches to continue their quest. It’s the sort of absurd dungeon design featured in the best Resident Evil games, though being set in the dank depths of the Earth feels far more appropriate than a pristine, polished mansion. In a bit of a departure for the Resident Evil 6 norm, Ada operates without a partner, lurking in the shadows of the adventures of Leon, Chris and Jake, helping and interfering as she deems appropriate. All told, her segments of the game were impressive, featuring great puzzles, great combat and a general level of polish that seems reassuring for the production as a whole. Given that Ada’s campaign will only unlock upon the completion of the other three, a strong finish for Resident Evil 6 seems likely.

Offering the most extreme difference possible, Chris Redfield’s early campaign is set in the bright daylight, strongly calling up memories of Resident Evil 5. Much like that game, this portion of the game is action-packed, with almost non-stop gunplay. Tanks and squads of soldiers assist Chris’s incursion in Eastern Europe, as he attempts to discover the source of a C-Virus outbreak – and the deadly mutating J’avo soldiers that it can create.

Chris’s E3 demo left many wanting, featuring awkward level design and a camera that did more to hurt the experience than help. Capcom’s producers vow that feedback of this nature has made a difference, and that adjustments to a flawed camera and graphical issues like tearing will be the team’s focus in the final months of development.

This time around, with a wider environment and a camera not hell-bent on wandering aimlessly, the latest playable moments of Chris’s saga are far more impressive. The progression of events and pacing is more sensible. What’s most fascinating about Capcom’s designs here is that the controls, which are more modern, more suited for fast-paced third-person action, aren’t indicative of the best way to play the game. Attempting to ‘run and gun’ will quickly lead to a dead hero. Instead, despite being able to move while firing, Resident Evil 6 almost begs the player to play in a ‘stop and shoot’ manner, being cognizant of ammo needs while recognizing the enemy’s superior numbers.

A new segment featuring Jake and Sherry focused on the pair’s battle with a large number of J’avo, which can now not only mutate their limbs when damaged, but transform into fast-moving reptiles capable of spewing gas and needles at their foes. This demo was a far cry from what was shown at E3, which emphasized the Ustanak’s role in this campaign, a creature obsessed with capturing Jake at any cost.

Leon, Chris and Ada all seem to have found a tone and pacing that makes sense for their campaigns. Not only do their campaigns play well, but their general commitment to a particular type of horror is clear. All three of these storylines feel different, and in the best way possible. Jake does not benefit from that distinction. The pursuit with the Ustanak somehow feels less interesting than Chris’s battle with a two-story giant, and Jake’s battles with the J’avo are not nearly as well-executed as Chris’s, to say nothing of the Leon and Ada zombie encounters, which are excellent. With Capcom effectively developing four games in parallel, it seems as though one was destined to falter. Jake’s might be unfortunate enough to receive that distinction – but seeing these isolated, 15-minute slices of the game might change when they’re placed in the larger context of a campaign that might be a half-dozen (or more) hours long.

The scope of Resident Evil 6 exceeds any one preview. Despite discussing all four campaigns, we’ve said nothing about the newly announced Agent Hunt online feature, nor have we even had a chance to go hands-on with the game’s Crossover functionality – nevermind Mercenaries Mode, which Capcom has announced but hasn't detailed. It’s clear there is so much more to this adventure, which is quite literally the largest production in Capcom’s history. Fortunately we don’t have long to wait. Development is nearly finished, and we’re about two months from release. Who’s counting down the days with us?

Rich is an Executive Editor at IGN.com and the leader of the IGN Nintendo team. Follow his ridiculous adventures through IGN and Twitter. Keep it cool, Koopalings.

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PEGI Ratings: What Does It All Mean?

This week something important happened. PEGI replaced the BBFC as the legally-enforceable ratings body for video games in the UK. Its 12, 16, and 18 age ratings are now enforceable under British law, meaning a fine of up to £5,000 or six months in jail awaits the retailer or individual responsible for selling games to those too young to play them.

To be honest, it was all something of a mess. The two systems had coincided for way too long, creating foggy confusion – the exact opposite of what such regulatory bodies are supposed to do. Which ratings were parents supposed to trust: the familiar BBFC ratings or the new PEGI ratings? And if indeed it was was the latter, what good was a classification system that didn't have the law on its side. After all, it’s very unlikely that a number 18 stamped on the back of the game box would be capable of deterring a 12-year old from playing Battlefield 3 on Christmas day. No font is that disapproving.

The Byron Review (Safer Children in a Digital World) came to a similar, if somewhat less flippant conclusion. Delivered in March 2008, the report examined how video games were consumed by children, and how they should be responsibly licensed and distributed. One of the main issues tackled by the report was the very confusion that arose from having two conflicting systems.

BBFC Ratings System

Many parents, because of their familiarity, recognised the BBFC ratings on the front of boxes as indicators of ‘suitability’; however, this led to some parents inferring that the PEGI ratings had something to do with the game’s perceived difficulty. This led to a ludicrous situation: the very ratings that were supposed to protect children were actually doing the very opposite.

From an administrative perspective, the two bodies have always worked amicably together, but there needed to be a clearer solution to help the game-buying British public.

Overall the report is a measured assessment of a topic that normally courts hysteria. It concludes by recommending the government consolidates the existing systems into a new hybrid system, with a prominent leaning on the existing BBFC system because of its familiarity and the reputation and experience of the BBFC.

This didn’t happen. Probably because it would have required significant investment in the BBFC to ensure it could function as the sole arbiter of video games in the UK, but there was also concerns that the decision to support the BBFC could undermine PEGI and even precipitate its demise.

PEGI Ratings System

I’m not saying that choosing to go with PEGI is a bad or wrong decision; indeed, there are plenty advantages to adopting PEGI, but the loss of the BBFC’s ratings and general involvement in the regulatory process is significant for a number of reasons.

Firsty, PEGI is a European-minded ratings agency. This potentially removes the ability to ban a game in the UK if it's awarded a rating by PEGI. This is unlikely, since PEGI tends to be much sterner when awarding ratings; it has consistently awarded higher ratings for games than the BBFC.

This comes down to the way in which PEGI assesses individual titles. Publishers are asked to submit their games along with an assessment form, declaring all of the content which could influence the final rating. The form has 50 categories, detailing all imaginable types of sexual content, violence, drug abuse, even gambling. They are spread across the five different age ratings.

So “Depictions of nudity in a non-sexual context”, which includes breast feeding and sunbathing, receive the lowest rating of 3. But games depicting “sexual activity with visible genital organs” or “sexual violence or threats” rightly receive the highest rating of 18.

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The licensing body which deemed the violence to be ‘moderate’ has been replaced by one that considers it to be ‘extreme’.

This declaration form, submitted by the publisher, is then used as the basis for a subsequent review; essentially, it lets the ‘administrator’ focus on the elements of the game that will most likely influence the final rating. PEGI refers to this content declaration aspect as a “significant strength as only the developer/publisher of a game has a complete overview of the content in the game”.

While it might streamline the process, it could also be one of the system’s biggest disadvantages.

As always, this is more apparent when you give real world examples. A conspicuous, often-cited case is that of Mass Effect. The BBFC passed the first part of EA’s space odyssey as a 12; PEGI certified the same game as an 18, the highest rating it can award.

Mass Effect. BBFC rating (left). PEGI rating (right).

Evaluating what age rating a game or film should receive is a complex process. It should take into account a multitude of factors. It shouldn’t just be based on instinct. But if you’ve played Mass Effect, which one sounds more appropriate to you? I imagine most of you are thinking it’s a 15. It doesn’t revel in its violence, nor is it particularly gruesome. It doesn’t incentivise the dismemberment of an enemy’s limbs, like Dead Space.

The BBFC describes Mass Effect as containing “moderate violence and one moderate sex scene”; PEGI describes the same game as containing “extreme violence” and “sexual activity without visible genitalia”. This disparity is potentially worrying. The licensing body which deemed the violence to be ‘moderate’ has been replaced by one that considers it to be ‘extreme’.

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the limitations of the PEGI system could potentially put even the most sensitive, considered depiction of violence beyond the reach of anyone below 18

Although PEGI’s checklist is capable of distinguishing between a cartoon sprite inflicting a comedy slap and the jaw-smashing right hook of a street brawler, it’s less useful when it comes to grey areas, like Mass Effect. For years the BBFC has provided an exemplary service, consulting with the British public on how films should be certified. It’s a ratings body which crucially takes into account context when deciding what rating to hand out, one which understands that not all forms violence are equal, that context can be a mitigating factor and that audiences can discriminate intelligently.

PEGI isn’t prudish or reactionary. It doesn’t think video games are evil. Its intentions, I have no doubt, are thoroughly good. But since its inception in 2003, it has consistently awarded higher ratings than the BBFC. And this disparity comes down to PEGI’s ‘significant strength’: that declaration form. It’s a rigid form of certification, which is neither culturally nor contextually sensitive. It’s not about interpretation or consideration, it’s about holding a game against a checklist. Tick any of the 18 boxes and the game is automatically an 18.

So if a game contains "depictions of apparently motiveless killing or serious injury to multiple numbers of innocent human-like characters", it automatically receives an 18. Yet Schindler's List is a 15, and it tackles one of the most senseless, motiveless acts of mass slaughter ever recorded. Arguably video games are still too immature of a medium to depict something as culturally harrowing and historically significant as the holocaust with gravitas that is demanded. But the limitations of the PEGI system could potentially put even the most sensitive, considered depiction of violence beyond the reach of anyone below 18. For instance, if the same rubric was applied to literature, it would be illegal for anyone below the age 18 to read Shakespeare's tragedies, with all their eye-gouging and cannibalism and suicide. Bad luck if you're studying Macbeth for your English GCSE.

There are lots of unseen situations that lie ahead in which the PEGI system might prove unbearably restrictive. Over time, its questionnaire might need to be rephrased or rewritten or torn up completely, as the scope and ambition of video games grow. Otherwise, we could potentially face a ludicrous situation in which the most meaningful games will gated behind a forbidding, blood-red '18' .

The Byron Review itself cited this as major weakness of the PEGI system. It was thought that excessively high (or low) ratings could be a source of mistrust, and nothing could be more damaging to a ratings body in its infancy than suspicion. Hopefully, this won’t be the case, and at least in the short term, the PEGI ratings - now giving the full backing of British law - will make parents think twice before caving to the bouncy hectoring of their children wanting to play Call of Duty.

Daniel is IGN's UK Staff Writer. You can be part of the world's worst cult by following him on IGN and Twitter.

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