Wear a Scribblenauts Hat in Team Fortress 2

Today, Warner Bros. Interactive and Valve announced a collaboration in conjunction with the upcoming launch of Scribblenauts Unlimited. Gamers that pre-order Scribblenauts Unlimited through Steam will receive a free digital Rooster Hat immediately following the purchase of $29.99.

The Rooster Hat, worn by Maxwell himself, comes in both red and pink -- the pink hat is worn by Maxwell's sister Lily.

Scribblenauts Unlimited launches on November 20th for PC, 3DS, and the Wii U. Stay tuned to IGN for a complete review in the coming weeks.

Ryan Clements writes for IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Behold... Borderlands 2 Interactive Maps

Prepare to have all the secrets in Borderlands 2 blown wide open as we unveil the Borderlands 2 Interactive Maps. Integrated directly into our growing Borderlands 2 wiki, the interactive maps are broken into the multitude of sub-areas that make up Pandora.

Borderlands 2 Interactive Maps Get!

These maps are called “interactive” for a reason. For one thing, they feature a zoom function, letting you take a closer (or farther) look at a certain location. You can even click and drag the map around to inspect other quadrants.  When you view a map like, say, Sawtooth Cauldron, you’ll notice map markers of various types that reveal the locations of things like Vault Symbols, Lost ECHOs, and many other hidden gems. Clicking on these individual markers will reveal more information in the associated wiki page as well. Whoa, the synergy!

But here’s the even cooler part.

All of the interactive maps can be edited by you, dear reader. Simply right-click on your mouse to add a marker – it’s that simple! In fact, we’ve got the Borderlands 2 Epic Loot Challenge going on right now that encourages you to dig right in and help make our Borderlands 2 the most helpful visual resource for Vault hunters everywhere. We will need all hands on deck to make that happen, and we’ll make it worth your while. Get loot in-game, get loot for real!

For a more detailed breakdown on how to edit the interactive maps, check out this brief tutorial.

Bonus: IGN's interactive maps are optimized for mobile and tablet devices!

We’re quite proud of our interactive maps (check out our Guild Wars 2, Sleeping Dogs, and Skyrim ones, too!), but they’re not perfect yet. We’d love to hear what you think. Let us know in the comments section below your thoughts, suggestions, and general feedback!

Stephanie Lee is the Community Development Manager at IGN. You can follow her at Stephanie-IGN and @superLEE7 on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Staff Working on ArmA 3 Arrested For Spying

Update 2: Bohemia has now clarified its previous comments, providing the following statement to IGN:

"Since last Sunday, when two Bohemia Interactive, a.s. employees, were arrested on the Greek island of Lemnos, much speculation about what happened has circulated online. It's been rumoured that they entered restricted military areas or gathered photographic references of military bases in order to improve the visual fidelity of Arma 3, a PC game currently under development by our company. Far in advance of any formal charges - only hours after they were detained by the local police - many media outlets immediately suggested spying and, only one day later, specifically referenced Arma 3.

Having travelled there, and after meeting personally with them both, as well as their lawyer who is fully acquainted with the Greek authority's investigation file in detail, we can assure you that these insinuations are completely false and without substance. These employees - our friends, Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar - visited the island as tourists. Their holiday was a product of their interest in the island, triggered by their work on Arma 3 over the past two years of development.

They took photographs and videos in public areas, as countless tourists arriving to enjoy the beauty and hospitality of Greece may well do. These included a short video as they drove through the main road passing around the international airport, where in one short part of the video off in the distance some hangars and other buildings of the complex can be seen. It's very likely that many tourists may have pictures similar to those taken by Ivan and Martin in their own family albums, without being aware that they put themselves or their families at risk.

We sincerely hope that the whole situation is no more than an unfortunate and deep misunderstanding. The in-game Limnos is close to completion, and it's far from an identical replication of the real place. It was heavily modified to fit the game's backstory, a purely fictional 2035 setting. It was rescaled to only 75% of the real island, and it does not attempt to display any real world military installations situated on the island of Lemnos.

To summarize the situation:

• They visited Lemnos on their holiday as tourists.
• They did not enter any military area.
• They did not take any pictures of any military objects to be used in Arma 3.

Martin and Ivan, currently being detained in Mytilene, relayed this message to their friends and family:

"The conditions are tough, but the people we meet treat us fairly and correctly. It is all a completely absurd misunderstanding that will certainly be quickly explained. We mainly think of you, our families; you have to stay calm and not to worry about us. We hope we will meet soon."

We apologize for any possible delay or lack of communication regarding this important matter. At present, all and every possible effort goes towards supporting Ivan and Martin, their families, and to getting the guys safely back home. Any form of support for our imprisoned colleagues and friends will be more than welcome."

Original story follows:

Update: Bohemia has provided IGN with the following statement from CEO Marek Spanel:

"We can confirm that two Bohemia Interactive employees, our colleagues and friends, were arrested during their holiday trip to Lemnos. They visited the island with the sole purpose of experiencing the island's beautiful surroundings.

Since its establishment in 1999, Bohemia Interactive has created games based only upon publicly available information. We always respect the law and we've never instructed anybody to violate the laws of any country. The same is true for Arma 3.

Currently, all our effort goes towards supporting the guys over there, as well as their friends and families affected by this difficult situation. We sincerely hope that this is an unfortunate misunderstanding of their passion as artists and creators of virtual worlds."

Original story follows:

The Greek government has accused two employees of ArmA developer Bohemia Interactive of espionage for taking photographs of a Greek air base during their research for ArmA 3.

Studio head Mark Spanel confirmed the news on the game's official forums, asking users not to discuss the matter for legal reasons and closing the relevant thread.

The first reports came from Greek outlet News237, which stated that the two Czech men had been found with photos and video of military facilities in Lemnos and Agios Efstratios, and were arrested in the act of photographing a base on Lemnos. They could be facing a lengthy prison sentence if charged and found guilty.

Eurogamer has since unearthed that the developer was warned against such actions by one of its Greek fans back at the beginning of August in a forum thread.

"On the island of Limnos is a military air base. It is illegal to take photographs of this base, yet the ArmA development team are creating a 3D model of the base, most likely based on photos which they took illegally (as well as the satellite photos which aren't illegal)," wrote Cyplon.

"Had this been an American base, or any other country with a large population of whom may purchase ARMa 3, it is likely that such an act would not have been performed due to the risk of the country banning the game from being sold there. [...] Of all locations in the World, Limnos - one of the only islands in the Aegean with a military air base, is being replicated, regardless of the tensions between Greece and Turkey which are ongoing (you don't hear it on the news unless you are from Greece or Turkey). Great choice for a first location! This is equivalent to creating an ArmA game replicating the Gaza strip, which would very likely anger Israel..."

We'll have more on this story as it comes in, but don't expect Bohemia Interactive to comment on an ongoing legal matter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Australia's iGEA Cautiously Welcomes New R18+ Guidelines

The Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (iGEA) has cautiously welcomed the final Guidelines for the Classification of Computer Games, which come into effect January 1, 2013.

“We, along with many other stakeholders, have worked for many years to have the classification scheme acknowledge that adults play and enjoy video games and are due the respect of a classification category that reflects ‘age appropriate’ content for adults," reads a statement released by the iGEA. "The new guidelines released today show that they have been crafted to try to balance the concerns of those who have resisted an R18+ classification and adults who want to play video games designed specifically for mature audiences and that are readily available in other developed democracies."

The statement, however, does goes on to criticise the new guidelines for holding games to stricter criteria compared to film and maintaining the interactive nature of video games increases the impact of various classifiable elements.

“Given the opposition to the introduction of an R18+ category from a vocal yet unrepresentative section of the community, along with a largely conservative group of Attorneys-General, it is no surprise the new guidelines hold video games to a higher standard across a number of categories compared to film and what originally existed for video games," continued the statement.

“As we have previously stated, we are concerned with the acknowledgment in the guidelines that interactivity has greater impact on players, despite the Federal Attorney-General’s office publishing a literature review in September 2010 that found no evidence to support these claims. There will be continued debate about whether the interactivity of video games has a greater impact than other forms of media, and we will continue to refer to the lack of the evidence to support these claims."

The iGEA expressed these same concerns on the release of the amended draft guidelines in November last year.

The iGEA will now "wait to see" how the Classification Board will go on to interpret and apply the newly revised guidelines and "trust that they will reflect the standards of morality, decency and propriety accepted by reasonable adults, not just the vocal ones."

Source : ign[dot]com

SEGA Announces Football Manager 2013

SEGA has revealed the latest game in its Football Manager series, Football Manager 2013, developed by Sports Interactive.

A range of improvements to the game's existing elements have been announced, including an improved 3D match engine, new staff roles such as specialist coaches, enhanced training and worldwide leaderboards.  Additionally, the game will make full use of the Steam system’s network functionality, increasing the ease with which games can be set up against other managers.

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In recent years it’s become clear that there’s a large group of people who would like to play Football Manager, but simply can’t devote the time required to get the most out of the game.

Alongside all this is the introduction of the all-new 'Classic' or FMC mode, which promises to offer a streamlined managerial experience for those players who wouldn't otherwise have time for a full season. By only focusing on the nuts and bolts of taking a team to the top, players should be able to play out a full season in just eight to 10 hours.

Sports Interactive studio director Miles Jacobson explained, "In recent years it’s become clear that there’s a large group of people who would like to play Football Manager, but simply can’t devote the time required to get the most out of the game.

"We decided, therefore, to try to find a way to accommodate players with limited free time, without significantly diluting the experience. We believe that FMC achieves this beautifully.

“I would, however, like to stress to our many, many fans around the world that the introduction of FMC will not impact in any way on the game that they’ve come to know and love. For those who still want the full, ‘hands-on’ experience, FM13 offers exactly what they’re looking for – a bigger, better and even more immersive version of the world's greatest football management simulation.”

FMC mode can either be played as an open-ended career, or through the new Challenge mode that was first introduced in the handheld version of Football Manager 2012. Challenge mode tasks players with overcoming a particular scenario which is designed to test his or her management skills over a set period of time. These range from achieving success with a squad of kids to getting your team from the bottom of the table to the top within half a season.

FM13 will ship with five challenges with more made available over time. FMC mode will also offer ‘unlockable’ features which can be used to make the game a bit easier, such as removing the need for work permits.

Football Manager 2013 will be released on PC and Mac before Christmas 2012.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and regularly struggles to manage, as well as cope. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 Delayed Until 2013

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 has been delayed until January 15 2013.

According to VideoGamer, City Interactive's sniper sequel has been pushed back in order to give the team more time to polish the title.

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The engine is fantastic and the level of polish is also key to the title's success.

Namco Bandai PR director Lee Kirton told the site, "I can confirm that this is true, we will provide a full announcement with City Interactive soon.

"It's key we all want this title to be fantastic in the genre and the leading Sniper game for sure. The engine is fantastic and the level of polish is also key to the title's success. As soon as the official announcement through distributors is available I will provide it."

We reported a couple of weeks ago that the game had slipped from August to October, but now it seems the game won't be out this year at all. While an October release would have meant the game going head to head with titles like Halo 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Medal of Honor: Warfighter, the first few months of 2013 are getting increasingly crowded after a number of high profile delays. The Last of Us, Anarchy Reigns, Beyond: Two Souls, Metro: Last Light and Crysis 3 are all targeting that window for launch.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 will release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant, and can't wait to go bankrupt thanks to game purchases in January 2013. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com