EA’s second drop of classic games on Good Old Games includes Dungeon Keeper 2 and two titles from one of the greatest space-combat sims ever made: Wing Commander 1 and Wing Commander 2.

Yes, the visuals are certainly dated. But Wing Commander is more about great space combat than it is fancy looks.

The two Wing Commander games come together for $5.99. These are the really old-school Wing Commander games, before Mark Hamill, Malcolm MacDonald, and full-motion video hit the franchise in Wing Commander 3. And like many games on GOG.com, the package also comes with some cool extras: ship blueprints and the Wing Commander Bible. These join Wing Commander: Privateer on the classic-games service; Privateer was released earlier this summer.

EA has also released Dungeon Keeper 2 to GOG.com. Dungeon Keeper 2 improves upon the first game, letting you be the master of a dungeon instead of the one plundering it. Its extras include a level editor. It’s also $5.99

I hope the next batch of EA games include not only the FMV Wing Commander but one of my favorite RPGs of all time — The Bard’s Tale!. Also: Maybe this may help spur LucasArts into action for a rerelease for the X-wing and TIE Fighter games.

Are you one of the many gamers migrating up north to this year’s PAX Prime? Be sure to bring along our handy-dandy PAX 2011 Bingo Board for a bit of extra fun at this year’s convention, and check off the sights and sounds of Seattle as you enjoy the fan festivities!

(Click the image to download a printable .PDF!)

In a massive update that spans 40 characters in the Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition roster, Event Hub reports on the changes Capcom will make to SSF4: AE Version 2012.

Image via Luca Bailey.

Event Hubs has been keeping the world exhaustively, massively updated on the huge number of changes that Capcom is making for the “Version 2012″ patch to Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, and it looks like each fighter got some kind of tweak.

So far, the biggest changes all look like control and damage adjustments. Ryu’s Metsu Shoryuken Ultra hits higher and is easier to pull off. Dan has become his strongest version of any Street Fighter game yet. And Sagat’s practically a God Mode tier fighter, but they gave his Angry Scar Tiger Uppercut more damage anyway. And that’s just the icing. Make sure to visit Event Hubs for the full list.

Surely, there’s no more tweaking to done after this, right?

[Source: Event Hubs]

Quantum Conundrum, the upcoming new game from Portal 2 creator Kim Swift, wants you to stop thinking “portals” and start thinking in “dimensions”.

As revealed this morning by Gamespot, that upcoming game from Dark Void’s Airtight Games, now joined by Portal’s Kim Swift, is called “Quantum Conundrum”.

As the announcement trailer explains, the premise of the game is that your uncle has invented some gadgets that can send objects and environments into alternate dimensions. In a game mechanic that’s essentially “everything is a portal,” players have to solve puzzles by “phasing” objects in and out of different dimensions — along with adhering to a level’s unique dimensional rules. As Gamespot notes, in the Fluffy Level, “players will make objects in the room light, allowing them to push around once-immovable objects to clear a path forward. There will also be a dimension that slows down time, one that reverses gravity, and a fourth that has not yet been detailed.”

Quantum Conundrum is heading for downloadable release on the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC (via Steam) next year, but the game will be also be shown at PAX.

For now, you can watch the announcement trailer right here.

[Source: Gamespot]

What were you doing 15 years ago? Listening to the hot, new Spice Girls album? Wondering why Mighty Ducks 3 was such a depressing movie? Well, some of us were playing Team Fortress.

Hey, go log into Team Fortress 2 right now! Why? Because you could still get a free hat!

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of Team Fortress, the Team Fortress 2 team is giving away a bunch of goodies to anyone who logs in. As of this morning, stuff is still being given away, so you should hurry up and get your free cake, noisemaker, ammo packs, and more. Telling you is our gift to you since we didn’t bring anything to the party.

From the Team Fortress 2 blog:

This morning Robin Walker threw a birthday party and nobody came. Before you start feeling sorry for him, though, keep in mind he didn’t actually invite anybody. He just keeps emailing the TF team pictures of himself in his backyard – jumping around in an inflatable jungle gym he rented, forcing a hired clown to make him balloon animals, and unwrapping gifts he bought himself.

Robin’s increasingly sad collection of birthday pictures reminded us that Team Fortress turns fifteen today. To celebrate, we’ve decided to throw a party ourselves. And unlike Robin, we’re inviting everybody. For the next 24 hours, anybody who plays TF2 is going to get:

• A free party hat!
• A free noisemaker that will have unlimited uses on Team Fortress’s birthday and can only be used each year on that day!
• Free cake and gifts (in the form of remodeled health kits and ammo packs)!

You’ll also see the return of the best stuff from previous TF birthday celebrations, including:

• The Team Fortress Birthday Beach Ball!
• The Celebration Gib, which causes gibbed players to explode in a shower of balloons and confetti!

We’ve got the balloons, we’ve got the presents, we’ve got the birthday cake. All we’re missing is you. (And Robin. Judging from these pictures he’s not coming back to work any time soon. The last one had him watching a magic show while riding a donkey wearing a little sombrero. No idea who’s taking all these pictures. Possibly the clown.)

Sony’s PlayStation 3 is often derided by developers as being harder to work with than Megan Fox in a Michael Bay summer blockbuster. Apparently, that isn’t the case with the Vita.

As the PlayStation Vita gets closer and closer to launch, it seems like people just can’t say enough good things about it (when not talking about the price).

Add WipEout 2048 Game Director Stuart Tilley to that list, as he tells Edge Magazine that his team was able to get their own Vita game through its paces fast — a lot faster than planned/expected. Along with the fact that PS Vita dev kits are reportedly pretty cheap, it seems like a larger number of companies will be getting in on the action, while most third-party companies won’t have an issue working with the new handheld system. At least, it should be easier than the Nintendo 3DS, which developers have said is comparatively more difficult/expensive to work with.

From Tilley himself:

“I think of all the PlayStations I’ve worked on, which is actually all of them, it’s the easiest one to work with,” [Tilley] told [Edge].

“[Sony] have given us a really good set of tools, allowing us to get up and running a lot quicker than we have previously, which is really good.

“We had a smaller team at the back end of last year that got working straight away on the game stuff rather than too much of the underlying tech, which allows us to really start getting the game in your hands as soon as possible.”

[Source: Edge Magazine via CVG]

Preparing for the Tokyo Game Show, Kojima Productions have wheeled out a few campaign and marketing promotions for their upcoming titles — including an official new Facebook page.

As Kojima Productions gets ready to showcase their Nintendo 3DS, PSP, and console lineup of games like Snake Eater 3DS (also, still hoping for that rumored Zone of the Enders game!), the group has rolled out a new Facebook page with some nifty content.

In the new Kojima Productions Facebook page, fans can see a full breakdown of games from the developer, even including older titles like Snatcher and Policenauts. Fans can also see direct links to the company’s Twitter account, along with that of Hideo Kojima himself. Also, expect to see changes here as the Tokyo Game Show gets over and done with, although most attention should go towards the page’s wall.

Right now, “KojimaPro” (lawsuit!) has started posting pictures of merch — or swag bags — along with pictures of artwork from Zone of the Enders and Metal Gear Solid.

Macworld reports that while Steve Jobs has resigned as CEO of Apple, everything behind the scenes is still set to run smoothly under Tim Cook’s leadership.

[This story originally posted from Macworld. For more Apple, Mac, and Mac OS X news, visit Macworld.]

According to Ars Technica, newly appointed CEO Tim Cook rallied the troops on Thursday with an email to the company’s employees, in which he describes joining Apple as “the best decision I’ve ever made” and says he shares “Steve’s optimism for Apple’s bright future.”

As the news of Steve Jobs’s resignation sets in, the question on many people’s minds is what an Apple under the leadership of Tim Cook will look like. Unsurprisingly, Cook appears bent on steering the ship along the course plotted by Jobs:

I want you to be confident that Apple is not going to change. I cherish and celebrate Apple’s unique principles and values. Steve built a company and culture that is unlike any other in the world and we are going to stay true to that—it is in our DNA. We are going to continue to make the best products in the world that delight our customers and make our employees incredibly proud of what they do.

Surprising? Not particularly. Cook has been in charge of day-to-day operations since the beginning of the year when Jobs went on indefinite medical leave, a responsibility he also held while the former CEO -— and boy, I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to typing that —- was being treated for pancreatic cancer in 2004.

Cook acknowledged his debt to Jobs in the email, describing him as “an incredible leader and mentor to me,” and reminded employees that the co-founder continues to serve in the position of chairman of the board.

PC World reports that while fans are outraged at GameStop’s decision to remove OnLive coupons from PC copies of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Square Enix is defending GameStop’s stance.

Although many gamers are decidedly upset about GameStop discarding packed-in OnLive coupons for Deus Ex: Human Revolution, as well as removing PC copies of the game from shelves, Square Enix is surprisingly defending the retailer’s actions.

As PC World reports, the publisher has no problem with GameStop preferring to not advertise OnLive, as the company is a direct competitor to the retailer’s own upcoming relaunch of Spawn Labs’ Impulse on-demand gaming service.

From Square Enix’s response to PC World:

Square Enix must be pretty torqued off, right? Not so much, actually. In fact their reaction’s almost contrite.

“As part of Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s boxed offering on PC, Square Enix included a third party coupon,” wrote Square Enix in a statement. “GameStop was not made aware of this inclusion and Square Enix respects the right of GameStop to have final say over the contents of products it sells and to adjust them where they see fit in accordance with their policies.”

[Source: PC World]

Microsoft UK exec Chris Lewis recently talked about Microsoft’s strict policies regarding downloadable games, indicating that titles appearing with exclusive timing for other platforms could be blocked outright from being published on Xbox Live.

In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Microsoft Europe VP of Interactive Entertainment Business Chris Lewis talked about a lot of Microsoft’s future plans for the Xbox 360.

For all intents and purposes, it’s pretty standard. Lewis spends as little time as possible talking about the Xbox 360′s lagging sales in Japan. Inquires about the Xbox 720 were dodged. However, Lewis did make a particularly bold statement about Microsoft’s future policy regarding Xbox Live-bound games that show up on other platforms.

From the source:

Eurogamer: Would you allow a downloadable game to launch on Xbox Live Arcade it if went on PlayStation Network first?

Chris Lewis: We’re not keen to do it. I wouldn’t say never. We wouldn’t be specific about that. But I’d be surprised if we saw that as something we’d encourage. But, honestly, and this is going to sound a bit contrived, we just want what our consumers want from us.

Eurogamer also referenced the exact text of Microsoft’s policy in their wrap-up:

“Titles for Xbox 360 must ship at least simultaneously with other video game platform, and must have at least feature and content parity on-disc with the other video game platform versions in all regions where the title is available,” it reads.

“If these conditions are not met, Microsoft reserves the right to not allow the content to be released on Xbox 360.”

While this is tactically an effective business move, the concept of it is still, at its very core, hypocritical. Various DLC titles like Limbo, Braid and Lara Croft: Guardian of Light have appeared on Xbox Live Arcade in a period of exclusivity before ever coming to the PlayStation Network. In fact, the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade — one of the company’s most popular promotions — ensures that Microsoft has an advantage in securing certain IPs before other console and networks have the right to sell the games.

Although times are tough for the gaming industry, it’s an incredibly aggressive move by Microsoft, should they choose to implement it on the many smaller developers looking to get their projects out to as many eyes as possible.

[Source: Eurogamer]