According toMajor Nelson, “Gears of Waris now the top game on Xbox Live.” In order to accomplish this,GoWhad to topHalo 2in terms of how many users were playing the game on Live. So, what does this mean to you? It means that if you want a fun multiplayer game that actually has people online to play against,Gearsis the way to go. I can only hope this chunk of news further motivates Epic Games to release more maps and a much needed patch very soon....

Microsoft can be sadistic when it wants. It seems part of the company’s MO to let pirates and modders enjoy Xbox Live during quiet periods, lulling them into a false sense of security, and then initiating a tidal wave of banhammers once a highly anticipated game is launched. WithGears of War 2having tantalized gamers all weekend,reports are now comingin that 360s are getting the snip. In case you don’t know how MS operates, once a system is “flagged” as modded or otherwise in violation of the company’s TOS, that console is frozen out of Xbox Live and will never be able to connect....

No need to drink yourself into a Dr. Pepper coma to get the promotionalMass Effect 2DLC.Hellforgehas discovered that the promo codes provided at purchase are completely reusable… you can get this DLC with no purchase necessary. Here are your codes, as originally provided by Hellforge: you’re able to do this three times to receive the goods — the Umbra Visor, the Recon Hood, and the Sentry Interface. Oh, and you might want to at leastconsidergoing out and buying a Dr....

Blink and you’ll miss Atari’sGhostbusters“Rule 3: Split Up…” trailer. It’s a quick and dirty look at the amount of destruction that you’re able to wreak in the game with the proton pack. If you click through, you’ll witness plenty of fire, rubble, broken tables, and various exploding objects. And hey, you’ll also see a few boss encounters. I’m not exactly sure if splitting up is aGhostbustersrule, but I understand that Atari needs to roll out a few more of these videos before the game releases on June 16 for almost every platform under the sun — Wii, DS, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3....

Sure, most gamers around my age either lust to have a full sized arcade cabinet in their home (or like the robot-in-chief Niero, already has one). If you don’t have room for one of those behemoths though, imagine having all the charm at less than half the size — you could fit three on a bookcase! These were created by Spain-based custom artistPocket Lucho, who explains the entire assembly process on his blog....

Only joking! Sort of. I’m always amused by old signs and billboards that somebody just hasn’t been bothered to take down, advertising things that people can’t be bothered to make anymore. This has to be one of my favorite, however. A McDonalds in Culver City, CA is still “offering” a PlayPlace area for kids that features an N64. I’m not sure which would be the worse disappointment. Retro gamers noticing the sign, pulling up and discovering that the sign is outdated, or modern day kids noticing the sign, rushing in and discovering the sign istrue, being greeted as they would be by an ancient, archaic, obsolete piece of gaming history that they’ve probably never heard of....

I’ve been playing Guerrilla Games’sKillzone 2for over ten hours, and I still can’t rip off a Helghast head without having to resort to strafing. I can’t pinpoint my control-related issue, but I know that others are feeling my pain. Yesterday, we ran a story related to this subject. Guerilla’s producer, Seb Downie, seemed adamant when he said that no changes would happen with the current control method: “[Guerrilla Games] have come to the conclusion that there are no changes required to the [control] system....

Guild Warslaunched the second chapter in theWinds of Changetrilogy today. The previous installment added 17 new quests and this chapter will feature 11 more on top of that, which also makes Winds of Change the largest combined free content update in the history of theGuild Warsfranchise. Win! Along with the new quests, this content update will feature five new respawn zones: Bukdek Byway, Shadow’s Passage, Shenzun Tunnels, The Undercity, and Sunjiang District....

First, watch the above video. It’s absolutely hilarious. Anyway, theHalo: Reachbeta is now over. Thousands of people got to experience new weapons, the armor abilities and new gametypes. It took a while for the beta to grow on me, but overall I really enjoyed it. I especially love how the armor abilities just dramatically change how people will playHalonow. There were plenty of issues, especially in terms of the weapons like when I would unload a full clip from the assault rifle into someone, melee them and then they still KILL ME!...

Tecmo Koei’s Japanese office building has been attacked by a particularly hateful fanboy who doesn’t seem to appreciate the company’s games. The remarks spraypainted on the building are remarkably bitter and hateful. Such messages include, “Die”, “garbage”, “Sh*t game”, and one other phrase that is either “Divine retribution” or “Tenchu”, which is the name of a ninja-based franchise made by From Software. If it’s the latter, then this guy is possibly hating onNinja Gaidenand claimingTenchuto be superior....

More than a handful of users are reporting issues with their copies ofHeavy Rainon theofficial PlayStation message board. These problems range from blank screens to corrupted save files. One unlucky soul in particular can’t get past the initial title screen, meaning he can’t even enjoy wiggling the sticks to take a virtual dump or extract a pair of sunglasses from his pocket. AsJoystiqnotes, an SCEA representative is on the case. He’s suggested not turning off the console while the game is loading or saving, which sounds like a keen plan to us....

Like we saidearlier this week, the guys behindThe Conduitaren’t afraid to say what they’re thinking. In a recent interview withVideoGamer, High Voltage’s chief creative officer Eric Nofsinger turned the dial up to 11 when talking about the impact ofThe Conduiton Wii development and teasing High Voltage’s to-be-announced title at E3. “I think we’ve made a new standard for many publishers and developers, and hopefully if consumers get out and support it we’ll see a lot more publishers and developers trying to the same,” Nofsinger said....

Long has this industry been known for the copious amounts of swag made available for press and enthusiasts alike. Much of it is neat fan service — an action figure, a limited-edition poster, a letter opener made to look like weapon — but more often than not, it’s completely useless. The package I received today, courtesy of GameStop to promote its upcomingStarCraft IImidnight launch events, falls into that latter category....