Few multiplayer-centric videogames are large enough — or supported enough by the developer, for that matter — to flat-out ask players for a sizable percentage of their lives as a makeshift offering.StarCraftdefinitely falls under this elite category. In case you had any doubts, Game Informer chatted withStarCraft IIdesign director Dustin Browder about how committed players will have to be in order to extract the most enjoyment from the game. “We really consider the 1v1 the final endgame arena-style gameplay that we hope players will only get to after 30, 40, 50, 60 hours played depending on their enthusiasm for it,” he explained....

Do you rememberJumpgate Evolution? The space-faring MMO was originally expected to release last year, and have had beta signups open for thirty months, with neither a product nor a beta having turned up yet. We’ve heard nary a word of it since a delay announcement back in May 2009. Now it seems that publisher Codemasters is getting a little bit antsy for their investment. They have filed acomplaintwith the US Federal Court in San Francisco against Jumpgate’s developer NetDevil for failing to deliver the MMO by the agreed upon date of February 24th, 2009....

Survival Horror buffs may recall Activision’s attempt to jump on theResident Evil/Silent Hillbandwagon,Nightmare Creatures. The game, set in 19th Century London, did enough to scare the kids, but it never quite became the nextResi. It got a sequel in 2000 but the third game,Nightmare Creatures III: Angel of Darknessnever got completed, possibly due to having the most generic name in history. Kalisto Entertainment went out of business before it could come to the PS2, Xbox or GameCube, and Ubisoft attempted to complete it, before ditching the idea....

Back when we launchedthis contest, I told you straight away that I’d hate whoever won this prize pack. I’d kill (but not steal) for this stuff, especially the calendar and Japanese art book. But the entries were so great that I don’t want to use the wordhate. How aboutdislike? You won’t care what I think about you when you open up your box of sexyPersona 4swag, courtesy of Atlus. Before we get to it, we’ll say that there were a lot ofgreatincredible entries, so it’s worth your time scrolling through the180+ posts in the contest comments....

Thought our discussion ofFinal Fantasy XIIIended with ourofficial review? Think again: our “Counterpoint” series allows editors to share drastically different opinions on games we’ve already reviewed. I have loved every single numbered main game in theFinal Fantasyseries. All of them. (Yes, that includesIIand the surprisingly polarizingXII.) Of course, I love some more than others (VI4 LIFE!), but there has never been a mainFinal Fantasygame I haven’t liked. But going intoFinal Fantasy XIIII was nervous....

[Recently, Dance Central developer Harmonix Music Systems was cool enough to give us a sneak peek behind the curtain of its artist’s workshop. In the coming weeks, we’ll be getting a closer look at the game’s colorful cast, revealing a bit about the fiction that drives their in-game personalities, as well as the design choices that brought them to life.] Dance Central‘s Miss Aubrey wasn’t always the fiery redheaded know-it-all fans have come to know....

The vigilant folks at GamerBytes have scoured the leaderboards to determine how many people purchasedDead Rising 2: Case Zero, the $5 standalone prequel to one of this fall’s biggest games. The results are in, and by their last count, 328,290 purchases have been made so far. Keep in mind,Case Zerohas been out for — as of today — only a single week. In terms of digital distribution on consoles, this is an impressive sales feat....

In a sense, I guess everyone does win in December. But the releases sent to us by Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft on December’s NPD data all seem to point to their victories over something, and mostly over each other. Nintendo proudly proclaims that their Wii and DS ended up being the No. 2 and No. 1 best selling systems in the US for 2007. The DS won, moving 8.5 million units last year; almost half of those were sold in November and December....

If you’ve somehowmissed the news, you should know that Destructoid has partnered with Hudson to make video gaming magic (well, it’s magic to us), and now Mr. Destructoid has become aplayable characterinBomberman Livefor the Xbox Live Arcade. Today, the Bomb-Up Pack 2 is available for download on Xbox Live, letting players sport the Destructoid helmet and suit while they bomb for domination. Grab Bomb-Up Pack 2 for 250 Microsoft Points ($3....

Oh hi! Another week has been finished here on the Destructoid Network and it has been a great one at that. Japanator broke the 1,000,000 hits this past week. Can’t wait for the 1 year party in Tokyo! Jtor also has given us a preview of Anime Expo. Donate blood and you’ll get free Pocky! On the tech side, the biggest piece of news from NextLust was the fact that you’ll have to pay for an iTunes account to utilize the iPhone properly....

Sorry guys and gals, I have been epic fail this week. PAX took more out of me than any other event I have had the privilege of attending before. It has been great meeting all of the community members and just having the best time of my life. The CBlog list is super short this week because I have not had the proper time to go through everything after Thursday. So, if you think you had a really good and worthy CBlog this week, then let us know by linking to it in the comments....

The wait is finally over!Zeno Clashis out today, and if what I’ve heard in IRC and the forums is any indication, this game is hotly anticipated. It first entered the world as an obscure and bizarre trailer that confused all who saw it, but over the past year it has gained ground and become one of the most eagerly awaited PC games of the year, due in no small part to its absolute weirdness....

I’ve been told that there are a lot of Dtoiders who loveMAG. If I could commit myself to a multiplayer first-person shooter (or had any skill at them), I’d probably join in on the fun. The persistent world it features is highly appealing to me. If you are one of the proud followers, there’s a new patch coming in with features that you may appreciate. Here’s a quick rundown of what Zipper Interactive has told us is coming:...