Opposable Thumbs, Ars Technica’s gaming personality, hasa storyup today that I’m sure is going to piss a lot of people off. Apparently, Ben, the author, purchasedTwilight Princessright around the launch of the Wii, from Gamestop. He played it a bit, probably thought it wasn’t the next coming of Christ, and placed it on his shelf to be forgotten next to his copies ofThe Lost BoysandHard to Kill. Recently, though, he was phoned by Gamestop’s automated phone service (cleverly named Aeris), with the following message;...

Okay, so I made that last part up. But my feet hurt bad after the week-long event last week. San Francisco is great, but parts of it are uphill, and those uphill climbs go directly against my laziness and lack of fitness as a blogger. A press release says that GDC hosted over 17,000 “industry professionals” at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center. And outside it. And in nearby hotels and bars and Denny’s late at night after we drank too much....

Non-industry gamers, I’m about to ruin your day, but please don’t hold it against me as I’m only doing my job. The news has surfaced that both GDC and DICE are going to go forward with an invite-only system next year to attempt to weed out unnecessary attendees. GDC show director Jamil Moledin commented on the details: “We don’t have it nailed down, but we are looking at moving to an invite model for press access at GDC,” he said....

It seems as though Epic was kidding when they said the Flashback multiplayer map pack would only be available for those who boughtGears of War 2new. The set has just become available on Xbox Live for 400 Microsoft Points. That’s 80 points a map. It’s a low price for five maps. It is especially a good deal for those who may have bought the title used from a place like GameStop....

Golden Axe: Beast Rideris not a popular game among critics. In fact, with the vast majority of reviewers refusing to give Sega’s retro cash-in any more than a 4, you could say that it’s been damn near mauled in the press. One man, however, thinks that press was out of line, outraged that the game didn’t score more than a 7 across the board.That man is Dave Halverson. Halverson, a founder of several publications, has called not only the integrity, but the game playing skills of reviewers into question, claiming that the writers (he refuses to call them critics) either played only a fraction of the game, or “just plain suck” at games in general....

Whether it be for videogames, music, or even movies, DRM sucks … period. That’s why we want to give you the heads up onFar Cry 2‘santi-piracy measuresbefore it’s too late. You’re initially able to install a retail copy ofFar Cry 2on 3 separate PCs and are given 5 activations per system. By uninstalling the game, you are automatically refunded an activation, so you can theoretically install the game an unlimited number of times....

Given last week’s highlighted Indie Nation title (Gun Mute, an awesome text adventure shooter), I thought it’d be fun to highlight yet another game that melds two gameplay genres you might not expect to work together.Steam Brigade, while maybe not as remarkable to contemporary gamers what with titles likePataponandGrim Grimoireon the market, was probably one of the first 2D RTS games of this decade. Set in a sort of steampunk version of WWII (which is much less violent than it sounds),Steam Brigadestreamlines RTS gameplay into a simple matter of timing, forethought, and reflexes....

The word “delay” has been a constant companion to the PlayStation 3. To the Sony faithful, it’s more of a continuous thorn in their sides, and is often mentioned alongside phrases that contain strings of painful words such as “tricky to program for,” and “development problems.” Familiar as that may be, it isn’t always the case. In fact, with one highly anticipated game, it’s quite the exception. According to SCEA’s Ron Eagle,Killzone 2‘sdelayis more of a strategic move on the part of Sony management:...

[Update] Contest over! acetated was the randomly selected winner and will be receiving the PlayStation 3 andTRON: Evolutionfor the PS3. Thanks again to Disney Interactive Studios and to all that entered! Check out more giveaways onthe contest page!] TRON: Evolutionis coming out on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii, DS and PSP on December 7 and we’re giving away a PS3 version of the game this week! Don’t have a PS3?...

This is my favorite story because it’s about DLC for a game I don’t play coming from bands I don’t listen to. Nevertheless,Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rockis getting some new downloadable content for the holidays. Seriously though, what’s a Linkin Park? They’re that band for emos, right? On the subject of emos, go check outEmo Corner. It’s a forum for people with fake depression to talk about how floppy their hair is and pretend to be bisexual....

We have last minute special guests from505 Gamesstopping by to show us their new releaseSupremacy MMA! Get a first hand preview of this title with the expected release date of June 7th, 2011 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. You will have the opportunity to ask questions directly to505 Games. Here’s your chance to be an investigative game journalist like the Dtoid editors. Join us forMash Tactics weekdays at 4PM PST onJustin....

Sometimes it’s really hard to find a practical use for videogame peripherals. Recently,Engadget(viatechnabob) showcased the aptly named “USB Metal Game Pad” that is being offered atDream Cheeky. The controller is your typical USB SNES controller redesign with rubber grip. It’s for the PC and Macintosh platforms. Other than recapturing that unjustifiable desire to get back intoDay Dreamin’ Davey, I can’t figure out why a company would offer this controller. My only guess is that it can double as a decent bludgeoning tool when not plugged into your computer....

Don’t you just love these screens that stare at you in the face, giving you some obscure hint as to what’s coming next from a company? Yeah, me either. But it seems like Japan loves to do these, because both Marvelous Entertainment and Sega are running these at the same time. Marvelous Entertainment is one of those companies that has their hands in everything from anime (Gunslinger Girl) to videogames (Valhalla Knights 2)....