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Free, high-quality updates are the key to Jetpack Joyride's success

Jetpack Joyride is one of the best games of the year, period. The game is simple to play, incredibly addictive, and the developer has continued to support it with a series of free content updates that add more to see and do inside the game's world. The gameplay may be simple—you touch the screen to go up, let go to move down, all the while collecting coins, avoiding obstacles, and using different vehicles—but the game's design and execution are some of the best in the business.

It's also worth noting that we live in a world where for-pay updates are the rule, not the exception, and Halfbrick Studios continues to release new content for the game... without charging for any of the updates. We talked to Halfbrick's Chief Marketing Officer Phil Larson to explore about why this strategy makes sense for the company.


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Oh, Lord: Ken Levine didn't remove religious lyrics from Bioshock Infinite trailer

A new trailer for Bioshock Infinite was shown during the 2011 Video Game Awards, featuring in-engine gameplay while a new cover of the religious classic "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" plays over the images. The song is sung by Courtnee Draper, the voice actress who plays Elizabeth, the lead in the game.

A few people online have already picked up on the fact that this version of the popular song does not use the word "Lord" in the chorus. This in turn is leading some to take offense to the religious aspect of the song being taken away, leading to strongly worded notes claiming that song lyrics to such classical and powerful hymns shouldn't be touched for pop culture. The truth is much simpler: the word "Lord" was never in the song to begin with.


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The "best" of the VGAs: new Mass Effect 3, Bioshock Infinite trailers, and Tony Hawk HD

Spike TV doesn't seem to care about giving video games awards, as many of the 2011 awards given out at the misleadingly-titled Video Game Awards were given off-screen, or before the show actually began. The broadcast itself was filled with terrible jokes, B-list celebrities, and embarrassing moments. I'm curious to find out if anyone was able to get through it with their sanity intact, and I'm not exactly sure why Charlie Sheen was there at all. At one point, a grown man was tea-bagged for an extended period of time. To pick an even geekier nit, someone else drank a blue potion to restore health. They don't make a face big enough for that palm.

I'm probably being too hard on the show, though, as the crass bits were clearly written by someone who seems to hold games and the people who play them in contempt. The show's real purpose is to market new games, and the new trailers, announcements, and content on display was often exciting. Let's take a look at the best trailers and video from the show.


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Week in gaming: Microsoft's legal moves with the 360, Serous Sam 3, indie game marketing

This was an interesting week, with Microsoft updating the Xbox 360 with a new look and some new ways to search for, and consume, media content. The big story is the clause that prevents you from suing the company that Microsoft inserted into the terms of service. Of course, you can't opt out of this particular bit of the agreement, so there's that issue.

We also reviewed Serious Sam 3, we talked to the people behind two great iOS games, and I gave a lecture on how to market your indie game. The good news is that incoming pitches have already improved, which was my secret mission all along: to get you people to make my job easier. Thanks, guys!


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Forza's Dan Greenawalt talks about popular features, computerized cars

It's been a couple of months since Forza Motorsport 4 arrived in stores and set a new benchmark for console racing. This week, Turn 10 released the "December IGN Pack," the third in a series of six monthly DLC car packs. December's DLC is a good mix of classics—I think Managing Editor Eric Bangeman will be happy to see his old Alfa (Editor's note: I'm happy to see a representation of an Alfa in good working order, something I didn't always experience as an owner)—and modern metal. They've also released a title update that fixes a number of bugs and exploits, which you can read about here. We also had a chance to talk to Dan Greenawalt, the game's lead developer, to ask him some follow-up questions after our review.


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SpellTower on iOS shows power of creating games in genres you hate

It's always tempting to ask those who create games where their ideas come from, but video games are like all creative endeavors: the idea is rarely as important as someone's ability to execute on that idea. A friend told developer Zach Gage about a game that was like "Tetris and Boggle," and he immediately had an idea of how that game would look and play. When he saw the described game being played in front of him, he realized his ideas were very different, and he went to work creating his own game, hoping to release the smaller-scale project quickly. After all, he was in the middle of four other titles.

There was, on the other hand, one small problem. Gage hated word games.


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How to market your indie games: Ben Kuchera's lecture at Run Jump Dev

There is a group of independent game developers called Run Jump Dev that meets in Lexington Kentucky— of all places—to discuss their projects and share information and stories and stories about the games they're creating. Since I live in Cincinnati and love to support both local groups who game and independent developers as a whole, I jumped at the chance to speak to the group when they invited me to present a topic to the group. My subject was a simple one: how to get your indie game to the press in a way that gets you publicity.


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7554 puts gamers in the shoes of Vietnamese soldier during historic battle

Huy Nguyen Tuan is the Director of the Vietnamese game studio Emobi Games, whose current project is the upcoming game 7554. The name refers to May 7, 1954, the day the French Army in Dien Bien Phu surrendered to the Vietnam People's Army, thus ending its occupation of all Indochinese colonies. The game puts you in the shoes of a soldier in the Vietnamese Army, and places you inside the battles. For an American gamer, the setting and scope of the game are very different than what we're used to from our war games.

Tuan explained the choice of battles for the game to Ars. "Dien Bien Phu is great victory that we proud of. That day, 7th of May, 1954 is a symbol of our strength." It's a source of national pride, as Vietnam is a small country that rose up to fight for its independence. "I think it is similar to what Americans feel when they celebrate July 4th. Independence is very important and something worth fighting for. It is also something worth honoring." We spoke with Tuan about the challenges of creating a PC game in Vietnam, and why this game will be a departure for American audiences.


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You can't opt out of the "no class-action" Xbox 360 TOS update after all

We reported that Microsoft was taking away your right to sue the company in the latest Xbox 360 update by forcing gamers into neutral arbitration, while also blocking consumers from joining class-action lawsuits... unless they opted out of the clause by mailing a letter to Microsoft. It seems this isn't actually the case, as Microsoft has told Kotaku that you can't opt out: you need to give up these rights if you'd like to continue using your Xbox 360.

This is Microsoft's full statement on the matter:

Users must agree to the new clause to the Terms of Use in order to continue using Xbox LIVE. Changes to the Terms of Use are designed to ensure that our customers have an easy way to file a dispute without requiring formal legal action. They may now bring a dispute to our attention by filling out a simple Notice of Dispute form found at www.xbox.com/notice and mailing in documentation in support of their claim. We will then work to resolve the dispute to their satisfaction within 60 days. Any customer unsatisfied with the outcome of this informal process may easily initiate arbitration with the American Arbitration Association.

Customers may also choose to bring their claims in their local small claims court if they meet the normal jurisdictional requirements. For detailed information, please visit: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/Legal/LiveTOU.

"The terminology in the ToS used to 'opt out' applies only to future changes made after this agreement," Kotaku reported. So you have to accept this agreement, and give up your right to class-action status and most legal action against Microsoft, but you can opt out of any future changes. 

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