Last night Activision held a press only event where they showed off several new multiplayer features for Call of Duty Black Ops. Leading up to the event they also said they had one surprise for everyone. Originally it was rumored that it was the announcement of a multiplayer beta but that was dismissed before the event began. What they did surprise the crowd with is certainly much cooler than some "beta".

The newest and perhaps most interesting mode in Black Ops is Wager Match. Instead of experience points taking you down a linear path to unlock equipment you now receive CoD Points. You can use these points to unlock new gear and content. While normal matches reward you with CoD Points it is in the new Wager matches that you will truly be put to the test. In these modes you "ante up" an amount your own points in the hopes of finishing the match in the top three and winning even more points. On the flip side if you play poorly you will actually end up losing your hard earned points you wagered.

Wager matches also bring a bunch of interesting variants that will surely keep people playing for awhile. There's a match where weapons are random and they switch out at regular intervals. One match has you using the crossbow and tomahawk to hunt down you foes. There's even a match where you only have one bullet and must kill to get more bullets.

With these cool new modes in addition to other new things like your perks affecting your character's appearance it truly seems like Treyarch is doing there best to rid themselves of the "second-best" name that has plagued them for many years.

If you had a history of disappointment with the Madden series, Madden NFL 11 may not have been the most exciting release in August 2010. Still, after playing through several different Super Bowl XLV match-ups and giving it a couple of weeks, I feel like EA Sports deserves to mark this one down in the “Win” column.

Read about what made this season a championship year for the Madden series after the jump.

In my continuing effort to somehow improve Spider-Man's mediocre video game reputation through sheer willpower alone, here is the latest video promoting his upcoming game, Shattered Dimensions. With the game scheduled for launch next week, here is the appropriately-titled Launch Trailer. It's pretty cool: You hear each of the four different Spider-Mens' voices for the first time. Did you know that all four actors voicing the alternate Spider-Men in the game have all voiced the character before in the Spider-Man cartoons? I thought that was a nice touch.

Anyway, I'm still hoping that Spidey will manage to beat the odds in video games next week the same way he so often does in the comic books. English developer Rocksteady did it with Batman last year in Arkham Asylum, so I'm crossing my fingers that Canadian developer Beenox does it with Spider-Man this year in Shattered Dimensions.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions will be available Tuesday, September 7.

What I can say is that when I first started playing there was some fun to be had. However, as I began to play more and more, I found myself feeling like something was missing -- something huge. It was as if the developer has missed something so crucial to the gaming experience that the game was no longer fun.

It’s Scott Pilgrim Vs. Addam Kearney, after the jump.

The news of a Goldeneye remake was cool in concept but in reality I really wondered if people would want to go back to that style of game. After seeing this new "Reimagining" trailer I'm sold. The remake of Goldeneye 007 for Wii is not a simple higher resolution version of the game like the Perfect Dark XBLA port we saw earlier this year. This remake is an entirely new game with new mechanics, new levels and new gameplay.

Watching the video you will see all kinds of new things like stealth kills, what appears to be a mission set in a club and a complete revamp of the finale. It really looks like Goldeneye 007 is going to be a much different game than the Nintendo 64 classic and in this day and age I think that's a beautiful idea.

This review is a co-project between Josh Krehbiel and Tyler Zehner.

Summer is winding down, and with it the Xbox Summer of Arcade. The promotion is ending very soon (we’re talking hours, it ends at midnight EST), so if you’re sitting at two or four games downloaded so far, then don’t wait, you can’t go wrong with the final offering, Lara Croft: The Guardian of Light. Don’t hold back, go start downloading it right now, and then come back and watch the video review below.

In the continuing series of Brink developer diaries the latest one, number four, brings us a bit softer look at the game as the team at Splash Damage describes how Brink ended up in its "hyper-realistic" art style. They also talk about a few of the unique areas in the game and where they drew inspiration from. Plus they proudly proclaim that they are bringing color back to first person shooters. Check it out below.

Every time there is a successful game that receives plentiful downloadable content it seems one year later we receive the inevitable Game of the Year edition. Borderlands is one such game and it has been formally announced that a Game of the Year edition is indeed on its way.

The Game of the Year edition will include the original game in all its glory as well as the codes to download The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx and the upcoming Claptrap's New Robot Revolution. As an added bonus a special "comprehensive map of the Borderlands territories" will included to help sweeten the deal.

If you have never jumped on the Borderlands train or if you want an easy way to get back on then it sounds like the Borderlands Game of the Year edition is right up your alley. It will be releasing on October 12, 2010 and will cost $59.99 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and $49.99 for PC.

If you are an Xbox LIVE Gold subscriber you are used to the idea of paying $49.99 a year to access features such as on-line multiplayer, Netflix, Deal of the Week, etc. Well it appears Microsoft has decided that with all the new features coming with the new dashboard update and Kinect that your paltry $49.99 is no longer sufficient.

Microsoft announced today in e-mails to subscribers that they are raising the price of an Xbox LIVE Gold subscription to $59.99 a year from the previous $49.99. The lesser options have also increased across the board. One month has risen from $7.99 to $9.99 and three months has gone from $19.99 to $24.99.

The reasoning in the e-mail seems to point clearly at the new features of Video Kinect, ESPN and the upcoming arrival of Hulu Plus in 2011. In order to help with the shock of the price increase Microsoft is currently offering a 12 month extension for $39.99. In order to get the deal you will have to act soon because the new prices begin on November 1, 2010.

I personally find this an odd time to choose to raise the price of Xbox LIVE Gold. The three features mentioned are all something that not everyone will be able to use. Suddenly PlayStation Network is starting to look a little better in comparison.

Hit the jump to view the full e-mail.

We also get into some pretty deep topics including games coming out too soon, the problem of finishing single player games and the recent outcry against used games by developers. The used game conversation gets especially heated as Robbiejo calls out developers for whining. But hey what kind of episode would it be without Robbie hating on something in depth?

This is just the tip of the iceberg so strap yourself in and get ready for Talking About Gamers Episode 60!

The Talking About Gamers podcast can be found in iTunes and the Zune Marketplace under TAG Podcast. Please leave a review there or to provide direct feedback, feel free to send an email to  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . You can also hit us up through voicemail at (206) 376 - 0155, or if Twitter is more your style, we can be found at @talkaboutgamers

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Oyez, oyez, oyez.

On November 2, the United States Supreme Court will hear opening arguments in the case of Schwarzenegger v. EMA, the latest in a long string of legal cases involving video game violence. This case in particular challenges a California law (signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger) that would ban the sale or rental of violent video games to minors. It will be the first time that a video game-related case is presented to the highest court in the land, as all previous legal action attempting to control the distribution of video games were struck down by lower courts based on the notion that video games are free speech and thus protected under the First Amendment.

If the Supreme Court deems the law constitutional, it would essentially turn violent (or otherwise mature-oriented) video games into controlled substances with government-regulated distribution policies. You know, like alcohol and tobacco.  

Many people scoffed at the idea of a new Assassin's Creed game only one year after last year's great sequel. However Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is looking more like a true blockbuster game with every new piece of information. The most interesting aspect of the new game so far has been the unique multiplayer that features players attempting to blend into the crowd and assassinate other plays discretely. However for people not wooed by the intriguing multiplayer options Ubisoft has released a video showing off some of the cool new features in the single player campaign. The video shows off several new ways to assassinate enemies as well as some of the unique features created by the game's new focus on recruiting and training other assassins.

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is being released on November 16 and is looking to be a true game of the year contender.

Here's a nice deal for the weekend.

Games for Windows LIVE is having a great deal on Sid Meier's Civilization IV. From now until September 1st, you can purchase the Civ IV: Complete Edition for only $9.99. That is a 75 percent mark down from its original price of $39.99. You get the original Civilization IV, the Warlords and Beyond the Sword expansions and Sid Meier's Colonization.

This seems like a great way for people to check out the Civilization franchise before Civilization V releases on September 21. Let us know if you plan on picking up this deal in the comments below.

Not fit to just sit on their laurels Valve has been adding all kinds of features to Portal 2 that will drastically change the puzzles and really make you think. The one we are looking at today is the Repulsion Gel. This is a liquid matter that when jumped on will essentially bounce you the other way. A kind of liquid trampoline if you will. A couple ways to use it are shown in the video below but I'm sure Valve is keeping all kinds of tricks for the full game when it releases February 9.