Check out details on the Special Edition at http://www..rockstargames.com/maxpayne3/preorder, featuring the 10″ Collectible Max Payne Statue, Original Still Life Art Prints, Bullet Keychain, Classic Multiplayer Character Pack, Disorderly Conduct Multiplayer Weapons Pack and Official Soundtrack.

There is also a new Max Payne 3 Design and Technology Video coming later today. It will be available from Rockstar’s website after 5pm.

Schofield vehemently defended the quality of the Modern Warfare 3 engine (which has been the same engine used since Call of Duty 2) and touted that there would be clear improvements between MW2 and MW3.

Schofield said, “If you put Modern Warfare 2 next to Modern Warfare 3 you would see a huge difference. Look at all the character models, look at all the gun models, look at the reflections, look at the water. There is so much that we’ve added, so when someone says ‘cut and paste’, I don’t even want to talk to them because they don’t know. They just don’t know. They have no idea.”

The proof is in the pudding, as they say. I’m skeptical how much different MW3 will really be on consoles, given that with titles like Battlefield 3, the lowest possible graphical settings on PC are the baseline for consoles. I imagine PC gamers will be able to see a difference. Newer hardware means the game engine can display more detailed textures without much change to the guts of the engine, itself.

That being said, CAVG.com points out that a lot of PC and PS3 gamers were disappointed by how MW2 performed on the various platforms.

Schofield explained, “What happens is we start developing on 360 and at some point we switch. We switch to the PS3 and you make sure that that’s running at 60 frames a second, the graphics look freaking great, and we play both. They’re in parity. Every place is exactly the same. I’m not sure what the issues were with the last one, but there’s nothing to worry about with this one.”

So, the PS3 and PC will at least have “parity” with the Xbox 360. And since parity literally means “being equal”, then I suspect we may have a bit of a problem. The whole problem was that there WAS parity, when the PC and PS3 should have better visuals.

Reading this interview, I see a lot of bluster, a sort of nonchalance when discussing Battlefield 3 as competitor. “My competition is Modern Warfare 2. It always has been and if you think back two years ago when we were starting on the project I didn’t know anything about Battlefield. I started hearing stuff about it maybe five or six months ago, news coming out. I never got a chance to play it until we got the beta a little while ago. So as far as a competitor goes, by the time we saw anything of it, the window to make changes was closed.” said Schofield.

That’s well and good, but Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was a far superior game to Modern Warfare 2 or Black Ops. As long as EA doesn’t mess up too badly with Battlefield 3 (which isn’t necessarily a given), then Activision will have a very strong challenger. Will Modern Warfare 3 sell millions? Of course, but it isn’t just this battle they need to win. If Modern Warfare pales in comparison to Battlefield 3, then Battlefield 4 will be the new juggernaut, with Modern Warfare 4 being the underdog. We’ll have to wait and see…

The Steam-exclusive demo contains the first half of the 2011/2012 season, using Quick Start leagues from Australia, Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Italy, Norway, Scotland, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands. You can continue on from where the demo leaves off when you purchase the full version of the game, so fear not about losing your unbeaten streaks or key transfers.

The game will require Steam to play, as well as internet activation in an attempt to combat internet piracy. The game will still be playable offline, but never the less, the DRM features have not been met with the best of reactions from the games community.

You can view the complete system requirements below – overall, they are generally low spec, allowing for people with sub-gaming standard equipment to experience life from the dugout.

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PC Requirements:
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OS – Windows XP/Vista/W7
Processor – XP : 1.4GHz or Faster; Vista/W7 : 2.0GHz or Faster
Supported Processors: Intel Pentium 4, Intel Core, AMD Athlon
Memory - XP : 512MB RAM; Vista/W7 : 1.0GB RAM
Hard Drive Space - 2GB
DVD-Drive – 4x Speed
Video Card – 128MB.
Supported Chipsets – Nvidia FX 5900 Ultra or greater; ATI Radeon 9800 or greater; Intel 82915G/82910GL or greater.
Earlier cards may only display 2D Match Viewer Mode and are not supported. Laptop versions of these chipsets may work but are not supported.
Sound Card – DirectX 9.0c compatible
DirectX – Version 9.0c (included)
LAN – TCP/IP compliant
Input – Keyboard, Mouse.
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Mac Requirements:
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OS – OS X 10.5.8/10.6.x or higher
Processor – Intel Processor
Video Card - Nvidia Geforce 7300 GT or greater; ATI Radeon X1600 or greater.
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The implications here are fairly obvious. With Quake Live being moderately successful as an eSports title, Id Software has been the big player for web-based technology. In a sudden return to the engine wars of years gone by, Epic Games has picked up Id’s thrown down gauntlet and brought their best offering to Flash. I suppose one could argue that running successfully on iOS would be enough, but with Android and other Flash-capable devices still having a significant share of the mobile and tablet markets, showcasing the capability to operate in that space makes sense. Of course, Flash can be an important component for Facebook apps, as well.

Either way, as cutting-edge PC hardware sales has slowed and mobile device sales has grown, getting your games to run more efficiently on less powerful mobile hardware has become more and more important. The recent success of Shadowgun on iOS does show that there is a place for top notch 3D technology like the Unreal Engine 3.

“It’s the wild card in the pack,” according to Paul Jeal, Senior Producer on the project. “Maybe you’re out in front, maybe you think you’re out the points, and then this key event comes in. Can you dive into the pits and get a lap advantage on everyone else? You have to keep the distance to the car in front of you and behind, you need to do the weaving sequences to keep your tyres up to temperature.”

It’s not just the safety car adding a whole new dynamic to gameplay either. The addition of KERS and DRS in this season’s regulations mean for much easier overtaking, and a new layer of strategy to be considered in even the shortest of races. The new Pirelli tyres add further tactical decisions into gameplay – factors such as tyre blistering, preservation and grip “cliffs” are all present in the new release, making it quite possibly the most realistic racing game ever produced.

Don’t forget to check back for all the latest news, updates and our review in the coming week. Stay tuned.

PlayStation 3 owners will get the full experience on a single dual-layer Blu Ray disc. The game will port with a true, native 720p resolution regardless of which platform it is played on – something very few titles can own up to matching.

Battlefield 3 is currently set for a 28th of October global release, spanning PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. We’ll keep you posted.

Considering the sheer amount of blood, baps and bikinis on show, the teaser is – like the launch trailer released earlier this year – eerily moving. I can’t quite see the gameplay being quite as touching, but what we can expect is buckets of gore and fierce, four-player co-op zombie-slaying shenanigans when Dead Island hits PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, currently due in the UK on September 30th.

Sure enough, here she is, once again laying the smack-down in spray form in Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D – coming soon to the 3DS, for those of you that might have missed my incessant whinnying on the subject.

The Mercenaries 3D will feature a pedigree line-up of characters including Chris Redfield, Claire Redfield, Albert Wesker, Jack Krauser and Umbrella agent HUNK, battling Majini and Ganados across 30 stages located in environments from Resident Evil 4 and 5.

The game will feature fully online co-operative multiplayer via the 3DS’ Wi-Fi connection, as well as a brand new Skill Slot system, allowing you to soup up your characters with a range of abilities and perks. It’ll also feature an array of bio-weapon beasts including that axe-wielding smock-rocker, the Executioner and slobbering, winged horror, Popo Karimu.

And if that wasn’t enough excitement, as we previously reported, The Mercenaries 3D will also pack a demo chapter of forthcoming main series entry Resident Evil: Revelations, starring Jill Valentine. But that’s enough rambling; check out these beauties!

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is currently due for release in Japan on June 2nd, in the US on June 28th and in Europe on August 26th.

While others might still argue that games are not art, this is just more indication to the contrary. Set to run between March 16 and September 30 of next year, the exhibit itself is split into 5 different eras, exploring the early beginnings of games up to the latest and greatest in the next gen console wars.

Out of the 80 titles on display through still imagery and select video footage, only 5 will be playable: Pac-Man, Super Mario Brothers, The Secret of Monkey Island, Myst, and World of Warcraft.

Some of the titles chosen by voters include the original Donkey Kong released in 1982, the original Legend of Zelda released in 1986, Final Fantasy VII released in 1997, and BioShock released in 2007. If you’re an art buff or a games enthusiast, then this exhibit will be the perfect excuse for a visit to an art museum.

For more information on the exhibit and a full list of all the chosen games, check out the Smithsonian’s website.
A PDF containing additional details can be found here.

Via GamaSutra.