Four months ago the first live-action trailer for the upcoming Halo game entitled “Birth of a Spartan” was released to generate hype before the Halo: Reach beta testing period started. Now with two weeks left until Halo: Reach is officially released worldwide there are multiple live-action trailers and shorts being released by Bungie and Microsoft. There’s even a Samsung commercial that doesn’t say anything about Halo but uses action scenes and armored units that look straight out of the Halo series.

Although the new trailers “Patrol” and “Day Before” lack action, the latest “Deliver Hope” trailer is pretty epic and features some action from the front-lines similar to Halo 3: ODST‘s amazing live-action “We Are ODST” trailer. Personally, the ODST live-action trailer is still my favorite with the others lacking enough action sequences, but “Deliver Hope” is still one of the best and has an extended version set for release on September 6th which could make it even better than the “We Are ODST” extended trailer. Hopefully there will be a couple more trailers released in addition to the extended cut of “Deliver Hope” as September 14th gets closer and the launch of Bungie’s final Halo game begins.

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[[Visit blog to check out this spoiler]]

That’s right, over the weekend Halo: Reach (the full game) was leaked onto the internet after some clever pirates discovered a way around Microsoft’s secure website that allowed a select number of reviewers early access to the game. After gaining access to the secret Halo: Reach files, the pirates then went on to leak copies of the game on popular file-sharing and torrent sites like Game-Tuts.com.

Microsoft and Bungie are doing everything they can to get these files removed from the net, and Game-Tuts has since removed the download link, but it’s the internet and once it’s out there… it’s out there. If you don’t want to get banned from Xbox Live, but just can’t wait three more weeks for Halo: Reach and want to be spoiled — there are tons of gameplay videos now on sites like YouTube and people broadcasting the game live on Justin.tv, but don’t expect those videos to stay available for long with Microsoft doing everything they can to try and stop this leak.

But it’s not all good news for PlayStation 3 owners, the original Mass Effect will still only be available on PC and Xbox 360 as an exclusive. With the sequel being far better than the original, many might not care that the first Mass Effect won’t be playable on the PS3, but one of the main reasons Mass Effect 2 is such an amazing game is the fact that all the choices the player makes in the first game are transferred over to Mass Effect 2 and have a direct effect on each player’s unique story. Nevertheless, it’s still a huge acquisition by Sony, and most likely means that PlayStation 3 will also be getting Mass Effect 3 and PS3 owners will finally be able to experience a unique story that spans across multiple games after playing Mass Effect 2.

BioShock Infinite is a first-person shooter currently in development at Irrational Games, the studio behind the original BioShock (which sold over 4 million units worldwide). Set in 1912, BioShock Infinite introduces an entirely new narrative and gameplay experience that lifts players out of the familiar confines of Rapture and rockets them to Columbia, an immense city in the sky.

Former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt has been sent to rescue Elizabeth, a young woman imprisoned in Columbia since childhood. Booker develops a relationship with Elizabeth, augmenting his abilities with hers so the pair may escape from a city that is literally falling from the sky. DeWitt must learn to fight foes in high-speed Sky-Line battles, engage in combat both indoors and amongst the clouds, and harness the power of dozens of new weapons and abilities.

Check out screenshots from the game below and WhatIsIcarus.com for more information.

Unfortunately, while DotA is constantly updated to fix balance issues, bugs, and add new heroes and weapons, the game is stuck using the Warcraft III client, which prevents it from truly evolving into its own game. After some drama over creative differences between the developers, IceFrog left DotA and was hired by Valve, the publisher behind popular titles and user-created mods such as Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Left 4 Dead, Portal and Team Fortress. Other developers also went on to bigger and better things and numerous games have been made using DotA‘s gameplay style — most notably Demigod, Heroes of Newearth, and League of Legends.

Although Gas Powered Games’ Demigod was a huge failure, S2 Games’ Heroes of Newearth (HoN) and Riot Games’ League of Legends (LoL) have been widely successful and have split the DotA community, with many players leaving to play the stand-alone games that offer updated features and improvements that Warcraft III‘s DotA could never offer.

Since stepping down as a DotA developer and being hired by Valve in 2009, there has been much speculation over what IceFrog could be working on. Today, it seems like voice actor John St. John (Duke Nukem) has just dropped a big hint via his twitter account saying:

Had a great time in Seattle last week recording for DotA. The guys at Valve Software are awesome! Going to PAX? Might see you there – Sept3-5

Valve and IceFrog have yet to comment on what project they’ve been working on since IceFrog was hired, but it looks like a true sequel to DotA is in the works. While alternative games like HoN and LoL offer an updated DotA with improved graphics, gameplay mechanics and a better game client, it’s exciting news for any DotA fan that Valve doesn’t have IceFrog on another project and is in-fact using him to create a real sequel to one of the best user-created mods of all time.

Blizzard’s original StarCraft has sold over 12 million copies since being released in 1998, but the game wasn’t initially a huge success when it was released, it took positive word of mouth to fuel sales. With a strong first 48 hours and positive reviews flooding the internet, StarCraft II is on track to become even more popular that the original. It just proves that Blizzard can do no wrong and is single-handedly keeping the PC gaming industry alive in today’s awful economy.

After much speculation over what Okamoto and Harada were secretly developing, both made true on their promises and it looks like everyone’s wishes are coming true and there is in-fact a Street Fighter vs. Tekken game in development by Capcom, and a separate Tekken X Street Fighter game in development by Namco Bandai. In addition to the huge announcement being dropped on fans in attendance at Comic-Con, fans were also treated to both a teaser trailer and a sneak peak at gameplay featuring Ryu vs. Devil Jin. Check out both videos below.

The fate of Carmine lies in your hands! For the first time in franchise history, Epic Games and Microsoft are giving fans the chance to decide the fate of a character in Gears of War 3. By purchasing avatar gear on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, fans and gaming communities around the globe will decide the destiny of the newest Carmine brother set to appear in Gears of War 3, with all the proceeds going to the Child’s Play Charity.

The Xbox community will choose whether Carmine lives or dies by purchasing special Gears of War 3 avatar gear on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Starting July 29, two new avatar t-shirts will be available on the Avatar Marketplace on Xbox LIVE—one shirt reads “Save Carmine,” and the other reads “Carmine Must Die.” By purchasing the “Save Carmine” shirt, you’re casting your vote to let Carmine live in Gears of War 3. Conversely, purchasing the “Carmine Must Die” shirt means you want to see Clayton follow the fate of his brothers.

Fans attending Comic-Con International in San Diego this week will also be able to cast their votes early by purchasing real-life limited edition “Save Carmine” or “Carmine Must Die” t-shirts at the NECA booth (#3145) for $20.00.

Personally, I’ve always loved the Carmines. Yeah, they’re stupid, and their carelessness and excitement to fight usually results in their untimely death, but they add a certain level of charm to the game. I also like the fact that both Benjamin and Anthony wore Sub-Zero style helmets (although it didn’t help Anthony) and didn’t fit the hulked up mold of other main characters in Gears. Seems like they’re going a new direction with the latest Carmine brother, Clayton, who looks like he’s been hitting the gym and is even bigger and badder than Marcus himself. I’m not sure if I’m going to purchase a shirt for my avatar on Xbox Live, but I’d like to Clayton live, save Marcus towards the end of the game, and bring glory to the Carmine family name.