Here are a few things we missed while gawking at these Olly Moss posters for Thor 2:

• The early feedback on the Oculus Rift seems very positive.
• Here's how Ken Levine and company tricked you into liking Elizabeth in Bioshock Infinite.
• Next Generation gaming will change gaming forever because it will jump the uncanny valley and how game developers will have to react.
• Your favorite video game covers recreated using tools other than Photoshop.  
• Why the move to 64 bit computing on the PC side will change the game completely.

Nintendo has announced they are forgoing the E3 press conference this year, instead holding smaller events at the show. Nintendo's press conference typically runs right before the start of the first day of E3 at the Nokia Theater, but this will be the first year in a while (maybe ever?) that they won't be doing something before the convention.

It's funny that they mentioned this today as I was talking to a few of my colleagues and mentioning that I'm skipping out on this year's Nintendo press conference as I would like to take care of other things and I never did get much out it. They've announced products that never show (Vitality Sensor anyone?) and some of their games were shown using competitor's consoles (Wii U graphics in third party games). They've been using the Nintendo Direct events to announce their new products, which is nice in some aspects. 

Now, it will just be Sony's press conference that will be held before the show as Microsoft's usually a day before. I don't know what kind of presence they'll have in on the convention floor itself, but it will be weird to not have one of the big three produce some kind of press conference for the event. 

Here are a few stories that we missed while watching a dog howl to the Halo theme song (is there a person alive that doesn't like Marty O'Donnell?):

• How Dead Island Riptide was marketed to bring fans back to the game.
• What Nordic Games has planned for all of those THQ IP's they just bought.
• Why one game developer will never work on another FPS Game... ever.
• Find out who came up with the idea behind the PS4's Share button.
• How Chris Roberts plans to change game development by going small.

4/19/2013

• EVE Fanfest 2013 full schedule features MoMA curators and viking rockers
• Now Playing: Dillon's Rolling Injustice
• The real final frontier: making a good Star Trek game
• Those little Pikmin will begin sprouting on Wii U this August
• Injustice DLC begins taking shape
• Behind the Scenes of Deus Ex Human Revolution Director's Cut
• Explore your DARK powers in this new trailer
• Pandora's Tower finally available stateside

4/21/2013

• New Ride to Hell: Retribution trailer looks...eh
• Steam Weekend Deal: Portals for Cheap
• Deadly Premonition Director's Cut is gold, coming April 30th
• Shinji Mikami reveals The Evil Within

4/21/2013

• Fire Pro Returns coming to PSN as a Playstation 2 classic next week. Dont worry its not the Xbox Arcade Game

If you haven't heard by now, the circle is complete: Pandora's Tower is now available here in the US of A. The last of the Operation Rainfall Three, the game was originally refused localization by Nintendo along with The Last Story and Xenoblade Chronicles. Unprecedented fan response eventually prompted Nintendo to bring all three over to the States, and now, nearly two years after the Rainfall began, the Wii has one of its last great titles available in all major territories.

Aside from being a pretty great action RPG, Pandora's Tower could also be something to keep you busy while you wait for new Wii U titles. Wii U is completely backwards compatible with Wii games, and I can tell you that the oft-neglected and sneered-at Wii has a lot of good games that almost no-one ever played, all of which could be keeping your Wii U fed during lean times. Don't let Pandora's Tower be forgotten. It's debuting at the budget price of $40, and if sales are high it will show Nintendo that yes, we do want good RPGs, we want them on Nintendo hardware, and localizing the Rainfall Three was a gamble that paid off. [READ MORE]

• Soul Calibur 5 available as a digital download April 23rd
• Shin Megami Tensei IV is getting a limited edition
• Company of Heroes 2 deploys details for pre-order exclusive Digital Collector's Edition
• Latest Mars War Logos trailer provides comprehensive overview
• Killer is Dead screenshots are alive
• FIFA 14 captures the glory and emotion of the game.
• SyFy's Defiance defies all logic
• It’s official: Beat’em ups are Sacred [Sacred Citadel]
• Lost Planet 3 to remain frozen a few more months
• Ridge Racer going F2P [Ridge Racer Driftopia]
• GeForce GTX 660 and up purchasers get two Metros for free
• Unlockables for platforms and games with Poker Night 2

http://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct/archive/04-17-2013/

See that site? Be sure to check it out cause tomorrow morning as Nintendo is going to be broadcasting a live Nintendo Direct conference to you all.

For those who have never seen these before Nintendo Direct is a live stream where Nintendo pretty much tells you exactly what you can expect from them in the future. No BS, just straight and to the point info for you all. Previous Nintendo Direct videos have announced that new Zelda titles are in the works, the year of Luigi including the New Super Luigi U DLC, new apps coming to the 3DS and Wii U along with tons more information.

Nintendo Direct will be streamed live tomorrow morning at 7AM PT 10AM ET. If you havent checked out a Nintendo Direct before, be sure to check out the video below of a previous Nintendo Direct so you can get an idea of what to expect. 

This is a week that I have been waiting for since last year’s E3: Injustice is finally here! As a huge fighting game fan, I have been anxiously awaiting NetherRealm’s DC fighter and if the demo is any indication of the final product, I am going to be very happy. That isn’t the only game worth mentioning though as there are plenty others worth getting worked up about.

Our picks of the week include:

Pandora’s Tower: Although it has taken a couple of years, the action RPG Pandora’s Tower is finally making its way to the U.S. The game was originally released back in 2011 in Japan and is the finally piece of the fan-led Operation Rainfall puzzle. The game is now here certainly pushes Nintendo’s Wii to its technical limits, particularly in the visual department.

Sacred Citadel: The classic action RPG series Sacred is heading in a new direction thanks to Deep Silver as Sacred Citadel makes the universe more colorful and approachable than ever. The series is making the transition to a side-scrolling beat’em up akin to titles like Turtles in Time and Streets of Rage. Keeping in tune with the original Sacred series, the game features a variety of character classes who can all be upgraded and enhanced as you progress through the adventure. Up to four players can play together both online and off, making this an adventure meant to be played with friends.

Injustice- God’s Among Us: The marquee title amongst this week’s releases is NetherRealm Studio’s Injustice: Gods Among Us. This is a new breed of fighting game that aims to deliver the comic book experience from the world of DC comics. We’re not just talking about character variety, but large scale battles that come across more as epic set pieces rather than simple, one-on-one skirmishes. The game is full of both familiar and obscure faces from DC’s lengthy archives including Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Raven, and even Killer Frost and Ares. Featuring amazing visuals, interactive environments, and a ton of content for both gamers and comic book fans alike!

The full lineup consists of the following:

• Dragon Fantasy Book 1 for PlayStation 3 and Vita (Cross-Buy enabled)
• God Mode for PC and Xbox Live Arcade
• Injustice: Gods Among Us for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii U
• Papo & Yo for PC
• Painkiller: Hell and Damnation for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
• Pandora’s Tower for Nintendo Wii
• Sacred Citadel for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and PC (Steam)
• Shin Megami Tensai: Devil Summoner- Soul Hackers for Nintendo 3DS

Disney's Planes video game, based on the upcoming Disney's Planes movie, lands exclusively on Nintendo platforms August 6. The Dane Cook-led cast of aeronautical high-flyers will barrel roll onto the Wii U, Wii, 3DS, and DS. All Nintendo everything.

The violence level will likely top out during the "Balloon Pop" event, but there are several other game modes to circle around: singleplayer narrative, drop-in drop-out multiplayer, some free-form exploration, and the plot-centric races.

Disney's Planes won't ape the movie's storyline, but the premise of a lowly cropduster (voiced by Dane Cook) aspiring to compete in the race circuit will likely remain central. I personally wouldn't mind hearing Ripslinger (voiced by Roger Craig Smith, aka the voice of Assassin's Creed's Ezio Auditore da Firenze) give Dane Not-Actually-Funny Cook a rivalry-fueled run for his money. I'd also love to see Val Kilmer reprise his role as Iceman from Top Gun as he voices the FA-18 Super Hornet named Bravo. I'm making up that last part about a Top Gun tie-in. But come on, it's Val Kilmer as a fighter jet. I don't think I'm asking for too much here. [READ MORE]

Who didn’t see this one coming?

Activision has announced a new partnership with McDonalds that will bring some of your favorite Skylanders Giants characters to happy meals beginning this weekend. Between April 12 and Ma2, while supplies last, Mcdonald’s will offer customers who purchase a happy meal one of nine unique toys from the hit game (and a coupon for $10 off the starter pack).

The figurines being featured in the promotion include plenty of fan favorites: Spyro, Gill Grunt, Drobot, Chop Chop, Ignitor, Jet-Vac, Tree Rex, Crusher, and even Kaos (the bad guy). You can expect to begin seeing this partnership everywhere as television and paper advertising will begin almost immediately to hype the partnership and the offer. I guess I know what we’re having for dinner at my house this weekend...

• Star Wars: The Old Republic expands with Scum and Villainy game update
• Injustice: Gods Among Us TV Spot revealed
• Shadowrun Returns in June
• PSN's Spring Fever sale detailed
• EA is the Worst Company in America again
• Naughty Dog lights the way with this new The Last of Us video
• New Edge of Space trailer
• Tekken Card Tournament is actually pretty fun
• WWE 2K14 has its cover star
• The next Batman Arkham game is about the first time
• Life in Defiance #1: Someone give me a tank! How about a car? Okay, an ATV...
• Nightmare Batman and Wonder Woman in action in Infinite Crisis

4/5/2013

• Second DLC Pack for Black Ops 2 arrives on April 16th
• Wii-U version of Aliens: Colonial Marines gets scrapped
• World of Tanks Update 8.5: Revenge of the Tanks
• Now Playing: Dishonored Planescape Edition
• Remember [Me], It's Time to Fight
• [Ride to Hell: Retribution] Jake Conway makes Jax Teller look like Neville Chamberlain
• Injustice for iOS: the perfect compliment to the console versions
• Microsoft's Creative Director probably needs to learn a little bit of tact

4/6/2013

• GDC 2013: Fighting through Sand Central Station in LEGO Marvel Superheroes

4/7/2013

• BlizzCon tickets go on sale later this month