The PC release of American Nightmare will be available on both digital services, Steam and Good Old Games. Both sites are currently holding a sale on the original Alan Wake. As for American Nightmare, pre-ordering the game at both stores will net you a 10% discount, bringing the original $15 price down to $13.50 – even better if you own Alan Wake on PC the pre-order incentive can be as wild as 25%.

As part of Steam’s mid-week madness, Alan Wake is currently available for half of its initial pricing.

Let’s start with the hardware. The new iPad with its quad core GPU is already capable of powering a display that is even higher in resolution than a full HD display. So it is safe to say that that the next version of Apple’s SoC, the A6, will be a fairly capable piece of silicon that should be able to deliver at least the same quality of games that the 7 year old Xbox 360 and 6 year old PS3 currently do. Apple is already using a cut-down version of the A5 CPU on Apple TV so upgrading to a full A6 SoC on the next version of ATV won’t be much of an issue.

The next thing Apple needs is a gaming controller which they obviously don’t have at the moment. However, one of the articles from Anandtech suggested that Apple is indeed working on a gaming controller for iOS. While many people might start thinking in the direction of an iPad or iPhone, remember Apple TV is also based on iOS. Apple can easily utilize Bluetooth for pairing up the controller to Apple TV- maybe even use the latest low powered 4.0 standard already present on the iPhone 4S.

Last and certainly not the least, you need a gaming ecosystem. Guess what? You already have that in the form of App Store- much like Microsoft has Xbox Live and Sony has SEN. Games like Infinity Blade and Epoch are pushing non-casual gaming on the iOS further and further and with studios like EA and Ubisoft, Apple already has support from the gaming industry. In fact, there are rumors of Blizzard entering the iOS market; and then a supposed visit by Tim Cook to Valve adds fuel to the fire, even though Gabe Newell denied it.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who can see all the pieces of the puzzle coming together. At $99, the Apple TV is even more affordable than a $160 Nintendo Wii and becomes an impulse purchase. Games on the App Store are also much cheaper than their console counterparts- yes, I know they are cut-down or alternate versions but last-year devices can play games like Max Payne so imagine what next year’s silicon will bring?

So don’t be surprised if Apple repositions the Apple TV as not just a multi-media player but also a full blown system capable of playing games that are as good as the current-gen consoles games.

There is a massive thread you can follow here. The short is, both v12.3 and v12.4 drivers are not compatible with the game. Those that have already updated are recommended to roll back to the v12.2 drivers which are known to work perfectly with the game.

You can download the v12.2 drivers from here. Users are recommended to perform a ‘clean install’ before rolling back. This entails using Driver Sweeper to rub all signs of an AMD driver from your PC before installing the driver again.

The RPG, which originally launched in Japan back in 2006, will accompany the English release a host of new additions, including widescreen support and Steamworks integration. Likewise, Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud and leaderboards will all be present.

Ys Origin’s story involves the back story of the twin Goddess Reah and Feena; it boasts three playable characters, each with their own playstyle and storyline. The styles include “classic platforming action, shoot-em-up/run-and-gun or berserker-style melee combat.” When done from the Story Mode, players can look forward to experience different modes are: Time Attack, Boss Rush and Arena Mode.

The standard edition will be sold at AED 249, while the special alabaster-white Collector’s Edition will be sold at AED 429. Preference will be given to those who pre-order; players are urged to bring exact change to speed up the process.

“We are very excited about Diablo III, the game is launching after 12 years and has huge fan following in the region. Geekay is giving gamers chance to play the game earlier then several other countries in world,” said Kishan Palija, Managing Director of Geekay Games.

Fans can win a Collector’s Edition by acting “diabolically crazy”. We are not sure what that means, but Geekay will select three of such fans, so make sure you practise your evilness before hand.

The downloadable content will be a timed Xbox 360-exclusive and is scheduled to release this Summer. Bethesda has promised more details at E3.

A recent patch contained files that hinted at potential content in the upcoming DLC, such as crossbows, snow elves and a character or a pet called RF.

If you weren’t lucky enough to play the original game, there is a ‘Prototype Recap’ option available which talks you through the events that unfolded in the first game. You originally played as Alex Mercer, who was infected with the Blacklight Virus and set out to get to the bottom of things. In Prototype 2,you play as Sergeant James Heller, who lost his wife and daughter to what became known as the ‘Mercer virus’. His emotions in turmoil, he is discharged from duty but quickly reinstated and sent to the Red Zone, one of the most infected areas of New York City. It is there he meets Alex Mercer, and tries his best to enact his revenge for the loss of his family. But you soon learn that Mercer isn’t the real enemy, and thanks to a little slip of the virus from Mercer, things soon start to get interesting.

While the general population has been cornered off into sections for their own supposed safety, they are in reality just being used a test subjects for Blackwatch’s various biological experiments. Heller then sets out on a rampage to get into Blackwatch and find those responsible for the chaos ruling the city.

From that point onwards, you’re eased into Heller’s new abilities, such as increased attack speed and strength, and of course the ability to mutate your hands into claws to shred your enemies into pieces. As you progress through the game you can of course unlock various new abilities in a number of ways. Completing main story missions will unlock new DNA for you to evolve further, while attacking and absorbing certain experiments or key targets upgrade current combat skills or provide new offensive tactics. You can also locate lost Blackwatch agents in the city who carry vital tidbits of information – find enough of these and you’re granted an upgrade.

Once you’ve settled into the story and met a few key characters, the gameplay juggles around a bit to try and keep things interesting. Your missions start off being simple ones where you hunt down a particular target and absorb them for snippets of information (which then lead you to further targets) or sneaking into enemy bases undetected. One of Heller’s abilities is that he can absorb any person in the game and then immediately take on their disguise – this is essential if you want to sneak into enemy bases undetected or use terminals to obtain classified information, which you have to do quite frequently.

The story does try to pace itself as best as possible, but in some areas the cutscenes and dialogue are just so drawn out that you’re almost itching to get back to the gory action. Heller’s swearing also tends to get a bit irritating after a while, but thankfully the brute doesn’t talk for very long before you can get back to mauling tanks and terrifying civilians. Speaking of tanks, as with the first game you have the option to hijack military vehicles for your own amusement or to use in various missions. You can quickly rip off weapons or destroy the vehicle entirely, but there are several instances where hiding in a tank when under assault is a good idea. For the most part the game doesn’t try to pigeonhole you into just following the main story – there are enough side missions and extra things to discover to keep you occupied for a good portion of time.

The graphics on the game look fairly decent, with cutscenes animating well and character models looking somewhat realistic at times. The live-action flashback sequences are a nice touch and help distract you from the game’s occasional texture clipping that always seems to happen when you’re jumping from a building onto the streets below. The background score isn’t obtrusive and for the most part goes unnoticed until you are spotted by enemies and the music changes to a fast-paced score to compliment the frantic escape.

Prototype 2 is a fair follow-up to the original and fixes some of the combat and targeting issues that plagued the first game. While a lot of fun can be had rampaging around the city, you ultimately have to decide if you really care enough about Heller to pursue his former captors and seek revenge or just roam around the city causing mayhem. Thankfully with a vast city to explore, that choice is up to you.