'Call of Duty: Ghosts' Free Multiplayer Demo This Weekend on Xbox Platforms

Call of Duty may have fallen out of favour as a series over the years, but it's still almost impossible to play it and not have fun. If you've not played a CoD for a while but want to have a free taste, then this weekend is your chance!

Xbox users will be able to play the free multiplayer demo from Friday at 6pm, through 'til Monday and will have access to 3 maps and a handful of the game modes included in the main game. It's unclear whether the demo is going to be exclusive to Gold members, or whether people the demo can play against people playing the full game, but the wording used in the press release points towards neither of those being true.

So if you're a silver member and had nothing planned this weekend, then give it a shot.

A shot. Get it?

A SHOT....

See, like "shot" as in "gunshot." It's clever, see? Oh, nevermind.

Has 'Watch Dogs'' Release Date Been Outed?

Oopsie! Looks like somebody at Sony will probably be getting a stiff talking to, as the American PS Store has updated with a June 30th release date. Ubisoft have declined to comment so far, so take the date with a pinch of salt (especially because it falls on a Monday) but if it's true, then you guys out there that are super looking forward to the game have an extra 4 months to wait, on top of waiting since the game got delayed late last year.

In my book, this can only be good thing. I wasn't massively excited about the game, especially after some of the trailers they had brought out (this one in particular gave me the "uh-ohs") so more time to improve what could only have been a massive disappointment, is one of the things I would have been thankful for... If we had Thanksgiving.

Can you wait until June 30th? Because I know I can!

"Don't mind me guys, I'm just gonna be propping myself up on this car until... When? JUNE?! Oh god..."

'Chronicle' Director Still On Board For 'Shadow Of The Colossus' Movie

Did you see Chronicle? Ofcourse you did!

Did you like Chronicle? Ofcourse you did!

Were you excited when you first heard that Chronicle's director was going to direct a Shadow Of The Colossus movie? You were?! Great! Because he's still on board.

After the massive success of Chronicle both critically and financially (the film cost very little by Hollywood standards), director Josh Trank had his pick of projects, and promptly accepted the offer to reboot Fantastic Four and to direct a Venom movie for Sony. When he contacted Sony to ask who was in charge of their upcoming Shadow of the Colossus movie, they offered him the job and he accepted! Fans of the game were, understandably, concerned that he was taking on a lot of projects but recently the Venom movie project fell through, which put a lot of minds at ease. Trank hasn't spoken much about the project since then, but speaking to Video Game Films this week he reminded everyone it's still on his list of priorities, and pretty high up that list by the sounds of it!

I can't talk about it, but I'll say just one thing: I got Ico as soon as it came out, and I just loved that game so much.

I knew immediately when I read that [Team Ico was] making a new [video game] that I wanted to go out and get it as soon as it came out, too, and it just blew me the f**k away.

A couple of years later, I remember seeing in Variety that it had been optioned. I must have been 22 or something, and I just knew, 'Oh my God, if somebody's doing that, I have to somehow get in there and make sure it's done the right way'.

It was one of the first calls I made after Chronicle came out - when I realised I could make calls about things. I was like, 'Hey, what's going on with that?' We're [currently] working on it.

Don't worry guys, this guy loves the game and wants to make the SHIT out of this film!

Oh and go watch Chronicle if you haven't already. Seriously. It's awesome.

Hey, I dunno if you know this already... But you should go and watch Chronicle

Video Game Music Needs Your Help!

That's right folks, it's that time of year again. The time of year where Classic FM asks its users to vote for their top 300 pieces of classical music! For those who aren't aware, we actually managed to get 3 video game franchises into their top 300 last year: Viva Piñata, Elder Scrolls and Final Fantasy! What's more, while Viva Piñata only reached #174 (still a tremendous achievement) the soundtrack for the Elder Scrolls series reached #5(!) and Final Fantasy reached #3(!!!!!).

That was last year though, and while we keep our fingers crossed for another great gamer voter turn out, it's not going to happen all by itself! The top 300 contained plenty of film soundtracks even before Aerith's Theme first turned up there in 2012, so it seems criminal not to have video game music featured within the chart as prominently. We did incredibly last year to get TWO soundtracks in the top 5, but there were still only 3 game soundtracks featured in the entirety of the top 300. I think this year's goal should be to increase the volume and variety of the soundtracks we vote for, and to introduce the listeners of Classic FM to as many new works as we can.

If you're interested in this cause, there's a very simple way to get involved: VOTE!

Vote in the Classic FM Hall of Fame 2014

1) Once you're there click the "cast your vote" button
2) Enter the name of the game whose soundtrack you want in the chart, so long as it's classical
3) You get three votes, so choose them wisely
4) You don't have to vote just for games. Love the theme from Star Wars? Vote for it!
5) Once you've chosen, submit your vote and, most importantly, spread the word!

If we all vote for Elder Scrolls and Final Fantasy every year then they'll obviously do well every year, but we'll stagnate the list, which is why this year I've voted for Elder Scrolls as well as Starcraft II and Super Mario Galaxy. I'm not saying you have to vote for the same as me, but makes sure that when you vote, you tell your fellow gamers about it, give them a kick up the backside to support video games and show solidarity.

Video games are still frowned upon by a majority of people, and it's things like this that help them be legitimized in the long run as more than just a childish endeavour. Do your part, get involved, and maybe even introduce yourself to something you may have overlooked: The superb music present in many of your favourite games. It's win/win.

Here's the clip of last year's top 3 entry, Aerith's Theme, as it happened:

Double Fine's 'Broken Age: Act One' Releases Tomorrow

Next Tuesday is going to be exciting because that's when backers can play Broken Age, Act 1! Public release date will be announced then too.

— Tim Schafer (@TimOfLegend) January 10, 2014

There's your confirmation! If, like me, you Kickstarted this game (and after the amount of money they got, odds are you did) then this has been a long time coming, especially after the footage that was showed at the VGX's! I had been trying to stay away from details as much as I could, but what they showed at that "award show" blew my socks off. The complete segment is embedded below. Even if you saw it live you should watch it again... Then get super pumped you get to play it tomorrow!

Absolutely Incredible Tech Demo From Developer 'Pillow Castle' WILL Blow Your Mind

Browsing Reddit today, as I regularly do, I saw this video. The person who posted it called it "the new Portal" and I scoffed and rolled my eyes (rightly so) but after about 20 seconds of the video I was fucking sold. The game in the tech demo uses forced perspective as a puzzle device, and it is gloriously clever. I highly suggest you watch it for yourself, it's pretty fucking special.

'Left 4 Dead' Team Reveal Next Game: 'Evolve'

Turtle Rock Studios may not instantly ring any bells for you, probably because they haven't really released any games on their own yet. You know them better as the guys at Valve who made Left 4 Dead, a game that is possibly one of the most fun multiplayer experiences I've ever had. Well in 2009 the studio was shut down by Valve, only to be re-opened again, this time independent. It's been a while since they've done anything noteworthy (mainly because they got dropped in the shit when THQ went bust) but this month's Game Informer reveals their new project: Evolve.

The shooter will follow on in Left 4 Dead's footsteps by being very multiplayer focused, and also by the sounds of it, just as fun. The premise is simple: 4 players Vs. 1 player-controlled monster. The monster will grow in power over the course of the game as it feeds on various wildlife while the 4 players have to track and eliminate it. The players only get a handful of lives, so will have to work together, and the monster will have an objective to complete in order to win the game. The humans have 4 classes: Assault, Medic, Support and Trapper, and they'll require teamwork to be used effectively.

I'm super excited. Though we've yet to see any gameplay footage or screenshots, the concept is so incredibly good that it's hard to imagine a team with the pedigree of Turtle Rock Studios not doing it justice. So much potential it's kind of amazing. The game will be out on PS4, Xbox One and PC by the end of the year.

If the game lives up to this one image, then my god.... MY. GOD!

'Playstation Now' Is Your Gaikai-Powered Game Streaming Service

CES (the Consumer Electronics Show) is happening in America, and whilst it's primary purpose is to show you the TV you'll be owning in 18 years time, it also sometimes has gaming news. Sony are at the show in full force (after all, they do make cameras, TVs, stereos and every other form of electronics under the sun) and announced that their proposed game streaming service will be coming to the US in the summer of this year. The service, which will allow gamers to stream PS3 games to their PS4 and Vita, as well as other devices to come later.

While there are no plans for any kind of release date for Europe, or a pricing structure, it's still exciting to see Sony make good on their promise of a game streaming service so soon after PS4's release. The technology is still a big question mark, but Sony wouldn't announce this if they weren't sold on it. (one would hope!)

This graphic explains their plan pretty well, but more importantly, look how smug that cunt is! Justifiably so, but still...

'DayZ' Standalone Has Sold 800,000 Units In A Month

I dunno about you, but I was SUPER pumped for the DayZ standalone version. Considering it was supposed to be out before the end of 2012, I'd say that to maintain such a level of excitement shows that you've got something special. I thought that as soon as the standalone was available I'd snap it up immediately, but I didn't, mainly because all of the talk about the release suggested it was an ultra-buggy, messy alpha that I couldn't bring myself to purchase (for £20!).

Fortunately, 800,000 people didn't share my trepidation and invested in the standalone despite it's bugs. I'm not ashamed to admit that it makes me very happy to see the alpha sell well, as it guarantees a completed product at some point, that I will gladly spend money on. Long live DayZ! May it be finished before 2015... Please.

If you're in russia just never stop running, zombie apocalypse or not.

Telltale Making New Games Based In 'Borderlands' and 'Game of Thrones' Universes

Over the weekend, the VGX awards happened. Taking over from the VGAs, the host channel Spike TV, decided to go with a more stripped down, bare bones style for this year... And it was dreadful. Horrendous script writing, pointless awards, woeful direction and the feeling that literally nobody wanted to be there. BUT, aside from all that nonsense, there were actual game announcements to be enjoyed! Most notably from Telltale.

Telltale, as I'm sure you know, are responsible for pretty much the best episodic adventure games ever made, most notably last year's Walking Dead, which received a whole heap of deserved honours. Well now they're expanding their list of properties worked on to include Borderlands and Game of Thrones.

The Borderlands game they're developing will be made in direct conjunction with Gearbox and will be called Tales From Borderlands. From what we can tell, it will be a series of one-off stories taking place on (I assume) Pandora, and involving characters from the series. As a big Borderlands fan, I'm excited! Any excuse to hear Tiny Tina again. The Game of Thrones game was only teased at the awards but we do know it will be based off the show, as opposed to the books. The decision is a direct mirror to the Walking Dead where the team decided to base their story in the universe of the comics, rather than the TV show. I find it super interesting seeing the heights Telltale are being catapulted to now, and quite fucking right! They more than earned it last year with Walking Dead, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that they manage to maintain the quality they've been showing, and if Wolf Among Us is anything to go by, they won't disappoint.

Who are these mysterious figures? Will we EVER find out?!? Well yeah, next year actually. Sorry to ruin the mood.