This just in from the BF Blog:

Electronic Arts Inc. today revealed new details of the Medal of Honor Limited Edition that will be released in North America on October 12, 2010. The Limited Edition* features a host of weapons, powerful ammunition and camouflage. The weapons and camouflage give players a tactical gameplay advantage on day one. EA also announced today that people who own the Medal of Honor Limited Edition will receive an invitation to the beta** for another highly-anticipated EA shooter, Battlefield 3™. Battlefield 3 is the latest entry in the award-winning shooter franchise from DICE in Stockholm, Sweden.

This Sunday August 1, be sure to check out a 100% all-new Medal of Honor gameplay trailer directed by Linkin Park’s Joe Hahn. The trailer will feature in-game footage set to the band’s recently-announced single ‘The Catalyst’ at www.medalofhonor.com/linkinpark. More details about the Battlefield 3 beta itself can also be found at www.medalofhonor.com/battlefield3.

Medal of Honor Limited Edition also features special content out-of-the-box including the MP-7, a weapon utilized by real-world Tier 1 Operators in the field. With its light weight, high rate of fire as well as its ability to penetrate body armor, the MP-7 handles like a pistol yet allows targets to be engaged like a rifle. The Limited Edition also includes two powerful shotguns with custom slugs. These devastating shotguns and ammunition are ideal for close-range fights.

* The PlayStation 3 version of the Limited Edition also includes the classic, Medal of Honor Frontline™ completely remastered in HD. **Restrictions and conditions apply to Beta offer. See http://www.ea.com/beta for details.

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Rockstar Games has released a new look behind the scenes of the creation of the Red Dead Redemption soundtrack. The team shows how they used period instruments to bring the "Western flavor to the 21st century."

Composers Bill Elm and Woody Jackson divulge their secrets for bringing the Western flavor to the 21st century and unveil their extensive research to hit the perfect note. Tommy Morgan, a 60 year veteran of Western movies and television shows, showcased his legendary harmonica talents to bring another level of authenticity to the score. With the right combination of the latest technology and musical talents, the Red Dead Redemption score perfectly complements the action of the game.

Red Dead Redemption continues to be a top seller months after its release.

Yep, it's a Minecraft sort of day today, at least to start with. PC Gamer just tossed up an interview with the Indie developer that talks about Minecraft's origins up through what lies ahead for the game even beyond the Survival multiplayer inclusion.

You've said that Minecraft will be done when you've finished up Survival mode, and that you'll expand it with a more traps-themed content release afterwards. Is that still the plan? What's next for Minecraft, after that?

Notch: When Minecraft has working survival mode multiplayer, it will have all the features I originally wanted, so I will declare that to be the finished version. Then I will keep working on the game for as long as people play and buy it, adding large and small features and releasing them as free updates to the game. I have many more games I want to do, but there's so much potential in Minecraft that I can see myself working on it for a long time.

Once the game stops selling and I've moved on to something else, I will release most of the game as open source (excluding the parts I am not the original author, such as the sounds), so that other people can keep expanding the game.

A few additional things to note here. Notch recently revealed that he will release the Survival multiplayer before he leaves for BIGJam next week. Once this happens, the price of the game will rise to 14.95 euro and the game will "officially" be in beta status. After what is presumably going to be a lengthy beta period, the game will be out of beta and the price will increase to 19.95 euro. So, if you want to get in on Minecraft while the price is at the lowest it will be for a while, you had best act fast.

It should also be mentioned that for the time being, water and liquid behavior within Minecraft will not be touched "until the rest of the game is in place." To see what Notch had to say to PC Gamer, head on over to read the full interview.

Let's start things off today with a little rumor and speculation. First up, we have the rumor that Valve is in talks with Markus Persson, aka: Notch, about something. Between last night's blog entry on the Team Fortress 2 blog that did nothing but praise Minecraft and Notch and a comment posting on a blog entry from Notch, it looks like Valve has taken a liking to the very Indie developer.


Now obviously, this could mean one of any number of things.

1. It could just be that Valve wanted to personally congratulate Notch for what he's managed to accomplish. Something a little more personal than a mere blog entry on the TF2 Blog.
2. Perhaps Valve have extended a job offer to Notch to come work at Valve. As mentioned, Notch is just one developer who is working on Minecraft. This is a real possibility that they want his talents or ideas for future Valve titles.
3. Maybe Valve just wanted to thank Notch for what he's done, and offer him a free trip to Valve HQ for a friendly visit. Or gift baskets may be involved with some Valve swag.
4. It may be that Valve wants to distribute Minecraft through Steam. What this would mean for current owners of the game though is anybody's guess. It also does not shed any light on whether or not the price of the game will go up beyond what was already expected to happen once the game's multiplayer Survival is released.

Right now this is pure speculation on anybody's part. These were just thoughts gathered from, non-committal, sometimes cryptic comments Notch has made on his Twitter and Tumblr, and the fact that Valve wishes to speak with him about something.

Who knows, perhaps it was nothing more than just an attempt by Valve to get Notch to add hats to Minecraft. We will see.

In other, somewhat related news, Minecraft managed to increase its sales by 1,000 in a span of just 24-hours. Perhaps spurred on by the love thrown its way by the Team Fortress 2 blog.

Get ready QuakeCon event goers (QuakeCon...ers??), the tournament line-up for QuakeCon 2010 has been announced! The free to the public event, slated to be held between August 12th through the 15th at the Hilton Anatole, will host the best Quake players this side of some vague dividing geographical line.

The Intel QUAKE LIVE Masters Championship
The Intel QUAKE LIVE Masters Championship will feature known professionals and top QUAKE LIVE competitors in their own exclusive tournament. Sixty-four (64) of the world's best QUAKE LIVE players will face-off in the 1 vs.1 duel for more than $25,000 in a double elimination bracket, with each match played in a best-of-three-games format. With two competitors remaining, thousands will gather to watch as these two best-of-the-best survivors go head-to-head in a single elimination, best-of-five-games throw-down with a $14,000 check written to the champion. Matches will feature a pool of five arenas.

The QUAKE LIVE Capture the Flag Championship
The Capture the Flag Championship will feature 4 vs. 4 competitions for up to 32 teams battling it out in a single elimination bracket and best-of three-games format using five arenas. Players who come out on top will share prizes of $25,000, including $14,000 for the team of champions. Matches in the CTF tournament will feature five arenas.

The QUAKE LIVE Open Tournament
Available for up to 128 amateurs and up-and-coming competitors, the QUAKE LIVE Open will offer players a taste of the excitement and pressure of professional gaming. Battling for a share of $2,500, including $1,500 for the champion, players will compete in a single elimination bracket, with each match played in a best-of-three-games format. Matches for the Open Tournament will feature the same five arenas as the Masters Championship.

Registration Information
Players with professional gaming experience or extensive QUAKE LIVE experience can pre-register by going to www.quakecon.org/tournament between July 27th and August 8th or register on site at QuakeCon from 9:00am to noon CST on Thursday, August 12. Competitors qualified for the Intel QUAKE LIVE Masters Championship and The QUAKE Live Capture the Flag Championship will be selected and seeded by a committee of experts at the close of registration. Players selected for the Intel QUAKE LIVE Masters Championship are not eligible for the Open Tournament.

Registration for the QUAKE LIVE Open Tournament is first come, first served on site at QuakeCon from 9:00am to noon CST on Thursday, August 12.

As noted, be sure to check out the official tournament page for all of the juicy details.

EA Sports has today announced that there will be not one, but two gameplay modes to play in FIFA Soccer 11 for the Nintendo Wii. There will be the typical 11 vs. 11 matches featuring over 30 official leagues, 500 teams, and over 15,000 players. However, there will also be trimmed down, 5 vs. 5 matches featuring the world's best players.

FIFA Soccer 11 Wii features numerous gameplay enhancements that bring the beautiful game to life on the Wii console. An all-new attacker vs. defender trick system creates head-to-head battles as you move up the pitch, performing dozens of elaborate new tricks to throw the defender off-balance. The new button-based shooting mechanic puts control back in the users' hands-and with new shot types and animations you’ll find all-new ways to score each game. Blast, finesse, chip or tap it by the keeper for the goal that lifts your team to glory!

Hit the streets with players decked out in street wear. Each player boasts a distinctive style of play with unique abilities to match. Use the wall to jump past defenders or bank passes to teammates. Choose to play arcade style and you can build up and then activate your power meter to blast shots, ignite a speed burst or send shockwaves over your opponents.

The new mode will also feature indoor settings and customized games. Various match types include first to score, tug of war, or timed. Look for more information in the coming months or check out the official EA Sports FIFA page or their Facebook page for more details.

Not one, not two, not even three new trailers for Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days came out today. Nope, there are four new trailers focusing on the "dynamic duo" that came out today. One is a behind the scenes, "Intense" trailer and the other three are more gameplay and story focused.

One video shows off a little bit of gameplay from the game's multiplayer "Fragile Alliance" mode. We'll include one gameplay trailer before the break and the other three videos after the jump.

By clicking to view the trailer below, you agree that you are 17+ and are legally permitted to view the content contained within as per the ESRB guidelines

The latest bit of DLC for Remedy's Alan Wake was just released, but a few snags were found. Those who redeemed their free DLC code early with their purchase of a new copy of the game are finding out that they cannot download the DLC pack just yet. Remedy and Microsoft are working hard to get new codes out to all of those affected by the issue.

If you've redeemed your code prior to release Microsoft will be sending out new codes to you via your email on XBL.

Another Tweet by XboxSupport stated that the codes will be emailed to all affected gamers within the next 24-48 hours.

It was announced that a live-action, 30-minute prequel to Ghost Recon: Future Soldier would be released. The San Diego Comic-Con 2010 saw the first glimpse of the film by way of a minute long teaser entitled Ghost Recon: Alpha.

By clicking to view the trailer below, you agree that you are 17+ and are legally permitted to view the content contained within as per the ESRB guidelines

Alpha is being directed by Academy award-winners Francois Alaux and Herve de Crecy, the team behind the amusing and very popular short film, Logorama. The story for Alpha will be written by Children of Men's Tim Sexton and Logorama's Gregory Pruss.

Alpha is slated for a vague 2011 release, potentially alongside the release of the delayed Future Soldier game. No word has been announced yet as to how the film will be distributed.

Earlier today Bethesda Softworks released a list of the games that they will be showing at their public booth at GamesCom 2010.

Fallout: New Vegas
Hunted: The Demon's Forge
Brink
RAGE

The company's public booth can be found in Hall 6.1, aisle B #40. Special presentations for RAGE will be held at various times throughout the day.

EA Sports has released the public version of the long-awaited Madden NFL 11 demo today. Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners can pick up the demo today that features the Colts taking on the Jets in full 5-minute quarters.



The demo also features all four skill levels, offensive and defensive gameplans that can be built, the new "GameFlow" play calling system, audio and text hints from the coach, and more. Audio commentary is conducted by Gus Johnson and Cris Collinsworth and also includes authentic stadium sounds and music.

PopCap Games, after a little objection by the Michael Jackson estate, will be patching current versions of Plants vs. Zombies to remove the "Dancing Zombie" that bears more than a striking resemblance to the late musician.

The Estate of Michael Jackson objected to our use of the "dancing zombie" in Plants vs. Zombies based on its view that the zombie too closely resembled Michael Jackson. After receiving this objection, PopCap made a business decision to retire the original "dancing zombie" and replace it with a different "dancing zombie" character for future builds of Plants vs. Zombies on all platforms. The phase-out and replacement process is underway.

The update has already taken place on the iPhone and iPad versions of the game. Future versions, including the Xbox Live Arcade release, will already have the change in place. PC versions may be a little trickier to update.

Earlier today there was mass outrage and a lot of eye rolling going on at those who claim they did not cheat in Modern Warfare 2 and were wrongfully banned by VAC. It appears as though Valve was indeed at fault with a false positive and are reversing those bans tonight. In fact, Valve is offering those who were wrongfully banned two free copies of Left 4 Dead 2 as a way of saying "sorry."

Hello,

Recently, your Steam account was erroneously banned from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

This was our mistake, and I apologize for any frustration or angst it may have caused you.

The problem was that Steam would fail a signature check between the disk version of a DLL and a latent memory version. This was caused by a combination of conditions occurring while Steam was updating the disk image of a game. This wasn't a game-specific mistake. Steam allows us to manage and reverse these erroneous bans (about 12,000 erroneous bans over two weeks).

We have reversed the ban, restoring your access to the game. In addition, we have given you a free copy of Left 4 Dead 2 to give as a gift on Steam, plus a free copy for yourself if you didn't already own the game.



To share your extra copy of Left 4 Dead 2 with a friend, you can 'Manage Gifts and Guest Passes' from the 'Games' Menu in Steam, or visit this article on the Steam Support site for detailed instructions: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_...4502-TPJL-2656.

To access your own copy of Left 4 Dead 2, visit your library of games in Steam. If you didn't already own the game, it will now be listed among your others there, and is available for download immediately.

Regards,
Gabe Newell
President, Valve

Earlier today we posted news that appeared as though we weren't really believing those who cried foul, because well, we didn't believe them. Well, we'll be the first to say we were wrong. It was one of those very rare cases where someone wasn't lying about not cheating after they were flagged for the infraction.

There are other threads and posts on the Steampowered forums, and elsewhere, detailing the free gift of Left 4 Dead 2 and the unbanning.

MTV Games and Harmonix have released a handful of additional songs coming to Rock Band 3 and Dance Central later this year.

Rock Band 3 tracks:
- Marilyn Manson - "The Beautiful People"
- Filter - "Hey Man, Nice Shot"
- Foreigner - "Cold As Ice"
- Def Leppard - "Foolin'"
- The B-52s - "Rock Lobster"
- Tears For Fears - "Everybody Wants To Rule The World"

Dance Central tracks:
- Snoop Dogg - "Drop It Like Its Hot"
- Salt-N-Pepa - "Push It"
- Young MC - "Bust A Move"
(All tracks are original master recordings)

Both games are due out later this year. Dance Central is a Kinect exclusive for the Xbox 360.

Music within the latest Madden games has always been a popular subject amongst gamers. This year, the hits just keep on coming with an all-new lineup of music for Madden NFL 11.

Original Recordings:
- AC/DC - Thunderstruck
- Archie Eversole - We Ready
- Blur - Song 2
- Bush - Machinehead
- Guns N' Roses - Welcome to the Jungle
- Kevin Rudolf featuring Lil' Wayne - Let It Rock
- Kiss - Rock and Roll All Nite
- Ozzy Osbourne - Let Me Hear You Scream
- Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train
- The Hives - Tick Tick Boom
- Todd Rundgren - Bang the Drum
- Ying Yang Twins featuring Homebwoi - Halftime

Cover Versions:
- Rock N Roll Part 2 - as made famous by Gary Glitter
- We Will Rock You - as made famous by Queen
- Crowd Chant - as made famous by Joe Satriani
- Kernkraft 400 - as made famous by Zombie Nation

Team Fight Songs:
- Chicago Bears - Bear Down Chicago Bears
- Detroit Lions - Gridiron Heroes
- Green Bay Packers - Go Packers Go!
- Miami Dolphins - Miami Dolphins #1
- Minnesota Vikings - Skol Vikings
- Philadelphia Eagles - Fly Eagles Fly
- Washington Redskins - Hail to the Redskins

Madden NFL 11 hits stores on August 10th.