Today in gaming: Dec 1

Here's a roundup of today's news found elsewhere on the internet:

Duke Nukem: D-Day revealed? (GameSpot) - Earlier this year, the 12-year-long Duke Nukem Forever saga came to an end when developer 3D Realms laid off almost its entire development team. Today, though, rumors that a new installment may be in the works began to circulate, thanks to a new Facebook profile of the cigar-chomping, catchphrase-spouting hero.

The profile, which appears to have been created last week, appears to be part of a viral marketing campaign to promote a new game, Duke Nukem D-Day. After posting the teaser status "Duke Nukem doesn't stay down for long," the profile's administrator posted a screenshot (pictured top) of what appears to be a screen of the game, which shows a helmeted soldier shooting a rifle at a towering monster inside a sports stadium.

Bogus or not bogus?: Unclear. Given marketers' infatuation with low-cost social media campaigns, the Facebook page certainly could be part of a grass-roots PR campaign for an upcoming Duke Nukem game. Unfortunately, even if the Facebook page is part of an official campaign for a new game, there's little chance of the flat-topped protagonist blasting aliens anytime soon.

ESRB details No More Heroes PS3/360 (eurogamer) - The ESRB has described in juicy detail the mature moments of No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise, the recently revealed PS3 and Xbox 360 enhancey-port.

"Men in black suits are sliced in-half as blood and money flow from their bodies; an assassin with a boombox does not recover after his lower torso has been chopped off - after blood shoots from his empty waist like a geyser; and two women (clad in bikinis) get suspended in mid-air, get caught between the flashing lights, lasers, and frenetic sword swipes of an assassins' duel - the women's heads slide across the floor once the men stop fighting."

The description confirms the return of in-anime Bizarre Jelly, and warns us that there may be innuendo-laden language and scantily clad women on the menu. Phrases such as "The one that's throbbing" and "I feel like that pervy teacher in a porn" are present and women wear low-cut tops, bondage-style outfits and their controversial parts "jiggle".

C&C boss discusses digital future (eurogamer) - New Command & Conquer brand boss Jon Van Canegham has hinted at a "direct-to-consumer" future for the venerable real-time strategy series.

His comments appear to echo those of EA Games vice president Nick Earl, who reportedly told staff in an internal email that a team at EALA was working on "Command & Conquer with a new digital model".

"What you're seeing with all the social gamers on Facebook... they are actually already playing strategy games whether they know it or not," Van Canegham said.
"Taking a franchise like Command & Conquer and expanding it to a wider audience is part of the strategy."

- Gameplanet.co.nz