While Crytek’s main branch and Free Radical/Crytek UK were busy with Crysis 2, Crytek Budapest have been actively working on the secretive Codename: Kingdoms project, announced last year to be published by Microsoft as an Xbox 360-exclusive IP. A source informed Gamasutra this week that the Budapest team is going to being reducing its work force, shrinking from 80 to roughly 30-35 staffers, and charting a course for a “new direction”. Apparently nine employees from Level Design, Game Design, QA, IT, Art, and Audio departments have already been axed. It’s claimed this move is the fault of Microsoft, who recently reached a “sudden decision” have the title switch studios. According to reports, the Kingdoms project — which has also been tipped to support Kinect, as well — will be shifted to and finished by the company’s main headquarters at Crytek Frankfurt (Crysis 2‘s campaign), while the Budapest team will be focusing on the world of tablets. The lay-offs have not been confirmed, but the development change has, according to managing director Anvi Yerli wo said in response: “We can confirm that our Budapest studio is getting a new direction and focus.” Codename: Kingdom‘s has been in the works for roughly two years, and is expected to be featured at Microsoft’s E3 event next month, and due in 2012.    

Just two months to go until Activision and High Moon deliver the videogame tie-in to Paramount’s final, and 3D-enabled Transformers: Dark of the Moon, or as I like to call it: Michael Bay Presents: Holy Shit, Did You See That God Damn Explosion?! Part 3 3D. So far, the game looks pretty decent. A slew of various pre-order goodies are heading to retailers across the board now, and here’s the full line-up of the incentives to get your early cash. GameStop: Code to unlock Sideswipe character on PS3/360 Amazon: $10 credit; code to unlock Ratchet character on PS3/360. Best Buy: Free ticket upgrade to 3D version of the film Toys ‘R’ Us: Exclusive Inverted Bumblebee in-game character skin for 3DS game Target: Exclusive Bumblebee Deco in-game character for Wii/ DS Autobots game, exclusive Lockdown Deco in-game character for DS Deceptions game K-Mart/Sears: Original, limited edition Transformers: Dark of the Moon comic book from IDW Publishing All retailers (and only for the Wii/DS versions): Bumblebee toy with Autobots game; Lockdown toy with Decepticons game Transformers: Dark of the Moon hits all platforms this July.

Rayman: Origins made quite the splash at last year’s E3, one of the first titles due out of Ubisoft’s UbiArt Framework label, and the resurgence of creator Michel Ancel. The 2D downloadable, episodic platformer looked stunning, and was due on PSN/XBLA last holiday… and then it went missing. For a long time. The publisher didn’t mention it for months, failing to include in recent release forecasts, but the project has surfaced in the newest Game Informer, which is all about Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. Unsurprisingly, the large window of silence has resulted in some changes. First off — Rayman: Origins is no longer a digital effort. Ubisoft is opting for a disc-based product on PS3 and 360, and has shifted release to sometime later this holiday. Unfortunate for some, perhaps, especially since that means a likely higher price point. However, the extra year of development time will result in a far more polished experience, and not to mention the first new, proper retail Rayman game game in years. Exciting! In more exciting news, Origins is confirmed to have 4-player local co-op (all characters have the same abilities), and levels are designed to be ‘accessible’ for all players regardless of whether they choose co-op or solo approaches. It’s also accommodating for those who like collect-a-thons, as well as speedruns. Finally, Lums that players collect along the way act as currency, used to buy new power-ups, health and “I Dare You” challenges, where you wager on whether you can successfully pull off complex acrobatic chains in a level.

There have been plenty of excellent retro platformers released for iOS over the years, and the upcoming 1-Bit Ninja is one that has really caught my attention. Developer Ben Hopkins and his studio Kode80 wanted to create a platforming game that was an homage to the Game & Watch and Game Boy platformers of his [...]

Noel Llopis of Snappy Touch and Miguel Friginal of Mystery Coconut Games have teamed up on an upcoming project called Casey’s Contraptions, a colorful physics-based puzzle game. 8-year old Casey must build crazy Rube Goldberg-like contraptions in order to solve the more than 70 levels in the game. Solving puzzles will unlock over 30 different [...]

As happy as it makes me to see how far the iOS platform has come in adapting to more traditional gaming tropes, there’s really nothing I love more than coming across a game that utilizes controls and mechanics that feel completely organic to the touch screen. Such is the case of Foodies [99¢], the first [...]

They say the best things in life are free, and that's especially true if you enjoy comic books and you've also downloaded the latest offering from Squeenix. Imaginary Range [Free] is a graphic novel/game published by Square Enix, and developed by H.A.N.D., known for Final Fantasy: Chocobo Tales on the Nintendo DS. Imaginary Range isn't [...]

Pulse: Volume One [$4.99] is a new iPad-exclusive game by Cipher Prime, the developers who created the award-winning Auditorium [Free]. Like Auditorium, Pulse is a simple and elegant music game. This time around, Cipher Prime has moved away from puzzles and into the rhythm game genre. Pulse is an immersive experience right from the start. [...]

One of the strongest entries in an overcrowded castle defense genre is Liv Games’ Legendary Wars [Free]. We reviewed Legendary Wars back when it launched during Macworld in January, and found it to be highly enjoyable due to the variety of gameplay types, interesting upgradeable abilities, and wonderful artwork. Liv Games didn’t stop there, either, [...]

Hacker group Anonymous denied that it was in any way involved with the recent PlayStation Network data theft, but some of its members believe otherwise.

Check out the new gameplay footage from the epic Capcom/Namco-Bandai mash-up fighting game, 'Street Fighter x Tekken.'

Sony has confirmed what many gamers had already begun to fear: PlayStation Network access is not coming back this week and will only return when the company can assure secure protection of user data.

Another week, another trailer for the long awaited Duke Nukem Forever, coming from Gearbox Software and 2K Games.  The lastest trailer shows some interesting new mechanics, including mini Duke...

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Konami has announced its plans for a preview peek on what is to come from them at E3 2011. Konami Digital Entertainment’s Pre-E3 Show 2011 will be taking place across select cities around the...

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New game releases in stores in the week ahead include Bethesda’s Brink, LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean, SEGA’s Virtua Tennis 4, The First Templar and a new shooter for the Nintendo 3DS,...

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Australian mobile phone carrier Optus is the second wireless services provider in the country set to make the Motorola XOOM tablet PC available for its customers in the near future. The device is expected to become available for purchase in the country on the airwaves of Telstra on May 24th, and should be exclusive to this carrier fo...

Richard from Japan joins Kat to talk about where JRPGs will go with the advent of the NGP and the 3DS before getting up to their elbows in robots with Super Robot Taisen Z2.

Image: http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2011/05/mxatv56.jpg (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/07/mx-vs-atv-vs-xbox-360-avatar-marketplace/)Downloadable content is central (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/04/expect-mx-vs-atv-alive-dlc-every-two-weeks/) to THQ's strategy for the (initially)...

Security researchers warn that cyber criminals who use black hat SEO techniques to distribute scareware, have changed their focus from traditional Web search results to image ones.Black hat SEO is a very successful method of leading users to malicious websites by inserting malicious links into search results for popular keywords....

More than just "1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place."

Shiny Brink Things.

Cheat! Just don't get caught, unless you like being keelhauled.

Get a little extra help on your way to the winner's circle.

Master the art of Brinksmanship.

Ensure more 6-0 sets in your future.

Take that, weekend!

Check out the games vying for the Extra Credit Innovation Awards that will be exhibited in the Extra Credits Awards Theater @ LOGIN 2011.

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The preps have been put into place, following Jimmy's total domination in boxing. Now he must turn his attention to the greaser population taking courses at Bullworth Academy. I'll be there to support him. Will you?

We're playing more Bully right now on Backlog, the continuing mission to clear my shelves of unfinished games. Progress has been smooth and I'm having a lot of fun causing mischief. You can come watch and talk with me and all of the goons hanging out in our chat room during the show. It's all going down right now over on Destructoid's Justin.tv channel!

Watch live video from Destructoid on Justin.tv

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It's fuh-fuh-Friiiiday, and that means I don't have to write another one of these stupid show posts until muh-muh-Monday.

Ass Creed News: Assassin's Creed Revelations is a new game about Italian ninjas.
Boobies News: As long as The Witcher II: Assassins of Kings keeps involving nudity, I'll keep talking about it.
Dusty News: From Dust is a game about how Tara can't pronounce "archipelago," and dust, probably.
Intense Emotional News: I shout about Gears of War 3 while Cliffy's Lancer gently weeps.
Homemade Gun News: LA Noire involves crime, jazz, and discs. Lots of discs.

Also, people named Max and talking animals sent us video reviews of John Carpenter's The Thing for our Destructoid movie club. All Netflix-plugging aside, that's a really kickass movie and you should watch it.

Spoiler Alert: Tara does that thing again. You know, the thing with the... Y'know.

Destructoid has launched a new Friday Night Fights with Playhem! The system is a streamlined way to challenge other players online in wagered competitions in an assortment of games such as Starcraft II. Winning matches will net you points which can be applied to getting yourself prizes. Or you can battle for real money! We're giving away a Razer Xbox 360 controller through the new system and you can learn more about it here.

We want to know if there's a game designer you would follow anywhere, Ross reviewed Darkspore, hackers are planning yet another attack against Sony, EVE Online turns eight and more happened on 5/6/11.

Destructoid Original:
The Question: Is Nintendo's dominance over?
Get into a fight at Destructoid, win a Razer fight pad
Last call: Mr. Destructoid Bobbleheads on sale
Is there a game designer you would follow anywhere?
Live show: Mash Tactics community picks
Destructoid is going to the L.A. Zoo tomorrow!
Meet the Women of The Witcher 2

Community:
Community blogs of 5/6/11
Forum thread of the day: Podtoid 149: Elusive Zazu

Contests:
Contest: Win a rare steampunk gun based on ARGO Online
Win Space Invaders Infinity Gene and the soundtrack!

Reviews:
Review: Darkspore

News:
Thor Wii developer discusses smiting and movie tie-ins
Team Fortress 2 gets a replay editor, Saxxy Awards
Rumor: Project Cafe to be Nintendo FEEL
Rock Band DLC: Foo Fighters, Run DMC, Lordi, Pantera!
ESRB: Burnout Crash has cartoon violence and LOBSTERS!
Bethesda breaks down Brink by crazy numbers
Epic: Gears of War has the best cast in videogames
Rockstar launches L.A. Noire Crime Map
Shameless Canabalt rip-off ran out of town by Apple
National Endowment for the Arts now endowing games
Hackers allegedly planning third attack on Sony
Saints Row: The Third character sharing tool revealed
Valve considers Steam for mobile platforms
Prototype 2 reminds us that Mother's Day is almost here
Free App of the Day: Fingerless 3D (iOS)
Sanctum receiving a free map next week
EVE Online turns eight, celebrates with Quafe Zero
Atari strategy game sale on GOG.com
Deus Ex: Human Revolution on PC will use Steamworks
EA says 'next-gen Xbox' rumors are 'total fabrication'
Postmortem explains how the Portal 2 ARG came together

Offbeat:
Platformance 2 is going in an unexpected direction
Here's the Portal 2 poster we're all going to buy

Media:
Building the worlds of Hunted: The Demon's Forge
Deus Ex: Human Revolution devs discuss all things PC

Are you looking to double the battery life in your Nintendo 3DS without any hardware modifications? Hyperkin might have the product for you. They have just announced their Powerplus, which attaches to your Nintendo 3DS, allowing for an additional 1800 mAH battery power. Check out their official press release below. We hope to have a [...]

5 Vote(s)

The worgen was crouched low to the ground, his front lips raised in a mild snarl. "I don't mean to be rude," he said, "but if you try and put that collar on me, you'll pull back a bloody nub."Throgg sighed as he waved the Collar of...

5 Vote(s)

We've talked about Pox RP workshops on WoW Insider before now. The goal of the workshop series is to help new roleplayers pick up the techniques and skills that empower you to really get into the role of your character. Silvermoon and one-hand jokes aside, roleplaying...

5 Vote(s)

As you may know, we've begun the process of restoring the service through internal testing of the new system. We're still working to confirm the security of the network infrastructure, as well as working with a variety of outside entities to confirm with them of the security of the system....

Image: http://www.1up.com/media?id=3893895&type;=lg As one would expect following a debacle (http://www.1up.com/news/personal-data-sony-online-entertainment-users-stolen) like what's happened with the PlayStation Network, Sony has made security its top priority. As...

Image: http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2011/05/e3-logo-2011.jpg (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/06/wrup-a-month-to-e3/) We're in the final stretch before E3 2011 (http://joystiq.com/tag/e3-2011). This is the time when the rumors start flying fast and furious, some will pan out...

Image: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3409/5694540361_fdecd197db.jpg The Creative Assembly has updated its official forums with a huge list of changes (http://forums.totalwar.com/showthread.php/17168-Patch-2-here-s-what-s-coming) coming in Patch 2 for its highly rated strategy game, Total War:...

Image: http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2011/04/psnlogo421.jpg (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/06/psn-reactivation-delayed-for-further-testing-not-coming-back/) On Sunday, Sony announced (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/01/some-psn-services-to-return-this-week-full-services-within-thi/)...

Image: http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2011/05/sideswipe56.jpg (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/06/transformers-dark-of-the-moon-pre-orders-include-virtual-and-ac/) For those of you who need a bribe in order to be pushed into a purchase of Transformers: Dark of the Moon...

Image: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5695305028_f0d812957c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/emabulator/5695305028/sizes/l/in/photostream/) Activision sends word Treyarch is hosting an extended Double XP Weekend (http://www.callofduty.com/intel/462) across all systems for Call of Duty:...

Image: http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2011/05/playbutton-fromdustdd2-530.jpg (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/07/from-dust-dev-diary-directs-our-attention-to-the-art-direction/#continued) This latest From Dust (http://www.joystiq.com/game/from-dust) dev diary reveals a gameworld...

Research suggests that family communication improves if the group are playing online video games together, but if a single member is gaming, it suffers greatly as the gaming becomes a substitute for healthy communication. More »

If you we're expecting to go online with your PlayStation 3 or PSP this weekend, you might want to make other plans. In the latest update from Sony Computer Entertainment on the status of its currently offline PlayStation Network, it sounds like we're in for a longer wait than we (or Sony) expected. More »

China is closed off to Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo's consoles, meaning the first console available for sale in that country - aside from the knockoffs, of course - will be home grown. Today the iSec, renamed from the "eBox" announced last year, was unveiled. More »

Well, kids, we did it. We survived another work week, watched another seven days of our lives slip away. Hooray! Wait, that sounded pretty grim, didn't it? Well, this is the place to cheer each other up! More »

Kevin Butler, the voluble, if fake, PlayStation executive, has nearly 84,000 Twitter followers. His approval rating, if it was measured, would assuredly be sky-high among hardcore gamers. And he has been dead silent since the beginning of the PlayStation Network Outage, now in its third week with no signs of ending. More »

More instances, more items, more pets, more skills, more customizing and enhanced graphic quality.

Check out the latest batch of screenshots.

Nintendogs + Cats Guide by Stewart Shearer Find out which version of Nintendogs + Cats comes with your favorite dog breed, and learn how to teach your dog tons of tricks including "roll over," "back flip" and even "singing." » Nintendogs + Cats Gu...