You've probably never heard of Jesse Attard, but he's a man with a pedigree. After all, he was the project lead on BioShock 2's multiplayer. With that game now wrapped up, Attard has founded Tactic Studios, a new developer that has just launched its first ever title, Immortal Empire. 

Immortal Empire is a completely free strategy game, playable in one's browser, similar to games like Evony. However, unlike Evony, Immortal Empire is actually rather good. It's similar to Dawn of War in that it's about a few powerful units as opposed to grand armies, but it's a turn-based affair. It reminds me of Astonishia Story in its gameplay, an RPG that a lot of people disliked but I actually loved. 

It costs absolutely nothing, and it's worth checking out. So far there's no premium content, which means that you can access everything for free. Pick one of nine unique and character classes, recruit up to four other characters, and complete quests to earn loot and acquire more power. Simple stuff, but pretty damn fun so far. 

There's your free game recommendation of the day. Give it a look and support a brand new studio. It's not like they're asking for money!

Fans. They're never happy with anything, are they? Sega announces Sonic the Hedghog 4, a 2D retro experience that people have been clamoring for since the move to 3D, and people still manage to find things to complain about. Some of the complaints I already addressed, but by far the most controversial issue seems to be the fact that Sonic himself doesn't look old school enough. 

Internet justice to the rescue! Fans have set up a petition (470 sigs and counting) in a bid to make Sega change the current Sonic design to something more reminiscent of the Genesis era. Apparently, people aren't fans of the sleeker modern Hedgehog, and want the old pot-bellied guy back on their screens. Sega's bound to ignore the outcry, but it never hurts to try I suppose. 

As possibly the biggest (or only) Sonic fan on Destructoid's staff, I personally have never had an issue with Sonic's current look. I might be in the minority, but I've always kind of liked the way he looks these days, and I don't think character design has ever been the guy's biggest problem. Still, if people are determined to find things to whine about before we've seen more than a teaser trailer, I guess this is as good a subject as any. 

Bring the classic Sonic to Sonic the Hedgehog 4 [GoPetition via GoNintendo]

Annoying Internet memes have a new flavor of fear. A2M's conceptually brilliant Naughty Bear has a brand new trailer, and this week our fine furry friend has shown exactly what happens when Peanut Butter Jelly Time meets a baseball bat. It's short, it's to the point, and it does very little to stop us being pumped for this game. 

Even if this game sucks, it'll deserve a play for the idea alone. We need more sociopathic teddy bears in games, and I'm glad A2M is representing. I really hope this game turns out as brilliantly as I imagine it to be.

What's the downloadable content situation for Battlefield: Bad Company 2? Speaking to Worthplaying, senior producer Patrick Bach gave some solid information on the matter.

"We see the game as the first step to a longer experience. We have an in-game store where you get free content or you can buy new content to the game, so it's a very integral part of the game that we will have a long post-launch campaign."

"I think people will be thrilled to see what's in that already," says Bach. "On day one, you will get some really cool stuff." Interesting. Not that I'm against free content at launch, but if this is going to be a hot new trend to prevent used game sales, we need to up the ante in terms of hard drive accessibility.

Why yes, I am still rocking a 20 GB hard drive for my Xbox 360. I can't let them win. I don't exactly know who "they" are, but letting them beat me is the worst thing I could possibly do.

'Battlefield: Bad Company 2' (ALL) Developer Interview [Worthplaying via Blue's News]

Can't get Mass Effect 2 out of your head? I can't either. I have questions, all of which tickle me, compel me to prod. But they aren't about what happened in the game. Instead, I wonder about its characters, its genre and possible DLC.

With tons and tons of swirling thoughts, I approached EA about doing an interview. I didn't ask many connected questions. That wasn't the point -- I wanted to learn more about what was in my head at that second, those hungry beasties filling my skull.

Wish granted, the game's project director Casey Hudson unwittingly satisfied my desire to just know more in the moment -- to know more about those curious flashes when Shepard talks to Thane, how BioWare defines Mass Effect 2, and the exclusion of a same sex relationship. Spoilers abound.

Special editions for brand new videogames without a proven pedigree. I've ranted on the arrogance of such a thing before, but nevertheless, it's getting more and more common so we'll have to deal with it. Still, the Metro 2033 special edition isn't overly ridiculous, so at least there's that going for it.

UK retailer GAME has revealed the special edition in all its glory, detailing the in-game special shotgun, the fancy embossed box, and the artwork postcard set commissioned by novelist and Metro 2033 creator Dmitry Glukhovski. A pretty neat little package if you're convinced that this game is going to be worth the cash. 

We preview the game a few weeks ago and voiced a number of concerns with it. The graphical issues and the unbalanced gameplay leave us with a sour taste, but one can hope that developer 4A has listened to criticism and made the game a little more sensible. If you're going to make a special edition, you better damn well make a game good enough to justify it.

Metro 2033: Limited Edition [GAME]

_{[Editor's Note: We're not just a (rad) news site -- we also publish opinions/editorials from our community & employees like this one, though be aware it may not jive with the opinions of Destructoid as a whole, or how our moms raised us. Want to post your own article in response? Publish it now on our community blogs.]}

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes-and ships-and sealing wax-
Of cabbages-and kings-
And why the sea is boiling hot-
And whether pigs have wings."
-Lewis Carroll

I thought long and hard about what area of expertise I may yield in gaming and came up with nada, zip, nothing. Sure I love fighting games and can appreciate as well as understand the mechanics of them to be a proficient fighter but to call that my "expertise" would be very presumptuous of me. I'm not comfortable saying that. Same thing with every genre of games I play which is about all of them except the simon says silliness of rhythm or music games.

No, under closer scrutiny I realized I'm your typical competent gamer. Yet there is an ability that I possess that accentuates my gaming skills and raises the quality of it. A trait that unto itself is amusing at best but coupled with my gaming, elevates my play significantly. What is this fabled area of expertise of mine? What comes naturally, effortlessly, without barely a thought?

I can sh*t talk ... well. 

While the jump from Assassin's Creed to its sequel brought about a whole new set of faces and places, don't expect the same for the follow up.

In its third quarter financial conference call today, Ubisoft revealed that the Ubisoft Montreal-developed title would not only star Ezio, but would take place in Rome. There, the assassin will continue his quest to destroy the Templar Order, this time at its source.

The title, which is said to feature an important multilayer component, could ship anytime between holiday 2010 or March 2011.

Personally, I find it a bit disappointing that Ubisoft isn't taking the Assassin's Creed story line in a such a direction that would introduce gamers to new assassin's and a completely different change of scenery. It's incredibly likely that Ubisoft will reveal more at E3, so until then, I'll continue to be excited for the follow up to one of my favorite games of 2009.

Everyone always says gardening was Shigeru Miyamoto's inspiration for Pikmin. Yeah, we get it. His personal interests often relate to what his videogames are about. Enough already! Way more interesting than that bit of insight is who Miyamoto was targeting with the game:

"Every once in a while, you want to make something that high school girls can get into."

So Pikmin, one of the best original Nintendo series in recent memory, was aimed at high school girls? If the result of Nintendo making a game for that audience is something as incredible as Pikmin, the company needs to do so more often.

Essentially, that is Nintendo's design philosophy these days. With the Wii, everyone's the target audience, including the beloved high school girl crowd. Too bad the best we've seen come out of this initiative is (arguably) Wii Sports. How about you guys start talking Pikmin 3?

任天堂，宮本 茂氏が語った「ゲーム機を介したコミュニケーションの活性化」。新ハードを開発中との発言も出た，第13回文化庁メディア芸術祭「功労賞受賞者シンポジウム」レポート（New スーパーマリオブラザーズ Wii) [4Gamer via Kotaku]

Aliens vs. Predator is out next week, and while opinions are divided as to whether or not the game will be any good, there is one universal truth that cannot be denied -- Aliens are blatantly better than Predators. This is an undisputed fact that only idiots and Danny Glover would disagree with, and I make an obvious exception for The Glove. 

Everyone else, however, deserves to die if they believe a Predator is better than an Alien in any way, shape or form. In order to prove just how wrong they are, I present a list of evidence in an article that one could accuse of being only spuriously linked to gaming at best. If you are pathetic enough to deny the superiority of Aliens right now, you will soon change your ways when reading this article. 

So, allow me, the Queen of Right, to lay Eggs of Truth full of Correctness Facehuggers that will rape your stupid face and put a Not Being Wrong About Sci-Fi Chestburster inside you. 

Because the 2004 Xbox title Greg Hastings Tournament Paintball needed a sequel, it's getting one this year, thanks to Majesco.

The publisher has announced that Greg Hastings Paintball 2 will be hitting Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii this September. The game features both single and multiplayer gameplay modes and events based in real-life paintball fields. The game also has a new feature called the "Cheat Meter," which lets you wipe off pain splatters before getting caught. Is that something people do?

Also on tap is downloadable content, because once you get a taste of Greg Hastings Paintball 2, you're going to want more. The game is being developed by Super X Studios who have previously developed a photo safari title for the PC, as well as an outer space screen saver.

If we were to guess, we'd say that Square Enix's and Eidos' Deus Ex 3 has a name now -- Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

It's a safe bet, considering that Square Enix filed a trademark for that name in Europe. And then in North America. Human Revolution it is, then.

Deus Ex 3 was announced as a PC only title, but rumors and speculation point to the it making its ways to consoles as well. 

Have You Heard Of Deus Ex: Human Revolution? [Siliconera]

It's been far too long since we've talked about beta sign-ups for a big-name MMO. Sure, there's been plenty of discussion about console betas -- the kind that are essentially demos and used primarily for marketing purposes; MMO betas, though? Not so much.

What better game to help us break that silence than NetDevil's LEGO Universe? By all accounts, it could be the hot new thing for anyone who grew up playing with LEGOs, not just today's kids. Plus, it's different enough in subject matter that we won't have to bring up World of Warcraft. Shoot! Too late.

Here's the link you'll need to get set up for this thing. It's required that you have a LEGO ID, but the process is pretty painless and once you get your account finalized, it only takes a few seconds to confirm your desire to gain access to the beta.

In an odd and surprising turn, NIS America has changed the name of its PlayStation Portable title Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman to What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord?!.

NIS says the name change is because "the original title had a conflict of interest with an existing IP." While the publisher doesn't get specific, said conflict could be related in some way to DC Comics' Batman character (although that's not been confirmed).

"We did not intend to create any conflict," the statements reads, "so we have decided to change the title."

Fair enough. The sequel to the original game, the game formerly known as Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! 2 (and now What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord ?! 2) will be released on May 4.