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!

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]

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]

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.

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.

Today we take to the sea, with an exclusive look at "The Krakek," an Cybran faction experimental submarine in Supreme Commander 2.

"It has a very intimidating look," says Gas Powered Games Chris Taylor. "Its looks match its firepower."

Obviously designed after the mythical sea monster of the same name, Supreme Commander 2's Kraken can be used to destroy nearby ships, aircraft, as well as enemy submarines. The Kraken's usefulness isn't confined to water, however -- bringing the unit close to shore will allow it to attack structures and land units.

Be sure not to miss yesterday's look at the "Bomb Bouncer." Tomorrow we take a look at a Supreme Commander 2 unit inspired by the real-life AC130 gunship, the AC1000. Yes, the discrepancy in numbers gives you a good idea of what we're dealing with.

Little known fact: the General Knoxx of "The Secret Armory of General Knoxx," the upcoming third Borderlands DLC expansion, is a real person. Well, real enough to have a Twitter account at least.

"okay. so my secretary signed me up for this thing.apparently i have to be careful about how many words i type or it won't send the entire me," he writes before running out of characters in his introductory Tweet.

If you're wondering what the deal with the lower-case is, Knoxx explains that "no one capitalizes in the future," and that his "tweets time travel." Knoxx has also already taken a picture of himself in a mirror with his "cellular ear ringer," and has begun talking sh*t to fellow Twitter users.

"watch your step boy. i lost my eye in a fight with myself," he threatens to one. "ps. i won."

Rumor has it that General Knoxx just may be delivering some actual (useful?) information on the upcoming DLC, so he's probably worth following his "tweetergrams."

With all the talk about Sonic 4, it's easy to forget that Konami is gearing its own downloadable retro reboot with Rocket Knight. Of course, that's also partially thanks to the fact that Konami's barely mentioned the bloody thing since its announcement. 

Fortunately, we've been given a healthy reminder today thanks to some new art assets that have dropped. It's not much to go on, but it's certainly something at the very least. Make sure you check out the pictures. Or don't, if you don't want to. We're not really telling you what to do.

Press Play's puzzle-style platformer Max & the Magic Marker has been out in Europe for weeks now, and we don't even have a release date for North America. What gives? The latest update on this front is that we'll be getting it in March. Yeah, just "March."

For the time being, the PC and Mac versions are now available digitally. The game is $19.99, sure, but there's a demo; no need to blind buy or outright pass on Max & the Magic Marker. Although, if you're willing to wait it out a tad bit longer, the WiiWare version will cost half as much.

I'm probably going to regret saying this in the near future, but for now, I feel like I'll never grow tired of these games that involve you actively drawing to solve puzzles. You know, stuff like Crayon Physics and, uh, something else that doesn't immediately come to mind.

This latest trailer explains the close combat in Aliens vs. Predator. Ironically, the video only tells you the Xbox 360 controls, which already has a control layout in the demo. The demo that really needs help with the controls, the PC version, has been left high and dry. You're just going to have to guess the keys for that one. 

Anyway, if you've been getting hacked to pieces too many times, this video will show you how to deal with a close encounter. It's all about the block button. Yes, we didn't know there was one either until someone outside of the demo pointed it out to us. 

People are starting to get the hang of counters and blocking in the demo, which is starting to annoy me as it's getting harder to win matches. I don't like being challenged, least of all by smartass Predators who think they're cool just because they look like insectoid Bob Marleys.

Assuming you're still hooked into the Cerberus Network, you can look forward to some free downloadable content for Mass Effect 2 tomorrow. Both the Xbox 360 and PC versions are getting "Cerberus Assault Armor" and the "M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun."

As far as stats are concerned, the armor increases heavy weapon ammo capacity, shields, and health by ten percent. As is the case with all of Shepard's outfits, I'm going to pass so long as the helmet stays on at all times. I'd never want to miss seeing his wide range of facial expressions.

The shotgun is supposed to pierce armor and be effective even at longer ranges. What else can be said? It's a gun; you point it at people that you aren't particularly fond of. Personally, I'd rather do one-hit kills from far away with a sniper rifle than risk running up close with a shotgun for a similar effect.

Still, free content is free!

It's already been confirmed that Burnout developer Criterion has its hands in the Need for Speed franchise. But if Burnout's fast pace and twisted steel isn't your thing, don't worry -- Electronic Arts has confirmed that it has not one but two Need for Speed titles in the works. 

Holiday of 2010 will see the release of Criterion's Need for Speed title, referred to by EA Chief Operating Officer John Schappert on today's financial call as an action title. Early 2011 (January-March) will see the release of a second Need for Speed title, this one a simulation title, possibly a follow up to last year's Need for Speed: SHIFT.

You can can play both titles, no one's stopping you. But if you had to choose, what would you prefer? A Need for Speed simulation title or a Need for Speed action title?

In the first of five exclusive videos, Gas Powered Game's CEO Chris Taylor gives us a look at the "Bomb Bouncer" unit from Supreme Commander 2, the upcoming real-time strategy title for PC and Xbox 360.

The "Bomb Bouncer" is one of the experimental units you'll be able to choose from when siding with the game's Cybran faction. The spider-like walker protects itself and surrounding friendly units with a massive umbrella-like shield, bouncing back incoming enemy fire.

Even sweeter, as incoming fire pounds the shield, it stores charge for something called the "Mega Blast," which is exactly what it sounds like -- a mega blast that does incredible damage. The "Mega Blast" can be charged by using stored reserves before going into battle as well.

As Taylor puts it, the "Bomb Bouncer" is only one of Supreme Commander 2's "over-the-top" experimental units. Watch the video above to see it in action, and check back tomorrow for a peek at another unit, The Kraken.