Batman: Arkham City Wallpapers For Everyone

We've got images based on both covers for all types of monitors, PS3 and 360 backgrounds, and iPhones. Come and get it!

PC Instructions
Left-click on the proper resolution (click here to find out your screen's rez if you don't know), right-click on the image that appears, and select "set as desktop background" from the menu options.

PS3 Instructions
1. Download an image and save it to your Desktop.
2. Plug in PMD (Portable Memory Device -Memory Stick, Compact Flash, SD card or USB Flashdrive) to your computer.
3. Transfer your image to anywhere on your PMD.
4. Unplug PMD from your computer. Plug it into your PS3.
5. On the PS3 XMB go to your Photo section.
6. Highlight (Hover over) the PMD and press [Triangle].
7. Select [Display All] from the options menu.
8. Locate the image. Press Triangle.
9. Select [Copy] from the action menu and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the operation.
10. When viewing a photo, simply bring up the options screen by pressing the [Triangle] button and selecting "Set As Wallpaper" from the options displayed.

360 Instructions
1. Save the image to a USB Flashdrive like steps 1 through 3 above.
2. Unplug USB drive from your computer. Plug it into your 360.
3. Hit the guide button and go to the media blade. Select "Picture Library."
4. Select "Portable Device."
5. Navigate to the image and hit the Y button to "Apply as Background."

iPhone Instructions
1. Navigate to this page on the iPhone. Be sure you're viewing it in "Full Site" rather than the mobile edition.
2. Hit the iPhone rez link to bring up the image.
3. Hold your finger on the image to bring up a menu. Hit "Save Image."
4. Find the image in your photo gallery.
5. Hit the icon in the bottom left corner and select "Use as Wallpaper."

COVER ONE (Above)

Standard
1280x1024
1600x1200

Panoramic
1280x960
1680x1050
1920x1200

Dual Monitor
3840x1200

TV (PS3, 360)
1920x1080
1280x720
640x480

iPhone
640x960

COVER TWO

Standard
1280x1024
1600x1200

Panoramic
1280x960
1680x1050
1920x1200

Dual Monitor
3840x1200

TV (PS3)
1920x1080
1280x720
640x480

iPhone
640x960

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Guild Wars 2 Necromancer Class Revealed

"A Necromancer feeds on life force," reads the official Guild Wars 2 site. Sounds good to us.

The second caster class to be announced, Necromancers have a variety of positional effects, minions, and the ability to fight on beyond their own death for a limited time. As cool as the dramatic fireballs and ice storms that Elementalists throw around are, Necromancers may have them beaten in the badassery department.

Necromancers use wells and marks to generate static area effects. They can have a single well active at a time. The example given is Well of Blood, which significantly increases the regeneration rate of allies within its radius. Marks work a little differently. These spells are targeted on the ground and have a variety of effects, like the enemy-damaging Mark of Blood (I'm sensing a theme here) that also speeds nearby allies' regeneration.

Necros also get minions, which do their master's bidding in death as in life. For instance, the Blood Fiend (okay, ArenaNet, we get it already) heals its master every time it strikes an opponent and can be sacrificed for a larger heal. All pets will have an associated skill that becomes active only when the pet is summoned.

Death Shroud is going to drive enemy PvPers nuts. This intrinsic class ability lets Necromancers fight on using the life force they've built up during combat even after their own body is destroyed. Should the Necro get a kill in the Death Shroud state (or expend his stored life energy), he is bound once again to his own flesh.

I'm not going to lie. This class sounds awesome, just like the other announced Guild Wars 2 classes do. At some point ArenaNet is going to have to let us play the freaking game already.

For more Guild Wars 2 talk, check out this week's Respec Radio podcast, where I hold forth at great length about the game's dynamic PvE content. You can get largely similar information in written form in the huge novel I wrote about it from Gamescom, if you're more into reading than hearing Andy and me make fun of Phil's guild.

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Trailer For Gameloft's Ultimate Spider-Man: Total Mayhem

Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man comic series is the only Spider-Man book I can read these days without rolling my eyes and saying "this is even worse than the Clone Saga." The last few years have been tough for Spidey in print, but all signs point toward this web swinger having a good year in video games. Game Informer's associate editor Ben Reeves has been singing praises for Activision's upcoming console game Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions. Gameloft's upcoming Ultimate Spider-Man: Total Mayhem for iPhone and iPod Touch also looks promising. It'll be available in Apple's app store on September 1.

Here's a teaser video for the game. Don't give up on the video early; gameplay is at the end.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

 

 

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The Worlds Of Dungeons & Dragons

To trace the history of characters, role-playing, leveling, and character growth in gaming, one need look no further than the humble beginnings of Dungeons & Dragons. Likewise, long before Mass Effect and Elder Scrolls were shaping massive fictional settings, Dungeons & Dragons set the standard by building one fantastic world after another in its early years, giving players a huge number of locations, characters, and events to integrate into their own home games. Now in its fourth full edition, D&D has continued its trend of deep and complex campaign settings through annual releases, each highlighting a different world for players to explore. We talked with longtime Wizards of the Coast veteran, Rich Baker, about the job of building worlds, and went in depth on the newest and soon-to-release settings of Dark Sun and Gamma World. Before we finished, we even got some hints of where Wizards will be heading after that.

“Every world wants to have a strong, unique hook. You want to be able to look at a particular world and know why that world matters – what’s different and special about it – as compared to a lot of other settings that can look a lot like each other,” Baker tells us. Baker has been a part of D&D for almost 20 years, contributing to dozens of products that have evolved the game over its numerous incarnations. His chief responsibility these days is creating D&D’s new campaigns. However, years ago, he had no idea that his career would be shaped by the game. “I sort of backed into this career. Back in 1991, I was on active duty in the Navy, and I decided to go ahead and wrap up my service time,” Baker tells us. “While I was getting out, I was throwing resumes to all sorts of companies. I sent one to TSR for the devil of it. I’d been a D&D player since I was 10 or 11 years old. I was a big fan of fantasy and sci-fi, and I knew I wanted to write for a living.“ He got the job at TSR (the original publisher of D&D) and became an instrumental part of the team that worked on projects like the original Dark Sun, Spelljammer, and Birthright settings for 2nd edition.

Through it all, the appeal of building a fiction has remained paramount. “Having a chance to create a vision of this fantastic world, and make that vision unique and special – man, that’s the World Series,” Baker declares. “That’s the thing you’re in this business for. The opportunity to create a world from the ground up and be the vision behind it –  I’ve been very fortunate, as I’ve had this opportunity on a couple of occasions throughout my career. And I won’t lie – I look forward to the next opportunity I have to do it. It’s the best.”

Next up: The menacing world of Dark Sun

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Charity Game Chime Headed To Steam

The addictive block puzzler is moving to PC, and adds Portal's "Still Alive" song into the mix.

Earlier this year saw the release of a great puzzle game for XBLA called Chime. Beyond the high quality of the gameplay and audio, the game doubled as a worthwhile way to put your money towards a good cause – proceeds from sales of the game went to Starlight Children's Foundation and Save the Children.

Developer Zoe Mode created the game pro bono for publisher OneBigGame, and that same developer is now releasing the new version to Steam. The special "Portal" edition will include the gamer culture standard "Still Alive." In addition, Zoe Mode plans to continue the charitable efforts of the original game by donating part of the proceeds (5%) to the two childrens' charities.

Even though the game's profits go partially towards charity, it'd be a mistake to assume the game was of low quality. Chime was great fun when we played it on XBLA – we don't have any reason to believe that the PC version will be any different when it releases before the end of the summer.

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