Age of Empires, especially the first two games, represent some of our most memorable moments when we played video games as kids. And any true, die hard PC gamer has a special place in his heart for Age of Empires. If you belong to that group, you’ll appreciate the above comic. If not, well, go play Minecraft, I guess…

By now you’ve heard that everyone and their grandmother hates the Mass Effect 3 ending — we won’t say why because we don’t want to spoil anything for you. The guy in the video above really hates the ending, but fear not, he doesn’t spoil anything either. Oh, and make sure to lower the volume on your speakers/headphones just a tiny bit.

We’ve seen plenty of awesome cosplayers over the past years (and some no-so-awesome). Oakland-based cosplay costume designer Chris Myles showcases here his latest creation: a full armor Garrus costume. The attention to detail is almost unreal.

Half-Life 3, arguably the most anticipated sequel in modern gaming history, can’t come soon enough. Ukrainian artist Sergei Lesiuk made this amazing Half-Life 3 teaser image that makes us want HL3 even more. Be sure to check out the awesome Gabe Newell wallpaper as well.

Minecraft creator Marcus Persson, aka Notch, has unveiled that his next game will be a “space game” and that he’ll go to work this Summer. Speaking to BBC after the recent BAFTA awards, Persson said, “I’m going to make a space game, where you’re a guy on a spaceship and you have adventures in space.”. He offered no further details on the game.

Persson won the “BAFTA Special Award” for his work on Minecraft.

Gearbox, developers of the upcoming Borderlands 2, recently posted a “letter” to PC gamers about all the features that the PC version of Borderlands 2 will include. Groundbreaking stuff like “FOV slider”, “LAN support”, “V-sync option”, “PC specific UI”, and more.

In case you played PC games in the first half of 2000s, you’ll know that all those “features” were standard on even the most basic shovelware PC titles. The recent console ports have gotten so bad that these things are now considered “features”.

It’s sad that PC gaming has come to this. At least Gearbox is making some effort in releasing a decent PC version of Borderlands 2. But is a special announcement really necessary for something like “mouse smoothing options”?

CryEngine 3 reportedly costs $1.2 million to license for commercial use. We’ve seen CryEngine 3 in action, and it’s absolutely stunning, regardless what platform it’s used on. Developer Crytek had promoted the technology for a while now, and it’s been available to license to other developers. But at what price?

Anyone who applies for a CryEngine 3 has to sign a non-disclosure agreement, so it makes it hard for developers to talk about how much it costs. But DigitalBattle has received a quote from a software company working with the new engine on an unspecified commercial project, and the licensing fee for the CryEngine 3 reportedly costs $1.2 million.

Editorial — Just a few years ago, the Wii made Nintendo the biggest video game company in the world, however, lately things have been less than stellar, with a share price that’s been in decline since 2009. During the heyday of the Wii in 2008, Nintendo shares were peaking at $75 a share. Today, it’s less than $17 bucks a share. Nintendo will be releasing a new console this year, the Wii U, and it has to sell, and sell well if the company is to regain what it lost since the Wii.

For Nintendo, it’s not just another console with more power and better technology, it’s an attempt to rescue the “Wii” brand and attract a new audience as well. No matter how many countless millions of Wiis were sold, most of them are sitting on a shelf today, barely used. Lack of quality titles, and especially third party titles, hasn’t helped. This time, Nintendo has said they are determined to get third party support for the Wii U. Having a more powerful console that’s capable of running the latest games and game engine technology surely helps (the Unreal Engine 3 and CryEngine 3 will be available for the Wii U).

One thing that Nintendo has to get absolutely right, is the price of the console. Anything above $299, and it’ll be a hard sell, especially since it’s not that much more powerful than the Xbox 360 and PS3. The new Wii U touchscreen controller will definitely add to the overall cost of the system, and if Nintendo wants to move a lot of units during launch, they might — probably for the first time — take a loss on a console they’re selling.

So far, the gaming press and game industry insiders haven’t been that impressed with the Wii U, despite its innovative controller and features. What everyone seems to be waiting for, is the reveal of a price and launch lineup. Nintendo needs a strong first party line up, probably led by a Zelda game, and good third party support to bring some of the bigger titles, like Assassin’s Creed 3 (which is confirmed for the Wii U) and the next Call of Duty title (unconfirmed).

Overall, the Nintendo Wii U can’t just be another console to sell more Marios and Zeldas, it has to be successful enough for the company to regain its competitive edge. Especially since the Xbox 720 and PS4 are just around the corner, and will likely be much more powerful than the Wii U.

With this wallpaper, Valve front-man Gabe Newell has reached cult status. We shit you not.