While I soaked up the sun at Myrtle Beach this week, the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo kicked off in Los Angeles, revealing lots of gaming goodies to the masses. You’re probably well aware of the big ones, but some announcements may have slipped through the cracks. Here’s a brief rundown of the E3 info that you may want—or even need—to know. (more…)

At the end of Microsoft’s E3 conference, a new Xbox 360 design was shown to attendees. The new model will feature built-in wi-fi and a 250GB hard drive. It also seems to be sporting extra vents, which is nice considering the 360′s ability to boil eggs after hours of gaming. Microsoft claims the console is slimmer than the traditional 360 design, but it doesn’t look to be by much.

If you’re interested in purchasing the new design, you won’t have to wait long–they’re en route to retailers as I type this. The new design should be available in a store near you this week. Crazy, eh?

You can see the usual Xbox 360 box art banner above. Say goodbye, dear readers, because Microsoft is preparing to replace it. With what? you ask.

Behold! This is the dawn of a new era, of a bold new direction, of oh let’s face it this is kind of lame. But there you have it, folks. If you check out the Amazon pages for Kane and Lynch 2 or Mafia II you can see the new banner in action (although the latter game only shows the new art on the Collector’s Edition for some strange reason). Let us know what you think.

Remedy Entertainment, creators of the recent action/horror hit Alan Wake, just put up a teaser for a forthcoming announcement on their Youtube channel. The teaser, a short live-action clip, features the titular hero in circumstances not unlike those found in the game. Here’s the clip for the curious.

Notice a certain object Alan’s holding in his hand? And who is the woman he’s holding as he fends off the Taken? I guess—well, I hope—we’ll find out next Wednesday. Whatever they’re announcing, Remedy says it won’t be new DLC. Color me intrigued.

Stay tuned, Alan Wake fans.

The dudes over at ScrawFX found what appears to be a teaser for an inFAMOUS 2 reveal due in next month’s issue of Portugal’s version of PlayStation: The Official Magazine. If you follow the link above, you’ll see an image from the original inFAMOUS of protagonist Cole McGrath’s eyes above a message that, when translated, states: “The announcement of a great PlayStation 3 exclusive sequel in the next ROPS.” (ROPS, by the way, is the Portuguese abbreviation for PlayStation: The Official Magazine.)

Call it a leap if you will, but I think it’s pretty obvious what sequel they’re talking about. Why specifically use an obvious image from inFAMOUS if they’re not going to reveal a forthcoming sequel? I don’t think anyone will be surprised to hear of a sequel in the works. In fact, most—including me—will be excited to know they get to step into Cole’s shoes again.

I had the awesome opportunity to interview Vince Scheuerman, lead singer of the band Army of Me.  Vince and I sat down and talked about the inspiration for his music, his stance on faith and more.  For more information stay tuned to Episode 144 of the Hardcore Christian Gamer Cast.  Visit Army of Me’s website here.

Merry Christmas from the folks here at Hardcore Christian Gamer. As you’re unwrapping awesome new video games, or perhaps a sweet new console, don’t forget the real reason for the season: the birth of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ. Sure, he wasn’t really born in December, but that’s not important. The birth itself is what matters; and may we never forget that.

May He bless you and your family today and for years to come! And stay tuned for the next Game-A-Day giveaway!

Sony’s new Comic Store addition to the PlayStation Store begins today. Fitting start date, given that Wednesday is the official new comics day in the U.S. The service goes live in the States at noon PST—that’s 3 PM for all the East Coast kids. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Ireland can get their comic bookin’ on starting at 5 PM GMT.

Marvel, IDW, 2000AD, and Disney will all have comics online and ready for download to your PSP or PSPgo. Strangely absent is DC Comics, who is working on a MMO with Sony as I type this. You can get your Spider-Man and Hulk fix, kids, but forget about Batman for the time being.

For future updates, be sure to keep track of the PlayStation Comic Store via Twitter. If any significant changes are made in the future—such as the addition of DC Comics—we’ll let you know.

League of Legends, a PC strategy game based on Defense of the Ancients—a popular Warcraft III mod—is now entering the open beta phase. The open beta lasts until October 27th, when developer Riot Games starts what they’re calling the “pre-season” launch. No, that’s not a typo. The first phase is really called the pre-season, like in football.

League of Legends will be broken up into several seasons. Each season will bring new maps and “Champions” with which to wage war on online opponents. Kind of like how each new season of The X-Files introduced new creatures and supernatural forces for Mulder and Scully to fight. That’s a bad example though, ’cause that show went down the crapper fast. Hopefully, League of Legends won’t suffer that fate.

The pre-season exists to allow players to learn the ropes of the game mechanics before Season One begins in early 2010. From what I’ve seen of the game, it seems ridiculously easy to learn, but hard to master. But don’t take it from me: check out the trailer above or the official site for more info on the game and it’s unique approach to strategy gameplay.

If for some reason you have yet to play Assassin’s Creed, have a PC and a Steam account, and/or don’t mind blowing a small wad of chump change, this is the deal for you. The wonderful folks behind PC gaming client Steam slashed the price of Assassin’s Creed to a measly $5. The reason? Who knows. Maybe they want to get the five people that didn’t play the original excited for the sequel.

If you’re one of those five people, and you have a PC capable of running a current-gen game (unlike mine), why not plunk down five ham bones? Assassin’s Creed didn’t shake the game industry up or do anything noteworthy, but it’s definitely worth more than $5. Heck, I might just take advantage of the deal, regardless of my crappy computer. Just in case.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot: the sale ends tomorrow, October 22nd. So, um, buy it now. Or nowish. Whenever you get the time; no rush.