I love me some Monkey Island. I’ve been a long-time fan of the series, and I believe my impressions of The Secret of Monket Island: Special Edition make no secret of that. So when I heard about the (at the time) soon-to-be-released Tales of Monkey Island I just about wet myself. Then I found out it was only on the PC and Wii, and I have neither. A few perilous explorations into the deadly jungle known as The Internet failed to produce any news of a Mac version. This made me sad.

If you’ve found yourself in a similar situation, you should check out MacHeist’s current Amazing Deal of Awesomeness.

Apparently Tales of Monkey Island hasn’t just received a Mac version (finally), but for a couple more days it’s possible to purchase the entire season, which equates to five full episodes, for $19.95 instead of the usual (and still very affordable) $34.95. Of course, there’s actually more to it than that. On top of Tales of Monkey Island, you’ll also receive at least five other bits of Mac software including MacJournal, RipIt, Flow (not to be confused with indie PS3 game flOw) and more. Even better than all of that, 25% of the money you spend on this purchase will go towards the charity of your choice. These include the World Wildlife Fund, Save the Children, The Humane Society and many others, and if the tally on the homepage is to be believed they’ve already raised over $200,000.

Mac users, unite! Now is the time to show how much we care! And net ourselves an awesome collection of swag for a ridiculously low price to boot.

[Via: MacHeist]

Hey again, everybody. Sorry for the absence of the new release lists for the last couple of weeks. To make up for it, we’ve highlighted some of the bigger games for the last two weeks in the New/Recent Releases Amazon sidebar (just in case you wanted to pick some of them up, y’know? Hint, hint?).

As for this week’s titles, there’s really one title that stands head and shoulders above the rest – I honestly shouldn’t have to even tell you which one it is. But here’s a hint: it starts with and “F”, ends with an “inal Fantasy” and has had 12 other entries before it (well, more than that if you count spinoffs).

Beyond the long-awaited RPG, there are a few other releases that may be on your radar: Calling or Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition for two different flavors of tension, Mega Man 10 on PSN for retro-style action, Assassin’s Creed II on PC for the perpetually late-to-the-party, or Yakuza 3 on PS3 for your niche import goodness.

Regardless of which way your tastes run, hit the jump for a full list.

Monday – March 8th, 2010

• 50 Classic Games (DS)
• Dracula: Undead Awakening (DS, Wii)
• Max & The Magic Marker (Wii)
• Memory Clinic (PC)

Tuesday – March 9th, 2010

• Assassin’s Creed II (PC)
• Calling (Wii)
• Final Fantasy XIII (360, PS3)
• Foto Showdown (DS)
• Racquet Sports (Wii)
• Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition (360, PS3)
• Rise of Prussia (PC)
• Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space (PC)
• Yakuza 3 (PS3)

Wednesday – March 10th, 2010

• Battle of the Immortals (PC)
• BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Portable (PSP)
• Scrap Metal (360)

Friday – March 11th, 2010

• BioShock 2: Sinclair Solutions Test Pack (360, PC, PS3)
• Mega Man 10 (PS3)
• Spectral Force Genesis (DS)
• Supreme Commander 2 (360)
• Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II – Chaos Rising (PC)
• Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II Gold Edition (PC)

Saturday – March 12th, 2010

• Order of War: Challenge (PC)

(Release dates are subject to change – we didn’t make the list, so don’t get mad at us. Also, don’t forget, you can pick any game up via our handy Amazon.com banner on the right to help keep CFD! running. We would greatly appreciate it.)

Via: GameSpot

Still, it’s not quite nice enough out to be planning picnics and other outdoor excursions just yet, so you know what means – more video games!

Oddly enough, this is the first weekend in a while where I’ve actually been playing stuff instead of just writing about it. This weekend’s fare consists of what I’d much rather have been looking at for the last three months instead of snow: Heavy Rain. Not sure if anything else will be in the plans for this weekend yet, but  I wouldn’t rule it out.

What about all of you? How’s the weather looking in your part of the world? Is winter finally on its way out? And more importantly, whatcha playing this weekend? Hit the comments below and let us know!

The Shin Megami Tensei series has never been what one would consider ordinary, but Strange Journey (due out later this month on Nintendo DS) is definitely an odd mix of elements.

Take the old-school, first person dungeon hack of the original MegaTen games, mix in a touch of Antarctic weirdness (H.P. Lovecraft’s At The Mountains of Madness says hi) and a response team of science guys wearing helmets that remind me of classic Dr. Who enemies, the Cybermen and you have a recipe for some bizarre demon-smashing.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey is due out March 23rd. Enjoy the trailer!

Hey, remember those crazy series of patches Valve slyly added to the original Portal via Steam this week that turned the game totally weird? There was a reason for all of that, apparently.

Gameinformer.com has “informed” us (heehee) that Portal 2 is indeed coming out, thanks to its rather impressive two-part cover due this month.

No concrete details were mentioned in the post, but the front page of the magazine does say, “Aperture Science Returns for the People Who Are Still Alive,” which suggests that antagonist GLaDOS will make a comeback of some sort.

The 12-page feature story will provide “the first details on Portal 2’s new gameplay mechanics, storyline, and some surprising new twists.”

We’ll post more information on Portal 2 as we receive it, so stay tuned to Crush! Frag! Destroy!

[Via: Game Informer]

Yep, more fallout from the Infinity Ward troubles earlier this week.

It seems Activision sent out an internal memo asking for any evidence that ex-studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella were secretly looking for a suitor outside the company for another Modern Warfare game.

Time for bullet points! Selections from the memo come courtesy G4TV.com and will magically appear after the jump.

• “Documents regarding past, current or future IW projects, including but not limited to any and all businesses analyses of future projects (e.g. Modern Warfare 3)”

• “Documents regarding any potential ’spin out’ of IW, including but not limited to any communications with IW employees, West or Zampella regarding forming a new studio independent of Activision”

• “Documents regarding West and Zampella’s communications with Activision’s competitors, including but not limited to Electronic Arts”

Also included in the document is a statement by Activision, made prior to this lawsuit’s filing.

“The Dispute involves West and Zampella’s management of IW, as well as the development and marketing of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (“MW2“), and potential subsequent games developed by IW. Activision believes that it has done nothing wrong and intends to vigorously defend any claims asserted by West and Zampella.”

For those so inclined, I’ve included the legal documents from the attorneys for West and Zampella (O’Melveny & Myers LLP), via IGN.

This is the sort of PR nightmare that reeks of a settlement coming six months down the road. I’d be wholly surprised if this bombshell goes to court, but just in case, we’ll be paying close attention to more related news coming out of this story.

[Via: G4TV.com and IGN]

West & Zampella’s Legal Docs:

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Hey there, everyone! It’s contest wrap-up time!

Sorry about the delay in getting the winners up. Don’t think we forgot about you all! We just got a little overloaded with working on a bunch of other things (like trying to get more giveaways secured for you all – more on that in another post coming soon) and it just slipped past us. We actually did pick winners after the cutoff on Monday night, however, just like we promised.

And who are those lucky four winners, you ask? For that info, you’re going to have to head under the jump…

If you all recall, we were giving away four copies of the prize package: one via the site, one via Facebook, one via Twitter and one extra wild card run-off prize for everyone who didn’t win in the other three drawings.

So, without further ado, the winners are:

• CFD! – Toastngravy
• Facebook – Kat Hefter
• Twitter – Knittedfox
• Wild Card – Shatteredhaven

Congrats to all the winners! You’ll be contacted asap for your shipping info and platform preference on Red Faction. And extra congrats to everyone who entered, especially those of you visiting the site for the first time. We really hope to keep you coming back for more!

It’s been one hell of a crazy first year online and we’re glad you’ve been here for it all with us. Hopefully year two will be even better and we want to make sure you’re along for the ride. We’re nothing without you guys – seriously!

Keep your eyes peeled for another contest announcement very, very soon!

Electronic Arts has released the first screenshots of Crysis 2 Wednesday, which suggest that yes, this game is going to look good.

The question still remains, however: Will your PC be able to run it? Hell, will your consoles be able to run it?

Hit the jump for all two screens!

Yes, this is a bit late – we know. Bungie fans have likely had this footage running on loop for the last few days already anyway, salivating at the chance to dig their teeth into the Halo: Reach beta when it hits. But for those of you who haven’t yet had the chance to see it in action, here it is – footage from the alpha build of Reach’s multiplayer modes!

And what all do we have on display here? Why, would those be Spartans that can actually sprint? Loadouts, featuring Jetpacks (!) and a plethora of new weapons, as well as up-close and personal shanking assassinations in the showers? Is this Halo or Oz now? I’m a little confused.

Either way, it’s nice to see that they’re not just sticking to the same old formula this time around. Sure, some would say this just brings them in line with what a lot of other FPSes have been doing for a while now, but better late than never, right?

After a brief, but intense courtship and only two dates (2008’s award winning LittleBigPlanet and 2009’s LBP for PSP), Sony and Media Molecule, have said “I do!”

That’s right – Sony Computer Entertainment announced Tuesday that they had purchased the UK-based development studio, fully cementing their partnership ’till death do they part. Dodge the rice-throwing Sackboys and Sackgirls and hit the jump for some choice quotes from the happy couple.

Some may question why Sony would snap up MM after (effectively) only one release. Sony was quick to point out what a catch they had on their hands, indicating the 90+ awards LittleBigPlanet netted:

“Since they burst onto the gaming scene, Media Molecule have proved to be a truly exciting and innovative studio, who have proved their world-class credentials with the creation of the incredible LittleBigPlanet,” said Shuhei Yoshida, President, SCE Worldwide Studios. “SCE WWS is all about creating ambitious, innovative and ground breaking games, traits that Media Molecule clearly have. To bring them into our family proves our dedication to creating fantastic new experiences that we believe will cement our position as industry leaders.”

Michael Denny, Senior VP of Sony Worldwide Studios Europe was a bit more sentimental about the whole affair:

The decision was an easy one after meeting five young, talented people with a massive ambition to redefine video games as we know them and create and grow a fantastically talented team at Media Molecule. This was followed by a fantastic exclusive relationship that culminated in the launch of one of the most innovative PlayStation games of recent years. Of course, LittleBigPlanet needs no introduction here, as it was thanks to you that it became a best selling PS3 title when it released in late 2008.

Awww! Sounds like love to us. Here’s wishing the best to the happy new couple!

[Via: PlayStation Blog, Media Molecule]