Ubisoft's always-on digital rights management solution, dubbed the "Online Services Network," has apparently been circumvented by hackers. News of its arrival on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks began circulating in places like social-news site Reddit Wednesday morning.

The DRM, which now ships with every new PC game made by Ubisoft, requires that gamers have a constant connection to the Internet in order to play their games. The security feature caused a large backlash by users for its inclusion in Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 2 title, which was released last month.

The hack itself removes the DRM entirely and is being claimed by a consortium known as Skid Row. It requires users to download and install a modified version of the game's executable file to their computers. These modified game files, alongside a crack that can be applied to a retail version of the ... Read more »

Activision and Bizarre Creations title listed for Xbox 360, Wii and PS3

It appears that Activision and Bizarre Creations' top-secret new James Bond game has been outed - and it's called James Bond: Bloodstone.

We know that the title won't be tied to the release of a movie - not least because the unrelated 23rd Bond film was put on hold this week due to concerns over the future of film giant MGM.

UK soap actor Adam Croasdell said that he'd played the part of 007 in "the new James Bond video game" last year - which sounds like a leak to us.

He said: "Oddly enough I have just played James Bond in the new James Bond video game - how weird is that? I don't know what the future holds, but I'm always into varying up what comes my way, trying new things. ... I think video games and the making of that type of technology, being in a funny one-p ... Read more »

Mafia II's game world is estimated to be "less than a third" of the size of GTA IV's Liberty City, claims Xbox World 360's latest preview.

In its latest issue, the mag states than the smaller real estate size of the 2K Czech sandbox has allowed it to polish the game to "startling" proportions.

It says: "Calling up a waypoint, it's immediately noticeable that Mafia II doesn't boast the biggest of maps - certainly not in comparison to GTA IV (we estimate that the game world must be less than a third of the size of Liberty City).

"Yet size doesn't always matter and it's obviously allowed 2K Czech to furnish Empire Bay with a startling level of polish that even genre masters Rockstar would grudgingly admire."

We've still got quite a wait for the promising crime spree, as the Mafia II release date has finally been confirmed for August 27.

A lot of people were annoyed when publisher Ubisoft announced that it planned to introduce a new anti-piracy scheme based around an online authentication every time the game is fired up and also on players being connected to the Internet and to the official servers for every second of every minute of playtime.

The scheme is now tested in the Settlers VII beta and has not been confirmed as being implemented in the new Splinter Cell title, which was previously thought to contain simple disk checks.

Talking to PC Gamer, a representative from Ubisoft confirmed that Splinter Cell: Conviction, Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic, Assassin's Creed 2 for the PC, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands and the all new Ghost Recon title would have the same Internet always on-based Digital Rights Management scheme. He stated that "It's hard for us to say, yes, from now until the day that we all die all of our games are going to include this but most will.”

The latest issue of PC Zone boasts an exclusive F.E.A.R 3 (F.3.A.R) cover and a first look at Warner Bros' nightmarish FPS - which will release in Autumn.

Alma Wade is back and she's eating for two: The F.E.A.R team are desperately trying to destroy her once and for all before she gives birth to something all kinds of terrible.

Coding for the title has been taken on by Day 1 Studios - in conjunction with previous F.E.A.R developer Monolith.

The studio has implemented a new Generative Scare System for the PC, 360 and PS3 game - meaning the timing and placements of enemies will change in each playthrough. Clever stuff.

Crytek has fingered Valve's Half-Life 2 and Left 4 Dead as major influences on the storytelling seen in Crysis 2.

The studio claimed that the sequel - which got a grand unveiling last night in its real-life setting, New York - is of a 'comparable size' to its PC-only predecessor, which took place in sprawling jungle.

However, Crytek has worked to improve the story of the first game - taking notes from Valve's handywork.

"There were large expanses, funnels and action spaces [in the first Crysis], and we're doing the same with New York," Camarillo told Edge issue 212. "It's a comparable size."

Camarillo then agreed that the story of the opening chapter of the first game was a bit formulaic - something ... Read more »

Call of Duty 7 - long rumoured to be set in Vietnam - will feature the custom killstreaks introduced in Modern Warfare 2.

That's according to the eagle-eyed super-fans at CoD Vietnam News, who've dug through Treyarch's recent forum comments with a fine comb to compile a list of things we know about the next Call of Duty (which admittedly isn't much).

Apparently, the developer's 'Treyarch dev Vahn' (real name David Vonderhaar - Multiplayer Design Director for the upcoming CoD game) has strongly suggested the firm will ditch a lot of the imbalances of MW2 multiplayer, including the Commando perk and the controversial nuke killstreak.


Here's what they came up with:

• While they've tried having custom killstreaks for each class, that seemed to complicate the 'purity and speed' of Create a Class.
  ... Read more »

Call of Duty 7: Black Ops (CoD7) is the next game in the massive Call of Duty (CoD) franchise. In a recent report on Tek9, Activision shared some details about the new CoD game.

Black Ops is scheduled for release in November 2010 and sources indicate the game developed by Treyarch will be set in history, between World War II and present day. It is also hinted that some of the missions will take gamers to Cuba and South America which hints at a Cold War and Vietnam based game.

In true Modern Warfare style, gamers will reportedly get a chance to play as a member of the Special Air Service (SAS) in which players will be involved in close combat during a mission in the Iranian embassy during the 1980’s.

Th ... Read more »

Square Enix' Just Cause 2 has come out on top of the UK all-formats software chart for the week ending March 27.

The over-the-top open-world action shooter beat down Pokémon SoulSilver which had to make do with second, with it's twin, HeartGold down in fourth.

Multiplayer stunner Battlefield: Bad Company 2 sits between those in third, while God of War 3 tumbled from the top the previous week to number seventh in the latest chart.

We expect a nation of slim, healthy people by 2012 because people are STILL buying Wii Fit Plus.

Here's the Chart-Track UK all-formats top 10 for the week ending March 27 (courtesy of MCV):

1. Just Cause 2 (Square Enix)
2. Pokemon SoulSilver (Nintendo)
3. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (EA)
4. Pokemon HeartGold (Nintendo)
5. Just Dance (Ubisoft)
6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision)
7. God of War ... Read more »

A leaked internal release schedule from retailer GAME suggests EA's Crysis 2 has a set release date already: September 24th.

The document, which has been uncovered by VG247, offers a number of rough dates for major titles.

Other notables include DJ Hero 2, 'James Bond Racing' and Fallout: New Vegas all in October. The listing also pins the release date of Activision's Call OF Duty 7 in the same month - but we've heard it's arriving in November.

Elsewhere, Singularity is down for June 28, whilst Bethesda's Brink is 'September'.