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Even though id Software still has a publishing agreement with Activision (for "Wolfenstein") and EA (for "RAGE"), Zenimax is definitely a more ideal home for the company. The acquisition of id by Zenimax, parent company of Bethesda Softworks, was announced yesterday. John Carmack spoke to MTV Multiplayer about the deal and why he thinks Activision and EA wouldn't have been a good fit for the long-time game development house.

"When you get down and look at the details of what it would mean for id Software to be apart of Activision and EA, you start realizing that it wouldn't be all roses in that situation. We'd be coming into a situation where we'd have several other studios inside the same company that essentially want to do what we want to do. There's competitive interest there, and they're entrenched. We'd be coming in from the outside to fight for our space there, fight for the resources and attention of a larger company."

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Tags bethesda game studios, id software, zenimax

At E3, Microsoft trotted out enormous "Forza Motorsport 3" set-ups, featuring a steering wheel, peddles, and 3 massive screens for a cockpit simulation. To add insult to injury the whole thing rattled and shook every time you drove off the track or crashed into something. I tried it at an evening press event and they warned me I might get a little motion-sick. And for about 15 minutes after I crawled out of the contraption, I definitely felt a little queasy.

At Microsoft's New York event this week they brought a "Forza 3" set-up along for the ride, but this time the warning was a little more formal.
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Tags forza motorsport, forza motorsport 3, microsoft game studios

In speaking with John Carmack about the recent acquisition of id Software by Zenimax, he talked a bit about his excitement for the iPhone as a gaming platform and that he's spoken to Todd Howard (executive producer at Bethesda Softworks) about opportunities there.

Carmack also mentioned that his pet project, "DOOM Classic" for the iPhone, is nearing completion, saying "I expect to finish DOOM Classic in the next couple weeks."

After the fantastic job id did on the port of "Wolfenstein 3D" to the iPhone, it's definitely something I eager to check out. Good to hear that it's definitely close to release.

Tags doom, doom classic, id software

Bethesda has long led the charge on DLC, starting with "Oblivion" and now "Fallout 3." With "Fallout 3," they've tweaked and prodded each release, trying something new and introducing interesting corners of the world to explore. It seems, too, that they're getting better at it, as the latest DLC, "Point Lookout," is the best yet.

The Highs

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Tags fallout, fallout 3, point lookout

id Software and Activision came to New York this week to show off "Wolfenstein," and I came away much more excited than I was going in. It was my first time really playing it and the vibe I got was of a much gorier "Call of Duty," but with super powers.

It also lets you kill a lot of Nazis, which is always fun. Just how many Nazis you kill is tracked in the menus, right down to the different ways you've killed them (from electrocutions to dismemberments). I asked to take a photo of the menu screen which tallied up the deaths, but since it was only from the one-level demo they were showing, the numbers were pretty paltry. Thankfully Activision just sent over a shot of the menu from 36% into the game, and here's what things were looking like.

Tags id software, raven, wolfenstein

At 10am on Wednesday morning, the gauntlet was thrown down between the greatest golfer of all time (probably) and the newest Late Night host. Tiger Woods and Jimmy Fallon had a mini 3-hole tourney to determine just who is the greatest Wii golf aficionado, using "PGA Tour 10" as the point of contention.

As it happens, Tiger got crushed by Fallon, needing a hole-in-one on the last hole to have a chance. Tiger was quick to recall that he's had 19 hole-in-ones over his career, but sadly this was not his 20th and he fell to Fallon by a large margin.

On a sidenote, this was the best press event ever, 'cause it took place literally 50 feet outside my building. Note to future PR people...plan every event to take place in the island in the middle of Times Square, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.
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Tags jimmy fallon, tiger woods, tiger woods pga tour 10

Everyone looks pretty dumb when they're playing video games. Stupid, intense faces with tongues sticking out and eyes all crinched up. Thankfully it seems Snoop Dogg and Mike Tyson are not immune to the looking-dumb-while-playing-games rule.

At a recent press event to promote "Fight Night Round 4," the pair squared off for the good of charity. Tyson got wrecked, apparently and ended up paying out five grand to Snoop's Youth Football League. Good thing Snoop didn't steal his tiger.

Tags fight night round 4, mike tyson, snoop dogg

Announced on Team 17's Facebook page, "Worms 2" is finding its way to Xbox Live Arcade next week for a paltry price of 10 bucks.

I've been playing "Worms 2" on PartnerNet for the past month or two and I'm absolutely stunned by the price point. The original "Worms" was basically a scaled down version of the first PC release with upgraded graphics, and that went for 10 bucks. "Worms 2" is far from scaled down, offering a staggering number of weapons, modes and customization options. And no, they're not paying me, it's really that good.

Thankfully you don't need to take my word for it, as there's always the free demo for you to try out the title. Considering the first game was one of the all-time top sellers on XBLA, I have a feeling there are gonna be plenty of people to keep you company.

Tags worms, worms 2: armageddon

The absence of "Dead Rising 2" at E3 was definitely a bummer but hey, safety first, right? It seems, though, that we're gonna have to wait a few months before we get another look at the much-anticipated, 7,000-zombies-on-screen rampage.

Speaking with Chris Kramer, Senior Director of Communications at Capcom, at a Microsoft event last night, I asked him when we'd be seeing "Dead Rising 2" next.

"You're gonna be seeing 'Dead Rising 2' next at Tokyo Game Show. 'Lost Planet 2' will have all new stuff at Tokyo Game Show, and also a couple new titles from us, as well as updates of the stuff we showed at E3."

Unfortunatly there wasn't much embellishment as to what sorta content they'll be showing, but it's definitely important news for those hoping to get a glimpse at the zombiemania at PAX or Games Con.

Tags capcom, dead rising, dead rising 2

Huge news in the world of video game publishing today, Zenimax Media has acquired id Software, bringing id's forthcoming publisher-less titles (i.e. not "RAGE," since EA already called that one) into the same family as Bethesda (publisher of "Fallout 3," "Oblivion," and the upcoming "Brink"). Zenimax will publish future id games under the Bethesda Softworks label.

We've already reached out to both parties to get a statement, but in the meantime, here's the release that Zenimax put out:
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Tags bethesda game studios, doom, id software, zenimax