DICE has defendedBattlefield 3from criticism among gamers, claiming that the fans have misunderstood what the term “beta” actually means. Some people expected a proper demo, but Producer Patrick Liu says that the beta existed so DICE could test its backend. “Our primary intentions have been to test the backend,” he said. “As we said at the beginning, we have six times the number of players we had withBad Company 2, we have record high concurrent users compared to anything we’ve done before....

“Memories can hide terrible secrets,” this trailer forDream:scapeis telling us. There isn’t a whole lot else to tell about this game, other than that it runs on Unreal Mobile, although the trailer’s description tries to explain what it is. “Dream:scapeis more than a game– it’s an interactive storytelling experience, comprising over 30 acres of open-world, explorable landscape and fully realized interior settings. The tale unravels as the player explores, unlocking new areas and revealing secrets....

X-MEN, WELCOME TO DIE!!! Today on Destructoid Live the crew will be playing the legendaryX-Menarcade game.I know quite a few of us spent our lunch money on this beat’em up. Released by Konami in 1992, and re-released on XBLA and PSN just this month,X-Men The Arcade Gameis still a classic of it’s genre. So watch the mutants onJustin.TV/Destructoidplay as their favorite mutants. Dazzler for the win!!! Oh, and we have codes to give away for the game too....

So, you’ve seenLords of Shadowbut you’re not convinced? Miserable that Konami has attempted another “fail” 3DCastlevania? Desperately seeking a 2D sidescroller instead? Well, my friends, you’re in luck. I got to playCastlevania: Harmony of Despairat E3 today and I can confirm that this XBLA game is the old school adventure to salve your purist heart. It sidescrolls! It punishes! It Alucards! Read on for my hands-on impressions ofCastlevania: Harmony of Despair....

It was recently confirmed that Michael J. Fox would be lending his voice to a character in the final installment of Telltale’s stellarBack to the Futureepisodic series. After a meeting with them today, the talented company confirmed to me that he would actually be lending the voice totwocharacters. The first will be Willy McFly, a descendant of the McFly clan that was actually featured as a baby inBack to the Future Part IIIthe movie....

According toa reportat Shacknews, it appears that a staff member at Electronic Arts has been playing fast and loose with the company’sWikipedia page. The staffer, using an IP address registered to EA’s Redwood City offices, has made several attempts to alter the repository by removing references to EA founder Trip Hawkins, controversial chapters in the company’s history (such asthe ea_spouse debacle), and altering the wording of the information pertaining to lawsuits brought against EA by its employees to a more favorable light....

If there was one genre that came out super strong at E3, it was undoubtedly racing games. WithForza Motorsport 3,Need for Speed: SHIFT,DiRT 2,Blur,Split/Second, and more, there are going to be some hard decisions being made by consumers on which to buy. Senior VP at EA Games Europe, Patrick Soderlund, realizes this. Hespoke with VideoGamer, and had some choice quotes to dish out. Bizarre Creation’sBlur? “Completely underwhelming,” he says. “I don’t understand what’s up with that game, to be honest....

With Realtime Worlds’APBhaving met an early demise within a mere three months, some fans are (justifiably) upset that they invested fifty dollars into a game which they can no longer play. Efforts by some to be refunded by Steam seem to have been met with failure, but it seems as though Electronic Arts might be a little bit more sympathetic. In a thread at the Steam forums, users have been posting about their experiences talking to EA support regarding this issue....

With the news thatMirror’s Edge 2had been postponedwhile the team worked on other projects came accusations that Electronic Arts had abandoned the franchise. EA has decided to keep mute on any details, but maintained that the series wasn’t dead. Despite not making any further announcements, Electronic Arts maintained thatMirror’s Edgewas “an important franchise,” hopefully putting paid to suggestions that series was going to be officially scrapped. Of course, this could be lip-service on the part of EA, but I have a feeling we will definitely seeMirror’s Edge 2one day....

That online ESRB database is nothing more than a den of lies and iniquity. At least, that is whatGauntletenthusiasts would say, considering that a DS version of the game as published by Eidos appeared in their archives earlier in the week, only to have been pulled once it was noticed (the reason for its removal has not been officially confirmed as of this time.) Per Gamespot: “When asked for comment, a Midway representative told GameSpot, “There is nothing that we can comment on at this time....

Earlier this year, India-based multimedia company Reliance Big Entertainment acquired a 50 percent stake in Codemasters. Naturally, this caused many to believe the UK developer would shift resources over to India to keep development costs down. Codemasters VP Gavin Cheshire, in an interview with Develop, says “this is absolutely not the case … it’s very much about Reliance investing in our skills and abilities over here in the UK.” Continuing, he believes it’s “a good fit for both parties, which gives us the financial muscle to push on to the next level....

Whimsyis a company whose goal was to design “kick-ass wrapping paper.” Congratulations — you succeeded! ThisSpace Invaders-themedwrapping paper may be 4 months late for Christmas, but it’s 2 months early for my birthday. Fittingly, this is found in the “Dude Wrap” section of Whimsy. It’s a nice little niche market: hipster paper products for themetropolitan faux-artiston the go! Genius. You can also score ribbon, notecards, journals, and placemats to assert your masculinity....

You have to love FOX News. It’s turned the word “agenda” into something sinister, without ever having to quantify whatever the agenda in question actuallyis. Next up onFOX‘s agenda is yet another round of videogame bashing, but this time there’s a twist! Apparently, videogames are tools of the “green police” and they’re promoting a “liberal agenda” with environmentally conscious messages. Games likeSim CityandFlowercame under fire from Clayton Morris and online radio host TJ McCormack, who accused them of using scare tactics and guilt to promote a political cause....