Curious at what the multiplayer modes in Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood are like? Well just check out the brand new multiplayer trailer to find out, pardner.

The trailer is really well done. It does a good job of showing you the modes in an amusing way and explains how you’ll be playing each mode. It’s really rare to see something so well edited for a videogame trailer. Major props to the people that edited this trailer.

Hit the break to check it out for yourself. For more on Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, check out my preview for the multiplayer mode.

Popularity: 2% [?]

A hot new Left 4 Dead premium theme is available, and you can buy it from your local UK newsagent! It comes wrapped in this weird thing called Official Xbox Magazine Issue 49, but you can throw that away and to get your hands on the theme, which has been designed by Valve itself.

Not only does the theme look rather cool, it also casts an eerie green light on your friends list to make the Avatars of your chums look a tiny bit infected.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Late last summer, we received official word that a Magic: The Gathering Xbox LIVE Arcade title was slated for release. At the time of the announcement, I was learning the game. Figuring out how to tap lands, what the hell “Fear” does, and when to use an Instant isn’t easy work. It requires passion and patience — curious, considering those two elements usually only grow from being intimately involved with something you already understand. Still, I managed to navigate the steep learning curve with the help of friends and a 500-page instruction manual.

I’m not a professional spell slinger. I don’t chill in University basements or visit trading card shops. But I’m pretty sure I comprehend the game enough. After all, that manual hasn’t moved from my cluttered desk for over a year.

That announced title, now known as Magic: The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers, debuted on Xbox LIVE Arcade a few days ago. I felt it was my duty to review it, considering I started learning the game with the digital release in mind.

Hit the break for the review.

Magic: The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers (Xbox LIVE Arcade)
Developer: Stainless Games
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Released: June 17, 2009
MSRP: 800 Microsoft Points

Magic: The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers is geared toward people who haven’t played the trading card game. The coddling begins from the onset of the campaign mode. Its greeting is a slow-moving tutorial that drips information like oily peanut butter slides from a jar. Frequent rule reminders haunt play with pop-ups until you tell the game you’ve learned whatever morsel it’s spoon-feeding you. This isn’t a bad thing: Magic: The Gathering takes weeks to learn and an adulthood to master. Most people don’t know what the trading card game is about, much less how to navigate its labyrinthine rulebook. But in identifying that newcomers will need extensive help in order to beat the learning curve, Stainless Games created a snag: if you gain enough experience with the game, you realize that it’s not really offering you anything. As I relearned Magic’s nuances, I found myself wanting more customization and flexibility — two things Duels of the Planeswalkers doesn’t offer.

In Magic, you play as a sorcerer. You can do two things: summon creatures and cast spells. Like the trading card game — and painfully so at times — Duels of the Planeswalkers leaves everything to your imagination. There are no fancy 3D renderings of monster battling or Life Point sucking. It’s a strictly copied digital recreation of the trading card game you might play on a scuffed coffee table or in some underground lair. This approach has its charms: there’s no arguing over turn phases or rules. The game automates everything cleanly. But it makes for a bland presentation. The only thing you won’t recognize from your own real setup is the tabletop. Stainless Games have created something more spectacular than stated scuffed coffee table. It’s a nice touch.

The recreation of the actual game extends to the cards. Each one is a perfect copy of its real-life counterpart, right down to the silly quotes. Within these cards is the key to winning, losing, and, well, simply experiencing Magic: The Gathering. Duels of the Planeswalkers has a variety of modes, both offline and on the web, that you can play. The variety is game’s strongest suit, and also its weakest. This duality is a result of the cards it gives you to play with and the limited amount of things you can do with them outside of the competitive play. At the beginning of the campaign, you’re given two decks to play with. As you progress through it, you can unlock more decks and more cards. The problem is that you can’t edit your deck. Ever. Even if you unlock an additional card, you can’t apply it to another deck. The game only lets you subtract a card you’ve earned through play. It’s a silly gesture, too — the cards you earn are the good ones.

I often felt like my deck was on loan from a Planeswalker. Restricting editing options is an odd move. I have the ability to see why Stainless reduced it to basic theme decks: it’s much easier to learn the game with a fully constructed deck. But as I progressed and relearned the game, I ultimately wanted to create something that represents a style of play I enjoy. Half the fun of Magic is sculpting what I consider “my deck” that fits what I want to do in a match.

Yet, even with the restrictions, I had a blast playing cooperative (it’s a traditional two-headed giant mode) and the campaign. (The cooperative campaign, unfortunately, isn’t available for on the web play.) Nearly every foray into multiplayer was a loss for me, but I still found myself grinning — the core experience of Magic is intact.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Harmonix decided to pull the veil off of next week’s Rock Band downloadable content a bit early, revealing it in the latest issue of the digital Rock Band Community Zine. And here you go:

Foreigner 3 Pack
“Blue Morning, Blue Day”
“Feels Like The First Time”
“Headknocker”
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Black Rebel Motorcycle – “Weapon of Choice”
—
Vans Warped Tour 3 Pack
Dear and the Headlights – “Sweet Talk”
The Devil Wears Prada – “Hey John, What’s Your Name Again?”
Thrice – “Image of the Invisible”

No word on pricing, but you can probably just assume it’s in line with previous DLC pricing. Besides, if you want the songs, you’re going to purchase them anyhow, so don’t kid yourself.

About that ‘zine… I remember when I used to have to walk uphill and in the snow — barefoot, no less — just so I could meet up with my friends so we could staple pieces of paper together. That was a ‘zine. This digital stuff? I don’t enjoy it one bit, as it’s doubtful any member of the HMX community team got paper cuts putting this stuff together.

Regardless, you might want to sign up so you can get updates in your emails. Do that on rockband.com.

Popularity: 2% [?]