Bit of strange news on theCompany of Heroes Onlinefront. The free-to-play game is currently in open beta, but not fortoo much longer. Relic Entertainment plans to shut down the beta on March 31 “to evaluate the next steps for theCompany of Heroesseries.” Perhaps they’re contemplating going back to the traditional full-price strategy rather than one supported by microtransactions. Perhaps not. I’ll leave you to make up your own mind, and hopefully, we’ll hear from THQ or Relic sooner than later....

After years of hope,Valve finally releasedCounter-Strike 2towards the end of September. The game – which sees it replacingCS:GO– exploded in popularity overnight. However, for those on older systems, the updated version of the iconic FPS will no longer be supported. In a recent post on theSteam Supportpage, the message reads that Valve will cease supportingCounter-Strike 2on “older hardware, including DirectX 9 and 32-bit operating systems.” So if you’re still running Windows XP or older, you’re going to be out of luck....

Ah, the weekend is here and with it comes the final clue in the PlayStation 3 / Wii giveaway contest. Over the course of two months, Destructoid asked gamers to choose between a brand new 60GB system or 2 Nintendo Wiis … and one lucky winner will be receiving their choice of poison very shortly. The winner will be announced sometime on Monday, so all votes must be in by tomorrow 12pm EST....

BioWare’s next big RPG is playable start-to-finish now The nextDragon Agegame has passed a big internal milestone. In a new blog, BioWare confirmsDragon Age: Dreadwolfhas completed the Alpha milestone. What this means, effectively, is thatDreadwolfis currently playable from start to finish. This doesn’t mean the work’s done quite yet, though. In anew blog, BioWare general manager Gary McKay says the team is now looking at the narrative cohesion. “We can take the story we’ve written and see if we’re expressing it well through the characters, dialogue, cinematics, and ultimately, the player’s journey,” said McKay....

Dungeon Keeper 2andWing Commander 1+2are the first two of eight EA classics being brought to Good Old Games. Both games can now be found on the classic PC game service for a mere $5.99. It looks likeDungeon Keeper 2is not the best version of the game out there, though, and people are complaining that it crashes a lot in Windows 7. So if you run Windows 7, perhaps it would be a good idea to wait and see for a bit....

It’s been almost seven years since we last had aGolden Sungame, but our wait is finally over —Golden Sun: Dark Dawnis set for a Holiday (i.e. probably December) release on the Nintendo DS. Dark Dawnis set 30 years after the previous two games, and you’ll be playing as the descendants of the original heroes. The PR for the game makes it sound like a standardGolden Sungame: Djinn hunting, dungeon exploring, monster fighting — pretty much what you’d expect fromGolden Sun....

Monkey’s paw: players are reporting problems with mods Dear oldFallout 3got an updateon Steam this morning to remove Games for Windows Live, which is not a headline I expected to write in 2021 — or ever. I’m no stranger to years-old games in my Steam library updating out of the blue, but of all the possible reasons and all the possible games, this is pretty surprising. Also,it’s on sale. Officially, Update 1....

Fire Emblem Engage is great but lacks story depth Welcome back! It’s another Tuesday, which means tonight there will be a new episode of the Spot Dodge Podcast exclusively on Destructoid.Topics:The Spot Dodge crew discusses the latest entry in the Fire Emblem series,Fire Emblem Engage. The team also predicts when the next Nintendo Direct will happen. Because there has to be one just around the corner, right? Right..!? I’m loving Fire Emblem Engage so far....

Frozen Synapse, the top-down tactical shooter that was released earlier this year, will be coming to the iPad sometime in 2012. The announcement was made during last week’s Gamecity festival, in a Nottingham pub where lucky fans were able to get hands on with a prototype version. Mode 7, the developer behindFrozen Synapse, also revealed the game had sold over 300,000 copies since release, no doubt helped by the inclusion in a recentHumble Indie Bundle....

His laser eyes aren’t a new weapon, unfortunately Not long after players fire upGears 5next month — assuming they go straight into the campaign and not the versus mode or the horde mode or the Escape mode — they’ll earn an achievement that nods knowingly to a well-worn gaming meme. That alone isn’t surprising, but the man behind the meme steered one of Xbox’s biggest competitors until recently. Gears 5went gold ahead of its September 6 launch....

Call first! Nintendo has informed us that at least 5,000 Wii U kiosks are now available across the United States. You’ll find these demo stations at participating retailers, which includes Target, Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart, and Toys R’ Us. The game selection varies depending on the kiosk, and you’ll be able to findNintendo Land,New Super Mario Bros. U,SiNG PARTY,ZombiU, andRayman Legends(!). Of course, you should call first so that you don’t just show up empty-handed....

[Edit:We updated the controller section as there are two$399 Xbox One steering wheels for Forza 5.] There’s a racing simulation showdown taking place on gaming consoles this holiday season between PS3 racerGran Turismo 6and Xbox One launch titleForza Motorsport 5. If you ask me, I think you should buy both if you may. Both games are great. But I’ve dared to compare the two as a long-time fan of both franchises....

Swords, eikons, and action, oh my This is a special version made for media to experience. Contents may differ from the final version. Each of the mainline, numberedFinal Fantasyentries takes a departure from its predecessors. The series maintains its thematic through-lines in its summons, its monsters, and in names like Cid; but each release, especially from the PlayStation 2 onwards, reinvents itself too.Final Fantasy XVIis certainly no different. We got a chance to go hands-on with a build ofFinal Fantasy XVI, showcasing just how the next entry in the series will handle and specifically highlighting combat....