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By 13 May 2011 | Categories: news

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Portal 2 Authoring Tools released

If you loved the spectacular puzzles in Valve's recently released Portal 2, but always had the yearning to create your own levels, take heart, because a beta version of the tools used to create Portal 2 has been released by Valve.

According to the Portal 2 blog, the tools will enable gamers to create their own single player and co-op maps, character skins, 3D models, sound effects and even music. Examples of maps, an updated version of Hammer (the Source level editor), an updated faceposer and command-line compiling utilities will also be included.

The beta tools can be downloaded for free if you own the PC version of Portal 2, accessed through the 'Tools' tab in Steam.
 
Now you can create your very own mazes of doom.

Nintendo 3DS eShop coming this June

Nintendo's nifty no-glasses 3D handheld, the Nintendo 3DS, has been in gamers' hands for a while now, but the handheld's online store is unfortunately still sorely missed.

Initially Nintendo planned to launch the store in May, but this week Nintendo of Japan's official website posted a message stating that the online service has been delayed until next month. The 3DS eShop is now scheduled to arrive in the US on June 6 and in Japan, Europe (and SA) on June 7, coinciding with Nintendo's E3 press conference.

The online store will feature downloadable content such as DSiWare, 3DS-specific titles as well as other Nintendo features and will be accessible via the handheld's built-in Wi-Fi.
 
PS3 trade-ins on the rise

As the PlayStation Network outage continues, some frustrated gamers have run out of patience with Sony.

Sources over at Edge magazine reports that a steadily rising number of PlayStation 3 consoles are being traded in across the UK, either for cash or for one of Microsoft's Xbox 360's. The outage has also resulted in skewed game sales for multiplatform titles, with more and more gamers avoiding the PS3.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a manager at a major UK retailer said, “In the first week of downtime we did not really see any major changes in sales or trades. However from the second week onwards we have seen an increase of over 200% on PS3 consoles being traded in, split almost 50/50 between those trading for cash and those taking a 360 instead.”

People trading in their PS3s for 360s has been described by another source as generally being part of “the hardcore online shooter crowd”, mostly playing CoD: Black Ops and Modern Warfare 2 online.
Soul Calibur V announced

Fans of Namco Bandai's fast-paced sword flinging Soul Calibur series can rejoice, because the company announced a “true sequel” to the series this week.

The game's producer, Hisaharu Tago, dropped the announcement at a recent press conference in Dubai, stating that the new game will take place 17 years after the last and will include returning as well as brand new characters.

According to CVG, the game will also feature an improved combat system, updated graphics as well as additional online features. Soul Calibur V is set to arrive next year on the PS3 and Xbox 360.
 
On the brink

Bethesda Software recently released the launch trailer for their latest title, Brink. The team-based first person shooter sports intricate levels, acrobatic parkour style gameplay elements and quadrillions of character customisation options. The game is coming to PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 and should be available in SA on May 20. Check out the trailer below. 
 

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