When most gamers here the phrase “Free-to-play,” heads are usually shaken and faces are definitely palmed. Once in a great while, however, there comes a free-to-play game that is that actually is free to play. Blacklight: Retribution is one of the few games that not only costs you nothing to enjoy, but is also damn fun to play in the process – and now, it’s as easy as downloading it from the Steam store (for FREE).

From Andy Kipling, Executive Producer at Zombie Studios:

“We couldn’t be more excited with the upcoming release of Blacklight: Retribution on Steam. With millions of active users daily, Steam has become the premiere digital distribution service around the world. As the Free-to-Play market grows, we continue to explore new methods for our fans to play our games, and bringing Blacklight: Retribution to Steam was a no brainer. Working with Valve to bring Blacklight: Retribution to Steam was extremely easy. We added support for Steam Achievement and Stats to Blacklight: Retribution, and a number of in-game items especially for Steam users.”

No, we’re not talking about a posthumous sequel to Nietzsche’s philosophy book. For those of you who don’t remember, Beyond Good and Evil was a third-person action/adventure title released by Ubisoft way back when in 2003. While it didn’t sell especially well, it has remained a fan favorite even into the new generation of gaming; combining traditional action and platforming with puzzle solving, combat, and even some photography elements.

Ubisoft official Michel Ancel (creator of the Rayman series) announced recently that long-anticipated sequel was not shelved, but “In an active creation stage [and] at this moment we are only focusing on the game and making it the best game that we can.” While no platform info or release date has been announced, it would seem that the game is being created with next-gen consoles in mind. Ancel added, “We focus on the game. We create it first, then we’ll see what can run it. We don’t say 2013 because we don’t know when it will come. We’re working to create a great game and it needs more tech.”

Check out the first (alleged) screenshot of Beyond Good & Evil 2 after the jump, as well as the official teaser that debuted early last year.

It’s been almost six years since Agent 47 last donned his trademark black suit and dual .45s, and not much has filled the void he left behind. While game series like Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell have given us plenty of stealthy, stabby action, they don’t deliver the same rush of excitement or sense of accomplishment gamers received when playing the Hitman titles. Next year, however, the bald assassin returns in Hitman: Absolution, the fifth game in the series cannon. Yesterday, IO Interactive and SquareEnix release a whopping 16 minutes of gameplay footage.

The demo introduces several new abilities, including improvised weapons (such as unplugging a power cable to use as a garotte) and ‘Instinct Mode.’ Instinct allowes players a glimpse into the mind of 47, showing weapon and item locations, enemy positions, even the path that the Hitman thinks they’ll patrol. Footage also showcased some impressive and dynamic enemy AI, dubbed by IO as the “comprehensive intelligence spectrum.” It not only allows NPCs to counter your tactics individually, but actually work together as a team to  take you down.

In an interview with IGN, developer Martin Amor noted that, “In the earlier Hitman games when you started to shoot, the AI would take out their weapons and start shooting back … Now the AI is like – what exactly is going on? And the AI is always talking … Very complex AI is worthless if you don’t make it clear to the player what it’s doing and what it’s thinking.”

Check out the full 16-minute gameplay demo after the jump; while the official release date for Absolution has yet to be announced, but keep an eye out for it between Q2 and Q3 of 2012 on 360, PS3 and PC.

Warner Interactive and DC Comics announced today that as of November 1st, gamers will be able to download Nightwing as a playable character in Batman: Arkham City. The downloadable content pack will run for 560 Microsoft Points ($6.99 in the PSN Store), and include two new challenge maps – Wayne Manor and the ‘Main Hall’. Nightwing, much like the downloadable Robin character, will come with his own unique weapons and gadgets to put to use against the thugs in Arkham City.

In keeping with the ‘bonus skins’ available, the Nightwing DLC will also contain an alternate Animated Series character model. It was also announced recently that the pre-order Robin bonus (granted to those who reserve the game at Best Buy) will be available to the masses on November 22nd for the same price.

Aside from a robust amount of downloadable goodies, it has also come to light in the past few weeks that the cast of Arkham City will be much larger than some may have expected. While villains like The Penguin, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze and The Riddler have all received their own trailers, many of Batman’s foes within the game have yet to step fully into the spotlight.  It has been confirmed that, in addition to all of the above, the following members of the Rogues Gallery will appear in-game: Calendar Man, Poison Ivy, Solomon Grundy, Bane, the Mad Hatter, DeadShot, Talia Al’Ghul, Black Mask, and of course, Prof. Hugo Strange.

Check out the gallery after the jump for the images and videos released so far for the new heroes and villains of Batman: Arkham City – available October 18th, 2011.

Dead Rising 2 was a slight departure from the tone of the original game from 2006. While the sequel was just as violent, outrageous, and insanely fun as its predecessor, the game carried a more somber feeling in regards to its story and protagonist. Chuck Green was a vastly different protagonist than wisecracking photojournalist Frank West (hero of DR 1); he was a more sympathetic character, and his quest to save his daughter made for a more earnest and emotional story.

Next week, however, Capcom is releasing Dead Rising 2: Off the Record – a ‘re-imagining’ of DR2 that puts Frank West back in the spotlight. Having been referred to as the video game version of a director’s cut, this release will feature new combo weapons, psychotic boss battles and entirely different dialogue and story points. While still being set in the same location (the Vegas-esque ‘Fortune City’), this is promising to be a very different game.

Check out the official launch trailer below, and stay tuned for our full review next week. Dead Rising 2: Off the Record is available on XBox 360, Playstation 3 and PCs starting October 11th, 2011.