In this age of downloadable content its key to know and understand the importance of exclusives. If you a game that's eventually getting new content you want to be sure you own the game on the correct system.

This point was driven home when Rockstar announced DLC for GTA IV just before the game's release. However, when a game is expected to have new content but then it's announced as an exclusive, you may feel like you lost a gaming lottery. Which is what happened when Activision announced that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's Map Pack would be released first on the Xbox 360. Now this wait won't be as long as GTA fans have to wait for the new Episodes but a wait sucks no matter how you look at it.

In the mean time, those that own Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 on the Xbox 360 should be happy to know that the new Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package will be release on March 30 before any other system. Currently there's no word on how much this pack will cost or when the pack will be release on any other system. For now you'll have to sit and wait.

Hey, remember MySpace? Me neither, but it looks like the site is still around and now it has games. So if you thought Facebook was the only place to socialize and play mini-games you’re wrong.

Now the website that’s so 2005 is getting the same treatment that makes Facebook annoying, games. Now don’t get wrong, this is a game site and I love talking about games but Mafia Wars and Farmville just doesn’t do it for me. For those that find enjoyment in the simpler things, you’ll be happy to know you can now do it on that old school social networking site with the profiles featuring black type over a black background.

For more information, log back into MySpace. 

The only reason to make a video game console is to sell a video game console. In fact the plan is always to sell a lot on consoles. So to hear that an industry analyst is proclaiming a clear winner in the overall life of this generation is something that's pretty amazing.

This is exactly what happened when Strategy Analytics proclaimed that the PlayStation 3 is expected to out sell the Xbox 360 and Wii over the course of this generation’s life span.

“Nintendo has done a great job with the Wii in bringing console games to new audiences,” says David Mercer, Principal Analyst and report author. “But its sales are now falling, particularly in mature markets, and its installed base will peak in 2011. Ownership of both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 will hit their highest points between 2012 and 2014.”

This by no way means that everyone is going to pack up their Xbox 360s and run out and get a PS3. The fact is that Xbox 360 has more games out than the PS3 and the Wii has a commanding grip on a completely different audience. Either way it’s good to see someone paint themselves into a corner. This is if they’re right we can cheer them on but if they’re wrong we can openly laugh at them.

 Earlier in the week it was revealed that Valve’s download service Steam along all Source Engine games would be released on the Mac. While gamers far and wide wait for the April release of all this gaming goodness, there are some questions that Valve fans are asking. These questions are somewhat easy to answer but a few are kind of interesting.

The first question on everyone’s mind is whether we’ll have to re-purchase Steam games? This question was answered in the original press release and thankfully the quick answer is no. All of Valve’s Source based games will be available across both platforms so if you purchased a game on the PC you can play it on the Mac without having to purchase a Mac version. Second, will some games have cross-platform online play? For right now it looks like this is going to be a case by case situation. This doesn’t mean that all Source games won’t work cross-platform but only that Valve is announcing it on a game by game basis. And finally, will mods work cross-platform? There is no word at this point from Valve but I have my fingers crossed.

So far, I’ve only seen that Team Fortress 2 and both Left 4 Dead titles are confirmed as cross-platform capable online games. This doesn’t mean that more games won’t be added to the online cross-platform list but it looks like other games will soon follow in the footsteps of TF2 and L4D.

Rock Band is announcing a new track pack that will feature the music of Lady Gaga. If you’re into her music it looks like a decent track pack since it contains four of her biggest hits. The best part is you can download the pack and just tell your friends that you got them for your significant other. However, there’s an individual track that’s also getting released alongside the pack that’s not nearly as cool.

During an episode of the still relevant South Park, Cartman along with other members of the cast preformed Poker Face while playing Rock Band. The scene was very funny but now that humor is lost with the announcement that you too can perform the song like Cartman. While it may be funny to perform the song at such a horrid key, I think it’s a little lame that someone is going to purchase the song in the hopes to make fun of it by sounding like an iconic cartoon character. Just play the song as is instead of trying to capture a moment that isn’t yours.

The new “Lady Gaga Pack 01” will feature Bad Romance, Just Dance, Monster and Poker Face for $7 or 560 MS Points. Each song along with the Cartman version of Pocker Face can also be purchased individually for $1.99 or 160 space bucks on March 16 for the Xbox 360 and Wii, March 18 for the PS3.

After a few weeks of rumors, Valve is now ready to officially announce that Steam and their Source Engine titles are in fact headed to the Mac. That’s right. Valve, world’s largest developers of PC games is now bringing some of the PC’s hottest titles to the Mac along the one of the world’s largest game distribution services this April.

This is huge news for both Mac users and PC gamers. Not only will this new Mac version of Steam work with the Mac but with the help of Steamworks your ability overall experience on both platforms will be expanded.

"Our Steam partners, who are delivering over a thousand games to 25 million Steam clients, are very excited about adding support for the Mac," said Jason Holtman, Director of Business Development at Valve. "Steamworks for the Mac supports all of the Steamworks APIs, and we have added a new feature, called Steam Play, which allows customers who purchase the product for the Mac or Windows to play on the other platform free of charge. For example, Steam Play, in combination with the Steam Cloud, allows a gamer playing on their work PC to go home and pick up playing the same game at the same point on their home Mac. We expect most developers and publishers to take advantage of Steam Play."

If you’ve been a Mac user and hoping for a revolution in Mac gaming, you just got it. All we need now is Valve to start working on making games for the PS3.

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is “how do I get into a beta?” Most of the time, it’s a long process of signing up for beta months in advance and then waiting for an answer. Other times it’s a little easier if you get on a beta list but mostly it’s a pain to get starting.

This is all true but if you want to get into the Xbox 360 beta for Blur, the new racer from Bizarre Creations all you have to do is ask. The good people at Bizarre Creations send me 20 beta keys. To get one all these hot codes all you have to do it email me at moderngamergiveaways (at) gmail dot com and I’ll send you a code and all the instructions for the beta which starts on Monday.

What would the summer be without QuakeCon? For fans of id Software it would be pretty dull. So make your calendars because it’s time again to plan a trip to Texas and one of the world’s largest LAN parties.

This year QuakeCon will take place from August 12 through August 15, 2010 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel - Dallas, Texas. More information should be release in the coming weeks. For now you can visit www.quakecon.org for the latest information. 

Today, Valve announced Portal 2. The game is set to be released the holiday season but there is little other information.

In the statement issued by Valve there was more information about the company, it’s games and the first Portal’s 70+ industry awards than the new game. So basically Valve just wants everyone to know that they are working on the game and we should know more later this year.
 

I’ll be honest, I didn’t think too much about Halo Reach until today. I had seen some screen shots of the game but it didn’t grab me like the other Halo titles. This all changed with the release of this new multiplayer trailer. From start to finish this video is screaming “buy me.” From the weapons to the jet pack I can’t find a bad thing to say or think about this new game. If you don’t believe me, watch the video for yourself.