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Multiplayer trial for Naughty Dog’s forthcoming adventure game hits user milestone weeks before July 14 close.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception isn’t due to ship until November, but it’s already proving mighty popular for its developer, Naughty Dog. The California shop today shared news that the game’s multiplayer beta has attracted 1 million players since going public on Monday.

Uncharted 3’s multiplayer beta has gone platinum.

The beta for Uncharted 3 began on June 28, but at that time it was available only to PlayStation Plus subscribers and those who purchased new copies of Infamous 2.

According to Sony, the beta passed the million mark Tuesday, one day after the trial was opened up to the public.

The beta for Uncharted 3 ends on July 14, but Naughty Dog is not finished offering gamers new content. The beta will add a new map–Yemen–as well as a new game type called Co-Op Adventure this Sunday.

Additionally, gamers who have met the designated play requirements will be able to earn rewards for the retail version of the game. These include in-game cash, an Uncharted 3 PSN Beta Tester Avatar, and the Treasure Hunter’s Starter Pack.

For more on Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, check out GameSpot’s latest preview of the game.

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Pokemon is coming to the Nintendo 3DS, but not in the form many of you might be hoping for. While we all wait for a true installment of the series to arrive in 3D, Nintendo is preparing a full retail sequel to a WiiWare title. Are you ready for Super Pokemon Scramble?

Currently only slated for Ja…

The Settlers shop Blue Byte developing browser-based free-to-play strategy game; publisher mum on title.

Between Might & Magic: Heroes Kingdoms, Trackmania Nations Forever, and Ghost Recon Online, Ubisoft has already established itself in the free-to-play online game market. However, it appears the publisher has another free-to-play game in store for players called Castle Empire.

Ubisoft’s Castle Empire has a website…but not much more.

Though Ubisoft has not formally announced the game, it does have an official website up and running. The site offers some details on the game, saying it will be free-to-play and does not require a download.

Additionally, the game’s listed bullet points paint it as a strategy title, where players must manage resources, battle enemies, and conquer new lands. The website also shows off some of the game’s first screenshots and notes that players can connect with other players in-game.

Castle Empire is currently in development at Blue Byte, the German shop responsible for the Settlers titles and Anno 1404. Unfortunately, further specifics concerning the game are not available, and as of press time Ubisoft had not responded to GameSpot’s request for comment on the matter.

However, gamers eager to learn more about the title can sign up to participate in the forthcoming closed beta for Castle Empire via the game’s website.

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Keita Takahashi joins Tiny Speck to work on browser-based, free-to-play massively multiplayer online game.

Last year, Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi left Namco Bandai after more than a decade. He gave no indication where he would be headed after parting ways with his previous publisher, but the developer’s next home was revealed today in a post on the blog of his new employer.

Not done with games just yet.

In a blog post for the free-to-play massively multiplayer online game Glitch, Tiny Speck cofounder Stewart Butterfield revealed that Takahashi had recently moved from Tokyo to work on the title. Butterfield said he met Takahashi through That Game Company’s Robin Hunicke several months ago and said the meeting was instantly like talking with an old friend.

“We played some Glitch together, batted ideas back and forth, and found that we shared the same values: deep beliefs in curiosity, humor, absurdity, and above all a belief in the positive power of play,” Butterfield said.

Citing Takahashi as a hero to everyone on the Glitch team, Butterfield said he was saddened to hear the creator was considering leaving the game industry entirely. In the wake of the original Katamari Damacy, he questioned the need for games, saying, “Children would be better off playing outside.” Two years later, he confessed to being sick of the Katamari series and said he wasn’t having much fun in the game industry anymore.

The browser-based Glitch is a nonviolent game set in the minds of 11 giants. Players must work together to learn new skills and build their shared, persistent world. Although the game is free-to-play with in-game items for sale, it will also have premium accounts tied to a subscription fee. The game is currently in beta testing.

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New $100 golf simulation pack including The Masters for PS3, PlayStation Move starter kit hits the links next week.

Professional golfer Tiger Woods has not won a PGA tournament since 2009, but that isn’t stopping the golf franchise named after him from performing well. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters was well received when it was released in late March and sold a franchise-best 225,000 units during its first week.

The new Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 bundle hits the links next week.

Despite that, EA and Sony are looking to take another swing at the game. Sony today announced the Tiger Woods PGA Tour: The Masters PlayStation Move Bundle. Due out next week, the bundle includes a PlayStation Move controller, a PlayStation Eye camera, and a copy of the game for $100.

Tiger Woods: PGA Tour 12 is the first in the series to include the famed Augusta National golf course, home of the exclusive Masters tournament. The game lets players relive memorable shots from the Masters’ storied history, including Woods’ four Green Jacket wins at the tournament.

For more on EA Sports’ latest golfing sim, check out GameSpot’s review of Tiger Woods: PGA Tour 12.

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Playdead’s dark sidescroller dated for Sony’s console a year after its XBLA debut; soundtrack coming to iTunes.

Playdead’s award-winning sidescroller Limbo was awarded critical plaudits for its thoughtful puzzles and striking aesthetics when it released a year ago this month only on Xbox Live. Now–as was expected–PlayStation 3 gamers will finally be able to try it out in just two weeks.

Limbo brings its black and white puzzles to PS3 in two weeks.

Playdead co-founder Dino Patti wrote on the PlayStation Blog today that Limbo will arrive for the PS3 on July 19, with a European release date pegged for July 20. The game is expected in Japan and the rest of Asia “soon.”

Additionally, Limbo’s soundtrack will be made available to purchase through iTunes next Monday, July 11. A PC version of the game has been confirmed, but Playdead has yet to announce when it will arrive.

Limbo is a puzzle-platformer that has players controlling a silhouette of a boy searching for his sister throughout various dreary chapters and dark environments. The game doesn’t have loading screens once it is started and progresses through reaching various checkpoints.

For more on the title, check out GameSpot’s review of Limbo for the Xbox 360.

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Burn the City’s instruction manual is contained within its title. The premise is simple: as a large dinosaur you launch fireballs and burn down the precariously built cities surrounding you. It’s a fun little mobile experience, but feels light on content and variation in its single, 45-level chapter (more to come)…

Premium bundle includes series’ three original PlayStation titles, HD remasters of Resident Evil 4 and Code: Veronica, and soundtrack CDs; available through Capcom’s e-Shop September 8.

The Resident Evil series is celebrating its 15th birthday this year, and publisher Capcom is throwing the horror-action franchise a birthday bash with a new Japanese bundle that packs in most of its biggest games.

All the horror, in one box.

The Resident Evil 15th Anniversary Box (as translated by Andriasang) will include three original PlayStation Resident Evil games, high-definition remastered iterations of Resident Evil 4 and Code: Veronica along with their soundtracks, pins, and stickers.

The PlayStation-era Resident Evil games included in the Anniversary Box are Resident Evil Director’s Cut, Resident Evil 2, and Resident Evil 3: Last Escape. According to the translation, the boxed collection will also include an extra space for gamers to fill with their copy of Resident Evil 5, in order to complete the set.

The pack will be available exclusively through the publisher’s e-Capcom store in Japan on September 8. There was no mention of a North America debut for the 15th Anniversary Box.

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Nintendo president working to avoid weak debut slate with Wii U, says company would be negligent to never consider a phone-capable handheld.

At this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, Nintendo senior managing director Shigeru Miyamoto acknowledged struggles with the 3DS launch lineup, saying developers had a short window of time to work on the system’s initial titles. The sentiment was expanded on by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata this week in a Nintendo shareholder meeting in response to an investor question.

Nintendo doesn’t want a repeat of the 3DS launch lineup for the Wii U.

Iwata acknowledged the difficulty in recovering after a slow start at retail or changing a widely held perception once it’s been established, conceding that Nintendo’s preparation was “lacking” in regards to the 3DS key launch library. In particular, Iwata said the company would have fared better if it had produced more games to make the system a must-have for consumers right away.

“We also must reflect on the fact that we were not able to launch Nintendo 3DS at a time when a sufficient number of strong software titles were ready,” Iwata said. “In order to avoid the same thing from happening to the Wii U, we are considering details, such as what software is suitable for the launch, more carefully than ever before.”

Another investor told Iwata he viewed games as a waste of time, and said Nintendo needs to introduce value-added features to the 3DS for parents and others like him. Specifically, he suggested mobile phone functionality.

“If we had never considered combining a mobile phone and a handheld device, we would be negligent,” Iwata said, “but on the other hand, mobile phones are subject to monthly fees and we need to consider how well this would fit with game devices or how we should balance these aspects. Adding to this, mobile phone companies are generally divided by countries and when running a business on a worldwide basis, we need to consider in what conditions can we partner up with mobile phone companies around the world. Please understand that we are still researching these areas.”

A hypothetical Nintendo entry into the mobile phone market has been a hot topic in the wake of The Pokemon Company’s confirmation of an official app for iOS and Android devices. However, earlier this week,Nintendo spokesperson Yasuhiro Minagawa ruled out the possibility of the company producing games for Apple’s iOS or other hardware maker’s platforms. But since the gaming giant only owns a minority stake in The Pokemon Company, it can’t prevent Pikachu and friends from going mobile.

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