In case you haven't noticed by now, I've been trying to figure out just what InstantAction has secretly been working on these past few months for a while now. Thankfully they've started to reveal what they have in store for the future of InstantAction.com, and it's quite big. But first, a quick recap to bring everyone up to speed:

InstantAction is a website created by GarageGames that features games playable within the browser. However, instead of being merely yet another Flash-based gaming site with countless Asteroids clones, the games on InstantAction boast the one thing most browser games lack: great graphics. Take a look at Fallen Empire: Legions to see what I mean.

In July of 2009, Louis Castle, of Command and Conquer fame, hopped on board as the new CEO of GarageGames and InstantAction. Shortly thereafter the company went silent, and the InstantAction studio was split in two. One in Portland, OR., the other in Las Vegas. All we were told is that whatever Castle was working on, it was big. If things go as planned, I believe they're right... (more...)

Back in December, we had an editorial discussing InstantAction.com and Louis Castle's "secret project."  Since then, things haven't changed one bit.  The company has been completely silent on all fronts, save for a short video tour of their new office(which features arcade machines and pop-corn makers).  Fortunately, it appears as though things might start to get interesting.

InstantAction recently sent out a newsletter informing subscribers that the site will be down for "longer than usual, at least for a couple of days." InstantAction will at times be taken down for scheduled maintenance, which usually only takes an hour or so, if that.  If they're taking it down for days at a time, it's probably more than just 'maitenance.'  The downtime is scheduled for March 10th, which is this Wednesday. The newsletter continues:

"So what's the big deal? Well, we've got some really exciting announcements coming up. With GDC this week and PAX at the end of the month you know it will probably be huge.

Be sure to keep your eyes on the InstantAction Blog and the InstantAction Forums. Big, exciting changes are coming and you, loyal Actionaut, are a part of it!"

A new InstantAction logo has also appeared, possibly suggesting a site-makeover.  Could the silent treatment finally come to an end at GDC?  We can only hope...

Update: The downtime has been rescheduled to today, 4:00pm PST.

Need we say more?

Update: Apparently we do need to say more.  Expect to get your hands on Portal 2 this holiday season.

id Software has released details for this year's upcoming QuakeCon event.

What: QuakeCon is a free convention held yearly in Dallas, Texas brought to you by id Software, Bethesda Softworks and their parent company ZeniMax Media Inc.. Thousands of gamers gather in one location to play with their friends on a giant gaming network, see the latest in cool technology, hear about upcoming games and compete in world-class tournaments.

Who: Fans of computer and videogames. The event is FREE to all attendees thanks to the support of id and Bethesda as well as the QuakeCon volunteer staff and the 2010 event sponsors and exhibitors.

When: August 12-15, 2010

Where: Hilton Anatole Hotel - Dallas, Texas

Why: Play in world-class tournaments, meet and interact with game developers, be the first to learn new information about upcoming computer and videogames and have the opportunity to frag with friends on QuakeCon’s massive Bring Your Own Computer network.

More details about QuakeCon 2010 will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Rolling?  Assassinations?  Jetpacks?!  Bungie teased us that their multiplayer reveal would be a 'bomb', but I doubt anyone was expecting this:

Square Enix today announced the demo for Just Cause 2 will release on March 4th, 2010.

Available for the PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360 and PC, the Just Cause 2 demo will feature 35 square miles of the Lautan Lama Desert, taking up just one of the many islands in the 400 square miles of the Panau archipelago, including towns, villages, military installations, mountain ranges, missions and more.

Hunt down and assassinate one of the game’s 50 military colonels; devastate military bases, bio fuel chambers, government infrastructure and more; hijack tuk tuks, military 4x4s, armoured vehicles, mopeds, helicopter gunships, light aircraft, mini vans and numerous other military and civilian vehicles; freefall from desert outcrops or from burning planes at 20,000 feet; and unlock one full, multi-stage mission, traversing the mountains to a heavily fortified government radar station and ending in an unforgettable desert car chase.

“The Just Cause 2 demo is simply massive and with so much to do, the replay value is enormous,” said Lee Singleton, General Manager of Square Enix London Studios. “It’s easily one of the biggest freeroaming demos of all time and for fans of openworld games, it’s unmissable.” (more...)

SEGA of America has announced that Obsidian Entertainment’s long awaited Alpha Protocol is hitting store shelves in North America for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on June 1st, and May 28th 2010 in Europe.

“The wait has been worth it. It is time for an RPG to go beyond fantasy and space,” said Sean Ratcliffe, Vice President of Marketing for SEGA of America. “The genre needs a shot in the arm, and renowned developer Obsidian has delivered. Alpha Protocol will be the absolute best it can be, and we look forward to revealing fresh aspects of it to the community in the upcoming months.”

In Alpha Protocol, players assume the role of rookie spy Michael Thorton and are given unprecedented control over the development of his abilities and interactions with other characters. Customizable character skill-sets, attributes and weapons all play an important role in allowing gamers to tailor Thorton to their play-style. (more...)

Valve has announced a new version of Steam which is immediately available in public beta.

This opt-in beta is available immediately to all Steam users. If users already have Steam installed on their computer, they can take part in the beta by clicking this link (steam://open/settings) and then selecting "UI Update" under Beta Participation. If they don't have Steam installed, they can download it here (http://store.steampowered.com/). To preview the new Steam client without taking part in the beta, a complete rundown of the new features is available here (http://store.steampowered.com/uiupdate/).

With the new Steam release, gamers will now be able to see which games their friends have purchased directly within the Steam storefront. News outlets now have the ability to reach the Steam community through the new client's News aggregator functionality. Those organizations interested can contact Doug Lombardi at lombardi@valvesoftware.com.

With users purchasing more and more games through Steam, new methods of library management were needed. The new client introduces library customization tools to help gamers sort, group, and find games in libraries which for some hardcore players contain hundreds of titles. In addition to having lots of games, gamers needed methods of tracking all of their achievements in a standardized cross-game fashion, which is now possible with the new release. (more...)