Crispy Gamer News

Tor Books has launched Halo: The Cole Protocol by Tobias S. Buckell, just in time for the holidays. The new novel is the latest in the New York Times bestselling series based on Microsoft and Bungie Studios’ Halo video games. The Halo novels, Halo: Ghosts of Onyx (Tor 2006) and Halo: Contact Harvest (Tor 2007) became instant bestsellers, along with the three previous novels.

In Halo: The Cole Protocol, Buckell take us through the first desperate days of the Human-Covenant War, when the UNSC has enacted the Cole Protocol to safeguard Earth and its Inner Colonies from discovery by a merciless alien foe.

The 368 page paperback is available now for $14.95 at most major book sellers nationwide.

Sure, i’ll admit that America has its fair share of dumbasses. Some of us are out and out dumbasses, while others are dumbasses in distinct areas. That’s probably why the For Dummies series of books has done so well here. These books have taught millions of stupid people how to do everything from web design to business math and investing in precious medals. From the mundane to the complicated, Wiley Publishing’s books have helped millions stop being stupid.

So it’s interesting that DS has licensed the brand name to create video games that draw new players into the fold. Given the widespread brand recognition of the For Dummies brand, EA make a lot of money off these games. The first of these For Dummies games to appear on the DS will be Poker For Dummies, which will teach window lickers how to play popular games like Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha and Seven-Card Stud.

Other For Dummies titles will become available via PC download including Solitaire For Dummies in September, Brain Training For Dummies (an oxymoron) in October, Sudoku For Dummies in November, and more into 2009. Poker For Dummies and Brain Training For Dummies will also be available for PC at retail stores in October 2008, but you can check out the poker game now by visiting Pogo.com.

If there was speculation as to where the Bourne license would end up after Activision announced that it would divest itself of it, you can put it to rest this morning. Ludlum Entertainment, which originally sold the rights to create games based on Robert Ludlum’s books and movies to Sierra (a division of Vivendi Games), has bought those rights back. The company says that it will “develop new partnerships capable of fully exploiting the multi-platform potential of the Ludlum content and storylines.”

Chances are Ludlum Entertainment will either partner with a new publisher or re-sell the rights. Whatever happens, we’ll have more on this story as it develops. To see how the first and last game from Vivendi Games came out, check out our Bourne Conspiracy review.

Epic Games and Del Rey (an imprint of Ballantine Books, which is a part of the Random House Publishing Group) announced today that it will publish three novels set in Gears of War video game universe. The first novel, Gears of War: The Battle of Aspho Fields, written by Karen Traviss, will go on sale October 28, 2008.

In the book, the last human stronghold on Sera prepares for another onslaught from the Locust Horde, as ghosts come back to haunt Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago. The return of an old comrade threatens to dredge up an agonizing secret Marcus has sworn to keep about Dom’s brother that could end the popular partners’ friendship forever. And when I say partners, I don’t mean domestically, for the record..

Del Rey editor Keith Clayton promises the Gears of War books will remain true to the spirit of the game, which is probably a smart idea if you want Gears fans to read them. For our contribution to making promises, We promise you’ll love this preview of Gears of War 2.

Left Behind Games has decided to give away one million its religiously themed real-time strategy game, Left Behind: Eternal Forces, for free, it announced today. The only catch to the deal is that participants have to pay shipping and handling. Left Behind: Eternal Forces is based on the Left Behind series of books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, which has sold more than 63 million copies worldwide. To score the free game, visit www.lbgames.com/free. The game retails for $24.95.