Firaxis' summer is going to be quite busy. They just announced today at their PAX East panel that they'll be bringing the fantastic strategy game from the PC/consoles over to the iOS platform.

They showed off a quick demo of what the game will look like on your palm-friendly device, but we're told that it's basically the entire game carried over to mobile. We'll have impressions for you as soon as we can get our hands on it. No word on pricing yet.

UPDATE: I spoke with Firaxis' Jake Solomon on the show floor today while he showed me XCOM: Enemy Unknown on an iPad. He opened up the familiar map of the XCOM base, and swiping between locations seemed like a natural fit. So did the gameplay, which is predominantly cursor-driven and so perfect for taps and swipes on a touch screen.

But I got a few other interesting tidbits, too, so I'll share them here with some bullet points:

• Development—or the porting process—of the iOS edition started at the tail-end of development on the PC/console versions of XCOM: Enemy Unknown.
• The iOS versions feature the same UI as the game, with a few tweaks for things like swiping, but the iPhone version will differ from the iPad version for obvious reasons like the limitation of screen real estate. Can't squeeze in as much details on a tinier phone.
• Solomon couldn't say what iPad/iPhone editions the game will launch for, but he did say that he's seen the game run on multiple versions of the iPad.
• The total number of maps you can play on are less than what you'd find on the PC/console editions.

We'll share more when we learn more.

Today at Firaxis' panel at PAX East, the developers showed off the first version of XCOM: Enemy Unknown before it was scrapped for what you played last year.

They worked on what you see above for about a year before ditching it.

We've been playing BioShock Infinite, but we can't tell you about it just yet. In order to get our early copy, we agreed to stick to the embargo set by publisher 2K Games, which is up on Monday.

But we can tell you about IGN's exclusive review of BioShock Infinite, which went live tonight. So above you can find our Official Kotaku Review* of their review.

*Warning: review may not be an Official Kotaku Review. Kotaku holds no responsibility for any damages that may occur to anyone thinking that this is an Official Kotaku Review.

The folks at Firaxis are responsible for some of the best strategy games ever made, so when they promise a deep, competitive, free-to-play strategy game for iOS in this spring's Haunted Hollow, it's a good time to be an iDevice owner.

In Haunted Hollow, players construct elaborate mansions that spawn all sorts of nasty horror standards — vampires, witches, werewolves and such. Once established, they'll compete against rivals as they take over townhomes, terrorize the populace, fight enemies and generally take over the town, as large bands of monsters have been doing since the invention of the spooky mansion (the spooky condo was just not getting the job done).

Evil overlords will be able to play single-player games by their lonesome, or take down other devilish landlords via pass-and-play or Game Center multiplayer.

Haunted Hollow will be out on iOS this spring. I will be playing it. I'll let you know how that goes.

Hi, Moneysaver readers. Welcome to the slightly-different but still wallet-friendly version of the Moneysaver. Going forward, this feature will be brought to you by a member of our company's new Commerce Team. Fancy! What this means is that you'll no longer see Moneysavers penned by those of us in editorial but by the good Shane Roberts here who works on the biz side. The main difference is that—full disclosure—our company will now make a cut of purchases you make through links that are featured in the Moneysaver. The Commerce folks want you to get the best deals. If they don't, what's the point, right? So you can expect a regular offering of great shopping options for games and who knows what else. We all still want to save you money. Take it away, Shane! - Totilo

Bioshock: Infinite will be available in six days, so we're here to help you make sense of its myriad and divisive pre-order options. For our money and yours, we think Green Man Gaming is the retailer to beat, with the best combination of free games, flexible credit, and Steam DRM. Here's why:

Most retailers are including the first Bioshock and XCOM: Enemy Unknown for free, and Green Man Gaming, Gamer's Gate, and Get Games are throwing in a choice of several others including Civilization 5 and Spec Ops: The Line. Buying from Steam presents the exclusive option of Team Fortress 2, but we prefer another free game to new attire for our Heavy. If you already own the free games on offer, Amazon offers the most store credit, $30, but it should be noted that the credit is only good for other 2K games. Green Man Gaming, Gamefly, and Gamer's Gate are offering between $15-$18 credit, with Green Man Gaming being the only one to let you take the credit as cash instead.

If you're on the consoles, Sony is taking $10 off pre-orders via their March promotion, and including the first Bioshock, while Microsoft is including $20 in Microsoft Points. We can only hope this creates a new trend in pre-order bonuses.

[Green Man Gaming]

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Top Deals

• SimCity + Free Game ($40)
Target via FatWallet | Normally $60
SimCity has been fixed, and EA is offering up a free game as mea culpa. Starting on 3/24, Target will sell SimCity for $40, and if you activate your copy by 3/25, you get a free game from a choice of eight. We'd recommend Dead Space 3 (best value), Battlefield 3, or Mass Effect 3.

• Bastion ($1) | Humble Weekly Sale | DRM-Free + Steam Key
     Humble has launched a weekly deal and Bastion is the first game on offer. No excuses not to      own it now.

• Target Buy 2, Get 1 Free | Target via DealNews
     God of War: Ascension
     Gears of War: Judgement
     MLB: The Show 13
     Crysis 3
     Dead Space 3
     Far Cry 3
     Many More

• 15% Off iTunes Gift Cards | Target via TechBargains | Free Shipping on $75 Orders
     Use coupon code "TGFHJVZ8"

• Bioshock: Infinite Pre-order | Green Man Gaming
     Includes $14 credit or cash, XCOM, Bioshock, choice of 5 others including Spec Ops: The      Line and Civ 5.

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Windows/Mac

• Name Your Own Price Bundle ($3.97) | Normally $62 | Includes: Blades of Time, SpaceChem, Cubemen, iBomber Defense, Aztaka, The Journey Down: Chapter 1

• Bastion ($1) | Humble Weekly Sale | DRM-Free + Steam Key

• The Free Bundle #4 (FREE)
     Super Charge
     You Have To Win The Game
     Dirty Split
     Vicinity
     Megaman 8-bit DeathMatch

• Saints Row: The Third The Full Package ($25) | Origin via Dealzon | Normally $50
• Need For Speed Most Wanted ($25) | Origin via Dealzon | Normally $50
• Magic: The Gathering: Planeswalkers 2013 ($5) | Steam via Reddit | Normally $10
     Special Edition, Gold Bundle, Complete Bundle also on sale.
• The Witcher 2 Enhanced Edition ($6) | Origin via Dealzon | Normally $20
• Mass Effect Trilogy ($30) | Origin via TechBargains | Normally $60
• Borderlands GOTY Edition ($6) | Green Man Gaming via Reddit | Normally $30
     Use coupon code "GMG20-NT7TS-SY2RT"
• Civilization 5 Gold Edition ($13.60) | Green Man Gaming via Reddit | Normally $50
     Use coupon code "GMG20-NT7TS-SY2RT"
• Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed ($15) | Steam | Normally $30
• Battlefield 3 Premium Edition ($30) | Origin via Reddit | Normally $60
• Gamefly Spring Sale 3/20
     Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning ($6.74) | Normally $30
     Far Cry 3 ($31.49) | Normally $50
     XCOM: Enemy Unknown ($14.39) | Normally $50
     Torchlight II ($6.11) | Normally $20
     The Cave ($6.74) | Normally $15
     Sleeping Dogs (8.99) | Normally $40

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Playstation 3

• Get 10$ back for every $50 spent in March on all digital purchases; no cap. This promotion can and should be applied to re-upping your Playstation Plus Membership and/or pre-ordering Bioshock: Infinite.

• God of War Ascension ($46) | Rakuten via DealNews
     Use coupon code "15OFF"
• Assassin's Creed III ($30) | Amazon via Reddit | Normally $60
• Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition ($20) | Amazon via DealNews | Normally $30
• Dragon's Dogma ($15) | Best Buy via Reddit | Normally $50
     Must be a Reward Zone member, which is free.
• DMC: Devil May Cry ($35) | Amazon | Normally $60
• Valkyria Chronicles ($17.61) | Amazon via Reddit | Normally $40
     Highly underrated must-own SPRG. Ideal for fans of anime and/or Final Fantasy Tactics.
• Darksiders II ($15) | Best Buy via TechBargains | Normally $50
• Mass Effect Trilogy ($30) | Origin via TechBargains | Normally $60
• Far Cry 3 ($30) | Best Buy via Reddit | Normally $60
• Battlefield 3 Premium Edition ($30) | Origin via Reddit | Normally $60

• PS3 Slim 250GB ($250) | Amazon via Dealzon
     Includes Playstation All-Stars and Ratchet and Clank Collection.

• Playstation Plus March Update:
     FREE Spec Ops: The Line
     FREE Joe Danger 2: The Movie
     FREE The Cave

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Xbox 360

• 2000 MS Points [$25] for $20 | Best Buy via DealNews

• Xbox LIVE 12 Month Gold Membership ($40) | Target | Normally $49

• Dragon Age II ($5) | Best Buy via DealNews | Normally $20
• Red Faction: Armageddon ($5) | Best Buy via DealNews | Normally $20
• Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition ($20) | Amazon via DealNews | Normally $30
• Dragon's Dogma ($15) | Best Buy via Reddit | Normally $50
     Must be a Reward Zone member, which is free.
• Darksiders II ($15) | Best Buy via TechBargains | Normally $50
• Mass Effect Trilogy ($30) | Origin via TechBargains | Normally $60
• Far Cry 3 ($30) | Best Buy via Reddit | Normally $60
• Battlefield 3 Premium Edition ($30) | Origin via Reddit | Normally $60

• Gold Deal of the Week Picks:
     Outland ($5) | Normally $10
     Beyond Good and Evil HD ($5) | Normally $10

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Wii U

• Resident Evil: Revelations Pre-Order ($40) | Amazon via DealNews | Normally $50
• Darksiders II ($20) | Best Buy via Reddit | Normally $60

• Wii U Deluxe + $50 Target Gift Card ($350) | Target via Dealzmodo | Target is basically creating an artificial price cut here.

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Playstation Vita

• Get 10$ back for every $50 spent in March on all digital purchases; no cap. This promotion can and should be applied to re-upping your Playstation Plus Membership.

• Persona 4 Golden ($30) | Amazon via Reddit | Normally $40
     If you prefer digital Persona 4 is on sale for the same price on Playstation Network.

• Playstation Vita 3G/Wifi ($250) | Sony via Dealzon | Normally $300
     Includes free Playstation Network game.
• Playstation Vita Cradle ($7) | Best Buy via DealNews | Normally $20

• Playstation Plus March Update:
     FREE Tekken 6

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3DS

• Rayman Origins ($8) | Best Buy via Dealzon | Normally $30
• Kirby Mass Attack ($8) | Best Buy via Reddit | Normally $30

• 3DS XL Black ($190) | BuyDig via Dealzon | Normally $250
     Use coupon code "VMESAVESU20"

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iOS

• 15% Off iTunes Gift Cards | Target via TechBargains | Free Shipping on $75 Orders
     Use coupon code "TGFHJVZ8"

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Android

• Shoot Many Robots (FREE) | Google Play Store

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Tech

• Rakuten $25 Off $100 Coupon | Rakuten via Dealzmodo
     Use coupon code "NEW25"

• Monoprice 10% Off Anything | Monoprice via TechBargains
     Use coupon code "CATALOG12"

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Miscellaneous

• Deus Ex: Sonic Augmentation Remix Soundtrack (FREE)
• Tomb Raider Art Book PDF (FREE) | Amazon via Cheap Ass Gamer
     Right-click on the link and "Save As" to begin download.

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That does it for the first edition of the new Moneysaver, which is now brought to you by the Commerce Team. Our aim is to bring Kotaku readers the best gaming deals available. And to be very clear, we also make money if you buy.

If you've been a Moneysaver reader for awhile, you'll see we're making other changes like organizing by platform and including discounts on the consoles and services.

We're here to give you the best experience possible, so we definitely want your feedback. Love the new coverage, hate the layout, got a great deal we missed? Let us know in the comments. We know you will.

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Irrational Games, the folks behind BioShock, have just released this spectacular combat trailer for the series' newest installment, BioShock Infinite. Many of the weapons protagonist Booker DeWitt will get to use are put on full display. Look at that imagery. That statue. Those huge guns. Man, I think I'm in love with that minigun.

Along with the trailer, two new screenshots have also been revealed. You can have a look at them below.

BioShock Infinite releases worldwide on March 26. Not much longer, now!

At South By Southwest in Austin, Gearbox debuted a teaser trailer that hints at the addition of a new character to Borderlands 2. The character isn't fully shown, but looks to be some sort of melee-focused badass.

The video above comes via Polygon, who are on the ground at SXSW.

"A new vault hunter is coming," the teaser video promises. What do you think? Think it'll be a return of Brick-style brawling? I'd be in, but then again, I've barely even managed to mess around with the last downloadable character, the Mechromancer.

We all know Uncle Sam. The guy in the Old Glory-styled top hat and tails is the personification of the United States that American schoolkids grow up learning about. You probably know him from the famous poster strongly urging that you enlist and maybe you've seen him done up as a superhero.

But did you know that Uncle Sam has an older sister? And that she's where the floating city in BioShock Infinite gets its name from?

As an article on The Atlantic pointed out yesterday, the personification of the U.S. used to be a woman named Columbia, one who predates Uncle Sam. But, where Sam's still a familiar icon, the idea of a distaff counterpart has faded from memory. The Atlantic article showed how she's been portrayed in political cartoons throughout the ages and included images where she's advocating for immigrants from Germany and China.

But the version of Columbia seen so far in Irrational Games' upcoming first-person shooter appears to be the polar opposite. As she's portrayed in BioShock Infinite's promo art, Columbia isn't welcoming people in. No, she seems dead-set on keeping people out.

In the image with George Washington, she hovers above the nation's first president as he stands fast against foreign hordes. And, yeah, it's worth noting that those caricatured foreign hordes include Native Americans. And, on a banner shown in an early peek at Infinite, Columbia rejects a baby held out on outstretched hands, while cradling another. That piece of artwork gives you pause with how mean its implied message is. But the whiplash it generates is more significant when you think about those cartoons with Columbia demanding a fair shake for everyone.

It looks like BioShock Infinite will be focusing in on a warped, fanatic ideal of what it means to be American. And, from what we've seen at this point, the game's vision of Columbia—both city and persona—doesn't think everyone belongs in its society. This use of a mostly forgotten personification of America falls in line with the thought process behind making a robot George Washington one of the game's big enemies.

It's a provocative practice in reality when radical factions twist symbols from American history to ugly ends. In real-world and game-related posters, Columbia calls fighting men to arms. Based on what Irrational co-founder Ken Levine has said about the game, you get the idea that the battles that follow are very different in what they're trying to achieve.

A video game's opening stage or starter zone has an extremely important role: it sets the tone for the rest of the game. Getting it right is essential. Below, we've collected some of the best-looking and most iconic starting zones, first stages and opening missions.

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Green Hill Zone in Sonic

Central Highway in Mega Man X

Welcome to Rapture in BioShock

Contra III Stage 1

Metal Slug Mission 1

City 17 in Half-Life 2

Make Eggs, Throw Eggs in Yoshi's Island

Comix Zone Chapter 1

Ikaruga Stage 1

Post your picks for the most intense, best made and most beautiful first levels below with visual support.

sources: SEGA Wiki, ThePressStartProject, BioShock Wiki, Primeevi's LP, Gustavo Costa's LP, SectorW, Ericthestickman, VideoGamerParadox, kirgeez

When the games have been sold, and the swag remains: What do you do? What does a man do with 180 promotional boxes for Borderlands 2?

He stacks them, apparently. This image set, uploaded to imgur by bitterguy a week ago, was tweeted at Gearbox's Randy Pitchford this morning. The imgur description: "What to do with 180 leftover boxes in an office building with a high roof."

An ambitious recycling program, to be sure. It kinda reminds me of the Sears Tower: