Most Recent: News

“Welcome Back” Killzone style: Double XP Weekend starting… now!

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

I was wondering who was going to do this first. The Killzone Blog has announced in celebration of the PSN being back online, Guerilla Games is offering a Double XP Weekend for Killzone 3 starting today at 17:00 PM UK time and ending this Sunday at 10:00 AM UK time. At the end of every match the extra points will show up as “Fast Starter Bonus,” and… wait, that’s now!

Before I run off to Helghan, you should know that this is only part of the Helghast war effort to rebuild good will on PlayStation platforms. Another measure, of course, will be the offering of a free copy of Killzone: Liberation for PSP owners as part of Sony’s Welcome Back initiative. You should be able to grab that when the PlayStation Store goes back up on May 24. The blog also mentions that “there’s more” but they’ll announce it at a later date. Until then, I’ll be on the Frozen Dam snatching silenced submachine gun headshots.

PEACE.

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged ,

Daily Scoop: May 20, 2011 – 99 problems & a glitch ain’t one

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Nicole Kline

I’ve been playing L.A. Noire since Tuesday, and this game is glorious. I haven’t had a single glitch (knock on wood), which is the opposite of the experience I had when playing Red Dead Redemption. In fact, I’ve been playing so much of the game that when I saw a girl walking down the street today with a shirt that said “I adore L.A.,” my brain automatically added the “Noire,” and I thought about what a great marketing strategy that would be for Rockstar.

Anyway! Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games today is Activision’s Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2010 with Gun Bundle for the Wii, which is just $19.99. I feel like this is what Amazon defaults to whenever they can’t figure out what to put up for their daily deal. Lame. They have added some new stuff to their clearance sale, though, so go crazy.

No game-related shirts today, but this awesome “Arrested Development”-inspired shirt over at Ript is tempting me:

I would love to play an Arrested Development game. See how many drinks Lucille can down before noon!

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News, Wii |

Modern Warfare 3, Gears of War 3 trailers to premiere during NBA playoffs

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

As video games become further enmeshed in pop culture, we’re seeing a lot more marketing campaigns tied to some of the biggest sporting events of the year. The NBA postseason is coming to its climax, and some of the biggest games this year are looking to capitalize on the excitement.

Modern Warfare 3 has had little info on it other than the teaser we posted last week and a sparse official website. The Facebook page promises that will end soon, advising us to tune in for the “World Premiere” during game four of the Western Conference Finals on May 23 on ESPN. This is fairly late in the year for a CoD game to debut, but hopefully the wait will be worth it.

Epic Games is also shooting for a NBA-attached reveal, as Gears of War 3‘s newest trailer debuts a couple days later on May 28 during Game 6 of the NBA playoffs on TNT. The new trailer “offers a riveting look at the epic-scale campaign.”

We’ll have to see if these trailers live up to the hype, but if one thing’s certain, it’s that Xbox 360 owners are going to have a packed holiday season this year.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

Hey kids! Buy a Windows 7 PC, get an Xbox 360 for free!

Posted on May 20, 2011 by John Scalzo

You know, for school!

Even though the school year just ended for the country’s college students, Microsoft has announced a “back-to-school” promotion for students thinking of buying a Windows 7-based PC. Starting May 22, students who buy a new Windows 7-based PC priced at $699 or more will also receieve a free Xbox 360 4GB console. Students must show their student ID at the time of purchase and the offer is only available at participating retailers (Microsoft wouldn’t reveal which retailers are participating in this promotion and which aren’t).

“A hot new Windows 7-based PC with a free Xbox 360 is the ultimate productivity, social and entertainment package for students,” said Kathleen Hall, general manager of Windows Marketing at Microsoft. “In one shot, with this great offer, Microsoft is giving students everything they need for a successful new school year.”

Yup, the Xbox 360. Everything a student needs for school. More information on the offer can be found at Windows.com/freexbox.

Posted in News, PC, Xbox 360 |

CoD Black Ops Escalation map pack PC release set for June 3; “coming soon” to PS3

Posted on May 20, 2011 by John Scalzo

Activision has confirmed that the second Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack, Escalation, will be made available to PC gamers on June 3, exactly a month after it was added to the Xbox Live Marketplace. Priced at $15, the pack includes four maps: “Zoo,” “Convoy,” “Hotel” and “Stockpile.”

Also available in the Escalation pack is the awesome “Call of the Dead” (check out the trailer above), an expanded Zombies map that stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Danny “Machete” Trejo, Robert Englund and the Godfather of all Zombies himself, George Romero.

PS3 owners who are itching to get their hands on the map pack won’t have much longer to wait as Activision promies that it’s “coming soon” to the PlayStation Store.

Posted in News, PC, PS3 | Tagged

Chucky gets lucky on PC, consoles this Fall

Posted on May 20, 2011 by John Scalzo

I could never understand why someone would be afraid of a murderous doll. Once you realize its evil, just drop kick it across the room. Bam! No more Chucky! Yet, the cute little doll with the soul of a serial killer starred in five movies, and this Fall, he’ll take center stage in his own video game.

Developed by Tik Games, Chucky is in development for “console and PC digital distribution platforms.” Players will don the sneakers and overalls of the killer doll in an original storyline that “extend[s] his gory legacy” and features the “stealth and guile” Chucky is known for.

“We’re proud to be able to bring a fan-favorite movie character, such as Chucky, to gaming platforms,” said Alex Tikhman, Co-Founder and Vice President of Publishing for TikGames. “Fans have been asking for a Chucky game for years and, soon, gamers around the world will be able to enjoy highly-entertaining, interactive, downright gory experiences with this brand.”

I thought Tikhman was joking, but apparently there really has been a huge outcry for a Chucky game.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Uncharted NGP details revealed by Naughty Dog

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Nathan Drake (and hopefully Victor “god damn” Sullivan) will be coming to Sony’s new handheld system, the NGP. In addition to revealing that the NGP version will take place between Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Naughty Dog co-president Christophe Balestra also said that there will probably be some kind of tie-in with the upcoming Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception.

Balestra also said that “Uncharted NGP features a different vibe and rhythm than the PlayStation 3 games so people can play it in short bursts,” according to Eurogamer. They’re going to give us “more exploration and fewer gunfights, letting people breathe while playing.”

Sony Bend, responsible for the awesome Resistance: Retribution for the PSP, will be developing Uncharted NGP. Not only that, they’ll be working with actors, which means we’ll hopefully be getting the same quality we’ve seen in the console versions.

Posted in News | Tagged ,

Sony tells publishers PlayStation Store to return on May 24

Posted on May 19, 2011 by John Scalzo

Gamasutra is reporting that Sony has informed publishers and developers that the PlayStation Store will reopen on May 24.

Online play and third party services like Netflix were restored on the PlayStation Network last week, but the store has remained offline. Sony plans to push out four updates in a two week span to release all of the content that publishers had planned to release before the PSN went down on April 20.

The updates will take place on May 24th, May 27th, May 31st and June 3rd. After June 3rd, the PlayStation Store’s weekly Tuesday updates will resume schedule.

PS3 and PSP owners will be able to download their “Welcome Back” gifts once the PlayStation Store resumes operations as well.

Posted in News, PS3, PSP | Tagged