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Crysis 3: The Lost Island DLC explores the franchise’s “spiritual roots” this June

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Like a crazy bearded man shouting in an airport parking lot, Crytek has announced that they’re going back to the island in this June’s new downloadable expansion for Crysis 3: The Lost Island.

Taking place on a small island in the Philippines, the same locale from the original Crysis, The Lost Island DLC will add four new multiplayer maps (“Ascent,” “Coastline,” “Creek,” and “Crossings”), two new weapons (Claw and Rhino), and two new game modes (Possession and Frenzy.

“The gameplay in the Crysis series has always been deeply connected to the unique environments in which the action takes place,” said Crytek’s CEO, Cevat Yerli. “By transporting players out of the Liberty Dome and into the Lost Island setting, we’re not only returning to Crysis’ spiritual roots, but also introducing fresh ways to play that provide Crysis 3 fans with genuinely game-changing new tactical options, game modes and weapons.”

Crysis 3: The Lost Island has been priced at $14.99 (1200 Microsoft Points) and will be available to download on June 4.

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

The Galloping Ghost Arcade: A Trip Back in Time

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Summer, 1985. To this day, one particular trip to Pizza Hut remains in my memory. And it wasn’t because of the pizza. No, the only two things I distinctly remember are Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing” playing on the jukebox, and my dad giving me a quarter and pointing me to a table with a glass top. I couldn’t see well enough from that far away, but it sure looked like something was glowing from under the top of this table. The soothing aura drew me ever closer, and when I reached it, I saw those two words that would forever capture my love for video games.

Insert Coin. (more…)

Posted in Features, Top Story |

EA: Online Passes now available “free of charge”

EAlogoContinuing their efforts to do away with their Online Pass program, Electronic Arts has removed the restriction from many of their EA Sports title and made the Online Pass content/multiplayer features for many other games available for free.

Speaking to CVG, an EA representative had this to say about the end of the company’s Online Pass program: “Players will see it first with some EA Sports titles, where a prompt to enter an Online Pass code will no longer appear in-game; with other titles we are simply making Online Passes available free of charge online. These are rolling updates that are taking effect over the next several weeks. We hope players continue to enjoy our games and online services for a long time to come.”

A NeoGAF user has noticed that EA Online Passes are now available as free downloads on the Xbox Live Marketplace for the following games:

  • Alice: Madness Returns
  • Battlefield: Bad Company 2
  • Bulletstorm
  • Dragon Age: Origins
  • Dragon Age II
  • Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
  • Mass Effect 2
  • Medal of Honor
  • Shift 2: Unleashed
  • Skate 3

Presumably, this content will be available for free on the PlayStation Network and PC download services soon.

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Limited Edition announced for Tales of Xillia

talesofxillia-leNamco Bandai has announced that a Tales of Xillia Limited Edition will be available when it’s released in the US and Canada on August 6.

The Limited Edition has been priced at $59.99 and will include a copy of the game, special packaging, two DLC costumes, a soundtrack CD, and a Character Profile Booklet. Every Tales of Xillia pre-order will be upgraded to the Limited Edition, which will be limited to the game’s first printing.

A separate Collector’s Edition, which includes the soundtrack CD, a Milla Maxwell figurine, and a Tales of Xillia Art Book, was previously announced by Namco Bandai.

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged

Blizzard’s Titan MMO delayed until at least 2016 as it undergoes huge design changes

blizzardlogoIt looks like World of Warcraft players will have to stick with Blizzard’s first MMO for the forseeable future. The company’s next generation MMO, known internally as Titan, has been delayed.

According to a report on GamesBeat, the release of Titan has been pushed back to 2016 “at the earliest” as development on the game has been completely scrapped. Blizzard plans to completely start over on Titan with a slimmed down team.

In an official statement, Blizzard’s Shon Damron said: “We’ve always had a highly iterative development process, and the unannounced MMO is no exception. We’ve come to a point where we need to make some large design and technology changes to the game. We’re using this opportunity to shift some of our resources to assist with other projects while the core team adapts our technology and tools to accommodate these new changes. Note that we haven’t announced any dates for the MMO.”

Whatever happens with Titan, Blizzard will soon have plenty of competition for MMO players as Bethesda plans to launch The Elder Scrolls Online this year.

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Sony releases “Two Silhouettes,” a new trailer for Rain

Rain, a title in development at Sony Japan Studio and Acquire, might trigger a few memories of Ico thanks to its newest trailer, “Two Silhouettes.” A pair of invisible children are only seen when it rains and they must work together to escape the towering city they’re stuck in. If that wasn’t enough, there’s also this:

As the boy chases after the girl, he enters the mysterious world of rain and learns that he has also become invisible. In the pouring rain, he is lost and frightened as he is hunted by ghostly creatures. But, his determination to save the girl only grows stronger and he presses on.

Rain will be released for the PS3 this Fall, but first it’ll make an appearance at this year’s E3 Expo.

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Call of Juarez: Gunslinger Review: Blazing Saddle (Sores)

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Strap on your trusty six-shooters because we’re heading back to the Old West in Call of Juarez: Gunslinger. You’ll hunt down the most notorious outlaws in history, while mowing down hundreds of henchmen in bloody gunfights in famous locales. Sounds like a blast, right? Well, it could be if it weren’t for some clunky and frustrating game mechanics.

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Posted in PC, PS3, Reviews, Top Story, Xbox 360 | Tagged

XBLA Today: CastleStorm

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Zen Studios, the team behind Pinball FX 2 (and its many offshoots, including the recent Star Wars Pinball), has released their next game on the Xbox Live Arcade: CastleStorm. For 800 Microsoft Points ($10) you can jump into the eternal war between vikings and knights (just go with it) in this 2D physics-based battler:

It’s Knights vs. Vikings in CastleStorm, where medieval warfare meets 2D physics-based destruction! Controlling the battle in real time, players will harness the power of medieval artillery, manage a fearsome ground attack, and cast powerful spells! CastleStorm features a story-driven solo campaign, a custom castle editor, online multiplayer, co-op modes, and more. Building castles and knocking them down has never been so much fun!

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged