Most Recent: PC

Darksiders II rides into stores on June 26; pre-order bonuses announced

Posted on February 15, 2012 by John Scalzo

If you buy into the “2012 Phenomenon,” I’ll bet you thought the world was going to end on December 21… but you’d be wrong! The world will actually end on June 26. That’s when the biggest, baddest horseman of all, Death, rides into stores in Darksiders II.

In addition to the release date, THQ also revealed a trio of retailer-specific pre-order bonuses for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 game:

GameStop
Death Rides Pack: Features multiple exclusive side-quests allowing players to explore more of the Maker’s Realm and Dead Plains. In addition players will be able to aid an ancient Construct, battle The Bloodless and retrieve Karn’s lost treasure.

Best Buy
Angel of Death Pack: Features enhanced armor with an angel inspired design as well as a pair of matching scythes. In addition players will receive an exclusive purple colored visual trail for their crow.

Amazon
Deadly Despair Pack: Features an additional speed boost for Death’s horse Despair, that allows players to traverse the world at a much faster rate.

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First details, screens, behind-the-scenes video of Telltale’s The Walking Dead released

Posted on February 15, 2012 by John Scalzo

With their episodic Law & Order: Legacies series in full swing, Telltale Games is finally ready to reveal a bit more about their adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead.

Kirkman is working closely with the team at Telltale along with story consultant Gary Whitta (the screenwriter of The Book of Eli) to ensure the adventure game is faithful to the comic series. Both men also make an appearance in “Playing Dead,” a nine-part behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the Walking Dead game.

In the first episode, which you can see above, we learn that the game takes place in the early days of the zombie uprising, when Sheriff Rick Grimes is still in his coma. Therefore, the story in the game will feature a new set of survivors attempting to flee Atlanta.

“Telltale has always believed in sharing and interacting with our fans as much as possible as we head towards the launch of a game and Playing Dead is an exciting evolution of that process,” said Dan Connors, Telltale co-founder and CEO. “I don’t think any other developer or publisher has created anything quite like this before and we really hope that people will enjoy it.”

In addition to the interview show, Telltale has released the first three screenshots for the game, which can be found after the break.

The Walking Dead will be available on “all major gaming platforms” this Spring. (more…)

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Mass Effect 3 demo is now available on PC, PS3, Xbox 360

Posted on February 15, 2012 by John Scalzo

Did you spend Valentine’s Day with the one you love? Well, if you one you love is FemShep, then the answer is surely “yes.”

That’s right, as of 9:00 PM (Eastern Time) last night the demo for Mass Effect 3 is now available to download for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 owners. PC users will have to use EA’s Origin service to get the demo while PS3 and Xbox 360 users can just use their system of choice’s built-in online store.

But that’s not all, EA and BioWare will open up the multiplayer portion of the demo starting on February 17. However, players who have purchased Battlefield 3 can battle it out with other Shepards online right now. And if you grab the demo on your Xbox 360, you’ll get free Xbox Live Gold access for the next three weeks and a chance to try out the game’s Kinect features. There’s definitely something for everyone here!

The full version of Mass Effect 3 will be available in stores (and on Origin) March 6.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops voted “Best Ending” by Guinness World Records readers

Posted on February 13, 2012 by John Scalzo

Did you pass on the Guinness World Records 2012 Gamer’s Edition when it was released back in January? Then you missed their list of the “Top 50 Video Game Endings of All Time” as voted by 13,519 Guinness readers. But apparently this information was just begging to get out as Guinness released the full list over the weekend. And the winner is… [drummmmmmmmmmrollllllllll]… Call of Duty: Black Ops.

OK… sure… why not. But I guess that’s what you get when you award “records” based on a popular vote.

Black Ops was followed by Halo: Reach at number two and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time at number three.

The Guinness people weren’t too clear on what they considered a game’s “ending,” citing the entire final level for Black Ops, the post credits sequence for Halo: Reach, and the boss fight against Ganon for Ocarina of Time. So when you read the entire list (which can be found after the break), be sure to remember that it was about the furthest thing possible from a scientific poll.

Of course, the inclusion of Super Mario Bros. at number 11 (and four Mario games in total) probably tipped you off to that. (more…)

Posted in DS, Etcetera, News, PC, PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

Super Mario Crossover 2.0 released – now with more characters!

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Nostalgic nerds rejoice! Super Mario Crossover 2.0 has been released into the wild. Watch the trailer above for some of the highlights.

Don’t know what Super Mario Crossover is? I’ll give you a moment to get over your shame.

You can play through an old school Mario game while shooting Goombas as Mega Man. You can jump around as if you were playing Ninja Gaiden, filling enemies with shuriken. In short, SMC is a Flash recreation of Super Mario Bros. with other characters you know and love along for the ride – including Simon Belmont, Link, and Samus. And you can do all of this while listening to your favorite tunes from those old Mario games.

Read all about what went into 2.0 over at Exploding Rabbit, written by creator Jay Pavlina. Then go play it for hours.

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BioWare planning more Mass Effect after ME3

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Nicole Kline

In a move surprising to no one, producer Casey Hudson expresses certainty that there will be more Mass Effect even after the trilogy ends on March 6 with Mass Effect 3.

Hudson – who said they’re too busy to feel sad right now – expressed that he thinks this third chapter is going to be the best in the series, according to Computer and Video Games.

Hudson said, “We had ambitious goals, but to make a whole series that spans recessions, BioWare’s independence, different publishers… Well, we did it in the end… We don’t know exactly [what happens next], but there will be more Mass Effect for Mass Effect fans, I’m sure.”

This is interesting – but unsurprising – news, especially on the tail of Mike Gamble’s announcement for fans to hold onto their Mass Effect 3 saves. Not for any reason, you know. Just in case. You digital hoarders you.

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Epic to unveil Unreal Engine 4 this year

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Mark Rein, the vice president of Epic Games, told G4 TV to expect to see more of the Unreal Engine 4 this year.

Rein said, “People are going to be shocked later this year when they see Unreal Engine 4 and how much more profound an effect it will have.”

I think the picture I chose says what’s on my mind: when will there be a new installment of Unreal Tournament? How about if they release Unreal Tournament 4, simultaneously showing off their ludicrously amazing engine and making all of my dreams come true?

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 |

Blizzard: Diablo III is now a Spring release

Posted on February 12, 2012 by John Scalzo

After missing a late 2011 launch, Blizzard announced that Diablo III would be released in early 2012. It looks like that release date is also no more as Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime revealed that the game’s new launch window is Spring 2012. The devil must have made them do it!

The news emerged from Activision’s most recent quarterly conference call and is likely due to the extensive changes Blizzard wanted to make to the game after receiving feedback from the Diablo III beta. Here’s what Morhaime had to say about the delay:

Given the popularity of the Action/RPG genre and the keen interest in Diablo III, we expect this launch to be a big opportunity for Blizzard. We can also confirm that we are targeting a Q2 launch for Diablo III. We expect to announce more details about the release schedule in the coming weeks.

So it’s coming in the Spring now. And this time they really really mean it! I guess we’ll see.

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