Most Recent: PC

Rumor: Microsoft trade show schedule dates new Kinect hardware, next Xbox for 2014

Posted on October 23, 2011 by John Scalzo

Take this one with a huge grain of salt, but tumblr blog MS nerd has posted a leaked trade show schedule for Microsoft that covers every expo from now until the end of 2014. This treasure trove of data reveals release dates for Windows 8 and Windows 9 as well as info on the next Xbox and a Kinect refresh (both scheduled for 2014).

The most important conferences/dates appear to be E3 2012 (“Xbox SDK, 3G Kinect games announce”), E3 2013 (Xbox “loop” announce), Build 2013 (Xbox “loop” launch), E3 2014 (Kinect HP2 announce, Xbox PU announce), and Nov 2014 (Kinect HP2 launch, Xbox PU RTW).

While these acronyms go unexplained, allow me to take a stab at it. The short timeframe between the Xbox “loop” announcement and its launch likely points to another Xbox Live refresh or some other rebranding scheme. The 2014 dates are much more interesting as Kinect HP2 may possibly stand for “Hardware Profile 2” (meaning a redesign/upgrade for the Kinect sensor) and the Xbox PU may refer to a “Powered Up” Xbox (also known as the Xbox Next among rumormongers). Of course, this is all just speculation on my part.

The full Microsoft conference schedule can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One |

Here’s the Batman: Arkham City system specs for your Batcomputer

Posted on October 23, 2011 by John Scalzo

WB Games and Rocksteady may have pushed the PC release of Batman: Arkham City back to November 15, but they claim its to make the best game possible on the PC. But will your PC be able to run it? After all, few of us have the Bruce Wayne billions required to cobble together a Batcomputer. Or even a Jokercomputer for that matter.

Minimum System Requirements
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP, Vista or 7
CPU: Dual-Core CPU 2.4 Ghz
RAM: 2GB
Graphics Card: NVIDIA 8800 or ATI 3800 with 512MB of VRAM
Sound: Microsoft Windows XP/Vista or 7 compatible sound card (100% DirectX 9.0c-compatible)
DVD-ROM: Quad-speed (4x) DVD-ROM drive
Hard Drive: 17.5GB free disk space
Input Devices: 100% Windows XP/Vista or 7 compatible mouse and keyboard

Recommended System Requirements
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7
CPU: Dual-Core CPU 2.5 GHz
RAM: 4GB
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 or ATI Radeon HD 6850 with 768MB+ of VRAM (DirectX 11 compatible)
Sound: Microsoft Windows XP/Vista or 7 compatible sound card (100% DirectX 9.0c-compatible)
DVD-ROM: Quad-speed (4x) DVD-ROM drive
Hard Drive: 17.5 GB free disk space
Input Devices: 100% Windows XP/Vista or 7 compatible mouse and keyboard or Xbox 360 Controller for Windows

More details about the PC-exclusive features found in Batman: Arkham City are available at GeForce.com.

Posted in News, PC | Tagged

Battle of the Modern War Games: Battlefield 3 launch trailer

Posted on October 22, 2011 by John Scalzo

Have you chosen your side in the battle of the modern war games? EA and DICE will release Battlefield 3 for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 next week. To celebrate, they’ve created a launch trailer that is super intense. More intense than Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s launch trailer? Maybe, but that’s up to you to decide.

However, Battlefield 3 does have one major point its favor. The trailer (and game, obviously) features everyone’s favorite Secret Service agent. That’s right, Glenn Morshower of “24” plays a General that’s even been modeled to look like him.

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

Battle of the Modern War Games: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 launch trailer

Posted on October 22, 2011 by John Scalzo

Is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 “the most anticipated game in history?” Activision’s marketing department sure seems to think so. And while that makes a nice headline in a press release, it’s probably overselling the latest CoD game just a bit. Especially with the near simultaneous release of DICE’s Battlefield 3. But I’ve got to admit, the game’s launch trailer is packed with enough ominous voiceovers and explosive setpieces to make an impression on non-fans.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be released for the DS, PC, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 on November 8.

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

New Releases: Battlefield 3, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land, Pokemon Rumble Blast, More

Posted on October 22, 2011 by John Scalzo

The war begins this week as DICE’s Battlefield 3 will be published by EA on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. The game will have two weeks by itself on store shelves before Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 returns fire on November 8. Have you chosen a side yet?

Also available this week is a Kirby game that we all thought was cancelled back in the GameCube days, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land. It’ll be available on the Wii this week, and yes, that’s Kirby wearing a Link hat and wielding a sword that looks suspiciously like the Master Sword. Nintendo will also unleash the melee-battling of Pokemon Rumble Blast on the 3DS.

A ton of smaller games will also make it onto store shelves this week including Namco Bandai’s Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi (PS3, Xbox 360), Sega’s The House of the Dead: Overkill – Extended Cut (PS3), Disney’s Disney Universe (PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360), Atlus’s The Cursed Crusade (PS3, Xbox 360) and Telltale’s Back to the Future (PS3, Wii).

Check out the full list of the rest of this week’s new releases after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged , , , ,

Blizzard announces next WoW expansion: Mists of Pandaria

Posted on October 21, 2011 by John Scalzo

Kung fu pandas… where does Blizzard come up with this stuff? OK, believe it or not, the Pandaren race of kung fu pandas has been a part of Warcraft lore since Warcraft III. But they’ve been absent from the series since World of Warcraft launched in 2004. But now they’re back and they’re taking a starring role in the MMORPG’s fourth expansion, Mists of Pandaria.

“Players have been asking to see the Pandaren in World of Warcraft since the game’s launch, and we’re excited to finally be able to give them a proper re-introduction to Azeroth,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “In addition to the new playable race and class, Mists of Pandaria contains a huge amount of new content, and we’re looking forward to sharing more information about all of it at BlizzCon and beyond.”

No release date has been announced for the expansion, but it will add a bevy of new features including a new class, a higher level cap, new zones and Dungeon Challenge Modes. Check out a full list of all the new features after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PC | Tagged ,

Need For Speed: The Run Hands-On Preview: Cannonballing Through the Snow

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Adam Woolcott

The last time EA Black Box handled a Need For Speed game, it was the poorly received Need For Speed: Undercover. The product was such a bust that Electronic Arts gave the long-time series developer a lengthy break, placing the future of the franchise in the hands of folks like Criterion, the makers of the Burnout games, and newcomers Slightly Mad Studios. In the time since Undercover, titles like Need For Speed: Shift and Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit have restored the legacy of the once-popular brand. However, while all this was going on, Black Box has been hard at work on this year’s Need For Speed game, dubbed Need For Speed: The Run. Due about a month from now, The Run is a departure from past games in the series, but at the same time, it matches the kind of “storyline-based” racing experience that the developer has been playing at since the days of Need For Speed: Underground. (more…)

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

Why I Hate Hearing the Words “Borderlands and Fallout 3 Are the Same Game”

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Many people say that they don’t want to play Borderlands because it’s just like Fallout 3, or that the settings are identical. While I understand the idea that a wasteland populated mostly with freaks building things out of trash sounds like it would make two things exactly the same, this is not the case at all. While the settings may appear to be similar, there’s nothing at all the same with these two games – location, gameplay, and plot aren’t even remotely similar. Add to this mixture the brand new Rage, which also looks and feels similar, and you’ve got a recipe for confusion and indecision. So without further ado, I present to you the differences between Borderlands and Fallout 3 – or why you should never, ever mistake one of these games for the other. (more…)

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