Most Recent: PS3

L.A. Noire Review: The Extra ‘E’ Stands For Exemplary, Princess

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Nicole Kline

On the surface, L.A. Noire is an open-world detective game, in which you solve cases by gathering clues and interrogating suspects, working your way through the ranks of the various departments. But the game goes beyond that, allowing you to establish relationships with some characters while making rivals out of others. And underneath it all boils the subplot of their shared past, building a tension that froths through scene after scene. In a time when many argue over whether or not video games are art, or whether many have viable plots at all, L.A. Noire delivers a gripping story without sacrificing gameplay – and does all of this while feeling like a high-quality movie. (more…)

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

L.A. Noire DLC plans detailed by Rockstar

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Rockstar Games formally announced their plans for L.A. Noire‘s DLC today, detailing information on new cases, collectibles, and challenges. All of the content will be available on both the PlayStation Network (whenever the Store returns) and Xbox LIVE. The cases are priced at $4.00 (PlayStation Network)/320 Microsoft Points (Xbox LIVE).

The four new standalone cases are:

  • The Naked City (Vice) – available today
  • A Slip of the Tongue (Traffic) – available today
  • Nicholson Electroplating (Arson) – coming 6/21/11
  • Reefer Madness (Vice) – coming 7/12/11

There’s also The Badge Pursuit Challenge for $2.00/160 Microsoft Points and the Sharpshooter/ Broderick detective suits for $1.00/80 Microsoft Points.

A unique way to pay for all of this is to purchase the L.A. Noire Rockstar Pass, which costs $10.00/800 Microsoft Points and gives you access to all the DLC as it comes out. So the total without the pass is $16, saving you a big $6 – but the discount is only for a limited time, after which the pass will go up to $12.

Well, that’s not confusing at all. In addition to all of the paid items, Rockstar Social Club members will be getting a freebie – the Chicago Lightning Detective Suit – and everyone will have access to the Chicago Piano machine gun for free. Hit the jump for the full release schedule. (more…)

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

First details of Call of Duty Elite subscription serivce

Posted on May 31, 2011 by John Scalzo

Activision has been talking up their “Beachhead” initiative, a unified platform for Call of Duty stats and bonue features similar to Halo Waypoint, for a few months now. Today, the company is ready to unveil it under its official name: Call of Duty Elite.

As expected, Call of Duty Elite will carry a monthly fee, which Activision executives describe as “less than fees for comparable online-entertainment services such as Netflix.” For comparison’s sake, the Netflix one-disc package is priced at $7.99 a month. But don’t worry, gamers will have plenty of time to decide whether or not Elite is worth the price as it’s not scheduled to launch until this November, alongside Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

So what will gamers be getting for their subscription fee? Tracking tools will coordinate a wide variety of statistics for multiplayer matches, which can be used to find out which weapons work best on which map. A Theater mode will allow gamers to record and share clips of their Call of Duty adventures. And a Facebook-like Groups feature will let users meet up to plan their multiplayer matches (this feature will also be included in a free version of Elite). Best of all, Elite subscribers will receive all downloadable map packs for free as well, which will likely be the main draw for many early Elite subscribers.

Will you pay for Call of Duty Elite? Or is this just another way for Activision to squeeze another fistful of money out of their cash cow franchise? Let us know in the comments.

[Source: Wall Street Journal]

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

PlayStation Store to return by week’s end

Posted on May 31, 2011 by John Scalzo

It has taken over a month, but the ApocalyPS3 2011 appears to be over.

Sony has announced that a full restoration of PlayStation Network services, including the PlayStation Store and Qriocity, will be in place by the end of the week. According to Sony, the almost worldwide restoration of services applies to the Americas, Europe/PAL territories and Asia. However, PlayStation Store services will remain down for PSN users in Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea.

For those of us outside those three areas, the following PSN services will be back online by Sunday, June 6:

  • Full functionality on PlayStation Store
  • In-game commerce
  • Ability to redeem vouchers and codes
  • Full functionality on Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity for PS3, PSP and PC
  • Full functionality on Media Go

This also means that the games in the “Welcome Back” program will be available to download soon.

Posted in News, PS3, PSP | Tagged

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Episode 8 – Get Over Here!

Posted on May 31, 2011 by John Scalzo

Scorpion and Sub-Zero continue to do battle in the second-to-last episode of Kevin Tancharoen’s Mortal Kombat: Legacy. I don’t think I need Scorpion’s spear to tell you to… come here!… and watch it. But it surely helps.

Next week, the entire tale (or at least this season) comes to a close with Sektor and Cryrax.

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

Hideo Kojima answers E3-related questions

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Mark Casino

The man with the master plan, Hideo Kojima, has answered some very important E3 related questions in the latest Kojima Productions podcast. For all of us who don’t understand Japanese, here’s a translation of the important part of the podcast:

Question: “Will you appear at the Microsoft E3 press conference?”
Answer: No

Question: “Will you announce Metal Gear Solid 5?”
Answer: No

Question: “Will Metal Gear Solid 3D be released at the end of 2011?”
Answer: Yes

Question: “Is Doctor Lautrec the new title from the Metal Gear staff?”
Answer: No (with a laugh)

Question: “Did Kojima Productions not work on Metal Gear Arcade?”
Answer: Yes

Question: “Is Gray Fox the main character in Metal Gear Solid: Rising?”
Answer: No

Question: “Will Metal Gear Solid: Rising’s multiplayer be shown?”
Answer: No

Question: “Is Metal Gear Solid: Rising’s release date November 1, 2011?”
Answer: No

Question: “Will Metal Gear Solid 4 be ported to NGP?”
Answer: No

Question: “Are you planning something big for Metal Gear’s 25th anniversary next year?” Answer: Yes

Also note that Hideo Kojima has confirmed he will not appear at E3 this year, so don’t expect any Metal Gear news at the big show.

Posted in 3DS, News, PS3, Vita, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Portal 2 soundtrack now available for download

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Bret Morace

Can’t get enough Portal 2? Well, lucky for you, Volume 1 of the game’s soundtrack, Songs To Test By, is available at the official Portal 2 website as a free download.

Just wait, there’s more. Valve has also promised two additional volumes in the Portal 2 soundtrack series will be released sometime in the future. The soundtrack is pretty impressive and currently dominating my iPhone, so for my fellow lovers of Portal 2, enjoy!

For science!

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

Street Fighter X Tekken: Julia is New Challenger #3

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Mark Casino

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s that time again to receive yet another obvious character tease announcement for Street Fighter X Tekken.

If you haven’t figured it out, it’s Julia from the Tekken series . Other characters that have been added to the roster are Sagat and Cammy. Is it just me or are these character reveals not as exciting as the ones for games such as the Marvel vs. Capcom series and Smash Bros Brawl series? Perhaps this is because we know for a fact that the only characters in this game will be from either Street Fighter or Tekken and that Capcom is not afraid to release a fighter with a 56-character roster list. Because Capcom has not released any word of the character roster limit, we may very well see almost every character from both the Street Fighter and Tekken universes.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged