Most Recent: PS3

PixelJunk Shooter 2 heating up PS3 on March 1

It may have taken a while since we reported on their podcast that PixelJunk Shooter 2 was nearly complete, but the game has a release date and it’s coming surprisingly soon – March 1. Mr. Dylan Cuthbert himself announced the good news on the PlayStation Blog, excited about bringing three entirely new worlds as well as the versus mode which Cuthbert describes as a “whole new game in itself.” Players will be able to choose from over 20 weapons and abilities when they square off, and Q-Games attributes this robust multiplayer offering for how long it’s taken to get the game out.

The Q-Games team is currently taking questions on the PS Blog, and you can also ask questions for their podcast, which is listed under Q-Games in our very own Guide to Gaming Videos on Youtube. Hopefully the new game will have the same $9.99 price point as the original.

By the way, we’re all being referred to as “PixelJunkies” from now on.

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Sony confirms Fall 2011 release for Twisted Metal

Twisted Metal‘s PlayStation.com profile still lists a Spring 2011 release date, but a Sony spokesperson has confirmed to Warp Zoned that the game will be released this Fall.

The release date confusion is the latest bit of secrecy surrounding Twisted Metal after it was initially unveiled in the special features of Twisted Metal: Head-On. For several years after that, David Jaffe denied that the game was even in development until its splashy “reveal” at E3 2010.

So while it looks like we won’t get a chance to play Twisted Metal in the next few months, at least Sony isn’t pretending it doesn’t exist anymore.

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AIAS names Mass Effect 2 their Game of the Year

BioWare’s Mass Effect 2 walked away with Game of the Year honors at the Interactive Achievement Awards last night.

The game, which was just recently released on the PS3 after its PC and Xbox 360 debut last year, was given the award by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. This is the Academy’s 14th year handing out the IAAs and Mass Effect 2 beat out Call of Duty: Black Ops, God of War III, Red Dead Redemption and Angry Birds to win the prize.

But among the honorees, only Black Ops went home empty-handed. Angry Birds was named Casual Game of the Year, God of War III won Outstanding Achievement in Animation and Red Dead Redemption galloped away with five awards.

You can watch the entire ceremony at G4tv.com/DICE2011 or you can see the full list of winners after the break. (more…)

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Twisted Metal set for a Spring release

Sony has updated the release date on Twisted Metal‘s PlayStation.com listing and, unless someone jumped the gun, it looks like we finally know when we’ll be able to strap on the demonic clown mask one more time. As of right now, the game’s release date is currently listed as “Spring 2011.”

Previously, the game had been saddled with a “TBA 2011” release date, but we know that David Jaffe, Scott Campbell and the rest of the team at Eat Sleep Play have been working on the game since at least 2008. That already lengthy development cycle (and Sony’s packed PS3 schedule for the Fall) lend further credence to a Spring release.

However, Sony has yet to confirm the news with a PlayStation.Blog post or a press release. We’ve contacted the publisher to ask just when Twisted Metal will be let out of the garage and we’ll update this post when we hear back.

UPDATE: A Sony spokesperson has confirmed that Twisted Metal will be released in Fall 2011.

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Dead Space: Extraction Review: Pure Fun on Rails

Dead Space: Extraction is another chapter in the horror-laden universe Visceral Games created back in 2008. Extraction is a prequel to the first Dead Space, and shows the gruesome details of what happened aboard both the colony and Ishimura before Isaac and his crew got there. Originally made for the Wii, this rail shooter from 2009 was ported to the PlayStation 3 in 2011 with incredible results – and an HD facelift. Surprisingly, Extraction isn’t just another rail shooter. (more…)

Posted in PS3, Reviews, Top Story |

Activision reveals new Family Guy game, X-Men: First Class, “unprecedented” new universe

Activision was very busy during their quarterly financial briefing yesterday. In addition to canceling Guitar Hero 7 and True Crime: Hong Kong, the company revealed a few details about their 2011 (and beyond) schedule.

New Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg did most of talking. He began by reiterating that Call of Duty 8 is on track for a 2011 release and officially announced a free-to-play Call of Duty game for China, which will be released in 2012.

Continuing with the Call of Duty theme, Hirshberg revealed that a new Activision in-house studio, Beachhead, will be creating an “all-new digital platform for the Call of Duty franchise.” The system sounds very similar to Halo Waypoint and promises to “support in-game integration and bring online experiences and console play together.”

Activision also has a slew of licensed games in development for 2011 including three never-before-announced games: Family Guy, X-Men: First Class and Wipeout 2.

A Family Guy game was released by 2K Games to tepid reviews in 2006. X-Men: First Class will likely launch alongside the film in June with the Silicon Knights-developed X-Men: Destiny still on track for a late 2011 release. And for those confused about Wipeout 2, it’s not the futuristic racing franchise, but a second game based on ABC’s obstacle course game show.

Several previously announced 2011 games, including Transformers: Dark of the Moon, a new Spider-Man game, more Cabela’s Hunting titles and a new Bakugan game were also discussed.

Bungie’s New Universe was briefly mentioned, but only to confirm that it won’t launch until 2012 at the earliest.

Finally, Hirshberg announced that Activision will be unveiling “an all-new gaming universes that brings together the worlds of toys, video games and online play.” in two days at the New York Toy Fair. Activision will release the game based on this new universe in the second half of 2011 and calls the franchise an “unprecedented” merging of different media.

Wow. We’ll likely learn more about a lot of these titles at E3.

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Activision cancels Guitar Hero 7, True Crime: Hong Kong

For the first time since the franchise launched in 2005, a new Guitar Hero game will not be released this year.

This news comes out of Activision’s quarterly financial briefing, where the publisher has revealed that it has disbanded its Guitar Hero business division and canceled the Vicarious Visions-developed Guitar Hero 7.

True Crime: Hong Kong, the United Front-developed reboot of Activision’s answer to Grand Theft Auto, has also been given the axe. Eric Hirshberg cut right to the point when explaining the reason behind the cancellation when he said “[True Crime: Hong Kong] just wasn’t going to be good enough.”

While not a cancellation, COO Thomas Tippl also revealed that the Tony Hawk series will also be taking 2011 off.

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Black Ops DLC makes its First Strike on PS3 March 3

If you’re a fan of Call of Duty: Black Ops, but not a fan of paying subscriptions in order to access content on discs you’ve already paid full price for, you’re in luck! Treyarch’s Community Mananger Josh Olin announced on the PlayStation Blog (despite great hostility from the PlayStation Nation) that the first map pack for Black Operations entitled ‘First Strike’ will be available on the PlayStation Store on March 3 for $14.99 (PC gamers will see it by the end of March). The game includes four new multiplayer maps – Berlin Wall, Discovery, Kowloon, and Stadium, the last of which also plays host for a brand new Zombies experience in Ascension. Presumably Steam will have a similar release date and pricing.

I went back to CoDBlOps on the PS3 recently and found nearly all of the network issues to be fixed; I’m not really sure why the naysayers on the PlayStation Blog are claiming it’s a broken game. Many of them make a good point, though: will this DLC even be relevant, considering it’s coming out mere days after Killzone 3 launches? Feel free to let us know in the comments or just check out the screenshots after the break. (more…)

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