Most Recent: Xbox 360

Calvin Johnson’s curse begins now… EA Sports has released the Madden NFL 13 box art

Posted on May 8, 2012 by John Scalzo

Peyton Hillis was hit hard by the Madden Cover Curse last year. Perhaps harder than any player has ever been hit.***

But look at Calvin Johnson, wide receiver for the Detroit Lions. EA Sports released the official cover of Madden NFL 13 today and he’s ready for it. He isn’t scared of any curse. After all, “Megatron” stomped Dwayne Bowe, Arian Foster, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Rodgers, and Cam Newton on his way to winning the fan vote. To see just how ready he is, click the cover to get an enlarged view.

Madden NFL 13 will be available for the PS3, Xbox 360, Vita, and other platforms this August

*** Editor’s Note: Statistically, there is no curse. We ran the numbers. We’re sure.

Posted in News, PS3, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Pre-order Hitman: Absolution from GameStop, gain access to “Sniper Challenge”

Posted on May 8, 2012 by John Scalzo

Publisher Square Enix and developer IO Interactive are teasing a major Hitman: Absolution announcement this Thursday, May 10. But an ad in the newest issue of Game Informer has beaten them to the kill.

According to the ad, gamers who pre-order Hitman: Absolution from GameStop will receive access to the Hitman: Sniper Challenge downloadable level. The best part, it appears to be a standalone mini-game (“Available NOW,” according to the ad) that comes complete with prizes for high scores.

What kind of prizes? Will the mini-game be downloadable by regular joes who don’t plan to pre-order Hitman: Absolution? We’ll have to wait until the official announcement to answer those questions.

[Source: Push Square]

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

Add Halo: The Thursday War to your book library this October

Posted on May 8, 2012 by John Scalzo

Microsoft and Tor Books have announced the next novel in Karen Traviss’ Kilo-Five trilogy, Halo: The Thursday War, will be released on October 2.

The novel is a sequel to Halo: Glasslands and will give fans their first taste of the “events and circumstances that will come to define the state of the Halo universe in Halo 4.”

Instead of the big action moments of the previous Halo novels and games, Traviss said she wanted The Thursday War to “focus on what it feels like to operate in a fragile ceasefire that’s turning into a mass of small, unpredictable wars where the enemy is much harder to spot and define.” She added, “This is a messy conflict seen at close quarters by real people with their own problems, whether those people are human, alien, or artificial intelligences.”

Halo: The Thursday War picks up immediately where Halo: Glasslands left off, with forces on Earth and among the Covenant threatening a peace that is precarious at best. With a splinter group among the Sangheili [Elites] pushing for war, some human colonies rebel against earth authority; and as ONI policy continues to shift with the volatile situation in space, the discovery of a trove of Forerunner technology on Onyx provokes leaders on Earth to seek uses for it in the conflict. For the fight is far from over…

Halo: The Thursday War will be available in both hardcover and audio formats.

Posted in Etcetera, News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

This is the complete Halo timeline

Posted on May 7, 2012 by John Scalzo

Frank O’Connor, the Halo Franchise Director at 343 Industries, has mentioned the shooter’s “series bible” many times in the last few years. O’Connor isn’t just developing new games in the bestselling franchise, he’s trying to create an interconnected world that would make George Lucas gasp in astonishment.

Now, CVG has pulled together the many different threads of the Halo franchise (six original games, one remade game, six trade comics, nine novels, two short story collections, and an animated film) into one cohesive timeline, and what it means for Halo 4. Even if you don’t play the games, it’s an interesting read:

Under Bungie and Microsoft the Halo timeline was malleable, but for 343 it’s set in stone. Halo’s extended universe is informing everything about Halo 4, from its setting on a Forerunner Shield World to the enemies drawn from a point 100,000 years in the past. Halo 4’s protagonists were first introduced inthe pages of Primordium and Cryptum and its new technologies debuted in Glasslands.

Catching up with it all could take a while, so we’ve done the hard work for you, pulling together threads from every piece of Halo fiction and ironing out the contradictions for adefinitive wrap-up of one billion years of fiction.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Microsoft confirms subscription-subsidized $99 Xbox 360

Posted on May 7, 2012 by John Scalzo

It appears the rumors are true. Starting today, Microsoft has begun selling a subscription-subsidized Xbox 360 bundle for $99. Currently available only at the 21 Microsoft Store locations in the U.S., potential buyers are required to sign up for a two-year contract (at $14.99 a month) to Xbox Live Gold as part of the purchase agreement.

But after you plunk down your initial $99, you’ll receive a brand new 4GB Xbox 360 system and a Kinect sensor. It’s actually not a bad deal, but few people will be able to take advantage of it as most of the country lives hundreds of miles from the nearest Microsoft Store.

But as a predictor of things to come in the console space, this kind of subsidized system sale could make the “future generation” console wars very interesting.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 |

Activision officially announces Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse

Posted on May 7, 2012 by John Scalzo

After being outed over the weekend by Amazon, Activision has officially announced that Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse will be available this Fall.

“Fans of Family Guy will love that we’ve taken some of the series’ most iconic and memorable moments and built them into an impressive and uncensored video game,” said David Oxford, Executive Vice President, Activision. “Anyone who watches the show will appreciate how much we have adhered to its rich and twisted universe and characters.”

Activision promised that more details from Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse would be revealed soon, but for now, that’s it. However, the Amazon listing included a September 25 release date for the game, which the retailer claims is coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

New Hell Yeah! gameplay trailer brings you “Full Frontal Violence”

Posted on May 4, 2012 by John Scalzo

Arkedo Studio is hard at work on Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit, their action/platformer/jetpack driller simulator, and they’ve released the above gameplay trailer to prove it. How can you say “no” to a game that promises “Full Frontal Violence… In Your Face”?

Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit will be released for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 this Summer.

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

Cave’s Akai Katana gets a European release date

Posted on May 4, 2012 by John Scalzo

Rising Star Games has announced a European release date for Cave’s latest “bullet hell” shooter, Akai Katana. The Xbox 360 game will be available to purchase by our friends across the Atlantic on May 11.

“Cave are world renowned for creating the biggest and best arcade shooters around, and we’re delighted to add Akai Katana to that list, come May 11,” commented Martin Defries, the Managing Director at Rising Star Games. “No other arcade shooter offers the same explosive entertainment and wanton destruction as Akai Katana, and we can’t wait to let this loose on the public.”

Rising Star Games also plans to publish Akai Katana in North America (their first title for the region), but no release date has been announced.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged