Most Recent: Xbox 360

BioWare co-founder comments on Mass Effect 3 backlash, hints at new ending DLC

Posted on March 22, 2012 by John Scalzo

Developers at BioWare can’t stop talking about Mass Effect 3 and the fan backlash concerning the ending. They preface each new comment with some variation of “we’ll talk about it later” and then they proceed to talk about it right now in that diplomatic PR-speak that artists and entertainers use when they’ve screwed up: “I’m sorry, the team was great, I’m sorry, everybody else seems to like it, I’m sorry…”

The latest person to join the backlash bandwagon is BioWare co-founder Dr. Ray Muzyka, who took to the BioWare Blog to praise the development team, crow about the very positive critical response, and to again admit that answers to fan complaints are coming in “a timely way.”

But Muzyka also spoke about BioWare’s post-release plans for Mass Effect 3 including “a number of game content initiatives that will help answer the questions [of the ending], providing more clarity for those seeking further closure to their journey.” While he didn’t come right out and say it, it seems likely that a “new ending” DLC pack is in the works as these content initiatives will join several additional Mass Effect 3 expansions the team was already developing. The developer promised that more information about these content initiatives will be revealed in April.

The BioWare General Manager also confirmed that the Mass Effect franchise will continue with “new full games” in the series. So let’s hope the launch of Mass Effect 4 (or whatever it’s called) goes much smoother.

Muzyka closed by thanking fans for their feedback and, once again, tried to assure them “we are listening.”

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

Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers are #1 seeds in Madden NFL 13 cover bracket

Posted on March 21, 2012 by John Scalzo

The votes from the “play-in round” have been tabulated and the 32-man Madden NFL 13 cover bracket is now live at ESPN’s SportsNation site.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers were seeded by EA Sports in the number one slots. New England Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski and Victor Cruz of the New York Giants are nipping at their heels as the number twos.

By scheduling the “play-in round” before the beginning of free agency, several teams won’t be represented in the final bracket while others have multiple players in the tournament. Brandon Lloyd was selected as the player from the St. Louis Rams, but he’ll don a Patriots jersey this Fall and Tim Tebow was traded to the New York Jets just minutes before the bracket was unveiled.

You can check out the complete bracket after the break and remember to vote in Round One of the Madden NFL 13 Cover Vote, which runs from today until March 28. (more…)

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

XBLA Today: Sine Mora, Rayman 3 HD

Posted on March 21, 2012 by John Scalzo

Wednesday is here and Microsoft has updated the Xbox Live Arcade with two new titles today.

The first is a side-scrolling, steampunk, shoot ’em up from Suda 51 titled Sine Mora. It’s available to download for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15):

Sine Mora is a horizontal shoot’em up that provides a unique take on challenge, where time is the ultimate factor. Mixing classic shooter sensibilities with contemporary presentation, SINE MORA is a gorgeous shmup that offers a Story Mode that weaves an over-the-top tale and an Arcade Mode that provides deep, satisfying gameplay to challenge fans of the genre. With many ways to manipulate time, Sine Mora features over 60 weapon combinations to complete each beautifully-crafted stage that form fits to the player’s skills with scaling difficulty. Soundtrack composed by Akira Yamaoka and featuring boss designs by Mahiro Maeda.

Also available this week is a classic platformer remade in HD for the XBLA, Rayman 3 HD. It’s available to download for 800 Microsoft Points ($10):

Embark on a fantastic and humorous journey with Rayman and Globox to save the Crossroad of Dreams. Masterfully enhanced with eye-popping High Definition visuals and sounds, Rayman 3 HD is the definitive version of the Rayman classic Rayman 3: Hoodlum’s Havoc, and a must-play for all Rayman fans and platform adventure game enthusiasts.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

First Walking Dead trailer, pricing details shamble into focus

Posted on March 21, 2012 by John Scalzo

After months of teasing, Telltale Games is finally ready to satisfy the hunger of gamers everywhere looking for details about The Walking Dead. The first episode of the five-part series will be available for the PC, Mac, iOS, PlayStation Network, and Xbox Live Arcade. PSN, XBLA, and iPod/iPad owners will be able to purchase it for $5 (or the Microsoft-approved equivalent) while PC/Mac players will have to pre-purchase the entire series for $24.99.

However, those that pre-order the PC game before it’s release will receive a 10% discount and be entered into a contest to become a character in the game. According to Telltale, “they will be modeled as a human survivor before being killed and then returned to life as a ravenous zombie.” Kick ass!

In addition to a release window, pricing information, and the first trailer, Telltale has also released a story synopsis:

An untold story following convicted criminal Lee Everett; a man given a second chance at life in a world gone to hell. With danger around every corner, protecting an orphaned girl named Clementine may offer him redemption in a world of true horror.

Dan Connors, Telltale’s co-founder and CEO is understandably excited: “This trailer really shows off how our artists have managed to take the 2D art style of the comic books and create a 3D world allowing fans to truly interact with Robert Kirkman’s world for the very first time. We hope that fans will like what they see and be excited by the chance to join the cast of the game; we promise they’ll die horribly!”

That better be a promise, Mr. Connors!

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

Daily Scoop: March 20, 2012 – Whew!!

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Nicole Kline

It has been quite a busy few days for me, dear friends! I went to Game Fest this weekend at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. It was an amazing little festival to kick off their newest exhibit, “The Art of Video Games.” It was a weekend full of Pac-Man cookies, celebrity sightings, and video games. I couldn’t have asked for more! Keep checking back here for my articles about the event.

Also, I’ve got a bunch of deals for you today! Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games today is Ubisoft’s The Black Eyed Peas Experience. It’s $29.40 on the Wii and $30.02 on the Xbox 360. They’re also running an awesome deal to buy Final Fantasy XIII-2, get Final Fantasy XIII free! Seriously hop on that. If you’ve already got the first game, they’ve also got the Collector’s Edition of the sequel for $59.99 for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

That’s not all. There’s also the Red Dead Redemption Game of the Year Edition on sale for $29.99 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. This includes the original game, plus Undead Nightmare, as well as all the other DLC available for the game. This is a must-buy if you don’t already have this game! And last up is $50 off the Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Value Bundle, bringing it down to $249.99. This is a pretty good deal for the 250 GBs of space, plus two games, a controller, a headset, and three months of Xbox Live. Considering that Star Wars one I want is nearly twice the price, this one is awfully tempting…

No game-related shirts today, but there’s a repeat up that I promised myself I would buy if I ever saw it again… (more…)

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 |

BioWare cancels Dragon Age II expansion, asks for fan feedback on franchise’s future

Posted on March 20, 2012 by John Scalzo

Dragon Age II was released more than a year ago and while many players were disappointed in the new direction the series took, the adventures of Hawke still had plenty of fans. However, it looks it wasn’t enough as Executive Producer Mark Darrah has confirmed (via Twitter) that an expansion for the game, titled Dragon Age II: Exalted March, was recently canceled.

Afterwords, Darrah ventured into the BioWare Forums (a scary place nowadays) and revealed a little more about the future of the franchise. According to the developer, Dragon Age II won’t be completely forgotten as BioWare will try to complete Hawke’s tale in a future game.

He also confirmed that the Dragon Age team will be listening very closely to fan feedback and incorporating it into Dragon Age III:

We’ll be attending a number of conventions and gatherings, including PAX East in April. The most valuable thing we can get out of those meetings is to hear from you on those same topics – what does Dragon Age mean to you, and where would you like to see it go? We’re excited to hear what you have to say!

Interesting. Was this the plan all along or did the Mass Effect 3 backlash rewrite BioWare’s entire culture?

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

Disney brings Brave to consoles, DS, PC this Summer

Posted on March 19, 2012 by John Scalzo

Pixar’s next movie, Brave, opens on June 22. As you’d expect for one of the Summer’s biggest blockbusters, it’ll receive a tie-in game published by Disney Interactive.

Brave will be available for the DS, PC, PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360 sometime this Summer (probably in early June). The game asks players to “run, jump and battle their way through the rugged landscape of mythical and mysterious Scotland” as the movie’s main character, Merida:

A third person action-adventure, Brave: The Video Game expands the tale beyond the movie’s storyline. Gamers can play as Merida, an expert archer and heroine, and in the console versions, players can also play as other entertaining characters from the film. In addition, they will be able to go on quests through a magical world and solve puzzles to uncover secrets.

If that doesn’t convince you to give Brave a shot, how about this: the PC, PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360 versions will include a Bear Mode where you, yes, play as a bear.

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

EA killing online multiplayer for Burnout Revenge, EA MMA, others

Posted on March 19, 2012 by John Scalzo

Electronic Arts has announced another round of online multiplayer server shutdowns. As always, the publisher claims that these games are played by less than 1% of all players who play EA games online.

Notable among this batch is EA Sports MMA, both for how recent it is (it was released less than 18 months ago) and because of the fact that it required an Online Pass for its multiplayer mode.

I suppose it can debated whether EA has to right to shut down a for-pay multiplayer server, but for now, here’s the rest of the server shutdowns:

  • Boom Blox: Bash Party (Wii)
  • Burnout Revenge (Xbox 360)
  • Create (PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)
  • EA Sports Active 2.0 (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)
  • EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp (Wii)
  • EA SPorts MMA (PS3, Xbox 360)
  • FIFA Soccer 10 (PSP, Wii)
  • The Godfather II (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
  • Need For Speed: ProStreet (PS3, Xbox 360)
  • The Saboteur: The Midnight Club (PS3, Xbox 360)
  • Spare Parts (PS3, Xbox 360)

All of the games in the above list will go offline on April 13, 2012.

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