God of War: Ascension beta begins this Winter; Rise of the Warrior social game begins now

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Mike Ryan

Sony announced (via the PlayStation Blog) that the multiplayer beta for upcoming God of War prequel, God of War: Ascension, will release “this winter.” There are only two ways to partake in the Spartan/Trojan war: be a PlayStation Plus subscriber, or go to GodofWar.com and participate in their social game experience, “The Rise of the Warrior.” By playing Rise of the Warrior, not only do you earn early access to the beta, but you can also earn tons of God of War goodies!

You’ll live out your warrior’s journey in an epic new graphic-novel style story. You will embark on a quest for redemption that leads you toward becoming the next Champion of the Gods.

It gives you the opportunity to align with either the Spartans or the Trojans and compete via a number of social challenges to earn your army a week of exclusive early access to the Beta this winter, and 30 days of PlayStation Plus. And that’s just the first of multiple major army rewards between now and March! If an epic new God of War story and early Beta access aren’t enough for you – you’ll also be able to earn early in-game unlocks for God of War: Ascension multiplayer to get a head-start on the competition, along with exclusive multiplayer weapons and armor for everyone who rises to Champion of the Gods! So get over to GodofWar.com and start your journey in Rise of the Warrior.

Sony has also released a new trailer for the game, starring Zeus, that you can watch above. God of War: Ascension releases for the PS3 on March 12th.

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Microsoft expands Xbox 360 console subscription service

Posted on October 23, 2012 by John Scalzo

When Microsoft announced their subscription-subsidized Xbox 360 contract in May, the offer was limited to the 4GB model and only available within the walls of a Microsoft Store. Today, the company has revealed plans to expand the service to multiple Xbox 360 models and open up sales to outside retailers.

Now known as the “Xbox 360 Entertainment For All Plan,” gamers will have the option of selecting one of three different Xbox 360 models for their two-year contract. They include the 4GB With Kinect ($99 + $15/month XBL Gold Contract), the 250GB ($99 + $15/month XBL Gold Contract), and the 250GB With Kinect ($149 + $15/month XBL Gold Contract).

Over the life of the two-year subscription, the total cost to purchasers would be $40 (on the 4GB With Kinect/250GB models) or $70 (on the 250GB With Kinect model) more than the regular purchase price. But, of course, you won’t have to pay it all up front.

Multiple retailers will soon begin to offer the Xbox 360 Entertainment For All Plan, with Microsoft saying on their official website, “Please check back later to see a full list of participating retailers.”

UPDATE: Microsoft has released the list of “Xbox 360 Entertainment For All Plan” retailers and it includes GameStop, Toys R Us, Best Buy, and Walmart.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 |

Square Enix becomes first publisher to license Unreal Engine 4

Posted on October 23, 2012 by John Scalzo

Square Enix has become the first outside publisher to license Epic’s Unreal Engine 4. The deal allows Square Enix to create multiple titles using both Unreal Engine 3 and Unreal Engine 4 at any of their internal studios.

“Epic has a strong relationship with Square Enix, and it’s an honor to provide their creative and technical talent with the best game technology available for licensing,” said Taka Kawasaki, territory manager of Epic Games Japan. “We look forward to supporting their developers with world-class tools for years to come.”

Normally known for creating their own internal engines, Square Enix has dabbled with using Unreal Engine 3 in the past, including last year’s Demons’ Score as well as 2008’s The Last Remnant. Fortnite, the first game designed using Unreal Engine 4, is currently in development at Epic Games and has a planned 2013 release.

Posted in News |

Bad Piggies Review: The Pigs Shall Rise Again; or, Gone with the Swine

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Holly Scalzo

Even though the concept of Angry Birds made me uncomfortable at first – trying to hurt or injure pigs (who I like in real life) with birds (who I despise in real life) didn’t sound like fun – after this game, I definitely want to shoot birds, or anything, at the pigs.

Bad Piggies is a new game from Finnish Rovio Entertainment, the makers of Angry Birds (Angry Birds, Angry Birds Space, Angry Birds Seasons, Angry Birds Rio, Angry Birds Magic, Angry Birds Southern Murder Mystery… okay that last one was to see if you were paying attention). These are based on the (presumably) centuries-old battle between hog and air-rat, and which I like to pretend is for world domination instead of bird eggs… it’s more interesting that way. This time, however, you’re playing as the pigs, and those petulant swine have a score to settle.

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Posted in Mobile, Reviews, Top Story | Tagged

Daily Scoop: October 22, 2012 – Busy busy

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Well I’ve been a busy lady! We played some Dungeons and Dragons as well as danced the night away at a wedding Saturday, and Sunday was full of tabletop RPGs and watching The Walking Dead at our favorite local comic book store. A lot of fun, a lot of laughter, and even a chance for some sleep in there. Oh, and gaming, of course!

I’ve been playing a lot of Borderlands 2 with my boyfriend – he’s the Mechromancer and I’m playing the Gunzerker this time around. I’m also completely engrossed in Pokemon Black 2. Really, I’m paying attention to you, I’m just grinding. I can multitask!

Amazon has a load of new deals today. Check ’em out!

Whew! That is a ridiculous number of deals! And now, time for the t-shirt of the day:

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Borderlands Legends coming to iOS this month

Posted on October 22, 2012 by John Scalzo

The original vault hunters from Borderlands (Brick, Lilith, Mordecai, and Roland) are coming back for another round of ridiculous shooting action in Borderlands Legends for the iPad/iPhone/iTouch. The existence of the app was confirmed thanks to a post on the Gearbox Software Forums.

Borderlands Legends will be available in October (hey, that’s this month!) and will offer “randomized missions, thousands of different weapons, 36 unique powers and abilities, and a strategic cover system.”

All of these bullet points will be in support of “Fight For Your Life Mode,” a survival shooter where players have to battle wave after wave of Pandoran enemies.

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Nippon Ichi announces Disgaea Dimension 2 for PS3

Posted on October 22, 2012 by John Scalzo

After several sequels starring new characters and taking the story in new directions, Nippon Ichi is bringing back Laharl for the upcoming Disgaea Dimension 2, a direct sequel to 2003’s Disgaea: Hour of Darkness.

Disgaea Dimension 2 will be available on Japanese store shelves for the PS3 on March 20, 2013. A North American release date has yet to be announced, but NIS America hasn’t confined a single game in the franchise to Japan, so it’s only a matter of time.

[Source: Siliconera]

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Walking Dead Collector’s Edition includes 1088-page comic compendium

Posted on October 22, 2012 by John Scalzo

Telltale’s season one compilation of The Walking Dead will arrive in stores for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on December 4. But if you happen to find yourself inside a GameStop between now and then, you can also pre-order a special Collector’s Edition of the adventure game.

Priced at $69.99 and available only by pre-ordering, The Walking Dead: Collector’s Edition includes a PS3 or Xbox 360 game disc, a colorful box with artwork by Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard, and an exclusive edition of The Walking Dead: Compendium One. Compendium One is the 1088-page collected edition of the first 48 issues of the comic series and this exclusive version of the book includes a new cover with art by Adlard.

Compendium One‘s retail price is $59.99 by itself (though you can get it from Amazon for under $35), so this Collector’s Edition is a pretty good deal if you want to explore the origins of the comic series. Though exclusive cover art has certainly lured a comic fan or two to unnecessarily empty their wallet over the years.

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