Monday, 08 February 2010 20:08
Phil Meza

Electronic Arts made big news by unloading their latest fiscal results, wherein they details publishing plans for the next two years. Dead Space 2, Visceral Games' anticipated action-horror sequel, won't be making it in time for Halloween this year, it seems. EA has pegged the shooter for release in Q4, meaning it will be out sometime prior to March 31st, 2011.
Also due in this time frame will be a new Need for Speed (probably from EA Black Box), as well as BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins sequel, which the studio has already begun hyping up. Not surprising an early-in-the-year window was selected, given the tremendous success Mass Effect 2 has enjoyed right out of the gate in the new year. Speaking of Mass Effect, "something far-reaching coming from Mass Effect" is on tap in early 2011, according to EA COO John Schappert. Hmm. Are we looking at ME2's first major expansion here? A spin-off?
Perhaps most intriguing is the news that Epic Games' new IP, which they're currently working on with Painkiller devs People Can Fly, will also be rearing its Unreal Engine-powered head before April of next year, though no details on what the game is were doled out. The deal between EA and Epic was announced back in 2008, where studio VP Mark Rein said, "Epic is excited to work with EA Partners to launch our next big IP on the global stage." People Can Fly recently trademarked the name Bulletstorm.
An unnamed "Action Title" also happens to be listed for launch between January and March 31st of 2011.
For the remainder of 2010: Skate 3 is on track for May; All Points Bulletin (Realtime Worlds' new GTA-esque MMO) and Medal of Honor in late summer/early fall; Madden NFL 11 is summer (August, as usual); and Crysis 2, Criterion's innovative Need for Speed, Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 1, and EA Sports: MMA are all penciled in sometime between September and the end of December. Kotaku noted that oddly, NCAA Basketball 11 is absent on the roster of sports titles for this coming year, too. That doesn't bode for college ball fans.
EA's Schappert stated that "In fiscal 11, we will continue to introduce new service and product features that benefit the unique registered purchasers on PC and console games. Our most recent example is the Cerberus content network introduced with Mass Effect 2. ... [All titles in fiscal 2011] have an online component, both downloadable content and online play."
Last Updated on Monday, 08 February 2010 22:52
Monday, 08 February 2010 16:57
Phil Meza

Star Wars and LEGOs re-combine to make for a successful property once again, as LucasArts announces LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars. Traveller's Tales, hot off of their stint at Hogwarts, will be journeying back to a galaxy far, far away in the third entry of the plasticized franchise, this time taking on the epic, quite awesome Clone Wars series currently destroying ratings on Cartoon Network.
"LucasArts continues to set the bar for next-generation family entertainment," said Darrell Rodriguez, president of LucasArts. "The LEGO Star Wars franchise is a massive hit with fans, bringing in sales of over 20 million units worldwide. We're thrilled to extend this experience to LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, delivering the humor and fun players expect from this award winning franchise."
The game will cover both Season 1 and Season 2 of the show, as well as introducing some characters not seen represented yet. As well, an overhauled and upgraded level creation system, head-to-head combat, and new abilities like "Squad command, Lightsaber slicing, Lightsaber jumps, long distance Jedi attacks and Grapple Tie-Ups, all within a new, easy-to-navigate hub" are on tap.
LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars is due out this fall.
Last Updated on Monday, 08 February 2010 22:56
Monday, 08 February 2010 13:43
Phil Meza

Mass Effect 2's next batch of free DLC drops tomorrow, BioWare confirmed this afternoon. The Cerberus Assault Armor and M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun will both be unlocked for all players equipped with the Cerberus Network.
- Cerberus Assault Armor Cerberus assault armor is designed for shock troops, turn the tide of battle against creatures or forces that would decimate normal soldiers. Increases heavy weapon ammo capacity by +10% Increases shields by +10% Increases health by +10%
- M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun The M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun is a longer-range shotgun with armor-piercing loads. This design also violates several intergalactic weapons treaties, so the M-22a is not distributed to militaries.
The content add-ons will go live at roughly 12:00 p.m., Mountain Standard Time. As for the Hammerhead hover tank, it's on the way. "We still have more DLC on the way, such as the mentioned Hammerhead and other rumors, and we'll have more information on more DLC in the future. Stay tuned," sayc community coordinator, Chris Priestly.
Monday, 08 February 2010 10:34
Phil Meza

The long-awaited XBLA port of Introversion's PC hit Darwinia arrives this Wednesday, in the form of Darwinia+, a strategy/action/puzzle mish mash experience.
"Over thousands of generations the peaceful Darwinians have been evolving in a beautiful digital world, but now their whole way of life is under threat from a devastating computer virus that has infected their world and decimated their numbers. Without your protection they don't stand a chance and it’s up to you to lead them into battle to recapture their lost world! Once you've proven your command ability, take your Darwinian army online and challenge your friends to strategic combat, as tribes of Darwinians slaughter one another in a desperate struggle for supremacy. "
Darwinia+ features 2-player co-op, as well as LIVE multiplayer across 49 maps. The development team cited a "long battle with Microsoft and their particularly high standards" to get this Director's Cut of their game done and delivered unto the masses, but it's finally here. And it's looking good. Check it out for 1,200 Microsoft Points.
Deal of the Week through next Monday is Marvel vs Capcom 2 and Invicible Tiger for 800 MS Points each, as well as TMNT: Turtles in Time Reshelled for 400 Points.
Last Updated on Monday, 08 February 2010 19:33
Monday, 08 February 2010 02:04
Phil Meza

Game Informer's March issue contains the world's first glimpse at Team Bondi and Rockstar's long (long) in development L.A. Noire, and the contents are now out for consumption.
Set in a historically accurate, open-world 1947 Los Angeles, L.A. Noire is the tale of Cole Phelps (just as the leaked casting details revealed), a detective with a sordid past, and an honest member of an otherwise corrupt police force running the city. It's said that through the course of the story, he will advance in rank, spanning areas such as traffic, vice, and even homicide -- as the magazine cover indicates.
Gameplay in Noire will be quite different than what we're used to in a Rockstar title, as there is less focus on shooting (though weapons are there), and more on investigation, interviewing witnesses and suspects, and even interrogations when necessary. Brand new technology is being implemented by Team Bondi, allowing for next-generation facial capture and performances that do not require an animator's touch. Actors are staged "in a giant room with cameras all around. In full make-up, the actor delivers their dialogue. Every facial moment is recorded, from the most exaggerate of motions to the slightest twitch of an eye. The dialogue is recorded at this time as well, creating a seamless scene."
When investigating, players will have to deal with natural looking crime scenes, ones that require a bit of work to make out what they're supposed to be looking for. Objects of interest are able to be picked up and examined, then noted in your journal, whch can be access any any time. As for the aforementioned performance details, they are key to certain parts of the experience. During interrogations you will have various dialogue choices that can influence what's told to you, and you'll also have to watch characters' faces and movements in order to tell if they're lying.
Sounds interesting and dare I say, innovative? L.A. Noire is set to make a big splash in the coming months (especially when we get a look at gameplay), and it's slated for a September release.
Last Updated on Monday, 08 February 2010 04:35
Sunday, 07 February 2010 15:38
Frank Romano

Hosts in this Episode: Frank Romano (Gamertag: TheMan661) Greg Brzozka (Gamertag: Random Loler)
Topics Discussed: Xbox Original LIVE support dropped Alan Wake Sonic the Hedgehog 4? Xbox Live Activity Charts Community News and much more...
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Links to things mentioned in the show: http://www.farpointmedia.net http://www.e3expo.com http://www.paxsite.com http://live.xbox.com/en-US/profile/profile.aspx?pp=0&GamerTag=Random+Loler http://live.xbox.com/en-US/profile/profile.aspx?pp=0&GamerTag=TheMan661
Last Updated on Sunday, 07 February 2010 23:15
Sunday, 07 February 2010 00:56
Phil Meza

Fallout: New Vegas details have landed, Vault dweller, in the off chance that you've already extracted every last clue from last week's teaser trailer. The wait is over. Official Xbox Magazine and PC Gamer are just two print publications whose newest cover stories detail Obsidian's epic, with the latter's hitting mailboxes, and thus the internet this weekend, care of Duck and Cover.
Fallout: New Vegas as we've already come to know is not Fallout 4, but instead a spin-off "semi-sequel," set three years after the events of the Capital Wasteland. Its story is the struggle of three factions: The New Californian Republic, Caesar's Legion, and the local residents. New Vegas will utilize the existing Fallout 3 Gamebryo engine, but with enhancements and tweaks, as is customary when a new team gets their hands on a set of tools. This of course means it's still a first/third-person shooter.
Creative director Chris Avellone says, "We're going to advance the clock three years from the events of Fallout 3, and 40 years since the events of Fallout 2, and take the player far out west to the city of New Vegas. ... It's a very different place to the Capital Wasteland." Vegas was spared the horrific blasts of nuclear war that its predecessor was not, so it remains largely intact and operational, with a sky that's "warm and clear and blue." There's even sparse vegetation such as Mesquite bushes and Joshua trees. Upon catching a fleeting glimpse of the city, the it's said that you can see "it's under construction... you can see the town being rebuilt." Parts of the Stratosphere and The Landmark hotel have become a mish-mash building called the Lucky 38, for example.
More after the jump...
Last Updated on Monday, 08 February 2010 05:08
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