Military simulator Arma 3 is to receive the first episode of its singleplayer campaign on October 31, Bohemia Interactive has announced. Titled Survive, the free DLC will see players take on the role of a regular soldier stationed in the fictional Republic of Altis. The game was released last month for the PC, without its campaign component as planned.
The soldier is named Ben Kerry who’s part of a US-led, NATO peacekeeping mission in the Mediterranean which is already in a drawdown phase. This leaves the area vulnerable to CSAT forces, creating a heated flashpoint. Arma 3’s sandbox will be expanded upon with new weapons, animations, 3D objects and scripted modules.
“Looking forward to the forthcoming episodes, we’ll continue to expand Arma 3’s sandbox with additions such as new vehicles,” says Jay Crowe, Creative Director.
This week, EA Mobile has some big updates for its iOS and Android titles. Firstly, The Sims Freeplay has received its much demanded Teen update, adding the ability to grow your Sims from childhood to adolescence.
Teens can get their passing grade in Sim Town High, experience their first awkward kiss and even become famous with an appearance on Teen Idol! Should they gain a certain amount of fame, you can celebrate them by building the Sim Town sign and receiving extra bonuses when collecting Town Map rewards. Finish its construction to receive the Teen Idol Mansion, the perfect pad for your Teen. And finally, to get players in the Halloween spirit, six new ghosts have also invaded Sim Town in the Teen update. Fans who catch them all by Halloween have the opportunity to receive spooky new items and costumes.
The Sims FreePlay Teen update is now live on the App Store, Google Play and Amazon Appstore. Download The Sims FreePlay for free here.
And finally, EA Mythic’s mobile reboot of the cult classic PC game Dungeon Keeper is enjoying a similarly early debut on Google Play this week. Australians can play the diabolically fun title today, building the ultimate underground lair and summoning dark forces to do their bidding. From Imps and Trolls, to Bile Demons and Warlocks, you’ll need more than your wit to stop enemies bent on destroying your dungeon’s heart. To thwart your invaders, you must strategically lay traps and maximise your defences. Then, go on the offensive and attack enemy dungeons, plundering their resources in the process. Comically sinister with addictive PVP/PVE, Dungeon Keeper will soon become your guilty pleasure.
Dungeon Keeper will make its full worldwide launch on the App Store and Google Play this Summer.
In select countries – including Australia – Dragon Age fans can take advantage of the early release of free-to-play title Heroes of Dragon Age for Android devices by downloading it from the Google Play store. Heroes of Dragon Age lets players collect legendary Dragon Age heroes from across the Dragon Age universe and bring them to life in strategic 3D combat.
Heroes of Dragon Age will make its full worldwide launch on the App Store and Google play later this Spring.
Anime streaming service Daisuki.net has announced a new category on their website, Daisuki TV, which is set to open up a whole new world of content for the otaku-minded user. The first batch of goodies include JAM Project music videos, a special comment from Sword Art Online staff and a unique show about Japanese culture called Gattsuri TOKYO. This comes just as Daisuki announces a free iPad App for streaming its anime.
Starting from October 10, four music videos from popular anime song group JAM Project will be made available: “MAXIMIZER”, “Wings of the Legend”, “Believe in my existence” and the latest work “THUMB RISE AGAIN”. Formed in the year 2000, JAM Project has been a staple in many anime and video game theme songs such as Super Robot Wars, while founding member Hironubu Kageyama is best known for singing most of the legendary Dragon Ball Z songs.
Also added is a special message from the Japanese cast of Aniplex series Sword Art Online which is currently streaming on Daisuki. The clips features comments from the voice actors Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Kirito), Haruka Tomatsu (Asuna) and the Director himself, Tomohiko Ito.
Finally, a show about Japanese subculture made specifically for an overseas audience, Gattsuri TOKYO, will be added. New Yorker DJ “Michael” explores traditional topics like Japanese food, festivals, clothing and Mt. Fuji. But also covered are other topics like seiyu (voice actor) school, illustrations and otaku culture. The series will be streamed as eight 15-minute subtitled episodes which will also be shown on Japanese TV, too.
Daisuki will of course continue adding more music videos, behind the scenes anime content and insightful TV series in the near future, so be sure to visit the check their website often.
Two Tribes have just announced that they are pulling the plug on Toki Tori 2+‘s level editor on the Wii U version of the game. They have confirmed that due to poor sales numbers and some technical difficulties they ultimately decided to scrap the mode.
Don’t fret though if you are a Wii U player, Two Tribes have you covered. If you play on Toki Tori 2+ on the Wii U, you will be able to pick up the game on Steam for free and have all the fun you can muster with the level editor on the Steam version.
For more information on this change to Toki Tori 2+ on the Wii U, check out the official Two Tribes website here.
Tomorrow is the 12th of October, 2013. That date doesn’t only mean that Pokemon X and Y will finally be release, but it also signifies the launch of the latest addition to the Nintendo handheld console family, the Nintendo 2DS.
The Nintendo 2DS is essentially a Nintendo 3DS without 3D capabilities and hinge to shut it. What it does do however is everything else the 3DS can do but for a cheaper and more affordable cost.
The console is set to release in two colour variants: Black + Blue and White + Red. Both versions of the console look great and contain just as much power as the 3DS console.
The Nintendo 2DS surely looks to be a superb entry point device for those wanting to get in on the excellent handheld gaming action but unable to just over the price curve.
Each purchase of the Nintendo 2DS includes the following: the Nintendo 2DS System, Nintendo 2DS stylus, AC Adapter, SDHC Memory Card 4GB, 6 AR Cards and User’s Manual.
You can pick up a Nintendo 2DS starting tomorrow for the standard retail price of AU$149.95. This certainly looks to be a great entry point for those yet to make the jump at Nintendo’s handheld offerings.
Big news for Forza Motorsport and Top Gear fans. It has just been officially confirmed that Top Gear’s The Stig will be getting digitized in the upcoming Forza Motorsport 5 realistic racing video-game. Not only will he simply be in the game, but you can actually race against The Stig, which is obviously a dream for many Top Gear fans.
Players will be able to race on the Top Gear test track. This is the first time The Stig will appear in the Forza Motorsport games. You can check out the announcement trailer for The Stig’s Digital Cousin below. Forza Motorsport 5 is exclusive to Xbox One and will be released on the 22nd of November, 2013.
2K and 2K Marin haveannounced that Hangar 6 R&D, the add-on content pack for The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (a review of which can be found here) is available for download worldwide for the Xbox 360.
Set prior to the events of The Bureau, players take control of new protagonist Agent Nico DaSilva and his squad as they volunteer for a series of secret psycho-medical experiments to save a fellow Bureau agent infected with the “Sleepwalker” pathogen.
Hangar 6 R&D creates skin-of-your-teeth moments that challenge players’ mastery of The Bureau’s core tactical gameplay. The story-driven add-on content further explores the 1960s Cold War vibe by transporting players to an all-new clandestine location known only to Bureau agents as Hangar 6. Along with high-level squad mates and XP rewards, players now have access to even more dangerous weapons, such as the well-known AK-47. Also included is a prototype Microwave Gun that cooks enemies from the inside out. Nasty. Agent DaSilva also has a new series of powers and perks based on his “plant and trigger” bomb abilities that allow players to better utilize the game’s most complex squad tactics.
Hangar 6 R&D is avaiable on Xbox Live for AU$4.95/NZ$6.65. For more information on the DLC and The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, visit the official site and Facebook page. Check out the screenshots below and prepare to combat the Outsider plague once more. Erase the truth.
This holiday season, the new next-gen consoles aren’t the only hardware making an appeal for your Christmas shopping money. The Mario & Luigi Premium Pack releases on November 7th across Australia and New Zealand, and features a black Nintendo Wii U console with 32GB of storage (25GB of which is actually free space), black Wii U GamePad controller and a copy of New Super Mario Bros. U plus its additional content, New Super Luigi U, all on one disc.
For those who are unfamiliar with the latest adventures of our favourite plumbers, here is a brief gameplay overview;
In New Super Mario Bros. U run, leap and stomp your way through a giant world map full of challenging courses and a variety of gameplay modes to sharpen your platforming skills. In New Super Luigi U, although the games basic play styles are the same as New Super Mario Bros. U, the 82 courses on the World Map have been replaced with brand new ones especially for Luigi. Containing seemingly improbable jumps, formidably hidden Star Coins and a time limit of 100 seconds to complete each course it’s going to be one speedy adventure.
The bundle price has yet to be confirmed, but when it is, we will update this article accordingly.
The latest in-depth blog post on Battlefield 4 is all about the game’s new Spectator Mode, a first for the long-running FPS franchise. Assistant Producer Daniel Matros and Junior Gameplay Designer Dennis Brännvall have detailed the feature in its entirety on the blog page here, but we’ve summarised the key points of interest below.
Battlelog is intrinsic because you can choose to join a server as a Spectator, with up to four Spectator slots per server which are separate from the player list.
Once you’re in you can cycle between First Person, Third Person, Tabletop and Freecam views. Tabletop is essentially the Commander Mode view, with a UI that shows icons for players, vehicles, etc. which you can click on and view their actions via a small camera.
All in-game info is visible in Spectator Mode such as team scores, remaining time, flags, player health and class as well as the kit’s customisation options. Team colours are also different in this mode where they’re a deep red and a deep blue.
It seems like Spectator Mode will be a huge bonus for the competitive scene in Battlefield 4 and will undoubtedly be used to keep tabs on hackers in-case the anti-cheat system doesn’t find them first. Rather than an option in-game, it almost feels like a standalone game mode. Without you playing the game, of course.
Battlefield 4 is due for release on PC and current-gen consoles this October 31, with an Xbox One release date of November 22 while the PlayStation 4 version lands on November 29. You can check out our hands-on with the game’s Paracel Storm map from EB Games Expo 2013.
Skullcandy have announced the launch of the Skullcandy SLYR (“Slayer”) Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag Edition gaming headset. Featuring a unique, custom color and artwork inspired by the franchise’s driving story device, the Animus, the studio’s first officially licensed gaming headset is now available through www.skullcandy.com, and participating retailers across Canada and the U.S, for USD $89.99.
On top of the design aspects, Skullcandy and ASTRO Gaming engineers worked directly with Ubisoft to develop three distinct EQ settings that form an audio profile specifically attuned to accentuating the dynamic aural environment found in the game. They are: Bass Mode, which “elevates the thundering explosions and battle cries during action sequences to terrifically loud levels – all without dampening the highs”; Precision Mode, which “emphasizes environmental effects such as water, wind and the all-too-familiar whispers”; and Supreme Mode, which “applies Skullcandy’s now-legendary full-frequency response to the entire Black Flag environment”.
And most importantly, the headset is cross-compatible with the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U and PC as well as most smartphones, tablets and MP3 players. Additional features include a stashable boom mic and GMX in-line mixer with volume and game-to-voice balancing controls. Sam Paschel, CMO of Skullcandy, said;
Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag is easily one of the most hotly anticipated games of the year and we’re thrilled to be able to offer our unique perspective on audio fidelity and gaming style to the legions of fans who stand behind the Assassin’s Creed franchise. The Skullcandy SLYR AC IV Black Flag Edition represents our first partnership with a major gaming publisher and we’re aiming to make a lasting impression with gamers everywhere. We’re supremely confident gamers will be blown away by what we’ve been able to accomplish — a truly authentic Assassin’s Creed experience combined with a level of audio performance and value they’ve never seen before.
Check out the Skullcandy SLYR (“Slayer”) Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag Edition gallery below for a better look at the headset.
