Rockstar Games has released two new pieces of artwork for Grand Theft Auto V. The art depicts two of the three protagonists, Michael and Franklin, driving a jet-ski and motorbike respectively. The pictures themselves are titled “Carry and Cash”. While this could possible be a new style of side mission, judging by the satchel bags and fact that Michael and Franklin look like they could be fleeing pursuers, details are sparse.
For now all we have is another brief view into what is set to be thebiggest GTA game to date. The game itself will be released globally on September 17th.
Ready for more Dishonored DLC? This week, Bethesda have released The Knife of Dunwall add-on to the game, adding new weapons, allies, gadgets, and story for fans of the hit title to get their hands on. Dishonored of course was one of 2012’s finest, as it made an impact upon it’s release to consoles and PC alike.
Here is a brief run-down of what to expect:
In The Knife of Dunwall you take on the role of Daud, the legendary assassin who killed the Empress, and access his weapons, gadgets, allies and supernatural abilities. After assassinating the Empress, and forever changing the fate of Dunwall, you embark on a search for redemption. The Outsider reveals the key to your atonement, but who—or what—is Delilah? Accompanied by the Whalers, your loyal band of mercenary assassins, your search will take you through never-before-seen districts of Dunwall as you face off against new and terrible foes. Employ a unique arsenal of new weapons and powers that enhance Dishonored’s dynamic combat, mobility and stealth systems. In the struggle to hang onto the last shred of your humanity, the choices you make will ultimately determine your fate.
Our own review for Dishonored can be found here, and you can pick this expansion up for $9.99 on all platforms (or 800 Microsoft Points/ $14.95 for AU PSN), and get back to the modern classic yet again.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to the Atlus faithful out there, but to everyone else – Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner – Soul Hackers is out now for the 3DS. The latest Shin Megami Tensei puts the player in the role of a hacker as they try to save humanity from demons.
There are over 300 demons that the player can recruit and fuse, and each feature a nice little personality to go along with their superbly twisted art style. The battle system itself is like most other games in the franchise, and features a ton of depth with added accessibility to newcomers. We recently reviewed Soul Hackers in detail, and you can find out why it earned it’s 8.5 here. You can pick up Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner – Soul Hackers today and get to recruiting with the rest of the Spookies.
Rain Digital Games have a lot to offer this week, with both Jagged Alliance: Collectors Bundle and Anna: Extended Edition hitting their digital store. Jagged Alliance should strike a chord with a lot of gamers out there, but this bundle has a hefty amount of content as it is, while Anna is set to bring some chills to your PC.
Here is a rundown of both games:
Available now for pre-order, Jagged Alliance: Collectors Bundle ($39.99) is a modern take on Jagged Alliance 2. Developed by Bitcomposer Games, it takes players to the fictitious island of Arulco, where a ruthless dictator has seized power and only a small group of rebels stand to resist her. The game features an updated 3D look and interface, highly detailed character models and a variety of new gameplay features. The innovative “plan & go” combat system combines real-time strategy (RTS) with turn-based elements.
The complete Jagged Alliance: Back In Action Collectors Bundle includes:
Crossfire Expansion — an all new campaign including new mercenaries, environments, and equipment to challenge the player’s battlefield planning skills.
Point Blank DLC
Shades of Red DLC
Night Specialist DLC
Desert Specialist DLC
Jungle Specialist DLC
Urban Specialist DLC
Developed by DreamPainters, Anna ($9.99) is a haunting tale of psychological terror set in an abandoned sawmill nestled high in the Italian mountains. Players are challenged to uncover horrific clues and use them to solve puzzles related to their character’s dark past. Anna: Extended Edition has been updated and expanded based on the feedback of thousands of current Anna players. The new edition features more environments, hours of game play, puzzles, additional gameplay features, enhanced graphics, and an improved interface.
Sound good? Well, there is a lot more this week for those looking for savings. As part of a “Tax Day Sale”, you can get 15 percent off select titles valued $15.00 and up from April 15-22. For 24 Hours only, players can grab up iBomber Bundle (which includes iBomber, iBomber Defense, and iBomber Defense Pacific) for only $12.99 (20% off). So get to shopping an enjoy the deals while they last.
Sony Computer Entertainment Australia is pleased to lift the curtain on the development process of Wonderbook: Diggs Nightcrawler in this first video diary.
The founder and creative director of Moonbot Studios both provide a little insight into how they created the unique world of Library City and its cast of colourful, noir-inspired characters. Check out the video below! The title protagonist is a detective bookworm who is quite aware that he is inside a book. He travels throughout the course of the game to different sections of Library City, meeting its unique inhabitants along the way as the Wonderbook platform allows you to create novel ways of interacting with the game.
Wonderbook: Diggs Nightcrawler will launch for the PlayStation 3 in Australia on June 14, 2013.
Fans of Activision and Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops II are a rabid fanbase eager for a steady stream of content and today they get another meal to satiate their hunger for a while.
The Uprising map pack released today exclusively for Xbox 360. The map pack will feature four new multiplayer maps and a new, special zombie offering. The multiplayer maps include the following:
Magma – a modern Japanese village with volcanic eruptions carving multiple paths throughout the town
Encore – a level that takes place in the aftermath of a deserted London music festival and leaves numerous opportunities for plenty of run-and-gun, close quarters combat
Vertigo – a futuristic high-rise mega-structure located in India that features dizzying vistas and multi-tiered pathways
Studio – contemporary re-imagining of “Firing Range”, the fan-favorite multiplayer map from the original Black Ops. It is a Hollywood movie back lot with various cinematic themes
Also included in the map pack DLC is “Mob of the Dead.” This special Zombies experience will put players in the shoes of four prohibition-era mobsters that are serving time in Alcatraz Prison when they discover the bars keeping them in aren’t their biggest problem. The four mobsters are backed by real Hollywood talent (Ray Liotta, Chazz Palminteri, Joe Pantoliano, and Michael Madsen)
The Uprising map pack is available now on Xbox Live for 1200 Microsoft Points. Players who have the Season Pass will not need to purchase anything further.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment are celebratingthe Australian launch of Injustice: Gods Among Us(review here) in Australia, now available on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (Wii U version to be released at a later date) for $79.95 RRP.
Writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti have crafted a well-paced, constantly unfolding story. Players will embody the most popular DC Comics heroes and villains, such as Batman, Superman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Aquaman, The Joker and others, as they engage in epic battles in a world where the line between good and evil is blurred (check out theseinfographics commissioned by Warner Bros. that posit the ultimate hero and villain).
Creative Director at NetherRealm Studios, Ed Boon said;
“NetherRealm Studios was dedicated to making Injustice: Gods Among Us an immersive, action-packed experience. We’ve created an original game with an all-new story filled with iconic characters DC Comics and gaming fans will appreciate.”
The game features numerous locales visited throughout DC Comics lore including Arkham Asylum, Metropolis, Atlantis and more. Arenas are multi-tiered, destructible, interactive playgrounds wherein gamers can play with any of the 24 character roster – from the get-go – executing their uniquely devastating super powers and special moves to take the victory. Also extend your gameplay experience with the S.T.A.R. Labs missions; 240 challenges filled with additional content and unique gameplay only found in this mode.
The voice cast is incredible, with every name recognisable to comic fans. These include, but are not limited to: Stephen Amell (star of the Nine Network’s upcoming new action show Arrow, who reprises his role as the Green Arrow in the game as an unlockable “Arrow” version of the character), Kevin Conroy as Batman, Tara Strong as Harley Quinn and Raven, Neal McDonough as The Flash, George Newbern as Superman, Adam Baldwin as Green Lantern and Alan Tudyk as Green Arrow (regular version).
Collectors among us can purchase the Injustice: Gods Among UsCollector’s Edition, which includes the game disc in a steelbook , an exclusive DC Collectibles statue featuring Batman and Wonder Woman, a special Collector’s Edition of the first print issue of the Injustice: Gods Among UsDC Comics series and three exclusive skins based on Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman from DC Comics – The New 52. The Collector’s Edition is priced at $109.95 RRP and is available in limited quantities.
You can also buy the Injustice: Gods Among Us Season Pass right now from Xbox Live for 1200 Microsoft Points and the PSN store for $21.95 RRP and receive four upcoming DLC fighters for the price of three, as well as a bonus Flashpoint Skin Pack featuring alternate costumes for Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Deathstroke. And don’t forget to download the free iOS game, which utilises a collectible card mechanic and pits players against the A.I. in 3-on-3 tag team combat situations. You can unlock a multitude of rewards (alternate skins, anyone?) across both titles by completing certain achievements.
Sacred Citadel, the upcoming side-scrolling beat-em-up RPG from Southend Interactive and Deep Silver, releases to the public tomorrow. To celebrate, a launch trailer has been released.
As you can see from the launch trailer video (shown below this article), the game features a vibrant art style and fluid animation. It also showcases the talents of the charactersyou’llplayas in the game.
For those who’ve not been following the news, Sacred Citadel is a side-scrolling action brawler set in the universe of the Sacred game franchise. It aims to reinvent the arcade feel of classic brawlers while setting the standard for future side scrolling hack-and-slash games.
The game will be available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC via Steam. It will also let up to three players jump in the fray together with seamless drop-in/drop-out cooperative play.
For more information, be sure to check out the trailer below and read up on our coverageof thegame.
Just last week more information was unveiled about upcoming The Sims 3 Island Paradise expansion pack HERE, but now EA has revealed even more in a Live Broadcast about what players can be expecting from The Sims 3 Franchise for the rest of the year. It seems like the expansion pack wont be the only thing avid players can look forward to as a new stuff pack and world were announced.
The Sims 3 Movie Stuff includes all the objects film fans and genre fans could hope for with a variety of themes such as classic Western and horror. The stuff pack will include furniture, decorations, and clothing to add to players’ collections in designing the perfect house. While the new world to be added to The Sims Store, Origin, and retail locations is The Sims 3 Dragon Valley. With new locations for Sims to visit, new objects and clothing for the Sims, and even new Sims themselves, Dragon Valley brings plenty of additional things, but none of which can hold a candle to the baby dragon it will also add.
Players that want to see the The Sims 3 Live Broadcast to get a look at all the upcoming releases this year can watch the archived video HERE. While The Sims 3 Island Paradise will be releasing at the end of June and the Movie Stuff will be releasing in September, the release date for Dragon Valley has yet to be announced. Stay tuned for more on the Movie Stuff and Dragon Valley in the months ahead.
What does a company like Kabam do after finding huge success through free to play iOS, Android, and web games? Kill some time with PartyBingo, perhaps? How about create a fund to help Asian developers get into the Western market. That is exactly what Kabam did with the Western World Developers Fund. But they aren’t funding just a little bit of cash to help out a little, the fund is a total of $50 million to ensure that Asian developers are able to not only localize their games, but market them as well.
Kabam has seen some pretty good times with seven games pulling in more than $1 million dollars a month, another two games with $3 million a month, and still two more games with $7 million a month. With titles like Kingdoms of Camelot and Wartune know what they are doing, so now they hope to help developers in China, Japan, and South Korea to get their top games to reach the West.
The WWDevFund will hopefully present Asian third-party game developers the opportunity to increase (possibly double) their existing incomes by allowing them to partake in Kabam’s marketing know-how which has completely revolutionized the industry. These tactics will aid the best Asian game developers in breaking into the west market, opening them up to more publicity as well as revenue.
One thing is for certain, the Asian gaming world is definitely not doing anything wrong since some of the best games to hit the gaming community were spawned by Asian developers. The only reason those games never make a splash elsewhere is because Asian developers struggle to penetrate the western market. Hopefully, with the Western World Developers Fund in place we’ll be able to enjoy a host of popular Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean games in North America and Europe soon enough.
