EA Games Australia have revealed their planned line-up for the Sims 3 throughout 2013. Sims fans have reason to be excited as EA plans to release some new expansions and DLC packs for Sims 3. These new additions are said to add a greater depth and variety to the gameplay of Sims 3.
EA have announced that The Sims 3 University Life and The Sims 3 Island Paradise Expansion Packs as well as a currently unnamed DLC pack will be heading to the Sims store in 2013. Coming on January 24th is The Sims 3 70s, 80s, & 90s Stuff which will transport players figuratively back in time to the 70s, 80s and 90s. The University Life expansion will hit the store in March and the Island Paradise expansion will be released in June.
What do you think of this line-up of content for the Sims 3? Let us know in the comments section below.
Players of the awesome XCOM: Enemy Unknown (Review here for proof of awesomeness) should have started up their Steam clients and noticed that their game has been updated to the latest version. If not, you should tell steam to manually update the game because there is a plethora of new content available to you for free.
This new content is available for players that have completed the main campaign and offers a tonne of new customisable options for the game. And honestly, these look like they’ll make the game so much better than it already was. The following is a list of new content being made available to the game:
Damage Roulette: Weapons have a wider range of damage.
New Economy: Randomised council member funding.
Not Created Equally: Rookies will have random starting stats.
Hidden Potential: As a soldier is promoted, stats increase randomly.
Red Fog: Combat wounds will degrade the soldier’s mission stats.
Absolutely Critical: A flanking shot guarantees a critical hit.
The Greater Good: Psionics can only be learned from interrogating a psionic alien.
Marathon: The game takes considerably longer to complete.
Results Driven: A country offers less funding as its panic level increases.
High Stakes: Random rewards for stopping alien abductions.
Diminishing Returns: Increased cost of satellite construction.
More Than Human: The psionic gift is extremely rare.
This year at the Consumer Electronics Show, Kingston will be celebrating 10 years of their HyperX brand RAM. They are doing this by showcasing their latest 10th anniversary memory sticks at the event. These pieces of memory go by the name HyperX 10th Anniversary Edition Memory. Kingston will also be hosting a Starcraft II tournament at the event in celebration of its tenth year in memory.
The new memory will be clocked at 240Mhz and will range in capacity from the entry level 8GB to the high-end 32GB variant. The design is slimmer and offers enhanced heat control, making this a superior breed of memory.
Starcraft II players participating in the tournament will be in the running to win $15,000 USD. This tournament will see the top 6 players in the competition going head-to-head for a shot at the cash.
For more information on the HyperX RAM, visit the HyperX website. For more information on the tournament, visit this page.
We all know that DanceDanceRevolution can get you in shape if played enough, and that is the very reason that families have swamped to the dance genre in recent years, making successes out of Just Dance and Dance Central. DanceDanceRevolution started it all though, and Konami has now announced DanceDanceRevolution Classroom Edition, which will be used to battle childhood obesity in schools.
DDR Classroom Edition is an interactive video game, also known as an “exergame,” that combines physical activity with energetic music and visuals. The game and associated hardware technology, which was developed by Performance Designed Products, enables up to 48 students to participate simultaneously, using wireless mat controllers that feature a smart card reader that tracks each student’s individual progress. While students move to the beat, teachers receive vital information about their students’ health including, steps, body mass index (BMI) and caloric burn rate.
KONAMI and UnitedHealthcare launched the game at three schools located in Longwood, Fla.; Gainesville, Ga.; and Fresno, Texas. The participating schools, with assistance from KONAMI and UnitedHealthcare, will use the game to track its impact on students’ health, well-being and exercise habits.
The program builds on UnitedHealthcare’s deep expertise in developing practical solutions to control childhood obesity, including collaborations with school systems nationwide. This latest collaboration will also be incorporated into ‘Activate for Kids,’ a school wellness initiative operated by UnitedHealthcare and United Health Foundation in partnership with school systems throughout Florida, Georgia and Texas.
This is certainly better than any physical education class that might turn away some kids from physical activity, and looks to be yet another way video games can be useful in the outside world. Just think, instead of dessert with lunches, kids can be treated to rounds of DDR with all of the trimmings to burn some weight and have some fun in the process. CES attendees who visit the UnitedHealthcare booth [25515] can try the game out at CES this year, and look for the game to of course hit other schools as the program grows.
We all heard that Black Ops II‘s first DLC pack was coming soon, but we now have a date of just when the content will drop on the Xbox 360. Revolution is set to launch on Jan. 30th, bringing with it four all-new multiplayer maps, an original zombies co-op Map and New Zombies Mode Allowing Fans to Actually Play as a Zombie – as well as a new weapon.
Details you say? Well, here is what we know:
Revolution takes players to unexpected new locales the world over. “Downhill” is set in the ski country of the French Alps, where players fight their way down the slopes and through a ski lodge, while avoiding the moving hazards of the mountain’s gondola system. Opponents must dodge the floodwaters in “Hydro” as they contend for dominance of this hydroelectric dam facility in Pakistan, filled with treacherous spillways. “Mirage” pits players in competition amidst the sand dunes of a dilapidated luxury resort in the sandstorm-devastated Gobi Desert, where a range of long-distance and close-quarters combat will mix up the action for all play styles. Finally, “Grind” transports players to the historic birthplace of skateboarding, California’s Venice Beach, where they will battle it out through the ramps and half-pipes of this massive, epic skate park in a multiplayer environment comprised of unique curved architecture requiring players to adapt and learn new ways to take cover. Each map in Revolution delivers a uniquely exhilarating new landscape for tactics and battle.
Revolution also delivers a lethal bonus multiplayer weapon, the “Peacekeeper.” This powerful SMG, accompanied by its own set of weapon challenges for additional XP, is unlocked to all Call of Duty: Black Ops II fans that pick-up Revolution.
Additionally, Revolution transports players to the Far East, where they will attempt to overcome a zombie infestation inside a series of collapsed skyscrapers towering over the remains of an obliterated Chinese city. In this new and original Zombies map, “Die Rise,” players will wield powerful, upgradable Wonder Weaponry as well as combine new buildable devices to fight a relentless army of the undead throughout Escher-esque sceneries over a deep and perilous chasm. And in a twist, Treyarch has added a new game mode, “Turned,” where players can finally complete against each other as a zombie!
Revolution will hit Xbox Live at the end of the month and will be priced at 1200 Microsoft Points – or $14.99 for those of you using credit. Those who have already pre-purchased the Season Pass for Black Ops II will be able to simply download the pack at launch. At the moment, no other details have arisen for a date for the Playstation 3 or PC versions of the game – but stay tuned, as once that news comes forward, we will be sure to bring it to you.
Announced back in January of last year at CES under the name Project Fiona, Razer’s new gaming tablet that works as a full PC will be finally be releasing Q1 this year. Now called The Razer Edge, it was aided in design by PC gamers to ensure that it would be able to meet all of the necessary requirements from size, components, and cost. With all of these things in mind The Razer Edge will be coming in two different types, from the standard with Intel Core i5 processor, NVIDIA GT640M LE GPU, 4 GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 64 GB SSD or The Razer Edge Pro with Intel Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GT640M LE GPU, 8 GB DDR3 RAM, and 128 GB SSD.
Starting at $999, The Razer Edge can work in 4 different configurations utilizing additional components, from Tablet mode, to Keyboard Dock mode, to Gamepad Controller mode, to Docking Station mode. While the Keyboard Dock has a ways before its release in Quarter 3, the Gamepad Controller can come bundled with The Razer Edge or alone at $249, while the Docking Station can turn the tablet into a full desktop device with 3 USB 2.0 ports and HDMI 1.4 port for an additional $99.
Players wanting a better look at the full PC tablet can check out the gallery below and/or the trailer embedded below that. Those interested in The Razer Edge Standard can head to the website HERE, while those interested in The Razer Edge Pro can find that HERE.
Do you remember Capcom’s Remember Me? One of the few original titles that Capcom currently has in development? Well today Dontnod Entertainment and Capcom released a new gameplay trailer showing off Nilin’s combat skills when she faces down a new boss character called Kid Xmas.
In the video, Nilin must fight against Kid Xmas on live television in Neo-Paris’ St. Michel district. You can check out the video below, where you can witness this title’s unique art style and combat mechanics, and Remember Me itself when it comes out on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC sometime in May this year.
In anticipation of the release of the upcoming installment in the enduring God of War franchise, God of War: Ascension, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia have announced that they will be releasing a special God of War: Ascension Dualshock 3 controller for the Playstation 3.
The controller is themed after God of War’s hero Kratos. It features a design similar to that of Kratos but in the shape of a controller obviously. You can see the controller for yourself above. It will be released alongside the game.
We have previously written up hands on previews for both the single player and multi player aspect of God of War: Ascension which you should check out if you want to know more about this game.
What do you think of God of War: Ascension? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Hitting the spotlight this week for independent games is an upcoming title called Hartacon Tactics. This title has been the sole creation of developer code named Charlie Fleed. The title is explained to be an online multiplayer strategy RPG where players fight in a turn-based battle system. With this being the basis for Charlie’s game, it would be hard not to be intrigued. However, Charlie Fleed is in need of a graphic artist(s) to assist him in the creation of sprites to fit within the game’s RPG atmosphere.
Created with XNA 4, Hartacon Tactics will be solely released on the Xbox Live platform in the independent games section. Fleed has noted in his gameplay preview that he would be inclined to release a PC version of the title considering the popularity its receives on the Xbox Live marketplace.
Take a look at the gameplay preview below and stop by the Hartacon Tactics Indiegogo Page where he is asking for donations to help pay for the graphic artist.
We have some good news and some bad news, at least for some of you. Today Namco Bandai released the third developer diary for Level-5′s Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. The developer diary this time around focuses on how the music of the game is just as important as the story and visuals. As such they have worked hard to make sure Joe Hisaishi (famous composer of Studio Ghibli’s movies) came back to work on the soundtrack of the game.
That being said, it seems that, thanks to “logistics delays” the European release of Ni No Kuni has been delayed from January 25th to February 1st instead. This isn’t too much of a delay, only one week, and to make up for it Namco will be offering a “free gift to download” for everyone. What the download will be is currently unknown, but it is worth noting that this delay will only affect Europe, as the North American release is still scheduled for January 22nd.
