Players looking to get into the Battlefield 3 experience will now have next to no reason not to, thanks to the new Battlefield 3: Premium Edition hitting retail shelves for $69.99 AUD. This latest edition of the game includes the Battlefield 3 game as well as the Premium service that allows for players to get certain upgrades and all of the expansion packs at no additional cost as they are released.
For players who have not purchased this edition and have yet to pay the $50 fee to upgrade to the Premium service, they will find that they are still required to pay for each expansion pack at $23.95 each. As far as value goes, players who get this latest edition of the game will be getting well over $100 worth of content for only $69.99.
To quote the Press Release –
The Battlefield 3 Premium Edition includes:
Battlefield 3: Among the fastest selling titles in EA’s history, Battlefield 3 has sold more than 15M units since release. Lauded by game critics worldwide for its compelling single player campaign, intense co-op missions and its addictive and world-class multiplayer, Battlefield 3 has won more than 140 awards globally.
Battlefield 3 Premium membership: Battlefield 3 Premium is an innovative offering that includes immediate access to three digital expansion packs including Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand, Battlefield 3: Close Quarters and Battlefield 3: Armored Kill, as well as two week early access to the two remaining Battlefield 3 digital expansion packs including Battlefield 3: Aftermath coming in December and Battlefield 3:End Game coming in March 2013. These themed digital expansion packs introduce a massive amount of content including 20 new maps and weapons, four new game modes and more. Players will also receive new soldier and weapon camos, deeper personalization options, and advanced features making for the ultimate Battlefield 3 experience.
Battlefield 3 Multiplayer Head-Start Kit: This kit automatically unlocks 15 different weapons, gadgets and vehicle upgrades so new players can immediately jump into the fight.
Be sure to visit your local retailer and secure your copy today. Also make sure you check out the official website for more info.
Fans of the Madagascar series will be pleased to know that Paramount have released the film today and are showing off an awesome batch of goodies for people to enjoy. These range from trailers, to clips and even some games. I’m also reasonably certain that there was in iOS app thrown in there somewhere for good measure.
What we’ll be doing with this article is embedding some clips from the feature film, as well as embedding the trailer in a separate box beneath the article. We’ll also be providing links to the various games and activities that people can enjoy.
The following is the ‘Bad Circus’ clip from the film –
This next clip is of the ‘Mad Again’ featurette –
Linked below in the box are the links to the iOS app and various games and activities –
From up on Poppy Hill Studio: Studio Ghibli Publisher: Madman Format:Cinema Release Date: September 13, 2012
Overview
From Up On Poppy Hill is the latest film from Hayao Miyazaki’s son, Goro Miyazaki. This film follows the story of a school who must fight for the protection of their precious Latin building which houses many of the schools club houses. Most predominantly of these is the literature club’s club house which prints the schools newspaper.
This is mostly a story of overcoming odds to achieve something significant. However, there is a romance element that looks like it’s going one way before the director wusses out on it. Why does he do this? Nobody knows. Read on to see our full impressions of the film appearing at REEL Anime this year.
Story
From Up On Poppy Hill is the story of a couple of students attending the same school that fall for each other due to certain events occurring. Really, there isn’t all that much to the films storyline other than that. Sure there’s the huge sub-plot of having to save the literature clubs old Latin building from certain destruction.
In fact, I actually found the second plot point to be the better of the two within this film. For some reason, having characters working towards something and seeing them making successes at it was much more rewarding than seeing a couple of characters engage in a forced romance. What was incredibly awesome with this plot point was that there were some very specific hurdles that had to be overcome before the characters could advance. And this isn’t just in reference to the main characters, but to every other character within the film. Even the minor ones.
What I really didn’t like about this film was the forced relationship plot-line. The entire thing feels like it was set-up to fail. Initially, I just thought that this would be due to it being poorly written and shallow, but no, the writers added some really odd plot points – plot points that could have been interesting had they not backed down on them – that just ended up enhancing the forced drama aspect of the relationship. Heck, you don’t even once see the two characters that are in love do anything romantic together and then all of a sudden they’re acting as if they’re together even though all you’ve seen is them being awkward with each other. Do you want to know what a more believable relationship in the film looked like? Two of the sub-characters being together. You only caught glances of them, but it was clearly evident that something was happening.
The story just feels like the director wanted to tell his incest story, but then backed out at the last minute. As a result, the entire arc feels weak and forced to build up a level of drama that never existed in the first place. Watch the story for the success of the Latin building, but not for any kind of deep or emotional relationships.
Visuals
From Up On Poppy Hill features some pretty fluid animation and carries the signature Studio Ghibli style. Some people may be put of by the style that Ghibli carries, others may not. I’m personally on the side of not as I’ve grown up watching Ghibli films (Laputa!) but I can see why the modern anime fan can be put off.
Where this differs from most other anime films is that everything seems much more cluttered. There are a bunch of scenes where it just looks like things were pushed together stylistically on purpose to carry some kind of visual theme. This is most evident when three of the main characters visit Tokyo to try and convince a powerful figure to stop the destruction of their Latin building. There is just so much clutter everywhere, it’s almost claustrophobic in it’s tightness. Maybe it’s meant to be? It feels more like a stylistic accident than something intentional though.
However, the art style and detail does not detract from the film in anyway. In fact, it only enhances it. I know this probably reads as me really disliking the visuals, but to be honest, they were actually something that enhanced my enjoyment of the film. I don’t know why, but I guess I’m just a bit of a sucker for style.
Audio
The audio in this film is actually pretty good. Once again, as this is for the REEL Anime festival, the film was shown completely in Japanese with subtitles. However, I didn’t have any issues with reading and watching the film simultaneously.
I found that the dialogue was never really inaudible or being overwhelmed by the background score, which is incredibly important for a film like this one where the dialogue is an amazingly important factor. Each of the characters sounded like the kind of character they were representing. For instance, there wasn’t really a weak looking guy with a deep and foreboding voice.
However, there were a few things I didn’t like about the audio of the film. Most predominantly of these is the song that the film opens with. I mean, why is this girl (that is fundamentally a slave) singing so happily about? Not only that, the song was actually quite irritating as just a song. And this coming from someone who generally enjoys Japanese styled music in general.
Overall
From Up On Poppy Hill seems like it was a story about one thing but the director wussed out at the last minute. So instead we now have this film that feels like it was a little cheap and pulled us into this fake drama that was needlessly created just to give the audience some feelings. However after you can see where the drama was switched out, you just feel cheated and abused. The sub-plot is the only worthwhile storyline in this film and pretty much saves it from itself.
EA Games and Insomniac Games are partnering up for their upcoming four person co-op action shooter. Fusewill put players into four unique CIA agents with their own developable skill set and experimental weapons. Dalton Brooks, Izzy Sinclair, Jacob Kimble, and Naya Deveraux are the only things standing between humanity and a deadly alien energy source called Fuse. Fuse is capable of unlimited power and a rogue paramilitary corporation has decided they want Fuse. Players will be able to switch from agent to agent to command the upper hand on the battlefield and have access to extraordinary Fuse powered weapons that can be combined for a devastating effect. Fuse will be out for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 in 2013.
It appears that I may have spoken a little too soon when I stated that Mila’s swimsuit reveal would be the last one we would see. Today it was revealed via images shared by Famitsu that another guest character from Virtua Fighter will be added into the Dead or Alive 5 roster.
Virtua Fighter fans will recognize the character above, named Pai Chan who is a martial arts movie star in the game. She joins other Virtua Fighters Sarah Bryant and Akira. Gen Fu was also confirmed via these screenshots, though he was already shown off in previous trailers.
Anyone want to take a guess as to how long it will be before Pai Chan’s collector’s edition swimsuit is revealed? Either way, check her out in action below.
Remember that guy who used to work for Capcom? Not ringing any bells? Ok, how about that guy who co-created Megaman, created the Onimusha series and Dead Rising? I thought so, though you would already know that since you probably had to click on the title to get here… anyway moving on!
The Great INAFKING (Credits name) has teased his upcoming Zombie game, where apparently you play as some sort of Cyborg/Samurai/Ninja… I really have no idea. Also the name Yaiba comes in somehow, though this could be anything from the main characters name to his favourite type of Ramen (It could happen!).
There actually appears to be some gameplay footage hidden among all the images, and the game appears to have a sort of Crackdown 2 vibe a.k.a Cell Shaded in regards to its visuals, personally I have always been a fan of this style when it has been done well, so here I am looking at you Borderlands, but not so much you Crackdown 1. Anyway, the screenshot and teaser footage show that Inafune’s new studio Comcept definitely haven’t been resting on their laurels since he departed from Capcom a year and a half ago.
Here is what Inafune had to say about his new game: “I don’t want to spoil everything just yet, but I hope you will enjoy my new game that is loaded with stuff I love: zombies, ninjas, robots, and action. It’s called YAIBA. I hope you are excited. I know I am.”
We definitely expect to see more of Yaiba at the upcoming TGS, where if I was a gambling man I might place a bet on there maybe being a little demo (fingers crossed). Those eager to check out the game can find the trailer below.
Ubisoft’s more than Modern modern Warfare title has had its multiplayer reinforced today with a second division of DLC, titled Raven Strike. The DLC contains 3 new campaign missions, a new Guerrilla mode map and some new achievements for you to test your mettle against. The three new levels include “Secure Dawn” where you don’t have access to your optical camouflage, drone or sensor grenades; “Cold Walker” which is set in a train depot in the beautiful (at least before you go through it) countryside, and last but not least “Argent Thunder” a night time mission set in Moscow.
Personally I was hoping for a continuation on the temperature themed DLC naming that was present with “Artic Strike”, here’s to hoping that the next one will be titled “Temperate Strike” or “Not As Cold As Artic But Still Pretty Damned Cold Strike”. The development team is also said to be working on a third batch of DLC, hopefully they will read this article and change the name of it, but no official release date or name has been announced for it as of yet.
This new rumble will cost you to the tune of 1200 MSP (remember those days when it was 800?), it is also available on the Playstation Store if you are playstationaly inclined.
Konami announced today that the upcoming Platinum games spinoff of the Metal Gear Solid series, Metal Gear Rising Revengeance has had its Xbox 360 version cancelled in Japan. No reason has been given as of yet to explain as to why Konami decided to cancel the heavily awaited title in Japan, but the PS3 does hold the majority in Japan, so this is not as big of a surprise as if it had been cancelled in the West. And yes you did just read that right, the cancellation is occurring solely in Japan, so Western gamers can still get ready to get their slice on.
Here is the official announcement in regards to the Western Version: “Metal Gear Rising Revengeance for Xbox 360 and PS3 will be released in the West as planned in February 2013.”
Metal Gear Rising Revengeance is set to be released this coming February on PS3 and Xbox in well everywhere but Japan… A PC version was previously planned but that also got the axe… fingers crossed the banhammer doesn’t cross the sea.
Also if you wish to read this initial cancellation in Japanese check it out here.
Well, as many of you know, the rumor mill has been turning for the last few months with allegedly leaked iPhone 5 info, photos, etc. Good news, it has been officially unveiled today! Let’s dive into the info regarding the new phone!
DISPLAY
The iPhone includes the wonderful “Retina Display” just like Apple’s previous phone, the iPhone 4S. The screen includes 326 pixels per an inch, in other words, it’s going to be beautiful. But the new screen is slightly larger – 4 inches total with a 16:9 aspect ratio. The total screen resolution is an impressive 1136 x 640. It’s essentially a taller and more rectangular iPhone 4S. This change will allow 5 rows of apps instead of 4 and will allow you to view more emails also.
Apple’s internal software has been updated to take advantage of the new screen size, including Keynote, Pages, Numbers, iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand. App Store apps that haven’t been updated display at their same old size with black bars on either side of the screen. Many third party app makers have iPhone 5-ready versions of their apps already prepared.
The new display has had some changes made to it under-the-hood as well. The touch sensors are now integrated into the display itself, removing one layer to make touch input sharper and more responsive.
WIRELESS
The new phone will feature ultra fast wireless, it features HSPA+, DC-HSDPA, and the long-awaited & long-rumored LTE support. In the United States Apple has LTE support with Sprint, Verizon and AT&T. The company also announced dozens of worldwide carrier partners.
The iPhone 5’s WiFi protocol has also been updated & now features 2.4ghz & 5ghz on 802.11n. For those of you who don’t understand what that exactly means, the WiFi is now loads better.
A6 CHIP
The new phone also features a brand-new A6 CPU. The graphics and speeds for the phone will be a whole lot better thanks to the new upgraded chip. In order to show the changes, the company invited Rob Smith from EA’s FireMonkey Studios onto the stage.
The company demoed its incredible-looking racer Real Racing 3, featuring rearview mirrors and a variety of other graphically-intense processes.
BATTERY
The iPhone 5 will now allow 8 hours of continuous talk time, 10 hours of video, 40 hours of music and an impressive 225 hours of standby before requiring a charge (this will make everyone happy because many owners of the iPhone 4S complained about a short battery life).
CAMERA
The new camera features an 8 megapixel sensor & f/2.4 aperture. Apple also included a dynamic low-light mode. The camera is also 40% faster at photo capture. It also features a new panorama photo mode. By stitching multiple photos together, users can create a single huge image thanks to software processing wizardry. A panorama photo of the Golden Gate Bridge was shown as an example, coming in at a total of 28 megapixels.
FaceTime has also been updated and will now be shown in full 1080p HD and will have an updated face recognition system.
NEW CONNECTOR
Apple announced that the iPhone 5 will not utilize the 30-pin connector all Apple handheld devices have used since 2003. Instead the new phone will feature a new, smaller “lightning” connector. It’s reversible, so no more searching in the dark to get your device plugged in. It’s also 80% smaller.
For those worried few, a 30 pin adapter for the new Lightning iPhone setup will be available for individuals that own cars or other devices currently set up to only work with the old adapter.
EARPOD
The earbuds have been updated also, they are now called, “Earpod” headphones. The design is more egg-like, with the speakers positioned to “direct sound into the ear.” They feature the same cord controls users are familiar with.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
The iPhone 5 will be up for pre-order on September 14 and you can pick it up when it releases on September 21. With a contract, the iPhone 5 will cost $199 for a 16GB device, $299 for 32GB and $399 for 64GB. It will be available in both black and white.
It wouldn’t be right for every other female member of the roster to get a special swimsuit and the newly announced Mila to be left without a bikini of her own, so today Tecmo Koei did what we all were expecting. They have revealed that Mila will also be getting a swimsuit costume that will be included in the collector’s edition of the game.
The swimsuit can be seen above and can be clicked for hi-res goodness. In case you may have missed out on past swimsuits from the cast, most of the Collector’s Edition swimsuits were revealed here, while Helena’s was given a reveal of her own, and Lily and Sarah were paired off. There is still time to pre-order the Collector’s Edition version of the game before its release on September 25th, so perhaps it is time to secure your swimsuit collection now before it is too late.
