With Rockstar’s Max Payne 3 set to be released in two weeks it only makes sense that they reveal what gamers can expect to see in the future as far as DLC is concerned. Today Rockstar detailed their plans for seven separate DLC packages that will start in June and go into the Fall season. These pieces of DLC all correlate to the multiplayer and co-op gameplay modes unfortunately so don’t expect any campaign DLC at the moment.
June 2012
• Local Justice Map Pack
Summer 2012
• Disorganized Crime Map Pack
• Deathmatch Made In Heaven Mode Pack
• Hostage Negotiation Map Pack
• New York Minute Co-Op Pack
Fall 2012
• Painful Memories Map Pack
• Trickle Down Economics Map Pack
June will kick things off with the “Local Justice Map Pack” which will add three new multiplayer maps and four additional map packs will arrive in the summer with two more coming out in the Fall. While no prices were revealed for each individual piece of DLC, Rockstar revealed that they will be releasing a Rockstar Pass for Max Payne 3 which will net them any future DLC for free, though it is worth noting that the pass costs $30 on its own.
Konami in North America revealed today that the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection for the PlayStation Vita will be released in North America sometime in June of this year. At the moment however a more specific release date was not revealed. On the other hand, Konami in Japan has chosen to release the below trailer featuring plenty of gameplay footage and examples of the touch screen being used to control the game.
It is worth noting that those who also own the PS3 version of the game can take their save data on the go with the “Transfarring” option. Also worth noting is that the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection on the Vita will not contain Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker HD like past titles, as it will only contain Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3.
It seems that Activision may need to remind their workers about different time zones because 8PM in North America isn’t quite the same as 8PM in Europe. The reason I say this is because the European version of their official Call of Duty website has gone ahead and revealed Call of Duty: Black Ops II officially.
Along with this reveal came a handful of screenshots and even a box art which can be seen below. The announcement trailer on the site currently does not work, but the game’s release date of November 13th has also been nailed down. It appears that unlike past CoD games, this one will contain a number of futuristic weapons, though we can expect a bigger and fancier reveal later tonight during the basketball playoffs on TNT.
Bethesda has finally revealed what the first DLC pack for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be called and that is pretty much it at this point. Today they released the above image calling the DLC pack, Dawnguard and with it they revealed that the DLC will be coming sometime in the summer and more information would be revealed at E3.
It is worth noting that this DLC announcement comes less than a week after possible DLC files concerning the Falmer and crossbows were discovered inside the latest PC patch. Besides the DLC announcement, today is also the day that the free Kinect compatibility update was released for the Xbox 360 version of Skyrim.
Developer: Psydra Games Publisher: Psydra Games Platform: PC (Reviewed), Mac Release Date: May 1st, 2012 Price: $9.99 – Available Here
Overview:
Point-and-click adventure games have a certain hard to explain difficulty to them, where as turn-based strategy games have a slightly easier to grasp difficulty. To excel at a point-and-click adventure players must get in the mindset of the situation to use what they have to progress, which in outlandish situations can take lots of trial-and-error. To excel at turn-based strategy games, players must simply know what beats whom and have them. So, what happens when these are combined into one game? Dark Scavenger.
Containing elements of both genres, Dark Scavenger is an adventure game with far different mechanic than many before it. What happens when the player can use almost any of their equipment with each situation? You get a game where options are as diverse as objects in the game, which is pretty diverse in and of itself. So, how does this work for the game? Read on to find out.
Story:
Dark Scavenger is the story of a person lost to space, who after fighting a gigantic space monstrosity, is rescued by a ship filled with three friendly creatures. Now, I said friendly not normal, as each member of the ship is interesting, to say the least. The shipmates are each specialized crafters that turn whatever the player can bring them into resources; weapons, items, and allies; that the player can utilize throughout their adventure. Adventure? The player must brave a world to find a power source for the ship, so they don’t become stuck floating in space forever.
The adventure itself is very dynamic, as the player must work their way across a world with three unique dominant species and find the power source. How characters respond depends on how the game is played, from siding with the different species and deciding how to go about each challenge. The player character can be as cruel or understanding as the player wants from just slaughtering everything to trying to help each species with different problems. It spans a great deal of detail too, so players seeking depth can find it if they wish.
Audio & Visuals:
The music of the game is very versatile in different sections of the game, but some of the pieces are shorter loops and don’t add as much feeling as others. Outside of music, the other audio is very simplistic, this isn’t bad but may leave some people wanting more than the little smacks and booms of battle. There aren’t any voice overs either, which might have been interesting for the different and unique characters.
The visuals of the game are very well done, though again simplistic. With no animations at all, each aspect is a separate drawing, but they are spectacularly done. The level of detail between them is great to see in a game and make up for the lack of animation to provide a special feel for the game. As there is no animations it is fairly easy to zip through conversations without having to wait for anything to finish playing too, which is good as the game is built for a good level of replayability.
Gameplay: Dark Scavenger is a combination of point-and-click and turn-based strategy which is an easier to understand mechanic than some might think. Essentially, the player has the weapons, items, and allies that all have limited uses and can be used in many different circumstances. The more loot the player can find the more resources they have at their disposal, so doing everything possible will allow for plenty of equipment to use in the later, harder stages. Key items as well as more difficult to find and often lead to later key items in later stages, so it’s important to explore everything.
Bosses are dynamic in the game as well as they don’t necessarily have to be fought. Having the appropriate equipment may mean the player can get by without combat. But, it is more complicated than simply picking up the correct loot, as the player must also give it to the correct crafter to get the right resource, such as a boss that’s just looking for the right “partner”. If the player makes an item instead of getting that ally, then the boss has to be fought.
The game also features a “New Game+” mode after completion, so that players can try and get everything they missed or even try to craft one of each resource. In “New Game+”, the crafter used for loot in the previous game is highlighted, so that players know who not to give it to the second or third time around. There is even a super special item called “Plot Device”, which is obtained late in the game, but I assume is useful earlier through “New Game+”.
Overall:
Dark Scavenger is a very unique game that is much easier then normal point-and-click adventure games and more forgiving than normal turn-based strategy games. The aspects of the game itself are a bit simplistic in places, but the story is very in-depth and makes up for these aspects. It also has so many different resources in the game that playthroughs are certain to be varied in how players approach situations, without having a clear ideal solution. Fans of adventure games should check out the demo first to get a handle of how this one plays, but should generally find a good game.
Hitbox Team has been working on an update for Dustforce to allow players to be able to use an in-game editor to make their own levels, as well as providing a server to store all these player made levels. The newly released update wont just be for player made content however, as it will also include new levels and a new progression system to better balance out the difficulty.
Dustforce is on sale in honor of the update for 50% off on Steam for Mac and PC, but don’t wait out as that price will be like dust in the wind after too long. Check out the trailer below showing off the new level editor and be sure to head over to Steam to get in on this deal HERE. If you have the pleasure of already owning the game be sure to check out the newly created players levels on the server HERE.
Still not sure? Be sure to check out Capsule Computers’ review of DustforceHERE.
WWE Extreme Rules 2012 Company:World Wrestling Entertainment Location:Chicago, Illinois Arena:Sun Life Stadium Date:29/04/2012 Price:$54.95Order Here
*All photographs featured in this article are a property of World Wrestling Entertainment and can be found on their official site.
In the beginning of April 2012 the world witnessed Wrestlemania 28, where The Undertaker and Triple H had an unforgettable encounter and The Rock was able to get an unforseen victory over John Cena. The aftermath of that event was even more memorable as Brock Lesnar made his return to the WWE and immediately set his sights on John Cena.
Many (if not all) of the major rivalries that have been taking place in the past couple of months or so did not get closure at Wrestlemania 28, which resulted in almost all the matchups in Extreme Rules 2012 being Wrestlemania 28 rematches with new stipulations. The only match that was actually new and exclusive to this event was the one between John Cena and Brock Lesnar.
Extreme Rules 2012 is essentially a direct ‘sequel’ to Wrestlemania 28 with the idea to once and for all bring closure, and start a whole new chapter for 2012. What follows now is the review of what may be the best WWE Pay-Per-View of 2012 thus far, and as always you can look forward to our extensive discussion about this event and the aftermath in the upcoming episode of CC Powerslam.
This review will cover only the main matches that were hyped in the build-up of the event. It will not be covering the pre-show Youtube/WWE.com exclusive United States Championship match between Santino Marella and The Miz, and it will also not be covering the two bonus last minute filler matches. Now without further ado…let’s get EXTREME.
Falls Count Anywhere Match: Kane vs. Randy Orton
This match was a great opener because it really got the crowd pumped and ready. Kane and Randy Orton have been putting on solid matches since 2011 and their in-ring chemistry just clicks. This match was no different. They made good use of the match stipulation and pretty much went all over the arena, interacting with the crowd and going backstage. There was nothing fancy about this match as it was an old school brawl with some cool spots, and it even had a humorous interference by Zack Ryder. The match finish was a little predictable as it was pretty much exactly like how their previous matches on Smackdown ended. Apart from that somewhat disappointing finish, this was a solid match with good pace and good use of the stipulation in place.
Overall: 3.5/5
Intercontinental Championship-Tables Match: Big Show (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
This match was actually about the same length as their mediocre encounter at Wrestlemania 28, but it actually ended up being a better match simply because of the way it ended. The match pretty much had Big Show dominating Cody Rhodes with the typical body slams and tosses. It had this one neat moment where Cody Rhodes was able to bounce off a table to hit the Beautiful Disaster, even though the execution was sloppy. The best moment was the ending, which involved Rhodes essentially dropkicking Big Show’s leg off the ring apron and onto the table that was set outside, giving Rhodes the victory and making him the new Intercontinental Champion. It didn’t really look like Cody Rhodes putting Big Show through the table, as instead it looked as if Rhodes made Big Show accidentally step on the table. To sum up, this moment is easily one of Big Show’s best embarrassing moments, and the look on his face pretty much summed it up perfectly. The post-match table antics were pretty solid as well.
Overall: 3/5
World Heavyweight Championship – Best 2 of 3 Falls Match: Sheamus (c) vs. Daniel Bryan
The match between Daniel Bryan and Sheamus for the World Heavy Weight Championship at Wrestlemania 28 is easily among the worst matches ever, and demonstrated absolutely poor booking. However, that disaster of a match did set an interesting foundation for the feud as the build-up to the Extreme Rules rematch was done well and received a very interesting reaction from the crowd.
The 2 out of 3 falls match at Extreme Rules was pretty much the match that should have happened at Wrestlemania 28. This match allowed both Daniel Bryan and Sheamus to demonstrate their true capabilities as the in-ring chemistry between them was great. It was a well worked and paced match that went back and forth. It was also great seeing such a passionate and divided crowd behind it.
Daniel Bryan pulled off some really unique and painful looking submission holds, and the direction that they went with this match was unpredictable as Bryan would get himself disqualified in the first decision but follow up with a submission victory for the second decision. The third decision had Sheamus pulling off an impressive Brogue Kick to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
What was great about this match was how well they implemented Daniel Bryan’s tactic to work on Sheamus’s arm, to the point where he even got himself disqualified just to continue working on the arm. Sheamus did an excellent job selling the arm injury, as he would pass out to the Yes! Lock submission and continue to display pain. It was great to see Sheamus struggle in a match and really fight hard for his victory, and is perhaps the most passion and emotion he has ever shown. Overall, this match had great in-ring psychology and storytelling, and is easily the best match Sheamus has ever worked.
The British High Court has ruled with a iron fist and ordered 5 of the UK’s leading ISP’s to block what is widely recognised as the largest torrent file sharing site, The Piratebay from its servers and customers. Sky, Everything Everywhere, TalkTalk, O2 and Virgin have been delivered the court order under to block the site which they believe makes available illegal and copyrighted material to the public under the misconstrued pretention that “Sites like The Pirate Bay destroy jobs in the UK and undermine investment in new British artists,” the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) said.
Why Governments even allow cases like this to waste the time and money of courtrooms and all those involved is beyond me considering the naiveity that blocking one website amongst thousands that offer the same content will stop piracy. Virgin responded with the following statement,”As a responsible ISP, Virgin Media complies with court orders addressed to the company but strongly believes that changing consumer behaviour to tackle copyright infringement also needs compelling legal alternatives, such as our agreement with Spotify, to give consumers access to great content at the right price.”
The Piratebay and its owners are no strangers to the inside of a courtroom, having accumulated their fair share of charges right from their creation by 4 friends back in 2003. Acts of aggression and attempts to have the site shut down have been met with many acts of revenge from the sites massive loyal fanbase such as shutting down law enforcement and government based websites. Whether they are right or wrong the site holds immense power, continuing to operate despite court orders not to and upheld appeals. Lately the sites front welcoming page has changed to read PromoBay, allowing artists to freely promote their own original content without having to fork out thousands to record companies. Ethically this kind of promotion is no different to the old days of leaving a demo tape on a studios doorstep but a far cry from their other content.
Within the UK especially there seems to be a heavy emphasis on music with very little mention of the rest of the entertainment industry, begging the question of who is really putting pressure on the government to proceed with these kind of legal mishaps. Its all well and good to try and uphold the law as well as the rights and livelihoods of the artists involved but the removeal of one site will simply route would be downloaders to other torrent, newsgroup or rapidshare style server. Additionally, according to Jim Killock, Director of the Open Rights Group says that “It will fuel calls for further, wider and even more drastic calls for internet censorship of many kinds, from pornography to extremism,” he said.
More importantly its very hard to teach people who have culturally being taught that there is nothing morally wrong with downloading music and other forms of media that they are committing a crime in the eyes of the law in many countries.
Madman Entertainment will be releasing Studio Ghibli’s latest anime offering, Arrietty (known in Japanese as The Borrower’s Arrietty) on DVD and Blu-Ray throughout Australia and New Zealand on the 23rd of May, 2012.
Arrietty was previously screened in select cinemas across Australia to which it recieved rave reviews. Arrietty of course comes from legendary anime studio Studio Ghibli and thus has the pedigree of being from the same studio that brought us such anime masterpieces as My Neighbour Totoro, Princess Monoke and Spirited Away.
Arrietty is undoubtedly one of the most hotly anticipated anime releases of the year, Ghibli fans will be able to get their hands on the film on the 23rd of May. Will you be picking up a copy of Arrietty upon release? Sound off in the comments section below.
Fond memories many gamers will have of this particular title so it will be with bated breath that many wait for the revamp of the sleazy Lounge Suit wearing degenerate we all came to know and love. After being turned down by every major game developer, the games original creator and designer Al Lowe has crowd funded the project through the wonderful Kickstarter. With just 36 hours left, they hit target and raised over $580,000, and have now set their sights on $750000 to further enhance the games features.
Larry became an icon of gaming in the 1980’s, bringing with him a raunchy side previously unseen in any commercial gaming titles, complete with a balding hairline, total lack of pride and a tough skin from years of rejection. Lowe is quick to comment that their was a huge misconception surrounding the title and told news.com,“The actuality of it was the packaging implied a lot more would be revealed within than actually was. What we were going for was using sex as a way to make people laugh. “Besides, who gets turned on by a couple of pixels of cartoon nudity? The games were really much tamer than their reputation.”
Those expecting a modern day Larry will be surely disappointed as he will still be portrayed as a somewhat desolute character refusing to catch up with the times be it regarding hi attitudes or attire. Lowe explains how the only difference this time around will be the fact that Larry will be 25 years further behind the times than when the original was out. The famous age verification questions will also be done away with although it would add a certain sense of nostalgia to see them included in the title. The game will be available sometime later in the year according to Kickstarter information and will carry an Adults only rating in the US. Whether it will be released without revision in Australia is unknown but in true style Lowe commented “Because nobody would ever think about downloading it from somewhere else. Or typing ‘Alt X’ to get around it,”
Konami in North America revealed today that the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection for the PlayStation Vita will be released in North America sometime in June of this year. At the moment however a more specific release date was not revealed. On the other hand, Konami in Japan has chosen to release the below trailer featuring plenty of gameplay footage and examples of the touch screen being used to control the game.
