Not only were gamers and press surprised when Sony decided to announce the worldwide release dates for the PlayStation Vita at the often ignored Web 2.0 Summit, but publishers and developers most likely were as well. While other companies have said that their titles will be launch titles when the Vita is released, none of them have made any further announcement now that the Vita does have a launch date.
Until now that is, as today Namco Bandai has placed a February 22nd release date on three of their launch titles. These games are Ridge Racer, Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen, and the new Katamari game which is named Touch My Katamari for us Westerners. These release dates count for North America and Europe as well, plus since these titles will also be sold digitally at the same time as retail release, you can try out your new Vita’s download capability as well.
In an effort to promote their PlayStation Vita remake of Tales of Innocence, which Namco Bandai has decided to call Tales of Innocence R. The latest character to be re-introduced from the old cast of characters is Iria Animi, a hotblooded female fighter who uses two pistols to deal with enemies when she is combat.
You can see the video below, but of course the video is in Japanese so it would be best to simply watch the video and see how she will play in combat, and then take a shot and guess what she is saying in the latter half of the video.
Oh snap! The Poid Pipper attacks once again with the Xbox Live Newsbeat. This time we shall be covering any news from October 18 – 31. Time to turn the spotlights on!
It’s SHOCKTOBER
Please don’t dress up as a clown! I am deathly afraid of them. But while you play dress-up (not as a clown) make sure you take a glance at all of the deals and specials before Halloween. Perhaps play some Plants Vs. Zombies or download extra content for Left 4 Dead and Deadspace 2. There are plenty of ways to celebrate, so go customize your avatar and spook your friends.
And that’s it for the spotlight! Hope I didn’t scare off all the boys and ghouls (hehe). Shoveling on towards the new releases.
New releases for Xbox Live Arcade:
Game
Release Date
Microsoft Points
Dungeon Defenders (D3P)
October 19
1200
Bejeweled 3 (Popcap)
October 19
1200
War of the Worlds (Paramount)
October 26
800
Daytona USA (SEGA)
October 26
800
Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone (Konami)
October 26
800
And for Game Add-Ons:
Game Add-On
Release Date
Microsoft Points
Batman: Arkham City Catwoman Bundle Pack (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
October 18
800
Deus Ex Missing Link Campaign (Square Enix)
October 18
1200
Mercury Hg Add-On (UTV Ignition Entertainment)
October 19
160
Toy Soldiers: Cold War Napalm Pack (Microsoft Studios)
October 26
240
A World of Keflings It Came From Outerspace Add-On (Microsoft Studios)
October 26
320
Pinball FX 2 Paranormal Table (Microsoft Studios)
October 26
Free from Oct 26 – Nov. 1 After that 240
Cannot forget the DEALS of the WEEK!
Game
Duration
Microsoft Points
Halo: Reach Defiant Map Pack (Microsoft Studios)
October 18
400 (50% off – GOLD Exlcusive)
Halo: Reach Noble Map Pack (Microsoft Studios)
October 18
400 (50% off – GOLD Exclusive)
Dead Rising (Capcom)
October 25
25% off
Dead Rising 2: Case West (Capcom)
October 25
400 (50% off)
Dead Rising 2: Case Zero (Capcom)
October 25
200 (50% off)
Avatar Marketplace:
Game
Release Date
Pirates 4 (Disney)
October 18
PowerUp Heroes (Ubisoft)
October 18
Bejeweled 3 (PopCap)
October 19
Dance Central 2 (Harmonix)
October 20
KISS (Xbox LIVE)
October 20
MTV Beavis & Butt-head (MTV)
October 24
Battlefield 3 Update (Electronic Arts)
October 25
Disney Universe (Disney)
October 25
Kinect Sports: Season Two (Microsoft Studios)
October 25
War of the Worlds (Paramount)
October 26
Lord of the Rings: War in the North (Warner Brothers)
October 27
Umbro (Konami)
October 27
Games On-Demand:
Game
Release Date
Little League World Series 2010 (Activision)
October 18
Top Spin 4 (2K Sports)
October 18
Rio (THQ)
October 25
SAW II (Konami Digital Entertainment)
October 25
Also take advantage of the Kinect Anniversary starting October 23 – November 5. Save up to 50% on Kinect titles/add-ons!
Thanks for joining me for Volume 39 of The Poid Pipper Newsbeat. Play hard, and always remember to check your underwear.
Activision released a new trailer today for Modern Warfare 3 and it has detailed perhaps one of the biggest changes to the online multiplayer from Modern Warfare 2. That change is the new “Strike Package” system which will not only reward players for getting kills but also for a number of other accomplishments on the battlefield as well.
The trailer goes more in-depth below, but basically players will be able to pick their “Strike Package” of choice based on their play style. For those who like to kill everything in sight and are good at it, there is the Assault Strike Pack, for those who like to capture points, get assists and other things there is the Support Package which doesn’t reset when you die. Or if you happen to want to play as a Specialist, it combines getting a ton of kills with unlocking multiple perks, reaching upwards of eight perks with enough kills. This change to the kill streaks is something I am definitely in favor of, how about the rest of you?
It appears that the rumored L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition is indeed being released by Rockstar as today the company announced that they would be releasing the new upgraded version of the title on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on November 15 in North America and November 18 everywhere else.
The Complete Edition will contain all DLC that was released in the past for the game as well as any of the pre-order content that was a nice little limiter on gamers. The content will include Nicholson Electroplating, Reefer Madness, The Consul’s Car, The Naked City and A Slip of the Tongue. No price was announced but this does seem like a bit of a low blow to gamers who ended up buying L.A. Noire back when it released what… six months ago when this version releases?
It would appear that there are a few pieces of information leaking out before the Japanese press event for the Nintendo 3DS. Nintendo of Europe announced yesterday that the update for the 3DS’ firmware would happen on November 4th, but later Nintendo World Report’s Daan Koopman recanted that statement and claimed the date was due to some confusion inside the company.
He did however confirm once again that there would be a new StreetPass game included with the firmware update. The game will be a completely separate entity from the existing StreetPass games Find Mii and Puzzle Swap. There was no actual information as to what the game could possibly be, but this does provide us with a bit of a hint as to what we will see tomorrow at the press conference.
Despite the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions of Sonic Generations being slated for a release on November 1st, Sega had yet nailed down exactly when 3DS owners could expect to have their own little taste of the fastest blue hedgehog on their 3D handhelds. That is until today when they revealed that Sonic Generations will be available at stores just a few weeks alter in November.
To be more specific the North American release date is November 22nd and the European date is November 25th. Sonic Generations for the Nintendo 3DS will have exclusive levels where everything will be in 3D and rather than be a miniature port of the console version, will play as its own separate game.
Those who have purchased the $25 Gears Season Pass should be happy to hear when they will be able to download the next piece of Gears of War 3 DLC for absolutely nothing. The rest of us however, will have to pay 1200 Microsoft Points when this piece releases December 13th. The DLC announced earlier today by Epic Games is called Gears of War 3: Raam’s Shadow.
Raam’s Shadow will take place before the events of the first Gears of War game, featuring a mix of new characters in a group known as the Zeta Squad. Players will enter the world of Sera post-Emergance Day and be tasked with evacuating Ilima City against a Locust Kryll storm. Zeta squad will consist of Michael Barrick who was in the Gears comics, Lt. Minh Young Kim from Gears 1 and Tai Kaliso from Gears 2. Plus there will be a new female soldier known as Alicia Valera added to the mix.
Besides the story content, players will also unlock six new multiplayer characters, the Chocolate Weapon skin and 250 extra achievement points. Obviously the new skins will be the characters of Zeta Squad and most likely Raam. But who is the last one I wonder? Care to venture a guess?
Remember that $1 deal for Afterfall: Insanity? Well anyone who chips in their buck to the preorder is now going to be supporting a good cause – all of those dollars will go to Amnesty International.
The original deal from Nicolas Games was that if ten million pre orders were reached for Afterfall: Insanity then $1 would be all that was due for the full game:
“Last week we started taking pre-orders for Afterfall: InSanity and have received absolutely amazing feedback on the campaign. We wanted to do something special with this game. By donating the proceeds from the Afterfall: InSanity $1 pre-order campaign to Amnesty International we can contribute to the defense of human rights and thus be part of something extraordinary.” said Tomasz Majka, the CEO of Nicolas Games.
If the ten million preorders are reached then 10% of the preorder proceeds will go to Amnesty International. Gamers need not fear for their dollar either, as if the pre-order target is not reached, that Amnesty donation will come off the full price, leaving the game at $33.90 for gamers who joined the preorder effort.
It’s a good deal folks, $1 for a game/off the full price, $1 for Amnesty International. If you know you’re going to buy then head over to the game’s official siteto support the campaign. Kudos to Nicolas Games – there are already 17,000 preorders. If you need a little convincing then be sure to try out the demo, which will be released on November 15. Check out the video below for the indie developers rundown of the deal, and just think about how much good this could do.
If you’re looking to upgrade your Xbox 360 or jump to Microsofts’s console anytime soon, hold out for another week! Xbox supremo/blogger Major Nelson has just announced some Xbox and Kinect holiday bundles that should catch your eye whether you’re after a family purchase or a more selfish gaming one. I’m not sure what holidays start at the end of October (does Halloween count?) , but we’ll let that slide…
In Australia the following bundles will be available from October 27:
$499 250GB Kinect Holiday Value Bundle – includes Kinect Adventures, Carnival Games: In Action, and a 3 month Xbox Live Gold Subscription
$449 250GB Standalone Xbox Holiday Value Bundle – includes Halo Reach and Fable 3, and a 3 month Xbox Live Gold Subscription
Given that a 250GB console will usually set you back around $400 both bundles are a pretty good buy. Readers in the US will be treated to similar fare, with the same deals coming in at $399 and $299 respectively. Happy Halloween/Christmas/Easter/Xbox 360 day? Who knows!
