Better dust off that copy of Fable III if you still have it, because there is some brand new DLC coming down the pipe from Lionhead. Being the second full DLC pack that adds more to the game besides a few new weapons or dog costumes it will be titled Traitor’s Keep and will contain three different new levels. These levels will be Godwin Estate, Clockwork Island and Ravenscar Keep.
Along with these new areas you will also run into a number of strange new creations such as a robot dog and other robotic like enemies, and even some robotic looking armor of your own. The Traitor’s Keep DLC will cost 560 MSP ($7) and will also add 250 more achievement points to the total amount you can gather from Fable III. No idea as of yet what those will be however.
The western branch of Square Enix has released a brand new trailer today for The 3rd Birthday, or at least at first glance it appears brand new. But it is actually the same trailer we saw last December a few weeks before the game was released in Japan. The major difference between the two trailers however is the fact that this one is completely in English which means we no longer have to guess as to what the characters are saying.
Players will be able to satisfy themselves for now on this trailer at least until the game comes out on March 29th in the U.S. and April 1st everywhere else in the world. Let us know what you think about the trailer below, I personally still get vibes of Kill Bill considering the bloody wedding dress that Aya is wearing.
Female MMA fighters are completely lacking from the MMA video game world. This is despite the fact that there are quite a lot of female MMA fighters that fight in legal competitions worldwide. Finally one of these MMA games will give a bit of glory to at least a couple of these real life MMA fighters.
505 Games and Kung Fu Factory have released information today that Felice “Lil Dog” Herrig and Michele “Diablita” Guiterrez will be joining the roster of fighters when MMA Supremacy comes out in stores this June for the 360 and the PS3. There are a couple of videos released along with this statement that shows off bits of gameplay from the viscous looking MMA game as well as interviews with the fighters themselves.
Despite the fact that Atlus’ Catherine has received ridiculous amounts of coverage in the United States and other countries outside of Japan, apparently Atlus has zero plans at the moment to localize the game for a U.S. release. Atlus’ PR Agent told BeefJack the following information: “Catherine is a Japan-only game and there are no plans for a NA release at this time. Sorry about that!”
Considering the fact that Catherine sold more copies in Japan in its opening release than Marvel vs Capcom 3 on both systems it is a confusing choice to make considering the wide scale popularity that the game has seen overseas. Also considering the fact that Atlus released the game on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 is strange in the first place due to the low popularity of Xbox 360 games in Japan.
Remember a few weeks back when we mentioned that other games from Epic’s library wouldn’t be able to unlock special equipment due to restraints on Microsoft’s part. But it appears that problem has been overcome. More on that later however as there will be a Golden Retro Lancer available through unlock only by playing the Gears of War 3 Beta for a long enough period of time.
Apparently the Lancer will unlock when you have played 90 matches of the beta itself and then get over a hundred kills using the special gun. After you have done this then this gun will be yours to use in the full retail game. The Golden Retro Lancer has a bayonet on the front of it instead of chainsaw, and of course a golden coloration. Also if you play 70 different matches in beta you will unlock the Thrashball Cole skin seen above. With this skin you will need to play 13 more matches and you will have complete access to him.
Now earlier I mentioned that past Epic games would actually get a special item for being supporters of the developers. Anyone who has purchased the Epic Edition of Bulletstorm (the only edition you can buy) will get a flaming Lancer for use in GoW3 free of charge.
If you’ve just picked up a copy of Bulletstorm for the Xbox 360 then you know that you also have access to the Gears of War 3 Beta but unfortunately for you, you don’t know when you can gain access to that. But now you do because Microsoft announced today that the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta will begin some point in the middle of April.
Players will have access to the Thrashball map and the Checkout Map and a third map that players will be able to vote on, with the most popular being the third map. There will be new weapons included in the beta such as the sawed off shotgun, a retro lancer and a one shot and incendiary grenade. I know a few people on the staff will be jumping at joy to hear this news; how about you?
We’ve been teased long enough with blurry screenshots and an old man talking about the dragonborn. It is finally time to see what The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has to offer today. Below you can find the first in-game trailer that Bethesda released today and it shows off not only a few in game areas and fights, but the awesome battle between the Dragonborn himself and a dragon.
Also revealed with the new trailer is a redesigned Elderscrolls.com webpage that has a large version of the below trailer and things we have already heard about so far. But the highlight of this is obviously the trailer itself. There are plenty of different things that are shown, including the fact that the environments look absolutely stunning and the combat has received a complete overhaul. Now the can’t wait even more for 11-11-11 to role around so that teveryone can play Skyrim on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
Bulletstorm Publisher: Electronic Arts Developers: People Can Fly, Epic Games Platforms: Xbox 360 (reviewed), PlayStation 3, PC Release Date: February 22, 2011 Price: $59.99 US – Buy Now!, £49.99 UK -Buy Now!, $109.99 AUS -Buy Now!
Overview:
Don’t you think that the modern day first person shooter has set a certain standard of gameplay mechanics and go from point A to point B just trying to survive and kill anyone in your path? Well the people at People Can Fly and Epic certainly think so because they have created something that they are saying will break up that monotony of gameplay. That game is Bulletstorm. When a game says dick about as many times as you’ve heard it in your entire lifetime and in more variations than you can imagine then you know that you are in for a new experience entirely.
Story:
Bulletstorm places players into the distant future of the 26th century. They step into the inebriated boots of Grayson Hunt and his crew who are ex-assassins for the Confederation of Planets. Unfortunately for the rest of the Confederation, they have bounties on their heads and are not impressed with the number, meaning they are on the lookout to get some action, especially when that action involves getting revenge on their previous boss General Sarrano.
Of course alcohol and piloting a space cruiser while trying to shoot down a much larger space cruiser is never a good idea and the actions of Grayson quickly cause the ship to be shot down and crash land on the planet of Stygia. After their landing nearly all of Grayson’s crew is killed by the violent local tribes that reside on the once colonized resort planet. Together along with his very angry cyborg partner Ishi Sato and a woman named Trishka he has to not only survive and escape from the world, but kick its teeth in and blow its nuts off. The story can quickly draw you in especially with how well the characters interact with one another, even though the ending can be very disappointing and a blatant attempt to establish a sequel.
Now despite the fact that the characters and the majority of the dialogue you hear is very boorish and can be hard to take serious at first, it is all just the cover of a very well written story that has quite serious undertones. Not only do you experience a very big twist right near the start of the game, you will find yourself growing attached to your comrades despite the fact that they will call you so many names it’d be impossible to list them all. If anything else, the constant swearing makes your comrades feel like a major part of the experience instead of simply someone else shooting a gun. Also it is quite humorous more often than not and you will find yourself chuckling as long as you have a good sense of humor.
Graphics:
The world of Bulletstorms is a wonder to look at with amazing looking levels and character designs that will leave you wanting to take a look around. Even if taking that look around is to find something pointy to kick an enemy into. The game does not have any slowdowns from what I experienced despite the fact that the action kicks into high gear quite often and you can find yourself sliding around at high speed. Bulletstorm even avoids the usual brown and gray color scheme that plagues most shooters by providing a variety of different environments and enemies that will keep your eyes happy as you turn a human being into nothing but a skeleton.
Audio:
The background music is well suited to the fact that the game is very fast paced and action packed. Meaning that there is plenty of rock-sounding background music to keep you on the edge of your seat as you skewer your enemies onto cacti and throw them off of cliffs. The various sound effects are also well done with explosions sounding as well as you can expect and enemies yelling in pain.
The true star of Bulletstorm’s audio department is the voice work and the dialogue that goes with it. Each of the characters in Bulletstorm may sound like a cliché at first when you hear them talking, but their clichés match their personalities perfectly. General Sarrano is the perfect example of every military commander cliché that you can imagine, but it works. The amount of swearing and foul language is easily over-the-top but most players will find themselves chuckling rather than being offended and finding it childish. Still this is easily one that you shouldn’t play with children in the room, unless you want to get a call from school about your child’s new vocabulary.
Gameplay:
When a game’s motto is to kill with skill you know immediately that you are in for something different, and that something different is the Skillshot feature which awards players points for the more elaborate kills that they perform. Rather than running through a level and shooting all the enemies in the chest players are encouraged to find elaborate ways to finish off enemies. Sure you can go for simple headshots but those are only worth 25 points. Instead you can take that very same enemy and shoot him in the ass instead and it will give you 50 points for a Rear-End shot. Or you could kick an exploding barrel into him and set him on fire for even more points. With 131 different Skillshots that you can perform you will find yourself always on the lookout to perform special environmental kills or trying to one-up your previous attempts at destroying the enemies in your path and it is a great feature.
In the campaign mode these points are then used to purchase new equipment and upgrade the gear that you already have. You have many different weapons at your disposal such as the flail gun which fires two grenades attached to each other, a magnum pistol, a bouncer grenade launcher and many more. Each of these weapons comes with a secondary fire as well which allows you to carry twice as much creativity once you have purchased them. For example the machine gun you start out with is able to shoot a hundred bullets at once, stripping an enemy’s skin right from its bones. These weapons provide a great touch to the Skillshots system, especially considering there are certain Skillshots that require a specific weapon be used.
Other than the story mode there are two other modes of gameplay which will be taking up most of your time. One of these is called Echo mode and is perhaps the most addicting part of Bulletstorm because it combines the two best parts about the game. Killing enemies with as much variety as possible and the best parts of the levels from story mode. There are twenty different areas that you can select and each of these maps have a three star rating that you can try to achieve depending on how much time it takes you to pass the section and the amount of points you acquire from Skillshots.
These twenty areas have varying time limits and take some of the best parts of the story mode to allow the player’s creative juices flow as they let their enemies’ blood flow. In these areas you will be tasked with killing every enemy in your way as quick as possible and as creatively as possible to earn the most amount of points and reach the certain amount you need to reach a three star rating. But the real enjoyable part about this is the fact that you can compare your scores with others around the world on the leaderboards and lets you show your friends that you can be more brutal than they are. The only negative I found during Echoes mode was the fact that, considering the amount of game time per Echo run, the load times for each area is relatively long despite the smaller area to load.
Now what FPS would be complete without a multiplayer aspect? Well rather than have a competitive multiplayer mode Bulletstorm only contains a co-operative mode. This mode is called Anarchy mode and will place players against waves of enemies. But instead of having to survive these waves, you have to reach a certain amount of Skillshot points from the enemies in the wave to advance. This means that the higher the wave level, the more score you will need to advance. The mode can be tackled by yourself, with friends, or with random people through a quick game join.
There are a few problems that come about with all of the players trying to kill the enemies in the area at one time however. There are a number of times that the Anarchy mode requested a specific enemy to be killed through an elaborate team kill. The game itself however seemed to have trouble recognizing the fact that the requested Skillshot was performed and often caused the Wave to fail because of this.
Overall:
Bulletstorm easily proves that it has much more to offer besides a foul mouth. There is something here for everyone especially if you are a fan of FPS games. For gamers who enjoy a fast paced and brutal shooter then they have exactly what they are looking for, but there is also something here for those who like to plan out their strategies and find the best way to kill their enemies, especially in Echoes mode. Despite a lackluster ending the storyline also proves that there is more than meets the eye as far as Bulletstorm is concerned. Oh and don’t forget all of the swearing…
Activision will take the Spyro series into a new way of playing them. Through an innovative use of technology, Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure allows players to transport real-world toys into virtual worlds of adventure through the “Portal of Power.” These toys with brains can come to life inside the game in connection with multiple gaming platforms, as well as on handheld gaming devices, mobile devices and on the web, remembering achievements and level-ups wherever they go. This marks a wholesale change in the interaction between toys and video games, opening up new possibilities and revenue streams for both industries.
“These are more than action figures. They are inter-action figures. By pairing world class character design, world class video game design and world class story telling into one entertainment experience, we’ve given players a whole new genre that bridges the gap between the real and virtual worlds. From the first time a kid picked up a stick and pretended it was a sword, toys have unlocked kids’ imaginations. And how often have you wanted to bring those toys to life, to see them become animated and take them on an adventure? Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure does just that.” – Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing
Some unique elements from the game includes:
Each Character Has its Own Unique Powers – In addition to the highly collectible design and personalities of the toys themselves, each character has different powers and abilities, opening different experiences inside the game. Players can drop in and out of each level with as many different characters as they like, making each players experience unique.
Toys With Brains – Each toy/character remembers the player’s shared experiences. Achievements and leveled up capabilities earned in the game are embedded inside the toy and travel with the toy. Wherever the toy goes, its experiences go with it.
Portal of Power – The Portal of Power serves as the gateway between our world and the amazing world of the characters in Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure.
Play With Friends – By placing two characters on the Portal of Power at once, players can team up together for cooperative play, or face off in player versus player battle arenas utilizing their leveled up characters.
Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure is developed by Toys For Bob and a release date is yet to be announced.
Razer’s newest headset, the Chimaera, is probably one of the best audio devices known to man. For the price of $199.00 and $129.00 for the surround sound and stereo editions respectively, these headsets have eye popping features.
First off, the surround sound set will last up to 8 hours on one charge. The stereo edition will last up to 12 hours. Plus, they are both wireless, meaning you can go anywhere up to 30 feet away and still hear other people speaking or hear your favorite music, movies and games. Up to 4 other people can also locally connect 4 Razer base stations for those cooperative bashing parties.
These lag free devices will also sport PC connectivity, although you have to buy a separate adapter to use this functionality.
“Putting on this headset may cause serious jaw-dropping aural intensity,” said Robert “RazerGuy” Krakoff, President Razer USA. “With the Razer Chimaera 5.1, we’re giving every gamer the opportunity to experience surround sound in complete wireless freedom. We drew from our expertise in PC gaming audio and worked with Dolby® to develop a headset that lets you hear everything with absolute clarity to pinpoint enemy locations, prevent backstabs, and just take your gaming enjoyment further. I recommend using it with the Razer Onza controller for serious Xbox ownage.”
Well “RazerGuy” that sounds pretty cool. If you want to check out more about these products or pre-order one, head on over to the Razer page, located here: http://www2.razerzone.com/chimaera
The 5.1 surround sound headset will ship on in the US and worldwide in April. The stereo enabled headset is up for shipping on the 28th of February in the US and in March worldwide.
