Homefront, THQ’s new FPS, will feature a version of the unpopular Project Ten Dollar invented by EA. According to the information, the game will have a 1 time use code that allows players to access all the online features. Players without a code will be required to purchase the functionality for $10. If you do not have the pass, you can play online, but with limited progress. Out of the 75 levels, you will only be able to progress to 5 of them. You can keep playing after that limit has been reached, but no progress toward your leveling up will be counted. Single player will be unaffected.
Last night around 7:45 Mountain Standard Time at the Consumer Electronics Show in Nevada, Microsoft unveiled some exciting news about the Kinect and Xbox 360.
First off, you may remember that the sales goal for Kinect was 5 million units by the end of the year. The actual number of Kinects that were sold by December 21, 2010 was 8 million. Is it safe to say that it was a rousing success?
Second, it was announced that the Kinect will be getting a Spring update that will allow for Hulu Plus and Netflix navigation using the Kinect. Also confirmed was that Hulu Plus is indeed finally coming to the Xbox and soon! Also, it is presumed that the Xbox 360 will be getting some sort of update to go go along with its favorite accessory.
Third, the Xbox 360 Kinect will be receiving Avatar Kinect. Avatar Kinect will be available for Xbox Live Gold members this Spring. It will be a place to hang out virtually with your friends, a little bit like PS Home, but totally different as well. It will use gesture control and add facial expression support for your avatar. It will take form of “stages” which give users talk show-like sets to interact with their friends. For example, assemble your friends in a virtual roundtable and discuss all the amzing events in your life, and then post the video to Facebook for friends to see. So, it is sorta like the View and Good Morning America. <Insert witty, satirical, or sarcastic comment here.> Check out the trailer below for more details.
Fourth, it was revelaed that Xbox Live had surpassed 30 million members and that the Xbox 360 has sold over 50 million units.
Finally, the Windows Phone 7 will be getting some major updates as well. It was confirmed that the Phone will finally be getting some support from Sprint and Verizon sooner than later. Also, Copy and Paste will be included as soon as February. That same update will include performance improvements. And, the Windows PHone 7 has over 5500 apps in the Marketplace after just 2 short months.
It’s hard for a FPS to truly give a memorable storyline. Some games go for controversy so they are easily remembered, others simply put together a workable storyline so they can get on with the multiplayer. But then we have games like Killzone 3, where from the looks of the newest trailer, story will take a step to the forefront.
The newest trailer for Killzone 3 outlines the struggles that being in a war with the Helghast involves, and the fact that there may be a civil war brewing within the Helghast themselves. I don’t believe I’ve seen a video game teaser that brings the drama as hard as this one does; considering you could liken it to a movie trailer. The two leaders we see arguing from the Helghast are Malcom Mcdowell who takes the role of the Stahl Arms CEO and Ray Winstone who is the Heglhast Admiral. But don’t take my words for it take a look at the trailer below.
With only scant information about what The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will contain we have to take everything that we can get at this point. Thankfully Game Informer looks like they will be having a bit of new information coming in their February issue because they have just released their new cover. It shows an emblem of Skyrim which has been printed with an ultraviolet coating so that it will be a 3 dimensional look to the image rather than your standard print.
Also as you can see above the back of the cover contains something even more interesting. There is a strange language written in unknown characters that pertain to the story of Skyrim. They apparently relate to the trailer which was released when the game was first announced, but currently no one knows the answer. Some point later today however the information may be revealed so check back later for more info.
Next month on February 18th the Xbox Live House Party will begin. While this may not mean that any real party will be happening it will bring a slew of new titles to the Xbox Live Marketplace for download. But what games exactly will be released during this House Party? We now know that Beyond Good & Evil HD will be released during this time period so that will definitely tide the fans over. Also released during this time is Hard Corps Uprising, Bejeweled Blitz Live, and Full House Poker.
There is another game that is coming out on the Xbox Live Marketplace that will definitely be a sure hit however as Rubic Games has announced that Torchlight, which is a Diablolike RPG, will be making its release some point during the House Party releases. Apparently the game has been remade so that a PC title will fit perfectly with the Xbox 360 controller without much being lost in translation. Obviously we have no news of prices or exact dates but the good news is that they are still arriving.
We are just a couple of months away from Capcom’s Okamiden, and as we near the release date, Capcom have released some brand new screenshots from the game as well as a new trailer. In the screens (which you can check out below), eager fans can get a first glimpse of a music based mini-game that looks to fit in perfect with the title’s unique art style and characters. As you can see in the pics, it looks that the stylus based calligraphy brush will come into good use for this Okamiden as much as it was used in Okami which is great to see.
I would say the story to really talk about here though is the new trailer. In the clip, we see the first meeting of Chibiterasu and the game’s main (human) character, Kurow. After a brief stare-down and bit of dialogue, Kurow quickly jumps onto the pup’s back as they run off together, which I am guessing is where the story takes off.Kurow seems like a tough and interesting character and I am looking forward to seeing how the story plays out between the two.
Okamiden is building up to be one of 2011’s best looking portable releases this year and on March 15th, Chibiterasu and Kurow will both be in tow as the game hits shelves overseas. Check out the trailer for yourself below and you can also visit the Japanese site for even more artwork and gameplay footage by clicking here.
Today Crystal Dynamics® announced that The Tomb Raider Trilogy pack, will be available on March 25, 2011, exclusive for the PlayStation3. The pack will be a collection of Tomb Raider: Legend,Tomb Raider: Anniversary and Tomb Raider: Underworld. While Underworld which was previously released on the PS3 will remain as it originally was, Legend and Anniversary will both be newly remastered in HD quality. Included in the pack will be a Tomb Raider Trilogy theme pack, the official Lara Croft female Home avatar outfit, the Viking Thrall male Home avatar outfit and finally a collection of “making of” trailers in HD for the entire series of the franchise, making it a must have for Tomb Raider die hardseverywhere. So Tomb Raider fans: March 25, save the date!
SEGA® Corporation has happily announced that their loveable mascot will celebrate his 20th anniversary on June 23, 2011. Sonic The Hedgehog has stared in countless games since his debut on the SEGA Mega Drive in 1991, and has collectively sold over 70 million units worldwide. His super fast speed and awesome rockstar attitude have made him an easily recognisable and popular gaming icon, as well as appearing in comics, apparel, toys as well as his very own animated series. 2 decades since his beginnings, the franchise is still going strong and SEGA will be celebrating his 20th anniversary with events worldwide, with details being released soon. Be excited!
Gamesloft the makers of top-quality and dare I say awesome mobile games, now brings us ‘Zombie infection 2’ for JAVA based mobile devices. It’s a sequel to 2008’s ‘Zombie infection’ which later spawned a 3D remake on the popular iPhone, swapping the top-down side scroller to a full 3D third person shooter. Zombie infection 2 for the mobile sports the same look and feel of the first game, but with sharper visuals and improved controls case and point look at the explosions!
The setting of the game has moved from the urban environments of the first game to the dense tropical jungles of Brazil with levels varies between the jungles, mines and secret labs. Unsurprisingly, the game features a lengthy story mode featuring three playable characters each providing different gameplay scenarios, for example stealth and vehicle sections, in search of the source and a cure of the infection. The story is initiated well with cut scenes and a fully fledged storyline, interesting characters and situations helps to keep the action flowing at a good pace. Gamers looking for a quick action fix will be pleased by the game’s quick play option, allowing for quick and easy access to the zombie shooting fun. More weapons have been included this time including the flamethrower and melee weapons.
Hopefully like its predecessor, we’ll soon see Zombie infection 2 on the iPhone/iPad sometime in the near future but untill then Zombie infection 2 is avalable now for download at gameloft.com for $5.95
PSN users will now be able to dive back into some classic games thanks to Hudson. Hudson are planning on the release of TurboGrafx Classics for the Playstation Network later this year with ten titles that will all be able to be downloaded individually through the service. There is quite an array of titles that will grace the already huge selection of Playstation Network titles and this release should please retro gamers everywhere with releases such as Bomberman ’94 and the cult favorite Bonk’s Adventure.
Here is a full list of the ten games that will be apart of the TurboGrafx Classics:
Alien Crush
Bomberman ’94
Bonk’s Adventure
Dungeon Explorer
Neutopia
New Adventure Island
Soldier Blade
Super Star Soldier
Victory Run
World Sports Competition
Since the 1989 release of the Turbografx, we have seen a lot of re-releases of many of these titles on services such as the WiiWare, but it is great to see PS3 users getting some old-school love as well. There is still a bit of a wait as the release is scheduled for winter of 2011, but you can get even more information on all of these titles by checking out Hudson’s official site by clicking here.
