Call of Duty: Black Ops Prestige Edition details
Not too long now before you Call of Duty fans can get your hands Black Ops and while your all content to hone your skills on Modern Warfare 2 (why else would it not leave the top ten UK all formats chart like a bad cold), at the same time you want to know details about Call of Duty: Black Ops. Well, for the collectors out there, you’ll be happy to hear about the “oooooo” sounding Prestige Edition.
If you head over to Gameplay (www.gameplay.co.uk), you can preorder yourself the Call of Duty: Black Ops Prestige Edition, which is available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. What the Prestige Edition contains is:
- Black Ops RC-XD remote control car with onboard video camera & microphone that sends audio and visual feedback to the controller – perfect for covert surveillance!
- Steelbook edition of the game.
- Black Ops Medal
- “Woods” Avatar outfit for Xbox Live or PSN
- Four Exclusive Co-op maps
All this will set you back £129.99. While the price is nothing to sniff at, you did read the part about the remote control car right? Yes that’s right, you can get your mitts on a RC with a camera and microphone, that is in effect a device to spy on people. To some, that’s worth the price alone.
Whenever you decide to go for the Prestige Edition or just the game itself, Call of Duty: Black Ops comes out on November 9th.
Chaos Rings expands onto the iPad
Great news for iPad owners who need an RPG fix as Square Enix’s Chaos Rings is now available for you to own via iTunes Store and App Store worldwide.
The game has had rave reviews from critics and much love from gamers, which has helped it become one of the best RPG’s not named Zenonia. If you’re not familiar with the game, here’s the details:
CHAOS RINGS is a completely brand-new role playing game (RPG) which was initially released for the iPhone/iPod touch in April 2010. The game has earned high praise as a title that stretches the hardware to the limit, boasting a huge adventure and beautiful graphics. As a result the title earned the No.1 sales spot in 15 countries around the world and is now available for iPad and features 1024×768 HD support.
CHAOS RINGS is set around a battle tournament called Arca Arena, where teams of two compete for victory and eternal life. Characters gain levels and earn experience points from defeating their foes to upgrade their team’s combo skills, enabling the pair to launch bigger, stronger and more devastating attacks.
The unique story of CHAOS RINGS unfolds based on the pairing of characters that the players choose. By experiencing the story lines of each pairing, the true mystery of Arca Arena will be unveiled.
Featuring a turn-based battle system, players are given the choice between ”solo” moves, where they can enter commands separately, or “pair” moves, to execute actions as a team. Working as a “pair” allows the characters to concentrate their efforts for more effective power. Defeating enemy monsters allows players to obtain specific DNA information called “gene,” which players can equip to learn the monster’s magic and special attack moves.
And guess what? there’s even more good news. Because Square Enix loves us so much and to celebrate the release of Chaos Rings, they have decided to slash prices off the rest of their other iPhone and iPad titles which you can see for yourself below:
For iPhone/iPod touch
CHAOS RINGS ( €7.99), CRYSTAL DEFENDERS (€2.99), SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes – Encore (€3.99), FINAL FANTASY ( €5.49), FINAL FANTASY II (€5.49), VANGUARD STORM (€2.39) SLIDING HEROES (FREE), HILLS AND RIVERS REMAIN (€2.99) and FINAL FANTASY XIII Larger-than-Life Gallery (€2.99)
For iPad
CRYSTAL DEFENDERS for iPad (€2.99), FINAL FANTASY XIII Larger-than-Life Gallery for iPad (€2.99) and Chocobo Panic (€2.39)
Sigh…And I was doing so well with saving my money when Square Enix comes out with all this news. Goodbye money, hello Tesco’s cheap value noodles.Just to finish off, here’s some screenshot of Chaos Rings.
Square Enix announces GamesCom 2010 line-up
For those lucky to go to GamesCom 2010 (which takes place at Cologne on August 18th – 22nd) you’re obviously itching to know what will be at the event, just for the chance to boast to your friends and co-workers that you played [insert awesome game] that was awesome. Or to say [instert not so awesome game] did in fact suck.
Regardless, we can tell you that Square Enix have revealed what they will be showing at GamesCom 2010. The following games that will be showcased are; Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Final Fantasy: The 4 Heros of Light; Final Fantasy XIV; Front Mission Evolved; Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days; Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.
Phil Rogers, chief executive officer of Square Enix Europe was not surprisingly giddy with excitement: “GamesCom continues to grow in prominence and this year’s show promises to be something special. Our key titles reveal a powerful line-up of lead characters, innovative gameplay and action-packed storylines and GamesCom 2010 provides the perfect opportunity to share these upcoming games directly with consumers.”
I’d wager that Deus Ex is going to see some serious playtime, though if I was going, I’d get my hands on Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep.
Regardless of what game you want to play, you can find Square Enix at booth B54 in Hall 6 of GamesCom 2010.
Mr Hudson Heads Into Reach
Microsoft today revealed the final celebrity member of the Halo: Reach Elite Spartan Squad. The famous UK R’n’B / pop artist Mr Hudson is the fifth member of the team, joining England and Manchester United footballer Rio Ferdinand; Model and T4 presenter, Jameela Jamil; England Rugby star, Ben Cohen; and Gadget Show presenter, Jason Bradbury.
The ‘Looking for a Leader’ competition gives one lucky UK gamer the chance to Captain the celebrity Elite Spartan Squad. As well as becoming the Squad’s Captain, the winner will get the opportunity to train selected members of the celebrity team in a series of one-to-one’s, and then, as a team, participate in the most exciting live Halo battle in gaming history at Halo: Reach’s official ‘Blue Carpet’ launch event in September. Additionally, a team of six gamers will also be selected to face-off against the Elite Spartan Squad and their newly-crowned Captain at the Reach mega-launch.
So its time to prepare and drop in.
Toy Story 3 reclaims the #1 spot
It was a good week for StarCraft 2, selling a huge 1.5 million in the first 48 hours. But now the party has ended and StarCraft 2 is no longer number one, with the top spot being reclaimed by Toy Story 3, in what must be sweet revenge (if video games held grudges) in that it was StarCraft 2 that kicked it off the top position in the first place.
StarCraft 2 still lands at a decent spot of number 4. The most surprising this about this week’s chart is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which has gone back up to number 2 position. Either the demo has done wonders or the new map packs have somehow provided a huge boost. Either way, Activision aren’t going to complain.
The rest of the entrants in the charts doesn’t see any other surprises, with possible exception for Dragon Quest IX, which has done really well in the UK for a Dragon Quest game. This bodes well for future Dragon Quest games and really proves that the Nintendo DS is the perfect fit for the series.
Here’s the top 10 UK all formats charts in full:
01. Toy Story 3 (Disney)
02. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision)
03. Dance On Broadway (Ubisoft)
04. StarCraft II: Wings Of Liberty (Activision)
05. Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar)
06. Just Dance (Ubisoft)
07. Dragon Quest IX (Square Enix)
08. Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Warner)
09. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo)
10. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (EA)
You know, Toy Story 3 being number one again has given me an idea for Toy Story 4; Woody, Buzz and gang face an alien threat from the Zerg and are initially overpowered but through guts and willpower manage to fight back and save the day. I’m expecting an Oscar in the post.
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days – Behind the Scenes
Take a look at the development of Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days with this behind the scenes video.
Just in case you need a reminder about what Kane & Lynch 2 is all about: “Experience 48 hours of hell with two of gaming’s most notorious criminals in Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days. Kane and Lynch face the consequences when a simple job gone wrong sets off a desperate and frantic struggle to escape the entire Shanghai underworld. Ground-breaking art direction, relentless action gameplay and innovative multiplayer redefine the action shooter experience and positions Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days as the standout shooter of 2010.”
South Korean Game Mirrors Portal
An up and coming online game called ‘Gate’ has players running around a factory like setting creating portals.. or gates to transfer themselves to different areas in the game… not exactly an original.
Virgin Gaming And Ubisoft Challenge Gamers To Experience The Future Of War
Ubisoft and Virgin Gaming (http://virgingaming.com/) have announced a partnership, which will see Virgin Gaming to become the online torunement provider for the publishing giant’s upcmoming multiplayer console releases. The first one will be Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, the latest chapter in the award-winning franchise.
Rob Segal, CEO of Virgin Gaming, is excited at the chance to work with Ubisoft: “Ubisoft is one of the leading video game publishers in the world and we are thrilled to offer our members the opportunity to compete in some of their best multiplayer console games. Virgin Gaming is a unique convergence of social networking, video games and competitive gaming, and we are excited that Ubisoft shares our vision for the platform and its potential.”
“Ubisoft is thrilled to be partnering with Virgin Gaming on its new venture. We have an exciting lineup of multiplayer titles this year that we believe will be a perfect fit for gamers to play and compete against each other in a tournament setting,” said Laurent Detoc, president of Ubisoft North America.
Sir Richard Branson unveiled Virgin Gaming at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) as part of his comeback into the video game industry and recveied an enthusiastic reception. Virgin Gaming saw the postive response and took advantage, not wasting any oppurtinity or time and become “the first online platform for gamers of all skill levels to compete in some of the best games for the biggest prizes. In true Virgin style, Branson kicked things off with dramatic flair, announcing that Virgin Gaming would give away over $1 million in cash and prizes over its first 12 months.”
Ubisoft headlines a slate of industry partnerships with key publishers and retailers to be announced by Virgin Gaming in the coming months.
EA gives players the power of Create
Comparisons to LittleBigPlanet or the lesser know The Incredible Machine are unavoidable, but EA will hope that Create will find success by being accessible to everyone, from hardcore gamers to casual players, veteran gamers to young gamers and single players to the whole family, where the only limitation is according to your imagination.
Well, at least that’s what EA is saying “Create uses families’ imaginations to develop new ways to play together that are both fun and challenging,” said Harvey Elliott, VP and General Manager at EA Bright Light. “We wanted to design a game where the entire family can explore, decorate, and solve challenges where no solution is wrong and the only limit is the imagination.”
Being released across multiple platforms, Create is part puzzler, part create ‘em up, as players are required to used their creativity to get through challenges presented in the game. Rewards are unlocked for exploring the game, solving level-based challenges and customizing their world. Those who buy Create on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, and MAC can upload heir creations, solutions or challenges onto the console and also on the official Create website (www.create.ea.com) for others to see and friends will not just be able to download them but “remix solutions and set challenges”, which in turn can be downloaded and played by others.
Those turned off by LBP’s creation tools which, while arguably allowing more in-depth creation, are daunting may find Create a pleasant alternative. Whenever it will offer enough to be more than just a novelty remains to be seen however.
Call of Duty: Black Ops sneaks into the Nintendo DS
Activision, for good reason, sees Call of Duty as an important brand in video gaming and hopes to repeat the success that Modern Warfare enjoyed. So it’s only a little bit surprising to hear that Call of Duty: Black Ops will be seeing action on the Nintendo DS.
The portable version sees you take charge of “CIA-backed operatives that are dropped into the shadowy world of deniable operations with an expansive arsenal of weapons at their disposal.” An expansive single player is expected.
But n-Space, who are developing the portable version -and in fact have been in charge of developing the DS versions of Call of Duty games for the past three years – aren’t just stopping there, “with a six-player online multiplayer mode with a new Perks System, as well as a unique two-player Co-Op mode and Arcade and Challenge Modes that allow gamers to replay the single-player missions to earn extra points to unlock additional achievements.” Clearly they are pushing the DS to the limits and also hoping that the DS version of Black Ops will be seen as just as worthy as it’s bigger console counterparts.
Dan O’Leary, n-Space studio head, is certianly confident that will be the case: “Call of Duty: Black Ops for the Nintendo DS is going to take the handheld Call of Duty experience to a new level. From taking the controls of an attack helicopter to flying an experimental stealth fighter jet, players will have a wealth of new features to utilize.”
The expected release date is November 9th. In the meantime, check out the screenshots below.
