Spike VGA 2011: Transformers Fall Of Cybertron Teaser
Spike have just released their latest teaser in the lead up to the Video Game Awards Show airing this coming Saturday the 12th 2011.
While we do get a little more to go on than the Alan Wake: Night Springs, Metal Gear Solid Rising and BioWare’s next teaser trailers, it does of course still leave you wanting more!
Tune in this saturday for the full show, likely to showcase a number of high profile games hitting next year.
The 3DS Circle Pad Pro Coming to Europe
The 27th of January, 2012 will be an important date for some European 3DS owners as that’s the day the Circle Pad Pro will grace us with its presence. Yes that’s right, the second thumb stick that 3DS owners have been waiting for will hit the shelves early next year. However, no prices have yet been confirmed for the peripheral.
On a side note, the release of this add-on just so happens to line up with the release of Capcom’s Resident Evil: Revelations. The latest rendition of the zombie blockbuster will utilize the second stick and the two will come bundled together, although you will be able to purchase the Circle Pad separately.
Unfortunately, Nintendo of America has failed to announce a US release so to our friends over the pond, hang on in there.
Mario Kart Wii reaches 28 million in sales
Nintendo have announced that Mario Kart Wii, the 8th Mario Kart game in the series, has sold a huge 28 million copies.
It’s no surprise really as aside from Mario Kart (and the Mario franchise as well) being a huge powerhouse, Mario Kart Wii is the perfect Mario Kart (aside from Mario Kart Super Circuit in my opinion), due to being accessible to everyone and just down right fun, even if the blue shells can make things miserable.
The release of Mario Kart 7 for the Nintendo 3DS on 2nd December (Europe) and 4th December (North America) should see the Mario Kart series continue it’s very successful run.
Note: I haven’t played Mario Kart 7, but out very own Daniel Pepper has and you can check out his excellent review right very soon.
Note 2: If your wondering why I said “Mario Kart Wii, the 8th Mario Kart game in the series” and not “the 6th Mario Kart game in the series*, it is because Nintendo also released two Mario Kart Arcade machines.
Source: My Nintendo News
Fifth and final day of the Steam Autumn Sale
All good things must come to an end and with that, the Steam Autumn Sale enters it’s last day. Of course come next month, the start of the Christmas Sale should begin, so treat the days between today and when that event occurs as a much needed break on your finances.
Day five sees the following titles being advertised on offer:
Driver: San Francisco – £14.99 (original price £29.99)
Dead Space 2 - £4.99 (original price £19.99)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – £14.99 (original price £29.99)
Thief: Deadly Shadows – £1.99 (original price £7.99)
Europa Universalis III - £9.99 (original price £2.49)
Section 8: Prejudice - £2.49 (original price £9.99)
Demolition Inc. £1.99 (original price £7.99)
Greed Corp – £1.99 (original price £7.99)
Fable III – £14.99 (original price £29.99)
Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga – £7.49 (original price £29.99)
Red Faction Armageddon - £10.19 (original price £29.99)
Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 - £1.99 (original price £6.99)
Again we have some pretty good offers. So what games did you purchase over five day Steam Autumn Sale?
Sony Announces Vodafone to be the 3G Provider for PlayStation Vita
Earlier this week Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced that the popular mobile service provider Vodafone will be the 3G connectivity providers for Sony’s latest handheld, the PlayStation Vita. Vodafone’s high speed and extensive coverage network will allow users to harness a greater online experience on the move. As well as a great gaming experience users will be able to take advantage of dedicated social applications for Facebook, Twitter and FourSquare. Users can also access the Vita’s pre-installed Party application, enabling communication features during online gaming or internet browsing. With this extensive pool of social options you wouldn’t miss a thing.
President & CEO of Sony Jim Ryan stated “With social gaming and connectivity at the heart of PlayStation Vita it is important that we partner with a market leading network provider, to ensure users have a high quality 3G experience. Partnering with Vodafone will enable PS Vita users in the selected countries to always be connected with their PlayStation life, friends and games, wherever they are.” It’s good to know that Sony are trying their best to provide a great online service.
The PS Vita 3G/Wi-Fi model is to be sold through regular retail channels as well as through Vodafone directly. The Vita will also come with a Vodafone SIM card so that users can begin enjoy their online experiences immediately. At the price of £279 for the 3G model the Vita will be hard to pass by.
The PlayStation Vita is to launch in PAL regions February 22nd, 2012. Vodafone connectivity will be available in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand and The Netherlands. For more information visit eu.playstation.com/psvita.
Day three of Steam Autumn Sale
It’s day three of the Steam Autumn Sale, which means new titles are being advertised as having their prices slashed and those who look around in Steam can find many more games on offer.
Yesterday saw Monkey Island: Special Edition Bundle, Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Platinum, Total War Mega Pack, Fallout New Vegas, Two Worlds II, Operation Flashpoint: Red River, Sniper Ghost Warrior, Zeno Clash, VVVVVV, L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition, Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad and RIFT on offer. Today day three brings the following:
Dead Island – £14.99 (original price £29.99)
Sanctum -£1.79 (original price £6.99)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – £3.49 (original price £6.99)
Grand Theft Auto IV -£4.99 (original price £19.99)
Deus Ex: Human Revolution – £14.99 (original price £29.99)
Serious Sam HD: Double Pack – £2.19 (original price £21.99)
Flight Control HD – £0.74p (original price £2.99)
King Arthur Collection – £3.50 (original price £34.99)
Patrician IV – £6.79 (original price £19.99)
The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena – £3.74 (original price £14.99)
Back to the Future: The Game – £6.79 (original price £16.99)
Yes only eleven titles this time, but still I think there is a good selection on offer. So can you survive the day three wallet onslaught? And what offers have caught your eye?
Day two of Steam Autumn Sale
If you can count on one thing in the holidays, it’s for Steam to bring fantastic sales that somehow end up making you broke (just ask Shaun Greenhaff) and just now day two of Steam’s Autumn Sale has begun bringing you twelve new discounted titles for the next 24 hours.
In the lead up to the Christmas Sale (which will truly test your wallets limits), Steam have began four day Autumn Sale which began yesterday and ends on 27th November. Games such as Sam & Max and Call of Duty Black Ops, as well as various indie titles were on offer and now that day two as occurred, a new set of games have been listed. Here are the advertised games along with their discounted prices:
Monkey Island Special Edition Bundle – £3.59 (original price £10.49)
Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Platinum – £6.79 (original price £19.99)
Total War Mega Pack – £8.74 (original Price £34.99)
Fallout New Vegas – £3.74 (original price £14.99)
Two Worlds II – £12.49 (original price £24.99)
Operation Flashpoint: Red River – £6.24 (original price £24.99)
Sniper Ghost Warrior – £5.99 (original price £29.99)
Zeno Clash – £2.81 (original price £11.24)
VVVVVV -99p (original price £3.99)
L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition – £17.49 (original price £34.99)
Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad – £12.49 (original price £24.99)
RIFT – £4.99 (original price £19.99)
Once again we have some fantastic deals. And remember some of these games also are offered with add-ons/special editions, which are also discounted (e.g. you can also buy RIFT – Ashes of History Edition for £6.99, down from £24.99). Also remember that these aren’t the only games on offer and looking around Steam will see you find more games with their prices reduced.
Personally Fallout New Vegas and RIFT will be the titles on my purchase list, but what about you, what games on offer on day two of the Steam Autumn Sale have you reaching for the “purchase now” button?
Two More Titles Added to Vita Launch Line-up
Sony, apparently having learned from Nintendo’s earlier mistake with the 3DS, is really making an effort with the launch titles for PSVita. Not only is the system launching with a killer app with Uncharted Golden Abyss, but now another two titles have been added to day 1 – Unit 13 and MotorStorm RC.
Unit 13 is a third person military shooter that promises to give players a true dual analogue experience.Travelling to some of the most dangerous places in the world the game will feature objectives along the lines of stopping terrorists, overthrowing dictators and battling gunrunners and human trafficking. Missions will be presented in a stand alone non-linear fashion to allow players to jump straight into the bitesized chunks of action, perfect for the kind of situations a handheld console was designed for.
Gameplay wise, Unit 13 supports a class based system, allowing you choose one of six roles depending on your playstyle. These roles are Infiltrator, Sniper, Soldier, Technician, Point Man, and Support. The lack of a detailed overarching story or true connections between missions might detract slightly from the experience, stripping away the context that some gamers desire for their mass killing, but should help keep the game portable and very pick up and play. A great kind of game to have when waiting for the bus.
The second new title to be added to the line-up was MotorStorm RC, a new entry in Sony’s over the top racing series. After the jungles, deserts and post-apocalypses of past games what new ground is there for the series to speed over? After going for grand in scale with Apocalypse, evolution studios have gone against the grain and downscaled, putting players at teh handheld controls of remote control cars.
MotorStorm RC will see these miniature racers speed there way through recognisable locations from all the previous games. Feautring 24 vehicles and 16 tracks at launch, expect more to be added through DLC at later dates. Those who like their racing fact, furious and radio controlled are set to be in for a treat.
All told the February Launch of the Vita is shaping up to be something special, and I’m not just saying that because it has Uncharted either…
The Playstation Vita will Launch in the UK on 22 February 2012.
Max Payne 3 Special Edition Detailed
There I was, sat at my computer as the information trickled in. Max Payne 3 would be getting a special edition. It wasnt a surprise, these days everything gets a special edition, but it was pleasant. I was a fan of Max Payne. Its noir styling, over the top gunplay, bullet time effects. I took to the series to like a down and out detective takes to drinking.
March 2012 could not come soon enough, this was a game I was really looking forward to, but I had held off on pre-order. In the back of my mind I had a feeling this would happen and so I waited. And waited. And now here I am, writing the deatils Ive waited so long to read. Besides the obvious copy of the game, buyers of this special edition could expect a 10″ tall statue of the titular anti-hero Max Payne, a series or art prints depicting Max’s inner demons and vices, a bullet key-chain, obligatory DLC consisting of multiplayer characters and weapons, and a soundtrack of the games instrumental score.
I was excited, that much was obvious, and so the only question was one of price and availability. The cost was set to be £99.99, putting up there with Uncharted 3′s explorer edition in terms of cost, and is only available for pre-order until January 15th, making it actually limited, something many editions bearing the moniker tend to stretch. As for where to preorder I was still in the dark, frantically searching for someone to pay to secure myself a copy. Rockstar had hooked me already. Come March 2012 I was going to be a very busy man…
Max Payne 3 will be available March 2012 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC
Skyrim Ships 7 Million World Wide
It looks like many Elder Scrolls fans have already picked up latest title in the Elder Scrolls series, as today Bethesda have confirmed that the award-winning title, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, has sold more than $450 million in global retail sales so far.
Press Release:
With tens of thousands of fans lining up at retail outlets at midnight on 11/11/11 to purchase the game, Skyrim continued to record strong sales following its release. More than 50% of launch units were sold in the first 48 hours and Bethesda Softworks has been receiving large reorders from major retailers in North America, and across Europe and Australia. Online activity has been notable, with Steam reporting that in the first 24 hours of its release, Skyrim set a record with over 280,000 concurrent players, far outdistancing all other titles.
“We are grateful for the fans’ response to Skyrim,” said Robert Altman, Chairman and CEO of ZeniMax Media. “Todd Howard and his team at Bethesda Game Studios have crafted a very special game. Anticipation for Skyrim has surpassed any game in our company’s history, and we are pleased that sales and reviews have reflected the quality and hours of amazing gameplay it provides.”
The eagerly-awaited title has garnered more than 50 perfect review scores, earning praise from some of the industry’s most influential and respected critics including: USA Today, G4TV, GameSpy, Wired, Eurogamer, Destructoid, GamePro, Official Xbox Magazine, Joystiq, The Guardian, and GamesRadar. G4TV describes Skyrim as “one of the greatest games ever made” and Eurogamer was one of many outlets to call it a “masterpiece.”
“Without a doubt, this has been our most ambitious project ever,” said Todd Howard, Game Director on Skyrim. “After over three years of development, we’re finally excited to get it into everyone’s hands.”
