It's time to crank up some Gears of War 2, Gearheads. Epic Games has announced a special Double XP Fourth of July weekend. There's some explosive action to be found for those of you looking for some gaming fireworks.
Details from Epic Games:
"Gears of War 2 celebrates the Fourth of July holiday with an explosive Double XP Weekend! Starting Friday, July 3, and running through the weekend, Gearheads can expect double XP in all game types, as well as bonus XP for those teams emerging victorious from battle. And if you’re in the mood for fireworks, be sure to check out the special all-Ticker rounds in every tenth wave of Horde!"
Next week, MTV Games and Harmonix are giving gamers 11 tracks to indulge in. The previously announced Green Day pack will be releasing, featuring top hits from their latest album, "21st Century Breakdown". If you've been to the Mayhem Festival, you would know that top artists such as Slayer and Marilyn Manson would be performing. In celebration of the event comes the announcement of the new Mayhem Pack which will be available next week as well as the Green Day Pack. Check out the Rock Band releases below.
All Single Tracks - $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points, 200 Wii Points) per track
Green Day Pack - $5.50 (440 Microsoft Points)
"21 Guns" by Green Day
"East Jesus Nowhere" by Green Day
"Know Your Enemy" by Green Day
Mayhem Pack - $13.50 (1080 Microsoft Points)
"Conquer All" by Behemoth
"What a Horrible Night To Have a Curse" by Black Dahlia Murder
"Hammer Smashed Face" by Cannibal Corpse
"Empire of the Gun" by God Forbid
"Embedded" by Job for a Cowboy
"Disposable Teens" Marilyn Manson
"Black Magic" by Slayer
"This is Exile" by Whitechapel
All of the above tracks will be released next Tuesday, July 7th for Xbox 360 and the Wii, while the PlayStation 3 will receive these tracks on Thursday, July 9th.
SEGA is giving gamers the Columns game for free this weekend for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Watch the App Store (here) for the free download this weekend.
Details from SEGA:
"In honor of July 4, SEGA is offering the spectacular puzzler Columns for free to all iPhone/iPod Touch owners. For the whole July 4th weekend, gamers can grab this gaming gem for free and enjoy addictive puzzle fun! Players return to ancient Phoenicia and behold the jeweled Columns as they strategically align falling gems across, down or diagonally - racing against the clock or taking on the computer for hours of challenging gameplay. Easy to pick up, difficult to master and fiendishly addicting, Columns features Timed, Challenge and Endless modes, as well as three levels of difficulty."
UPDATE: From SEGA's Twitter account: "For all that asked: Columns Deluxe should be free by the end of the day today [7/2/09]. Mobile team is changing it before they leave for the holiday."
X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition - review
Available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Publisher: Activision Blizzard
Developer: Raven Software
Official Website: www.uncaged.com
Game Details from Activision Blizzard:
“Weaving in and out of the movie’s storyline, the epic cinematic experience features action-packed missions set in real-world locales and challenges players to hone their animal instinct as they uncover hidden dangers, hunt and destroy enemies and discover the truth about Wolverine’s relationship with Colonel Stryker and Sabretooth.”
Review Summary:
If you like your games violent, fun, and only worth one play through, then X-Men Origins: Wolverine – Uncaged Edition is exactly what you are looking for. The game is a ton of fun, but doesn’t last long enough and doesn’t warrant multiple play-throughs to be worth the full sixty dollar price tag. Even with a ton of jaw dropping moments and gorgeous graphics, I would have expected more from Wolverine and Raven Software. Hacking and slashing your way through about a 6-8 hour game is fun, but overall an average experience. Either wait for the price to come down or rent it and you'll enjoy it, while still getting your money’s worth.
SEGA of America introduces you to Infinite Space with a 4 1/2 minute anime short from the upcoming Nintendo DS game. Sit back and see how things kick off with Yuri finding his way into space. Watch the video now, below. This is the first of four anime clips coming from SEGA. Get ready to "FLY!"
Details on Infinite Space from SEGA:
"From the same creative minds that brought you Steel Battalion™, PlatinumGames and Nude Maker, have once again joined forces to bring you Infinite Space™, an epic sci-fi RPG with an engaging battle system. Embark on a space adventure and play as a young space explorer named Yuri. Command a fleet of spaceships and battle against enemies from tyrannical dictators to deadly space pirates, all in the midst of a galaxy on the verge of war; as you search the universe for a mystical epitaph that is known to have power to change the world. In this heroic space saga, follow Yuri on his path to becoming a man powerful enough to prevent another war and possibly universal annihilation!"
See more on Infinite Space at SEGA.com. Infinite Space is scheduled for a Spring 2010 release on the Nintendo DS/DSi.
DICE today announced that Battlefield 1943 will be available next week for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3. The online first-person shooter will be available for purchase as a download. Battlefield 1943 will be available for the Xbox 360 on July 8th from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15) and for the PLAYSTATION 3 on July 9th from the PlayStation Network for $15. It's a fully featured FPS at a low price, only available as a download.
Watch a video below featuring the Guadalcanal map.
Details from DICE and EA:
"Battlefield 1943 is a critically-acclaimed First-Person Shooter (FPS) multiplayer game that puts players in the middle of a dogfight on land, sea or in the skies. The game introduces two thrilling new modes that can be played across four classic Battlefield tropical WWII maps: Wake Island, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and Coral Sea. These maps are inspired by the award winning Battlefield 1942™ game, but have been redesigned and reengineered using the DICE destructible Frostbite™ engine which takes down walls, blockades and cover spots, leaving players with almost nowhere to hide. The game delivers endless hours of social online gameplay – an extraordinary value at just $15.
The Coral Sea map which is included in the game will be unlocked as part of a worldwide community challenge, where players will work together to reach 43M kills on both Xbox LIVE and the PlayStation Network. To help gamers reach that goal, up to 24 players can play together online in countless matches. They will have the freedom to compete by land, air and sea as either the US Marines or the Imperial Japanese Navy. Whether they choose to play the role of a rifleman crawling through the trenches, a steel-fisted tank commander, or a dog fighting ace pilot, gamers will have the power to rule the Battlefield."
“Battlefield 1943 is going to change consumer expectations of what a downloadable game can be. By offering Frostbite’s next generation destruction technology with a full Vehicle Warfare FPS multiplayer experience at a mere 560MB, Battlefield 1943 sets a new standard,” said Gordon Van Dyke, Producer on Battlefield 1943. “Our goal is to blow people away with a fully accessible, retail-calibre game for veteran Battlefield fans and shooter fans alike to enjoy for only $15.”
See more on Battlefield 1943here at the official website. Battlefield 1943 will be available for the PC platform later in September.
2K Sports is celebrating the landmark of two million units sold of NBA 2K9 (worldwide) with the upcoming NBA
2K10: Anniversary Edition (PS3, Xbox 360). There will be a lot less of this edition of the basketball game to go around, being limited at 30,000 units. Here's what you'll find packed inside of a locker that doubles as a game storage bin:
- NBA 2K10 video game
- 2K Sports’ NBA 2K10 game locker
- 3” Figurine of Kobe Bryant by McFarlane Toys
- 16” x 36” Kobe Bryant poster
- Commemorative NBA 2K 10th anniversary DVD
- Access to the Gold Room, the NBA 2K10 VIP online lobby
(accessible only with Xbox LIVE® and PlayStation®Network
membership)
The NBA
2K10: Anniversary Edition will also be individually numbered for
authenticity (30,000 units total). See a larger image of what's included here.
In addition to the bonus items, there's a chance to win an autograph from Kobe Bryant and get exclusive online access to a "Gold Room". 2K Sports explains:
"Ten lucky fans will have the rare
opportunity to find an autographed Kobe Bryant fine-art print, designed
by Shepard Fairey’s Studio Number One, which will be hidden and randomly
packaged among the different lockers. Gamers with Xbox LIVE® online
entertainment network and PlayStation®Network membership will
also be able to enjoy special privileges for NBA 2K10: Anniversary
Edition, including exclusive access to an online lobby - the
Gold Room - where celebrities and other VIP members will go to play, and
only players with the Anniversary Edition will be allowed
to enter."
Zen Studios fires up the PS3's PlayStation Network today with a new first-person shooter, The Punisher: No Mercy. The game developers from the popular Zen Pinball deliver the FPS game, which is based on the Marvel Comics character. A playable demo will include 2 of 8 levels from the full game. Dive in and get a sampling of the action and decide if you want to go for the full release, also available today. Zen Studios also released the Trophies that are available from the game, which can be seen at PSU.com.
Details on The Punisher: No Mercy from Zen Studios:
"Powered by Unreal Engine 3, The Punisher: No Mercy lets players jump into Punisher action, fighting alongside or taking on an eclectic mix of Punisher allies and villains in a series of online arena-style multiplayer matches that feature solo and team-based missions for up to eight players. Battle arenas span from shipyards rife with contraband to the “birthplace” of Jigsaw, the Punisher’s archenemy.
In addition to the exceptional online gameplay, No Mercy also boasts a single player story mode where players can unleash their vengeance on hordes of villains while unfolding an original storyline and unlocking new additional content. The story mode also features exclusive artwork from acclaimed Marvel artist Mike Deodato."
Check out more on The Punisher: No Mercy at the game's official website, www.punishernomercy.com.
Telltale Games and LucasArts are getting ready to release the newest adventures of Guybrush Threepwood in Tales of Monkey Island. This is the first new Monkey Island game in many years, and it's headed to the PC and WiiWare. The episodic adventure kicks off on the PC next week, July 7th. Click here to check out a gameplay clip from the first episode, “Launch of the Screaming Narwhal.” It's the first of five monthly game episodes.
About Tales of Monkey Island:
"Telltale's Tales of Monkey Island brings the adventures of pirate Guybrush Threepwood into a new era with an explosive storyline that becomes deeper and more entangled during the course of the five-episode saga. While battling his nemesis, the evil pirate LeChuck, Guybrush accidentally unleashes an insidious voodoo pox that threatens to transform the buccaneers of the Caribbean into unruly pirate monsters. Players will experience the humor, romance, and swashbuckling action the Monkey Island games are famous for and unravel an insidious plot which is revealed across the course of the series."
Feel like you're ready to make some of your own Xbox 360 games? Microsoft has made it easier starting today. If you're itching to tinker and create some games, Kodu Game Lab is now available for 400 Microsoft Points ($5).
Features of Kodu, from Microsoft:
“Kodu” lets anyone from age 7 to 70 harness the power and fun of Xbox 360 to bring their own unique game creations to life. With a simple image-based creator menu and potentially millions of creation options, game development has never been as intuitive for kids and adults of all ages. Players’ imagination is the only limit they’ll face with “Kodu.”
Create a one-of-a-kind game with only an Xbox 360 controller from the comfort of the couch, including the following:
- A bridge and path builder.
- A terrain editor.
- Co-op gameplay and create modes.
- 20 “Kodu” characters with different abilities.
- Breakthrough visual user menu that requires no experience.
- Almost 200 behavioral building blocks with potentially millions of ways to create and combine new actions for characters
Download Kodu Game Lab on your Xbox 360 console, or queue it up for download here: Kodu Game Lab (Demo) or Kodu Game Lab (full version).
Check out the latest on Kodu from the developer blog. Get creating!
