Nothing but the biggest news stories in gaming today!

Wednesday
Sep072011

Daily News - 6th September 2011 - Borderlands 2, Star Trek: Online and New 3DS Add-on

Leaked Borderlands 2 Footage Confirms: Borderlands Is Still Awesome

I loved Borderlands, it was original, funny, challenging and above all: fun. I'm glad to see the sequel is getting improved in all the right places, but keeping the things that make Borderlands the expperience it is. Kotaku have the video, so check out the link below if you're a fellow Borderlands nut.

Kotaku - Borderlands 2 Leaked Footage

Shoot things. LOTS.

Star Trek: Online Free-To-Play Detailed

Star Trek: Online is going free-to-play and this gets me excited. I saw lots of footage from the Beta and it looked kind of awesome. The sheer fact of being able to pilot your own starship is worth the (free) price of admission alone. You still have the option to pay for a subscription but what wasn't clear until yesterday was exactly what the differences between free-to-play and payed members would be:

  • Free members get 2 character slots as opposed to 3 for paying members
  • 48 inventory and bank slots, versus 72 and 96 respectively for paying members
  • Free players can't create missions using the game's Foundry system
  • Limited access to the official forums
  • Limited access to in-game mail
  • Limited access to in-game chat
  • Limited access to Customer Service
  • No priority login
  • No veteran rewards
  • In-game advertisements in the game's voice chat

So there are your limitations. It looks like a lot, but when you really think about, none of this is actual game content... So you can still make a badass starship and kill borg without shelling out a penny... and THAT'S all that matters.

Plus the game's kind of gorgeous, do a quick google image search and feast your eyes

3DS Add-on Adds 2nd Circle Pad - Looks Ridiculous

To coincide with Monster Hunter 3G's release in Japan an add-on is coming that will slap on atleast an extra circle pad, and possibly more. No word on pricing or solid details, but take a look at how stylish this thing looks... (sarcasm)

Not eye-rippingly grotesque in the slightest (SARCASM)

Tuesday
Sep062011

Daily News - 5th September 2011 - Diablo 3, Battlefield 3 and Dead Island

Pumped For Diablo 3? Then You'll Wanna See... Menus!

Some footage has leaked out from the Diablo 3 Beta. Obviously one of the more hotly anticipated games of the next 12 months, the footage its sure to get people excited (but then again, any new news at this point is going to excite Diablo 3 fans). Be warned, the video is mostly just of the game's menus, but they're nice menus so take solace in that. If there's one thing Blizzard know, it's interfaces.

 

Dead Island On Steam May Be A Tad Unfinished

People who bought the game digitally via Steam have been finding some interedting thing in their copies of Dead Island, like the ability to no-clip with simply the press of a button! Also, if you like it when game's crash then you're in luck, because this version is apparently crash-happy! And besides, you didn't wanna play the multiplayer anyway, right? Ah good. Supposedly the problems come from this apparently not being the retail version of the game, even possibly containing some Xbox 360 code. Whatever the reason, I expect it'll be dealt with pretty swiftly.

I hope the game does that original trailer atleast a little bit of justice

Japanese Poster Says Battlefield 3 On Two Discs For Xbox 360

According to a promotional poster for Battlefield 3, the game will come on 2 discs, as opposed to the PS3 version which will come on a single Blu-Ray. The smart money says the multiplayer gets it's own disc, but to be honest, with video games the smart money isn't always the one that pays off. We'll see.

God knows what the rest says, but clearly visible is: DVD-Rom x 2

Sunday
Sep042011

Trailer Round-Up - Week of 28th August 2011 - Modern Warfare 3, Uncharted, Gears Of Wars 3 and Lots More!

Trailer Of The Week definitely goes to Modern Warfare 3, definitely encapsulates the multiplayer perfectly

Modern Warfare 3 - Multiplayer World Premiere

Shoot things!

Jurassic Park: The Game - Action Montage

Believe it or not, it's kicking off on Jurassic Park!

War Of The Worlds - Free Run From Aliens!

The gameplay looks meh but the setting is kind of awesome

Jetpack Joyride - Jetpack Theft Is Cool

It may be an iPhone game but this trailer is pretty great

 

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception - Cargo Plane Demo

Drake's in a spot of bother

Dino Storm - Lasers On Dinosaurs

How the fuck can dinosaur back laser fights look so boring?!

Gears Of War 3 - Dust To Dust

Aww man, talk about epic!

Dead Island - Release Trailer

Looks like Left 4 Dead in the tropics... I can get on board with that!

Halo: CE Anniversary - Multiplayer Trailer

I guess Halo multiplayer is still a big deal

Fez - A Moving Screenshot

Fez is gorgeous, and it's gonna be amazing

 

Saturday
Sep032011

Daily News - 1st and 2nd September 2011 - Ultima IV and Warhammer 40K: Space Marine

Get Ultima IV For Free!

I'm a console gamer at heart, only just this year getting myself a laptop capable of playing PC games, so I missed out on lots of (so-called) seminal gaming experiences in my cotton wool wrapped gaming childhood. The Ultima series is one of them. And there's never been a better time to experience the classic RPG for yourself as GOG.com are giving the game away for free! You really can't say no to that, it's like somebody giving Star Wars away... Or Empire Strikes Back... or Cloverfield...

Good Old Games - Ultima IV For Free

Before you ask: Yes, your computer can run this... probably 9 times simultaneously

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine to Recieve Free Co-op DLC

Warhammer 40k: Space Marine comes out next week and whilst there will be multiplayer modes on the disc, none of these modes will be co-op. Luckily though, developers Relic are fixing that with some free DLC coming in October. The co-op gameplay comes in the form of a horde mode called Exterminatus, which involves a team of 4 players, choosing from 3 classes and tackling one of two scenarios, with each scenario containing multiple maps. the experience you gather from Exterminatuswill carry over onto other multiplayer modes so this actually sounds like a pretty cool piece of DLC, let alone a free piece of DLC.

Space Orcs get Space Chainsawed. Space Justice.

Friday
Sep022011

Daily News - 30th and 31st August 2011 - 3DS Ambassadors and Mass Effect 3

3DS Ambassador Program In Full Effect - Free Games!

If you were lucky (or unlucky, depending on your outlook) enough to own a 3DS and go online with it before the price drop, then you automatically became a 3DS "Ambassador". Nintendo promised you'd be vindicated for your smart (or dumb) consumerism by throwing free games at you! Yay! The first batch are available now, a selection of 10 NES games, currently bare bones but to be updated with extra functionality later:

  • Wrecking Crew
  • NES Open Tournament Golf
  • Mario & Yoshi
  • Donkey Kong Jr.
  • Balloon Fight
  • Ice Climbers
  • Super Mario Bros.
  • Metroid
  • The Legend of Zelda
  • Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

I'm sure you'll agree, any promotion which gets you free copies of Metroid, The Legend Of Zelda and Super Mario Bros. is a good one in anybody's book. The way you go about getting the games is a little odd though, so pay attention:

To receive your free games go to the 3DS store and go to the far left, selecting the settings option. Once in the settings, go to the section for "Titles You've Downloaded" and give it a clicky click. Notice that there's exactly 10 extra games on that list, seemingly out of nowhere? There's your Ambassador games! Donwload them, enjoy them, brag to your friends they were all free!

No word yet on the full list of GBA games, but as soon as I know, you'll know.

Donkey Kong Jr. - Obviously still a looker

Mass Effect 3 Will Mark The End Of Commander Shepard's Storyline

As Mass Effect 3 approaches, and my anticipation reaches dangerous levels I'm filled with excitement and sadness in equal measure, especially because Dr. Ray Muzyka from Bioware came out and said that this will be the last game to feature Commander Shepard, but that the Mass Effect universe will live on:

We have ambitious plans to continue this franchise going forward. Mass Effect 3 is simultaneously a couple of different things: a thrilling and epic conclusion to the trilogy as we promised our fans we'd provide for Commander Shepard, but it's also a brand new beginning - it's an entry point for new fans.

In effect this is the very definition of bittersweet, on the one hand, knowing there will be more Mass Effecgt after 3 is saliva-inducing news, but knowing I'll never again get to play as the galactic badass that is Shepard makes me as flacid as overcooked spaghetti. I can't wait to see the journey through for a bunch of characters that I've devoted hundreds of hours of my life to nurturing, levelling up and, well, just chatting to. It can't come soon enough, it really can't.

Fuck shit uuuuuuuuuup!!!

Tuesday
Aug302011

Daily News - 29th August 2011 - Zelda and Modern Warfare 3

Solid Gold Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword! Except Not.

Nintendo have announced what you'll get with the special edition of Skyward Sword, and I've got to say they've done a pretty good job. As well as a copy of the game (obviously) you'll get a soundtrack containing a variety of orchestrated versions of Zelda tracks from over the years and... wait for it... a golden Wii Remote! Now obviously, the thing's not solid gold but Nintendo aren't taking any risks:

*Note that the gold controller will simply be gold in color and will not contain any actual precious metals. Sorry.

No need to apologise Nintendo, we're the ones who should be sorry, for falling for your obvious ruse. You tricksters, you!

Modern Warfare 3 Will Use Steamworks. Internet Rejoice!

Joining Skyrim from last week, Valve (not Activision, weirldy) announced that Modern Warfare 3 will totally integrate Steamworks. This means automatic updates, Steam achievements, your Steam friends list and more. Oh, and they also made sure to announce that the game will definitely have support for dedicated servers. Go ahead PC gamers... do your dances.

Great news for fans of Endless Ocean 2!... I mean, Modern Warfare 3!

Sunday
Aug282011

Trailer Round-Up - Week of 21st August 2011 - Battlefield 3, Counter Strike: GO and Gears Of War 3

Battlefield 3 definitely gets the trailer of the week this week, it looks absolutely spectacular.

Battlefield 3 - Caspian Border Multiplayer Gameplay Trailer

The game looks like the greatest game ever made. Every new trailer blows me away.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops - Zombies On The Moon!

This is great, I can't not like it

Rage - Gearhead Vault Gameplay Trailer

The game looks pretty good, I'll definitely be renting it

Counter Stike: Global Assault - First Look

The first trailer for CS:GO. Looks like Counter Strike!

Serious Sam: Double D - Mental Gun!

Ignore the prick, and look at that mental gun!!!

Driver: San Francisco - Shift Out Of Crashes

Looks like an interesting gameplay mechanic, can't wait to try it out!

Gears Of War 3 - The Intro

Here's the intro to the game that we're all looking forward to.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 - A Trailer

I have no idea what's happening...

Saturday
Aug272011

Daily News - 25th and 26th August 2011 - Forza 4, Gamestop and EA Origin

No Porsches in Forza 4 Thanks To EA

EA owns the rights to use Porsches in games, but that doesn't mean Porsches don't pop up in non-EA racers, with companies constantly sub-licensing them for their own games. Not Forza 4 though, EA aren't letting Turn 10 use them for the latest iteration of the racing franchise. Turn 10 had this to say:

"For Forza 4, we were looking forward to adding even more Porsche cars, and we were especially looking forward to featuring multiple Porsche experiences in our new Autovista mode. In the end, however, EA couldn’t see their way towards collaborating again. We’ve asked our contacts at EA to reconsider their position frequently and regularly over the last 18 months. We also reached out to various influential people in gaming to lobby on our behalf, and on your behalf, but that was to no avail."

It's a shame, especially because Forza 3 contained over 30 Porsches, but honestly these hardcore racing games have always seemed like a foreign language to me, so I don't know exactly how big a deal this actually is. I doubt the game will suffer, the past Forzas have all been met with great reviews, and I doubt this will be any different.

The game looks beautiful, this is an actual screenshot. No Porsches though!

Gamestop Apologise for Screwing Over Their Own Customers

In what can only be described as damage limitation, Gamestop today sent out an email to anyone who bought Deus Ex for PC in the period of time where they had removed the On Live Coupons (If you don't know what I'm talking about, the story is in the last news post). In fairness the compensation they're offering is actually great, with store credit and a special offer to everyone who bought the game:

Dear GameStop customer,
Earlier this week, GameStop removed a competitor's coupon from standard edition PC versions of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, a recent release by Square Enix. We were not aware that the product box would contain this competitor's offer. We regret the events surrounding this title release and that our customers were put in the middle of this issue between GameStop and Square Enix, the publisher of this game. And for this, we are truly sorry.

For your inconvenience, we would like to offer you a free $50 GameStop gift card and a Buy 2 Get 1 Free pre-owned purchase. We want to earn back your trust and confidence in the GameStop experience. Please bring in this email and your store receipt or order confirmation from GameStop.com and present it to a Game Advisor.

Sincerely,
Paul Raines
CEO, GameStop

With any luck, they won't make a mistake like this again... but I won't be holding my breath.

Ironically this is exactly what Gamestop did to PC copies of the game...

EA Quietly Change Origin's EULA To Be Less Virus-y

Origin's Terms and Conditions (or End User Lincesing Agreement - EULA) was worded in such a way that a few days ago the internet found that it had more in common with a virus than anything else, collecting personal information and allowing EA to sell it to anybody and everybody they see fit. The worst part was that there's no way not to opt out of this data sharing like on other download services. There is still no way to opt out of the data share, but EA have changed the EULA to be more user-friendly. It's a lengthy one, so maybe grab a cuppa before you start, you'll need the caffeine in your bloodstream:

EA knows that you care how information about you is collected, used and shared, and we appreciate your trust that we will do so carefully and sensibly. Information about our customers is an important part of our business, and EA would never sell your personally identifiable information to anyone, nor would it ever use spyware or install spyware on users’ machines. We and agents acting 37683v1 on our behalf do not share information that personally identifies you without your consent, except in rare instances where disclosure is required by law or to enforce EA’s legal rights.

In addition to information that you give EA directly, EA collects nonpersonally identifiable (or anonymous) information for purposes of improving our products and services, providing services to you, facilitating the provision of software updates, dynamically served content and product support as well as communicating with you. The non-personally identifiable information that EA collects includes technical and related information that identifies your computer (including the Internet Protocol Address) and operating system, as well as information about your Application usage (including but not limited to successful installation and/or removal), software, software usage and peripheral hardware.

As noted above, this information is gathered periodically for purposes such as improving our products and services, troubleshooting bugs, and otherwise enhancing your user experience. This and all other data provided to EA and/or collected by EA in connection with your installation and use of this Application is collected, used, stored and transmitted in accordance with EA’s Privacy Policy located at www.ea.com. To the extent that anything in this section conflicts or is inconsistent with the terms of EA’s Privacy Policy, the terms of the Privacy Policy shall control.

Phew! Hate boring legal mumbo jumbo, but to sum it up basically, they worded some things badly, making them sound worse than they actually are. Hopefully this will mean Battlefield 3 on PCs is a bit more of a paletable prospect now and also, mentioning Battlefield 3 lets me post another screenshot of it!).

GORGEOUS!!! Oh, what? Uh yeah, EA suck, or something...

Thursday
Aug252011

Daily News - 23rd and 24th August 2011 - Deus Ex, EA Origin and Star Wars Kinect

Gamestop Take Deus Ex Off Shelves After they Were Caught Tampering With New Copies

Ahh, Gamestop. In America they're the company that sells games, equivilent to what Game are over here, and as such are the embodiment of evil... as you'd expect. They're not the embodiment of evil simply because of their status as biggest retailer, they're the embodiment of evil because their approach to selling games is roughly on par with Nazi Germany's approach to lowering the Jewish population. Deus Ex: Human Revolution came out a few days ago in America and came bundled with a coupon, good for a free digital version of the game via OnLive. Once Gamestop caught wind of this they ordered their employees to open up the new copies of the game, remove the coupon, and re-seal the games to sell as new. What the fuck?!? Bear in mind that these coupons are a free gift from the publishers, meant to reward you for not buying a second hand copy. You may ask yourself why, and the answer is just as evil as you would expect. In essence, Gamestop has plans to release their own competitor to OnLive (The people you would cash your coupon in with) in the future. What the shitting shit?!? Ugh, well since this came out (and the internet got ANGRY) Gamestop has taken these fucked-over copies off shelves and "apologised" but I'm still left with an undeniable urge to impale something.

How did they think this would be a good idea?!?

EA's Digital Download Service Origin Has Stuff In Common With Spyware... Seriously

You know when you install something and it says "Agree to these terms and conditions" and you click "Agree" without reading it? Well some savvy internet types have actually looked at the T's&C's for EA's upcoming Origin service and discovered that "Hey, Origin's gonna collect a ton of personal information off my computer! And furthermore, they retain the right to sell that information to whoever the fuck they want!". When you consider that Battlefield 3 will require that you install Origin to even play the game you start to see why this would get people super pissed off. In the interest of fairness, Steam also collects similar information from you... but only if you opt in. Origin doesn't give you the option to opt out of giving away personal information at all. fucking bummer of a news day so far!

If you wanna play this on PC... Maybe wait for EA to fix this...

Star Wars Kinect Not Out In 2011 - Nobody Cares

Well... That may be a tad harsh, as this means the awesome-as-fuck R2-D2 Xbox 360 also gets delayed. And that shit looks sick.

Dude! Look at that!!!

Tuesday
Aug232011

Daily News - 22nd August 2011 - Old Republic, Dragon Age 3 and Ubisoft Backpeddle

Star Wars: The Old Republic Pre-orders Limited

At some point in the future, EA are gonna stop you from buying The Old Republic. According to EA they're doing it to keep the game's preformance at launch stable. What this essentially means is that there will come a point in the (probably near) future where you won't be able to buy The Old Republic at all. Seems really weird, especially if they continue limiting the game after it launches, but I'm sure EA and Bioware know what they're doing... they're not idiots. Right?

The gane's already been getting some stick, but I've got my fingers crossed for it

Dragon Age 3 Will Take The Best Of 1 And 2

Dragon Age 2 was met with some disbelief in the gaming industry when it was releaed and it became apparent that it's links to Dragon Age: Origins were strenuous at best. The combat system had changed to a far more action-orientated style and the game was much less epic in scale, with most of the dungeons being identikit copies of each other and a large chunk of the game happening in one place. It wasn't totally panned though, with the new combat style being seen as an improvement by many. Well, good news for Dragon age fans, because Dragon Age 3 will merge the best parts of both games to make, hopefully, the perfect Dragon Age experience. Dr. Ray Muzyka from Bioware said this:

“What we need to do as developers is take that feedback from both sets of fans to heart and see about marrying that in future games in the Dragon Age franchise. I think that the team has actually got a great plan. I think the team is going to have some things that are going to surprise both sets of fans, both core fans and new fans with a marriage of these… the best from both games, Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2. And we look forward more to talking about that in the future.”

Good news Dragon Age fans? Sure sounds like it from over here, on the sidelines.

"No, you've got something on YOUR face"

From Dust Is Getting Patched, DRM Goes Bye-bye

Remember a few days ago when it came to light that Ubisoft had massively fucked up on from Dust's DRM? Well they're sorry and they're fixing it. They say it will take about 2 weeks and that afterwards you'll be able to play the game offline no questions asked. Hopefully this will go some way towards mending Ubisoft's reputation amongst PC gamers.

Don't go stealing it now, you naughty naughty PC owners you!