Monthly Archives: December 2011

Organizers for E3 2012 have opened registrations for the three-day event, and in the process, announced that the price has essentially doubled for trade representatives planning to stay for the entire show. Those who register between now and April 23 will have to fork over $795 for a ticket, but once April 24 rolls around, the ticket price increases to $995. It’s worth noting that press passes are free, in case you were wondering. The event, which takes place June 5 through June 7 at the Los Angeles Convention Center will give attendees the first look at the final stage of Wii U, and possibly, the next iteration of Kinect - if current rumors pan out. Thanks, IndustryGamers.

The Ancestors Character Pack for Assassin’s Creed: Revelations has been released for PC and Xbox 360. It’s to be released for PS3 tomorrow, December 14. It contains the Privateer, Corsair, Brigand and Gladiator multiplayer characters, personalized taunts and stylized assassination moves, and new multiplayer customization items. It will run you 320 MSP/£3.19/$3.99. A video for it is posted below.

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The Indie Royale website has launched its Xmas Bundle, and it has sold 15,000 digital units in its first 12 hours of availability. Featuring six games, including Wadjet Eye Games’ The Blackwell Trilogy Remastered, which has been updated with voice acting and a ‘five years later’ audio commentary, the bundle also includes Eets, a 2D puzzle platformer. Also included is 800 North and Digital Ranch’s Dino D-Day, a multiplayer Windows PC FPS with dinosaurs and Nazis, and Vertigo Games’ oil drilling action-sim The Oil Blue. According to Vertigo, the Xmas Bundle has sold 35-times more than what The Oil Blue sold in one and a half years.

The Indie Royale Xmas Bundle initially started out as a $3.99 minimum priced package, with the cost going down the people purchase it. Today, the current minimum is $3.64.

Sony has released ten new videos from its PS Vita showcase event, held at Vita Hill Social Club in San Francisco recently. Below the break you will find 11 videos for: Uncharted – Golden Abyss, Gravity Rush, Escape Plan, Hot Shots Golf, Hustle Kings, LittleBigPlanet, Reality Fighters, Little Deviants, Super Stardust Delta, Unit 13, and WipeOut 2048 for good measure. Apparently, one isn’t new, but we can’t really tell anymore we’ve watched so many. So, just know 10 of them are. Hit the break to watch for yourself.

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Inserts included in a new collection of LEGO Super Hero toys pretty much confirm what everyone already knew: LEGO Batman 2 is in development for multiple systems. While the new LEGO sets are due for an official release in 2012, some US store are already stocking the toys, the boxes of which contain ads for the Warner game inside the pages of the instruction manual. Called LEGO Batman 2- Super Heroes, both the Bat and Justice League pals Superman and Wonder Woman are shown. More LEGO sets are to include Green Lantern and villains such as Lex Luthor and The Joker, so it’s being speculated that they will, in turn, pop up in the new videogame. The first word on a LEGO Batman sequel showed up over the summer via an LA Times feature on Warner. A release date along with an official announcement has yet to be made, but the game is expected sometime next year on 3DS, PC, PS3, Vita, Wii, and Xbox 360.

Thanks, MCV.

Polytron Corporation’s Phil Fish has said Super Hypercube, a collaboration with Kokoromi which was a finalist this year at IndieCade, is now to be released as a Kinect title.

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Obsidian’s Chris Avellone is of the belief some of the mechanics implemented in RPGs over the years have “undermined” the genre, making it more about convenience than “the thrill of victory and discovery.”

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CD Projekt is chasing The Witcher II pirates to the extent it’s hired a German law firm to pursue them, according to a report on VE3D. Those suspected of downloading the game illegally will be forced to “pay up or else” as an attempt by the Polish company to reclaim money lost. If those suspected do not comply, they could face fines up to $1200 or legal action. More information through the links.

Photographer Robbie Cooper has been taking pictures of online players and their avatars since 2003, and has compiled the photos into a book called Alter Ego: Avatars and their creators. Gamers in the book include players of City of Heroes, EverQuest, Guild Wars, World of Warcraft, Star Wars Galaxies, Legend of Mir and more. If you’re interested in the book, you can learn more about it over on Flavorwire. A few excerpts can be found over on Business Insider.

Capcom has said Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 on PS3 will share connectivity with Vita, allowing you to use the handheld as a controller for the TV version.

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Major’s announced the release of the first map pack for Battlefield 3 on 360, Back to Karkand. The pack, which has been available for the past week on PS3 as part of a exclusivity deal, will set you back 1200 MS points on 36dizzle. A new title update will accompany the release of Karkand. Full patch notes are below the break, via the Battlefield Blog.

BTK is also launching on PC today.

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The doors to Star Wars: The Old Republic have been flung wide to those with early access to the highly-anticipated MMO. However, servers are already chugging under the weight of players trying to log-in, resulting in many players being pushed into a queue. Those placed in the virtual waiting room are met with a 30-second countdown, which for most resets to add more wait time. Still, many folks are reporting entry into the game. BioWare has previously stated that players will be let into TOR through various roll-outs in order to keep the servers from overloading, so if you can’t get in right this minute, just wait a bit longer. The game’s official launch is on December 20.

The first Alan Wake is about to finally get its PC release, according to listings on the Steam registry and further teasing from Remedy.

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Aquire has released a new video for Sumioni, showing off the first level of its “ink-themed” action title for Vita. You’ll notice various obstacles you’ll overcome by drawing platforms with the touch-screen. You can even use the controls to call upon a giant bird to help destroy a well-defended pagoda. Watch the video below, courtesy of Andriasang. Sumioni releases in Japan on February 9.

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Time has compiled its annual top ten list of everything for 2011, and Nintendo’s 3DS came in fifth on the gadget list. The magazine’s also compiled a list of the top games of the year, full of the usual suspects.

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The mention of Batman: Arkham World during an acceptance speech for Arkham City was a joke, publisher Warner has told VG247.

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Hideo Kojima has raised the possibility that Zone of the Enders 3 could use the Fox Engine, but reiterated that he currently doesn’t have enough staff inside KP to actually make it.

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Mojang managing director Carl Manneh has said Cobalt may be released on Friday, but is still undecided.

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Konami’s put out a slightly extended version of the VGAs trailer for Metal Gear Rising that was shown on Saturday. The bits in particular are after Raiden takes out Metal Gear Ray, him cutting a cardboard box with an enemy in side and a credits bit. Get watching below the break.

Rising launches from Konami and Platinum Games under Kojima Productions’ supervision next year on PS3 and 360.

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Nintendo has this morning released the full release schedule for Q1 2012 for Wii, DS and 3DS. Most of the stuff had been dated already, such as The Last Story, Resident Evil: Revelations and the 3DS circle pad, although MGS3 3D: Snake Eater is confirmed for a winter 2012 release, while Pandora’s Tower is down for Q2 2012, meaning sometime between April and June.

Get a full list of the calendar below the break, via Eurogamer.

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