Today we have a few updates announced ranging from fixing a mediocre Hydrophobia to some BFBC2 DLC in for the form of what seems like a brand new game. Come enjoy the delicious gaming goodness.
The release of Hydrophobia caused a little bit of a stir within the gaming industry earlier this year. Following an initial release that saw the game get some mediocre reviews, the developers fired back, accusing some journalists of not having played the game to completion. Now that the dust has settled, it appears that Dark Energy has taken some of the critiques to heart and has announced a Christmas time update to the game, at the same time releasing a trailer which details many of the changes.
Speaking about the update, Joint Creative Director Pete Jones stated "We have listened to what the community liked and disliked about the game; we know we didn’t get everything right first time around but we have taken this time to refine the experience.”
To go along with the update, a price drop has also been announced, and Xbox 360 owners will be able to pick up Hydrophobia for only 800 MSP when the update launches on December 21st.
[Hydrophobia]-800 MSP
Love it or hate it, we all knew it was coming. Treyarch has announced that they are working on the first Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack. Due out on February 1st, the "First Strike" map pack will bring four new multiplayer maps: Berlin Wall, Discovery, Stadium, and Kowloon as well as a new zombies map titled Ascension.
While breaking the news on Major Nelson's podcast, Dan Bunting shared that the team was working to incorporate a greater sense of verticality into the four multiplayer arenas while also including more scripted moments during combat. Unfortunately, he was less than forthcoming about Ascension, so we'll have to wait for more info about exactly what the latest zombie fighting locale will be.
The map pack will be a timed exclusive for the Xbox 360 and will run gamers 1200 MSP. There was no word on when the inevitable PS3 and PC releases would be coming out.
[Call Of Duty: Black Ops]-$47.95(Xbox 360), $44.99(PS3), $39.94 (Wii), $39.95(PC)
Source: Major Nelson Podcast
Ea has released the new Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam official launch trailer. Featuring the ballad of the Vietnam Era, Fortunate Son by Credence Clearwater Revival, this trailer definitely sets the tone for this highly anticipated add-on. With 15 new weapons, 5 new maps, and 6 new vehicles, all revolving around the war in Vietnam, this is a must have for anyone who already owns Battlefield: Bad Company 2.
[BFBC2V]-PC/PS3 $14.99, XBOX 360 1200 MSP
While DLC for Rock Band 3 is relatively free flowing, Dance Central's is a little bit more sparse. However, that is about to change ever so slightly, as Harmonix took another step towards beefing up the catalog for the latter today though, announcing three new songs for release tomorrow:
- Blur – “Boys & Girls”
- Rihanna – “Disturbia”
- Janet Jackson – “Control”
All three songs will be available on December 21st for 240 MSP a piece.
[Dance Central]-240 MSP (DLC)
Its time for a brand new LOTR game, again. Lord of the Rings: War of the North is set to release in 2011, but if you can't wait that long why not swing by the newly launched website at http://www.warinthenorth.com. War in the North will revolve around a side story in the LOTR universe. The game will be an action-rpg, and it will feature, strangely enough, 3-person co-op! I understand 2 person co-op and 4 person co-op, but 3? Apparently a "fellowship" is 3 people. So far the game is sounding all too generic, but maybe Snowblind can breathe some new life into this drawn out franchise. The newly re-opened website features an overview of the game, as well as community access and media.
[LOTR:War in the North]-TBA PS3/PC/XBOX360
Just when you think the holiday season is over, along comes Steam to give gamers a swift kick in the wallet, pushing them to spend even more money on their favorite hobby. Their latest sale, which consists of Square Enix's entire catalog might just outdo all of them though.
Taken individually, buying each of the titles listed here would have cost you $606.68; thanks to the sale, it will only cost you $74.99. That is a savings of a whopping $531.69 or 88%. I'll give you a second to digest that and then check out the link for a full list of the games included in the Square Complete Pack.
This discount is part of a larger holiday sale which steam will be offering now through the end of the year. The aptly titled Steam Holiday sale will offer both daily discounts to individual games and publisher deals for the duration. It will also include special daily offers where owning one game gets you a percentage off of another (I.E. owning Half Life 2 gets you 10% off of Portal)
43 cars racing around a track going at 150+ MPH is a lot to deal with, no matter what the situation. However, when you are required to model all of those cars, give their drivers AI, and create an accurate physics engine to simulate their driving. The developers at Eutechnyx are undaunted by this though, filling their upcoming racer NASCAR The Game 2011. The team has released a new developer diary describing the problems they encountered and how they overcame them in development.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSj3QZUhOAU
NASCAR The Game 2011 will be released next February [NASCAR The Game 2011]-$TBA
A World of Keflings is set to kick off Microsoft's Games For The Holiday's series this wednesday, in the process bringing near overwhelming cuteness to your Xbox 360. To hold you over until then, Ninja Bee has released a trailer that shows some of the more creative ways you can use in-game cannons to make music.
A World of Keflings will release this Wednesday, December 22nd.
[A World of Keflings]-800 MSP
