If you feel like shooting aliens on your Xbox today, you are very likely to be able to do so in a new venue. Both Halo 4 and Gears of War Judgment have new DLC, available at no extra cost.
Having passed certification early, Microsoft has released the Halo 4"Forge Island" map well in advance of its expected April 11 date. On their own, these aren't the most exciting locations - 3 big, flat islands - but they're intended to be the base for Forge Mode customization.
Gears of War Judgment'sExecution multiplayer is also available today, along with the map Haven, "courtesy of Maxim and Epic video games." Weird. Microsoft warns that you have to download this DLC directly from the title menu or from the Dashboard. "The dialogue box prompting you to download the pack in the matchmaking menu is not functioning properly and will be fixed as soon as possible."
For being such a little thing, the Ouya is surprisingly heavy. The Kickstarter unit I tested was etched with the names of $10,000 backers, Minecraft creator Notch at the top of the list. Ouya's development kit (the ODK) is in the hands of 8,000 developers, Ouya CEO Julie Uhrman told me. "New video games are getting loaded every single day, all different types of genres."
The hardware is finalized, she said, having been improved over the original development kits based on developer suggestions. With units now shipping to Kickstarter backers, the next 2 months will be spent improving the software prior to the official public launch in June. "Like every other sort of typical software platform, it's always going to continue to evolve, and we'll add more features and functionality."
Gemini Rue, a gritty point-and-click adventure video game that launched on PC in 2011, will come to iOS on April 11 for $4.99. For the first few weeks of release on the new platform, Gemini Rue will be available for the discounted price of $3.99.
Wadjet Eye video games co-designer and CTO Janet Gilbert spent eight months adapting the open-source Adventure video game Studio engine to iOS in order to make the video game as "touch-screen friendly as possible," studio founder Dave Gilbert told Joystiq at PAX East. Being a point-and-click adventure video game, Janet expanded the hot-spots for select items in the video game to make the experience less frustrating for iPhone users.
Gemini Rue is the publisher's first video game on iOS, and will serve as a test as to whether it will port more of the studio's titles to the platform. "If people buy this, then we could justify porting everything else," Dave said. "If it does badly then there's really no point, because this is our best-selling video game on the best-selling platform, so that's the best way to gauge to see if it's worth doing."
He added, "So if you want to see Resonance on iOS, buy Gemini Rue."
Terraria will meet its projected console launch window, with PSN and Xbox Live downloads available in North America on March 26 and March 27, respectively. Terraria is priced at 1200 MS Points ($15).
Re-Logic's indie action-adventurer was first released on the PC in 2011, and now comes to consoles packing new content. Last we heard, Terraria had sold 1.6 million copies on PC.
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2's first injection of single-player DLC will be chambered into North American and European copies of the video game this Wednesday, March 27, when "Siberian Strike" goes live on Xbox Live, PSN and Steam for 800 MS Points/$9.99 respectively, or £8.99/€9.99 for those scouting from the other side of the Atlantic.
The DLC pack drops players in a remote Siberia town called Birsovik, and tasks them with completing a mission without help from spotters, meaning that all terrain navigation and target acquisition must be done manually, with maps, which is how cavemen snipers used to do it back in Victorian England.
... Okay so, we may not know a whole lot about sniper history.
The utility to let you transfer Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate saves between the 3DS and Wii U versions is currently missing in action. It was supposed to have been released on the eShop yesterday on both platforms, concurrent with the video game, but neither the 3DS "Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Data Transfer Program" nor the Wii U "Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Packet Relay Tools for Nintendo 3DS" are up on the eShop right now.
Capcom Associate Online/Community Specialist Yuri Araujo posted on the Capcom-Unity thread about the issue, apologizing for the mysterious delay and stating that it would be up late yesterday. As of writing, it is not. We've checked in with Capcom for an updated ETA.
For now, you can play Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on 3DS or Wii U - you just can't play on Wii U if you want your progress from both to carry over.
[Thanks, Joe]
Update: "Capcom is working closely with Nintendo to make these available for download as soon as possible and apologize for the delay," the publisher tells Joystiq.
PlayStation Plus members can snag free downloads of The Cave and Tekken 6 starting tomorrow, the former a PS3 download, the latter a PSP video game compatible with PS Vita. This week is also your last chance to grab a free copy of Plants vs Zombies on PS Vita.
The PlayStation Blog clues us in on some deals dropping this week, as well - specifically, cheap downloads of Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken and Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational on PS Vita. Rocketbirds is 40 percent off on PS3 and Vita, while Hot Shots is hocking a course and character DLC pack for 25 percent off.
Nintendo officially unveiled six launch figurines for upcoming eShop brawler Pokémon Rumble U in Japan. Following the CoroCoro reveal earlier this week, Nintendo published images of the six toy critters - there's another special figure yet to be revealed - which are being released on April 24 alongside Rumble U, or Scramble U as it's known in Japan. The sextet comprises Bulbasaur, Pikachu, Torchic, Lucario, Victini, and the oh-so-cute Piplup.
As the debut trailer shows, the toys use the Wii U's Near Fields Communication tech to inferface with the video game, allowing them, much like in Activision's Skylanders franchise, to appear as in-video game characters. Rumble U remains unconfirmed for release outside of Japan, but if the video game proves a success - who can see Pokémon meets Skylanders being anything but a goldmine? - it would be staggering for it not to make its way west.
Rumble U is priced ¥1800 (around $19), and individual figures ¥200 each (around $2).
Analogue Interactive, purveyor of ridiculously cool (and expensive) Neo Geo hardware mods, has upped the ante with a new service that builds custom, new CMVS Slims out of your choice of domestic and exotic woods, dubbed Black Label. Consoles start at $1,300, and that's for one made with domestic wood.
The Black Label set comes with an Analogue CMVS Slim, 2 analogue arcade sticks, brass Black Label tags and the requisite cables. Check out the entire selection on Analogue Interactive.
Right off the bat, we'll tell you that none of the Splinter Cell: Blacklist limited editions announced for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa come with a plane. What you lose in radio-controlled miniature vehicles, you gain in choice, as there are 4 different special editions.
The 5th Freedom Edition is exclusive to video game in the UK and GameStop in Ireland, and comes with a Sam Fisher figurine, Splinter Cell Echoes graphic novel, 2 co-op maps, and some in-video game gear, all in a steelbook case (well, except for the in-video game items that exist only in a digital state).
The 5th Freedom Silver Edition, exclusive to Uplay, is like the other 5th Freedom, but with a fancier steelbook and a silver Sam Fisher.
The Ultimatum Edition comes with a digital watch, a shorter selection of Splinter Cell Echoes, and a bit less unlockable gear, along with a really silly name. Finally, the Upper Echelon Day 1 Edition comes with a bunch of digital stuff: the maps, some gold goggles, the "legendary Upper Echelon Suit," and more. It's exclusive to video game in the UK and Xtravision in Ireland.
This behind-the-scenes video of God of War: Ascension shows the creation of the video game's unique elephant-like creature. The final version of the "elephantaur" can be seen soon, as the video game will be available for PS3 on March 12.
Although we all know Danny Elfman now as a prolific movie soundtrack composer - and as the singing voice of Jack Skellington from Nightmare Before Christmas - once upon a time he headed a band called Oingo Boingo, which gave us the memorable "Weird Science."
This week's wave of Gold-exclusive Xbox Live Arcade deals rustles up 4 Sega fighters, including the AM2 trio re-released a few months back. Sonic the Fighters, Fighting Vipers, and Virtua Fighter 2 are knocked down from 400 MSP to 160 MSP each, while Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown is a steal at 400 MSP, just a third of its regular price.
If you're after something a bit less punchy, why not book a half-price ticket to Nightopia - NiGHTS into Dreams is down to 400 MSP. There are 2 more 50 percenters to finish us off: the Karatekaremake kicks in at 400 MSP, while JoJo's Bizarre Adventure HD is at 800 MSP.
Sony is getting rid of all its shares in Japanese mobile portal DeNA for $438 million. Reuters reports the company is selling the shares to Nomura Securities. The income from the sale will be posted in Sony's fourth quarter financials.
This all ties into Sony's announcement in February that it would end its fiscal year in March with an operating profit, which was quite the surprise given the state of the company. Sony has recently experienced billion-dollar cash infusions through the sale of its Sony City Osaki and its New York HQ buildings.
Good news for fans of portable fighting, because (deep breath) Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R has been confirmed for a western release on PlayStation Vita. The news comes via the official Blazblue Facebook page, which notes that that the video game is coming to the west, though there is "still no word" on exactly when that will happen.
We spent a few minutes trying out Accent Core Plus R during TGS 2012, and what we saw compared favorably to the console version, which was released last year.
European PlayStation Plus members who pre-order BioShock Infinite get extra bang for their buck, with a 10 percent discount on the Season Pass through launch day, and a round of in-video game incentives when the video game hits on March 26.
Plus pre-orders in Great Britain, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand get a custom shotgun and sniper rifle, a 3x Tonics upgrade and additional in-video game money for free one week after launch. Check it out in full on the PlayStation Blog.
Professor Layton and the Azran Legacies for 3DS will be available later this week on February 28 in Japan. For those with the ability to comprehend Japanese, here's the latest trailer for the video game. Still no word on international release window.
There may be a few clouds hanging over your Xbox Live experience today. Microsoft reports that users are experiencing troubles accessing cloud saves and other remotely stored information on Windows 7 and Xbox 360. We've also received reports of trouble with the Halo 4 servers.
The (crackpot) theory going around the Joystiq think tank is that Sony's testing PS4 cloud services and taking up all the bandwidth in the imaginary "cloud." Xbox Live isn't working right, because Kaz Hirai is streaming some Cool Boarders 2 to QA.
NIS America's lineup of RPGs for this year includes the required Disgaea video game, and a couple of surprises.
This year's Disgaea is Disgaea Dimension 2: A Brighter Darkness for PS3 sees the return of Laharl, Etna, and Flonne from the first Disgaea, and adds a "master/pupil" system to the insane tactical strategy gameplay to help you transfer skills and boost stats. It's due this fall in North America and Europe.
The Guided Fate Paradox is a PS3 roguelike developed by NIS's Disgaea team. NIS bills it as "the spiritual successor to ZHP Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman" for PSP, which suggests Disgaea-esque humor and a lot of customization. It's out this fall.
Time and Eternity for PS3 was published in Japan as Toki to Towa by Namco Bandai. It's a role-playin video game by Imageepoch with a weird 2D/3D hybrid style, in which hand drawn anime-style characters move around in 3D backgrounds (see what that looks like after the break). It stars a time-traveling princess who can switch personalities to her alter ego Towa. NIS will release it both retail and digitally this summer.
Epic's Unreal Engine 4 was shown off during Sony's PlayStation 2013 event today, where the PlayStation 4 was formally announced. Above you can see demo footage of the "Elemental" demo, while below you can comb through a gallery of some still.
Epic's Seattle arm has been toiling away on Unreal Engine 4 since the studio's formation late last year. In October, Square Enix confirmed it was the first company to publicly license Unreal Engine 4.