Repel their cavalry and advance, its time for another Skirmish of EpicBattleCry! In this week’s episode we relish the news that Gearbox Software will be completing Duke Nukem Forever, place our bets on the Call of Duty: Black Ops wager matches, ponder the possibilities of Dead Space 2 and Batman: Arkham City getting multiplayer, open a savings account to but a 3D television and Killzone 3 next February, and run down the deals from Microsoft’s Fall Game Feast.
First up in the main course this week, we discuss the recently announced $10 per year price increase for Xbox Live and whether this is a necessary bump or just taking advantage of gamers ahead of the fall gaming onslaught. Next up, with the recent introduction of a new iPod Touch, price drops across the Nintendo DS line, and the announcement of a God of War: Ghost of Sparta PSP bundle, we talk Handheld gaming. Are casual games all that portable platforms are good for?
The Battle Cry of the Week goes to Epic Games’ Epic Citadel demo for iOS, Retro City Rampage, and Mafia II Read the rest of this entry…
Be honest with yourself. Its every gamer’s secret fantasy to dismember their so-called ‘friends’ with cordless power tools. Okay maybe not, but that’s not really the point; the point is that we’ve heard some rumors today for the previously announced Dead Space 2 multiplayer. GamerNode reports that in addition to a deathmatch-style mode, where players will control both Necromorphs (\m/) and soldiers, there will be other multiplayer modes announced later.
Additionally, (and most shockingly) pre-ordering through GameStop will net you an exclusive in-game rivet gun but, on the uptick, pre-ordering anywhere will get you Dead Space: Ignition, the motion-comic prequel detailing events leading up to Dead Space 2. So, hit the comments; who’s picking up Dead Space 2? Who can’t wait to eat their friend’s brains as a Necromorph? Who else thinks those Necro-baby-zombie-things are pretty much the scariest thing imaginable?
Ready your earth and water to receive victims of sparta-ing, its time for another edition of EpicBattleCry! In this week’s Skirmish, we revel in the release date of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, snuggle with a companion cube for Portal 2 next February, check out the collectors edition of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, moan and groan on the pre-order madness for Hunted: The Demon’s Forge, and roll our eyes as F.E.A.R. 3 is delayed.
First up on the main course, we reflect on the recent news that Mass Effect 2 is headed to the PS3 and the announcement of Dragon Age 2. With all the talk of streamlined combat systems and selling games to the widest possible market, we ask the question: Is EA’s corporate influence beginning to sink BioWare? Next up, Sony had a strong showing at GamesCom 2010; with exclusives like Resistance 3 and Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One as well as the newly announced console bundles for PlayStation Move, we discuss what lies ahead for Sony.
The Battle Cry of the Week goes to Gran Turismo 5’s cart racing mode, Virtua Tennis 4, and Dead Space 2. Read the rest of this entry…
EA and Visceral Games have released three new videos detailing Dead Space 2, including some gruesome new gameplay footage showing what happens when a colorblind person tries to battle a Necromorph.
A second video offers a future first look at Dead Space 2 multiplayer through email sign up, and Executive Producer Steve Papoutsis describes the Sprawl, the “bustling metropolis” on the site of the first planet crack, Titan.
Another gameplay video, “The Jump,” has Isaac gracefully dodging hunks of scrap metal as a ship explodes in zero G.
This trifecta of information is only a small portion of what we can hope to see before Dead Space 2 is released January 25, 2011 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
Half the fun of Dead Space was watching Isaac get mauled in unique ways by every alien aboard the Ishimura, and in the Sprawl it appears that possibility is expounded 100-fold. Are you most looking forward to the gore, the multiplayer, or the alien ass-kicking action? Watch the videos and let us know below!
Tucked into their quarterly earnings statement, EA “announced” (if you can call it that) that Need For Speed SHIFT 2 is in the works and is scheduled to be released during the first three months of 2011. Since this wasn’t really an “announcement”, there are no other details to be revealed right now.
The only other thing we know is that, according to the same financial statement, Dead Space 2, Dragon Age 2, Bulletstorm, Fight Night Champion, and now Crysis 2 are all scheduled for release in the same window – and those are just EA’s titles. So it looks as if the early part of 2011 might just be like 2010 and Need For Speed is going to have to do some fancy maneuvering to get your hard-earned money.
We will, of course, keep you updated as details emerge.
Hours before engineer Isaac Clarke begins his adventure on “The Sprawl” in Dead Space 2 a Necromorph outbreak occurs – but how did the events unfold? Well, we guess you’ll find out as you witness the horror first-hand in Dead Space Ignition, an all-new downloadable game that takes place on the Sprawl and challenges players to survive the initial Necromorph outbreak. Dead Space Ignition will be available in Fall 2010 on XBL and PSN although no specific price point has been announced.
“Dead Space Ignition is the first of many exciting game extensions we have planned for the launch of Dead Space 2,” said Steve Papoutsis, Executive Producer on the Dead Space franchise. “The interactive comic-style game will give Dead Space fans a unique perspective on the events leading up to Dead Space 2, and will also introduce the storyline to a brand-new audience of gamers.”
Here’s a description:
Dead Space Ignition combines an interactive comic-style story with three unique hacking mini games; Hardware Crack, Trace Route and System Override. Each game offers a fun and satisfying arcade experience that will challenge players with puzzles and twitch gameplay. Dead Space Ignition features a unique “Choose Your Own Adventure” type narrative, allowing players to survive the horrific Necromorph outbreak in multiple ways. The game offers four unique endings and upon completion of each one, players will be rewarded with unlocks including an exclusive suit, all of which can be used by Isaac Clarke in Dead Space 2 when the game releases on Jan 25, 2011.
Dead Space Ignition is written by Antony Johnston, the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of comics, graphic novels, video games and books including Wasteland, and Daredevil. Antony makes his return to the Dead Space universe after creating the six-book Dead Space comic series in 2008. In Dead Space Ignition, Antony uses his horror story-telling expertise to introduce new characters and craft new plot twists for this intriguing prequel.
Dead Space 2 itself is slated for release in late January 2011, but are you thinking Ignition will be enough to tide you over? Is this something you’re willing to pay for? Let us know your opinion in the comments below!
The Dead Space fans amongst you will most likely be interested in checking out the above video interview between the PlayStation Blog’s Sid Shuman and Visceral’s Wright Bagwell, creative director on the upcoming Dead Space 2. In the vid, we get some insight into the story’s transition from the end of of the original to the sequel as well as the game’s gargantuan new setting, new enemies including the Tripod and the Pack, and new combat abilities including the Javelin gun.
It’s pretty interesting, so take a look see and then let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Sony announced the multiplayer beta for Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood will be available only on PSN later this year. PS3 also snagged an exclusive package of missions for Brotherhood’s single-player campaign mode after the game drops November 16.
Sony presented the first multiplayer trailer from Brotherhood, featuring parkour chase scenes and sneak attack kills throughout the rooftops and streets of Rome.
PS3 is getting some extreme content exclusives this coming year for games including Medal of Honor, Dead Space 2, Mafia II and of course Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. The impact on the Xbox 360 crowd could be detrimental–will you switch teams for some extra content, or does it take more than a few map packs and beta tests to turn your tide? Sound off below!
Dead Space 2 executive producer Steve Papoutsis completed the cliffhanger demo from yesterday’s EA conference at Sony’s presser today, and also announced a limited edition package exclusive to the PS3.
But where did we leave off yesterday? I think Papoutsis said it best in his opening statement: “When we last left engineer Isaac Clark, he was in deep sh… space.”
The rest of the live demo had Isaac in an intense half cut-scene battle with a huge alien whose Achilles tentacle happily glowed yellow for his plasma cutter’s aim. After a solid beat down and running away like a girl, Isaac was again caught in the window by a necromorph ship, which sucked him outside with help from the giant, rabid alien chasing him from inside the building. Isaac fought to stay secured on top of the ship while battling his relentless assailant, and the demo ended in an extreme, white-hot explosion. Another cliffhanger, for consistency, I imagine.
Sony announced a limited edition Dead Space 2 package for PS3 that includes the sequel and Dead Space Extraction, now with Sony’s motion-controlled Move support. Dead Space 2 drops January 25 next year for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
EA played a live demo of Dead Space 2 at their E3 conference today, demonstrating the new, horrifying creatures crawling the necromorph city of The Sprawl that Isaac will face when the sequel drops January 25 next year.
If you haven’t already, you should most def check it out.
In the demo, Isaac began in The Sprawl’s Church of Unitology, where he encountered a tall, spidery alien with a glowing yellow infant dangling from its center tentacle, a horde of Gollum children with long razor blade fingernails and groups of quick, clawed aliens wearing the vestiges of three-piece suits. Isaac finishes the church aliens with a Plasma Cutter and an awesome spear gun before getting a good look at The Sprawl, which thrives with the deadly fumes of necromorph life. The demo ended on a cliffhanger, with a giant, scaly alien hovering in attack mode over Isaac’s prone body, but EA assured us that there will be more to the video at Sony’s press conference at 12 p.m. PST tomorrow.
Check out the Dead Space 2 official website tomorrow at 2 p.m. PST for the first public look at the new trailer, direct from E3 and in the meantime, let us know what you thought of the gameplay demonstration in the comments below!
