GAMING NEWS ARCHIVE - 3

By PDG Staff

MASS EFFECT Sequel will allow Gamers to carry over saved characters from the Original

Developers for the Mass Effect sequel dropped some details about the much anticipated sequel this week.

"Any save game that you make from Mass Effect 1, you should be able to carry that same character into Mass Effect 2," said project director Casey Hudson.

Said Hudson of the anticipated sequel: "In the second game, you're actually going to go through a darker period where you're really looking for answers... there are a lot of twists and turns, and it's generally a much darker experience."

Burnout Paradise Legendary Cars DLC Available February 19th

According to developer Criterion the Burnout Paradise Legendary Cars DLC pack will be released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this Thursday, February 19th and at a later date for the PC version of the game.

The pack includes four cars from cinematic and television history: the DeLorean from Back to the Future, The Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters, General Lee from Dukes of Hazard, and KITT from Knight Rider.

Watchmen ‘The Video Game’ to be released next Month

The official website for the new Watchmen video game based on the movie and the much heralded graphic novel is announcing the game will be released on March 4th.

Fallout 3 DLC slips a month

With the first batch of Fallout 3 downloadable content now just over a week old, it appears that its siblings won't be arriving as planned. Bethesda Softworks has confirmed to www.GameSpot.com that the next two Xbox 360 and Games for Windows-exclusive updates for the award-winning role-playing game have been delayed by about a month.

"The next DLC for Fallout 3, The Pitt, will be out in March," Bethesda vice president of marketing Pete Hines said. "Broken Steel will be out the following month, in April."

The Pitt takes place in the raider city that has sprung up from the ruins of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Players will be forced to side with a faction in an unnamed conflict plaguing the town, details about which were not released.

Valve Confirms Left 4 Dead DLC Will Be Free

The "Survival Pack" downloadable content for Valve's cooperative zombie shooter Left 4 Dead will be free for both PC and Xbox 360 players, the company confirmed today to ShackNews.

Due out this spring, the download will add a new Survival mode, in which players attempt to survive endless hordes of zombies on at least 12 maps, and allow the Dead Air and Death Toll campaigns to be played in the competitive multiplayer versus mode.

Video Game Sales Off To Better-Than-Expected Start In 2009

The Dow Jones Newswire is reporting that video game sales got off to a better-than-expected start in 2009, according to the NPD Group, which suggests the industry is on track so far this year to meet expectations for modest growth.

Total revenue from sales of video game sales rose 9% in January, while game console sales rose a more modest 2% from a year ago, NPD reported. Both results exceeded expectations by analysts bracing for marginal, if any sales growth following a particularly robust holiday sales season, at least for this sector.

The report's findings "speaks to the continued strength of video games as one of the leading entertainment industries in the U.S.," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

Left 4 Dead Sells 1.8 Million at Retail Stores

In a conference call this week, Electronic Arts revealed that Valve's cooperative zombie-shooter Left 4 Dead sold over 1.8 million copies at retailers in 2008.  These sale figures account for retail sales of the PC and Xbox 360 versions, but do not include those copies sold via Valve's digital distribution platform Steam. The sales figures also do not include total worldwide retail sales, as Valve reminded us that EA Partners handles its retail distribution in "most, but not all of the world."

Halo Wars Demo Available Now on XBOX Live

You can download the demo. Just go on Xbox 360, go to Marketplace, choose All Games then browse to Halo Wars and get the demo. Get ready for the March Release!!

Free Pearl Jam Rockband DLC @ Best Buy!

Bestbuy has a new promo going on. Preorder the new release of "Ten" by Pearl Jam (either the super deluxe package [$125] or the deluxe package [$28]) and get a token with download instructions for three bonus Rock Band tracks for the 360 or PS3.

It looks like the Bonus Tracks will be:

"Brother"
"Alive" from the Drop in the Park Concert
"State of Love and Trust" from the Drop in the Park Concert

Rockstar Games announces Red Dead Redemption for Fall 2009

Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., is proud to announce that Red Dead Redemption is scheduled for a fall 2009 release on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system. Developed by Rockstar San Diego, as a follow up to the 2004 hit game, Red Dead Revolver, Red Dead Redemption is a Western epic, set at the turn of the 20th century when the lawless and chaotic badlands began to give way to the expanding reach of government and the spread of the Industrial Age. The story of former outlaw, John Marston, Red Dead Redemption takes players on a great adventure across the American frontier.

“The team at San Diego have massively exceeded our expectations with the sheer depth of experiences in Red Dead Redemption,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “The seamless combination of breathtaking beauty and intense action, all woven together with strong plotlines in a massive vibrant, rural environment is mind-blowing. We think this game helps to push the limits of what an open-world gaming experience can be.”

Utilizing Rockstar's proprietary Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE), Red Dead Redemption features an open-world environment for players to explore, including frontier towns, rolling prairies teeming with wildlife, and perilous mountain passes - each packed with an endless flow of varied distractions. Along the way, players will experience the heat of gunfights and battles, meet a host of unique characters, struggle against the harshness of one of the world’s last remaining wildernesses, and ultimately pick their own precarious path through an epic story about the death of the Wild West and the gunslingers that inhabited it.

Red Dead Redemption will be available in fall 2009 for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 consoles.

EA confirms multiplatform Mass Effect 2 and Battlefield 2

According to JOYSTIQ.com, EA's recent financial earnings call divulged information indicating the publisher is readying sequels to BioWare's sci-fi RPG, Mass Effect, and DICE's multiplayer-driven FPS, Battlefield: Bad Company. There isn't that much else to report, other than EA CEO John Riccitiello saying that Mass Effect 2 would be available on "multiple platforms" and Bad Company would be "back on consoles" in Q4 of fiscal year 2010, which translates into normal people speak as sometime between January and March 2010.

Resident Evil 5 Demo hits Xbox Live

The promised Resident Evil 5 demo is now available on Xbox Live. Play by yourself or play with a partner in co-op mode, either online or offline with a split screen.

The demo is not available in Germany. (Ouch)

MK vs. DC DLC Details Revealed

In an interview with Major Nelson (Microsoft’s Director of Programming), Ed Boon revealed that new characters are actually coming in the form of DLC which Midway hopes will contain characters from both rosters.

According to the interview, the character are going to be released in pairs, most possibly with the idea of keeping the roster balanced and to make the DC fan and the MK fan happy with only one piece of DLC.

Which characters? Ed Boon didn’t said, stating that "we really can’t divulge which characters are in" due to the DLC still being in its early stages.

Rockstar Prices GTA IV: Lost and Damned

Rockstar has confirmed that Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned will cost 1600 Microsoft Points (GBP 13.60 / EUR 19.20) when it's released on 17th February.

That's the price people all expected after a GameStop posting hinted at a USD 20 price point late last year.

The first of two announced episodes for the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV, The Lost and Damned puts you in the boots of Johnny Klebitz, a member of Liberty City biker gang 'The Lost'.

Dawn of War 2 Patch & Maps Planned

The Dawn of War 2 Community Site has an internal Q&A about the release of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, explaining, among other things, how a game can enter beta testing after it goes gold, going on to offer further details on the beta. A semi-related point is that they have already cooked up a day zero patch with "improvements to the game based on early feedback to ensure fans get the best possible experience." Looking at the long term, they have: "planned scheduled patches and data updates through 2009 and beyond." They also say they plan to release a pair of additional multiplayer maps for the RTS sequel within a week of its launch. Thanks Voodoo Extreme.

Read the Full Interview! 

Ubisoft confirms Assassin's Creed 2 and MORE!!

Ubisoft has today announced targets for its next financial year (April 1, 2009 - March 31, 2010), confirming the release of Assassin's Creed 2, Splinter Cell Conviction and a new Ghost Recon game.

Yves Guillemot commented: "2009-10 looks very promising and our teams are working flat-out to provide gamers with the best the industry has to offer. Our line-up comprises several potential blockbusters with the launch of 7 franchises, including Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon, as well as 4 license-based games including James Cameron's Avatar, 3 new brands and a further-enhanced casual games portfolio."

Ubisoft confirmed that the 12 month period beginning April 1, 2009 will see the release of Assassin's Creed 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, Anno, I am Alive, James Cameron's Avatar, a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game and the sequel to Arthur and the Invisibles.

Gears of War 2 – January Patch Details

Over on the official Epic forums, Epic’s Mark Rein detailed exactly what the Gears 2 patch will fix and the enhancements that’ll be made once the patch is released. And from what we can tell, the patch should resolve most (if not all) the Gears 2 exploits we’ve heard about including that dreadful melee through the wall exploit. Oh, we should also mention that the patch will bring some new Gears 2 achievements based on the DLC. How ’bout them apples?



Gears of War 2 Patch Details:

-Fixed invisible shield exploit.
-Fixed melee through walls exploit.
-Fixed infinite Lancer ammo exploit.
-Fixed shield with two-handed weapon exploit.
-Fixed bug where shotgun and boom-shot shot into the ground when shooting from the hip.
-Increased penalties for quitting matches early.
-Additional spawn protection from grenades and chainsaw attacks.
-View Submission flag carrier destination using Tac/Com.
-Achievement progress numbers added to War Journal.
-Client side shotgun hit detection improved resulting in more reliable data in high latency games.
-Increased frequency of in-game Achievement tracker notifications.
-New DLC based achievements.

Halo 3's Mythic Map Pack

According to Bungie.net, the public's first taste of Halo 3's Mythic Map Pack will not happen until March. Halo Wars is set for release on March 3rd in the U.S. On or around that date, depending on your territory, is when Halo Wars LE purchasers will have access to Assembly, Orbital and Sandbox.

So it will be reminiscent of the Halo 3 download that gamer’s received when they purchased Crackdown.

Sony to post first loss in 14 years

Japan's Nikkei business news says beleaguered electronics giant will end fiscal year with $1.1 billion operating deficit.

Dour economic tidings continue to pile up for PlayStation 3 purveyor Sony. Citing Japanese business news service Nikkei, Reuters reports today that the besieged Japanese electronics company is girding itself to post its first full-fiscal-year operating loss in 14 years, and only the second since the company went public in 1958.

According to Nikkei's report, Sony's operating loss for its fiscal year ending March 31 is expected to settle at around ¥100 billion ($1.1 billion). The figure stands in marked contrast to the company's forecasted operating profit of ¥200 billion ($2.2 billion). Nikkei notes that Sony's losses may soar to as high as ¥200 billion ($2.2 billion), depending on the company's performance from now until the end of its fiscal year.

The clearest indication of Sony's turbulent economic situation came in December. At that time, the Japanese company announced that it would slash up to 16,000 jobs as well close about 10 percent of its manufacturing facilities to save approximately $1.1 billion by the end of its fiscal year. Sony also said that it planned to cut investment by as much as 30 percent in its core electronics operations by withdrawing from unprofitable and noncore businesses.

Fallout 3 Update and Patch

Fallout 3 has received an update, available free to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC owners of the English, German, Italian and Spanish versions of the game. The patch will download automatically on Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network and can be downloaded for the PC at Bethsoft.com.

Click Here For More Information

New Godfather II Release Date

Electronic Arts announced yesterday that it would be releasing Godfather II in March, although now they have told StrategyInformer.com that it will be released on February 27th. Inspired by the film and Mario Puzo's Corleone family drama, The Godfather II game goes beyond the film's story by setting players in the world of organized crime in 1960's Florida, Cuba and New York. As the head of the family, players can build a crew and grow their family in an effort to become the most powerful mob syndicate in America.

Bethesda Announces Editor (PC) and DLC for Fallout 3

Bethesda has announced that they plan on making a content editor and downloadable content for Fallout 3 available in the coming weeks. The official editor for Fallout 3, called the G.E.C.K. (Garden of Eden Creation Kit), will be available for free download in December and will allow PC users to create and add their own content to the game. In addition, the first official downloadable content, Operation: Anchorage, will be available for the Xbox 360 and PC in January, and more downloadable content coming in February and March.

“We’ve always seen the original world of Fallout 3 as a foundation for even more content. Some created by us, and a lot more created by users,” said Todd Howard, game director for Fallout 3. “It’s fun to create your own character, but it can be equally fun to create your own adventures. We can’t wait to see what the community does with the G.E.C.K.”

From the Press Release:

The release of the G.E.C.K. provides the community with tools that will allow players to expand the game any way they wish. Users can create, modify, and edit any data for use with Fallout 3, from building landscapes, towns, and locations to writing dialogue, creating characters, weapons, creatures, and more.

Three downloadable content packs will be coming to Xbox 360 and Games for Windows Live starting in January that will add new quests, items, and content to Fallout 3.

*Operation: Anchorage. Enter a military simulation and fight in one of the greatest battles of the Fallout universe – the liberation of Anchorage, Alaska from its Chinese Communist invaders. An action-packed battle scheduled for release in January.

*The Pitt. Journey to the industrial raider town called The Pitt, located in the remains of Pittsburgh. Choose your side. Scheduled for release in February.

*Broken Steel. Join the ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel and rid the Capital Wasteland of the Enclave remnants once and for all. Continues the adventure past the main quest. Scheduled for release in March.

Activision 'Redefines' FPS games with Paintball

At last, a true next-generation paintball experience is unleashed! Activision Publishing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI) announced today that the official NPPL (National Professional Paintball League) Championship Paintball 2009 videogame is available now for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION(R)3 and PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment systems, and Nintendo Wii(TM).

"NPPL Championship Paintball 2009 is the fantastic end result of a close collaboration between the NPPL, Activision, and top professional paintball players," said Scott Pierce, NPPL CEO. "No paintball game has ever been this real - it masterfully captures the competitive intensity that makes paintball one of the most popular extreme sports in the world."

Paintball is an extraordinarily deep sport that requires teamwork, strategy, and precision, something the game accurately represents. NPPL Championship Paintball 2009 features multiple game modes (including woods ball-based game play), officially licensed gear, and authentic tournament locations and field layouts from the NPPL, the Millennium European Paintball Series, and the XPSL. Players can perfect their skills as they progress from a rookie to pro in career mode and take on the best paintball teams in the world, or get online for an adrenaline rush of cutthroat multiplayer action. With deep design contributions from the NPPL, San Diego Dynasty and Bob Long, motion-captured player movements, and cutting edge ballistics, the level of detail and realism in this game is unmatched.

NEW UFC 09 UNDISPUTED SCREENS

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RED ALERT 3 Girls (Including Gina Carano)




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