Whats up internet?!?! I just bought Battlefield 3, yes I realize i’m a bit late, but that doesn’t matter! I’m gonna n00b it up today and see how much hate can be thrown my way, or maybe I’ll learn something.  I get booted from the server halfway through the second match, turns out I need some major Battlefield practice.  If you want to watch me fail, the video is ready below!

 

Watch live video from bigshinyrobot on TwitchTV
 

I was excited to get into Magrunner and finally found a window of opportunity to hang out with this excellent title.  This works well for fans of <em>Portal</em>, <em>Quantum Conundrum</em>, and any first person shooter fan I believe.  For only $19.99 it’s a great buy, if you find it on sale during the rumored Steam Summer Sale, it’s even better.

A new “Champions Bundle” has been announced for Halo 4. It sounds like 343 doesn’t want to end their DLC support anytime soon. The new bundle will consist of three separate additions: Bullseye Pack (480MSP; two multiplayer maps, Pitfall and Vertigo; a sports-themed Spartan armor; and new gravball game type, Ricochet.), Infinity Armor Pack (240MSP; legendary new armor), and Steel Skin Pack (240MSP; steampunk style for UNSC, Covenant, and Forerunner weapons). The “Champions Bundle” will discount the three individual add-ons by netting you all of them for 800MSP. It is scheduled for release on August 20, 2013.

Despite getting trashed in the reviews when it launched, Aliens: Colonial Marines has some new DLC planned. This comes from the description of several new trophies/achievements for the game that point to new campaign content. The new campaign is called “Stasis Interrupted” and one of the trophies will require you to complete it on “Ultimate Badass” difficulty. No word yet when it releases or for how much; but it usually comes pretty quickly once the trophies update so it may be today.

Randy Pitchford of Gearbox spoke to the Nerdist podcast recently. In the conversation he affirmed that more DLC is on the way for Borderlands 2, despite the Season Pass coming to its completion: “Everyone was under the expectations that those would be the four DLC’s and that’s it. We are going to do more, we are going to do some other things. I don’t have details exactly of it yet cause were not ready to announce what the other things are. We got more stuff in the hopper that we’re planning and getting pretty excited about. So if you’re a Borderlands 2 fan you don’t have to be afraid that that’s the end of it.” That’s not all he revealed though. As you’d expect, Gearbox is working a next-gen title, but that’s all he’ll say about it. We don’t if it’s a new IP, which consoles, when it’s coming, just that it exists.

The deals for this year’s Summer of Arcade on XBLA have been revealed. It all starts on August 7th with Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons for 1200MSP. Charlie Murder is next on August 14th (800MSP), followed by Flashback on August 21st (800MSP). A favorite franchise of the ‘bots, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, closes the deal August 28th for 1200MSP. As a special bonus, you’ll get a free Souls Pack for Ascend: Hand of Kul when you buy any two of the featured titles.

Naughty Dog is once again proving themselves to be a golden-egg laying goose for Sony. The Last of Us has passed the 3.4million mark for units sold – in only three weeks. Critical acclaim has been coming quick for this title and it’s already a strong contender for Game of the Year. In many circles this sits alongside Bioshock Infinite as redefining the landscape of interactive narrative. Congratulations to Naughty Dog on what appears to be an unequivocal success. I can’t wait to see what they bring to the next generation.

Ever wonder how game designers come up with all of those achievements? Apparently Lionhead Studios has the same question. They’re turning to you to design an achievement for Fable Anniversary. If you’ve got an idea for one you can submit a title, description, and tile design. Lionhead will choose the five best, then pit them against one another in a public vote. If your achievement wins, it will be included in the game along with your name in the credits. Does this sound like your kind of creative contest? Check out their website for full details and instructions for submitting. Good Luck!

Ninja Theory apparently has several positions for a new AAA console title. From what’s available in each job description (Senior Designer, Technical Director, Lead Character Artist, and others), it appears the new game will include shooting, melee combat, and stealth mechanics. No word on which consoles (presumably next-gen) or a franchise. Ninja Theory has had critical, if not commercial, success with several titles this generation including Heavenly Sword, Enslaved, and DMC.

In addition to the previously announced Summer Blast Sale (up to 80% off for PS Plus members) this week’s newest addition to Sony’s Instant Game Collection is none other than Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee. It will be free for all PS+ subscribers starting with today’s store update. Be ready to seek guidance from the Almighty Raisin. And don’t forget to pick up Ron Gilbert’s The Cave while you still can. It’s leaving the IGC next week -and it’s a fantastic game.

If you want a free upgrade to the limited edition of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster, just get your preorder in now. The upgrade will include concept art book packaging. Nothing major, but it’s free and the artwork for this franchise has always been gorgeous. Then again, they’re offering a preorder upgrade but they still haven’t said when the game will release. It is planned for sometime this year.

If you want to see how much has changed with the HD upgrade, Zombietron has the comparison video.

That’s all for this week’s early edition. Stay cool in the heat gamers, and stay classy.

The Playstation Blog, announced this morning that those pre-ordering Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD Remaster will be upgraded to the collector’s edition that will include an artbook shown below:

With no date yet at a price tag of $39.99 for the 2 game bundle, the art book is the final piece to push those of us on the fence over the edge. If that news wasn’t enough to get you on board the side-by-side comparison video shown in the same article should do the trick, it did for me at least.

Who’s pre-ordering now?

I hope everyone had an enjoyable and safe Independence Day. I certainly had a good time, and came away with only minor injuries from being too old for hackey sack.

Since the announcement of Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V, one of the key talking points has been size. The map is apparently larger than Red Dead Redemption, San Andreas and the GTA IV maps combined. So how will our consoles handle something that large? With an 8GB mandatory install on PS3 and 360. That one’s going to take a while. If you’ve got one of those 4GB 360s, you’ll be able to use a 16GB flash drive for your install. Because of the blu-ray drive in your PS3, you’ll only need one disc. 360 owners, however, will be getting two. Don’t worry about swapping discs though. Apparently one of them won’t be needed after the giant install completes. The game is set for release September 17, 2013. With Sony and Microsoft’s new consoles releasing just a couple of months, many are wondering if a next-gen version will also be released; Rockstar hasn’t said anything on that front.

If you have an Ubisoft account, you probably got an email from them recently. Apparently much of their user data has been hacked. They don’t keep any payment data (debit or credit card numbers) in the user data, so none of your financials have been compromised. However, you should probably still change your password with them. For added security, any email or other accounts that share a username and password should probably be changed as well. The digital world isn’t always a nice place, be vigilant.

Major Nelson and Microsoft have come back around to his original announcement for Games for Gold. Nelson confirmed via Twitter that Assassin’s Creed II will be the next free game, starting July 16th. Yes, it’s a four year old game, and was (for a time at least and may still be) the most platinumed title on PS3. But there are a still a few of you out there that haven’t played it yet and probably quite a few more that want to play it again. If you haven’t ever picked this series up, this is a fine place to begin and end. The first game is not necessary to understand this one, and is also quite flawed in pacing and even some gameplay. Brotherhood and Revelation continue this story and make a few good additions, but never quite achieve the perfection of Ezio’s first adventure. Assassin’s Creed III is also good, but still doesn’t quite reach the same level of charm and enjoyability. Probably because Connor is kind of a weenie and Ezio is a rockstar.

Nine new skins have released for your Borderlands 2 Vault Hunters. It’s a little heavy on the Krieg (four skins), but everyone else gets one too. Each skin will run you $0.99. The new skins are Mechromancer Steampunk Slayer, Gunzerker Dapper Gent, Siren Glitter and Gore, Assassin Stinging Blade, Commando Haggard Hunter, Psycho Dark Psyche, Psycho Domination, Psycho Supremacy, and Psycho Madness.

The largest Halo 4 tournament ever is happening now. There’s a half a million dollars in prizes available, with the grand prize taking $200,000. It starts today at the Rooster Teeth Expo and will continue with online matches until July 15th. The finals will be in Seattle, WA on August 31st and September 1st. think you have what it takes? Get registered. Even if you don’t win, you’ll get a T-shirt for your avatar.

Despite a very popular showing at E3 2011, the PS3/Vita cross-play title Warrior’s Lair (originally revealed as Ruin) isn’t happening. According to a Sony spokesperson, “Sony Computer Entertainment can confirm that Warrior’s Lair for PS Vita is no longer in development. We apologize to those who pre-ordered the title and ask that they contact their retailer directly to cancel their pre-sale.” This was supposed to be a flagship for the handheld. Frankly, it could use a few more of those. They didn’t say why the project was canceled, but their statement seems pretty final. Bummer.

I’m not convinced that any Final Fantasy title needs even more cutscenes, but that’s exactly what’s happening with the Final Fantasy X/X-2 Hd Remix. This newly beautified edition, coming later this year, will have a new, 30 minute, ending credit sequence. The 30 minute drama is written by the original scenario scribe, Kazushige Nojima, and will feature all new voice acting. 30 minutes? After the game is over? Do they not ever have to go to the bathroom after they finish a game? Then again, it will feature cross-save on PS3 and Vita. I suppose you could always start the final battle on your handheld and then take a while on your “thinking” chair.

Microsoft announced last week that they are dropping the fees charged to developers for patching games. According to a few developers, those fees can run upwards for $40,000. The high cost of the patch is one of the reasons Phil Fish said he wouldn’t be patching Fez. Thanks to this change, Polytron Studios will now be doing just that. But, give him some time folks. The patch will take a few months to finish, but it is (at long last) coming.

The weekend deals for the XBox Live Ultimate Game Sale have arrived. These deals are good until Monday, July 8th:

• Bioshock Infinite – $39.99 (33% off)
• Tomb Raider – $19.99 (33% off)
• Gears of War Judgement – $29.99 (50% off)
• Metal Gear Rising: Revengence – 29.99 (40% off)
• Hitman Absolution – $9.99 (67% off)
• XCOM: Enemy Unknown – $19.99 (50% off)

That’s all for the week. Enjoy your weekend.

We promised we’d have it here for ya, and we aim to please, starting at 12 pm Pacific Time, Telltale is streaming a sneak peak of one of the new stories from 400 days! Check it out!

Watch live video from Telltale Games on TwitchTV

This video released by Sony demonstrates the social aspect of the PS4 perfectly. The question is, who is this Sarah Walker and how do I get her to buy Kill Zone? The potential of this is pretty insane, I love that you can download multiplayer first and jump straight in, or purchase from your smart phone and remote install. (Steam did that first thank you.) Gaming is just getting better by the second.

Releasing for various consoles over the next 7 days, Telltale Games sent us the launch trailer for the new Walking Dead Season One DLC pack, 1 episode, 5 stories. That’s a ton of content for a quick pick up, I’m sure you’re grabbing yours I know I am.

-A5_taro

Don’t forget
If you want some insight into The Walking Dead games, Telltale is doing a live stream of the game today at 12pm Pacific Time. We’ll have the stream available here for you to watch as well! Or check it out at http://www.twitch.tv/telltalegames.

Welcome to July, and the second half of 2013. Is the year going by fast for you? It’s been moving quickly, but it still feels like the two new consoles and all of the great games planned for the end of the year are just too far away. Time for news.

This week sees the start of XBox Live’s Ultimate Game Sale. We don’t have full details on everything but here is the full list of games with major discounts coming. Confirmed daily and weekly deals are marked as such. Some of these are must-plays, and maybe must-buys depending on the sale price.

• Assassin’s Creed 3 ($15 on 7/2)
• BioShock Infinite
• Borderlands 2 ($10 on 7/2)
• Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway ($5 7/2-7/8)
• Bulletstorm ($5 7/2-7/8)
• Command and Conquer Red Alert 3 ($5 7/2-7/8)
• Crysis ($5 7/2-7/8)
• Crysis 3
• Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga ($5 7/2-7/8)
• Dragon Age Origins ($5 7/2-7/8)
• Far Cry 3 ($20 on 7/2)
• Far Cry Instincts Predator ($5 7/2-7/8)
• Forza Horizon
• Gears of War: Judgment
• Hasbro Family Game Night 3
• Hitman: Absolution
• Kinect Sports 2
• Left 4 Dead 2
• Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes
• Lego Lord of the Rings
• Mass Effect ($5 7/2-7/8)
• Max Payne 3 ($10 on 7/2)
• Metal Gear Rising: Revengence
• Monopoly Streets
• Perfect Dark Zero ($3 7/2-7/8)
• Prey ($3 7/2-7/8)
• Rockstar Table Tennis
• The Orange Box
• Tomb Raider
• The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings
• WWE 13 ($15 7/2-7/8)
• XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Sony is offering its own Summer Blast Sale as well and we have a little more detail on their offerings. The sale will last about two weeks, but not everything will be on sale the whole time. As you’d expect, Plus users will be getting up to 80% off while free members will still enjoy discounts of up to 60%. There are a lot of “geeky” franchises in here, so if you’ve missed some of them you should definitely take advantage of this sale. [title, standard discount, Plus discount – you can also check Sithbot‘s full post on it that includes the original prices]

• July 2nd – 9th
• Call Of Duty Black Ops II (PS3) – $41.99 / $37.79
• The Amazing Spider-Man (PS3) – $29.99 / $20.99
• Batman Arkham Asylum (PS3) – $9.99 / $5.00
• The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest (PS Vita/PSP) – $4.99 / $2.50
• Mortal Kombat (PS Vita) – $9.99 / $5.00
• Mortal Kombat – (PS3) – $9.99 / $5.00
• Prince of Persia Forgotten Sands (PS3) – $7.99 / $4.00
• Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: the Game (PS3) – $3.99 / $2.00
• Shadow of the Colossus (PS3) – $9.99 / $5.00
• Ratchet & Clank Collection (PS3) – $14.99 / $7.50
• July 9th – 16th
• Fast & Furious Showdown (PS3) – $31.99 / $23.99
• Star Trek (PS3) – Regular Price: $43.99 / $32.99
• Men In Black: Alien Crisis (PS3) – $29.99 / $20.99
• The Simpsons Arcade Game (PS3) – $6.99 / $4.89
• X-Men (PS3) – $6.99 / $4.89
• Hitman Trilogy HD (PS3) – $19.99 / $15.99
• Lord of the Rings: War in the North (PS3) – $9.99 / $5.00
• Silent Hill: Book of Memories (PS Vita) – $14.99 / $7.50
• LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (PS3) – $14.99 / $7.50
• LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (PS Vita) – $9.99 / $5.00
• The Adventures of TinTin: The Game (PS3) – $19.99 / $10.00
• Star Wars The Force Unleashed II (PS3) – $9.99 / $5.00
• LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (PS3) – $9.99 / $5.00
• Just Cause 2 (PS3) – $9.99 / $7.99
• Prince of Persia Classics Trilogy (PS3) – $15.99 / $8.00
• Tron Evolution (PS Vita) – $7.99 / $4.00
• Alice: Madness Returns (PS3) – $7.99 / $4.00
• Fight Night Champion (PS3) – $11.99 / $6.00

It appears the DLC releases for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale have ended. Which is to be expected; the game released in November 2012 and few games get DLC past the six month mark. But it also appears that not all of the DLC planned for the game got released. I don’t know how far along the add-on character of Dart from Legend of Dragoon made it into the process, but it definitely got to the 3D modeling stage. Character artist Mike Edwards’ portfolio has a few images of the character that apparently has been scrapped for title. I can’t say I’m shocked that they dropped Dart as Legend of Dragoon has a strong cult following but not necessarily a great commercial one.

There seems to be a bit of planning problem for Microsoft’s “Games for Gold” program announced at E3. Major Nelson had said that the next two games for the program would be Halo 3 and Assassin’s Creed 2, following the end of Fable III‘s offer (which has expired). That is not the case. Instead, Defense Grid: The Awakening, a tower defense game, is now on the free offer. It will be free until July 15th, after which it will revert to its 800 MSP price and another game, possibly one of the two aforementioned titles, will be free for two weeks. The free games were originally scheduled to continue until the XBox One release in November, but Nelson has indicated they may choose to extend the offer through Christmas.

Over on the Sony side of free games, the July titles for PS Plus have been announced. The month will have a strong start with today’s update when Battlefield 3 joins the Instant Game Collection. Other titles scheduled for the month include Jet Set Radio (PS3), Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee HD (PS3), Metal Slug XX (PSP, Vita), and Dokuro (Vita). Of course, that means several titles are leaving the IGC. Get these while they last: Deus Ex: Human Revolution (7/2), Joe Danger 2 The Movie (7/9), The Cave (7/16), Germinator (7/23), and Zero’s Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward (7/30). [Seriously, pick up The Cave if you haven’t already. That’s definitely in my top five gains from Plus.]

If you’re still on the fence about which, if any, of the next-gen systems you’re buying then you may want to wait just a little longer. Certainly Microsoft’s post-E3 backpedaling means their plans are still in motion, but they also plan to announce more exclusives later in 2013 as well. When asked about it on Twitter, Phil Spencer said, “Yea, we still have exclusives to reveal.” Obviously he didn’t reveal them, so we don’t what he’s revealing. If I were placing odds on those announcements, I don’t think it’s a big gamble to say something in the Fable universe. I’m also waiting to find out why they’ve been hinting at another Crackdown title, despite virtually everyone involved with it basically being out of business. So, if you don’t mind missing out on a day one purchase, maybe you should wait until those announcements come before you put up that down payment.

In case you missed Zombietron’s announcement, The Walking Dead: 400 Days releases today on the US PlayStation Network. Not on PSN? It comes to Mac and PC (Steam) tomorrow, XBox Live on Friday, EU PSN July 10th, and iOS July 11th. I’ll be downloading tonight. And I may not sleep tonight either.

A couple of DLC add-ons have been announced as pre-order incentives for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. The first is the Cloud Strife SOLDIER 1st Class. This will include the Final Fantasy VII hero’s SOLDIER 1st Class outfit, Buster Sword, and Soldier Band fanfare. The second is the Lightning Samurai Set. This set has three outfits (Shogun, Sohei Savior, and Flower of Battle) with unique abilities. The game is set for release February 11, 2014 – but you can pre-order now.

That’s the early edition. Enjoy your Independence Day (maybe by playing Battlefield 3 for free on PS+) and check back Friday for more news from this week.

Sony just announced the lineup for their huge summer sale, and there are a TON of games to be had at some insanely good prices! All games can be purchased for up to 60% off their normal price, and PS+ subscribers can up that to 80% off!

Almost all of us at BSR have talked about the benefits of investing in a PS+ membership, and if you’ve been on the fence about whether or not to try it out, now would be the time since any games you purchase with your discount are yours to keep even if you let your membership lapse (unlike the free games which require an ongoing subscription).

Here’s what you can expect over the next two weeks:

July 2-9

Call Of Duty Black Ops II (PS3) – Regular Price: $59.99 Sale Price: $41.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $37.79
The Amazing Spider-Man (PS3) – Regular Price: $49.99 Sale Price: $29.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $20.99
Batman Arkham Asylum (PS3) – Regular Price: $19.99 Sale Price: $9.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $5.00
The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest (PS Vita/PSP) – Regular Price: $9.99 Sale Price: $4.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $2.50
Mortal Kombat (PS Vita) – Regular Price: $19.99 Sale Price: $9.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $5.00
Mortal Kombat – (PS3) – Regular Price: $19.99 Sale Price: $9.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $5.00
Prince of Persia Forgotten Sands (PS3) – Regular Price: $19.99 Sale Price: $7.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $4.00
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: the Game (PS3) – Regular Price: $9.99 Sale Price: $3.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $2.00
Shadow of the Colossus (PS3) – Regular Price: $19.99 Sale Price: $9.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $5.00
Ratchet & Clank Collection (PS3) – Regular Price: $19.99 Sale Price: $14.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $7.50

July 9-16

Fast & Furious Showdown (PS3) – Regular Price: $39.99 Sale Price: $31.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $23.99
Star Trek (PS3) – Regular Price: $54.99 Sale Price: $43.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $32.99
Men In Black: Alien Crisis (PS3) – Regular Price: $39.99 Sale Price: $29.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $20.99
The Simpsons Arcade Game (PS3) – Regular Price: $9.99 Sale Price: $6.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $4.89
X-Men (PS3) – Regular Price: $9.99 Sale Price: $6.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $4.89
Hitman Trilogy HD – (PS3) – Regular Price: $39.99 Sale Price: $19.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $15.99
Lord of the Rings: War in the North (PS3) – Regular Price: $19.99 Sale Price: $9.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $5.00
Silent Hill: Book of Memories (PS Vita) – Regular Price: $29.99 Sale Price: $14.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $7.50
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (PS3) – Regular Price: $29.99 Sale Price: $14.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $7.50
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (PS Vita) – Regular Price: $19.99 Sale Price: $9.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $5.00
The Adventures of TinTin: The Game (PS3) – Regular Price: $39.99 Sale Price: $19.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $10.00
Star Wars The Force Unleashed II (PS3) – Regular Price: $19.99 Sale Price: $9.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $5.00
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (PS3) – Regular Price: $19.99 Sale Price: $9.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $5.00
Just Cause 2 (PS3) – Regular Price: $19.99 Sale Price: $9.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $7.99
Prince of Persia Classics Trilogy (PS3) – Regular Price: $39.99 Sale Price: $15.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $8.00
Tron Evolution (PS Vita) – Regular Price: $19.99 Sale Price: $7.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $4.00
Alice: Madness Returns (PS3) – Regular Price: $19.99 Sale Price: $7.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $4.00
Fight Night Champion – Full Game (PS3) – Regular Price: $29.99 Sale Price: $11.99 PlayStation Plus Price: $6.00