Gamers will soon be able to sneak, explore and assassinate unsuspecting targets once again within the streets and buildings of Dunwall.

Bethesda announced Wednesday that it is releasing a new add-on pack called The Knife of Dunwall on April 16, the second downloadable content expansion for its popular Dishonored game.

Here’s a description of the DLC from Bethesda and be warned, there are spoilers for the main game’s plotline if you haven’t played it yet:

“In The Knife of Dunwall you take on the role of Daud, the legendary assassin who killed the Empress, and access his weapons, gadgets, allies and supernatural abilities. After assassinating the Empress, and forever changing the fate of Dunwall, you embark on a search for redemption.”

A screenshot from the forthcoming Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall DLC, shipping April 16.

The Outsider reveals the key to your atonement—Delilah. But who or what is Delilah, aside from a classic Tom Jones song? But I digress.

“Accompanied by the Whalers, your loyal band of mercenary assassins, your search will take you through never-before-seen districts of Dunwall as you face off against new and terrible foes. Employ a unique arsenal of new weapons and powers that enhance Dishonored’s dynamic combat, mobility and stealth systems. In the struggle to hang onto the last shred of your humanity, the choices you make will ultimately determine your fate.”

Dishonored was one of my favourite titles of 2012, an absolute gem of a stealth-combat game and I can’t wait to dive in once again. It looks as if you will cross the main storyline in some fashion based on an early screenshot Bethesda has released, but it also promises to fill in some more of the tale of Dunwall and its dark, often twisted inhabitants.

The game was highly regarded, garnering more than 100 ‘Game of the Year’ awards, as well as being named the best action/adventure game of the year at the SPIKE TV Video Game Awards and best game of 2012 by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts video games awards.

Visit www.Dishonored.com for more info.

The Knife of Dunwall will cost $9.99 or 800 Microsoft Points and will be available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

* Wayne Chamberlain has been covering the gaming industry since 2002 and is the co-host of the Star Wars Book Report podcast on iTunes. He is a contributing columnist at Canada.com and an editor for Postmedia News. You can follow him on Twitter @chamberlainw. 

Bit of a slow week so far, but here’s what we got:

Gearbox revealed plans for a new DLC character in Borderlands 2 at SXSW over the weekend. According to their video reveal, “Deep beneath Pandora, an experiment has escaped. Bandits beware. A new Vault Hunter is coming. More mayhem awaits.” Very little was shown beyond that cryptic message. Look forward to more information soon.

In the midst of all the other comings and goings at LucasFilm, including the apparent cancellations of The Clone Wars and Star Wars 1313, we’re now hearing that Star Wars: First Assault is also on an indefinite hold. We first heard this existed back in October, but no details were readily available. It’s now resurfaced with slightly more specific data. This is purportedly a downloadable multiplayer first person shooter for XBLA and possibly PSN. Reports suggest it will handle 16 players (8 vs. 8) and feature iconic locations from the galaxy far, far away. The game was apparently on the calendar for release this Spring after a closed beta back in September. The beta never happened, and the release hasn’t been discussed since. In light of other pieces of the franchise getting axed, it’s likely this may never be released. Then again, it could be far enough along that it will get released immediately so Disney and LucasFilm can generate a few sales before completely shutting down the franchise in the lead up to Episode VII. [Yes, my theory is that all extraneous projects will be shut down so everyone will be excited about the movie being the first Star Wars event in over two years! Just my crackpot idea, Swank-mo-tron probably has more insight.]

Here’s an interesting addition. Ubisoft is releasing a new playable character and an online multiplayer mode for the three year old downloadable Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Being stuck with only couch co-op was definitely a limitation in the early release, and many fans were shouting for the change. But is anyone even interested now? This game sat, unplayed, on my hard drive for years until I just recently deleted it to clear some space. Online mode and playable Wallace Wells ($4.99, 20% discount for PS+) aren’t really enough for me to warrant trying the game again.

Time for another editorial rant. Sony has announced they are patching a trophy title for God of War: Ascension. The game, released today, includes a trophy currently labeled “Bros before Hoes.” The title has apparently offended a vocal contingent of fans that see it as sexist. Is it a stupid and chauvinistic saying? Yes. Is a game about a shirtless Spartan with blades on his arms ripping mythological creatures to shreds and having threesomes really obligated to be politically correct? Sorry, but no. The game is clearly marketed and designed to male gamers, which also may or may not be the “right” thing to do. But sweet bros play games like this, and sweet bros say things like that. The new title for the trophy will be “Bros before Foes.” It is still earned in the same way, by crushing the head of a female character with Kratos’ foot. Apparently it’s just the name that’s offensive, not the violence against women. Surely I’m not the only one that thinks this is ridiculous. Is this really the kind patching Sony should be doing? Especially when there are plenty of glitched trophies on the system. By the way, these trophies are fake “collectibles” that don’t only actually exist and many of them aren’t even essential to completing the game; they’re just fun add-ons for completionists.

Not worried about the details? REGISTER HERE

Gaming and nerds are about a few things, one of many is crushing your opponent or friends in fighting games. We here at BigShinyRobot support those values. In honor of destroying your friends we are hosting a Super Street Fighter 4 A.E. 2012 tournament at SLC Nerd. We will have a few controllers on hand, but bringing your own pad or stick is recommended.

When: Saturday April 20th start time will be emailed once you’ve registered.

Where: SLC Nerd at the Complex. 536 West 100 South
Salt Lake City, UT

Price: The tournament is free, entry to SLC nerd is required for $10

Grand Prize: Astro a50 gaming headset

TO PLAY REGISTER HERE

The domain registration plot around Deus Ex continues. Last week it was revealed that Deus Ex: Human Defiance had been copyrighted by Square Enix; while this week it was revealed that the name is actually set aside for the CBS Films silver screen adaptation. Now they’ve registered the domain of Deus Ex: the Fall. The sites have been registered in the UK, france, Italy, Germany, and the US .com and .net. Considering we already know the name for the movie, could this be the sequel? Or something else? Hopefully we’ll know soon.

Few games have made as much of an impact in the current market as Mojang’s phenomenon, Minecraft. With its natural home on PC, the title was ported to the XBox 360 in March 2012. According to Jens Bergensten (lead designer, Minecraft Pocket Edition), a PS3 release (but probably not WiiU) may happen after the expiration of Microsoft’s timed exclusivity on console. The length of Microsoft’s timed exclusivity was not mentioned. Still, possibly good news for Sony-exclusive gamers. I think I’d actually be more intrigued if they were looking at a release on Vita.

Development for Telltale’s The Walking Dead Season Two is underway, but it’s running into a snag. The idea has always been to port Season One’s save data, including the fates of many characters, to the next season and maintain continuity. With Sony’s recent announcement of PlayStation 4 (and the expected announcement of neXtBox), where the sequel will likely be released, the possibility of porting that data is being called into question. There are, apparently, technology issues that might prevent your PS3 save from being carried to your PS4. Telltale and Sony are working closely to address this potential issue. They may not succeed, but it’s good to know they’re trying. Other solutions may also present themselves. Hopefully we’ll more on the subject soon.

Gearbox has released a patch for Aliens: Colonial Marines. It’s no longer unplayable, but it still isn’t very fun. Most of the technical glitches have been addressed, if not completely fixed.

If you’re like me, you’re probably a little dismayed to see TV spots for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag already playing when the game doesn’t come out until October. Being that I’m constantly playing two to three months behind the release schedule, I just finished Assassin’s Creed III, one of the lesser regarded entries in the series. [Remember when everyone freaked about Mass Effect 3‘s ending? Where’s the furor over the abrupt and unsatisfying ending to the modern day storyline?] What was once a promising franchise seems to be quickly falling victim to the annual release plague. Which is why it’s refreshing to hear Take Two doesn’t want to make Grand Theft Auto an annual title, or even a bi-annual title. Karl Slatoff, Take Two’s COO, recently spoke to a Wedbush Securities Conference:

“To us, that doesn’t make sense, because Grand Theft Auto, every single time it comes out, is a brand new experience. You can’t possibly do that in two years. And if we did that, our product would fatigue and the franchise would degrade from a value perspective.”

Kudos to Take Two for having pride in their franchise’s continued value. There’s definitely something to be said for a product you can make relatively cheaply and sell to a mass market frequently. It’s good business. But taking the time to design something spectacular that people look forward to for years is also a good thing. Ultimately, you build brand credibility and loyalty, both longer term investments. Grand Theft Auto has been around for 16 years, and it’s been 12 years since they basically invented a genre (third-person, open-world action). There is certainly a contingent who feel GTA IV wasn’t on par with prior entries, but the majority of players still consider it a top notch game and it has not lessened the enthusiasm for the upcoming GTA V. In contrast, Assassin’s Creed first released in 2007, and has since not matched the critical reception of its fantastic second game (Metacritic: AC 81, ACII 91, Brotherhood 90, Revelations 80, ACIII 86).

Sorry to end with an editorial. The yearly model has come under fire recently, while perennial releases of Call of Duty continue to sell millions of copies. What do the readers think? Would you like to see annual GTAs with declining value, or would you prefer a new assassin every three or four years that matches the incredible quality of Ezio’s original appearance?

The first previews of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag have been released. Long story short, you’ll be playing as Edward Kenway, grandfather of Assassin’s Creed III‘s star, Connor Kenway. The setting is 1715, roughly 50 years before Connor’s story really gets started. The story will take place through cities: Havana, Cuba, Kingston, Jamaica, and Nassau, Bahamas. But, naturally, you’ll be exploring other areas, including Mayan ruins and even the ocean depths where you’ll brave shark attacks to dive for hidden treasure. Naval battles return with a new option to send hooks into the enemy ships, letting you run across to fight hand to hand. Historical luminaries like Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, Charles Vane, and others will make appearances. Despite the fantastical “history” of pirates in modern media, Ubisoft intends to treat the story with same level of historical accuracy and respect shown to other eras in the series. In the modern-day front, the December 2012 prophecy remains closed and Desmond will not be appearing. How that affects your ancestral experience at Abstergo Entertainment hasn’t been made clear, but will likely work similar to ACIII: Liberation‘s treatment. The game has been confirmed for October 29th on XBox 360, PS3, and WiiU. A PS4 (and, presumably neXtBox) version was also confirmed but not with a solid date.

Last week’s VGQH reported that Square Enix had trademarked the name Deus Ex: Human Defiance, but it was unclear just what that would be. Since then, two domain names have been locked up by CBS Films, deusex-humandefiance.com and deusexhumandefiancefilm.com. This indicates we’re looking at the movie tie-in, not the next game.

Despite being ridiculous, Sony has apparently no given up on the Wonderbook. The next release, Wonderbook: Diggs Nightcrawler, will be coming in May. It is being developed by Moonbot Studios and is noir inspired story of Diggs taking on the three little pigs, actually “a group of highly disorganized police officials in Library City.” Keep trying Sony, maybe your half-assed peripherals will catch on some day.

It’s been far too long since we’ve seen a decent video game featuring shelled amphibians with martial arts training. Activision is looking to right this error later this year when Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is released on PSN and XBLA. Inspired by the current Nickelodeon cartoon series, the four artistically named turtles are returning to gaming, weapons in hand, in a downloadable action brawler. Few details are known at the moment, but any return to turtle beat ’em up action has got to be good news. Current release is set for “Summer 2013.” Arse-bot has more details and a trailer.

Today’s update to the PlayStation Plus Instant Game Collection will bring Spec Ops: The Line for free. Many people skipped this title, remembering the bargain bin days of the franchise’s past on PSOne. This return is loosely based on Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and comes with an emotional depth that was completely unexpected. Other updates to the PS+ membership this month (but not today) will add Joe Danger 2: The Movie, Ron Giblert’s The Cave, Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention (Vita), and Tekken 6 (PSP, Vita) to the IGC. A 20% discount for Bit.Trip’s Runner 2 is also on deck, in addition to the PS Vita anniversary sale.

Disappointing sales of Dead Space 3 has led EA to cancel the next title, Dead Space 4, despite already being in early development. This information comes along with details about troubled development on the recently released third title. Apparently EA cut the budget multiple times and Visceral was forced to make changes to the game’s ammo system in order to better utilize microtransactions (an addition that did not sit well with consumers). First week sales of Dead Space 3 were 26.6% lower than Dead Space 2 and it has continually slid down the charts post-launch. It’s possible the fourth game could begin development again, after EA has determined its focus for the franchise. The shift from survival horror to an action title (an attempt to reach a broader audience) also alienated some long time fans.

That’s it for this week’s early edition. Check back on Friday for the rest of the top stories in gaming this week.

So . . . This is pretty interesting.

Fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, such as myself, have been wondering when we would get a new TMNT game in light of the new kick-ass cartoon that is currently airing on Nickelodeon. Well, it looks like we will finally be getting one this summer as a downloadable game on Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, and PC – only, it doesn’t appear to be based on the cartoon at all.

From IGN:

Out of the Shadows is not based on Nickelodeon’s ongoing, excellent animated series, but exists in its own “hyper realistic 3D-style” world inspired by the show.

I have heard nothing but praise about Nickelodeon’s TMNT cartoon, and have been enjoying the hell out of it myself. I think it is pretty awesome to visit my local Toys ‘R’ Us and see nearly an entire aisle dedicated to the Heroes in a Half-Shell, introducing a whole new generation of kids to these awesome characters. So I find it a bit confusing why a new TMNT game wouldn’t capitalize on the success of the series by incorporating many of the same elements – it could certainly be it’s own stand-alone story, detached from the series, but why not use the same art style at least? I actually don’t mind the look of the turtles at all in this game, I actually think it all looks pretty cool, I just find it a bit odd they chose not to tie this in to the series.

It makes me wonder if this is perhaps what the turtles may somewhat look like in Michael Bay’s upcoming live-action TMNT film . . .

And now I just remembered that Michael Bay is doing the next live-action TMNT film. Guh.

In any case, I am personally very excited to get another TMNT brawler game and look forward to getting three of my friends together to kick some bad guy ass – just like the “old days”. Check out the short teaser below, and you can head on over to IGN to see photos of the rest of the turtles there!

What do you think of these “hyper-realistic” Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Sound off in the comments below! 

You can follow Arse-bot and all the pointless thoughts he puts out into the interwebs on Twitter @Arse_bot

Double Fine perfects the adventure of spelunking.

The Cave tells the story of 7 explorers and their search for what they desire most in this world. Each story is distinctive and slightly wicked, revealed by finding glowing cave paintings and finishing the game more than once. Players can choose who to play with out of the Knight, the Monk, the Scientist, the Adventurer, the Twins, the Hillbilly or the Time Traveler. (My personal favorite: the Knight). After choosing 3 adventurers, exploration of The Cave begins.

The layout of The Cave changes based on which adventurers have joined the party. It always begins in the gift shop, leading players to the introductory level of the employee’s back entrance. After searching the level for gift shop-worthy trinkets and familiarizing yourself with the basic controls (move, jump, action button and one special ability), The Cave tour begins.

Each adventurer must utilize their special ability to reach new areas, specifically the ones tailored to their individual story (For example, the twins’ mansion or the carnival where the Hillbilly worked). Although the puzzles are not frustratingly difficult, they make players think about their strategy and how to move forward. These types of puzzles keep the game moving at a smooth pace – while still adding the ah-ha! effect of figuring out a solution.


In addition to the entertaining gameplay, interesting plots and stimulating puzzles, The Cave himself narrates the adventure. His humorous clips add even more entertainment to an already intriguing game.

Each individual explorer has a malicious tale to follow with a level designed specifically to tell their story. The levels all have their own design, relating directly to what each individual desires the most. (For example, the Knight desires the sword of Excalibur; therefore his level is designed around the King, Princess and Dragon who all lead him towards retrieving his desired sword). The designs of each of these levels are uniform in style yet are able to represent very different locations.

To complete one playthrough of The Cave, using 3 characters at a time, takes approximately 4 hours. This is assuming you take the time to figure out each puzzle. Later playthroughs take less time since you can remember most of the solutions, but are still indulging. As a side note for those going for achievements/trophies: the game saves automatically; unless you choose to save and exit at a specific spot (so save and exit often if you are trying not to ever die).

Obviously, The Cave is highly replayable because of its changing level layout, multiple characters to play with and interesting plots. A walkthrough may be necessary to unlock all of the achievements/trophies since many of them are secret.

The Cave can be fun whether you are the one playing or just spectating. It makes for an enjoyable adventure game that can be replayed over and over, by yourself or with friends. Gameplay is smooth and the stories are wicked – it is definitely worth the purchase.

The cave is an adventure game available for Steam, Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and the WiiU online store.

A sixth character is apparently joining the Borderlands 2 team. Randy Pitchford of Gearbox says they are “working on it,” but no other information was included. More DLC, beyond the Season Pass items, is planned but Pitchford declined to elaborate as he gets “skewered when things change in development, whatever the reason.” Somewhere in the plans is likely the long-sought level cap, but no confirmation was made about that either.

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale has been well-supported with minor DLC, but the playable characters and environments fans want haven’t really shown up yet. That’s changing on March 19th. The new “Graveyard” level is mash-up of MediEvil‘s opening level with The Unfinished Swan (wtf). It will be free for online ranked matches, or $1.99 to own. The character additions are Dead Space‘s Isaac Clarke and God of War‘s Zeus. Both will be fully realized additions to the roster. The two characters will be $4.99 each but you can get them free with a voucher code included in God of War: Ascension (March 12th).

Despite all the fan outcry about adding micro-transactions to Dead Space 3 (but no one really noticing in Mass Effect 3), EA now plans to include them in all games. According to EA’s CFO, Blake Jorgensen, “consumers are enjoying and embracing that way of business.” Which is interesting, fans decry it on the internet, but they’re apparently using it. Hopefully they stick with the method of selling shortcuts, not selling the end game. As part of this plan, EA is also revamping how they process the transactions, as the fees from billing credit cards for each minor purchase means they get “eaten alive.” I’m not necessarily a fan of the gimmick, but if it doesn’t really affect me I certainly want to see a new strategy for monetization.

Speaking of EA, get your salt shakers ready. The rumors are flying about Microsoft‘s planned reveal of the neXtBox in April. You may have noticed the conspicuous absence of EA at Sony’s PS4 unveiling despite other publishers already promising exclusive content. Multiple anonymous sources are claiming that the publishing giant will be on stage at Microsoft’s event to explain an exclusivity deal they’ve signed. Just what will this deal mean? Surely it’s got to a be a single game, maybe two, or even some timed DLC. EA wouldn’t really limit themselves to a single console would they? As the largest game publishing company, it would certainly be a coup for Microsoft. The obvious answer is that EA wouldn’t deliberately miss out on that many customers; it’s just bad for business. But if they thought it would topple Sony and they’d be exclusive to the only viable console on the market? Curious. I’m doubtful it’s that extreme, but I’m definitely going to be paying a little closer attention to the press event.

Vigil Games and Darksiders will be featured in a final auction for THQ’s remaining assets. Five lots will be up for grabs in the last sale, 1. Red Faction, 2. Homeworld, 3. MX, 4. Darksiders, and 5. a whole slew of other internal titles (de Blob, Destroy All Humans, Worms, etc.). The final sale will occur before the end of April.

A couple of interesting trademarks have popped up this week. Square Enix claimed the name Deus Ex: Human Defiance. New game? Tie-in movie? Something else entirely? We shall see. Meanwhile, Ratchet & Clank creators Insomniac Games trademarked Sunset Overdrive. Is this a new project from Insomniac, who’s currently making FUSE for EA? They’ve got a strong pedigree, so it’s worth watching.

We’ve all known a new Assassin’s Creed title was coming this year, but Ubisoft has finally revealed some detail. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is on the way, but we’ll have to wait until Monday for details. It’s clearly pirate-themed, but who will be our Assassin? It’s probably safe to assume that AC III‘s ship battles will return. I’m not in love with the addition, but I seem to be in the minority on that one. They’re definitely better than the awkward tower defense segments in Revelations. The PS3-specific box art was also released, which advertises 60 minutes of exclusive content. That also answers the question of whether this is next-gen or not. At best, it will be cross-gen, which is fine by me.

[Note, there is a countdown to the trailer on Ubisoft’s website. The site, according to some sources, temporarily showed a release date also, October 29th. However, any evidence I’ve personally seen of that date also coincides with a picture of Connor from the George Washington DLC, making me suspicious of its authenticity. A picture of a bearded pirate fellow, possibly Blackbeard himself, also appeared temporarily.]

If you’ve been following Swank-mo-tron’s recent discussions about The Clone Wars you know that the fate of the cartoon is currently in limbo. Turns out that may be true for other parts of the franchise as well. Several “anonymous” sources “familiar with game development at LucasArts” are alleging that production has ceased on Star Wars 1313. No explanation was given for the halt, and the official line is that “LucasArts has been working diligently to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities that the new Star Wars movies present.” That doesn’t actually address 1313 in any way, especially being that it was announced before any movie plans were revealed. It does bring to mind a quote from Bob Iger recently after the acquisition. In regards to LucasArts, he stated they are “likely to focus more on social and mobile than… on console.” The game looked amazing at E3 last year and I’ve been excited to hear more about my favorite franchise’s first foray into next-gen. I’ll be very disappointed if it doesn’t see release.

Quantic Dream has just announced that Willem Dafoe has joined the cast of Beyond: Two Souls. They also finally revealed the release date, October 8, 2013. Preorders are available now and will reward you with an extra playable scene (about 30 minutes). Preordering at GameStop will also score you an extra bonus. The free upgrade to the special edition will include bonus packaging, behind the scenes feature, soundtrack, dynamic theme, and avatar bundle.

That’s it for this week.

The obvious news is that the PlayStation 4 was announced last week. You can read my initial impressions of the event here, and my one week later with more details wrap-up here.

For those curious about Microsoft’s response, stay tuned. They reportedly have their own press event scheduled for April. Once again, this is technically rumor as Microsoft hasn’t announced it. However, multiple developers, publishers, and Sony have indicated that Microsoft was a caught off-guard by the PS4 reveal and will be announcing their own console soon. Naturally, having already seen the competition, Microsoft can take care to address the concerns fans had after the Sony event in one shot. They could easily trump last week’s event simply by including pricing details and a hard release date.

Speaking of which, the specs for Microsoft’s next-gen Kinect have supposedly been leaked. This is all technically rumor for now, but I will say that most of the leaks I’ve seen relative to PS4 weren’t far off the mark and this seems to have multiple sources. One of the upgrades will be increased field of view and depth. “Kinect 2” will have a 70-degree horizontal and 60-degree vertical field of view, a jump from 57.6 and 43.5 on the current version. It will also feature full HD resolution at 30 frames per second, as opposed to the current 15fps at lower resolution. Better skeletal tracking, joint recognition, sitting versus standing options, and being able to tell if a player’s hands are open or closed also seems to be in the cards. If all of the rumors are to be believed, Kinect 2 will not be an add-on option for neXtBox, but will be included with every unit.

On to other news:

Kingdom Hearts 1.5HD has been confirmed by Square Enix for a North American release, though details are currently a little scant.

EA hasn’t exactly kept Battlefield 4 a secret, and why should they, but it’s become quite public without an official announcement. Just before the PS4 announcement last week, select retailers were shown the game in secret sessions. GameStop CEO Paul Raines crowed about it on Twitter: “Got to see Battlefield 4 today and all I can say is WOW! Thanks @EA for the sneak peek. Can’t wait for you all to see it.” I can think of a few players that can’t wait as well.

Despite the rising tide of excitement for next-gen consoles, Square Enix has confirmed that Murdered: Soul Suspect will be releasing in “early 2014” for “current gen consoles.” The game “takes players into a whole new realm of mystery where the case is personal and the clues just out of reach.” Basically, you’re trying to “solve the hardest case of all… [your] own murder.” This isn’t an entirely new concept (*cough* Ghost Trick *cough*) but Squenix has had a string of successes lately and it looks interesting enough.

The “Vergil’s Downfall” add-on for DmC: Devil May Cry has been slightly postponed. Originally set for February, it was recently pushed back into March. No reason for the delay was given, but at least you have last week’s free “Bloody Palace” DLC in the meantime. The Vergil DLC is free for preorders and $8.99 for everyone else. Stay tuned for a solid date when Capcom gives us one.

As should be expected by now, BioShock Infinite will have a season pass for the planned DLC. Three add-ons are planned which Irrational says will have “hours of additional gameplay and continue the player’s journey in the sky-city of Columbia with new stories, characters, abilities and weapons.” Season pass buyers will also receive an Early Bird Special Pack with four pieces of “exclusive gear.” This is different from the Industrial Revolution Pack that is their preorder bonus. The season pass will be $20 (1600MSP) and save you $10 versus buying the DLC separately. The game is set for release on March 26th.

Bioware has confirmed there is one last campaign add-on coming for Mass Effect 3, and it’s no small piece. “The Citadel” apparently weighs in at about 2GB of content. It’s coming next week with a $15 price tag. It looks to be a full reunion for Shepard, featuring returning cast members from the first two games (assuming they’re alive). The expansion won’t just end after Shepard resolves the conspiracy against him. According to Bioware, “When the adventure is over, reconnect with your favorite characters from the Mass Effect Trilogy, try your luck at the Citadel’s Silver Coast Casino, blow off steam in the Armax Combat Arena, or explore and furnish Shepard’s own living quarters on the Citadel.”

Dishonored is also getting some story DLC. The game’s first expansion is called “The Other Side of the Coin.” No details are yet announced, as the news was broken via a trophy list. Some of the trophies for the expansion include content for the Rothwild Slaughterhouse and Thalia Timish’s estate. We’ll have to wait for the official announcement on price and release date, but I’d expect that soon.

Two more characters have been announced for Injustice: Gods Among Us. Where Green Lantern goes, Sinestro certainly won’t be far behind. Hawkgirl is also joining the roster that already includes most of the Justice League’s heavyweights. The game is only a few weeks away, releasing April 16th.

Gary Whitta says we “won’t have to wait until season two” to play more of Telltale’s The Walking Dead. According to Whitta, “I can tell you what you already know, which is season two is coming. There’s not much to say because it really is very early – it’s a way off. But, knowing that it’s a way off, and knowing that people are hungry for more Walking Dead, there may very well be more Walking Dead from Telltale before season two. We may have a little something extra for you between season one and two.” Seems awful cagey for what is basically an announcement. But I can’t wait to hear more.

Microsoft is started a major sale on XBLA and it’s a great chance to catch up on some titles you may have missed. The sale starts today with a list of core titles discounted all week. There are also daily deals, with different games becoming available every day until March 4th. Hard details are missing, but most of the Games on Demand are expected to be offered for at least 75% off, with some up to 85%. Here is a list of confirmed titles (prices indicate they are on all week):

• Assassin’s Creed I, II, Brotherhood, and Revelations
• Batman: Arkham Asylum and City
• BioShock $4.99
• Borderlands 1 and 2
• Call of Juarez $4.99
• Call of Duty 2, 3, Black Ops I and II, Modern Warfare 1, 2, and 3
• Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements $2.99
• Dead Island
• DiRT 2 $4.99
• Dishonored
• El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron $2.99
• Fable III
• Fallout 3 and New Vegas
• GRID $4.99
• Halo 3, 4, Reach, and Wars
• Kane & Lynch: Dead Men $4.99
• Left 4 Dead 2
• Max Payne 3
• Metal Gear Solid HD and Peacewalker
• Mortal Kombat
• Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
• The Orange Box
• Portal 2
• Rayman Raving Rabbids $2.99
• Resident Evil 4, 5, 6, Operation Raccoon City, and Code Veronica X
• Red Dead Redemption
• Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution
• Street Fighter X Tekken
• Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition (and SF IV)
• Tekken 6 and Tag Tournament 2
• The Darkness $4.99
• The King of Fighters XIII
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 1 and 2, Rainbow Six Vegas, and H.A.W.X. $4.99 each
• Tomb Raider Legend $4.99
• Virtua Fighter 5 $4.99
• World at War

Today’s deals Halo-centric: Halo 3, Reach, and Wars are $9.99 each (normally $29.99). Halo 4 is $39.99 (down from $59.99).

That’s it for now. We look to be back on track for making VGQH twice weekly again, though the updates may come a little later in the day. New consoles are on the rise, the elite twilight titles of this generation coming soon, and plenty of crossover with other geek genres means there’s plenty to talk about.

So how’s about that PlayStation 4 announcement. My apologies for the kind of lunacy that came through in my initial thoughts. I was excited and having internet troubles. Having about a week now to process the event, I have a little bit different view on the device. First, where was the hardware? It’s not that big of a deal, it’s clearly running, but I like to see the physical design. It helps to know some idea of the dimensions. Second, if I don’t care about social media, not only is the Share button kind of meaningless but is there anything really new for me? It’s a safe bet that most of our questions will be answered at E3, including hard drive sizes, SKUs, prices, etc. My predictions is that we likely won’t see a hard drive smaller than 500GB. We might see one as big as two terabytes, but I’m doubtful. There’s an idea that Sony might release a discount system with no hard drive that’s open for customers to add their own external media in any size they like. Seems unlikely, but it would be useful for certain consumers.

In the aftermath of the event we’ve also gotten a little more detail on the DualShock 4 and new PlayStation Eye. The DS4 measures 162mm wide x 52mm tall x 98mm deep. It weighs around 210 grams. In contrast, the DS3 is 160mm x 55mm x 97mm and 192 grams. Contrary to my first indication, the Start and Select buttons do seem to gone. In their place is a monospeaker, a two-point touch pad, a Share button, and an Options button. It also features six-axis motion control, a headset jack, and a light bar presumably used in conjunction with the new Eye. Very little is known about the new Eye, but it does seem to borrowing from the Kinect’s profile.

It’s also worth noting that Sony will not be following Nintendo’s example of utilizing your existing controllers with their new toy. The DualShock 3 will not be compatible with PS4 in any way. During the press event, Media Molecule did display Move controllers working with the new console. Shuhei Yoshida stated explicitly that PS4 won’t “support DualShock 3 but it does support PS Move.” When pressed about whether other Bluetooth enabled devices, such as headsets, would make the jump to next-gen a PR rep interrupted with a standard “I don’t think we’re addressing additional peripheral support at this time.” To which Yoshida responded, “That doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t work.” Curious.

The PS4 will not require an always-on internet connection according to Shuhei Yoshida. “Yes, you can go offline totally. Social is big for us, but we understand there are some people who are anti-social! So if you don’t want to connect to anyone else, you can do that.” He also elaborated on a few reasons why you may want to stay connected, “The system has the low-power mode – I don’t know the official term – that the main system is shut down but the subsystem is awake. Downloading or updating or you can wake it up using either the tablet, smartphone or PS Vita.”

Another major concern for next-gen is backwards compatibility. As most console manufacturers can attest, the feature is in high demand but low use. In the first stages of a new console, when the game library is small, this allows players to continue using the new device with older games. But very few people actually take advantage of it. As explained at the press event, the PS4 will not have backwards compatibility built in, but the future of Gaikai’s technology is such that any PlayStation game from any era may eventually be playable on the system via streaming. But what about PSN games?

Personally, I don’t like to think about how much money I’ve spent on PSN content over the last few years. Sure, way too much of that was extra content for Rock Band, but I’ve also purchased a lot of classic games, HD remakes (Super Puzzle Fighter), time wasters (Peggle), and a huge amount of content from PS Plus. Surely that will transfer, right? No! This comes once again from Shuhei Yoshida. But, it sort of makes sense. PS3 era content is designed to run on the system’s unique cell processor. PS4’s architecture is much more similar to a PC. The tech just isn’t compatible. Although Sony does say they will attempt to make older games playable on the system “in some form.” Again, this is probably related to their ownership of Gaikai.

The lack of backwards compatibility for physical and digital media is a bit of a blow to Sony die-hards. It has taken some of the wind out of my sails. However, the official line on PS Plus is that it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. So I would expect we’ll see more information about how that will incorporate into the next-gen, but it’s doubtful to come anytime soon. The next big step for the PS4 is expected to be E3 in June. Stay tuned for more information until then.

[Update: According to Shuhei Yoshida speaking with the PlayStation Blogcast, the PS4 will come bundled with a head set. The PS4 will also feature cross-game chat for the first time.]