I feel like I’m missing some seriously vital information on this one because it seems way too good to be true. XBox Live is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary. If you’ve been a member since the beginning, Microsoft is reportedly sending you a free commemorative edition XBox 360. This special edition of the console has different colored vents – one XBox green, the other bright orange – and a nice logo decal as well. I have no idea what the hard drive or any other variable specs may be, it does come with a matching controller and a year of free Gold membership. I’m probing for more information, but my sources seem to confirm the offer. I’m guessing the actual number of members who’ve maintained a solid tenure with the service since day one must be extremely limited. If any of our readers actually receive this offer, let us know in the comments section. We’d love more details.
Even if you’re not a 10 year veteran of XBL, the 10th Anniversary has something special for other players as well. To celebrate this milestone, XBLA is having a sale. The sale started earlier this week and if you want Wreckateer for free you should pick it up now. That special ends today! The other items in the sale are available at the discounted price through Wednesday. Those items and their sale prices (after 50% discount) are:
- Bastion – 600 MSP
- Battlefield 1943 – 600 MSP
- Castle Crashers – 600 MSP
- Fruit Ninja Kinect – 400 MSP
- Full House Poker – 400 MSP
- Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved² – 400 MSP
- Peggle – 400 MSP
I’ve been a little late to finish Episode 4 of The Walking Dead but I finally did it on Wednesday. Wow! That surprise (half-assed spoiler alert) bit(e) at the end was absolutely shocking. I may have half-expected it, but I thought it wouldn’t come until the final episode. I’m more excited than ever to see how it all ends now. Which is why I’m glad to hear that Episode 5: No Time Left is coming next week. Seems like a solidly disturbing way to spend the big feast day on Thursday. As usual, it’s $4.99 for the single episode – not sure if the season pass is still available for the discount. If you’ve refrained simply because of hard drive space, the retail version is hitting on December 4th for $29.99.
Ubisoft’s film projects seem to have found their mark, in the talent selection at least. It was recently announced that Michael Fassbender would be taking the lead role and production responsibilities for Assassin’s Creed. Capitalizing on that star power, they’ve now locked in Tom Hardy for the role of Sam Fisher in the film adaptation of Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell. They’ve also tapped Eric Singer (The International) to write the script. Still no information on a plot or release date, no surprise, but at least they’ve got a star with some chops. Hardy’s recent successes with The Dark Knight Rises, Lawless, Warrior, and Inception have made him a household name and earned him plenty of Hollywood respect (and Hollywood dollars). His current project is Mad Max: Fury Road, filming now. Everest is up next.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution may not have sold as many copies as a typical Tom Clancy title, and Scott Derrickson (Sinister, The Exorcism of Emily Rose)may not have as much name weight, but it doesn’t make their news any less exciting. Derrickson is now signed on to direct the film adaptation of Deus Ex. He will also be co-writing the screenplay with C. Robert Cargill (Sinister). Casting, release date, and the other vitals are yet to come. This game seems an odd choice for adaptation because of its emphasis on player choice. Then again, film is a different medium.
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is coming next week and the biggest criticisms I’ve heard so far are that a few characters from Sony’s history aren’t making an appearance. Sony may have heard some of those complaints, but if the two planned DLC characters are their answer then they’ve missed the point in the worst kind of way. Starhawk‘s Emmett and Gravity Rush‘s Kat will be free additions (for two weeks after their release) at an unspecified future date. So when is Crash Bandicoot coming?
The next DLC package for Borderlands 2 has been confirmed as “Mister Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage.” Other than the confirmation, not much is revealed. The only “source” we have for now is Mister Torgue himself, who has apparently taken over Gearbox’s ECHOcast Twitter, where he obnoxiously uses CAPS Lock, since “LOWER CASE IS FOR PUSSIES.” From what I can gather, he’s basically a “dudebro” that looks a little like Capcom’s Haggar (Saturday Night Slam Masters, Final Fight). It’s apparently slated for November 20th (unconfirmed) and is included with the season pass.
Spike TV announced the nominees for VGA Ten yesterday. This will be the tenth year of Spike broadcasting the Video Game Awards. Samuel L. Jackson is hosting. The event will take place on December 7th and they aren’t being stingy with providing ways to watch. It will obviously air live on Spike TV (check your local listings). But it will also be simulcast on MTV 2, MTV Tr3s, Xbox LIVE, Spike.com and GameTrailers.com. Besides the awards themselves, world premiers are planned for Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, Epic Games’ Gears of War: Judgment, and Obsidian’s South Park: The Stick of Truth. Tenacious D will be performing at the event for their second time. A few titles (Borderlands 2, Halo 4, Assassin’s Creed III, Mass Effect 3, Journey, Dishonored, and The Walking Dead) really stand out with at least five nominations. Here’s a partial list (full list at VGA.spike.com) of categories and nominees:
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- Game of the Year
- Assassin’s Creed III (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal)
- Dishonored (Bethesda Softworks/Arkane Studios)
- Journey (Sony Computer Entertainment/thatgamecompany)
- Mass Effect 3 (Electronic Arts/BioWare)
- The Walking Dead: The Game (Telltale Games)
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- Best Action Adventure Game
- Assassin’s Creed III (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal)
- Darksiders II (THQ/Vigil Games)
- Dishonored (Bethesda Softworks/Arkane Studios)
- Sleeping Dogs (Square Enix/United Front Games)
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- Best Shooter
- Borderlands 2 (2K Games/Gearbox Software)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops II (Activision/Treyarch)
- Halo 4 (Microsoft Studios/343 Industries)
- Max Payne 3 (Rockstar Games)
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- Studio of the Year
- 343 Industries
- Arkane Studios
- Gearbox Software
- Telltale Games
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- Most Anticipated Game
- BioShock Infinite (2K Games/Irrational Games)
- Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar Games)
- South Park: The Stick of Truth (THQ/Obsidian Entertainment)
- The Last of Us (Sony Computer Entertainment/Naughty Dog)
- Tomb Raider (Square Enix/Crystal Dynamics)
I’ve got my own opinions about some of these, and they probably won’t match with actual winners. Mass Effect 3 is probably my personal game of the year. But the controversy with the ending and the director’s cut will probably eliminate it from the running. The Walking Dead is amazing, but I’m not sure it should get top honors (though Telltale definitely deserves Studio of the Year). I’m actually more interested in what our readers think. Who do you think should win? Who do you think will win? Comments below!