The Dark Knight Rises Review

Set 8 years after the conclusion of 2008's blockbuster, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises is the final film in Christopher Nolan's masterful trilogy.  Thanks to Batman's (Christian Bale) sacrifice and the implementation of the Dent Act,  Gotham City is now free from major crime and Batman has retired from crime fighting, with Bruce Wayne himself becoming reclusive and hiding from the public eye.

Essentially in a state of depression and loss, Bruce still blames himself for Rachel's (Maggie Gyllenhaal) death and simply can't face both himself and the world, that is, until trouble starts for Gotham once more.  For those who are fans of the franchise, you'll certainly know of the character Bane (Tom Hardy), famous for breaking Batman's back in the comics.  As the primary antagonist of The Dark Knight Rises, Bane was once a member of the League of Shadows under Ra's al Ghul (Liam Neeson) and fully intends to finish the League's work.  With the on-again/off-again aid of Catwoman (Anne Hathaway), Bane slowly begins a reign of terror in Gotham, forcing Batman back into action.

I absolutely loved how much this final installment in the trilogy ties into the original film.  It most certainly makes many references to The Dark Knight, but Batman Begins is far more key to the core plot and there are enough twists, turns, and revelations that truly kept me on the edge of my seat.  In tandem with that, and along with a host of supporting characters, both old and new, The Dark Knight Rises does an excellent job of not becoming diluted or over saturated with all its characters.  Nolan really struck a great balance between screen time, character development, and action.

Now having said that, I personally found the action sequences from The Dark Knight Rises to be less spectacular than those found in The Dark Knight.  Sure, they're quite grand and generally flow well with the core plot, but they didn't steal the show for me; the character development did.

The whole tone of The Dark Knight Rises is very dark and as the movie progresses, it becomes more and more desperate.  I loved the play between Batman and Catwoman, who's dynamic I thought worked very well, and Bane was an exceptional antagonist.  I know many had issues with Bane's voice (as well as Batman's, of course), but I personally wasn't bothered by any of this and simply saw it as parts of the characters and of their very real flaws.  And yes, all of the characters are flawed and make simple, key mistakes throughout that have an overreaching effect on the whole film.

I personally got so attached to the characters that there were several moments where I did begin to get a little misty eyed.  Don't mistake me, the plot isn't perfect and there's certainly plot holes to be found (at a few points you really need to stretch your suspension of disbelief), but by movie's end I was still thoroughly entertained and greatly enjoyed myself.

By now, you already know that The Dark Knight Rises is the blockbuster film of the summer, and if you wanted to see it you've likely done so already.  If you're one of the few who haven't, provided you enjoyed Nolan's previous works with the franchise I strongly recommend you experience the film in theatres.  It's a great piece of entertainment filled with depth, heroism, and frail humanity, and it's a near three hour experience that you won't regret.

Halo 4: The Magic of Halo 4

First appearing on the Xbox 360 Dashboard, the video entitled "The Magic of Halo 4" is now available on Halo Waypoint and Halo Waypoint's YouTube Channel.

It essentially shows the team at 343 Industries working on creating the game, and has some cool footage present.

You can check it out here or below:

Halo 4 Controller Presets

In last week's Halo Bulletin, the Controller Presets shipping with Halo 4 were revealed.

Many classic configurations return and a new layout, entitled "Fishstick" (which might prove familiar to fans of other shooter franchises), has been included.

You can view the full list of Controller Presets here (scroll down to "Halo 4 Button Layouts").

Me, I'll be sticking with "Recon."  I've been using this general layout for almost five years now, so why bother changing.

Dead Space 3 Feeder Revealed

I missed this a few weeks back, and the official Dead Space 3 page was updated to showcase a brand new enemy.  Called Feeders, these Necromorphs are blind and hunt by sound and light, alone or in packs, cannibalizing any they come across.

You can read all about Feeders right here.

Halo 4: Foward Unto Dawn "Cryo" Trailer

The next trailer for Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn has been released.  Entitled "Cryo," two cadets discuss what it's like to experience cryo sleep.

You can check the trailer out here or below:

The Elder Scrolls V: Hearthfire Announced

The next add-on is coming to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim this Tues. Sep. 4th, exclusively on Xbox LIVE.

Entitled "Hearthfire," this DLC allows you to buy a plot of land and build your own house.  No, I'm not joking, this is actually a premium DLC add-on.

Don't believe me, check out the official trailer here or below.



I can see how this would appeal to some players, but those players aren't me.  I can think of far better things to spend 400 Microsoft Points on.

I also think it very odd that you can adopt children but you can't actually "make" a baby with your spouse.  This is a Mature rated game, after all.

Mass Effect 3: Leviathan Trailer

BioWare has released a trailer for their upcoming Single Player DLC for Mass Effect 3, entitled "Leviathan."

You can check out the trailer here or below.



Looks alright, though outside of being underwater for at least a part of it the trailer doesn't show anything too enticing.  The DLC will release this Tuesday, though I'll be holding off for a sale myself.

Halo 4 Achievements Revealed and Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn "Enlist" Trailer Released

In this week's Halo Bulletin, the full set of Achievements for Halo 4 has been revealed.  They all look like standard fare to me (which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned), and you can check them out here (scroll down a bit).  There's also some cool info about the game's official soundtrack.

Also, a new trailer has been released for Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn.  This trailer is titled "Enlist," and you can check it out here or below.



The more I see of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, the more keen I am on watching it.  So much so, that I actually decided to pre-order the Halo 4: Limited Edition so I can get the full length version of it later this Fall.

Mortal Kombat (PlayStation Vita) Review

This past May, NetherRealm Studios ported Mortal Kombat to Sony's new handheld, the PlayStation Vita, with the goal of creating an experience that felt exactly like the game's console counterparts.  As someone who's quite addicted to Mortal Kombat (2011) and has spent hundreds of hours with the Xbox 360 version of the game, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take some kombat on the road.

The PlayStation Vita version features almost all of the content available in the console versions, with a few exceptions, and it also sports some exclusive content.  This exclusive content sparked some outrage from the community as they complained about the recently released Mortal Kombat: Komplete Edition not being "complete," so let's take a look at what extra content the PlayStation Vita version has and what it's missing compared to consoles:

Exclusive Content

- A Bonus Challenge Tower featuring 150 new Challenges centred around the PlayStation Vita's exclusive functionality (touchscreen, accelerometer, etc).
- Test Your Balance
- Test Your Slice
- 16 additional Klassic/Alternate Costumes
- The Kombat Tomb stage featuring Augmented Reality (Training only)
- Touch Screen Fatalities
- Ability to touch the X-Ray icon to use your X-Ray
- Additional Concept Art in the Nekropolis
- An additional variable slot in Test Your Luck (When chosen under "Fight" from the Main Menu)

Missing Content

- King of the Hill
- Multiplayer Lobbies
- The Chamber of Flame Stage
- The ability to manually change your fighter's stance

Now while it seems that more was added as opposed to taken away, and it was, the majority of the new content is specifically tailored to the PlayStation Vita itself and simply couldn't be easily implemented onto consoles, at least not without their respective motion sensing peripherals.  The additional Klassic/Alternate Costumes would be a welcome addition on consoles, but seeing as how they're cosmetic they're certainly not essential, so I honestly don't see what all the fuss is about.

Outside of the exclusive content, it's essentially the same game, and as such my original review of the Xbox 360 version (found here), still applies so feel free to give it a skim.  For the remainder of this review I'd like to discuss the new content and technical changes present in the PlayStation Vita version of the game.

The Bonus Challenge Tower is great fun and is one of the primary draws to this version of the game.  Like the original Challenge Tower, some of the new Challenges are annoying and cheesy but for the most part they're interesting and well designed, and it's great to see the four DLC kombatants so prominently featured.  The majority of the new Challenges require you to use the PlayStation Vita's hardware specific features to advance, usually adding a great twist to the gameplay but occasionally the included functionality is very gimmicky.  There's also a few traditional styled Challenges mixed in, a fan favourite character guest stars (and is playable) in a few Challenges, and all the bosses are playable in the odd Challenge.  "Mini" versions of the kombatants also appear in several Challenges, where both speed and damage is increased.  As you progress through the Bonus Challenge Tower, you're also introduced to the two new mini-game modes:  Test Your Balance and Test Your Slice.

I personally loathed Test Your Balance.  Basically your kombatant is balanced above a pit and you need to tilt the PlayStation Vita back and forth to maintain their balance.  Subsequent Test Your Balance levels feature body parts being thrown at your kombatant to try and knock them off, and while the whole concept is good in theory, NetherRealm Studios clearly didn't play test this on a moving subway.  This is predominantly where I played the game, and the motion of the train regularly messed up the accelerometer to my great frustration.  If you fail, your kombatant plumets to their death, and there's about five possible ways in which they can meet their end.  While all of these potential deaths were fun to watch at first, they got quite repetitive after a bit, and since you can't skip them, they actually became rather annoying.  I have completed each Test Your Balance level and personally I never intend to touch them again.

Test Your Slice, on the other hand, is a different story completely and it's great fun.  Essentially it's Fruit Ninja Mortal Kombat style, and you're slicing body parts and power ups as they're tossed onto the screen while trying to avoid slicing bombs, which you can shake your PlayStation Vita to detonate safely.  Test Your Slice is a mode I keep coming back to when I need to pass a few minutes here and there, and I only wish there were more levels for it!  It's simple, addictive, and incredibly enjoyable!

Visually, the PlayStation Vita version of Mortal Kombat is a downgrade from its console counterparts, looking very much like a last generation title, however there's a solid reason for this:  frame rate.  Frame rate is something that's essential to a fighting game, and NetherRealm Studios chose to sacrifice the game's visual quality to keep it running at a smooth 60 FPS.  What this means for you is that you can play the game on your PlayStation Vita using the exact same combos and timing (more or less) as you would on the console versions, and I personally believe this is absolutely superb.  In truth while the visual downgrade is noticeable, it is not horrible at all, the game looks great for a handheld title, and you really don't notice it during the heat of a match.  I fully agree with NetherRealm Studios decision at having the PlayStation Vita version of the game play better over looking better.

The backgrounds suffered less than the character models, however, and they look very sharp and very close to their console counterparts.  There's less detail and animation in many of them, but again, during a match, you don't notice.  A great trick that NetherRealm Studios used is a lot of the background objects are actually 2D images of the high res versions found on consoles, and you'll only clue in on this when the camera angle shifts away from the standard 2D plain (such as during character intros).  Very clever and a great resource saver.

The cinematics featured in Story Mode are the exact same as those featured in the console versions, so you'll be able to see the characters in their high res and higher polygon count glory here, at least until Story Mode transitions into actual gameplay.

Audio wise, the game is exactly as you remembered.  The voice acting, announcer, sound effects, and music are all the same, which is great.  I did notice one odd audio glitch, however, and I've only experienced it in Arcade Ladder.  Sometimes, instead of saying, as an example, "Round 2.  Fight!," the announcer will oddly say something like "Round 6.  Round 7."  I have no idea why the wrong audio files are sometimes played here, nor can I reproduce the error at will, it is completely random, and it's the only audio hitch I've experienced.

As mentioned above, King of the Hill is absent from online play as are Lobbies, however you can connect via Wi-Fi to play Player and Ranked Matches or you can connect via ad hoc for local play.  I've played several Ranked Matches to date, and it saddens me to report that the lag which plagues the console versions appears to still be here, depending on the match, but thankfully the "Game Session is No Longer Available" drop seems to be absent.  Players can still disconnect on you though, screwing up your stats, but there's nothing to be done about that now and the overall experience is still both enjoyable and competitive.

The PlayStation Vita version of Mortal Kombat also features the same number of Trophies available in the PlayStation 3 version of the game, though some of them have been removed (such as the King of the Hill ones) and replaced with new Trophies related to the Bonus Challenge Tower, the new Mini Games, and a few other secrets.

At day's end, I really need to compliment NetherRealm Studios on an excellent port of an already excellent game.  Despite the visual downgrade, this is Mortal Kombat through and through with some great exclusive, hardware specific content to help keep things fresh.  Not only has the PlayStation Vita version of Mortal Kombat entertained me through countless commutes (and it'll certainly continue to do so), but it's also greatly improved the quality of my game, allowing me to learn additional kombatants and overall improving my skill in the game.

For you though, the real question is if Mortal Kombat for the PlayStation Vita is worth your hard earned cash.  Being almost the exact same game as that available on consoles, the question you need to ask yourself is if you're tired of the core game or not.  If the answer is yes, you're done with it or where never interested in it in the first place, then the PlayStation Vita version will do nothing for you.  If you're still in love with NetherRealm Studios fighter then there's an excellent experience to be had here which you can now take with you anywhere.  If you've never tried the game on any platform before and are itching for a solid title for your PlayStation Vita, I'd definitely recommend it as the amount of content available out-of-the-box is staggering for a modern day retail release, and you'll get months of solid enjoyment from it.

Halo 4 Specializations

This week's Halo Bulletin features a wealth of information about the upcoming Specializations, which will be featured in Halo 4's Multiplayer.  Basically, Halo 4 has 50 levels and once you've advanced past them, you'll get to choose a Specialization for your Spartan-IV.  You'll then need to advance through your chosen Specialization before being able to choose another one.

Only two Specializations will be available at launch, Wetwork and Pioneer, and more will be released post-launch.

You can read up on all the revealed Specializations thus far and what's been revealed about the entire process right here.

Mortal Kombat Season Pass (Xbox 360) Review

When NetherRealm Studios released Mortal Kombat (2011), they packed it full of a significant amount of content for a modern day retail release, something that impressed me very much.  Through the course of last summer, they did release four additional kombatants as DLC, each priced at 400 Microsoft Points ($5.80).  Launching along with the first of those DLC kombatants, Skarlet, players instead had the option of purchasing the Season Pass for 1200 Microsoft Points ($17.40), which granted them access to all four kombatants (once they were released) for a reduced price.

Last Boxing Day, the Season Pass was on sale for 50% off, and since I was busy grinding "My Kung Fu is Stronger" at the time, I decided to bite to add a little more variety to my Arcade Ladder opponents.  This allowed me to both fight against and to use Skarlet, Kenshi, Rain, and Freddy Krueger, and each of these kombatants also came with two klassic costumes each (also available with the free Compatibility Packs):  MK3 Cyrax and Sektor, MKII Smoke and Noob Saibot, MKII Kitana and Jade, and MK3 Sub-Zero and Cyber Sub-Zero.

If you use Random Select at the character select screen you could now get one of the DLC characters, and AI Shang Tsung can morph into them as well during Arcade Ladder/Tag Ladder.  If Skarlet is being used in Khan's Arena, she's no longer chained in the background and isn't replaced by anyone, and I'm not sure if Kenshi still appears in the background of The Pit if he's being used or not.

I spent some time with each of the new kombatants, and I personally found Skarlet and Kenshi to have a great deal of potential, Rain was fun but in my opinion the least useful, and I'm not a fan of Freddy Krueger being included as a guest character and didn't really enjoy using him at all.

Ultimately everyone has different play styles when it comes to fighting games, so whether you like the new kombatants or not is completely up to how you play.  Also, whether the new content is worth its price depends if you really want to play as any of them or not.  If the answer is "No," then each character won't add much to your game and you're better off passing on the Season Pass.  If you're only interested in one of them then getting that character specifically will save you some Microsoft Points, unless, of course, it goes on sale again.  Otherwise, if you're hungry for more characters to play as, then you'll get a lot out of this content.

I personally felt that Mortal Kombat (2011) has so much to offer that more kombatants weren't needed, however for 600 Microsoft Points ($8.70) I certainly got my use out of them, both playing as and fighting against.  In the end these characters are kind of like a bonus, something you can get if you really want but something you won't miss out on if you pass.  At full price I personally don't feel the Season Pass is worth it, especially since the Klassic Costumes they come with are available to all for free via the Compatibility Packs, but at 50% off it wasn't too bad and if you're a die-hard fan like me, you'll get a good bit out of it.

Dead Space 3 Weapon Crafting Gameplay Trailer

The Workbenches in the Dead Space franchise are getting an upgrade in Dead Space 3, becoming the Weapon Bench where Isaac can use scavenged pieces to assemble his own custom weapons.

To see this customization in action, you can check out the trailer here or below:



This seems like a natural evolution of the upgrade system to me, and it's cool that you'll have the option to create traditional weapons as well as customized ones.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 1.7 Update Released

A week ago the official 1.7 Update was released for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and it mainly addresses some standard bug fixes and also properly adds mounted combat to the PlayStation 3 version of the game.

If you don't have the update already you'll get it the next time you connect online.  You can read a full list of fixes here.

Injustice: Gods Among Us ComiCon and Catwoman Trailers

I completely missed posting the ComiCon trailer for Injustice: Gods Among Us, which was released just over a month ago.  You can check it out here or below.



Also just released is a "Catwoman" Trailer, which you can check out here or below.

Dead Space 3 Gamescom Gameplay Trailer

A new gameplay trailer for Dead Space 3 has been released, and you can check it out here or below.



Seriously, I want this game.  It looks great, both action-packed, story drive, with with suitable horror elements; just what I've come to expect from the franchise.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II Multiplayer Reveal Trailer

Activision has sent along the official Multiplayer Reveal Trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops II.  You can check it out here or below.



Looks slick, very slick.

Mass Effect 3: Firefight Pack Released, "Leviathan" DLC Announced

A little over a week ago, BioWare announced and released the "Firefight Pack" for Mass Effect 3, which brings seven Multiplayer-only weapons to the Single Player Campaign.

The "Firefight Pack" is available now on all platforms and costs 160 Microsoft Points (or $2.32), and you can check out all the details right here.

More importantly, the game's next Single Player DLC has been announced.  Entitled "Leviathan," Commander Shepard and crew explore the darkest reaches of space looking for a fabled creature believed to be powerful enough to kill a Reaper.  Players will get to explore new Uncharted Systems as well as new areas of the Citadel, interact with new characters, gain access to two new weapons, and learn more about the history of the Reapers.

Mass Effect 3: Leviathan will be released on all platforms on Tues. Aug. 28th for 800 Microsoft Points ($11.60).  You can read all the details for "Leviathan" here, and the release date announcement here.

Dead Space 3 Official First Gameplay

I missed this a few weeks ago, but EA has released the first official gameplay video for Dead Space 3, narrated by Executive Producer Steve Papoutsis.  You can check it out here or below.




As far as I'm concerned, this all looks great.  Definitely some mechanics borrowed from Gears of War, but that's not a bad thing.  I like how they've differentiated the single player and co-op gameplay, actually, and it'll be interesting to see how the full game plays out in both modes.

Xbox 360 320GB Limited Edition Halo 4 Console Announced

Last week, Microsoft announced the Xbox 360 320GB Limited Edition Halo 4 Console, which will be released later this year.

The bundle includes:

- An Xbox 360 S console with custom art work, custom sound effects when powering on and ejecting the DVD tray, and a 320GB HDD.
- Two Xbox 360 Wireless Controllers with Transforming D-Pads, blue LED lights, and custom artwork.
- A copy of Halo 4 (standard edition).
- An Xbox 360 Wired Headset (Black).
- Custom downloadable content.

Priced at $399.99, you can expect to see the Xbox 360 320GB Limited Edition Halo 4 Console launch alongside the game this November.  Full details can be found here.

For those who don't want to buy a new console, a standalone Xbox 360 Halo 4 Limited Edition Wireless Controller with Transforming D-Pad will also be available a few weeks before Halo 4's launch, however its custom artwork will be different than those included with the above bundle (it'll feature the new UNSC logo), and it'll also come with an exclusive Avatar t-shirt.  The Controller will be priced at $69.99.

Halo 4: Foreward Unto Dawn Official Trailer

The official, full length trailer for Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn has been released, and you can drool over it here or below.




Honestly, this looks absolutely great and has a whole host of potential.  I'm quite impressed with the production values reflected in the trailer, and I'm looking forward to the series' debut on Machinima and Halo Waypoint this October!

Mass Effect 3: Earth Announced

The next Multiplayer DLC add-on for Mass Effect 3, entitled "Earth," has been announced and will be available free of charge this coming Tuesday.

You can read up on the full details and included content of the add-on here.

While I might not be playing Mass Effect 3's Multiplayer anymore, I am glad to see BioWare support the game with lots of free DLC.

Injustice: Gods Among Us "A New Regime" Trailer

A new trailer has been released for Injustice: Gods Among Us.  Entitled "A New Regime," you can check it out here or below.







Interesting.  I'm looking forward to learning more about the game's back story and what brought Earth to the state that it's in.

Halo: Silentium Announced

Our friends at Tor Books have announced the third novel in the Forerunner Saga, entitled Halo: Silentium.  You can check out the official release below:

Tor Books reveals title, cover art, and release date of the third Halo novel by legendary science fiction author Greg Bear

The final instalment in the New York Times bestselling Forerunner Saga

New York, NY – July 11, 2012 - Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC—the largest publisher of science fiction in the world—is thrilled to reveal the title,  cover, and release date for the third novel in the New York Times bestselling Halo Forerunner Saga, HALO: SILENTIUM, written by legendary science fiction author Greg Bear. The first two books of the Forerunner Saga, Halo: Cryptum and Halo: Primordium are currently available in trade paperback, e-book, and audiobook.  This newest book in the series, HALO: SILENTIUM will release in hardcover from Tor on January 8, 2013 alongside simultaneous audio and e-book editions.

The New York Times bestselling Halo® series of novels, based on the hugely successful Halo videogame franchise, has sold millions of copies, and is part of a global phenomenon that has dominated the science fiction landscape over the last decade.

In Halo: Cryptum, Greg Bear began a three-book arc set in the era of the Forerunners, the ancient and enigmatic creators and builders of the Halos, which continued in Halo: Primordium. Now, in the last years of the Forerunner empire, chaos rules. The Flood—a horrifying shape-changing parasite—has arrived in force, aided by unexpected allies. Internal strife within the ecumene has desperately weakened Forerunner defenses.

Only the Ur-Didact and the Librarian—husband and wife pushed into desperate conflict—hold the keys to salvation. Facing the consequences of a mythic tragedy, one of them must now commit the greatest atrocity of all time—to prevent an unmatched evil from dominating the entire universe.

 

Tor Books has proudly partnered with Microsoft and 343 Industries to publish every book set in this iconic universe.  Along with the books of the Forerunner Saga, Tor also publishes another all-new Halo trilogy penned by New York Times bestselling author Karen Traviss that explores the Halo Universe in the wake of the final events of Halo 3. Traviss’s first novel, Halo: Glasslands, came out in 2011, with Halo: The Thursday War due out in October 2012.

The Halo franchise is an award-winning collection of properties that have grown into a global entertainment phenomenon. Beginning with the original “Halo: Combat Evolved” for Xbox in 2001, the rich fiction of the franchise has since inspired a series of blockbuster Xbox and Xbox 360 video games, New York Times best-selling novels, comic books, action figures, apparel and more. To date, the Halo franchise has sold more than 42 million copies to date, with franchise sales eclipsing $3 billion over its lifetime. “Halo 4” marks the beginning of a new saga in the iconic franchise, as Master Chief returns to confront his own destiny and an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe. Developed by 343 Industries exclusively for Xbox 360, “Halo 4” will release on Nov. 6, 2012.

HALO AT SAN DIEGO COMIC CON 2012

Thursday, July 12^th

Machinima: The Future of Entertainment

12:00-1:00 PM

Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront

Don't miss out on this panel with exclusive footage from Machinima's new channel, Machinima Prime, which focuses on thrilling episodic content, including the much anticipated tentpole series Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn.

Thursday, July 12^th

The Fiction of Halo 4

 4:45-5:45 PM

Room 6BCF

Halo 4 heralds the return of one of gaming's most iconic heroes, the Master Chief, in a new, epic sci-fi saga. Expanding and enriching the narrative, 343 Industries, with very special panelists, share how the development of stories across the Greg Bear Forerunner Saga, the Karen Traviss Kilo-Five trilogy, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, Halo 4 Campaign and Halo Infinity Multiplayer have become connective tissue for Halo 4. Don't miss the exciting premiere of the Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn trailer as well as Q&A with special guests.

Saturday, July 14^th

Halo 4: A New Campaign and Halo Infinity Multiplayer

3:15-4:15 PM

Room 6DE

Halo 4 marks the beginning of a new saga in the blockbuster franchise that has shaped entertainment history and defined a generation of gamers. Developed by 343 Industries, get a glimpse at how they have taken Halo 4 in new directions, introducing an ancient threat and the Master Chief's greatest challenge, as well as an innovative and fresh new take on multiplayer in War Games and Spartan Ops.

Saturday, July 14

Giveaway and Signing: Greg Bear

2:00-3:00 PM

Tor Books Booth (#2707)

Come meet Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author Greg Bear as he signs copies of Halo: Cryptum, the first book in the New York Times bestselling Forerunner Saga!  One lucky fan will have a chance to walk away with a copy of an exclusive poster of the cover of Halo: Silentium, the final novel in the trilogy.

About Tor Books

Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, is a New York-based publisher of hardcover and softcover books, founded in 1980 and committed (although not limited) to SF and fantasy literature. Between an extensive hardcover and trade-softcover line, an Orb backlist program, and a stronghold in mass-market paperback, Tor annually publishes what is arguably the largest and most diverse line of science fiction and fantasy ever produced by a single English-language publisher. Books from Tor have won every major award in the SF and fantasy fields, and for the last twenty-five years in a row the company has been named Best Publisher in the Locus Poll, the largest consumer poll in SF.

I'm personally really looking forward to this and the full fledged Forerunner Flood War!

Call of Duty DLC Sale

While I don't usually post regarding Call of Duty since I'm not big on the franchise, I received the following release from Activision regarding a DLC sale that's happening right now.  It does have a charity angle so I decided to share it with all of you:


DLC FIREWORKS FOR CALL OF DUTY® FANS THIS JULY 4TH

Fifty Percent Off All Call Of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 And Call Of Duty®: Black Ops DLC Collection Packs For A Limited Time

Activision To Donate A Portion Of The Proceeds To The Call Of Duty Endowment


Santa Monica, CA – July 3, 2012 – Starting today, Activision celebrates America’s birthday with a historic sales event.  For a limited time, all previously released DLC collection packs for Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 and Call of Duty®: Black Ops are fifty percent off.  These phenomenal savings for players worldwide on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC start today and run for a week. For gamers on the PlayStation® 3 computer entertainment system in the United States, the promotion also launches today and runs for a week; European Call of Duty® fans can participate tomorrow, July 4th, and the promotion lasts for a week in Europe as well.

The Call of Duty DLC summer promotion content includes:

• Call of Duty® : Modern Warfare® 3 Content Collection #1
• Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 Content Collection #2
• Call of Duty®: Black Ops First Strike
• Call of Duty®: Black Ops Escalation
• Call of Duty®: Black Ops Annihilation
• Call of Duty®: Black Ops Rezurrection
A portion of sales from the Call of Duty DLC promotion will be donated by Activision Publishing, Inc. to the Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit organization that provides job placement and training services for veterans.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is published by Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), and co-developed by Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software.  Featuring some of the most intense combat in franchise history, including Special Ops missions and new multiplayer maps and modes like Face Off, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is rated “M” (Mature) by the ESRB for Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence and Strong Language. For more information go to www.callofduty.com/mw3 or check out @InfinityWard or @SHGames on Twitter.

Developed by award-winning studio Treyarch, Call of Duty: Black Ops delivers some of the most popular content ever, from multiplayer maps such as fan-favorite Nuketown, to the undead Zombie battle royale contained in Rezurrection. The title is rated “M” (Mature) by the ESRB for Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence and Language. For more information, visit www.callofduty.com/blackops and follow @Treyarch on Twitter. Fans can also follow Call of Duty on Facebook at www.facebook.com/callofduty.

About the Call of Duty Endowment

The Call of Duty Endowment was founded by Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, to help veterans find jobs.  Since its founding in November 2009, the Endowment has provided more than $1.7 million in grants and scholarships to assist returning soldiers with post-military career support, directly contributing to more than 1,000 veteran jobs.

The Call of Duty Endowment is a non-profit, public benefit corporation. For more information, please visit www.callofdutyendowment.org.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, mainland China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com. 


The sale lasts for one week only.

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Official Teaser Trailer

Coming this October, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn is a live action mini-series that will air on Machinima and Halo Waypoint.

Spanning five episodes, you can get a taste via the official teaser trailer here or below:




Doesn't reveal much, but it's cool to see a live action John-117.

Mortal Kombat Review

Originally released back in the summer of 1995 towards the height of the franchise's popularity, Mortal Kombat was a campy film even by '90's standards.  I saw the flick in theatres and thought it was alright, and I watched it on TV once a few years later.  Through all the time between then and now I've never bothered to view it since, but a few weeks back I saw it had been added to Zune Marketplace.  So, with my renewed addiction to the franchise thanks to Mortal Kombat (2011), I decided to give it a rent and re-check it out.

Released a few months after Mortal Kombat 3 hit arcades, Mortal Kombat is a film heavily based off of Mortal Kombat (1992) and Mortal Kombat II.  An ancient and mysterious martial arts tournament is being held on a secluded island, hosted by the reclusive Shang Tsung (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa).  Throughout the centuries, Shang has manipulated events to win tournament after tournament, where a tenth and final victory will see our world merged with another Realm, that of Outworld, home to Shang Tsung's evil master Shao Khan (Frank Welker).

The Shaolin, under the guidance of the Thunder God, Raiden (Christopher Lambert), send a reluctant champion to compete, Liu Kang (Robin Shou), who is consumed by the desire to avenge his younger brother's death at Shang's hands.  Also manipulated into attending, the martial arts actor Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby) hopes to prove his skills to the media and Special Forces agent Sonya Blade (Bridgette Wilson) is hot on the trail of her nemesis, the crime lord Kano (Trevor Goddard) who is working with Shang.

Goro, of course, is the current tournament champion and a very well done (for the time) animatronic puppet, and Scorpion (Chris Casamassa) and Sub-Zero (Francois Petit) serve as Shang Tsung's enforcers.  Reptile (Keith Cooke) also appears, as one of Shang's spies, rounding out the first game's complete roster.  Kitana (Talisa Soto) from Mortal Kombat II is also featured, and Jax (Gregory McKinney) makes a cameo appearance.

As with most of Paul W.S. Anderson's films, the character development is light and archetypical with little depth, but the action and fight sequences are solid and still enjoyable.  The animatronic special effects are still pretty good and have aged well, while the CG effects were good for their time but of course have aged poorly.

When I was fourteen I remember how cool it was to see all these characters on the big screen, but many of my criticisms from back then still remain.  I was never a fan of Scorpion's Spear being a living creature instead of a traditional kunai and while I didn't mind Reptile being rendered as a little reptilian creature, I did take exception to him becoming his more traditional ninja form by "possessing" of corpse in the Wasteland of Outworld.  I was also disappointed by the basic supporting roles granted to Scorpion and Sub-Zero, though it does make sense plot wise, but their complete lack of conflict with each other seemed extremely out of place.

Watching Mortal Kombat today, what I personally find interesting is how much the film's art design has clearly influenced the art design of Mortal Kombat (2011).  Shang Tsung's Garden, for example, is represented clearly in the film before it ever saw the light of day in a game, and the knife Kano pulls on Sonya during their fight is the exact same one he uses in the current game.  Of course when various visual elements work it makes perfect sense that they cross between mediums, even over fifteen years later, and there's many more examples fans will quickly notice.  Some plot points also carried over into the games, such as the romance between Liu Kang and Kitana and the attraction between Cage and Sonya.

A cheesy yet enjoyable film, Mortal Kombat is worth the rental cost.  It took me back to a simpler time when my biggest worry was how to quickly get through my homework so I could make it to an arcade and practice my moves, and I'm never one to baulk at nostalgia.  Of course, if you have no interest in the franchise or fond memories of it, then Mortal Kombat likely won't entertain you much at all and you'll probably want to pass for something else.

Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut Release Date Announced

The ending for Mass Effect 3 sparked a significant outrage amongst the gaming community, with many feeling it was too simple and weak to properly finish their Shepard's story.  To help rectify this, BioWare will be releasing a DLC add-on which expands upon the game's ending, free of charge.

This Tuesday, June 26th, gamers will be able to download the Extended Cut for Mass Effect 3.

Weighing in at about 1.9 GB, the add-on will feature additional cinematic scenes and epilogue scenes for the game's ending.  In order to experience the Extended Cut for existing characters who have already completed the game, however, you'll need to load a save from before the attack on the Cerberus Base.

That irks me, as that's far enough back in the story where it'll take me several hours of playtime to complete, and I simply can't invest that kind of time in a game I've already completed.  While I'll see the Extended Cut on subsequent playthroughs, I'm hugely disappointed that I won't be able to with my primary Shepard.  Hugely.  Disappointed.

You can find out full details about Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut here.

Dead Space: Catalyst Announced

The next novel in the Dead Space franchise has been announced, and you can check out the official release from our friends at Tor Books below:

Tor Books and Visceral Games Team Up on a New Novel, Dead Space: Catalyst, Set in the Dead Space Universe

Edgar Award Finalist and Horror Sensation B.K. Evenson to Pen Second Novel in the Series

New York, NY – June 18, 2012 - Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC—the largest publisher of science fiction in the world—and Visceral Games™, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA), today announced Dead Space™: Catalyst, the second novel based on the award-winning Dead Space videogame franchise. Dead Space: Catalyst will be published worldwide on October 2, 2012.

Dead Space: Catalyst takes place three hundred years in the future, where mankind is tampering with the dangerous alien technology gleaned from the Black Marker, an ancient alien artifact discovered on Earth centuries earlier. Hoping to end resource constraints that threaten to make mankind extinct, the urgency sinks the already unscrupulous EarthGov to new lows. At this early stage, the Marker threat is just appearing – and is maybe even contained – except if it finds the catalyst it so desperately seeks. Two brothers, one with a special but broken mind, the other forever conflicted by the impossible chore of keeping him out of trouble, cross paths with EarthGov and the Markers at this critical juncture and forever change the course of the Marker outbreak.

B. K. Evenson is the award-winning author of the new novel Immobility (out from Tor Books on April 10, 2012), Last Days, voted best horror novel of 2009 by the American Library Association, and The Open Curtain, a 2006 Edgar Award finalist and Time Out New York best book of the year.

Since the series debut in 2008, Dead Space has been one of EA’s top rated wholly-owned intellectual properties. With close to 100 industry awards and an average critic score of 89*, Dead Space is loved by videogame fans the world over. In 2009, EA launched Dead Space Extraction, a prequel to the original Dead Space that expanded the fiction and brought the franchise to the Wii™. In 2011, EA launched Dead Space 2 where hero Isaac Clarke returned for another heart-pounding adventure and was heralded as one of the top games of 2011 by Seth Schiesel from the New York Times and has received over 70 scores of 90+ from top gaming outlets such as Official Xbox Magazine, Playstation: The Official Magazine and Game Informer.

###

* According to Gamerankings.com and Metacritic.com

About Tor Books

Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, is a New York-based publisher of hardcover and softcover books. Founded in 1980, Tor annually publishes what is arguably the largest and most diverse line of science fiction and fantasy ever produced by a single English-language publisher.  In 2002, Tor launched Starscape, an imprint dedicated to publishing quality science fiction and fantasy for young readers, including books by critically acclaimed and award winning authors such as Cory Doctorow, Orson Scott Card, and David Lubar. Between an extensive hardcover and trade-softcover line, an Orb backlist program, and a stronghold in mass-market paperbacks, books from Tor have won every major award in the SF and fantasy fields, and the company has been named Best Publisher 24 years in a row in the Locus Poll, the largest consumer poll in SF.

Halo 4 Spartan Ops, War Games Gameplay Videos, and Infinity Hub Overview

During E3, 343 Industries released a few cool gameplay videos for Halo 4, most notably Spartan Ops and War Games gameplay which you can view here and here or below.











Personally, Spartan Ops looks pretty bland to me, but War Games looks like tried-and-true Halo multiplayer with some nice modern updates.  Should be fun.

The UNSC Infinity will also serve as the Multiplayer Hub for Halo 4, and you can check out a video that explains it all here or below.






I must confess, the overall gameplay being shown of Halo 4 is quite strong, and my interest in the title has been re-peaked.

Halo 4 E3 2012 Stage Demo

The official Stage Demo for Halo 4 shown earlier today at E3 is now officially online at Halo Waypoint.  It's not on their YouTube Channel yet so I can't post the actual video, so until then you'll need to view it on their official site here.

It's a great demonstration, actually, and it's got my attention.  The look and feel is certainly Halo, save for the needless retcon of Cortana's activation date.

I'll post the Stage Demo here once it's properly up on their YouTube Channel.

Dead Space 3 Officially Announced

 During EA's conference today at E3, they officially announced Dead Space 3.

Set on the frozen world of Tau Volantis, Issac Clarke races to find what might be a final cure to the Necromorph plague.

Dead Space 3 will not only feature a full Single Player campaign, but the Campaign will also include drop-in and drop-out Co-Op.  Co-Op partners will take on the roll of Earth Gov solider John Carver, who's past will be properly revealed during the Co-Op campaign itself.  Having Carver along will not only add a helping hand but will also open up additional gameplay options to both players.

You can check out the official announcement trailer here or below.





The Campaign will also feature side missions for the first time in franchise history.  No competitive Multiplayer component was announced.

Dead Space 3 will release on Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3 in February 2013.

I'm very much looking forward to the game, though I confess I find it extremely silly that Clarke and Carver are wearing winter-wear over their suits.  Suits that can survive just fine in the cold vacuum of space.  That's just silly.

Halo 4 E3 2012 Media

While I await the official videos of Halo 4 from E3 to be released, I'll leave you with the screenshots, renders, and concept art officially unveiled on Halo Waypoint.

- E3 2012 screenshots can be viewed here.
- Halo 4 renders can be viewed here.
- Screenshots previously exclusive to Game Informer can be viewed here.
- Halo 4 concept art can be viewed here.

From what I've seen of the actual footage itself, the gameplay looks quite impressive.

Gears of War: Judgement Announced

Earlier today during Microsoft's press conference at E3, Epic Games officially unveiled Gears of War: Judgement, a prequel for the Gears of War franchise.

Set just after Emergence Day, the game will follow the exploits of Kilo Squad, led by Baird and also featuring Cole, as they struggle in the aftermath of the Locust invasion.

You can check out the announcement trailer here or below, and read the official announcement here.




I just can't get excited over anything Gears of War, anymore, as Gears of War 3 killed any love I had for the franchise.  Shame.

Resistance: Burning Skies Trial Impressions

Tonight I played a bit of history: the trial for the first ever portable dual analogue stick first person shooter.  Of course, I'm talking about Resistance: Burning Skies for the PlayStation Vita.

The trial contains what I believe to be the first level of the Single Player Campaign, and the rest of the game, including Multiplayer, is locked.  In the Campaign, players take on the role of Tom Riley, a firefighter and national guardsman.  Riley and his team of firefighters are dispatched to an emergency call at a power station at Staten Island, only to discover that the Chimera invasion of America has begun.  Riley must then escape, assist the resistance movement, and fight for his life as everything crumbles around him.

The trial controls quite well with the Left Stick overseeing movement and the Right stick naturally allowing you to look around.  "R" fires your weapon, "L" zooms in, "Square" reloads, "X" jumps, "Circle" crouches, and "Triangle" toggles between the last two used weapons or brings up the weapon wheel when held (you can also upgrade weapons here once the right artifacts are collected).  You can run by double tapping the rear touch pad or pressing down on the D-pad, and if you get close to cover left or right on the D-pad allows you to lean out or you can use "L" to aim over.

In general, a fairly standard set up and one that's easy to use.  Given the lack of buttons compared to modern console's Controller, some touchscreen options are employed.  All weapon secondary functions are used via the touchscreen, be it pressing and holding on an enemy to lock on to them with the Bullseye or gliding your finger along the back of the Mule to load a flaming crossbow bolt.  You also tap doors to open them or touch Intel items to pick them up, and you hit the "Axe" icon to quickly melee with your trusty Fire Axe.  You can also drag grenades to enemies to precision throw them or simply tap the icon to toss a grenade where your reticule already is.

In actual practice, some of this is a bit cumbersome but on Normal difficulty, Riley appears to be able to take a good bit of damage before dropping, and his Health regenerates somehow like in most modern shooters.  Overall, the gameplay is simplistic and carries a retro feel that loosely reminded me of the Quake franchise, but I must say I found it quite enjoyable.

Graphical the trial was a bit of a mixed bag with some areas and textures looking better than others, but at no point was I ever horribly repulsed by anything and they certainly get the job done.  The trial's audio was also good with a solid musical score when it kicked in and pretty standard voice acting.  The character development didn't seem that strong and for the most part you're just a one-man tank shooting a few waves of basic AI enemies, but again it was fun in it's simplicity and featured a decent, if basic, boss battle at the end.

 The innovation present, at least as shown in the trial, is not the actual gameplay itself but the fact that this is a portable system with a proper, completely playable and relatively easy to control first person shooter.  That unto itself is a cool experience, and once a price drop occurs I fully expect I'll pick the game up.

PlayStation Vita Impressions

When I first picked up Sony's PlayStation Vita, I admit that I was worried I'd made a bad purchase, but to be completely blunt, I'm extremely impressed with it thus far.

The product is sleek and clean looking and it feels both solid and comfortable in the hands.  The majority of the buttons and both sticks are laid out quite well and are easy to access without accidentally hitting one other.  The only exceptions would be the "Select" and "Start" buttons which are placed in an awkward spot at the bottom right of the handheld, and the buttons themselves are a little too recessed which makes them a bit more difficult to use.  The handheld itself is also a finger print magnet, which is a bit of a shame but not uncommon for a portable device.

The setup was relatively painless save for the Initial Setup Loop that I got stuck in, but the problem is well documented and the solution quite simple.  The Settings menu is easy to find, navigate, and configure, and within a short period of time I was connected to my Wifi access point and ready to properly experience the handheld.

Now, the PlayStation Vita is the first touchscreen device I've had the privilege of owning, and I'm loving the use of the screen for navigating pretty much everything over using the D-pad and sticks.  I personally find the 5' OLED screen crisp and gorgeous, and it does indeed respond well to the touch.  I also love how the Home screen isn't plastered with a ridiculous amount of ads, or any ads at all for that matter; it's concise and to the point.

Out of the box, the PlayStation Vita comes with several apps, including a simple and quick little tutorial.  There's an app for managing your PlayStation Network Friends and another app for Parties and Chat (and cross-game chat is supported over PlayStation Network with the PlayStation Vita).  There's an app for Trophies, an app for the PlayStation Store (which is well laid out and very easy to navigate), as well as a web browser app, a Camera app, a Video app, etc.

Surfing the web is simple and straight forward and I've had no issues going to any site I've needed to thus far, and load times aren't too bad at all.  The only apps I haven't really tinkered with at this point are the ones that involve location data; the Near and Maps apps.  Personally, I don't want Sony and Google tracking where I am at any given point, so you'll need to look elsewhere for other's thoughts on those particular apps.

The camera's pretty basic, both front and back, and its picture quality isn't amazing but it does get the job done.  I do like how you can easily take screenshots in-game though, unless the game itself specifically restricts this.

The built-in speakers project crisp, clean audio and headphones sound just as clear, and when all is said and done you get anywhere between three to five hours out of the battery, depending on what you're doing.

You can also back-up your PlayStation Vita's save files by connecting it to your PC after installing some proprietary software, and the back up process, as well as transferring photos, music, and movies, is all pretty straight forward.

Now being a gaming handheld the primary thing to look at is the available games, and right now the selection is a bit sparse.  I primarily purchased the PlayStation Vita to give me something to enjoy on my commute, and that something is Mortal Kombat, a game I'm far too addicted to.  On the PlayStation Vita, even though visually it's taken a hit from consoles, it plays wonderfully and at a full 60 FPS.  I can and have practiced my combos and then gone and executed them flawlessly on my Xbox 360, which makes this version of the game a great companion to the console experience.  This has proven a great and productive way to pass my commute, and hopefully we'll see some other quality titles announced at this year's E3.

Thus far, I'm very happy with my purchase.  The PlayStation Vita is a very handy and useful device for games and more, and it's already provided me with hours of solid entertainment.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dawnguard Beta

This is a welcome surprise:  Bethesda Game Studios will be holding a Beta test for the upcoming The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim DLC, "Dawnguard."

Being an Xbox 360 DLC exclusive to start, the Beta is Xbox 360 only, however if you're interested in entering you can do so here.

The coolest thing of all is those selected to participate will receive a downloadable token for "Dawnguard," and it's the full version of the add-on.  It will include Achievements and be completely free to entrants.  That alone is reason enough to sign up; just for the chance to score it for free.

Good luck to those who enter!