Mortal Kombat "Skarlet" Vignette and Klassic Sektor and Cyrax Skins

A new vignette outlining the backstory of the first upcoming Mortal Kombat DLC character, Skarlet, has been released and you can watch it here or below.



Skarlet will be available on Tues. Jun. 21st to kick off summer, and in case you haven't noticed, this lady in red is a fan of blood. Interestingly, however, I'm still not sure how much she'll cost, but I hear it'll be over 400 Microsoft Points (so over $5.80. My bet would be on 560 Microsoft Points, $8.12). If that's the case, then I'll likely pass on the content.

What I won't be passing on though is this bonus to fans: Klassic Sektor and Cyrax skins will be released for free to all, also on June 21st. You can check out their trailer here or below.



They still look like BMX racers, which is awesome!

Dragon Age: Asunder Announced

Our friends at Tor Books have sent word that the next novel in the Dragon Age series, entitled Dragon Age: Asunder, will be published late 2011 and once again be penned by David Gaider.

You can read the full press release below, followed by the BioWare Pulse announcement and author interview.

Tor Books announces new Dragon Age™ novel with BioWare Lead Writer David Gaider

In-game writer and bestselling author of Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne and Dragon Age: The Calling returns to the dark fantasy world of BioWare’s award-winning Dragon Age franchise

New York, NY – Tuesday, June 14, 2011 - Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC—the largest publisher of science fiction in the world—and BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts, are excited to announce the third novel in the award-winning Dragon Age™ fantasy RPG franchise. David Gaider, lead writer at BioWare and author of two previous Dragon Age novels, will pen DRAGON AGE: ASUNDER for late 2011 publication.

The team at BioWare, responsible for such beloved classics as Baldur's Gate™, Neverwinter Nights™, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™, and Mass Effect™, set a new Fantasy RPG storytelling standard with the Dragon Age franchise, which has won over 35 awards between the release of Dragon Age: Origins in 2009 and Dragon Age II in March 2011.

David Gaider’s previous two Dragon Age novels, Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne (March 2009) and Dragon Age: The Calling (October 2009) were well-received by fans and did much to establish the dark, heroic nature and epic scale of the Dragon Age Universe. DRAGON AGE: ASUNDER builds directly on the story from the second game, expanding and illuminating new corners of the world Thedas.

A mystical killer stalks the halls of the White Spire, the heart of templar power in the mighty Orlesian Empire. To prove his innocence, Adrian reluctantly embarks on a journey into the western wastelands that will not only reveal much more than he bargained for but change the fate of his fellow mages forever.

The team at BioWare has passionately created a fantasy world like no other—gorgeous and immersive, with unprecedented depth and scale. DRAGON AGE: ASUNDER is a sweeping, epic saga that will be sure to please the millions of fans of this revered franchise.

Fans of BioWare are invited to visit the official Dragon Age website at: http://dragonage.bioware.com, where they can preview and find additional information about Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, Dragon Age: The Calling and more.

About the Author

DAVID GAIDER lives in Edmonton, Alberta, and is a Senior Writer at BioWare’s Edmonton studio, where he has worked since 1999. He was the Lead Writer on Dragon Age 2 and Dragon Age: Origins, responsible for story and setting design, and prior to that worked on such titles as Baldur’s Gate™ 2, Baldur’s Gate™ 2: Throne of Bhaal, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™, Neverwinter Nights™ and its expansions.

About BioWare

BioWare develops high quality console, PC and online role-playing games, focused on rich stories, unforgettable characters and vast worlds to discover. Since 1995, BioWare has created some of the world's most critically acclaimed titles, including Baldur's Gate™, Neverwinter Nights™, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™, Jade Empire™, Mass Effect™ and Dragon Age^™. BioWare operates in Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), Montreal (Quebec), Austin (Texas), Fairfax (Virginia) and Galway (Ireland). Currently announced projects at BioWare include Mass Effect 3, Dragon Age II, and the story-driven massively multiplayer online game, Star Wars®: The Old Republic™. In 2008, BioWare was acquired by Electronic Arts, a leading global interactive entertainment publisher. For more information on BioWare, visit www.bioware.com, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/biofeed. To join the millions of fans already registered on our community, go to http://social.bioware.com.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company’s game franchises are offered as both packaged goods products and online services delivered through Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 100 million registered players and operates in 75 countries.

In fiscal 2011, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.6 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster franchises such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield, and Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.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 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-three years in a row the company has been named Best Publisher in the Locus Poll, the largest consumer poll in SF.

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Aliens vs Predator (Xbox 360) Sold

Earlier last week I decided to give Aliens vs Predator (Xbox 360) a go again to see how it'd fair on the Hard difficulty. I fired up the Marine campaign and after nearly a dozen tries, I simply was unable to pass that first night club sequence.

I then decided to give the Alien campaign a whirl and I was able to pass two Chapters, but got my butt handed to me in the third. The overall problem was that, as the player character, you were made of paper and it was far too easy for the AI opponents to punish you again and again and again. I found this got frustrating and simply took away from the gruesome gore, violence, and fun the title's Single Player has to offer.

At this point I knew I wouldn't bother playing through the Campaign again on Normal difficulty, and with the Multiplayer community being pretty sparse, there was little value left for me to keep the title. Thus I decided to trade the game in at Best Buy.

I went and they offered to give me $5.00 in-store credit for it, which I agreed to. Seeing as how I paid $19.99 for it last November, a quarter of the cost back isn't too bad. It's not too good either, but hey, I'm really not complaining. For what's amounted to a $14.99 purchase with the aforementioned trade-in taken into account, I got my money's worth with my original 15 to 20 hour playthrough.

Mass Effect 3 "Invasion" Trailer

A live action trailer for Mass Effect 3, entitled "Invasion," has been released by EA and you can check it out below.



Not bad. Decent production values though I found the acting rather cheesy. It was cool to briefly see live action Husks though.

The Halo Bulletin: Inaugural Frankie Edition

Halo Waypoint has posted up an interesting article entitled "The Halo Bulletin: Inaugural Frankie Edition" in which 343 Industries Franchise Director Frank O'Connor discusses the Halo franchise's announcements at this year's E3.

Not much is said regarding Halo 4, but a lot of information is given regarding Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. A few key points:

- The game will retail for $39.99 (US)
- The Back button will be used during Campaign to toggle between the new and original graphics
- The multiplayer will actually be Halo: Reach's Multiplayer, and it sounds like the seven maps shipping will essentially be a map pack for Halo: Reach (and thus I suspect it'll be made available as DLC for that game at some point)
- One of the maps will be a unique Firefight map which will do something never before seen in Firefight. I suspect it'll involve the Flood, but that's just my guess.
- The soundtrack has been rerecorded by the Skywalker Orchestra

I personally found this article a very interesting read, and you can check it out right here.

Mortal Kombat "Skarlet" Character Page

An official character page is now up for Skarlet, the first DLC character that will soon be released for Mortal Kombat.

You can read all about Shao Khan's lethal enforcer right here.

No word yet on a release date, pricing, and if the DLC will be accompanied by anything else.

Gears of War 3 Limited Edition Console and Controller Announced

An official Xbox 360 Gears of War 3 Limited Edition Console and Controller has been announced by Microsoft Game Studios and Epic Games.

Releasing on September 20, 2011, the Xbox 360 Gears of War 3 Limited Edition console features an Xbox 360 S console with a red and black infected omen design, as well as a 320 GB HDD. Two Wireless Controllers sporting the same design as well as the transforming D-Pads will be bundled together, along with a retail copy of Gears of War 3. In addition, a wired headset and a downloadable token for the Infected Omen weapon pack and Adam Fenix Multiplayer Skin will also be included.

The console will retail for $399.99 (US), and the Controller can also be purchased seperately for $59.99 (US).

Full details along with screenshots can be found here

BioShock Infinite E3 2011 Media

At this year's E3, Irrational Games released a new teaser trailer for BioShock Infinite which you can view here or below. In addition, there's also a ViDoc entitled "About Skylanes" which explains this interesting mode of transportation around Columbia, and it can be viewed here or below.





Three new screenshots for the game are also available for viewing on the official site here.

Overall, very ambitious looking, as is any game that Ken Levine puts his hands on. Quite exciting!

Mass Effect 3 Site Launches, "Fall of Earth" Trailer, N7 Collector's Edition Revealed

The official site for Mass Effect 3 has officially launched, and a new trailer is available as well. Entitled "Fall of Earth," this action packed trailer shows some cool features and sets a nice tone for this dark third chapter in the franchise.

You can check the trailer out here or below.



Not only does it seem Shepard's Omni-Tool functions as a blade now, but was that a dodge/roll I saw Shepard do? Hopefully that's an actual maneuver and not a cinematic, as I've long felt the series needs a dodge option. There's obviously going to be some turret sequences, and Liara can be glimpsed briefly in the trailer as well.

And if the above wasn't cool enough, the Mass Effect 3: N7 Collector's Edition has also been announced! It will contain:

- A premium metal case (and Shepard looks very Renegade now)
- A hardbound art book
- A limited edition comic by Dark Horse Comics
- A fabric patch
- A lithographic 4x6 print
- Unique in-game content such as extra weapons, a robotic dog sidekick, and extra outfits
- The digital soundtrack
- A Normandy Avatar Prop (Xbox 360 Only)
- Forum badges, avatars, etc.

You can read the full details and check out the pic here.

If this Collector's Edition is truly limited as Mass Effect 2's was, you will want to pre-order this to guarantee your copy. I know I'll be doing so.

Mass Effect 3 will release on the Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3 on March 6th, 2011.

Halo 4 Teaser Trailer

Also not a surprise but certainly welcome, Halo 4 has been announced at this year's E3.

Set for a 2012 release on the Xbox 360 and being developed by 343 Industries, Halo 4 sees the return of Master Chief John-117 and Cortana in the beginning of a new trilogy. Set after the events of Halo 3, John must face an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the universe.

You can check out the teaser trailer here or below.



So, who wants to take bets on this ancient evil either being the Precursors or Forerunners and that this storyline will tie into the "Forerunner Saga" of novels being written by Greg Bear? I bet on the Precursors simply because ancient threats predictably never stay dead, and they're the most ancient species we know of in the Halo universe.

I also don't recall John going into cryo-sleep with a Jet Pack, so hopefully that was done for dramatic effect. Yes, I know, I'm nit-picking again.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Revealed at E3 2011

The long standing rumours are indeed true, 343 Industries is working on an HD remake of Halo: Combat Evolved for the Xbox 360.

Announced today at E3, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary will feature remastered HD graphics, Xbox LIVE functionality including online Co-Op, Achievements, and the ability to toggle back to the original release's graphics on-the-fly. It will also ship with seven of the most popular Multiplayer maps in Halo history, and considering that Halo: Combat Evolved shipped with thirteen maps total, I sense DLC milkage in this remake's future.

You can check out the trailer below or here, followed by a ViDoc with 343 Industries discussing the remastering of this classic and monumental shooter below or here. A screenshot gallery with comparison shots can also be viewed here.





Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary will be released on the 10th anniversary of the original title, November 15th, 2011, and while Microsoft Game Studios is not talking cost yet, they've stated it will not be a full priced game. This was also said about Halo 3: ODST and that was a lie, so I won't take any talk of cost at face value until it's properly being advertised at retail.

For the trailer itself though, it looks very nice and it's great to see Halo: Combat Evolved in HD with better textures. It'll be interesting to see if 343 Industries really can keep the classic gameplay feel, something I feel is essential and goes beyond just keeping the Pistol very powerful.

A few things I wasn't keen on from the trailer though:

- Master Chief's Mark V armour. This rendition of it looks ugly to me; the visor is too stretched from top to bottom.
- The Assault Rifle. They should be using the MA5B variant, not the MA37 that the UNSC Army used during the Fall of Reach.
- It looks like they're using Army Troopers instead of Marines, which also doesn't add up.
- Ultra Elites. They aren't supposed to be here.

Yes, I know, I'm a purist about these sorts of things.

BioShock 2: Minerva's Den Completed for the 3rd Time

Earlier this morning, I completed BioShock 2: Minerva's Den for the third time, and I'm as impressed with it now as I was the first time I fired it up. A lot of care went into this add-on and it certainly shows.

On this playthrough I resolved not to gather any Adam until I had finished all objectives in the first main level of the game. This made things both harder and easier in a way, since I was less powerful but I didn't have to contend with hordes of Spider Splicers early on which was always a big problem before.

While I did buy Tonics and Plasmid upgrades, I didn't buy any new Plasmids and relied on the core ones I found in the game, and I found myself mainly using the Ion Laser with support from the Spear Gun and Shotgun and later on, I began relying heavily on the Rivet Gun.

I also tried playing cautiously and strategically to avoid random deaths, looking to see how long I could survive for. This didn't work out so well when Security Command failed to distract a Turret in the first 15 minutes of my playthrough, which made me thankful for Vita Chambers as I wasn't saving as often as with other playthroughs.

Regardless, I still love the story and the well executed survival gameplay, and consider this the best single player DLC add-on I've yet experienced as the developers really go the atmosphere and tone down pat.

With the completion of this playthrough, which took about 8 hours, I'm likely done with BioShock 2 since I've played through it so much. For the franchise, I'm quite looking forward to what BioShock Infinite will be showing off this week at E3.

PlayStation Network Welcome Back Customer Appreciation Program Now Live

I'm pretty sure most of you are aware of what's been going on with the PlayStation Network by now and the lengthy service outages due to the service being hacked. I'm sure you're also aware that all of its users personal data was also stolen, and that said files were apparently unencrypted.

In brief, Sony dropped the ball big time and has a lot of making up to do with its customer base. After some weeks, the PlayStation Network has finally started coming back online, piece by piece.

With the PlayStation Store back online, Sony is now able to officially release their "Welcome Back Customer Appreciation Program." This is a very nice offering that includes free PlayStation 3 and PSP games, a free term for the PlayStation Plus subscription service, free Virtual Items, and free movie rentals.

The PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable games are available for 30 days, the PlayStation Plus free subscription is available for 30 days, and the limited selection of free movie rentals is this weekend only.

For full details, step right this way.

Batman: Arkham City "Catwoman" Gameplay Trailer

One of my most anticipated games of 2011, Batman: Arkham City is looking quite spectacular. Not only is Catwoman going to be featured in the game, but it looks like she's going to be playable.

This should certainly add a nice twist to the conventional gameplay, as not only will she sport her own unique Gadgets and Free Flow fighting style, but I'm hoping this means she'll also have some great missions suited to her character that Batman himself would never do.

You can check out the Catwoman Gameplay Trailer here or below.



Aside from the kiss on a thug, it looks like they're taking things in the right direction.

Duke Nukem Forever Launch Trailer

The impossible has happened. Not only has Duke Nukem Forever finally gone gold, but it will be available in stores on June 14th. That's about a week and a half away for one of the most infamously developed games in history to finally see the light of day.

The game's launch trailer has also been released, showing nudity in the form of polygonal breasts, so technically this one's not safe for work. Won't someone think of the children and other such nonsense.

You can check out the launch trailer here or below.



I still want to try a demo first, and I expect I'll be picking this one up after a price drop.

Aliens: Colonial Marines Teaser Trailer

Well this certainly stirs up some nostalgia. An official teaser trailer for the long delayed Aliens: Colonial Marines has finally surfaced, and you can view it here or below.



While the teaser doesn't show any gameplay and so one can't really form impressions of the game itself, it's quite nice to see that they're looking to preserve the retro '86 feel of the classic film.

Fable III (Xbox 360) Demo Now Available

A demo for the Xbox 360 version of Fable III has now been released and can be downloaded here.

No clue on what parts of the game it contains, but hey, if you're on the fence about the title you might as well give it a whirl.

As for me, I won't bother picking up Fable III until a significant price drop occurs (if at all) just like the previous entries in the franchise.

Fable's always been good, but not spectacular. Too much great innovation that's poorly executed.

Mortal Kombat "Skarlet" Gameplay Trailer

The first DLC character for Mortal Kombat has been revealed. Skarlet was a character rumoured since Mortal Kombat II, when a bug would have either Kitana or Mileena appear in game dressed in red.

Now, roughly 17 years later NetherRealm Studios has officially created her as a real character. You can check out her gameplay debut here or below.



Not bad, though no word on release date, cost, or if anything else will be bundled with the Skarlet DLC. I suspect we'll learn all of this at E3 next week.

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm Preview Page and Teaser Trailers

Blizzard Entertainment has posted up an official preview page for the first expansion to StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, entitled StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm.

After having been stripped of the Zerg infestation at the end of the core game, Kerrigan seeks to reunite the Swarm under her. The preview page details the continuing story, characters, as well as some cool screenshots and concept art.

You can also check out the very cool but short Teaser Trailer here or below, as well as an official Gameplay Preview here or below.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Episode 8

The 8th episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy is now up, the second part featuring Scorpion and Sub-Zero.

It was good, but more action oriented and I found I enjoyed it less than the previous episode.

You can check it out here or below.