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Archive for the ‘Xbox Live’ Category
BLACKLIGHT: TANGO DOWN Coming To XBLA
Ignition Entertainment, a UTV Media Communication Company, and Zombie Studios are developing Blacklight: Tango Down, a near-future first person shooter that will offer AAA-quality military shooter action in a downloadable package. Blacklight: Tango Down will be available Summer 2010 through Xbox LIVE Arcade for the Xbox 360, PlayStation Network for PS3 and PC.
“We’re excited to be working on a gripping new franchise that will deliver the intense action, thoughtful tactics and in-depth strategies of today’s best multiplayer shooters immersed in an all new universe that gamers will really sink their teeth into,” said Ajay Chadha, Head of Worldwide Publishing, Ignition Entertainment. “Blacklight: Tango Down is set to change the way gamers view the possibilities of downloadable content because it will offer shooter fans the top quality, deep content and exciting experience that they are used to finding in a retail product but in a downloadable package.”
“We could not ask for a better partner than Ignition,” said Mark Long, of Zombie. “Their digital distribution focus is visionary. It matches the aspirations we have for this franchise which already include a feature film and comic.”
Blacklight: Tango Down is a fast-paced first person shooter based in a new fictional universe called Blacklight. Utilizing the cutting-edge graphical power of Unreal Engine 3, Blacklight: Tango Down’s near-future setting is brought to life with disturbingly detailed and old-world architecture dripping with modern sci-fi lighting and brightly lit advertisements, an effect that causes each environment to appear both futuristically alien as well as hauntingly familiar.
Blacklight: Tango Down will deliver some of the most exciting multiplayer gameplay available in the shooter category and features numerous gameplay styles and functionality. These modes include traditional formats like Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch & Control Point, with other modes being .announced in the build up to launch.
Blacklight: Tango Down will set itself apart from other games by virtue of its incredibly deep customization features. Players will be able to alter and upgrade not only their character through experience gained on the battlefield, but also their weapons. Weapon customizations will unlock as the player gains skill and experience points and will include more basic add-ons like sniper scopes as well as more complex enhancements, such as improved accuracy.
GREED Corp Now Available On XBLA
After months of build-up and anticipation, W!Games are happy to announce that Greed Corp, their fresh and innovative turn-based strategy game, is now available on Xbox LIVE Arcade for the Xbox 360 for 800 Microsoft Points and the PlayStation Network priced at $9.99, €9.99 or £7.99.
Greed Corp is the first in a series of games based in the rich Mistbound universe, a world of feudal warfare and environmental destruction. Wage war and battle for resources as one of four factions, each with its own campaign spanning 24 maps and 10+ hours of singleplayer gameplay. Take the battle to your friends with up to 4-player multiplayer (online, local and computer controlled) across 36 maps. Can you find the delicate balance between harvesting the land for resources and preserving it to stay alive? Will you defend your territory or sacrifice it to keep it out of enemy hands?
2K Announces Extensive DLC For BIOSHOCK 2
2K Games announced today an aggressive post-launch downloadable content plan for BioShock 2 that extends and enhances the single and multiplayer experiences by adding more glimpses into the award-winning world of Rapture. Downloadable content will be made available soon, beginning with the Sinclair Solutions Test Pack, available this March from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360 and Games for Windows–LIVE for 400 Microsoft Points and from the PlayStation Network for £3.19. Future expansions into the world of BioShock 2 are slated to arrive over the coming months and will continue to expand on the stories of the denizens of Rapture.
“The fans who waited in the snow, rain and cold for the midnight launch of BioShock 2 have spoken and their message is that Rapture still has many fascinating stories to tell,”said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “Downloadable content is a key part of our efforts to continue to entice the fans that have made 2K a household name – we intend to deliver single and multiplayer content that respects and expands upon one of the greatest fictional worlds ever created.”
Sinclair Solutions Test Pack, the first of several planned downloadable packages, contains a number of customization features that will allow players to further their character’s development in BioShock 2’s multiplayer modes and provide a deeper multiplayer experience. The pack includes:
- Rank Increase to level 50 with Rank Rewards
- New playable characters Louie McGraff and Oscar Calraca
- 20 new trials*
- A third weapon upgrade for each weapon
- Five additional masks*
*Some items are only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher.
RESIDENT EVIL 5: Lost In Nightmares Now Available for Download On XBLA
Capcom has announced the first downloadable episode for Resident Evil 5, “ LOST IN NIGHTMARES” which is now available on Xbox Live and will be made available on PlayStation Network tomorrow, February 18.
B.S.A.A. agents, Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine have tracked down the location of Umbrella founder Ozwell E. Spencer’s mansion. Previously only told through cut scenes in Resident Evil 5, players now can experience the events that lead up to Jill’s “death”.
Not only is there a new episode but new playable characters are available for THE MERCENARIES REUNION. Consumers who download “LOST IN NIGHTMARES” will receive Excella Gionne and Barry Burton included as part of their download. Each character has their own unique weapon load outs, providing players with additional challenges as they shoot down as many enemies as they can within the time limit.
RE5’s second DLC episode “DESPERATE ESCAPE,” will be available on March 3 for Xbox Live Arcade and March 4 for PlayStation Network. RESIDENT EVIL 5: GOLD EDITION , available March 9, will include the original Resident Evil 5 game plus all downloadable content on a single Blu-Ray disk for PS3, and the original Resident Evil 5 plus a token for the downloads.
DARKSIDERS: Extensive 90-Miunte Demo Announced
Gamers will be able to get to grips with Darksiders’ true essence in the upcoming release of a 90-minute game demo for Xbox 360 and PS3 based on THQ Inc.’s critically acclaimed action-adventure game.
The demo contains the entire first dungeon encounter from the game, the sprawling Twilight Cathedral. This engaging and challenging level contains dozens of puzzles for players to solve, new pieces of equipment to discover and epic boss battles against the monstrous demon Jailer and the savage bat-winged Tiamat. Representing a cross section of Darksiders’ key features, the demo will take approximately 90 minutes to complete for the average player. The demo will become available to download from Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network on February 25th.
David Adams, General Manager of Vigil Games commented:
“We are really pumped to be bringing a playable demo for Darksiders to Xbox 360 and PlayStation3. We really wanted to give gamers a true idea of the variety of gameplay that the game offers and so rather than just making a standard 20-minute demo version of the first few levels, we decided to give away this massive level and reveal the true essence of the game.”
HALO REACH ‘Vidoc’ Should Not Be Ignored
As a hardcore gamer it is truly refreshing to see the ambitions of Bungie as they fine tune the development mastery of HALO REACH. With added new features such as sprinting, stealth kills, million of added polygons, new dynamic lighting and thousands of colliding particles, HALO REACH is sounding like the HALO fans have been waiting for since HALO: Combat Evolved.
It’s Official: Xbox Live Goes Mobile
Microsoft’s Xbox Live which has been speculated to go mobile for a few years now has become a reality as Microsoft has announced their new mobile Windows Phone 7 which has an integrated XBox Live games hub.
As Microsoft Explain:
This hub delivers the first and only official Xbox LIVE experience on a phone, including Xbox LIVE games, Spotlight feed and the ability to see a gamer’s avatar, achievements and gamer profile. With more than 23 million active members around the world, Xbox LIVE unlocks a world of friends, games and entertainment on Xbox 360, and now also on Windows Phone 7 Series.
A few more details, like turn-based multiplayer games, emerged in a second PR:
- Collect Achievements and build your Gamerscore
- View Xbox LIVE leaderboards
- See your Xbox LIVE Avatar
- Access Spotlight feeds, including the latest tips and tricks, game news, updates and more
- Add Xbox LIVE friends to your friends list while out on the go
- Turn-based (asynchronous) multiplayer gaming
As for an overall breakdown of the new mobile operating system and its offerings:
ALAN WAKE All-New X10 Footage – Very Impressive!
BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY 2 Demo Tutorial – Port Valdez
NEED FOR SPEED SHIFT Ferrari DLC Pack Now Available Exclusively To Xbox 360
Electronic Arts Inc. today announced that, after a seven year hiatus, the venerable automaker and elite racing brand Ferrari is returning to Need for Speed. On February 16th, players of Need for Speed SHIFT will be able to download a content pack that delivers 10 extraordinary Ferrari cars including the 430 Scuderia and the ultra-rare FXX and F50 GT. Now, Need for Speed SHIFT players will feel the rush of being in the driver’s seat, realizing the true driver’s experience of being behind the wheel of a Ferrari car.
The Ferrari Racing pack is the latest downloadable content for Need for Speed SHIFT and will be available worldwide today on the Xbox 360 for 800 Microsoft Points (Need for Speed SHIFT and Xbox LIVE account required).
In addition to 10 new cars, the Ferrari Racing Series will also extend SHIFT’s career mode with 46 new Ferrari specific challenges designed for the Ferrari cars to participate in including hot laps, eliminators, endurance races and a world tour. Completing the perfect Ferrari package are an additional 125 gamerpoints as a reward for undertaking various exciting challenges. All Ferrari cars can also be taken online where players can prove who has the skills to master these high-performance Italian racing machines.
The Ferrari’s available include:
1. 1996 Ferrari F50 GT
2. 2005 Ferrari F430 Spider
3. 2005 Ferrari FXX
4. 2005 Ferrari Superamerica
5. 2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
6. 2006 Ferrari F430 Challenge (Online/Quick event only)
7. 2006 Ferrari F430 GTC (Online/Quick event only)
8. 2007 Ferrari 430 Scuderia
9. 2008 Ferrari California
10. 2008 Ferrari 16M Scuderia Spider
Xbox Live Arcade Tops $100 Million Worldwide in 2009
Forecasting and Analyzing Digital Entertainment, LLC (FADE) has released its annual report for 2009 for the Xbox Live Arcade market. FADE estimates that XBLA just broke the $100 million USD mark for the year ending 2009, at $103.4 million – a 34% increase from the year prior. Top titles include the fastest selling XBLA title of all time ‘Battlefield 1943′ which sold over 800,000 copies in the year. According to FADE’s forthcoming annual XBLA report, average price of XBLA titles increased rapidly during the year – from a $8.33 average in 2008 to $9.12 in 2009. This increase was strongly reflected in the top 10 list by revenue, with half of the titles featured at or near the $15 price point.
The Xbox Live Arcade market also became more frontloaded, due to incredible sales numbers among ‘Summer of Arcade’ titles such as ‘Trials HD’, ‘Shadow Complex’, and ‘Marvel vs. Capcom’. ‘Castle Crashers’, a 2008 ‘Summer of Arcade’ favorite, saw continued sales throughout 2009 – selling an estimated 485,000 copies during the year, bringing its sales to just under 1,000,000 units sold in total.
FADE believes 2010 will continue to see strong growth with the upcoming Natal launch which will drive new types of Arcade games into gamers’ homes, and additional hardware into homes. According to the report, FADE states that average revenue per user was slightly down from 2009, at $2.79 per user. FADE believes the key for Microsoft in 2010 is to continue to increase hardware penetration, which was a critical point of sales increases in 2009.
DYNASTY WARRIORS: Strikeforce Demo Now Available On XBL
TECMO KOEI AMERICA Corporation today announced that a free demo of DYNASTY WARRIORS: Strikeforce is available now for the Xbox 360 and PS3. Consumers can get the demo beginning today from Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PlayStation Network.
The free demo, which has both online multi-player and single player options, transports gamers to a mystic version of ancient China where warriors possess the power of “Fury”. This power gives them superhuman strength, lightning fast speed and the ability to fly.
In the demo’s single-player play, gamers have the option to choose and command up to three AI-controlled officers to join them in offline missions. Online, up to four friends can team up, and use voice or text chat to coordinate assaults.
The Tactical Action game ships to North American retailers on February 16, 2010.
ALIENS vs PREDATOR Multiplayer Demo Arriving Feb 4 On Xbox Live
SEGA today has reveal that an online multiplayer demo will be released for the upcoming FPS action sci-fi title, Aliens vs Predator. The demo will be released simultaneously on Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and STEAM on February 4th.
The multiplayer demo will allow gamers the chance to play as all three species – the Colonial Marine, the Predator and the Alien – and pitch their skills against each other in Deathmatch mode on Refinery, one of the game’s multiplayer maps.
“The team at Rebellion has created a truly immersive multiplayer experience with three completely different and compelling playable species. We believe that Aliens vs Predator offers gamers a unique alternative to the current FPS multiplayer games on the market, and sets a precedent for the evolution of multiplayer gaming in the genre,” said Gary Knight, European Marketing Director of SEGA Europe.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Demo Is Now Available On Xbox LIVE
DICE, an Electronic Arts Inc. studio today announced that first-person shooter fans will get early access to the best-in-class online war experience in Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Players can now download a free console demo worldwide on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. A PC beta is also now available to players that pre-order the game at participating retailers in North America, Europe and Asia, and through select community channels. On February 4th, the demo will be accessible on the PlayStation Network in Europe and on February 11th in North America. Defined by its increasingly intense vehicular warfare, destruction, variety of weapons and huge sandbox environments, Battlefield Bad Company 2 promises to be one of the finest online FPS games of 2010.
“After the success of the PS3 beta, we’re excited to provide gamers — especially our long-supporting, rabidly passionate PC fans — with another opportunity to get into the game before release,” says Patrick Bach, Senior Producer on Battlefield: Bad Company 2. “Our fans have been a huge part of the franchise’s success and we can’t wait for everyone to experience the amazing gameplay and unforgettable Battlefield moments in Battlefield: Bad Company 2.”
The Battlefield: Bad Company 2 console demo and PC beta will feature Port Valdez, a new vehicle focused map where up to 24 players (32 on PC) will compete against each other as either the US or Russian armies in the game’s Rush multiplayer mode. Players will have access to five land and three air vehicles where the Russian side can use everything in their arsenal including Main Battle Tanks as well as the fast-moving Quad Bikes and Mobile Armored AA. The fight will also be packed with plenty of infantry combat fought alongside the waterline towards a great oil industrial landscape in the Alaskan mountains.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will be in stores on March 2, 2010 in North America and March 4, 2010 in Europe for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. The Limited Edition can be pre-ordered now on all platforms at no extra cost, with participating retailers worldwide.
