Screens: Farcry 3 Blood Dragon DLC Screenshots

With the release of the brand new DLC 'Blood dragon' for Farcry 3, Ubisoft has released review screenshots and a launch trailer.

Screens: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Blade Wolf DLC Screens

Konami releases screenshots of the upcoming DLC featuring LQ-64i, or otherwise known as Blade wolf. It will contain several hours of LQ-84i's unique abilities and characteristics and will explore his story and origin more.

LQ-84i is reactivated by sundowner, Desperado enforcement's leader, to serve the well known character Mistral. The DLC will tell the story leading up to LQ-81i's eventual battle and partnership with Raiden as well as his transformation into blade wolf. The DLC will finish up with a completely new boss battle.

The Blade Wolf DLC  will be out May 9th on the Xbox 360 for 540 microsoft points, The PS3 version at $9,99.

Reviews: Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

Dragon's Dogma came out about a year ago with its unique style, reminiscent of Dark Souls-meets-Dragon Age. A western style RPG developed in the east. 

And it was great, a breath of fresh air in a somewhat stagnate genre with its sense of adventure and a whole new NPC system, combat feels great and intuitive, though a dodge button would not be out of place. 

Now the game has been re-released with a lot of added content, a complete underground dungeon, a few tweaks to the original game. For returning Arisen's this will be more of a good thing, the new area is both exciting and scary as hell, with the decision to feature more  tight corridors and some great enemy designs. 

Like the Ogre that gets excited with men instead of women or a pitch black dragon what'll make you regret the day you spent that extra gold on a weapon instead of lamp oil. The atmosphere created in Bitterblack isle is really taking all the great things from the original and just mush them together, and it works, its creepy and moody, yet beautiful and suspenseful. 

The writing and voice acting can at times be a little bad with awkward translations but the overall story makes up for it. There is also an option in the main menu to change voice language to Japanese with English subtitles, wich is a far superior solution for those who dont mind reading instead of hearing, the voices just sound more natural. 

Delving deeper into the dungeons reveal new, cursed items wich need to be hauled up to the surface where you can have them purified using Rift Crystals (RC). Our trusty badass female pawn, Toazter, got rented by another player and made us RC, and in this expand-release RC really comes in handy in that you can upgrade a piece of equipment forged in dragonfire to a higher level with it. 

Or you can use them to fix riftcrystals to customize your party layout with hiring and releasing your pawns, but to compliment this higher reliance on RC Dark Arisen present you with more through chests and loot.

Overall

If you have a love for role playing games and are willing to invest many hours into this game, it will certainly reward you. It is an overall great game, and this expansion continues the trend. With a new area to explore and new enemies to fight, new loot to be had, Dark Arisen takes the great formula of the original and just builds on it.

Game score: 4/5

GameViews recommendation score: 70%

This is a great game, it has alot to offer you if you get into it, but it can be hard for non-RPG fans to really appreciate what it is and what it does.

TheGamerPOV: Why Soul Sacrifice's timing is 100% spot on

We are at a turning point in the games industry. This will be the first new generation that will not come with a huge format change. Playstation One introduced games on CD's in home consoles, Playstation 2 came with a DVD player built in and games on DVD's allowing for much more storage on each disc. 

Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 have HD capabilities, the 360 revolutionized internet gaming and a year later Playstation showed the world Blu Ray. This next generation looks very exciting, with or without huge format changes, as consoles becomes more like custom built high end PC's, at least until PC's make the next huge technological step. 

I do think though, and this is purely non-factual based speculation, that console manufacturers this generation are planning for when PC's skip ahead with new add-ons or updated version of the consoles. In which case there might never be a price drop, they could keep PS4 running solid for 2-3 years then release a PS4.1. 

Although I doubt they will flood stores with 10 different versions of the same console, they might keep the last one at a lowered price, and the new one at the same price as it's always been. This method would surely allow Sony and Microsoft to finally MAKE money on their consoles. 

Because when PS4 and Xbox 720/durango come out they will take a loss on their consoles, but in three years the hardware inside the machine becomes so cheap for them to make that if they reduce the price to still get somewhat of a profit, as well as null out the loss of their new updated console, they end up in the green. 

Let me show you with simplified two digit math what I mean; PS4 cost 15$ to make, they sell it for 14$ and take 1$ loss, PS4.1 cost 15$ to make and still sold for 14$ however, now PS4  cost 10$ to make and sells for 12$ after a price reduction, so they make 2$ on that and lose 1$ on PS4.1. So in the end they make 1$ for every one of each console they sell, and most likely they will sell 50 PS4 for every one PS4.1 they sell. 

Anyway, enough speculating. Most surely everyone is looking at the horizon for the next E3. This might be where the next Xbox will be revealed and this is where we will get more information from Square Enix. (Which was the most dissapointing showing at the PS4 press conference with a shown-before tech demo and a "please look forward to E3" comment. A company that has co-operated so much with Sony up through the years and that's all they give them on such an important day for Sony). We might also get PS4 details and maybe the reveal of the actual machine, and many game reveals and announcements to be sure.

So there's not much happening before June. Publishers are holding their cards really close to their chest, except a few publishers who smartly exploit the media silence so there's much more focus on them. So how does Soul Sacrifice fit into all this? 

Well, one console that is not getting too much attention leading up to E3 right now is the Playstation Vita. The vita is considered more as a companion peripheral to PS4 right now and people are more excited about what it can do with PS4 and maybe new functions mentioned at E3. 

So what would happen if this game is the next killer-must-have-system-seller app for the Playstation Vita? Here is an obscure metaphor of what that would be like: Imagine all modern consoles sitting at a desk in the same room tapping all their pencils, nobody paying attention to little Vita, until the day he smashes a huge bat on his own desk. Nobody is looking at E3 now. Little Vita is claiming his spot in the handheld market and people are more anxious to see what he will smash his desk with in two months at E3. Or could it just be an ace title on a neglected console?

My point? Buy a Playstation Vita! This is the handheld for 'hardcore' gamers. If we dont support it, they won't make games for it. I have read so many places 'theres too little thirds party support for it'. 

Well, consider this: Instead of you looking at third party publishers with a raised eyebrow saying: "Well, are you going to support this?" Imagine the third party developers looking at you with a raised eyebrow saying: "Do you want us to?"

Sony is doing all they can to support the Vita, releasing great games and features for it and improving remote play. It just seems like a silly endless circle, third party publishers wants a bigger userbase, users want more third party support. 

If you want a 'hardcore' handheld game system you have to support it, if you support it, so will third party publisher. Use the Playstation 3 as an example: When it first came out, it did not have a lot of momentum. However, as the userbase grew, so did the third party support and game library. 

The success or failure is up to us here. If we don't buy Vita, we can't complain about casual gamers and 3DS sales and games, because we had our chance. If we do buy Vitas, we get more games, better games, more often. 

My name is Tommy, and that was my point of view.

News: Dungeons & Dragons: Neverwinter 24 hour live stream event press release

"Neverwinter 24 Hour Live Streaming Open Beta Launch and Charity Event - Hosted by MMODen.com April 24th 2013 at Noon PDT.

April 24th 2013 - Free to Play gaming News and Review Blog MMODen is proud to announce a 24 hour Live Streaming Marathon of Perfect World Entertainment's free MMORPG "Neverwinter!" This event shall take place starting April 25th at 12 Noon PDT and run until 12 Noon PDT April 26th 2013. This event will showcase the Open Beta Phase of Neverwinter. Limpy, MMODen.com's founder will Live Stream Neverwinter for 24 hours straight to showcase the game, and celebrate one of the most anticipated titles move to OBT.

During this event MMODen will be giving away prizes to those in attendance at different intervals of the streaming session. Fans who wish to tune into this event can do so by going to MMODen's Twitch.tv channel at (http://www.twitch.tv/mmoden/) those who follow and participate in the stream chat will be eligible for the giveaways.

Players who wish to join Limpy in game can do so by picking up one of the games Heroes of the North founders packs. (http://nw.perfectworld.com/founderspack). All founders packs have recently been given additional items to increase the in game value of each pack.

Additionally, MMODen's 24 Hour Live Stream Event will have a good cause attached to it. The event will support AIDS Lifecycle, a 7 day, 545 mile charity bicycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Riders put themselves through this grueling event to raise money and awareness in the fight to end AIDS/HIV. This event will support a rider who is taking on the journey for the first time, and can be supported directly before, during and after the event at: (http://www.tofighthiv.org/site/TR?px=2832206&fr_id=1550&pg=personal)"

News: Soul Sacrifice Demo Thoughts

So the demo for this game has been out a little while, but because of time constraints we were not able to really dig into this demo. And boy, were we missing out.

Soul Sacrifice is the highly anticipated Playstation Vita game coming out at the end of the month. It revolves around a prisoner to the sorcerer Magusar, and as his neighbor prisoner gets executed, our hero discovers a demonic book that introduces the game's uniqe way of storytelling. 

Instead of a traditional approach, Soul Sacrifice tells its story through passages in the demon book with well acted eerie voices and a gothic, atmospheric background music. Several times we found ourselves forgetting what we were doing and just listening and absorbing the ambiance. 

In between the story segments there is an arena style of combat sequence, reliving the author of the book's life, combat is solid and fun, yet challenging and rewarding. You use 'spells' to fight, like an ice spell that flows along the ground to your target, or summon melee weapons for some hack and slash action, there are also support spells, like shields and healing spells. 

All spells has an easy upgrade system, but can be lost if over-used in a combat. There are, however, places in each arena where you can refill magic. Taking down your enemies presents you with a choice; Save and fill a portion of your 'life' level bar, increasing defence and your hp, or 'Sacrifice' increasing your magic power. 

This also applies to bosses, and when finishing off the first main story boss we wanted to 'Save', it simply brought it back to life, so ideally there would be a branching story for whatever you chose between save/sacrifice. But the story hadus so enthralled it left a feeling like we were torturing our opponent by postponing its eventual demise with the dialogue in the fight and quickly ended it with a sacrifice. 

The level of costumization is overwhelming, yet not too complex. It took about three minutes to make a badass looking female sorcerer named 'Toazter'. 

This is an incredibly atmospheric game with a lot of love put into it and without noticing, we had played a fully charged Vita until the batteries died right when jumping into multiplayer, so we'll leave that for the review coming soon.

Trailers: Star Trek: Video Game Launch Trailer

Star Trek: Video Game will hit store shelves on friday, to get pumped for it Namco Bandai has released a launch trailer

News: Metal Gear Solid 25th Anniversary

Konami announced today that North- and South-America will be getting a legacy collection of the Metal Gear Solid games. The collection will include Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: HD, Metal Gear Solid 3: HD that nicludes Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker HD edition, Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions and Metal Gear Solid 4: Trophy edition. 

Quite a pack! iIt will also contain two Ashley Wood digital graphic novels. President of Konami Digital Entertainment inc Tomouki Tsuboi had this to say: "We wanted to give Metal Gear Solid fans the opportunity to experience the series from beginning to end, all on one conslole. With the collections multiple titles, players can truly see how Metal Gear Solid evolved into the critically acclaimed and beloved franchise it is today". 

Reviews: Dishonored: Knife of Dunwall DLC

It truly feels like Daud 'fills' Corvo's boots either as much or more than the man himself.

The first noteworthy thing you notice when you start this DLC, other than that it needed a better way to select the content from the main menu, is Daud's dreary, worn and rusty voice. A voice, truly fitting for the man in this universe, a voice that has seen and done many thing, recounting the events in the beginning of the main game. 

One cant really say what kind of character Corvo was because of the silent protagonist syndrome that lets you fill the role of personality in your on-screen avatar. Daud on the other hand is a unique and exciting character, with a tip of the hat to Michael Madsen, masterly portraying every aspect and emotion of the character without ever seeing a face. 

You can really get a sense of Daud's regret, insecurity and wish for redemption through the dialogue and nuances of mr. Madsen's voice. The second thing you notice is the 'favors' system, new to this DLC, it allows you to buy, well, favors in the next mission, like a safe password or a missplaced bone charm. 

In the mission itself the favors become side missions you can pursue if you so desire, adding longevity to each mission. On our first playthrough we went for zero kills, but can be spotted, and what we noticed is a lack of way to disable someone in a fight if you get caught in the wrong place, though this is not the fault of the DLC and wont subtract anything from our score. 

The final mission of this DLC you truly have to be a master to remain unseen and have enough sleepbolts or choke gas to keep going if you are seen more than once. Wich brings us to our other issue, we completed the last mission by simply running to our objectives while being chased by the guards the entire time. 

The game is simply too easy if you dont mind being spotted, thats a small issue though, easily remedied by the always-at-hand difficulty option in the menu. The new Blink, freezing time whenever you stop moving while holding the button, makes Daud stand out from Corvo as a more Advanced user of The Outsider's granted abilities. 

It allows for more varied use and you get a great feeling when sprinting towards the edge of a roof, jump and freeze time mid flight only to realize two guards saw you and then blink to a ledge you can barely reach with your body now slightly closer, floating mid-air, out of the guards' views. 

Our main concern is that for some this might be a very quick and small DLC at a high price, it all depends on how you play. Some will thoroughly explore each area and try to remain as stealthy as possible, especially for a no-kill run, this can last you anywhere from four to six hours. But on the other hand, if you dont care about chaos and just want to kill everything in your path, this should be a quick 45 minutes to an hour. 

But what Dishonored did so well continues in this content with both playstyles being complimented with upgrades and abilities, and you feel like you're urged to go either way. And when the game is over you get a sense to jump back in and play it again in a different way. so if you do play through this in an hour you might end up spending another six despite having finished it.

Overall

This is how DLC should be done, it should add without taking anything away from the main game, Daud is a fantastic character, portrayed so well by the writing and Michael Madsen's performance. The new areas to explore are rich and enchances the feeling you get that there are many, many ways to aproach your mission. Some might still find the length to be a little on the short side, but the DLC, like the game, has great replayability and different experiences to be had on each playthrough.

Game score: 5/5

GameViews recommendation score: 100%

We find it really hard to imagine someone who enjoyed the main game to have any regrets paying for this, it will only enrichen the Dishonored universe and give you an excuse to revisit this great game.

Reviews: Injustice: Gods Among Us

Injustice: Gods Among Us is the newest fighting game released by NetherRealm and it shows. 

The last time NetherRealm used their DC comics license was with the love-it-or-hate-it title "Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe", but in the end, what the DC license really needed was a stand-alone fighting game. The way the combat in the game works just feels fluid and the scenery feels really interactive. 

With it's 'use enviromental attack' button and the ability to change combat arena by knocking your opponent into a whole new part of the map, the way you can vary and combine attacks, it has really outgrown Mortal Kombat 9. Just the mechanincs in general are leaps and bounds ahead of the previous Mortal Kombat. 

Having said that, the way the game feels and plays is easily recognizable to any elite Mortal Kombat player. In the beginning you'll be jumping to cover distance and fights feel very slow paced, but soon you will be dashing and juggling foes like you've never done anything else. 

A feature that helps make every character seem completely unique is the 'character ability' button that varies from character to character. Each fighter has a different ability; Batman summons three batarangs that can make a combo longer or disrupt a incoming flurry of blows, Wonder Woman swaps between flying-fighting-with-a-whip to sword and shield. Yet some are less impressive compared to others.

Adding in the 'bounce cancel' move and 'block escape' move allows Injustice to be more of an E-Sports game than its predeccesor. The bounce cancel move allows a player to cancel out of his combo and bounce his opponent for a reset and juggle opportunity, while on the other hand the block escape move cost one bar of your super meter and helps you out of a combo. 

Then there's the new clash mechanic: If one player is low on health, he can initiate a clash where both players wager a portion of their super bar. The winner gets a percentage of his health back. It just shows how strategic this game is and fighting game E-sports these days are all about strategic games. Hopefully we'll all be able to see this played in major tournaments soon. 

One thing we can rely on from NetherRealms is that they will always set new benchmarks for story in fighting games. And Injustice is no exception. Throughout the story mode this reviewer was glued to the screen. Coming into this with a mild interest in comics, we found the story to be both compelling and dramatic and found ourselves rushing past fights to see the next segment. 

Online mode is really the meat of the game. If you enjoy the fighting mechanics and want to keep playing the game, this is where you will be spending most of your time. In addition to the standard ranked/unranked matches, there's the "king of the hill" and "survivor" modes. 

King of the hill forms a group of up to 8 players where the winner keeps playing until he loses while the others spectate and wait for their chance to challenge the king. Not much is more exhilarating than finally beating the king or growing your streak of wins. Survivor is basically the same, but the 'survivors' character pick and health bar carries over to the next fight with very little health regained.

Overall we had a blast with the game, and cant wait to get back to it. There are minor nitpicky things, like the QTE's before some of the matches seemed out of place, but they're fairly quick and you can just skip them alltogether. Some people might not like the way combos or abilities work, but that's just individual preference.

Game score* : 4.2 out of 5

GameViews recommendation score**: 70% Fighting games are more of a niche genre that's hard to recommend to everyone, but the gripping story and newbie friendly game system makes this an above average recommendation.

*A general scoring system, 0-100 has been skewed to much so it counts more as 50-100, because 50 is considered a bad score when it's really average, and average these days is pretty good to be fair.

** This will be a % score based on how much we recommend you buy it with a short description of why we believe you should\should not buy the game

Info: regarding Injustice review

So i've gotten a few mails and messages asking me if i'm doing an 'Injustice: Gods Among us' review, well the short answer is yes, i will. The problem however is that the game does not come out here where i live for another two days. I really have tried hard to find whomever is my local PR contact for Warner Brothers Interactive, but before i knew it, the game was out. So I will let you guys know what i think about it, it just has to be released here first.

Screens: Nintendo announces and releases a ton of screenshots for new 3DS titles

Ever heard the term " when it rains, it pours"? Well Nintendo has apparantly heard it and thought it would be funny to compile all sorts of Screenshots for new upcoming games and release them all at once, this is the result:

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy

Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D

Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins

Well this one is'nt really new, but hey, more screens = better screens right?

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros.

Professor Layton And The Azran Legacy

Yoshi's Island (working title)

Pikmin 3

New Super Luigi U

Mario Party (working title)

Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move

Mario Golf: World Tour