Valve Software has announced the first DLC pack for their new puzzle adventure, Portal 2. The DLC pack will be available this Summer and be FREE for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows PC platforms. It promises new test chambers for players, leaderboards, challenge mode for single and multiplayer modes, and more.
Harmonix announced today their next set of songs that will be available for download on May 3rd. Spanning the 80’s and 90’s, this six pack of tracks has a lot of variety to offer players. Next week’s track pack will include hits from The Culture Club, Phish, Faith No More, Stone Temple Pilots and Loverboy.
This track pack will include three songs from the 80’s, Loverboy’s hit “Working for the Weekend” and The Culture Club’s “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me”. Loverboy’s offering to this track pack came out in 1981 on their album, Get Lucky, while Culture Club’s offering was a massive hit in 1982, off of their album, Kissing to be Clever. Also from the 80’s, Faith No More squeezes into the decade with their 1989 release, “From out of Nowhere”, off of their monster hit album, Epic.
From the 90’s, Harmonix is offering two hits from Phish and one from Stone Temple Pilots. “Stash” and “Tweezer” will be on next week’s track pack from Phish’s 1992 album, A Picture of Nectar. Stone Temple Pilots song, “Big Bang Baby”, from their 1996 release, Tiny Music, rounds out the six pack of tracks.
As always, songs available as downloadable content for Rock Band 3 feature five-button guitar and bass parts, drums, Pro Drums, and keys, Pro Keys and harmonies, where applicable. Some songs also feature Pro Guitar and Pro Bass upgrades available for an additional $0.99 upgrade download.
Available on Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation®3 system (May 3):
(These tracks will be available in Europe on PlayStation®3 system May 4)
These tracks will be available for purchase as individual tracks on Xbox 360, PlayStation®3 system and Wii. Tracks marked with “X” will include Pro Guitar and Pro Bass expansions for $0.99 per song.
Price:
$1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU (160 Microsoft Points) per song
$2.00USD (200 Wii Points™) per song
$0.99 USD (100 Wii Points/80 Microsoft Points), £0.59 UK, €0.79 EU per song for eligible Pro Guitar/Pro Bass upgrade
LucasArts has released a new trailer for their upcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, which shows the evolution of the Sith Warrior class as he evolves throughout the game. Star Wars: The Old Republic is due out on Windows PCs and allows players to take part in the Star Wars universe with multiple character paths and interactions available.
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From A PSN Hacker Website
According to Mashable, various unconfirmed sources are circulating word that 2.2 million credit card numbers may be going up for sale. They claim that a security worker at Trend Micro has received intelligence that a hacker has a copy of the PSN database and is willing to sell it off for “upwards of $100,000”. This intelligence apparently came from a discussion on a criminal forum group, but no DB has materialized yet to prove its existence.
We will keep you up to date on this story as it unfolds.
Electronic Arts has released a new video developer diary for their upcoming third-person horror-shooter, Shadows of the Damned. Due out on June 21st, 2011 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms. Shadows of the Damned puts players into the boots of a demon hunter who travels to Hell in order to save his beloved.
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Zen Studios and Marvel have announced that the Fantastic Four are coming to Marvel Pinball. The Fantastic Four downloadable content pack will be available on May 17th for the PlayStation Network and May 18th for the Xbox LIVE Arcade. The DLC pack will integrate into the Pinball FX2 platform on Xbox LIVE Arcade, and Marvel Pinball platform on PlayStation Network and feature new achievements and trophies.
Autodesk has released a new physics-based game for the iOS platform called TinkerBox, which hopes to inspire player interest in physics and mechanical engineering. TinkerBox retails for FREE on the Apple App Store for iOS devices.
“TinkerBox exposes players to math and engineering principles in an engaging and light-hearted way,” said Samir Hanna, vice president, Consumer Products, Autodesk. “Extending the app to iPhone and iPod touch was a natural step in our quest to make science and engineering more fun, accessible and appealing to young people and adults alike.”
NCsoft has announced its plans to celebrate the 7th anniversary of their superhero MMO, City of Heroes. The MMO has had 20 content updates and 2 full expansion packs over the course of it’s seven year-run, and the anniversary events are will be both in-game as well as full dev chats. You can find out more on the events including details on the developer chat over at the official CoH website.
n-Game Meet and Greet with the Devs!
It wouldn’t be an Anniversary celebration without the opportunity for us to thank you, our players, in person so join us at the following times in Pocket D on Union for European players and the Training Rooms for our North American players for a celebratory Meet & Greet!
Union – 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. British Summer Time (18:00 – 21:00 Central European Summer Time), Thursday, April 28, 2011*: once you’ve created a new character, head over to Atlas Park, under the Atlas statue, Mercy Island, next to Kalinda, and Nova Praetoria, next to Praetor Duncan, where representatives of the Community team will be able to teleport you all the way to Pocket D thanks to their mighty Community gathering powers!
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. British Summer Time (18:00 – 19:00 Central European Summer Time) – Nate “Second Measure” Birkholz and Matt “Positron” Miller
6:00 – 7:00 p.m. British Summer Time (19:00 – 20:00 Central European Summer Time) – Daryl “Arbiter Oates” Hall, Sean “Dr. Aeon” McCann and John “Protean” Hegner
7:00 – 8:00 p.m. British Summer Time (20:00 – 21:00 Central European Summer Time) – Tim “Black Scorpion” Sweeney, Chris “Baryonyx” Behrens and Jeff “Arbiter Hawk” Hamilton.
NA Training Room – 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time (7pm-10pm Eastern Time), Thursday, April 28, 2011*4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time (7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time) – Nate “Second Measure” Birkholz and Matt “Positron” Miller
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time (8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time) – Tim “Black Scorpion” Sweeney, Chris “Baryonyx” Behrens and Jeff “Arbiter Hawk” Hamilton
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time (9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time) – Daryl “Arbiter Oates” Hall Sean “Dr. Aeon” McCann and John “Protean” Hegner.
*In some cases (and depending on availability), certain Developers may stay beyond their scheduled ‘appearance’ times.If you don’t currently have a copy of your character on The Training Room, make sure to do it in advance so that you can pay the Devs a visit!
Electronic Arts has released a new teaser trailer for an upcoming Need for Speed game titled Need for Speed: The Run. The Run takes on a high-stakes, ‘Cannonball Run’ style race across the country, from San Francisco to New York City. In the game, the player takes part in this race – no word yet on gameplay modes or specifics, save for a release date of November 18th, 2011.
From the official EA Vision YouTube Page:
It’s called The Run. An illicit, high-stakes race across the country. The only way to get your life back is to be the first from San Francisco to New York. No speed limits. No rules. No allies. All you have are your driving skills and sheer determination as you battle hundreds of the world’s most notorious drivers on the country’s most dangerous roads.
EA Sports has announced that, after tallying all the votes in their cover athlete voting sessions, Cleveland Brows running back Peyton Hillis will be the cover athlete for the upcoming Madden NFL 12. Hillis beat out other players such as Michael Vick and Ray Rice in the voting for the cover. Madden NFL 12 is scheduled for release on August 30th, 2011 on most major platforms.
“Our fans have responded in record-setting fashion to honor Peyton Hillis, and we’re extremely pleased to welcome him into an exclusive fraternity of NFL players to appear on the cover of the Madden NFL franchise,” said Anthony Stevenson, Senior Product Manager of EA SPORTS. “This year’s cover voting campaign with ESPN has sparked incredible debate and conversation amongst fans and NFL players, which is a testament to the interest in and anticipation for Madden NFL each year. The amount of support that Hillis generated nationally and within his home market of Cleveland was truly impressive.”
Madden NFL 12 promises enhancements in siz key areas: Playbooks and Gameplay; Presentation; Franchise and Superstar modes; Dynamic Player Performance; Madden Ultimate Team; and Online Communities.
Playbooks & Gameplay
o All-New Collision System: Now maintain full control of players up to the point of impact – from tackling to blocking – providing the most authentic collisions in franchise history. This new system uses a player’s momentum and over 100 new tackle animations, including 40 gang tackles, to provide more impactful hits, stolen tackles, and consecutive hit tackling.
o Advanced Defensive AI: Over 100 defensive A.I. enhancements resulting in the smartest Madden defense ever. Players in zone and man coverage will properly recognize and react to plays, including the ability to break out of assignments when appropriate, resulting in a defensive team that truly works together.
o Custom Playbooks: The #1 most requested feature by fans in recent years, allows you to build the ultimate game plan by modifying an existing playbook or creating your own by selecting up to 400 offensive or defensive plays from 75 different playbooks. Integrate your custom playbook into a game plan for use with the improved GameFlow system, which executes an authentic, situational game plan for you.
Presentation
o Broadcast Redefined: Experience NFL Sundays like never before with completely overhauled presentation, including 32 team-specific run outs featuring mascots and cheerleaders, over 500 dynamic broadcast cameras authentic to every NFL stadium, innovative “real” on-field cameras shot by expert NFL Films cameramen, and a network inspired new broadcast graphics package.
o Unprecedented On-Field Authenticity: Hundreds of visual improvements across all areas of the game including: new player equipment, helmet stickers, pylon and ball physics, a player degradation system that affects uniforms and helmets based on weather and field surface, 3D grass, and new player specific animations that showcase the personalities of each NFL player.
Franchise and Superstar Modes
o Franchise mode includes more than 100 new features and enhancements, including expanded rosters, an all-new rookie scouting system, a free-agent bidding system, and more.
o In Superstar mode, fans can now control the growth of their superstar with an all-new progression system that allows you to earn skill points by participating in practice and games. More details on Franchise and Superstar modes will be released on May 16.
Dynamic Player Performance
o Dynamic Player Performance is an all-new feature that creates unprecedented realism as a player’s skills and confidence will rise and fall based on his performance throughout a game or in Franchise mode, just like the real NFL. No two players will play the same in Madden NFL 12, and more details will be revealed at the E3 Expo on June 6.
Madden NFL Ultimate Team
o The perfect combination of Madden NFL Football, fantasy football, and trading cards comes to life in Madden NFL Ultimate Team. More information on how to earn, buy, auction, and trade players will be released on June 20.
Online Communities
o Online Communities will provide an all-new way for Madden NFL gamers to meet and play. More details will be released on July 25.
