Majesco has announced that customers who pre-order their upcoming Hulk Hogan’s Main Event wrestling title from Gamestop stores will receive a special t-shirt as a bonus. The game is due out this October and is the first wrestling title to be totally-dependent on the Xbox 360 console with Kinect sensor for what they are calling a “full-body wrestling experience”. The game features over 50 special moves and in-game coaching by Hogan himself.
Blizzard Entertainment and Gallery Books have announced the release of the latest World of Warcraft novel, Wolfheart. The book is available in both brick-and-mortar as well as online retails and weighs in at 384 pages in length. It is penned by Richard A. Knaak, who is a veteran fantasy novel writer.
Wolfheart is the story of King Varian Wrynn’s struggle to accept the worgen of Gilneas into the Alliance — and come to terms with the wolf within himself. As the Horde threat emerges in Ashenvale, Varian’s ability to triumph over his own shortcomings will determine the fate of the Alliance itself.
Capcom has released a new trailer from the 2011 Tokyo Games Show for their upcoming Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, which is due out in North America on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms come November 15, 2011. It will also be hitting the PlayStation Vita in the future as well, though the trailer did not specify when.
Activision has released a new trailer for their upcoming Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2012, which is due out on September 27, 2011 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii platforms. The game once again puts players into the role of a big game hunter, trekking across the globe for your quarry.
Star Trek fans will be happy to know that William Shatner’s new documentary “The Captains”, which focuses on the lives and experiences of the various actors who have played the lead captains in the Star Trek universe, will be released on DVD come October 4, 2011 for a retail price of $19.98. I recently got a chance to watch this documentary when while at the San Diego Comic-Con and was very happy with the way it came out. Star Trek fans will gain a lot of cool insight into the actors – especially Avery Brooks, who is “a little out there”.
Rockstar Games has announced the Game of the Year Edition of their highly-acclaimed Western, Red Dead Redemption. The GOTY Edition is due out on October 11th, and will feature all of the available DLC packs and content for the game which has been released since the game’s launch in May of 2010.
“We wanted to create a world that captured the spirit of the Western,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “We are thrilled that Red Dead Redemption’s vision of the West resonated with so many people.”
Red Dead Redemption: Game of the Year Edition will include the full, original Red Dead Redemption game; all free and paid downloadable content packs released to date, including the wildly popular Undead Nightmare single- and multiplayer offerings; and all bonus content.
• Original Red Dead Redemption game with a brand-new hardcore single-player mode;
• Undead Nightmare single-player campaign and multiplayer* modes;
• Legends and Killers Pack*, featuring additional multiplayer map locations, multiplayer characters, and the Tomahawk projectile weapon;
• Liars and Cheats Pack*, including the Stronghold multiplayer competitive mode, Free Roam gambling games, multiplayer horse races with combat, and the Explosive Rifle.
• Hunting and Trading Outfits Pack, featuring two outfits with corresponding gameplay challenges for John Marston;
• Outlaws To The End Co-Op Mission Pack*, including six co-op missions for up to four players;
• All original pre-order content, including the Deadly Assassin Outfit, War Horse, and Golden Guns Weapon Pack;
• Solomon’s Folly single-player gang hideout and challenges available for the first time on Xbox 360;
• Just-released Myths and Mavericks Bonus Pack, featuring fan-favorite multiplayer characters and all-new locations to battle in.
Bohemia Interactive has released a new video slideshow of the military portion from their upcoming Take On Helicopters. The game features both civilian and military missions, although most of the game’s info has been regarding the civilian portion of the game.
Wargaming.net has announced that the website for their upcoming online naval multiplayer game, World of Battleships, has gone live. The website features trailers, screenshots, and more.
“We’re excited to launch World of Battleships website,” said Wargaming.net CEO Victor Kislyi. “We want to make it home for all those in love with naval battles and WWII-era warships.”
In the new Tropico 4, players take on the mantle of “El Presidente” in their very own third-world, island nation. Players are tasked with building industry, entertainment, and tourism structures (as well as a plethora of other building categories) in the hopes of making their nation as successful as possible. Unlike some sim-lite titles, Tropico 4 tasks players with doing this smartly. Players must think-out their designs, placing garages (which are responsible for housing and maintaining vehicles) as well as Teamster Offices (who are responsible for moving goods around) where strategically advantageous. This is only one small example, however, as the game also features a complex, yet easily-accessible foreign trade system which can give players insight into what goods will be most beneficial to import and export.
On the political end, players will have to decide what kind of leader they will want to be if they hope to stave off revolucíon! If a player rules with an open hand instead of an iron first, they will want to make sure to balance the needs of the various factions under their rule. For example, issuing a contraception band edict – you will increase faction with the religious but lose faction with the intellectuals. By keeping everyone as happy as possible, you will be in a much better place to be re-elected as leader. If players choose to go with the iron fist option, and there is a lot of fun to be found in governing this way, players will have to bribe factions as well as keep a strong military and begin anti-insurgent operations. Speaking of the military, foreign powers such as the United States and Russia are always entities to be careful of. If either side decides they dislike the way you rule, you could be facing an invasion! So, why not research a nuclear program and give them a moment of pause before committing troops! Additional factors to take into account while governing range from ecological impact to fostering a tourism industry. Tourists can be a huge source of income to your nation (and your Swiss bank accounts). Additionally, the game boasts a cool new ministry system where players appoint skilled Tropicans into various cabinet posts to help provide guidance as well as benefit their respective departments (education, etc).
Visually, Tropico 4 is not only the best-looking game in the series yet, but simply a beautiful game to behold in general. There are lush island landscapes with tons of detailed environmental features – not to mention the beautifully-detailed buildings available for construction. A lot of it looks like a more highly-detailed version of Tropico 3, but that is not a bad thing. The audio design in Tropico 4 deserves some definite kudos. Not only is there a fun tropical soundtrack, which effectively sets the tone for the entire gameplay experience, but there is also a ton of ambient sound effects and civilian dialogue which will give you clues as to your performance.
Overall, Tropico 4 is the sleekest and most-elegant of the series, with new challenges for series veterans as well as a brilliant tutorial mode for newcomers looking to forge their own dictatorship.
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Originally released for the Xbox LIVE Arcade and later on the PlayStation Network, Vanguard Games new top-down shooter, Gatling Gears is now available for the Windows PC platform (on EA’s Origin service). The game is set in the Mistbound IP (which is also where the strategy game Greed Corp. is set). Gatling Gears puts players in command of a two-legged walker equipped with Gatling guns, cannons, and grenade launchers. The goal of each mission is simple: move your walker (using WASD) while aiming and firing (using the mouse) through the various levels, dispatching any enemies along the way. You collect gold for upgrading your Gatling gear, and will run into several boss battles and ambushes on your adventure. The game, while simple and a bit repetitive, definitely has a fun quality about it that kept me playing for a long while. This game is most fun when played coop with a friend who will also command a Gatling gear. The action can get pretty hot and heavy, sometimes throwing so much on the screen at once it is hard to determine where your Gatling gear is amongst the carnage.
Visually, Gatling Gears is an attractive title, especially in its weapon effects and explosion effects. The characters and models all stay true to the Mistbound IP and, if you played Greed Corp., you will definitely feel like you are in the same game universe. In the sound department, the game does an adequate job of bringing the environments to life with ambient noises as well as the sounds of combat.
Overall, Gatling Gears is a fun, albeit sometimes-repetitive top-down shooter which excels when played in coop mode.
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