Deus Ex "Missing Link" DLC Out Today - 1200 MP ($15)

Deus Ex: Human Revolution's new, highly anticipated DLC "Missing Link" is out today! You can get your Deus Ex on for $15, or 1200MP .

Minecraft: Pocket Edition To Grace Your Android On Sept 29th!

Minecraft: Pocket Edition will soon grace your soon-to-be-even-more-beloved Android devices in just three days. Three days! While the game may be just a build-and-construct version of the main game, it will still feature multiplayer across your local wireless network (Wi-fi). The game will probably be in the same ballpark cost as the Xperia Play version, at $6.99. 

On August 16, 2011, Minecraft – Pocket Edition was released exclusively for the Xperia Play for $6.99 USD.
The first, and current, version of the software concentrates on the creative building aspect of the game, and allows for multiplay across a local wireless network

Source: Mojang Twitter, Wikipedia

Modern Warfare 3 Themed Xbox 360 Exposed

MjolnirX - Major Nelson has announced a new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3-themed Xbox 360. It will, of course, be the super-sized 320GB model, and will come with two themed wireless controllers. The Xbox also has custom sounds for powering on and opening the disc tray, like the now-delayed Star Wars-themed Xbox 360. If having a gun-metal gray console is going to clash with your carefully-selected TV stand in your Feng Shui-arranged house, fear not. The controllers will be available separately for $60, and will include download codes for in-game content not yet announced. 

Microsoft also announced an Xbox 360-themed Bluetooth headset which will be $70, and will also come with an exclusive download code for DLC. This may be to compete with Turtle Beach's themed headsets. The bundle also includes, of course, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and a month of free Xbox Live Gold. 

This monster bundle will cost $399, which isn't too bad of a deal, but it seems like a long way to go for a new, probably unnecessary console. It is due out on November 8th, 2011.  

Source: Major Nelson

Street Fighter III: Third Strike Getting DLC

Castrum - The re-release of Street Fighter III: Third Strike will be getting its first taste of DLC soon, with Color Pack 1 ($3.00) showing up the week of September 6th. This pack adds 7 new colors for each character.

Within the next month or so, a few more packs will be showing up: Music Packs, Unlock Keys, and a few Match Packs, which consist of spectator-view matches from a tournament Capcom held with expert commentary.

Source: Capcom Unity

Red Dead Redemption "Myths And Mavericks" DLC Out September 13th

MjolnirX - Rockstar Games has announced the release date for Red Dead Redemption's "Myths & Mavericks Bonus Pack". The DLC will be available on September 13th, and will feature new locations such Chochinay, Nekoti Rock and Beecher's Hope. New characters will also be available for play as well.

See below for the full details:

Today, we're happy to announce that the previously announced FREE Red Dead Redemption Myths & Mavericks Bonus Pack will be available for download to everyone on PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE in less than two weeks, September 13th 2011.

This completely free Bonus Pack DLC is our token of appreciation for all the amazing Red Dead fans out there especially those who are keeping online multiplayer as busy and as fun as ever, (especially when we turn on the extra XP). Myths and Mavericks will include a whole bunch of new fan-favorite multiplayer characters from the single-player story, as well as new multiplayer locations including Cochinay, Nekoti Rock and Beecher's Hope, plus new Stronghold games in Armadillo, Tumbleweed, and Chuparosa. The full list of locations, modes and characters is below. Stay tuned for some first screens of the new characters in their multiplayer glory and in the new map locations in the coming weeks leading up to the Pack's release.

Maps/Modes (bolded locations are brand new to multiplayer)
Cochinay – Gold Rush, Shootout, Gang Shootout, Stronghold
Nekoti Rock – Gold Rush, Shootout, Gang Shootout
El Presidio – Gold Rush, Shootout, Gang Shootout
Plainview – Gold Rush, Shootout, Gang Shootout
Gaptooth Mine – Shootout, Gang Shootout
Pike’s Basin – Shootout, Gang Shootout
Perdido – Hold Your Own, Grab the Bag
Benedict Point – Hold Your Own, Grab the Bag
Beecher’s Hope - Stronghold
Torquemada - Stronghold
Armadillo - Stronghold
Chuparosa - Stronghold
Rio Bravo - Shootout, Gang Shootout
Tumbleweed - Stronghold

New Multiplayer Characters
Landon Ricketts
Vicente DeSanta
Drew MacFarlane
Deputy Eli
Deputy Jonah
Javier Esquella
Nastas
Uncle

Source: Rockstar 

Hard Reset Release Date/Specs Announced

Castrum - Hard Reset, the indie FPS-RPG that looks like a AAA game, will be out on Steam on September 13th for $30.

Here's the Specs your PC will need to run it:

MINIMUM:
OS: Windows XP/Vista/7
Processor: 2.5 GHz Intel Pentium 4 / AMD Athlon 64
RAM: 2 GB
Graphics card: 512 MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800GS / ATI Radeon HD 3870 or better
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
DirectX: DirectX 9.0c
Hard Drive: 4 GB free hard drive space

RECOMMENDED:
OS: Windows XP/Vista/7
Processor: Intel Quad Core 2.3 GHz / AMD Phenom II x4 2.5 GHz
RAM: 3 GB
Graphics card: 512 MB NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT / ATI Radeon HD 4870 or better
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
DirectX: DirectX 9.0c
Hard Drive: 4 GB free hard drive space

Source: Kotaku

Next Professor Layton Game To Include Bonus RPG, Tetris Coming To 3DS

Castrum - Professor Layton and the Last Specter, slated for release October 17th on the DS, also comes with a bonus RPG, Professor Layton's London Life, which unlike the original Japanese release does not need to be unlocked.

In addition to this, a new Tetris game is coming to the 3DS on October 7th, called Tetris: Axis (swastika tetris anyone?), which features the usual accoutrements of multiplayer, gimmick functionality and what-not.

Source: Joystiq

Gears Of War 3 Getting $30 Season Pass, First DLC In November

Castrum - Gears of War 3 will be getting an L.A. Noire-like Season Pass, available for $30 on Xbox Live, which grants access to the first four of GoW3's DLC from launch onwards. According to Microsoft, this will equate to a 33% discount compared to buying all four individually (which means each will cost 800 Points/$10 on their own, meaning you will save the cost of one entire DLC).

This pass goes up on Live on September 20th, and comes with a "Liquid Metal" weapon set. The first DLC in this pack will be released sometime in November.

Source: Joystiq

Twisted Metal Reboot Out On Valentine's Day

Castrum - I imagine I may enjoy this more than I enjoyed the others in the series. They were fun for a while when you had friends over, but they got old fast:

Twisted Metal hits on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14 2012, David Jaffe said today over on the Playstation Blog. Prepare for the heartbreak.

http://kotaku.com/5834353/twisted-metal-hits-valentines-day-for-the-lovers

Machine Gun Jetpack Now Jetpack Joyride, Releases On Sept 1st

MjolnirX - So it seems that Halfbrick's Machine Gun Jetpack's name was too in-your-face awesome and had to be renamed to stop people from whining and complaining about the word "gun" in a game. God forbid! So now we have the more family-appropriate Jetpack Joyride. The game is due out on September 1st, 2011 on iOS devices:

A FRESH NAME FOR HALFBRICK'S NEW MOBILE TITLE


Barry Steakfries' Next Adventure Set to Take Off on September 1


BRISBANE, Australia - August 22, 2011 - Australian developer Halfbrick -- the talented studio behind the award-winning and best-selling Fruit Ninja franchise -- today unveiled a new name for Barry Steakfries's much-anticipated upcoming arcade action game -- Jetpack Joyride. The game is scheduled for release on September 1, 2011, as a universal release for mobile iOS platforms (iPhone and iPad).


Jetpack Joyride, previously known as Machine Gun Jetpack, features wildly inventive and creatively propelled jetpacks that the player must guide through obstacles while collecting coins, jumping in wacky vehicles and generally running amok! Jetpacks include the legendary Machine Gun Jetpack, but notable new additions include the Steam, Rainbow and Bubble Jetpack, and, for all the sea life fanatics, the Shark Head Jetpack.


"Jetpack Joyride is easily the biggest mobile game we've ever made. It's action-packed but still very accessible to players of all ages." said Phil Larsen, chief marketing officer at Halfbrick. "We took advantage of our strengths as designers to create gameplay and touch-screen input that can be understood within seconds, but the additional layers of content will keep players occupied for hours."


Jetpack Joyride will skyrocket players into the latest adventure featuring the lovable and mischievous hero Barry Steakfries, who captured hearts and blasted monsters in the previous Halfbrick mobile games, Age of Zombies and Monster Dash. To date the Steakfries franchise has reached over 1 million downloads worldwide.


In Jetpack Joyride, Barry has broken into an evil science laboratory and commandeered an experimental machine gun-propelled jetpack, which he immediately straps to his back to make good his escape. With the world's most advanced and ridiculous technologies slung over his shoulders, Barry must avoid booby traps, electrical fields, laser missiles and more as he races out of the lab while riding a downpour of bullets, bubbles, lasers and rainbows.


In the latest game development video, Halfbrick staff discuss the new name while showcasing the gameplay and extra content that has now made Jetpack Joyride a AAA mobile game.


As the launch of Jetpack Joyride approaches, fans can tune in each week to Halfbrick's YouTube channel (youtube.com/halfbrickstudios) for additional developer diaries leading up to Barry Steakfries' triumphant return.


For more information about Halfbrick and Jetpack Joyride, please visit:
http://www.halfbrick.com.


Check out the latest game development video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwEHBSbf1_I


Check out the Jetpack Joyride's Facebook fan page at: http://www.facebook.com/jetpackjoyride


About Halfbrick
Founded in 2001, Halfbrick has been on the forefront of the Australian game development industry for more than a decade. After years of experience developing licensed titles for platforms such as Game Boy® Advance, Nintendo DS™ and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), the studio has begun expanding its portfolio with a range of original self-published games for downloadable platforms. In 2010, Halfbrick became one of the most well known independent developers in the world with the success of Fruit Ninja, Monster Dash and Age of Zombies on mobile devices, and other releases such as Raskulls and Fruit Ninja Kinect on Xbox LIVE® Arcade. The studio continues to create fun and unique games and looks to explore new opportunities and technologies in the world of casual games development.

Serious Sam 3 Coming To PC October 18th

Castrum - Not sure if I'll like this one. Serious Sam 2 was a bit of a dud:

The Good Book tells us that thou shalt not suffer a GIANT SCORPION MAN THING to live -- and fortunately for us all, we won't have to suffer for much longer. Croteam and Devolver Digital have announced that their upcoming arcadey shooter, Serious Sam 3: BFE, will arrive on PC on October 18, meaning we're a little under two months from fulfilling the mandate of the aforementioned, completely made-up scripture.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/23/serious-sam-3-bfe-headlessly-heads-to-pc-on-oct-18/

Nintendo Surprise-Announces Another Game

Castrum - Though I should be used to Nintendo doing this by now, it always annoys me when I think I have my end-of-the-year buying plan readied and then they announce a game's release two months later:

Nintendo's announcement of its PAX offerings includes a surprise bit of news. Kirby Wii has officially had its name changed to Kirby's Return to Dream Land, and it's been given a release date of October 24.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/23/kirby-returns-to-dream-land-on-oct-24-after-a-stop-at-pax/

Driver: San Francisco Launching As Both A Retail Game And As A Downloadable

Castrum - While chances are this game will suck ass, this is certainly a milestone for gaming in general, as most publishers wouldn't dare risk GameStop's wrath:

A full downloadable version of Driver: San Francisco will arrive on PSN alongside the retail version of the game, Ubisoft's Gareth Edmonson revealed during a Gamescom panel last week. That's right: In what's likely to be our favorite irony of the month, you don't have to actually drive anywhere to buy the new Driver.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/22/driver-san-francisco-to-be-offered-as-full-download-on-psn/

LittleBigPlanet 2: Rise Of The Cakeling DLC

Castrum - LBP2's Move-enabled DLC is coming out September 14th.

As for what it entails: 

What else do you get? Take it away, Don Pardo:

• A new powerup for Sackboy: The Brain Crane

• 4 Interactive Music Tracks

• 8 Music Sequencer Tracks

• A new Sound Object containing 32 new sounds

• 17 new Music Sequencer Instruments

• A new level background

• 6 New Costumes

• 18 Materials

• 41 Decorations

• 13 Objects

• 66 Stickers

• 39 new LittleBigPlanet Pins

• 11 brand new PlayStation Trophies

http://kotaku.com/5832892/rise-of-the-cakeling-littlebigplanet-2s-move+enabled-dlc-arrives-sept-14

Kinectimals: Now With Bears! Launch Date Announced

MjolnirX - The new Kinectimals: Now With Bears! game from Microsoft Studios and Frontier Development has an official launch date: October 11th, 2011. The game is being released as both a stand-alone disc and a downloadable game: 

In Kinectimals, players can interact with virtual animals in a manner akin to pets. Gameplay includes activities such as teaching tricks to the animal, guiding the animal around an obstacle course, and free-form play.

Binary Domain Out On February 14th

Castrum - SEGA's new cover-based shooter game has a release date: February 14th, 2012.

Not sure if this one will be good or not. Seems to follow the traditional Japanese route of Mechs, zombies, and a generic storyline:

Sega confirmed with hugs and kisses at Gamescom that Binary Domain will arrive February 14 and 17 in North America and Europe, respectively. The squad-based action game for Xbox 360 and PS3, by Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi, allows players to command their team via controller or voice commands.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/binary-domain-marks-february-14-launch/

DeathSpank: The Baconing Coming August 31st

Castrum - I enjoyed DeathSpank 1 and 2, so I'll likely be picking this one up. Hopefully it can help tide me over until Skyrim... hopefully:

...even though he'll be involved with a big PSN promotion when he launches on Aug. 30, he's not going to make 360 owners wait for him. That's the sort of thing the old Deathspank would have done. The new Deathspank is going to get up the very next day, put on six multicolored thongs and launch on XBLA on Aug. 31.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/the-baconing-begins-on-aug-31-on-xbla/

Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword Out On November 20th

Castrum - Looking forward to this one, though it might conflict with Skyrim:

It would have been a blue Christmas without a new Zelda title under our Christmas Wii, but Nintendo comes through in the nick of the time, announcing a November 20 release date for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

http://kotaku.com/5831703/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-takes-flight-in-november

Dark Souls Delayed

Castrum - Looks like Dark Souls has been delayed a week from its prior release date, to September 22nd.

Personally, I enjoyed what little I played of my Hong Kong International version of Demon's Souls, but I never got around to playing any more of it. Not sure if I'm picking this one up.

http://kotaku.com/5828588/this-years-hardest-game-has-been-delayed-briefly

Resident Evil 4 HD, Code Veronica Release Dates Revealed

MjolnirX - Resident Evil 4 HD and Resident Evil: Code Veronica have finally had their release dates announced. Resident Evil 4 HD will be landing in the US on September 20th, 2011, while Resident Evil: Code Veronica will be seeing a release date on September 27th, 2011.

Resident Evil 4 HD and Resident Evil: Code Veronica will be download-only on XBLA and PSN, but they will feature all of the bonus content from the previous console versions, such as the "Separate Ways" epilogue.