November 2012

Battlefield 3: Aftermath Launch Trailer


Posted on November 28, 2012 by Les Major

As Rae pointed out yesterday, the new Battlefield 3 expansion has been released on PSN for BF3 Premium subscribers. Four new maps, three new modified vehicles, and a new scoped crossbow are included. Also the expansion adds the Scavenger game mode where gamers begin with only a pistol and must seek out more powerful weapons. The DLC is also available to non-subscribers at a cost of $14.99. The Xbox 360 and PC version for Premium subscribers is set to be released on December 4th. Meanwhile the regular release for non-subscribers will land on December 11th for PS3 and December 18th for Xbox 360 and PC.

Check out the action from these earthquake ravaged maps where you’ll be fighting for supremacy among the ruins in the launch trailer below:


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Twitter Explores Social Media’s Take On Women In The Video Game Industry


Posted on November 27, 2012 by Broken Joysticks

Social media has often served as a battleground for debates regarding political and economical arguments, but currently there is a long-standing outcry on Twitter that has breached a boiling point in the video game industry of which needed to be addressed; sexism and lack of feminine awareness in video games.

One of the biggest trends on Twitter currently has been the #1ReasonWhy hashtag, which surfaced this Tuesday, giving  a voice to the voiceless in the industry; female developers who have stepped forward in telling their short tales of sexism and misogyny in the workplace. A sad but absolute truth, revelations from a number of female developers explain that it is still an uphill battle in winning respect among their peers, and the sexist culture that permeates from within the business.Read More


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Etrian Odyssey IV English Trailer Released


Posted on November 27, 2012 by Les Major

Etrian Odyssey has always been a game series I’ve enjoyed. I miss the olden days of dungeon crawls like this and Etrian brings back even more of that magic letting me draw my own maps on my DS touch screen and label them too with items, treasure, monsters, etc.

The series is back again with the fourth installment this time on the 3DS! Looking bigger and better than ever. As the latest group of adventurers, which means if it’s anything like the last games the group you create, you’ll be arriving at Tharsis and setting out to reach the tree Yggdrasil to discover it’s secrets. It’s an Atlus import, it’s an RPG, you know this is going to rock! The game is set for release on February 26th, 2013.


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Wii U Demo Unit Displays Hit The Stores


Posted on November 27, 2012 by Les Major

Demo units for the Wii U have been hitting the stores and Ghostwalker from Darkain Arts Gamers checked the one pictured above out at Walmart. I’ve personally seen them at Best Buy so far. The display unit is limited, but hopefully in the near the future you’ll be able to do a lot more with it.Read More


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User Video Shows Off Improvements In Boom II BFG Edition


Posted on November 27, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

Doom 3 BFG Edition didn’t exactly set the world on fire when it launched last month. Promo’d on Bethesda’s official twitter feed this morning was an impressive user video that shows off some of these changes including some impressive lighting displays that really enhance the dark creepy corridors of the original.

For the uninitiated BFG Edition includes a remixed version of 2004’s Doom III including a brand new set of levels, polished graphics & reworked textures and game-play balance changes such as the ability to wield the flashlight while weilding your weapon of choice. It also includes the original Doom and Doom III with achievements (or trophies).

At press time this video doesn’t have many views but let’s change that, shall we?

[youtube id=”GbiqrhgcLFE” width=”600″ height=”350″]


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Battlefield 3 Expands With Aftermath DLC Tomorrow On PSN


Posted on November 27, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

Last year’s Battlefield 3 gets a little larger with the launch of the latest expansion, Aftermath, on the PlayStation 3 tomorrow in North America as long as you are a subscriber to the Battlefield 3 Premium service. Xbox 360 subscribers are going to have wait a week before joining in on the fun. None-Subscribers will be able to snag this add-on as a stand alone DLC for $14.99 on December 18th for Xbox 360 / PC and December 11th on PlayStation 3.

The Aftermath Expansion adds the following maps: Epicenter, Markaz Monolith, Azadi Palace and Talah Market. As well as several vehicles including the Phoenix, Barsuk and Rhino. Aftermath’s hook is that its content takes place in the epi-center of the 8.1 magntitude earthquake which kick-starts the game’s plot.


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Nintendo Mii’s Enjoy A Day In Toronto


Posted on November 27, 2012 by Les Major

To celebrate the launch of the Wii U, Nintendo has released this video of a bunch of Mii’s enjoying the day in Toronto. It shows them getting ready for the day and heading out to check out Nintendo’s latest console. They even stop by the Wii U truck. Darkain Arts Gamers has an article on the truck itself when it stopped by Hamilton, Ontario.

It’s a really cute video! How did launch day go for everyone else? Picked up your Wii U yet, or are you waiting for another shipment to come in? I’ve seen quite a few of the basic systems around stores that actually have stock, but otherwise it’s been pretty well sold out. As noted earlier, the system has sold over 475,000 units in it’s first week so I guess it’s safe to say all those new exciting features are a success!


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Canada Is Thinking Smaller With The Wii Mini On December 7


Posted on November 27, 2012 by Seung Lee

Nintendo has officially confirmed that Canada will be receiving the Wii Mini: a $99.99 version of the Wii, but with no GameCube compatibility, no Internet connectivity, and less size. The whole package will come with a red Nunchuk, a red Wiimote Plus controller, power adapter, sensor bar, and standard composite cable. Canadians can expect the Wii Mini to arrive on December 7, just in time for some early holiday shopping.

You can definitely tell that the Wii Mini is all about cashing in on the holiday shopping craze (note the red motif and cheap pricing). The strange thing is, however, that the Wii Mini (so far) will only be available in Canada this year. Will the rest of the world ever see the Wii Mini? Time will only tell, but I would rather save up, and put the cash towards a Wii U that can actually play both Wii and Wii U games, alongside a boatload of other features.

Check out Nintendo’s official announcement of the Wii Mini here.


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Street Fighter X Tekken | Review


Posted on November 27, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

Capcom’s fighting games have revitalized gamers’ interest in this once-dormant genre. Can they continue their success with a mash-up of two of the greatest fighting franchises in Street Fighter X Tekken? I got my mitts on the Vita version of the game and after spending several hours playing through the online, offline and extra modes I am ready to report on why you should or shouldn’t pick up Capcom’s latest.Read More


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New Super Mario Bros. 2 – Limited Time Free Levels


Posted on November 27, 2012 by Les Major

Free until February 1st 2013, you can pick up a set of classic Mario levels if you own New Super Mario Bros. 2! From the youtube video the levels seem to be chosen from the first Super Mario game and Super Mario Bros 3. There’s even an original Mario Bros moment in there too it looks like.

You can see all the details in the video below, including download instructions:


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Dishonored: Dunwall City Trials Comes December 11th


Posted on November 27, 2012 by Jesse Lord

Ready for a return trip through the city of Dunwall?  Hope so, as Bethesda have just announced the release date for Dunwall City Trials, the first DLC package to be released for the stealth assassination game Dishonored, which we had a great time reviewing earlier this year (seriously, it’s a great game – get it if you haven’t yet!).  Dunwall City Trials is not a storyline expansion, but rather a series of challenge maps.  Straight from Bethesda’s press release:

Dunwall City Trials will include 10 challenge maps that will test and track your combat, stealth and mobility skills. Creatively combine your supernatural abilities, weapons and gadgets to eliminate as many targets as possible, fight off waves of tallboys, guards, weepers and thugs, or take out targets in a non-stop run of drop assassinations. Dunwall City Trials also features a new set of achievements and trophies as well as a global online leaderboard.

The expansion pack is going to be released for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3, and will cost 400 Microsoft points or $4.99 for PC/PS3.  Will you be picking this up?  Let us know!


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Wii U U.S Sells 475 000 Units In First Week


Posted on November 26, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

Nintendo’s Wii U has dominated our frontpage over the last few weeks, especially after the system’s launch on the 18th. We finally have our first look at sales figures according to the NPD group and things are looking up for Nintendo’s next big thing.

The install base for the Wii U currently sits at 475,000 as of the 25th according to the Big N, not too shabby. Considering GameStop claimed to have 500,000 units already paid for by consumers, are there 100,000 Wii Us still unclaimed? That’s doubtful! With systems already fetching $500 or more on ebay demand is surely only going to increase as Christmas Day approaches.

Do you own a WiiU? If not are you going to pick up one once production picks up or the initial rush wears off? Let us know in the comments section!


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Fake WiiU Gamepad Auction Sat at 90K Before Being Pulled


Posted on November 26, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

File this one under the W.T.F category. Online gaming auctions can sometimes be a little ridiculous but surely this storefront selling cardboard facsimiles of a Wii U Gamepad is a joke.

All of the hubub started after sites like destructoid picked up on a now pulled Ebay Auction featuring a crudely drawn Wii U Gamepad penned onto a piece of cardboard that had bids over the $90,000! Since all of the press imitators have started to pop up, most of which can be yours for the low low cost of $9.99!

It is doubtful any of these auctions will result in a sale, then again Ebay is the site where someone bought a grilled cheese sandwich with a picture of the Virgin Mary on it.


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Ubisoft Were The Big Winners of Amazon’s Black Friday Weekend


Posted on November 26, 2012 by Broken Joysticks

With Black Friday sales currently being tallied up at the writing of this article, one fact has been confirmed, Ubisoft have been successful this past weekend on arguably the best online store on the Internet. According to data from Cowen & Company, the French video game company pulled away with massive sales this Black Friday weekend, with Just Dance and Assassin’s Creed III in the top 20. On record, the Just Dance franchise have always had a title at the top of the most sold game on Black Friday weekend, and this happenstance is no different.

December might just be 31 days, but it accounts to a quarter of annual video game software sales in the U.S., which are undoubtedly vital for publishers to factor in when capitalizing in on the days after Thanksgiving.

Other factors worth noting is ten Xbox 360 games made the top 20 list, the oldest game on the list is technically Gran Turismo 5 (XL Edition) as it was reduced to ten dollars for the weekend, and even the previous iteration of Just Dance for the Wii even squeezed onto the list.  This list of top sellers from Amazon.com are listed below.

Estimated top-selling video games on Amazon.com, as of November 23-25:

  • Just Dance 4 (Wii)
  • Assassin’s Creed III (Xbox 360)
  • Halo 4 (Xbox 360)
  • Assassin’s Creed III (PS3)
  • Dishonored (Xbox 360)
  • Madden NFL 13 (Xbox 360)
  • FIFA Soccer 13 (PS3)
  • FIFA Soccer 13 (Xbox 360)
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (Xbox 360)
  • Just Dance 4 (Xbox 360)
  • Madden NFL 13 (PS3)
  • Borderlands 2 (Xbox 360)
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (PS3)
  • Dishonored (PS3)
  • Gran Turismo 5 (PS3)
  • Dance Central 3 (Xbox 360)
  • Skylanders Giants (Wii)
  • God of War Saga (PS3)
  • Just Dance 3 (Wii)
  • Lego Lord of the Rings (Xbox 360)

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No Multiplayer for Bioshock Infinite


Posted on November 26, 2012 by Jason Bassett

Bioshock Infinite comes out in February of next year and we have been waiting for a long time for the latest game in the Bioshock series. Unfortunately, for most fans of the series, there will be NO multiplayer in Bioshock Infinite.

The news came from the head honcho over at Irrational Games: Ken Levine. A fan asked Ken over twitter if there was going to be a mutliplayer component, and this was his response:

RT @tha_don_101@IGLevine can you clear up whether or not Bioshock Infinite will have multiplayer modes? —Nope.

He was then followed up with another question to clarify the response:

RT @wolverine11111@IGLevine Does that mean nope it won’t or nope you can’t clear that issue up? –No multi.

As you can see, it seems like Bioshock Infinite will be only a single player experience. While it is disappointing that there may not be any co-operative play, it seems that Irrational is sticking with its roots here. Bioshock Infinite releases on February 26th, 2013.


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