Seems everything happens for a reason and that the discounted price that happened yesterday for Scott Pilgrim vs The World game on XBLA wasn’t a coincidence. Today Ubisoft has announced new downloadable character and game modes available for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. The download is priced at $2 and includes the new playable ‘Knives ChauÂ’ character, as well as two new game modes: Battle Royale (for player vs player) and Dodge Ball. In addition, Ubisoft will also offer a free patch alongside the DLC, which upgrades the playerÂ’s original gameplay to co-op. That will allow players to drop in and out of co-op from the campaign.
The DLC is available for PSN today while Xbox Live Arcade will receive it later this month. A little more to wet your appetite is the newly released trailer for the DLC. Enjoy!
After Xbox’s Kinect update on November 1, the Indie XBLA menu was moved to a more secluded “Specialty Shops” section in one of the game menus. With indie developers up at arms and consumers complaining about the seclusion of these “specialty” games, Microsoft has fixed the misplacement of the Indie Games section and moved the section back under the Games and Demos menu. So far Microsoft hasn’t released any official statements about the move back to the original spot, but with them fixing the problem so quickly after the update, I’m pretty sure a,”My bad” is in order.
Sony has always marketed some of the best audio and video products in the electronics industry, and with new technology and innovations come new products. Soon enough Sony will be releasing a new version of the PS3 Bluetooth Headset. The new version of the PS3 branded bluetooth headset will have up to six hours of talk time, dual microphones for noise filtering (not noise canceling), high quality mode, charging cradle that can hook up to your PC to be used as a stand alone microphone, much more compact compared to the first PS3 headset, and last but not least can be used as a cell phone headset. All of this just time for voice chat for the Playstation Home on November 14 with the 1.4 update for Playstation. If you’re in need of a new wireless headset this may be one of the many to get, and it can make a great stocking stuffer for the gamer in your life (possibly yourself).
Scott and the gang are swinging back hard this week. Scott Pilgrim vs the Wold is on Xbox 360 Market Place for a discounted price of 400MS points ($5) rather than the original price of 800MS points ($10). The discount goes until Monday November 14th, so everyone has a week to scrounge up all their loose change to get this great game and help Scott defeat Ramona’s seven evil ex’s.
Rock Band 3 has been one of the most hyped music games of the year, mostly because of the new features it adds to the series. The biggest addition being keyboards which gives an entirely new instrument that gamers can learn to play. The other major addition to the series is Pro Mode which allows players to actually learn how to play their instruments.
When Rock Band 3 was first announced many gamers wondered how the series was going to grow, the music genre has not had a major update since the original game. Ever since the original Rock Band fans have wanted the inclusion of keyboards in the series and they are getting it with Rock Band 3. The other major feature that was announced for Rock Band 3 was Pro Mode which was supposed to take players a step closer to learning how to play a real instrument.
At first glance Rock Band 3 might not seem that different than the others in the series, the graphics are pretty much the same and the interface although improved doesn’t seem that different either. However once players spend some time with the game they’ll quickly realize that Rock Band 3 is a major update to the Rock Band series. However it depends on players how much they want to put into this experience. Most gamers by now at least have some sort of guitar controller and some probably even have a drum set too, so unlike previous entries in the series there is going to be a lot more people who are just going to buy the game, however those who do this will not be experiencing any of the major new features to Rock Band 3. For those who want to get the keyboard a bundle package is being sold with the instrument and just the game, but even this new bundle pack doesn’t give you the entire Rock Band 3 experience, for those who want to experience Pro Mode on guitar they are going to have to buy the $150 Pro Guitar controller.
The Keyboard adds a lot of new gameplay to the Rock Band series, although play keyboard in the regular mode is very easy and requires little from the player the Pro Mode of the keyboard is where it’s real experience is. Playing keyboard is fairly difficult to learn at first but with time and effort from the player they can really start to feel like a real keyboardist and the best part is they kind of become one since they’re playing the actual notes to the song. So if anything keyboard is surprisingly fun to play and does a good job of adding a new gameplay type to the series. One important thing to mention however is that none of the previous Rock Band songs support keyboard.
The other new addition to Rock Band 3 is the use of the new Pro Guitar which is fairly close to being a real guitar, it has six string you can play however buttons are on the frets, so it’s still not exactly a real guitar. This is what becomes the main question of Rock Band 3, do you want to spend money on the game and $150 for a guitar that is still not quite real? The Pro Guitar is so close to being real that it really does become a question of whether or not you should spend the money for this or to simply pick up an actual guitar. However for those who do decide they want to invest in Pro Mode then you will get a very full featured mode. The game really teaches you how to play chords and with enough time players will be able to play full songs on guitar.
The game itself is a big upgrade from the other entries in the series, the career mode now is not like the world map in the games. Instead there are challenges that players have to complete, this might sound like a change for the worst but it actually ends up being a lot more fun then the other style. The other major aspect of Rock Band 3 to mention is the song themselves, Rock Band 3 is probably the best overall song list in the series. There are plenty of classic rock songs and a fair amount of even pop rock songs that are even fun to play.
Overall Rock Band 3 is probably the best music game, it adds a new instrument and a new Pro Mode which is difficult but lets players take the next step in learning how to play actual instruments. However the cost of Rock Band 3 starts to become a problem if you want to experience everything. If you do decide you want to do everything in Rock Band 3 then you’re going to have a music game that becomes an experience that no other game can provide.
To kick off the gaming… I mean holiday season, Amazon has listed Medal of Honor as Deal of the Day at the low price of $39.99! That’s not just the only deal today either, all day long Amazon has listed different HDTV’s, laptop/netbooks, and other electronic goods for really low prices, the only catch is you have to wait for the time frame of when it goes on sale. So be sure to check out Amazon deals, and happy shopping.
Electronic Arts has announced a new addition to the Battlefield lineup of games, Battlefield Play4Free. The new Battlefield seems to be a more mature version of Battlefield compared to the previous Battlefield Heroes. Currently the game is in closed beta, with up to a 32 player matches, vehicular combat, and sandbox gameplay. If any of you readers have played Battlefield 2, you may feel right at home and familiar with all the surroundings on some of the maps and guns. As you can tell from the name itself there will be no charge for you to download and play the game, but EA is banking on micro-transactions in the game to produce some type of income. If you’re accepted into the beta expect to Play4Free at the end of November on PC’s.
Hulu Plus will be available for download for regular PSN members next week, not just PSN+ members. The app was available for download back in July to PSN_ members, next week’s download will be updated with some of the feedback that Hulu received since the first put out the service. Hulu Plus will still need the $9.99 subscription if you want to take full advantage of the service. The Hulu team will hopefully be bringing new features and content to the service soon so stay tuned.
The idea of a Halloween based game doesn’t quickly come to mind. Holiday theme based games more then likely come out being a niche experience. However the devs over at Double Fine have found a way to bring out our inner child in all of us again in Costume Quest. From the minds that bought us Psychonauts and Brutal Legends comes the teams first venture in downloadable games but does it succeed?
First off this isn’t your run in the mill holiday theme’d game. You probably think since its halloween that you’ll go trick or treating and actually that part is true but the game takes you on an adventure of imagination. You start off as one of the twins Wren and Reynold on Halloween night in their suburban home. One becomes in charge of the other while they go trick or treating but something goes horribly wrong. While visiting houses your twin (the one you don’t choose) is mistaken for a large piece of candy and is kidnapped by a monster who takes them to headquarters. With the help of some friends from the Suburbs and Mall you encounter along the way, it becomes your duty to go save them.
The game is an RPG and the battle system is simple enough but you might be scratching your head wondering how they fight monsters? Well with the power of imagination the group can turn what looks to be a plastic costume with a sword, into a full fledge 20 feet tall fighter. Costumes can be collected throughout the game for different fighters and attributes. Each costume also has an ability outside of battle that can be used, for example the robot suit gives you the ability to skate fast, while the knight will use his shield to protect you from rain. Customization options are not something you will get in this game as leveling up will only increase HP and power, while items can only be equipped one at a time by the way of Sadie’s Stamp Stand.
Visually the game has a great cartoonish flair in a 3D atmosphere. Colors pop, nothing takes its self serious and the battle animations are a good time. The special moves in battle are also worth mentioning, with the robot firing all missiles and the statue of liberty using its healing abilities, its the best animation in the game. Collecting items and costumes is enjoyable however the game only spans across three areas and feels very short. Once you explore the suburbs, mall, and countryside you think you have a full grasp on the game and are ready to take it to its heels but then its over. We weren’t particularly fond of the auto-save feature as well as impulse savers and collectors will have to find the next part of a mission or item quest for an auto-save to kick in.
Costume Quest is a really good time and we’re surprised it didn’t get more of a buzz upon its release. The game is funny, has a fun battle system, decent story and is cute as hell to look at. While the price tag of 1200 MS points on Xbox live arcade or $15 on PSN seems a bit high for the short adventure its still something to experience as we would love more in the future. Everyone should definitely try this game out.
