No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise Release Date May 31, 2011

As I’ve said in a recent site video, No More Heroes is my favorite Wii property, and for a while that’s the exclusive platform the game series has been delegated to.  Last year, the game was re-released in Japan for the next generation consoles with HD graphics and new options, but the US publisher of No More Heroes had no interest in releasing those games in the US.

This year, it was announced that Konami was going to release an updated HD version of No More Heroes in the US exclusive for the Playstation 3.  The reason it would be exclusive to the PS3 in the US was because they were planning to take full advantage of the Playstation Move controller, which is a pretty close control scheme to the Wiimote.

No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise is coming to the US August 16th, 2011 exclusive to the PS3.  Enjoy this HD trailer!

Uncharted 3 Beta Details Revealed May 31, 2011

Uncharted 3’s Beta is going to be swinging into full gear pretty soon, and the details of it has finally been revealed to the public.

It’s important to note that there are going to be a few ways to get your hands on some Uncharted 3 beta keys. There are two primary ways to get a beta key, if you do or plan to do either of these things you’re totally going to be covered.

Playstation Plus users are going to receive beta codes in their e-mail, and will be able to start playing the beta that way. The other way to get in is to buy the game inFamous 2, which is coming out on June 7th, and you’ll have voucher codes included in the game packaging. According to the FAQ, if you get access to the beta through either of these means, you’ll be able to access the Uncharted 3 Beta on June 28th.

Other people are going to get access to the beta on July 4th, and the beta will end for everyone on July 13th, 2011. The beta will give you access to plenty of customizable options as you level your character up. The maximum level cap is 25, and you’ll have access to several game maps and mods. Just like in Uncharted 2, there will be booster slots, which will grant your characters enhanced abilities as you level up.

Beta players will only have access to a Nathan Drake multiplayer skin on the hero side, or a generic Pirate skin for the villain side, but rest assured that the character skins will be fully customizable with options like hats.

For those of you more interested in what Uncharted 3 multiplayer is going to be like, please enjoy these Uncharted 3 MP videos, courtesy of Playstation.Blog.

The first video here is an overview trailer of what the action in Uncharted 3’s MP will look like, and shows plenty of gameplay.

This next video is more of an in-depth overview of what Uncharted 3 multiplayer is going to be like, and includes gameplay and interviews with Naughty Dog employees. For those of you interested in what kind of customization is possible or what multiplayer modes you have to look forward to, I recommend watching this.

See you in the beta, guys.

Gears of War 3 Complete Story Trailer May 28, 2011

Some of you sat through a completely pointless sporting event you had no interest in just to watch this. This is for those of you who didn’t want to. Hey Tony? Are you still up in the booth? Yeah, queue the Black Sabbath music.

The pieces of the plotline are slowly starting to come together. From the looks of it, Adam Fenix will make his glorious return just as humanity is on the brink of the last offensive against the Locust. And they’re not going to die easy.

Gears of War 3 is coming worldwide September 20th, 2011 exclusive to the Xbox 360.

Resistance 3 Pre-Order Incentives Announced May 27, 2011

Resistance 3 is still a few months away from release and we still don’t know if a collector’s edition is coming for the game, but we do know that preorder incentives are coming, and like with Mortal Kombat, they are being spread out with different incentives over all the major game retailers.

GameStop:    A physical necklace of Chimeran teeth worn by Joseph Capelli in the game, and a multiplayer booster which allows you to start Resistance 3 at level 5.  This is the only physical goodie offered by preorder, and if you’re more interested in getting something physical go with this option.  The ability to start at level 5 is not much of a boost, since if you play enough multiplayer you’re going to probably get to it eventually, but you will have access to more in game customization options.

Wal-Mart:  A set of five custom name titles (multiplayer tags), including Sentinel.  Looks like this will be a special badge of honor next to your name during matchmaking.

Amazon.com: No. 60 Fuel Grenade.  Exclusive SP item which will stick to any surface and explode into fire.

Best Buy: Nathan Hale skin and taunt ability.

UPDATE:  Other unnamed retailers are offering a Black Ops skin.  This traditionally has been a badge of great honor, the black ops skin was only playable by completing Resistance: Fall of Man on the highest difficulty.

Resistance 3 is coming September 6th, 2011 exclusive to the PS3.

Portal 2 Soundtrack Volume 1 Released for Free Download May 26, 2011

Video game soundtracks are a huge business.  With the huge production values it takes to score and compose a full priced video game, and the classic tunes that have been known to come out of it, these soundtracks, if they’re popular enough, will usually see a release to CD or paid digital download (iTunes, Amazon, etc).

Valve has decided to buck the current trends and instead have released the first volume of the soundtrack to Portal 2 for a free download.  More than that, they have already converted a few of the more popular tracks already to be compatible with your iPhone or Android, saving you the time of having to convert it yourselves.

If you like the tunes, feel free to give them a download.  Ownership of the game is not a requirement.  More volumes are promised!

Free Dead Space 2 Map Pack Coming May 24, 2011

EA has announced on their twitter feed and facebook pages that new downloadable content for Dead Space 2 is coming.  A new multiplayer map pack, called the Outbreak Map Pack, is coming, and best of all, it’s going to be released free of charge.  I’m sure the people who have been playing the multiplayer component of the game a lot are going to be happy over this news.

Two maps are going to be included in the map pack.  One is called The Academy and the other is called The Concourse.  One image has been released on their twitter feed, and it looks a lot like the creepy children’s school enviroment at the midpoint of the game.

The Outbreak Map Pack is coming May 31st, 2011 for Xbox 360 users and June 3rd, 2011 for PS3 users.  A copy of Dead Space 2 will be required.

Duke Nukem Forever is Done May 24, 2011

Over ten years ago issues of PC Gamer magazine would feature one off comic strips done by Scott Kurtz of PVP. They were short PVP strips which were made specifically for the magazine.

It didn’t have a super long run, only a few issues had them but these strips were my first exposure to PVP, which is a strip I now read daily.

One of the issues featured the office intern, Francis (who was a lot younger and a lot nerdier than he is depicted now) slowly growing a beard to ZZ Top length proportions. On the last strip, as an old man, he smiles and says “Duke Nukem Forever has gone gold.”

The longest and most infamous game of all time is finished. I never thought this day would happen. I don’t think many others thought it would either, especially after everything that happened with the shutdowns and the lawsuits in 2009. So much of my life has been tied into what the progress of this project was that it’s hard to even write this posting up. Like Francis, here I sit with my long beard in shock at what I’m seeing on my screen. A chapter in the history of the Internet is turning today.

I just got the official e-mail directly from 2K Games. Duke Nukem Forever has gone gold. For real.

Duke Nukem Forever will release June 14th, 2011 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.