Destiny Beta Maintenance Finished Early, All Platforms Active July 22, 2014

Bungie has just announced they finished their scheduled maintenance for the Destiny Beta ahead of schedule and they are in the process of emailing all the Xbox One and Xbox 360 players who are participating in the Beta Test the download codes they need to play.

If you’re an Xbox One or Xbox 360 tester, go and check your emails right now. Just remember you will need a Hard Drive and Xbox Live Gold to play on the Xbox 360. PS3 and PS4 owners already participating can get back into the game right now!

Destiny is coming September 2014 to the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4 and PS3.

PS4 System Software Update 1.74 Released July 22, 2014

A required PS4 update was quietly pushed to the PSN today. System Update 1.74 says it “improves system software stability during certain functions” but does not specifically state what those specific functions are. I know I’ve been having some issues with Game Streaming recently so hopefully this update addresses that.

The update is out now and, like with other required updates, you MUST install it before the PS4 will allow you back on the Playstation Network.

Destiny Beta is Down for Maintenance July 21, 2014

Bungie has confirmed they have taken down the Destiny Beta for maintenance so PS3 and PS4 players won’t be able to access the game for the next few days.

Bungie plans to restore the Beta Test on July 23rd, when the Beta Test will officially start for Xbox 360 and Xbox One players. On that day, PS3 and PS4 players should be able to regain their access to the Destiny Beta until the testing period concludes on July 27th.

Destiny is coming September, 2014 to the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Club Nintendo Elite Status Awards Now Out July 17, 2014

Every year, Nintendo offers all Club Nintendo Members who have registered enough new game consoles, retail games and downloadable titles a special gift. The total amount of points you earned over the course of a calendar year (ending on July 15th) without deducting for any rewards redeemed earns you a status reward for that year. A total of 300 points in one year earns you Gold Status, and a total of 600 points in that same year upgrades Gold Status to Platinum Status.

In previous years, Nintendo would offer a physical gift you couldn’t get anywhere else. This year they’re offering a free game for download on the Nintendo eShop. While Nintendo is offering titles for both the Wii U and 3DS, this year you’ll only be able to pick one free title on one platform.

Platinum Members will be able to choose one game Club Nintendo is offering for either Platinum or Gold Status. Gold Members will only be able to redeem a game offered to Gold Status, and can’t redeem a game offered to Platinum Status Members.

The games available for download include titles on the Wii U or 3DS. Platinum members will be able to exclusively choose from titles like Game & Wario, Dr. Luigi, EarthBound, or NES Remix for the Wii U. 3DS titles included Dillion’s Rolling Western and Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move.

Gold members have a slightly smaller selection of titles to choose from. Titles on the Wii U include Virtual Console titles Kid Icarus, Zelda II: The Adventures of Link, and Super Mario Bros. Gold titles for the 3DS include Metroid, Donkey Kong 3, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins and Wario Land 2.

Happy downloading.

Bungie App Updated for Destiny Beta July 16, 2014

In anticipation of the start of the Destiny Beta Test tomorrow, the Official Bungie App has been updated and is now the Official Destiny Companion.

Originally released as a way for players to track their progress in Halo Reach and unlock some exclusive multiplayer content, the Bungie app has been a constant companion for me since it was released. Since Bungie split from Microsoft, the app has been a tool for browsing Bungie.net on a mobile device, but we have expected for some time that the app would be updated to an essential game companion once Destiny was close to release. In fact, one of the first preview videos for the game showed the developers using their mobile app to communicate in the game when not playing it.

You can download the Destiny Companion App from your SmartPhone’s App Store right now or if you already have the Bungie App installed, it will become the Destiny Companion after updating it to its latest version.

The Destiny Companion app is free of charge. You do not need to be a part of the Destiny Beta Test to use the app.

The Destiny Beta Test starts tomorrow on the PS3 and PS4. It is coming to the Xbox 360 and Xbox One on the 23rd.

Pokémon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire Gym Leader Trailer July 14, 2014

I can’t remember a generation that Pokémon Trainers have been looking forward to Nintendo remaking more than Generation 3, and at E3 this year, Nintendo gave players a brief look at how this generation will look on the Nintendo 3DS. Today, the guys at Nintendo have just released a first look at not only the game’s Gym Leaders but also a look at the game’s Elite Four.

Included in the list of trainers you will be facing in this game you’ll see a brief look at what the Pokémon Gym environments will look like. There’s also a first look at Secret Bases, little areas you’ll be able to customize and share with your friends. I can’t believe how great they look on Nintendo’s latest handhelds.

Oh and Pikachu likes to cosplay.

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire will be coming November 2014 exclusively to the Nintendo 3DS/2DS.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection RTX 2014 Panel July 9, 2014

Couldn’t make it to RTX this year?  No worries, we got you covered.  343 Industries did a one hour panel on their upcoming Halo compilation for the Xbox One, Halo: The Master Chief Collection.  Here’s the entire panel, unedited, for the RTX presentation.  The panel not only shows off some never before seen footage of the game’s interface, the developers go into some pretty detailed stories about Halo 2’s development that I have never heard before.  Give it a watch, trust me, it’s worth the hour.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is coming November 11th, 2014 exclusive to the Xbox One.

The Wolf Among Us Episode 5 Released on PC July 8, 2014

Telltale Games has announced the fifth and final episode of their hit adventure game series The Wolf Among Us has been released on PC. To celebrate, here’s the game’s launch trailer. If you haven’t been playing the series up to this point I would advice you not to watch as it does contain spoilers for earlier episodes.

The fifth episode will be coming to other platforms this week. PS3 players can expect it very soon. Xbox 360 players should be able to download it tomorrow. It will be coming to iOS later this week.

The Wolf Among Us is available now on the PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and iOS.

Destiny Beta Release Date July 7, 2014

The folks over at Bungie have officially announced the release window for the highly-anticipated Destiny Multiplayer Beta Test.  As stated at the PS4’s launch, the Beta will open to PS3 and PS4 players first on July 17th.  There will be a short period between July 21st and July 22nd when the Beta will be offline for maintenance.  When it goes back online on July 23rd, Xbox 360 and Xbox One players will have access as well.

The Destiny Beta Test is open to all players who have preordered the game and registered their unique preorder code on Bungie’s Website.  If you haven’t preordered the game yet or registered your Beta Code, now will be a good time to do that.  Unlike the Destiny Alpha Test, anyone who participates in the Beta during its testing phase will receive an exclusive reward.

The Destiny Beta will end on all platforms, July 27th.

Destiny is coming September 9th, 2014 to Xbox One, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Playstation 4.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection Terminal Trailer July 6, 2014

343 Industries gave the first live playable demo of Halo: The Master Chief Collection at this year’s RTX Convention.  To celebrate that showing, Microsoft has officially released the newest trailer for the game.  At first glance, it seems to focus on The Arbiter, one of the heroes of Halo 2, but to me it seems like this trailer includes footage for all new terminal cutscenes that 343 plans to include with The Master Chief Collection’s updated version of Halo 2

Four single-player games.  All multiplayer maps.  4000 Gamerscore.  An all new updated version of Halo 2 with entirely new cinematics all on one disc.  Can you seriously believe this game is only going to cost $59.99 US?

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is coming November, 2014 exclusively to the Xbox One.