Killer Instinct Pin Ultimate Edition Announced October 16, 2013

Those of you who were hoping that Killer Instinct on the Xbox One would get a retail release officially have your wishes granted, but it’ll be coming exclusively to Microsoft Stores.

The Killer Instinct Pin Ultimate Edition will include a full version of the Killer Instinct Xbox One game and a season one pass which will unlock all the characters, costumes and accessories offered for the game before anyone else!  It will also feature a port of the original Killer Instinct arcade game, so you can play the original version on the Xbox One.

But that’s not all.  The Pin Ultimate Edition will also include two Killer Instinct collector’s pins, and spaces for many more that Microsoft has planned to release.  Details are scarce on how these other collector’s pins will get released into the wild, but there are a lot of possibilities including PAX Promotions, tournaments, and giveaways.

You can read all the details on the Killer Instinct Pin Ultimate Edition here.

Killer Instinct Pin Ultimate Edition is coming November 28th, 2013 exclusive to the Xbox One.

Halo 3 Free on Xbox Live Games With Gold October 16, 2013

Xbox Live’s Games With Gold promotion continues in the second half of the month of October.  If you happen to currently be an Xbox Live Gold Subscriber, you are entitled to download a new free game on the first and sixteenth of each month up until the end of the year.  It’s a great promotion in that unlike games offered for free to Playstation Plus users, you won’t lose access to anything you downloaded through Games With Gold if your Xbox Live Gold Membership ever runs out.

Starting today, Halo 3 will be free to download through Xbox Live Games on Demand until the end of the month.  The game has a great single-player campaign, which wraps up the story of the Halo Trilogy and finishes the story left hanging at the end of Halo 2.  It also supports four-player cooperative play through LAN or Xbox Live, and two-player cooperative play through split-screen.  In my opinion, it’s not the best game in the series, but it is a must-play for any Halo fan.

If you happen to be interested in any of the game’s multiplayer map packs, just be aware that only two of the game’s map packs are currently free, the others are on sale for about $4.99 US each.  However, you may not need to download all of these map packs if you don’t want to, as all of the bonus map packs (free and paid) are included on the multiplayer disc of Halo 3 ODST.  So, if you happen to have a copy of Halo 3 ODST already, there’s no reason to purchase any of these map packs.

After this month, we have no idea what will be coming next to the service, but Microsoft has promised it will continue until the end of the year.

The Last of Us Patch 1.05 Notes October 15, 2013

A major update for The Last of Us is on its way, and instead of releasing a simple text blurb about what changes are coming to the PS3-exclusive, Sony has released an entire video detailing all the changes that are coming to the game.

The Last of Us is out now exclusive to the Playstation 3.

Watch_Dogs Delayed to 2014 October 15, 2013

For me personally, there is no more higher anticipated game coming out of UbiSoft than their open world cyberpunk adventure Watch_Dogs.  First announced at E3 2012, the game puts you in the role of a hacker who has complete control over the automated surveillance systems of Chicago.  The game was expected to launch on multiple platforms next month and be a launch title for the future consoles Xbox One and Playstation 4, but now Ubisoft is saying that the game needs to be delayed until 2014 in order to give it much-needed polish.

Perhaps this is all for the best.  November was looking really crowded with no less than two major consoles getting released.  I can think of a lot of players, myself included, who had a lot of reservations about picking up this game on the current consoles with the next ones coming out at around the same time.  The console makers were also doing their best to cry out which version of the game would be the best.  Sony did say they would offer exclusive content for the Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 versions of the games, and on top of that, only the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game would have Collector’s Editions.

Watch_Dogs is coming to the Xbox One, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, PC, and Wii U in 2014.

Kingdom Hearts III D23 Expo Gameplay Footage October 15, 2013

Those of you who may be still reeling from the Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMIX Announcement, brace yourselves.  Disney has released the first official gameplay footage from Kingdom Hearts III since the game was first announced at E3 this year.  It looks to me like Sora, Donald and Goofy will be headed back to fight the heartless again in Twilight Town.

Kingdom Hearts III is coming to the Xbox One and Playstation 4.

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMiX Announced October 15, 2013

The Kingdom Hearts series has served as the perfect meeting of Disney and Square characters, and features a gripping storyline that has spanned across multiple games across tons of different platforms.  Right off the heels of the fantastic Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix release, Disney and Square Enix have announced that three more of the Kingdom Hearts games will be remastered for the Playstation 3 in 2014 in the form of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX.

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix will be very similar to the previously remastered Kingdom Hearts HD release in that it will include two full games from the Kingdom Hearts series remastered for the Playstation 3, and all the remastered cinematics from a game that was originally exclusive to the Nintendo DS.  Also like the previous HD rerelease, the 2.5 HD ReMIX will include the Final Mix versions of the PS2 exclusive Kingdom Hearts II and PSP exclusive Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep.  These Final Mix versions of the games were previously only released in Japan and include a lot of new content and features not in the original North American releases.  And like with the 1.5 HD ReMIX the game will include all the cinematics, but not the gameplay, from a previously Nintendo DS exclusive game, Kingdom Hearts RE: Coded.

So how is this game going to look in HD?  Just have a look for yourselves!

I’m really excited about this.  Kingdom Hearts II is my favorite game of the Kingdom Hearts series and I’m so happy that I’ll finally be able to play the Final Mix version of the game in glorious HD.  Also, I’m sure that Sony hardware purists who never owned a DS will be excited to get the chance to see the events that happened in Kingdom Hearts RE: Coded in anticipation for the eventual release of Kingdom Hearts III.

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX is coming in 2014 exclusive to the PS3.

Pokémon X and Y TV Spots October 10, 2013

Pokémon X and Y, the sixth generation 3DS exclusive Pokémon games, are getting released on Saturday.  For those of you who may have Pokémon fever in anticipation for Saturday’s release, it may be because you have been seeing these commercials airing constantly on your television.

I’ve always thought highly of Nintendo’s adverting capabilities, and now Nintendo has a brand new ad campaign going strong to promote the two of the biggest releases for the Nintendo 3DS this year, Pokémon X and Pokémon Y.  Take a look!

Pokémon X and Pokémon Y are coming October 12th, 2013 exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS.

BEYOND: Two Souls Quantic Dream Video Interview October 7, 2013

We’re one day away from the release of BEYOND: Two Souls, the first game released by Quantic Dream since 2009’s hit game Heavy Rain!  In anticipation for it’s release, Sony has posted up a new video interview with some of the game’s developers.  If you wanted some background on how the game was made or see some new footage you may not have seen before, give it a watch.

BEYOND: Two Souls is being released tomorrow exclusive to the Playstation 3.

Playstation 3 Firmware 4.50 Released October 2, 2013

For those of you who may be trying to log into the Playstation Network today, I just want to inform you that Sony released a new firmware for the PS3 some time last night.  The newest firmware for the PS3, version 4.50, adds a lot of new features to the PS3 along with the usual bug fixes and optimizations.

You will be able to disable the visibility of trophies on your PSN account.  You will still be able to unlock trophies during gameplay, but you will now be able to remove the visibility of certain trophies you have collected.  This will prevent other players from seeing your trophies when looking up your Playstation Network account.  The new firmware will also bring automatic background updates to all PS3 users.  Previously this was a Playstation Plus only feature, but now it can be used by any PS3 owner.  Finally PS Vita owners with a PS3 will now be able to transfer data and games wirelessly between their PS Vita and PS3.  Previously, in order to transfer games between the two platforms you were required to use a USB cable.

A lot of these updates can be really useful to a lot of players.  When Sony announced the PS4, one of its selling points was that it would stream automatic firmware updates and game patches while in standby, saving players from having to delay their gameplay to download firmware updates or the latest game patch before they can play.  I know many in the gaming media have complained about having to perform PS3 system updates before gameplay sessions, but you would think people who write about games for a living would know when the most recent PS3 updates were out, and update their PS3s in advance.

The WiFi transfer process between the PS3 and PS Vita certainly sounds a lot more convenient than USB game transfers, but depending on your home network, this could be a slower process than USB is.  However, if you’ve lost your Vita’s USB transfer cable, this must be great news.

You can read all the official details about the new update here.  Firmware 4.50 is required for Playstation Network access.

Destiny Beta Announced October 1, 2013

Well first off, take a look at the latest trailer for Bungie’s first non-Halo release since creating the series back in the late 90s, Destiny.

Bungie has officially announced there will be a beta test of their next major game release, Destiny, and it will be available to anyone who preorders the game at participating retailers.

The Destiny Beta will start in early 2014.  You will need to preorder the game and register your beta code at the Official Destiny Website to receive beta access on your respective platform.  The beta will be run by Bungie and will be available for the Xbox 360, Xbox One, Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 versions of the game.

Destiny is coming in 2014 to multiple platforms including Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Playstation 4 and Xbox One.