Dead Space iPad Confirmed October 16, 2010

EA held a press conference recently to show their latest wares in the iOS department.  Among other games promised which mostly look to be handheld versions of well known series, a nice gem was in the pile.  Dead Space was announced to be coming to the iPad and iPhone some time in December 2010.  They did say it was going to be a third person non rails game which will bridge the story between Dead Space 1 and 2.  It will be enhanced for the iPad with better visuals.

It seems to be a common thread recently that games that I have an interest in just at the time of release or just around the time of release get an iOS version announced.  I’m not complaining mind you, I’ve been wanting to play a Dead Space game on my iPhone since my first playthrough of Dead Space Extraction.  I’m glad EA is taking their two newest properties (Mirror’s Edge and Dead Space) and really shining them up.  Releasing them in Holiday 2008, one of the biggest seasons for game releases in a long time, they suffered on shelves for months until price drops and positive reviews brought people to pick them up.  Mirror’s Edge for the iPhone (and iPad) is probably one of the best games on the platform, certainly one of the most addictive.  I can’t wait to see how Dead Space plays on my iPhone.

Dead Space 2 Collector’s Edition Confirmed October 15, 2010

Retailers like GameStop and Amazon have started listing a Dead Space 2 Collector’s Edition on their websites, and have included with those listings a complete specifications as to all the goodies that are coming for the edition, along with a picture of what the CE is going to look like.

A bit of disclosure here, EA had been teasing doing a Collector’s Edition for Dead Space 2 since they announced the game and had been taking a list of possible goodies to include from the Dead Space community through different means like Facebook.  This is why you’ll notice in my “What Makes for a Good Collector’s Edition” video I call out the developers of Dead Space 2 directly because I remembered that promotion.  Most of what the developers were getting for ideas in goodies were actually pretty terrible, ranging in mostly fluff pieces with no substance.  I think if I remember correctly a pretty highly desired item was a scale replica of The Marker from Dead Space.  Sure it would’ve looked pretty, but honestly it only serves a purpose as a paperweight.  Fortunatly that’s not what’s coming with this edition.

The real goodie included in the CE will be a replica Plasma Cutter with functioning LED lights.  There will also be a soundtrack CD included (with a “Scoring of Dead Space” featurette, no idea how they’re doing that), a DLC code for a special suit and matching weapon, and a special lithograph.

The Dead Space 2 Collector’s Edition will retail for $79.99 US and will release for the Xbox 360 and PS3 on January 25th, 2011.  Also remember that all PS3 versions of Dead Space 2 will include an HD version of Dead Space Extraction for the Playstation Move.

Halo Reach Map Pack Coming October 15, 2010

On November 30th, Bungie will be releasing their first map pack for Halo Reach, and unfortunatly even though it is coming so soon after the release of the game and has been previously seen in some pre-release videos, it will not be free.

Three maps are planned for release on November 30th, 2010.  The price will be 800ms points, and they will require Halo Reach to play.  250 points worth of new achievements will also be coming along with the map pack.

Original Design Document for The Lost World: Trespasser Going Online October 13, 2010

The original design document (in Prose form) is in the process of being released for The Lost World: Trespasser.  For those of you not stuck in 1997, let me tell you a little blurb.  This game, which is based on the Jurassic Park franchise, is notorious for being one of the biggest upsets in gaming history.  It promised to be revolutionary, and in a lot of ways it was, but the final product was just a buggy and rushed mess.  However it was an inspiration for physics based games like Half-Life 2, and without this game, real-time physics would proabably be ten years away.

I fondly remember first seeing the game during my Junior year of High School.  A friend of mine had rigged one of the computers in our English class with the Trespasser demo and he would play it on a loop every time the teacher was absent.  This was of course back in the day where any PC of the time could run any game (Intel wrecked that in ’99 when they decided to force unsuspecting customers to use their lousy obsolete graphics boards and PC gaming hasn’t recovered since).

Don’t know anything about The Lost World: Trespasser?  Let me let ResearchIndicates tell you about it.  If you are further interested you should definatly check out his Let’s Play of it, very informative.

You can check out the design document on this website, TresCom.  Currently 6 parts are up, and they promise there will be 13 in total.  A new one will be released every Monday.

Alan Wake DLC Episode 2 Achievements Posted October 10, 2010

The achievements for Alan Wake’s next and final DLC, “The Writer” have been posted on Xbox Live.

1. Ding! 5G Special 2: Complete the elevator ride.
2. Kill Your Darlings 50G Special 2: Defeat the final obstacle between you and your goal.
3. Go Gentle Into That Good Light 25G Special 2: Make it through the approach to the lighthouse without firing a weapon.
4. No Punctuation 50G Special 2: Complete the episode without reloading the game or restarting a checkpoint.
5. Iron Will 25G Special 2: Survive the final encounter without being seriously hurt.
6. Whirlwind 20G Special 2: Make your way past the tornado in under 60 seconds.
7. Licensed Properties 30G Special 2: Discover 10 Night Springs video games.
8. Creative Space 25G Special 2: Discover the secret area.
9. Heartbreaker 20G Special 2: Have some poison poured in your ear.

“The Writer” will be released on October 12th, 2010 for 560MS points on the Xbox Live Marketplace.  Alan Wake, an Xbox 360 exclusive, is required.

Dead Rising Coming to iPhone October 7, 2010

Can’t get enough zombies in a mall?  Want to actually be able to fight zombies in a mall while you’re at a mall waiting for someone else to do their shopping?  I know I do.  Dead Rising (the first) will be getting a handheld release and it will be just for the Apple iPhone.

The iPhone Version of Dead Rising will follow the story of the first game, where you play Frank West trapped in a mall waiting for the government to come in and kill everything.  There will not be any escort missions or photography, instead the game will just devote itself to providing you the best way to make the undead dead again, which is seriously everyone’s favorite part about Dead Rising.

You will also be able to get revives from friends in the form of Twitter and Facebook.  If your friend logs in to save you, you can resume, if not, you will be a zombie in their game.

Reminds me a lot of my (still) favorite PSP Game, Infected, where you would be able to infect a losing player’s game with your avatar, forcing them to play against waves of you in the infected levels.

Currently it doesn’t look like this will be compatible with iPhone 3G, but final release specs have not been posted, nor has a price, but the game is expected later this year.

Dead Rising 2 Pre-Order Goodies Coming to Xbox Marketplace and Playstation Network October 7, 2010

This should be good news to anyone who picked up Dead Rising 2 without preorder, or who didn’t preorder the High Stakes edition at the Capcom store because they liked the Zombrex Edition better.

The four downloadable costumes will be made available on Xbox Live Marketplace and Playstation Network each week starting on the 12th of October.  More than aesthetically pleasing, the costumes do grant you extra skills and abilities.

October 12:  Psychopath Theme Pack. Originally only in the Dead Rising 2 High Stakes Edition.  Chuck gets to wear a hockey mask and arms him with a chainsaw, cleavers, and more.

October 19: Soldier of Fortune Theme Pack.  Chuck gets a Rambo outfit and a special spray attack with automatic weapons.

October 26: Sports Theme Pack.  Previously a Best Buy Pre-Order Exclusive. Chuck gets increased damage with sports-themed weapons, while introducing new weapons like the basketball, which bounces when thrown, taking out multiple zombies at once.

November 2:  Ninja Theme Pack.   Originally a GameStop Pre-Order Incentive.  Chuck will also get increased damage with throwing weapons and swords, with some new moves and a faster throwing rate adding a little extra ninja to the pack.

No word yet on pricing.

Gears of War 3 Will Have a Multiplayer Beta Test October 7, 2010

With the extra five months of development time added to Gears of War 3, Epic announced during a press event that there is now enough time in the development schedule to have a multiplayer beta test of the game.  No details yet on what you’ll have to do to get into the beta, but this is likely good news to a lot of people who didn’t like the netcode on Gears of War 2.

Gears of War 3 is also expected to have dedicated server support, which should eliminate host advantages Gears of War games have had since the very beginning.

Gears of War 3 is coming exclusive to the Xbox 360 in 2011.

Borderlands GOTY Edition to Include Duke Nukem Forever Demo October 5, 2010

In a huge surprise, 2K Games and Gearbox have announced that the Game of the Year Edition of Gearbox favorite Borderlands will not only include all of the Borderlands DLC as previously reported but also a download code for access to an early demo of Duke Nukem Forever, as well as other Duke related goodies.

Borderlands Game of the Year Edition will be released October 12th, 2010 (something no one else reporting on this would mention) for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.  The Duke Nukem Forever Demo will be accessed through an included download code at a later date.