Batman: Arkham City Coming Fall 2011 August 5, 2010

The highly anticipated sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum, last summer’s multi-platform hit, finally has a name, and it’s Batman: Arkham City.

Where in Batman: Arkham Asylum the game was confined to a persistent world within Arkham Asylum itself, Batman: Arkham City will be expanding on that world.  The Asylum’s doors have been expanded, and sections of Gotham City is now considered part of Arkham.  Batman will have to fight their way through it encountering many famous faces from his rogues gallery.  The Joker has been seen already (recovering from the events of the first game) but other villains have been hinted (although not officially confirmed) including Catwoman and Two-Face.

Batman: Arkham City is coming Fall 2011 for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.

Pre-Ordering God of War: Ghost of Sparta offers Tons of Content August 5, 2010

Usually whenever you pre-order a game you’ll get one or two exclusive items.  Sony has announced today that people who preorder the upcoming God of War: Ghost of Sparta game at a participating retailer will get a ton of exclusive content.

• Ghost of Sparta Original Soundtrack – Be part of the legacy, and relive the emotional soundscape of defiance and rage through the original soundtrack
• PSP® Theme – Are you the ultimate God of War fan? Prove it with the God of War® Ghost of Sparta theme
• PS3™ Dynamic Theme – Fully animated in constant motion, personalize your ps3™ system with the official God of War® dynamic theme
• PlayStation® Network Avatar – Be one of the few to own the exclusive Kratos Avatar only available through this pre-order
• Legionnaire Skin – Discover the origins of the Spartan warrior as you experience God of War® Ghost of Sparta as Legionnaire Kratos
• Exclusive Creative Directors Documentary – A full length featured piece with all the past and present Creative Directors of the God of War franchise in front of a live studio audience

Participating retailers include Amazon.com, Best Buy, and GameStop.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta is coming November 2nd, 2010 only for the Sony PSP.  The DLC content activates on launch day.

Complete Halo Reach Achievements Posted July 31, 2010

Bungie has posted up on their weekly update a complete list of all achievements that they will include in Halo Reach.

1. Completed the Campaign on Normal difficulty.
2. Completed the Campaign on Heroic difficulty.
3. Completed the Campaign on Legendary difficulty.
4. Completed every mission in Halo: Reach alone, on Legendary.
5. Completed the 2nd mission on Normal or harder.
6. Completed the 3rd mission on Normal or harder.
7. Completed the 4th mission on Normal or harder.
8. Completed the 5th mission on Normal or harder.
9. Completed the 6th mission on Normal or harder.
10. Completed the 7th mission on Normal or harder.
11. Completed the 8th mission on Normal or harder.
12. Completed the 9th mission on Normal or harder.
13. Completed the 10th mission on Normal or harder.
14. Cleared the 2nd mission without setting foot in a drivable vehicle.
15. Killed 2 vehicles at once with the Target Locator in the 3rd mission.
16. Hijacked a Banshee during the Reach Campaign.
17. Killed the Elite Zealot before he escaped during the 5th mission.
18. Performed an Assassination against an Elite to survive a fall that would’ve been fatal.
19. Destroyed the Corvette’s engines & escort in under 3 minutes in the 6th mission on Heroic or harder.
20. Finished the 9th mission on Legendary with the Scorpion intact.
21. Earned a Triple Kill while Jetpacking in Campaign, Firefight or Matchmaking.
22. Killed 7 Moa during the 2nd mission of the Campaign.
23. Killed 3 of the anti-aircraft batteries during the 8th mission.
24. Used a Health Pack to replenish life after taking body damage.
25. Performed an Assassination on an enemy.
26. Killed 10 enemies in a Firefight or Campaign session with the M6G pistol.
27. Killed 10 enemies in a Firefight or Campaign session with the DMR.
28. Traded weapons with an AI ally in Campaign.
29. Killed 10 enemies in Firefight or Campaign with a supercombine explosion.
30. Let a teammate spawn on you 5 times in an Invasion Matchmaking game.
31. Earned a First Strike Medal in a Matchmaking game.
32. Won a game of Invasion in the 1st phase.
33. Earned a Killing Spree in multiplayer Matchmaking.
34. Earned a Killionaire medal in Firefight.
35. As an Elite, killed 5 Spartan players in Matchmaking.
36. Scored 15,000 points in Score Attack Firefight Matchmaking.
37. Scored 50,000 points in a Firefight game.
38. Scored 200,000 points in a Firefight game.
39. Scored 1,000,000 points in a Firefight game.
40. Completed a Firefight set on Legendary without dying.
41. Purchased an item from the Armory that required the rank of Lt. Colonel.
42. Reached the rank of Corporal in the UNSC.
43. Reached the rank of Captain in the UNSC.
44. Used the File Browser to upload a file to your File Share.
45. Completed all of the Daily Challenges in a given day.
46. Purchased an item from the Armory.
47. Recommended a file to someone.
48. Advanced a Commendation to a Silver state.
49. Completed a Weekly Challenge.

That’s 49 achievements total.  It’s nice to see Bungie taking a page from Halo 3 ODST and not Halo 3, and actually including achievements that you have the slightest prayer of a chance of getting in multiplayer.  Those five pointers which were ranked free for all match only in Halo 3 were impossible.  Also I’m not seeing any Vidmaster Challenges, probably since Recon is going to Day One purchases already (Reach only), but it was cool to see Bungie doing unlockable content caused by a series of achievements instead of just one.

Bungie has also announced that people who have unlocked achievements previously in Halo 3 and Halo 3 ODST could unlock special content through Halo Waypoint such as multiplayer armor.  Also owners of Halo 1 PC, if you already own and have played your game, Bungie MAY be offering you the chance to register your CD key for more exclusive content, but that’s still a maybe.

Halo Reach will launch September 14th, 2010 for Xbox 360.

New Halo Reach Campaign Trailer Released July 29, 2010

Since E3, Bungie, the developers of Halo Reach, has not shown content of the campaign mode of their game.  Recent previews have focused mostly on the anticipated upgrades to Firefight and Forge, as well as multiplayer in general, but what interests me about a Halo game is its story, and I have been eagerly anticipating any new previews which feature it.

Bungie has released a new trailer for Halo Reach today.  It mostly shows the in-game cutscenes, some of which have not been seen yet, and some of the deep space combat (which reminds me a lot of Freelancer).

Just look at that gang of warthogs!

Halo Reach is coming September 14th, 2010 for Xbox 360.

PS3 Update 3.41 Released July 27, 2010

Sony has released a required update for the Playstation 3, version 3.41.  It doesn’t really add that much to the system itself, just a recommendation system based upon your games owned.  That system isn’t going to go live until the end of the month.

A sister update for the PSP is also coming, which addresses some minor bug fixes.

Currently you can download the update through the PS3’s Update program.

Alan Wake’s First DLC Episode, The Signal, is Out There July 27, 2010

Alan Wake‘s first DLC episode has been released this morning on Xbox Live.

The episode, called “The Signal” picks up where Alan Wake left off, continuing Alan’s journey through the darkness.  New gameplay mechanics are introduced, new cutscenes are included and a new song will be unlocked upon completion.

The episode also introduces eight new achievements for a total of 250 extra achievement points.

“The Signal” requires a full copy of Alan Wake to play.  It is free with a redemption code to people who purchased the game new, 560 ms points otherwise.

A second episode, titled “The Writer” will continue the game’s story, will be 560 ms points on release and currently has no release date.  No other episodes are currently scheduled, but if demand is high enough, there could be an Alan Wake sequel.

Halo Reach Legendary Edition Now Includes DLC Behind the Scenes Content July 25, 2010

Bungie listened to my cries for a behind the scenes documentary to be added to the special editions of Halo Reach.  Well that plus it makes the $150 US price tag a bit easier to swallow, because behind the scenes content is coming to the Halo Reach Legendary Edition.

In their weekly update on Friday, while they were talking about the new capabilities of Forge, they snuck in the surprise that they are going to include a behind the scenes documentary on Halo Reach as Downloadable Content.

Add that upon the Recon Helmet, Spartan Flaming Helmet Effect, Elite Armor, Grenade Belt, and Mark V(B) Chest Armor as the list of downloadable content included for Halo Reach continues to rise.  I understand the majority of this content is going exclusively to day-one purchases and preorders as incentive to buy, and only a few things are going to be strictly special edition DLC, but it would’ve been nice if they decided not to do all this DLC and instead focus on physical content like having FilmOasis making a BTS DVD, since I consider the documentary they did in the Halo 2 Collector’s Edition the greatest gaming documentary in the history of the medium.

Bungie promises they’ll talk more about the BTS content within the next few weeks.

Halo Reach is coming September 14th, 2010 for Xbox 360.

New Star Wars: The Force Unleased II Trailer July 25, 2010

Hot off the heels of Comic-Con, Lucasarts has released a new trailer for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, which is considered to be the next major chapter in the Star Wars canon.

You will once again play as the apprentice, a clone made by Darth Vader after your death at the end of the good storyline of the first game.  However, you’re far too powerful with the force to be a mere clone.  Armed with only two lightsabers and the full strength of the force at your disposal, you must find the secret behind your return.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II will release multiplatform October 26th, 2010.

DC Universe Online Release Date July 25, 2010

Sony Online Entertainment has confirmed the release date of DC Universe Online as November 2nd, 2010.

You can still visit their website if you want to sign up to beta test the game on either the PC or Playstation 3.  You’ll be able to play the game early and help the developers polish their game before its release.  No word on when the beta is expected to launch.

DC Universe Online will launch for PC and PS3.  Playstation Plus is not required.

Expanded Rock Band 3 Tracklist July 25, 2010

Harmonix has announced during Comic-Con 2010 several more songs that will be appearing in Rock Band 3, as well as a few songs that will be appearing in their Kinect enabled game, Dance Central.

Rock Band 3

• “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” (Tears for Fears)
• “Rock Lobster” (The B-52s)
• “Foolin'” (Def Leppard)
• “Beautiful People” (Marilyn Manson)
• “Hey Man, Nice Shot” (Filter)
• “Cold as Ice” (Foreigner)

Dance Central

• “Drop it Like it’s Hot” (Snoop Dogg)
• “Push It” (Salt N’ Pepa)
• “Bust a Move” (Young MC)

I’m really happy about the inclusion of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” on top of the previously announced list including “The Power of Love”.  Harmonix really knows their 80s hits.

Rock Band 3 will release for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii on October 26th, 2010.

Dance Central will release November 4th, 2010 for Microsoft Kinect, which requires an Xbox 360.