World destruction comes in small shrink-wrapped packages...

2010/04/10

Star Wars: Dark Forces Coming to the PS3 and PSP

Dark-Forcesr Star Wars: Dark Forces is a classic shooter that was released back in early 1995 for PC, Mac, and also the PlayStation in 1996 – although this port was disliked for some reasons like its poor framerate and graphics.

Star Wars: Dark Forces was really like Doom, but more technologically advanced, and featured the gruff Kyle Katarn as the playable character. I remember playing it for the first time years ago at a friend’s house.

Anyway, recently the ESRB “re-rated” [if that’s a word] Star Wars: Dark Forces for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable. And this means that the game will be releasing soon on PSN. The release date[s] however haven’t been confirmed.

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Source: ESRB - ESRB rates Star Wars: Dark Forces for PS1 Classics re-release [Joystiq]


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F.E.A.R. 3, AKA F.3.A.R., Officially Announced, Trailer Released

FEAR3AAA2

Rumours of the title have been going around for at least a year about this title now, but Warner Bros. has officially announced yet another of the industry’s worst kept secrets: F.E.A.R. 3.

However, Monolith, developer of the previous two games will not be handling this sequel. It will in fact be developed by Day 1 Studios, who had a hand in the console ports of the first game.

John Carpenter and Steve Niles, who worked on The Thing and 30 Days of Night, respectively, will be contributing consultants on the creative side of things on the project, making sure the game is scary enough. Carpenter is handling the cinematic, and Niles on the script. If you want scary, you should give Clive Barker a call sometime.

F.E.A.R. 3 will also feature co-operative play and will get with the times and bring in a proper cover mechanic- something which F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin toyed with a bit. It let you kick over obstacles and hide behind them, but the effectiveness of such an action was nearly zero, seeing as you couldn’t hug the obstacle. Oh damn it, just play Gears of War or something and you’ll get my drift.

Alma makes a return in this title, as does Paxton Fettel and Point Man, her sons from the first game, one of which was the antagonist and the other the protagonist, respectively. There is speculation that the two will be on the same side this time, evident in the trailer below, and even play a part in the co-operative mode, with play differing depending on which character you choose. They also sat that Point Man will again be the playable character this time.

As for characters from the second game like Michael Becket and his baby whom he shares with Alma, will have to be seen or heard about at a later date.

Apparently the logo is still F.3.A.R., but it’s pronounced the other F.E.A.R. 3. I say turn the 3 around so it looks more like an E. Confirmation on the alleged Project Hades subtitle remains, but it might not be a subtitle – just a project in the game like Project Icarus, Origin, and Perseus.

The game is set for a release in “Fall” this year, which for us in the southern hemisphere probably means Q3, 2010. F.E.A.R. 3 will be available for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

Oh, I just remembered that a live-action announcement trailer with a smattering of gameplay footage has been released as well.

Watch the trailer and you’ll see Alma screaming in the hospital while giving birth to Michael’s Becket’s baby, which was conceived after she raped him at the end of F.E.A.R. 2, and this is followed by the creepy narration by Paxton Fettel who sounds quite cheery about the whole situation, as he teams up with Point Man to off some soldiers.

The end of the trailer has the phrase:

BLOOD RUNS DEEP,

F.E.A.R. RUNS DEEPER.”

Perhaps it could be argued that this is a reference to either blood as in family, which it likely is, but I find it quite ambiguous in that it could also refer to another series of Monolith’s, called Blood, which only received two games, whereas F.E.A.R. has three. Just a thought.

Despite a change of developer, this might well be the return of the goodness that we saw in the first game. A surprising amount of people thought that the expansions and the sequel, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, were lacklustre additions to the series.

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Source: whatisfear.com – Joystiq – IGN [Trailer]


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2010/04/09

Amazon’s Top Selling Games and Consoles of March 2010

amazon_logo_1 I don’t think I’ve ever features a top selling chart on the blog before, but I guess there’s a first for everything. Examiner.com published a post which listed the top selling video games of last month on Amazon. Then in addition to that, there were other lists which featured all the top selling games according to console. I’ve only featured the top 10 of everything as is set out on Amazon.

Top 10 Selling Video Games and Products of March 2010

1. God of War III [Playstation 3]
2. Final Fantasy XIII [Playstation 3]
3. Nintendo Wii
4. Pokemon SoulSilver [Nintendo DS]
5. Playstation 3 120 GB
6. Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board [Nintendo Wii]
7. Pokemon HeartGold [Nintendo DS]
8. Wii MotionPlus
9. Battlefield Bad Company 2 [Xbox 360]
10. Just Dance [Nintendo Wii]

If you want to see the other lists, then head over to Examiner. If you want to check out the original on Amazon, which contains a list of the Top 100 games, products, and consoles, then go here.

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Sources:

Bestsellers in Video Games for March 2010 [Amazon]

Top 10 best-selling games on Amazon in March [Examiner]


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Super Street Fighter IV Delayed in SA, PC Version a Possibility

Super-Street-Fighter-IV LazyGamer found that by looking at a few local retailers’ listings, it seems as though Super Street Fighter IV will not make the April 27 release date that the rest of the world will enjoy.

After contacting Nu Metro, it was confirmed that the game will be arriving between April 30 and May 7, 2010. In fact more stores are listing the release date as the 7th of May. [1]

In related news, I found it interesting to note that the title may well come to PC. After all, Street Fighter IV did, but SSFIV is going to make it onto Capcom arcade machines, and it’s been said that these run on hardware based on Windows XP’s Taito X2 system, so it would apparently be quite easy to come up with a PC port. [2]

A release date for the arcade cabinets is believed to be July or August this year.

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Sources:

[1] Super Street Fight IV Could Be Delayed In South Africa [Lazygamer]

[2] Super Street Fighter IV Confirmed for Japanese Arcade Release; PC Version More Likely [shacknews]


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2010/04/08

Video Game Deals at Amazon [April 8, 2010 Edition]: Rogue Warrior, The Saboteur [VGDs]

Saboteur This edition of VGDs sees Rogue Warrior for the Xbox 360 get a price drop. The PS3 version also receives a discount – but only $7 compared to $22. Last time it was the PC version that got a reduction, which is still in effect, as it’s selling at $14.99. There’s also The Saboteur for 360, which is nearly 50% off.

MotoGP 08 get’s over $15 off for the Wii version, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 gets almost $15 off, and there’s another price drop for Prison Break: The Conspiracy – this time for the PS3. Need for Speed: Shift for the 360 and Your Shape for the PC are also among the deals where you’ll save more than $10.

Other deals that might catch your eye are Left4Dead GOTY with a few dollars off. Left4Dead 2 for the 360 gets a few dollars off too.

Deals featured on VGDs usually have $7 [equivalent of about R50 in SA] off, and the best deals list contains titles that have usually have $10 off or more.

Best Deals:

Rogue Warrior - $17.99 - Save $22.00 [360]
The Saboteur - $19.79 - Save $16.40 [360]
MotoGP 08 - $19.99 - Save $15.50 [Wii]
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 - $19.99 - Save $14.20 [PSP]

Need for Speed: Shift - $24.99 - Save $13.39 [Xbox 360]
Your Shape - $49.99 - Save $11.08 [PC]
Prison Break: The Conspiracy - $39.99 - Save $10.00 [PS3]

Strongbads Cool Game - $9.99 - Save $10.00 [PC]

PC

Painkiller Black Edition - $17.12 - Save $9.87
Eco Match - $10.16 - Save $9.83
Your Shape - $49.99 - Save $11.08
Strongbads Cool Game - $9.99 - Save $10.00
Driver Parallel Lines - $5.21 - Save $8.78

Overlord 2 - $19.99 - Save $8.00

Xbox 360

Fable 2 Platinum Hits - $19.99 - Save $8.00
Rogue Warrior - $17.99 - Save $22.00
The Saboteur - $19.79 - Save $16.40
Need for Speed: Undercover - $19.99 - Save $8.00
NCAA Basketball 09 - $13.19 - Save $7.29
Left4Dead - Game of the Year Edition - $19.99 - Save $7.00

Need for Speed: Shift - $24.99 - Save $13.39
The King of Fighters XII - $39.96 - Save $9.39
Left4Dead 2 - $26.99 - Save $7.00

PS3

Prison Break: The Conspiracy - $39.99 - Save $10.00
Spec Ops: The Line - $62.98 - Save $7.01
DJ Hero Renegade Edition Featuring Jay-Z and Eminem - $150.11 - Save $9.88
Need for Speed: Undercover - $19.99 - Save $8.00

Rogue Warrior - $32.98 - Save $7.01

PSP

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 - $19.99 - Save $14.20
Avatar - $19.99 - Save $8.00

Nintendo DS

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - $19.99 - Save $8.00

Nintendo Wii

MotoGP 08 - $19.99 - Save $15.50

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Sources: Amazon – Nowinstock


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Dark Void Zero Coming to the PC and iPhone

DarkVoidZero Dark Void was released for the PC earlier on this year, but also had a spin-off title called Dark Void Zero which was for the Nintendo DS only. But now it’s been revealed by Capcom that Dark Void Zero will be making its way to the iPhone as well as the PC, soon to be available on Steam – the digital distribution giant.

The game is set to come out on April 12, 2010, and the pricing for the games is said to be $3 for the iPhone version, and $5 for the PC version. Cheap, but then the game is a retro 8-bit styled title, and those who have played it said it’s most enjoyable, while Dark Void, it’s bigger brother, hasn’t done so well.

And although it won’t arrive at the same time, there are rumours that Xbox Live and PSN, for the Xbox 360 and PS3 [possibly PSP as well], might get the game too.

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Sources: Dark Void Zero landing on iPhone and PC April 12 [Joystiq]


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2010/04/07

Digital Distribution Video Game Deals: Mass Effect 2, Cryostasis, Dead Space

Cryostatis I was a busy person [didn’t want to say bee] this past weekend. As you’ve probably guessed by now, I am an affiliate, or associate, with Amazon and Direct2Drive. Well, I’ve now signed up with GamersGate, too.

This likely means that I’m going to start changing the format of my posts like the weekly releases posts, and the video game deals posts to include all the outlets in them.

This week on Digital Deals, there’s some big ones, with Mass Effect 2 getting a little bit of a price drop. The Saboteur, Dead Space, Crysis Warhead, and Cryostasis as well as numerous games on D2D have price reductions.

GamersGate goes retro with some deals on Jagged Alliance 2 Gold and Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge [formerly known at one point as Jagged Alliance 3D].

Direct2Drive

Deals

Joint Operations Combined Arms is $7.50 until Friday, the 9th of April.

Crysis Warhead, the standalone expansion for Crysis, is at $19.95.

Dead Space, considered one of the best games of 2008 - $19.95

Saboteur - $29.95

Mass Effect 2 is $15 off, at $49.95 until Sunday.

Cryostasis is 75% Off, at $12.95.

Guild Wars Prophecies is now $19.95 [was $29.95 - $10 off].

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition is now $29.95 [was $39.95 - $10 off]

Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes is now $19.95 [was $29.95 - $10 off]

New Releases

Mount & Blade: Warband

Silmarils Collection just $14.95

GamersGate

Deals

Hired Guns The Jagged Edge: $12.49

: $9.97

Bob Came in Pieces at 40% off on PC, at $9.95.

Bob Came in Pieces Mac at 40% off on Mac, at $9.95.

Massive Assault: 19.99

Massive Assault: Phantom Renaissance: $12.95

Massive Assault Network 2: $27.95

New Releases

Ultimate Monster Trucks

Mount & Blade Warband

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat (Loyalty Edition)

Woodcutter Simulator

Alien Dominion: The Acronian Encounter

Krypton EGG

Plain Sight

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Sources: Direct2Drive - GamersGate


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George Broussard Comments on 2010 “Official” DNF Trailer

broussard
He’s very cross
Another video clip of collected Duke Nukem Forever footage that was uploaded last year and came to our attention is purported by some to be “official”. This has created waves on the internet, and seems to have irked George Broussard of 3D Realms – the man behind the Duke.

“FYI gaming press. That "new" DNF trailer that's going around is not official. Someone used leaked footage from portfolio sites and cut their own trailer with official logos and it's fooling people. Not legit. Most of that voice in the trailer was done by whoever made the trailer. It's not Jon St. John.”

I’ve seen the trailer myself and I noticed right away. It’s not the Duke’s voice. And people are trying to fool others into thinking it’s official, even calling it an official release trailer. He also denied this when asked on Formspring:
  
“No. That second trailer is not official and is a low quality fan made trailer created out of some leaked footage a "fan" grabbed from a level designer portfolio site. The music and voice was all added by the video creator.”

So there you go. But I have to admit, besides the cr@ppy voice acting and sound, it was good seeing some new footage of the game. Some parts, like the one at the beginning with the gambling scene, reminded me of a scene from the E3 2001 where Duke was fiddling with a vending machine.

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Sources: Twitter - Formspring
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2010/04/06

Subscription Deals for Gaming Magazines

There’s a promotion for magazines on Amazon at the moment, which includes gaming magazines.

Basically you get 2 years for the price of 1.  The deal is valid right the way through April 2010.

OXBMNinpowPOFM PCGamerMaximum

Official Xbox Magazine with Cover DVD - $24.95
PlayStation: The Official Magazine - $18.00
Nintendo Power - $19.95
PC Gamer - $19.95

Maximum PC - $14.95  

Other Eligible Magazines at Amazon

Magazines: http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=599858&tag=apocalypso-20
2 For 1: http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=2276987011&tag=apoclapyso-20 

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Sources: Amazon – CAG [Cheap Ass Gamer]


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More Duke Nukem Forever Footage: Leaked Video

Duke Nukem Forever has made some what of another comeback when it comes to news this month. Firstly we all discovered lately that George Broussard was on Formspring answering questions and so on, but he’s reluctant to speak on DNF.

Then on Twitter, it was said that April 1st was supposed to be the day that DNF went to gold master, and began its road to an eventual release this year, if Take-Two hadn’t messed it all up.

Now something that’s been online since December 2009 which nobody had discovered until now, has surfaced. It’s yet another video clip showing off some leaked footage of DNF.

Some of this has been seen before, and the rest hasn’t.

Some have tried to pass this off as an official trailer, but George Broussard was asked on Formspring if it was, and he replied thusly:

“No. That second trailer is not official and is a low quality fan made trailer created out of some leaked footage a "fan" grabbed from a level designer portfolio site. The music and voice was all added by the video creator.”

Too right. The Duke impression wasn’t too good. It certainly wasn’t Jon St. John, for sure. And the guns sounded pretty weak. But the video is entertaining nonetheless.

Duke Nukem Forever Leaked Footage

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Source: Shacknews


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Ninja Warrior now on iPhone

ninja-warrior-logo1 Oh, Ninja Warrior is such a scream to watch. It’s something that I happened to glance at on Animax one day, and I’ve been hooked ever since. And that led to me watching a whole host of other Japanese game shows of a similar sort – like Unbeatable Banzuke and Takeshi’s Castle.

I always thought it would make a good idea for a game, but the closest to it I’ve ever played was likely Mirror’s Edge. And that is said to be coming to the iPhone as a game as well.

Well now I was reading that Ninja Warrior, otherwise known as Sasuke in Japan, has been made into an iPhone game. Digital9, a developer of mobile games, did the honours. The game is called Sasuke Challenger, and it has worldwide leaderboards as well as English menus. Not sure if it has any of the Japanese commentary that accompanies the Japanese version of the show. Probably not. I couldn’t hear much because of the music playing.

There’s certainly a lot of moving about with that thing.

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Source: Siliconera


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2010/04/05

Video Game Deals at Amazon: Killzone 2, Rogue Warrior [VGDs]

-Killzone2

On this day, 2005 – Swat 4 today – Easter Monday

A few good deals on Amazon just lately. You can grab Killzone 2 for the PS3 for under $30, saving more than $20. There’s also Rogue Warrior, which didn’t fare so well when it came to reviews, but the price has dropped to less than 50% for the title on PC.

There’s also Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars for the Wii, which gets a big saving of nearly $30. Never heard of it, but title sounds fun.

And there’s a deal where you can get about 33% off LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year edition for the PS3 as well.

Best Deals

Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars - $12.96 - Save $27.53 [Wii]

Killzone 2 - $27.99 - Save $22.00 [PS3]

Rogue Warrior - $14.99 - Save $17.99 [PC]

LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year - $29.98 - Save $15.01 [PS3]

MotorStorm: Arctic Edge - $19.99 - Save $12.00 [PSP]

Consoles

Xbox Arcade + Bonus Wireless Controller - $159

PC

Rogue Warrior - $14.99 - Save $17.99
Wallace & Gromits Grand Adventure - $9.99 - Save $10.00

PS3

Killzone 2 - $27.99 - Save $22.00
LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year - $29.98 - Save $15.01
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time - $36.99 - Save $10.00

PSP

MotorStorm: Arctic Edge - $19.99 - Save $12.00
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier - $19.99 - Save $8.00

Nintendo DS

Hero's Saga: Laevatein Tactics - $12.65 - Save $7.48
YuGiOh! 5D's Stardust Accelerator World Championship Tournament 2009 - $17.98 - Save $10.01

Nintendo Wii

Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars - $12.96 - Save $27.53

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Sources: Amazon - nowinstock


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Cats That Look Like Hitler [Surfing]

kitler This blog isn’t strictly restricted to video games, but all forms of entertainment – and that might include this thing that I’m about to post. I came across a website the other day, which isn’t new but hey, we all find out about different websites at our own pace.
This website is what the title suggests: all about cats that look like Adolf Hitler, which they call Kitlers.

These are some of my favourites below. You can see the side partings, and the moustache. Very striking similarities. It’s usually these white cats with black blotches on them that get top marks.


Not surprisingly, their names are usually Adolf, Adolph, or Hitler. The top cat on the site’s gallery is called Moose, but I don’t think he’s the best lookalike at all.
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Cats That Look Like Hitler
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Buy Mass Effect 2 at Amazon, get Mass Effect FREE [Video Game Deals]

boxart_us_mass-effect+MassEffect2 = Save!                  

Recently at Amazon, you were able to get BioShock 1& 2 for $50.

Now a similar deal comes along just at Easter time, where you can grab another two great games for the same price: Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2 for $50. This time Mass Effect is also basically free, saving you $20. And you’re also getting $10 off Mass Effect 2 in addition to this. So all in all, it’s a saving of about $30.

Unlike in my previous post, I can say that I have played both games this time round, and apart from some lengthy sessions of talking and so on, this series is as good as they claim, and it’s well worth trying out this deal while it lasts. It ends by Midnight, on the 11th of April, which is next Sunday.

Note that this offer is for the Xbox 360 version of ME 2 only.

Get Mass Effect free with Mass Effect 2 for Xbox 360

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Sources: Amazon - N4G


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2010/04/04

Duke Nukem Forever’s Gone Gold… or Should Have Anyway

Easter Sunday

DnFlight

                                 “I nearly saw the light of day… Yeah, right!”

The sob story over Duke Nukem Forever continues as some guy named Jason Bergman, formerly at publisher Take-Two, and now Bethesda Softworks, posted on twitter recently that the game should have gone gold this month if all had gone according to plan. And it should have happened on April 1st, 2010: April Fool’s Day. It wasn’t a joke either.

“MOMENT OF SILENCE PLEASE: by the 3DR/TTWO development schedule, April 1st, 2010 was supposed to be the day Duke Nukem Forever went gold.”  [1]

He went on to say that the planned date was "totally intentional. It was going to be hilarious." It’s been explained that when a game goes gold, it means that “development has been completed and the game is ready to be duplicated for distribution.” [2]

And this further means that the game would have been officially released later on in the year, and possibly arrived in Q2, 2010.

Jason was later asked to confirm this tweet to which he replied:

“I wholeheartedly believe that had things gone differently, they would have made that date.”

This is assuming that Take-Two hadn’t sued 3D Realms, and hadn’t let go of the DNF development team.

“Would’a, Could’a, Should’a” – but didn’t. And even though that date was supposedly the date, you mark my words that it would have been delayed again, and again, and again. Part of me sometimes thinks that it was justified putting DNF out of its misery, even though I hate to say it.

To think it was on April Fool’s Day last year that I put up a fake news piece that talked about DNF being cancelled. And it came true a month later, in May 2009.

Some people still think that 3D Realms as a company shut down last year, but this is incorrect. The team working on DNF was let go. The company itself is still around, and is still going through a legal battle with Take-Two.

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Source: [1] twitter [2] Variety.com


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Video Games Coming out This Week [04-04 – 04-10, 2010] - Mass Effect 2: Kasumi's Stolen Memory, Borderlands: Double Game Add-On Pack

 ME2dlc bortit

AAA’s Targets of the Week: Mass Effect 2: Kasumi's Stolen Memory, Borderlands: Double Game Add-On Pack

It’s like everyone’s saying now: March was a hell of a month, where every game that had a vague Q1 release date ended up coming out. There was Assassin’s Creed II, Metro 2033, God of War III, C&C 4 – I could go on. But April is looking to be a bit dry in terms of new games releasing.

There are actually more PC releases this week than any other consoles. That’s one definite sign that it’s a slow weak. The big titles like Splinter Cell: Conviction and Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City are coming later on this month, starting next week.

This week it’s mostly the add-on packs and DLCs that will get the most interest, seeing as Mass Effect 2 gets its next DLC in Kasumi's Stolen Memory for both PC and 360. Borderlands gets a retail pack which includes two of its three DLC packs: The Zombie Island of Doctor Ned, and Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot. Sadly, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx is not in the deal.

Speaking of which, there are some deals going on with Borderlands right now that I thought I would mention. You can pick up Borderlands on Direct2Drive for $24.99, and not only that, but the Borderlands Triple Pack, which includes the above DLC packs as well as the original, is also on sale at $44.95.

Check out Borderlands deals on Direct2Drive.

PC

Borderlands: Double Game Add-On Pack
Commandos Complete

Hamlet [Digital Distribution]

Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West [Steam]

Mass Effect 2: Kasumi's Stolen Memory [Cerberus Network]

Plain Sight [Steam]

X360

Borderlands: Double Game Add-On Pack
Mass Effect 2: Kasumi's Stolen Memory [Cerberus Network]

WII

Satisfashion

DS

Again
Squishy Tank

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Sources: Shacknews – Gamespot


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Apocalypse Then – Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil

DRoEl

5 Years of Doom 3: RoE

In 2005, the sole expansion for one of 2004’s best games, Doom 3, was released. It’s name was Resurrection of Evil.

RoE, which was co-developed by id and Nerve Software, was released on PC and Xbox. The PC version was not a stand alone expansion, and needed the original game, Doom 3, to be installed. This wasn’t the case with the Xbox version, which also came with Ultimate Doom, Doom II, and the Doom II Master Levels as extras.

The game featured some new enemies, boss creatures, and weapons. The double-barrelled shotgun made famous in Doom II returned, and the Grabber, a new weapon, features as well, which people claim ripped up the Gravity Gun from Half-Life 2. Although there are claims that the weapon was supposed to appear in Doom 3.

There was also a new playable character this time instead of the marine.

You can pick this game up here for PC or Xbox.


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What does AAA stand for?

It's not an abbreviation of anything. It just means the best of the best... 

"Well, now you know the truth: Apocalypso's Atomic Arcade!"

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by : BTF

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