A name and release date we already knew for Treyarch's next iteration to the Call of Duty series, but what we didn't know (for sure at least) was the when and where the game will take place. Gametrailers TV had their big reveal Friday night with the debut trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops, and while there were many hints indicating a Vietnam era war game, there were also some more modern elements thrown in than we expected. Take a look for yourself below.
For Gametrailer's breakdown of the trailer, hit the jump
Disney Interactive wants your next street race to be utterly ridiculous, and to give you a taste of what Split/Second's high octane, explosion filled action has to offer the studio has released a demo of the game's airport track, the very same one used to showcase the game at major industry events. The demo is currently available exclusively for the Xbox 360 (Xbox Live Gold Members only) with a PS3 demo arriving May 11th.
Blackrock Studio focused on filling Split/Second with huge bangs and whistles by letting players trigger Hollywood style explosions that change the nature of the track and throw their opponents off Kilter. The studion also worked on Pure which was a bit of a sleeper hit when it released, and if nothing else provides some solid reputation for the developer in making high quality, fun racing titles. The demo is around 800 megs so you should definately check it out until the game releases May 18th.
Sony has already released firmware update 3.30 for Playstation 3 and though it may not let you watch 3D Blu-ray movies you can look forward to some 3D gaming action...well, not yet anyways.
The update itself is said to "prep" the PS3 for 3D gaming which is a feature intended to be introduced in the future as in, you know, not now but later. At least this gives you some time to save up a few bucks for that brand new 3D TV you'll need to play your games with the added illusion of depth perception.
To catch you guys up on recent Sony news, a firmware update was announced that would enable 3D gaming on the Playstation 3 and was planned to go live sometime in June. A few select titles including Wipeout HD, Super Stardust HD, PAIN, and Motorstorm: Pacific Rift would feature the 3D update and other titles the likes Killzone 2, Little Big Planet, and Gran Turismo 5 were either rumored or hinted at. What the update doesn't let you do is watch 3D blu-ray movies.
Will 3D Blu-ray playback ever make it to the PS3? Yeah, probably. With the industries push to have more 3D television sets in consumer homes it would be invaluable to have a major video game console sport the new feature. As for more games sporting 3D other than the aformentioned? Can't say too much on that currently but expect Sony to be throwing all sorts of news around when the update hits this June.
Despite some grievances with a linear design and a plodding first twenty hours Final Fantasy XIII is quite a success. According to an NPD report Final Fantasy XIII has sold roughly 1,321,000 copies state side with the PS3 version of the game outselling the Xbox 360 counter part nearly two to one. Since there are some differences between the platforms, mainly the use of multiple DVD's and a lower resolution overall on the Xbox 360 version, its not really all that surprising.
Generally, the likely purchasers of the Xbox 360 version of FFXIII are either those who only own an Xbox 360 or multiplatform owners prefering to throw their support behind Microsoft's console for personal reasons/incentives, such as raising one's gamer score. Aside from these suppositions there is thorough and undisputable evidence that the Xbox 360 version of the game is not of the same quality as the Playstation 3. Sure the differences are minor, but gamers who own both platforms tend to be sensitive to these differences, preferring to go with the platform the game seems most optimized for.
If you've been holding off on picking up Gearbox's "role-playing shooter" you might be interested to know that Amazon currently has all versions of the game available at a $20 discount, meaning you can get the game for around $40 on Xbox 360 and PS3 and around $30 for the PC version. Can't determine how long the deal will last so if you're on the fence you may want to make a decision quickly.
So far Borderlands has enjoyed some pretty positive reception overall and has been well supported with DLC. If I wasn't already waist deep in a list of games I need to play I'd probably jump on this.
Here's a link to the deal for the impulsive buyer within you.
Star Wars: Dark Forces was recently posted on the ESRB website for the PS3 and PSP indicating the game will soon be available on Playstation network as a PSX classic title for your nostalgic pleasure. Currently there is no price or release date details available but we can expect the game to arrive fairly soon.
Dark Forces follows Kyle Katarn, a hired gun for the Rebel Alliance on a mission to be a general pain in the arse for the Galactic Empire. The game preceeds the Jedi Knight series which was one of the first games to allow players to play as a Jedi with lightsaber and forcepowers. Dark Forces can be considered a standard FPS shooter but for its time it brought some innovative elements to the genre like jumping, ducking, and vertical looking. Great for its time, but may provide little more than nostalgia for those who remember the game from 1995.
Just a heads up, Sega's sky fighter arcade hit is coming to an Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 near you April 21st and 22nd respectively for an estimated $10. The current release dates apply for both North America and Europe.
To be honest I never played the arcade game myself but word on the street is that this gem is a classic, so if high octane, ludicrous combat is your game then by all means get your dog fight on when the game hits XBLA and PSN this April.
The map pack, which has you capture strategic town positions and secure M-COM stations in Laguna Presa and Arica Harbor, is available with the VIP code which is included in every new copy of Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Players that do not have a code can purchase one via the in-game store, PC players will get the content as a game update.
