Valve has revealed today that the first free Portal 2 DLC will be arriving on PC, Mac, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360 on October 4th. This DLC is titled Portal 2: Peer Review and you will continue the co-op story that features an all new mysterious test track were you will be playing as Atlas and P-Body once again to outsmart GLaDOS in a bunch of new puzzles.

Peer Review will also be adding a Challenge Mode for both single player and co-op were you will be able to compare score against friends and the Portal community on the leaderboards.

EA's FIFA Street hasn't always been the best experience in the past but the recently announced reboot seems promising. Today EA revealed a more precise launch window of the street soccer style game. FIFA Street will hit shelves in March 2012.

Just like FIFA 12, Street will also include EA Football Club and incorporate EA's Season Ticket features and early access. More to come soon.


[Source]
[Credit]

There was a day when I declared ‘Zombie Games’ to be dead, well, at least dead to me. That was until I saw the gloriously cut Dead Island trailer this spring. The thought of having a deep, gritty and realistic experience, had me very intrigued because we hadn’t seen anything like this in the zombie genre. The Techland developed Dead Island had stirred everyone’s excitement level so much so, that we were dying to play it. The main question was; can Dead Island live up to one of the greatest video game announcement trailers ever?

It seemed like any other day in the paradise that is Banoi. Dead Island’s main ‘character’ is a gorgeous, lush island filled with palm trees, resorts, crystal clear ocean waters and tourists, plenty of tourist who enjoy their vacations. All is well in Banoi until one morning the player wakes up with a banging hangover and the ears still ringing from too much of the smash hit “Who do you voodoo B****”, only to discover that something has happened to their paradise. The tourists who previously enjoyed drinks on the beach have been turned into zombies, beautifully animated and rendered undead ‘things’ which are looking to turn you into one of them.

Dead Island is an open world, four player coop, first person melee heavy game with the occasional gun play but players will mostly use paddles, bats, knives, machetes and other items to slay zombies, loads of them. Once players have chosen one of four playable characters, all with a different back-story and reasons as to why they are there, they are dropped straight into the beautiful island of Banoi. The player is immune to the virus or ‘cause’ of the outbreak but can still die rather quickly, if precautions aren’t taken.

At its heart, Dead Island is an open world, action RPG, in which players will be asked to complete certain quests for main and side NPCs in order to gain XP and move the story along. The non-playable characters possess some decent voice acting and made me feel compelled to complete their quests. Sure, I did a lot of “Go here and get this for me”-type missions but because it is so much fun to explore the world, loot and slay zombies, I didn’t have a problem with it, at all. When it comes to the combat, Dead Island displays some serious grittiness, which keeps the game fun and enjoyable even though the mission structure can be repetitive. Killing zombies made me smile every time, no matter how much I have done it. The zombies of Dead Island are of various natures, there are slow zombies, fast zombies, mini-bosses, etc. When dealing with a powerful mini-boss it helps to break its arms, at which point they will try to rush and head bud you continuously until they are put out of their misery. Also, breaking specific bones will provide extra XP which is used for upgrading the character tree abilities such as stamina, accuracy and repair skills.


The melee combat in Dead Island is simply outstanding; there is also an analog mode where players will actually have to swing the weapon as opposed to pressing a button. The different enemy types will require the player to adjust in order to stay alive; there are alternative weapons in the game such as ‘throwables’ like the Molotov, etc. This keeps the gameplay fresh and allows for some creativity. Almost anything in the world can be used as a weapon but everything degrades over time. Weapons can be repaired and upgraded and there are ‘mods’ which allow players to build powerful custom weapons. Many items in the game are scarce, so using bandages, food and weapons wisely becomes key.

After recognizing the fact that Dead Island has some of the most fun gameplay in an open world game this year, we have to take a look at the actual story since it was such a big aspect of marketing this title and of course the reveal trailer. While there are not really any incredibly deep and emotional setups, like the trailer suggested, Dead Island still possess a good narrative. As I mentioned before, there are a lot of fetch quests but the overall plot keeps on moving nicely and you’ll want to find out what is going on in Banoi and most importantly, how do I get off this hell hole.

Dead Island is a four player coop game and enjoying the slaying of zombies with friends is always better but even playing the game as a typical single player experience, I enjoyed myself immensely. There aren’t many gripes I have with Dead Island, sure there are some glitches and vehicles falling through the levels or zombies and players getting stuck behind crates but this is a massive open world without much of a limit and this doesn’t take away from the experience. The one thing however, that I found a little jarring, was the fact that during cut scenes, all four coop players were present even though I was in single player mode and some NPCs addressed me as ‘you guys’ and so on. The coop itself is seamless and based on a drop in drop out setup.

Even though Dead Island has a few technical issues and doesn’t quite live up to the story expectations we have build up in our minds after the amazing reveal trailer, it is one of the freshest open world games we have seen in a while. Dead Island did one thing; I didn’t think was possible, put a different and entertaining spin on the zombie genre and for that alone it should deserve a medal. If you thought zombie games were ‘dead’, like me before I played Dead Island, then play this game.

Score: 8.5 / 10

Dead Island was developed by Techland and published by Deep Silver for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on September 6th. A copy of the game was provided to us by Deep Silver for reviewing purposes.

We received a rather hilarious press release from Double Fine today. The developer is now also the owner of the IP and dropped some news today.

Psychonauts is receiving a free Steam update as well as a MAC version. If you like to get behind the scenes, there is also a new iOS app available.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 29, 2011

EXCELLENT GAME PSYCHONAUTS GETS MAC VERSION, FREE STEAM UPDATE, VAULT VIEWER iOS APP

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – September 12 -- Double Fine Productions, Inc. announced today a new Mac version, new PC update, and new companion iOS app for one of its premiere titles, the award-winning Psychonauts.

As of today, Steam users may download a free update to their Psychonauts game which includes--for the first time--achievements, cloud saves, and a slightly modified Meat Circus.

“We are really excited,” said Double Fine President Tim Schafer, “to finally be answering fans’ requests for a more difficult Meat Circus.”

Mr. Schafer was probably joking about that last part, as Meat Circus, one of the original game’s most difficult sections, has been made slightly less punishing in this update.

“Mostly because I’m getting older and it’s hard for me to press buttons that quickly. Hey, don’t forget to mention the achievements!” Schafer added, unnecessarily, because we already mentioned that feature.

“What about the part I paid for?” asked Steven Dengler, CEO of Dracogen Strategic Investments, which is a private investment firm interested in making cool things happen, and not a clan of evil dragons, plotting to take over the world like it sounds. Double Fine has partnered with Dracogen to bring Psychonauts to the Mac OS X. The Mac version is available now on Steam and the Mac App Store, as well as several different online digital retailers.

“I have been a fan of Psychonauts and Double Fine for a long time,” continued Dengler, “and I’m extremely happy to be helping them bring their games to new platforms like the Macintosh. All hail the supremacy of Dragons!”

To show how excited they are about their first ever Apple product, Double Fine has also produced a free Psychonauts companion app for iPhone/iPad. The Psychonauts Vault Viewer lets players view all of their favorite Memory Vaults from Psychonauts (even the ones they never found) on their handheld iOS device. Every vault from the game is included, plus newly-recorded audio commentary from Tim Schafer and Scott Campbell for every slide of every vault. The app is available now in the iOS App Store.

“Excellent,” Said the dragons. “Everything is moving forward as planned.”

A 23 minute gameplay video of the 'not yet available' Caspian Border map in Battlefield 3 has shown up on Youtube today thanks to jeffriseden. The video shows jeffriseden running around the map showing off the game's gorgeous graphics. All the settings are set to ultra.

Give the video a watch below.

Man, am I stoked to write this news post. Today Ubisoft confirmed that the often delayed and rumored dead, I AM ALIVE is actually alive and kicking. The game is being developed by Ubisoft Shanghai and slated for a winter release on Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network.

“We know people have been waiting for this game to arrive, and we believe it’s going to be worth the wait,” said Adam Novickas, Director of Marketing at Ubisoft. “I Am Alive presents a unique take on the post-apocalyptic, survival genre by creating more complex and emotional situations for the player. Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network are the perfect platforms to leverage the mature and challenging experiences of the game.”

Ubisoft released a new 'Re-Reveal' Trailer today which shows off the third person traversal and survival game. I AM ALIVE puts you in the shoes of a father who is looking for his family in a ruined city.

Recently EA and Starbreeze had revealed that they will be creating a first person shooter based on the popular isometric view based PC classic - Syndicate. Today we finally get to see what the game will actually work.

EA has released an announcement trailer for the game and got me rather intrigued. The title will play on various elements from the original. Syndicate members where able to use augmentations, mind control and other cool gadgets, now we can experience that from a first person perspective.

Hey, have you you been watching all that Battlefield 3 Beta footage over the past few days? Starting today the Beta is available to everyone on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Additionally the beta will be going live on PSN and Origin today, check back to see when you can grab those files.

Electronic Arts have revealed that on October 18th they will be releasing a demo for Need for Speed: The Run that features the Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni, and takes place in the desert.

They did not reveal what consoles the demo will be on, but my guess would be the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and most likely the PC as well.

FromSoftware and Namco Bandai have unveiled a brand new trailer titled 'All Saints Day' that features some of the fiercest bosses that will kick your ass when when Dark Souls releases October 4th.

You can view the awesome below.

There has been some interesting information on 'Treasures Untold' on the Dark Souls website which have finally revealed itself. Dark Souls will be getting five 'One of a Kind' statues.

Only 1 will be made for each of the 5, 12 inch tall, statues which are slated for community giveaways and won't be for sale anywhere.

While you are waiting for the Battlefield 3 beta to release tomorrow, why don't you give one of these three new XBLA titles a shot that just released. Worms: Ultimate Mayhem, MLB Bobblehead Battle, and Mercury Hg are all now available for download off of the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Worms comes in at 830 MB for 1200 MSP, Bobblehead Battle is 480 MB for 800 MSP, and finally Mercury Hg 170 MB for 400 MSP.

I know that Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Trilogy HD may not be the greatest name for a game collection but I can excuse that if it is as awesome as this.

Today Ubisoft shipped the HD Collection for PS3 which includes Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, Pandora Tomorrow and Chaos Theory. The HD Collection will be available from your favorite retailer for $39.99 and digitally via the PlayStation Network.

I was one of the lucky ones (and when I say lucky, I mean I went out and spent $60 bucks on Medal of Honor) to get a beta key for the fantastic Battlefield 3 beta that is going on right now. And I know some of you out there are not stupid enough (like me) to buy a game just to play a beta.

It's all good though, you can experience the fun with me! Right now I have a four minute HD clip that I took of one of my recent matches, and soon I will be uploading lots more to our Youtube channel: onPauseMedia.

Enjoy the clip below, and make sure you subscribe to our Youtube channel for more Battlefield 3 videos.

Previously EA had revealed the Syndicate remake as a first person shooter, to release in 'Early 2012'. Today the publisher gave us the exact release date of February 21st in the US and the 24th in Europe.

The game will be developed by Starbreeze who previously worked on the Chronicles of Riddick. Are you excited for the game even though it has been turned into a shooter versus its previous form of an action RTS-like game?

In case you haven't played Telltale's Back to the Future episodes yet, this may be a good time. Telltale has updated BTTF on iPad in terms of graphics in level 3 and a bunch of other cool stuff and also put the episodes on Sale for $2.99.

Go ahead and grab these tasty episodes as you probably cant afford the alternative, the Nike Mag.

You know the guys that made Brutal Legend and all those cool downloadable games, right? Well, Double Fine and Tim Schafer now went to work on Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster and it is almost out.

The game is a family / child friendly Kinect based title and the demo is now live on Xbox LIVE's Marketplace. Get it here.

Thatgamecompany and Jenova Chen had to push back its Fall 2011 release window to 'Spring 2012'. When Journey finally releases on PSN early next year, gamers can finally experience a game like no other.

When Dead Nation hit last year, we loved it, tomorrow Housemarqu will release a 'self-funded' DLC pack called 'Road of Devastation'. The DLC is available on September 28th and will run you a splendid $3.99 - cheap.

Dead Nation DLC "Road Of Devastation" will present you with a variety of new tools and equipment to dispose of your enemies, while introducing new enemies and obstacles encountered in unique new environments. Since the launch of the game, Dead Nation has been a top selling PSN title having fans all around the globe.

After being included in the Welcome Pack offering, the game has reached over 3.8 million downloads.

Well, there were rumors and speculation galore earlier this year about this 'Dead Island' movie, based on the zombie slaying hit from Deep Silver and Techland.

Today Deep Silver confirmed that Lionsgate will actually make this thing happen, a deal was struck.

The incredible Dead Island trailer from earlier this year served as the inspiration for the licensing of the IP from Deep Silver.

"This is exactly the type of property we’re looking to adapt at Lionsgate – it’s sophisticated, edgy, and a true elevation of a genre that we know and love. It also has built in brand recognition around the world, and franchise potential", said Motion Picture Group President Joe Drake.

The film, currently in early development stages, will be directed by Sean Daniel, responsible for films like THE MUMMY, TOMBSTONE, DAZED AND CONFUSED.

Hey guys, you know that game you spent years of your life playing in the arcade? Well, it's back with a vengeance, again! Sega has just released a new trailer for the game and you can see it below.

The House of the Dead: OVERKILL – Extended Cut is releasing exclusively on PS3, supports 3D, and will be available in stores across North America on October 25, 2011.

To celebrate the launch of X-Men: Destiny this week, Activision and Silicon Knights released a brand new trailer that features a lot of super hero butt kickin action.

Give this trailer a watch below!

When it comes to video game franchises, the universe is very important to gamers, so is a story and the background. What am I doing and why am I doing this, I often ask myself that question. Today 2K Games revealed a new trailer for the Darkness II.

What Is The Darkness? Here is your answer.

I Am Alive is a third-person action game where "players traverse through city ruins and use a machete to kill human enemies in melee-style-combat." That is what the ESRB said about Ubisoft's long lost title.

I Am Alive has switched studios and release windows like Lady Gaga changes underwear, or weird flesh suits, you get the idea.

Ubisoft's latest estimate for a release, which may now be a digital download, is their fiscal year 2011–12, which translates to April 2011 to March 2012.


[Credit]

I think I am not alone when I say that the Assassin's Creed universe is one of the best in video games today. Ubisoft has created and crafted an incredible sandbox to play in along with deep characters and a compelling, yet crazy, story to go along with it.

Today Ubisoft released an extended story trailer which was shown at E3 this year. Assassin’s Creed Revelations launches on November 15, 2011.

Well, I would like to say, this is a spoiler free zone but I can't. not today. Today is not November 8th, release day for Modern Warfare 3, but we can release the achievement list for Infinity Ward's latest.

Read these spoilers now:

* Back in the Fight - 5G: Start the Single Player Campaign on any difficulty.
* Too Big to Fail - 10G: Destroy the Jamming Tower. Complete "Black Tuesday" on any difficulty.
* Wet Work - 10G: Take back New York Harbor. Complete "Hunter Killer" on any difficulty.
* Carpe Diem- 10G: Escape the mountain safe house. Complete "Persona Non Grata" on any difficulty.
* Frequent Flyer - 10G: Defend the Russian President. Complete "Turbulence" on any difficulty.
* Up to No Good - 10G: Infiltrate the village. Complete "Back on the Grid" on any difficulty.
* One Way Ticket - 10G: Make it to Westminster. Complete "Mind the Gap" on any difficulty.
* Welcome to WW3 - 10G: Save the US Vice President. Complete "Goalpost" on any difficulty.
* Sandstorm! - 10G: Assault the shipping company. Complete "Return to Sender" on any difficulty.
* Back Seat Driver - 10G: Track down Volk. Complete "Bag and Drag" on any difficulty.
* We'll Always Have Paris - 10G: Escape Paris with Volk. Complete "Iron Lady" on any difficulty.
* Vive la Révolution! - 10G: Reach the church. Complete "Eye of the Storm" on any difficulty.
* Requiem - 10G: Escape the city. Complete "Blood Brothers" on any difficulty.
* Storm the Castle - 10G: Discover Makarov's next move. Complete "Stronghold" on any difficulty.
* Bad First Date - 10G: Find the girl. Complete "Scorched Earth" on any difficulty.
* Diamond in the Rough - 10G: Rescue the Russian President. Complete "Down the Rabbit Hole" on any difficulty.
* The Big Apple - 25G: Complete "Black Tuesday" and "Hunter Killer" on Veteran difficulty.
* Out of the Frying Pan... - 25G: Complete "Persona Non Grata", "Turbulence", and "Back on the Grid" on Veteran difficulty.
* Payback - 25G: Complete "Mind the Gap", "Goalpost", and "Return to Sender" on Veteran difficulty.
* City of Lights - 25G: Complete "Bag and Drag" and "Iron Lady" on Veteran difficulty.
* The Darkest Hour - 25G: Complete "Eye of the Storm", "Blood Brothers", and "Stronghold" on Veteran difficulty.
* This is the End - 25G: Complete "Scorched Earth", "Down the Rabbit Hole", and "Dust to Dust" on Veteran difficulty.
* Who Dares Wins - 40G: Complete the campaign on any difficulty.
* The Best of the Best - 100G: Complete the campaign on Hardened or Veteran difficulty.
* Strike! - 20G: Kill 5 enemies with a single grenade in Single Player or Special Ops.
* Jack the Ripper - 20G: Melee 5 enemies in a row in Single Player or Special Ops.
* Informant - 20G: Collect 22 Intel Items.
* Scout Leader - 35G: Collect 46 Intel Items.
* This Is My Boomstick - 20G: Kill 30 enemies with the XM25 in "Black Tuesday."
* What Goes Up... - 20G: Destroy all the choppers with only the UGV's grenade launcher in "Persona Non Grata."
* For Whom the Shell Tolls - 20G: Destroy all targets during the mortar sequence with only 4 shells in "Back on the Grid."
* Kill Box - 20G: Kill 20 enemies with the Chopper Gunner in a single run in "Return to Sender."
* Danger Close - 20G: Take down a chopper with an AC-130 smoke grenade in "Bag and Drag."
* Ménage à Trois - 20G: Destroy 3 tanks with a single 105mm shot in "Iron Lady.")
* Nein - 20G: Kill 9 enemies with A-10 strafing runs in "Scorched Earth."
* 50/50 - 20G: Complete a Special Ops Mission Mode game with the same number of kills as your partner.
* Birdie - 20G: Kill 2 enemy helicopters without getting hit in a Special Ops Survival game.
* Serrated Edge - 15: Finish a Juggernaut with a knife in Special Ops.
* Arms Dealer - 20G: Buy all items from the Survival Weapon Armory.
* Danger Zone - 20G: Buy all items from the Survival Air Support Armory.
* Defense Spending - 20G: Buy all items from the Survival Equipment Armory.
* Get Rich or Die Trying - 25G: Have $50,000 current balance in a Special Ops Survival game.
* I Live - 10G: Survive 1 wave in a Special Ops Survival game.
* Survivor - 20G: Reach Wave 10 in each mission of Special Ops Survival mode.
* Unstoppable - 40G: Reach Wave 15 in each mission of Special Ops Survival mode.
* No Assistance Required - 20G: Complete a Special Ops Mission Mode game on Hardened or Veteran with no player getting downed.
* Brag Rags - 10G: Earn 1 star in Special Ops Mission Mode.
* Tactician - 20G: Earn 1 star in each mission of Special Ops Mission Mode.
* Overachiever - 40G: Earn 48 stars in Special Ops Mission Mode.
* Secret Achievement - 20G: Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.

The blockbuster game from DICE and EA, Battlefield 3, will be hitting shelves on October 25, until then we will be able to watch this epic ad with some new gameplay and anticipate the multiplayer Beta.

Quantity doesn't always mean quality but sometimes the exception proves the rule. Bethesda and id Software have build a brand new and beautiful universe in RAGE and John Carmack has created id Tech 5 to do it.

The engine includes 'Mega Texture' technology which doesn't only make the world look amazing and has less repetitive textures but also requires lots of space and load times. In order to play the game at its best on consoles, RAGE will ship on 3 Xbox 360 discs. Players can install the first two discs which hold the single player campaign, one after another, as the game progresses, similar to LA Noire, as well as the multiplayer disc.

For the PS3, Sony has allowed the software maker to install 8GB onto the hard drive, this will make it more efficient when loading the high resolution textures.

"Kudos to Sony for letting us do that. They don't allow every game to do that. So definitely, hats off. What we were able to do is install all the textures to the highest level. What is nice about the PS3 platform is that it's just one platform. Everyone has one Blu-ray drive, one hard drive, it's all the same. Some of the other systems you have... should I install it on my 360? Should I not install it? So yes, it's very nice."

[SOURCE]

Electronic Arts and BioWare have finally revealed a release date for the highly anticipated Star Wars MMORPG today. Star Wars: The Old Republic will release in America on December 20th, and in Europe on December 22nd.

EA still has not revealed when the beta will take place, but if you pre-order The Old Republic from your favorite retailer, you will receive access to it after entering your pre-order code on www.swtor.com.

All copies of SWTOR come with a free 30 day subscription, after which you will have to pay $14.99 per month.

October 4th is going to be one great day for gamers, on top of RAGE and Dark Souls, Electronic Arts has revealed that the updated version of Crysis 1 for consoles will release that day as well.

If you don't know, this version of Crysis will be releasing on PSN and XBLA for $19.99. It features updated controls for a better console experience, along with new lighting and effects.

Activision has sent out an all new eight minute GoldenEye 007: Reloaded gameplay video today that features a bunch of sneaking around. The video also has commentary by product manager Rob Matthews at Eurocom.

Give this video a watch below.

Namco Bandai has just made four minutes worth of brand new in-game Inversion gameplay available for all to see. In the video, community manager at Namco Bandai Rich Bantegui speaks with Inversion producer Ken Mah about the crazy gameplay we will experience when Inversion releases.

Check this video out below.

Batman: Arkham City is releasing on consoles next month and one the biggest villains we have to look forward to is, of course, the Joker. Today we received a new trailer officially revealing Batman's arch nemesis.

Blizzard is arguably one the most reliant publishers when it comes to hitting announced release windows. Today however, the makers of Starcraft and World of Warcraft announced that the highly anticipated Diablo III will now ship in 'Early 2012'.

While this is some bad news for fans, know this, Blizzard will be extending the closed beta that started on September 20th. More players will potentially be added as well, make sure to 'have an active Battle.net account with any Blizzard game attached to it should visit Battle.net account management to opt in for a chance to participate in the beta test'.

To celebrate the Child of Eden release in just six days, Ubisoft revealed a one minute launch trailer that features some in-game gameplay along with some live action of a lady wandering around in a field of flowers.

Give this launch trailer a watch below.

XCOM was a big and beloved strategy game from the 90's surrounding aliens on planet earth, well, the remake will be a first person shooter made by 2K Marin, the BioShock 2 guys.

XCOM underwent a couple of revisions already and is approaching release next year. Check out the Behind the Scenes video 2K released today.

PS3 gamers always have been behind the curve when it comes to Call of Duty DLC as they were a timed Exclusive to Xbox LIVE. Today Sony announced that DLC for Battlefield 3 will come to PS3 a week before Xbox 360.

In a post on the PlayStation Blog we found out that this deal will start with the 'Back to Kirkland' DLC which is the first map pack for Battlefield 3 to launch this year which includes four Battlefield 2 maps, including Wake Island, re-made in Frostbite 2.0.

Uncharted 3 will be one of the biggest games this holiday season and probably this whole generation. Today Sony released that it will be selling a bundle as well to coincide with the game.

The 320 GB Sony PlayStation 3 will include a copy of Drake’s Deception as well as a free month of PlayStation Plus. The price for all of that is a groovy 299 Dollars. Merry Christmas.

Criterion Games have just released their brand new burnout title specially built as a downloadable game for XBL and PSN; Burnout CRASH. BC features three game modes, six themed areas, and an all new top down camera angle.

Login to your preferred console now and pick up Burnout CRASH for only $10/800 MSP.